Framed Shadows: Shadows Landing #6

by Kathleen Brooks

  “Greer! Do your parents know you’re here?” Aunt Annie asked Tinsley’s Kentucky cousin.

  “Do my parents know you’re here is a better question.” Greer bent down next to Tinsley and put her arm around Tinsley’s shoulder.

  “Um, let’s not mention it. I would hate to hurt your dad’s feelings. He was all excited about going to some convention with your mom,” Uncle Cade said, looking nervously at his brothers, who all nodded their agreement.

  Greer looked over at where Ryker stood next to Wade. “Thanks for the plane. My team is outside assisting with the arrests.”

  “As much as I love all of our uncles, I thought the country’s top FBI Hostage Team would be useful,” Ryker said in response to everyone’s questioning looks.

  “Thank you all,” Paxton said between gritted teeth to the growing family around him.

  Gavin pushed in and examined the leg. “He needs surgery. Let’s get him to the ambulance.”

  “On it,” Greer said, picking up her coms. “Agent down. I repeat, agent down. We need a stretcher now.”

  Greer helped Tinsley stand as the stretcher was raced inside. It seemed to be over quickly yet took forever as Paxton was loaded into the ambulance. Tinsley wanted to ride with him, but Gavin was with them and working hard to stop the bleeding. She didn’t need him to tell her it was serious. She’d seen the amount of blood Paxton had left behind.

  “Come on, Tins. Let’s get to the hospital. I want someone to check out your face, too,” Ryker told her as he slipped his arm around her waist. With Greer on one side and Ryker on the other, she stepped out into the daylight.

  The bright sun made her squint until she could adjust to it. All around her were police, FBI, DEA, and ATF vehicles. Myriad members were being arrested and moved to buses while others were taken away by ambulance.

  Outside, armies of people were working to secure the scene, but they all stopped to look over their shoulders at her when she reached the bottom of the steps. They nodded at her and Tinsley nodded back. Then the hive of activity went on. At the end of the driveway, Ridge shoved a police officer to the side and ran by the wall of officers roping the area off. The poor guy didn’t even have time to yell at Ridge before the whole Faulkner family was running past him.

  “Tins!” Her brother’s embrace broke her. Tinsley had been strong and brave until then, but with her brother and all her cousins wrapping her in a group hug, the emotions overflowed. Tears broke free and poured down her face as she cried into Ridge’s chest. “It’s okay. We’re here. You’re safe now. Are you hurt?”

  “Just a punch to the face,” Tinsley said as she tried to stop the out-of-control emotions.

  “Thank you all for protecting her,” Ridge said over her head to the Keeneston group.

  “We didn’t have to protect her. She took out a bunch of men, including the leader of the Myriad with a dagger throw to the heart,” Ahmed told her family. “It was very impressive. I don’t know many men who could make that throw. Where did you learn that?”

  Ridge was speechless and it made Tinsley laugh. She looked at the faces of her brother and cousins and only Ryker and Harper didn’t look shocked.

  “At church,” Tinsley answered simply, then laughed harder at Ahmed’s reaction.

  “We have a Special Forces priest and we don’t learn that in church,” Miles muttered.

  “Yeah, we need to talk to Ben about that. I think we could incorporate that into mass,” Marshall agreed.

  “Whitlock!” Ryker yelled out. A man a little older than Paxton and with dirty blond hair turned and walked toward them in his FBI jacket. “This is my cousin Tinsley. We need to get her to the hospital.”

  “Let me shake your hand first,” Whitlock said. “I’m the head of the gang unit. Thanks to you and your very, um, unique family, we arrested a hundred and thirty-seven Myriad members. We also confiscated thousands of illegal guns, and I can’t tell you how many drugs. Of course, your uncles and cousin blew up quite a bit of it, too, so the true value is unknown.”

  Tinsley couldn’t help the small laugh that came out. “Thank you for coming to my rescue.”

  “Patrick!” Whitlock yelled out. “Get Miss Faulkner to the hospital as fast as possible.”

  “We’re going with her,” Ridge said.

