He growled and felt around on his chest. “Does hurt like a mother bear, that’s for sure.”
Rocco’s breaths wheezed. Was it his chest too? God, there was a lot of blood. “You need help.”
“Not a chance.”
She looked at the floor. Blood stains pooled at his feet. There was way more blood coming off him than he either realized or would admit. “Call someone on your mic piece and tell them you’re hurt.”
He shook his head. “Orders are we do not move until we get the all clear.”
“Dang it, Rocco.” Stubborn men. “Then where’s Asher? What happened?”
“It’s fine. Hang tight.”
Rocco hadn’t said he’s fine. And why was Rocco bleeding? She hadn’t heard an explosion, no gunshot. “What about you? What happened?”
“Knife slice. Just need a few dozen stitches, and I’ll be fine.” He laughed and grimaced. “Oh, fuck me.”
“What’s wrong?”
“Don’t feel right.”
“You’ve lost too much blood.”
“No. Something else. Fuckin’ dizzy.” He took a deep breath, and his eyes unfocused. “I know blood… loss. Not it.” He scrubbed his hand over his face. His brow furrowed, and he stared at his arm, the blood. “Damn. It. Jenny,” he slurred. “Hallucinations.”
He started to disarm. One gun off his hip. Another off his leg. A holstered knife.
“Take them. Now.” Rocco leaned against the door. He pressed his mic to his mouth. “Knife wound. Poisoned. Tassels is unguarded.”
“I’m what?” Guns she was comfortable with. The knife, not so much. She stuck that in her pocket, tucked his compact Glock into her waistband, and kept the Smith & Wesson pistol in hand.
He batted his hand in front of his face as if swooshing away flies. “Fucking. Seeing shit.” He flinched. And again. “Get out of here.”
“Where should I go?” What had happened out there? She had to find Asher. Or maybe Jared or Murphy. Roman was out there too. Any of them could help Rocco and confirm Asher was fine. Someone would point her in the right direction. A cop or an agent. She was the senator’s girlfriend. That had to help her get where she needed to go and have her questions answered.
Rocco slumped out of the way, twitching.
“I’ll get help.”
***
“Enough already.” Asher shook off Murphy and Roman. “You got that fucker?”
They were in a large, loud boiler room adjacent to the ballroom.
Murphy nodded. “He’s in custody.”
“The plan wasn’t to separate me from Jenny unless—” someone was hurt. He blinked. “Where’s Jenny?”
Jared hung up the phone and motioned to Roman and Murphy. “We have a problem. Let’s go.”
“Was she hurt?” Asher growled into Jared’s face.
“No. Rocco got in front of the blade. Took it to the arm and chest.”
Asher could’ve felt like a bastard that he was relieved but didn’t care. “Where is she?”
“That’s the problem.”
“Explain the problem to me, so help me God.”
“Knife must’ve been tainted, treated with a psychotic. Rocco called it in as he started hallucinating. We found security footage. A cop escorted Maxwell onto the property and into the ballroom.”
Asher’s mind raced. “There’s a second man?”
“Roger that, Senator.” Jared headed to the door. “Roman, get to Rocco. Murphy, check in with your men. We’ve sent a screenshot and description for you to distribute.”
Jared and Roman left. Murphy picked up his phone and began issuing orders. Screw this. Asher walked out and went to find his girl.
He rounded corners and walked through a labyrinth of corridors. He tried her cell phone. No answer. Not a single cop or agent could be trusted, and he wished he’d seen the picture of the second man. Too late now.
At the end of the hallway, he came to a T. Roman and Jared might have split up. They might have known where Rocco had been and headed directly there. Asher went right. He had no reason. His phone rang. Murphy. Click and he sent the guy to voice mail. Murphy redialed him, and Asher was moving to find Jenny. No time to explain that he wouldn’t be cooped up in a boiler room.
He rounded another corner. Jenny! And she was holding a gun? “Sweetheart.”
She was walking with a cop who looked trustworthy, but Asher didn’t trust anyone. Jenny smiled, started toward him. Just as fast, the cop snaked an arm around her waist. Son of a bitch.
Jenny’s face screwed. Confusion and panic tore at her cheeks. Only twenty-five yards between them, but the distance suddenly felt like a mile.
“Let her go. You want me. You want to talk about the Bowie place, that’s fine. Let’s talk. Let her go.”
The cop shucked the gun out of her hand. “You should have taken my brother seriously.”
A brother? How had this not been realized before? Asher stepped toward them. “Fine. My mistake. Not hers.”
“Like Max said, we lost something of ours. This is all about her and making sure you know how it feels to lose something.”
Ten feet was all that remained between them. “You won’t make it past me.”
“You and who else, asshole? Everyone’s running around pointing fingers at each other. No one knows who the dirty cop is.”
