by Melody Anne
“Let’s go,” the agent said, lifting Dakota into his arms as he began running.
Ace followed, his body numb. He was afraid to even look at Dakota. If he lost her, he didn’t know what he would do. New determination filled him as he swore nothing would happen to her. He’d give his own life if he needed to.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
Ace didn’t leave Dakota’s side as she lay in a hospital bed, monitors hooked up to her, her heartbeat steady. The bullet had missed her heart, and they’d gotten it out without complication, but it had been way too close for comfort.
She was so pale and small lying there. She shouldn’t be in a hospital room, shouldn’t be in this situation at all. It was all on him. If he hadn’t ever gotten involved with her, she’d be living her life, stress-free, happy. He truly was no good for her. But even knowing this, he couldn’t walk away—not now.
A shudder racked his body as he thought about how close he’d come to losing her forever. If the bullet had penetrated even an inch to the left, she would be gone. One small inch and he never would have seen her smile again. It was something he couldn’t even begin to imagine.
His brothers and sisters-in-law hadn’t left his side in the waiting area those first twelve hours when she’d been in surgery. He’d practically torn off heads as he waited to see her, touch her, assure himself she was indeed alive.
Finally, she’d been taken to a private room, and he’d made his family go away so he could be alone with her. Her family had been called. Ace was sure there was a hailstorm of fire coming his way. They had been shocked by what had happened, so Dakota obviously hadn’t told them a thing.
They would need a target for their grief and anger, and Ace was more than willing to be that person for them. After all, he hadn’t protected her like he should have. He’d allowed her to be kidnapped, and then he’d been standing next to her when she’d been shot.
The doctor walked into the room, looking at her charts before nodding.
“How is she doing?” Ace asked anxiously.
“Are you family?” the doctor asked.
Ace froze up. No. Technically he wasn’t anything, but he swore if this man didn’t share with him what was going on, he’d put the doctor in a bed next to her.
“I need to know,” he said.
“We need her next of kin,” the doctor told him. Ace stood up to his full height, having no problem at all intimidating the good doctor.
“I’m her father,” a man said as he stepped into the room, flanked by a small woman and four large men Ace was assuming were Dakota’s brothers. None of them appeared happy at all as they glared at Ace. “I want to know what in the hell is going on.”
The doctor turned toward the man and nodded. “Mr. Forbes?” he said.
“Yes, I’m Lucian Forbes, and this is my wife, Juliana, and our sons, Kian, Owen, Arden, and Declan. Please tell us what is happening with my daughter.”
Lucian moved across the room and came to stand beside the bed, his hand instantly taking Dakota’s. Ace wasn’t surprised to see the man’s fingers tremble. Hell, Ace was having a difficult time keeping it together. This wasn’t exactly how he’d pictured meeting her family.
“Your daughter received a gunshot wound to the chest. We successfully removed the bullet, and she is expected to make a full recovery from her injury,” the doctor said. Ace let out a breath of relief.
“Is there a but in there?” Lucian asked.
“No, sir,” the doctor replied before sending a glance Ace’s way. “However, we ran several tests so we would know what medications to give her,” he continued before he paused again.
“Can you just spit it out?” Lucian demanded. Ace was beginning to respect the man, though he kept quiet.
“Your daughter is pregnant,” the doctor said. He again glanced at Ace before turning away to look at Lucian again. “The baby appears to be fine.”
The room went deathly silent as Ace stared down at Dakota. They’d been so cautious, had taken precautions. How in the world could this have happened? Well, he knew how it could happen, but he didn’t understand when it had happened.
Ace could feel the burning gazes of Dakota’s family focused on him now. As he was the only unrelated man in the room, they were easily putting two and two together.
“You are sure both my daughter and the baby are fine?” Lucian asked.
“Yes, we are sure. She should be waking any time,” the doctor told them.