  “Take one of the SUVs,” Whitlock yelled out to the young agent.

  “Thank you,” Tinsley said, turning back to her family. She had been told how they had rappelled from a helicopter, swum through the marsh, and the final group had come in through the front door while Whitlock’s group helped round up and arrest the men and storm the front of the bar. “Thank you all. Now I just want to get to Paxton as quickly as possible.”

  “Watch out, Harp,” Ridge called out as he held open the SUV door for her. “We have a new badass in the family.”

  “I’ve known she was a badass all along, but now I’m making her work the Clemson and South Carolina football game to stop the bar fights,” Harper called out as she hugged her husband.

  Tinsley sent a wink to her cousin and got into the SUV. “Patrick?”

  “Yes, ma’am?” the young agent answered as Ryker, Ridge, and Greer got into the SUV with her.

  “Drive fast,” Tinsley ordered as all her thoughts were focused squarely on getting to Paxton.

  30

  Paxton was in so much pain that lights were flashing behind his eyes. Ahmed had pulled the tourniquet so tight that his leg was alternately throbbing yet somehow numb, too.

  “Tell them to prepare for surgery. The femoral artery was nicked. They’ll need blood for a transfusion. Lots of it,” Gavin yelled out for the EMT to radio in. “We’ll be there in fifteen minutes.” Gavin’s face was directly in front of Paxton’s as he flashed a penlight into his eyes. “You’ll go right into surgery,” Gavin said as he took Paxton’s blood pressure. “You’ve lost a lot of blood.”

  “No,” Paxton said through teeth gritted in pain.

  “No what?” Gavin asked.

  “No surgery until I talk to Tinsley.”

  Gavin’s grave face popped back in front of Paxton’s. “Not happening. You need surgery.”

  “I need Tinsley,” Paxton said, and Gavin huffed out an annoyed breath.

  “Okay, let me see what I can do.” Gavin disappeared from view as Paxton stared at the roof of the ambulance that was being escorted by the police. “Paxton needs surgery like yesterday, but he won’t go in without seeing Tinsley,” Gavin said into a phone. “Well, tell the agent to drive faster!” Gavin all but shouted.

  “Shit,” Paxton cursed and Gavin’s face was instantly in front of his again.

  “What is it?”

  “I need a ring.”

  Gavin’s confused look would be humorous if Paxton wasn’t in so much pain. “I’m sorry, what?”

  “There’s no way I’m going into a surgery I might not survive without Tinsley knowing I want to marry her. I need an engagement ring.”

  “You can ask her without one,” Gavin said, patting his hand.

  Paxton grabbed Gavin’s hand and squeezed. “Get me a ring. I don’t care if it’s a piece of string, but she’s going to be wearing something after I propose.”

  “Okay, give me another second.” Gavin disappeared from view. “Olivia, it’s Gavin. Yes, we were part of that. The FBI agent who was in charge of it is severely injured and wants to propose to Tinsley before he goes into surgery. Any way you can get an engagement ring to the hospital in ten minutes?”

  Gavin held the phone out and put it on speaker. “She wants to talk to you.”

  “Hello?” Paxton said as he clenched his teeth in pain.

  “Tell me your vision and I’ll make it happen,” the woman named Olivia said over the phone. Paxton could hear high heels running as he thought of Tinsley and the perfect ring for her.

  “Colorful and unique, just like her.”

  “Got it. See you in the ER.”

  The line went dead and Paxton looked to Gavin. “Wh
o was that?”

  “Olivia Townsend. She’s Ryker’s lawyer and she’s the scariest woman I’ve ever met. If there’s anyone who can browbeat a jeweler into giving her a ring this quick, it’s her.”

  Paxton chuckled and then groaned in pain. He just needed to stay conscious long enough to propose, and then he’d let the blissful darkness take him.

  “Get out of my way and let me through or that man will die and I’ll have you arrested for his murder.” Paxton heard the stern voice from the phone as he was being pulled from the ambulance.

  Gavin chuckled and Paxton smiled. She was just what Gavin said. “Let her through!” Gavin yelled out to the police escort.