Jenny ripped her arm free and behind her. A gun clattered to the floor, and she kicked and pushed at it with her high heels. Asher dove for it as the other man raised a gun at him. He heard Jenny grunt, kick, and scream. A shot rang out, the ricocheting bullet pinging around Asher but not hitting. He had Jenny’s Glock. Who knew where she’d found two guns? Didn’t matter. Asher had aimed, and Jenny struggled in the Bowie brother’s arm. Her arms flayed, and she pulled a knife from her pocket, slashing at the man’s arm around her.
The Bowie brother hollered, releasing her, and Asher ran forward, punched him, relishing the snap of his jaw. Jenny dove behind Asher, and he pounced on the downed man, whipping him across the face with the gun. Bowie Brother was out cold.
Asher took a deep breath and turned to Jenny. Her eyes were wide, but she wasn’t bleeding and didn’t look hurt. “Sweetheart?”
She nodded.
“You okay?”
She nodded again.
He pulled his phone out of his pocket and redialed Murphy. “Now you owe me, and I never want to hear ‘sir’ again.”
***
It was the middle of the night. The lights and sirens had long since disappeared. Titan and the FBI were gone. The news vans were even packing up after the crazy night of on-air reporting.
Asher watched Jenny finish the last of the cake they’d ordered from room service. He made a mental note to thank them for scrounging it up even after the kitchen had closed.
“Talk about a night we’re going to remember.” She tossed the fork onto the crumb-covered plate. “That was good. Chocolate makes everything better.”
“Did you think we’d ever be here?” he asked.
“Snacking on room service while naked in bed after your stalkers tried to kill us? Nope.” She giggled. “But I could at least have imagined the naked and cake thing.”
“Think you want to do this next election night?”
“Heck yeah.”
“What about the one after that?”
She laughed and stretched next to him. “I’m pretty sure you can coax me anywhere with a good piece of cake.”
“What if I wanted to be governor?”
She smiled. “What if you want to be president?”
“You’d make a great first lady.”
“Glad you think so. Let me know if anyone else is in the running. I’ve apparently got some great fighting moves I might try out again.”
He laughed and pulled her against his chest. “What if I wanted to walk away from it all after this term? I’d be some normal guy with a famous actress on his arm.”
“No one’s famous but you.”
“Y
ou keep telling yourself that, and one of these days you’ll realize the truth.”
She shrugged. “What if we were both unknown?”
“I’d still love you like crazy.” He kissed her. “And I’d still want you by my side.”
“Good.”
He rolled off the bed and rummaged through his pants pocket. With a diamond ring in his hand, he watched Jenny’s jaw drop. “I don’t want you to remember tonight because of what happened earlier.”
She closed her mouth and looked at him.
“Didn’t think it would go the way it did. And I was going to wait until after tonight. Fancy dinner. Lots of roses. But I can’t wait another minute. I need you to know that I’m in this forever. That I can’t wait to marry you, whether we walk away from the spotlight or dive head first into something bigger. Whatever happens, I want you there as my wife. Jenny Chase, will you marry me?”
He took her hand and slid on the ring.
“Chocolate cake and a diamond ring? In bed with the man of my dreams?” She leaned over and kissed him. “Nothing else to say but yes.”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Cristin Harber is an award-winning author. She lives outside Washington, DC with her family and English Bulldog, and enjoys chatting with readers.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cristinharberauthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CristinHarber
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.CristinHarber.com
Newsletter: http://bit.ly/11aWFzM
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REVIEW and RATE IT. Please share your thoughts on why you enjoyed this novella. If you do share a review, please email me and let me know. I’d like to personally thank you for sharing the Titan love.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Thank you to Blue Otter Editing and Amy Knupp. Your attention to detail is wonderful. I appreciate all the help and the fast turnaround.
Chatter and critique ladies, I can’t tell you how much your support has meant through this entire process. I hope you know how much I appreciate your time, your eyes, and your attention to detail.
For Chased in particular: Jamie Salsbury—thank you from the bottom of my heart for every piece of advice, crit, butt kicking, and pointless conversation. No one else I’d rather be a PI with. Racquel Reck—your constant flow of ideas and edits have inspired me. Sharon Cermak—You’ve pushed me to write my heart out. I’m beyond grateful and so honored that we’ve come down this road together.
Huge love for my family. Your support is impossible to describe and nothing is possible with you. XO.
COPYRIGHT
CHASED
Copyright 2013 by Cristin Harber
All rights reserved. This book or any portions thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the author and publisher except for the use of brief quotations used in a book review.
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictionally.
ISBN-10: 0989776069
ISBN-13: 978-0-9897760-6-6
Genres: Romance, romantic suspense, military romance, short story, novella
www.CristinHarber.com
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