Much to Ace’s surprise, her father looked up and smiled at Ace. That wasn’t the reaction he’d been expecting at all. He looked from her father to her brothers. They didn’t hold the same expression in their eyes at all. He had a feeling they’d like to draw and quarter him if they got the chance.
“Our first grandchild,” Juliana said as she placed her hand on her husband’s arm and looked down at their daughter. “This certainly isn’t the way I would have liked to have heard the news, but how can I not be happy about that?” She spoke so quietly, with a slight accent Ace couldn’t quite place.
Ace’s head was spinning. A baby certainly hadn’t been in the cards for him. Actually, it was the farthest thing from his mind. But as the doctor’s words settled in his brain, something inside his chest expanded, making him ache with overwhelming emotion.
A child. His child. He couldn’t even comprehend it. There was fear inside him, but it was drowned out by the overwhelming love taking its place. He was going to be a father. Just last night he’d almost lost the woman he loved, and now all of a sudden, he was being told he was going to be a father. And his baby’s mother was going to be just fine.
It was almost too much for him to take in. His blissful moment was soon interrupted, though, when Dakota’s oldest brother stepped forward.
“You have some serious explaining to do,” Kian said. There was definitely murder in his eyes.
“I think you need to wait for Dakota to wake up. It’s not my place to explain,” Ace told the man. He could certainly understand her brother’s wrath, but Ace feared her, not her family. And if he told them about their affair, she was going to kill him.
“I can certainly beat the information out of you,” Kian said. Her other brothers nodded, indicating they liked that idea.
“Want to go outside?” Ace asked, smirking at the man. He saw fire explode in his eyes before his lips turned up in a menacing smile.
“Let’s go,” Kian said, holding out his hand.
“You both need to calm down,” Juliana said, glaring at all of her sons before turning her disapproving look to Ace. “I’m assuming the child is yours.”
Ace didn’t want to look away from Dakota’s brothers, but he couldn’t disrespect her mother and ignore what she was saying to him. He slowly glanced at her, suddenly feeling shame as she gazed at him with a knowing look.
“Yes, ma’am,” he replied, with a lot more respect than he had given the brothers.
“And do you love my daughter?” she asked, her intense, nearly purple eyes not allowing him to look away, though he did shift on his feet.
“Yes, ma’am,” he said quietly. He’d realized it the night before, and the feeling had grown while he’d prayed at her bedside. He could try to lie to these people, but they needed to know he would die for Dakota. Maybe it would ease some of their tension.
“And I’m also assuming you have something to do with this mess,” Juliana continued.
“Yes,” he said, not elaborating.
“Since my daughter makes wise choices, I’m going to give you the benefit of the doubt and let you tell us what is going on,” Juliana said as she accepted the chair her husband offered her. She sat next to her daughter, never taking her eyes off Ace.
“Mom, this douchebag touched Dakota,” Kian said, obviously still wanting a fight.
“Your sister is an adult and can choose who she wants to be with,” Juliana told her son.
“But . . .” Juliana held up her hand, and Kian instantly stopped. He obviously resp
ected his mother, which made Ace think a lot more highly of the man.
“Are you in trouble?” Juliana asked Ace.
Ace sighed as he sat back down in the chair he’d been in all night—that was, when he wasn’t pacing. He didn’t want to tower over her.
“I’m CIA,” he told her honestly. “I finished a case, and one of the members of the family is seeking revenge. Dakota got caught up in the crossfire.”
He felt so much shame as he told her family that it was indeed his fault she was lying in a hospital bed and had been fighting for her life all night. They should kick him out of her life and take her far, far away. The thought of that had his heart burning in pain.
“My daughter never has been one to run from a fight,” Juliana said, surprising him when she chuckled. “It seems like you might just be strong enough for her.”
Ace didn’t know what in the world to think about Juliana’s words. It appeared to him as if the woman was giving him her blessing. That didn’t make sense at all. Not when they were having this conversation across a hospital bed.
“You will marry her,” Kian growled.
Ace’s glance flew up to Dakota’s brother. He hadn’t even thought about marriage. But she was carrying his child. Of course, he had to marry her. The thought of marriage had filled him with dread for so many years, he was shocked that it didn’t scare him now.
“Of course I will,” Ace said.
He hadn’t expected those words to escape his parched throat, but now that it was out there in the open, he knew that’s just what he was going to do. He couldn’t leave this woman carrying his child. Even if she hadn’t been pregnant, he knew he wouldn’t be able to walk away from her. She meant too much to him. He couldn’t imagine his life without her.
“Good,” Lucian said. He’d been quiet during the entire exchange.
“I’m sorry we’re meeting like this,” Ace told them.
“She’s alive. That’s all that matters right now,” Lucian told him.
“Maybe we should just bring the preacher in here and get the ceremony done now so this fool doesn’t change his mind and try to run away,” Kian said. Her other brothers were oddly quiet, and that worried Ace a little bit. He couldn’t judge what they were thinking if he couldn’t hear their voices.
“I might have a problem with that.”
Everyone went silent as Dakota spoke while slowly opening her eyes. Her brothers moved forward, surrounding her, probably making her a little claustrophobic.
“I’m glad you’re all here,” she said, her voice weak. “But you aren’t trying to give me a shotgun wedding, are you?”
She smiled a little. Ace didn’t understand how she could be making a joke, even a small one, after what she’d been through.
“Did you hear what the doctor said?” Ace asked, forgetting about her family being in the room.
“No. I began coming to a couple minutes ago. I heard you bickering with my family. I felt right at home,” she told him. He’d never seen anything as beautiful as her open eyes.
“We’re pregnant,” he said softly, his hand caressing her cool head. Her eyes widened as she gazed at him. He couldn’t tell what she was thinking. Then she gave him another soft smile.
“So my family is demanding a wedding?” she said.
“Of course we’ll marry,” he told her.
“I might not be old-fashioned, Ace Armstrong, but I do have a romantic side,” she told him. “And no one tells me what to do.”
“I know that,” he said. It was only one of the many things he loved about her.
“So we have a baby together; that doesn’t mean we get married. If I accept a proposal, it will be because I am so in love I can’t imagine my life going on without the guy.”
“I do love you,” he told her.
“And we’ve also been on one long roller-coaster ride. Let’s see how you feel when it stops,” she said.
“But . . .” He was at a loss for words.
“Don’t argue with me. I’m weak and pathetic right now,” she told him.
“I’m sorry,” he said.
She smiled, her face stunningly beautiful even while pale and sunken. It didn’t matter. She was his, and he would prove to her she couldn’t live without him, even if she would be much better off without him in her life.
She turned away from him and looked at her brothers. “You be nice to Ace. He’s saved me more than once,” she scolded them.
Her big brothers nervously shifted on their feet, making Ace feel like smirking at them. He managed to keep it in, though. He liked it much better when her controlling nature was turned on someone other than him.
The doctor came back into the room, and Ace slipped away. He’d been put through a lot of emotions in the past twenty-four hours, and he needed a few minutes to process it all.
His phone rang, and he lifted it to his ear without thinking about it. Maybe he should have just let it go to voice mail. He wasn’t sure.
“Hello,” he said.
“It’s time you and I meet.”
The deadly voice was on the other end of the line. Ace smiled. It was Nestor, and he’d picked the ideal time to call.
“Yes, it is,” he replied.
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
Ace felt confident as he went to the location Nestor had agreed to meet him. Of course, it was a trap. Ace wasn’t a fool. But Nestor’s ego was going to be what took him down. Yes, the man would have his goons there, but he wasn’t prepared for Ace’s backup, either. He wouldn’t be so foolish as to assume Ace would come alone, but he knew Ace had injuries, and he was counting on that to make him weak.
The man didn’t know who he was. Rage was all he needed to wipe this man out. There was no way Ace was going to leave any more stones unturned. Not only had this idiot been foolish enough to come after Ace, but he’d attacked Dakota. Ace wasn’t going to allow that to happen again—not ever. This ended today—one way or another.
His body was weak, and Ace didn’t try to hide that fact. The worse off Nestor thought he was, the more victorious the creep would feel. His overconfidence would be his undoing.
All along Ace had planned on being the bait. He had done it before, and this was no different. What amused Ace was the saliva practically dripping from Bill’s mouth at the thought of getting this guy. If anything went wrong, Ace would have to punch his boss. The man was almost as eager as Ace to get Nestor behind bars. However, Ace didn’t care at this point if they caught him dead or alive. He just wanted him out of the picture.
“We can see you clearly. There’s no sign of activity,” Maverick said into Ace’s earpiece.
His foolish brother had insisted on being there, even though he was sporting his own injury from the night before. The bullet that had ripped into Mav’s leg would require him to use a cane for the next few weeks, but Maverick had insisted on being a lookout. He was too good a shot not to include on the mission, so Ace had reluctantly agreed.
Ace didn’t say anything back but nodded his head the slightest bit. If Nestor was watching, he didn’t want the man to get spooked.
“I would feel a hell of a lot better being down there on the ground with you,” Maverick said.
The slightest of smiles tilted Ace’s lips. He knew sitting by wasn’t any of his brothers’ styles. Ace hadn’t let Cooper or Nick come along, as he was too worried Nestor wouldn’t show and would use the opportunity to get to their wives. They were all at the hospital with full security and communication so they knew exactly what was happening.
“When this is over, you’re going to have one hell of a pissed-off woman on your hands,” Cooper said. “She won’t let me leave the hospital room. Her brother also said if you get killed, that counts as running.”
Ace lowered his head as he fought the smile trying to pop up on his lips. He could just imagine the hell Dakota was giving everyone, especially since he’d slipped away without a word. The time had come, and he’d had to move fast. He hadn’t been left with a w
hole hell of a lot of choices.
“It’s showtime, Ace,” Bill spoke up. Ace tensed. “Reports show Nestor entering the premises.”
Ace’s eyes glowed with a renewed rage and concentration. All joking was pushed aside as the intercoms went silent. They knew he needed to listen, needed to be fully in the moment.
Ace adjusted the bandage wrapping his shoulder, letting the fire in his arm remind him of how alive he was. He sat still at the outside table in the remote café as he waited for his showdown with Nestor.
Nestor’s choice of a meeting place had made Ace happy. The man thought he would be safe in a public place, but the patrons had been swapped out with undercover agents, and the scene was most definitely secure. Ace knew Nestor would have his own men around, and that’s where it got a bit more dangerous, but the good guys were definitely going to win this one. Ace had a reason to survive.
Nestor was working off pure hate and revenge. And while Ace wanted his own revenge for what had been done to Dakota, he also wanted this ended for the safety of his family. That trumped anything Nestor could carry with him.
A sleek sports car pulled around a corner, and Ace’s body tensed. He had no doubt this was Nestor arriving in all his glory. The car stopped, and Nestor stepped out, a huge goon with him.
Looking up, Nestor’s eyes met Ace’s, pure evilness in the other man’s expression. He smoothed his jacket with the palm of his hand and then walked toward Ace with confidence.
Ace wanted nothing more than to order the kill shot and have this over with. But he waited, his body on alert, his attention focused on the man he wanted to strangle with his bare hands.
“Just in case you have anything planned,” Nestor said, with a smile that sent a chill down Ace’s spine, “you should know that bombs are strategically placed through the area and my men are watching. If anyone so much as sneezes on me, no one gets out alive.”
Ace’s skin crawled at the man’s words. He wasn’t sure if he was bluffing or not. But he didn’t allow his worry to show in his expression.
“If you planned on this being nothing more than a bloodbath, then why even ask for a meeting?” Ace asked smoothly.