  Paxton waited until a beautiful woman with a fancy updo and a royal blue suit popped into his visual field. “Hello. Do you like it?” She opened a velvet box and Paxton knew everything was going to be okay.

  “You’re perfect. It’s perfect. Tinsley’s perfect,” Paxton said happily. The woman looked amused as she handed him the box.

  “I gave him some pain meds,” Gavin told them. “Here’s Tinsley.”

  “Here’s all of Shadows Landing,” Olivia said as the EMTs wheeled Paxton toward the large glass doors.

  “Tinsley!” Paxton yelled as the world spun in a very good way. He felt fantastic.

  “I’m here, Paxton.” Tinsley’s worried face came into view and he could see her confused look as she glanced at Olivia. “Is he in legal trouble?”

  “No, I’m just here for moral support,” Olivia said, stepping back to join Ryker.

  “Tinsley, I have to go into surgery,” Paxton said as doctors and nurses swarmed the bed. Tinsley held on to his hand as they pushed him down the hall. Doctors were talking to Gavin and Paxton was being hooked up to who knows what.

  “I know. I’m right here. I’ll be here the whole time. I’ll be the first thing you see when you open your eyes.”

  Paxton smiled up at her. She was the best. “I could kill Curtis for hurting you. Oh, wait, you already killed him.”

  “Curtis was a very bad man,” Tinsley told the doctors and nurses who had all stopped and were staring at her.

  “Okay, we’re here. You’re going to have to leave him now,” ordered the doctor who had been questioning Gavin.

  “No!” Paxton was running out of time. “I love you, Tinsley.”

  “I love you, too, Paxton.” Tinsley kissed him and they began to move him into surgery, but Paxton reached out and grabbed Tinsley’s hand. “Honey, you’re going to do great. You have the best doctors—”

  “I don’t give a crap about them. I only care about you. I can’t go in there until you know how much you mean to me. You’re my everything. Tinsley, you’re my whole world. You’re my heart and soul.” Paxton shoved the box at her. That probably could be smoother, but he knew he was out of time. “Will you marry me? Sorry I can’t go down on one knee right now. You deserve so much more, but I almost lost you today and I can’t let one more second go by without you knowing how badly I want the honor of being your husband and how proud I would be if you would be my wife.”

  Tinsley kissed him then. “Yes,” she said as her lips were still on his. “Yes, I’ll marry you. Now get fixed up so you can carry me over the threshold. I love you, Paxton.”

  Paxton sighed in relief. He was going to marry the woman he loved more than life. With a smile on his face, he let the darkness take him. But instead of darkness, it was the bright future he dreamt about.

  Clapping was the first thing Tinsley noticed when the doors to the operating room closed. She turned around to see almost everyone she knew and all the hospital staff, EMTs, and police applauding.

  Tinsley hadn’t even opened the box to look at the ring. She opened the lid and smiled. It was perfect: a square diamond in a rose gold setting with a halo of colorful gemstones around it. It was a work of art. Now she just needed her fiancé to survive his surgery.

  Hours went by, but Tinsley didn’t notice. She was lost in her own world of thought. Peter and the rest of her friends, family, and, heck, even the knitting club all showed up at the hospital. At some point, food was shoved into her hands. She ate but she couldn’t tell you what it was.

  Miss Ruby hugged her. Miss Winnie talked to her. Miss Mitzi just sat nearby and knitted while Tinsley sat quietly and waited to see how her future would play out. Would she live happily ever after or become a widow before she could even become a bride? Gavin, Ellery, Trent, Skye, Harper, Dare, Wade, Darcy, Savannah, Granger, and Kord all took turns sitting by her side.

  Tinsley was sure they talked, but she couldn’t hear them over the beating of her heart. When Peter walked in and stopped in front of her, Tinsley finally realized it was Ridge and Ryker sitting next to her. Ridge had his arm around her shoulder and Ryker held her hand in his.

  “Tinsley, it’s time to pay attention now,” Ryker ordered in his CEO voice. She blinked and looked around for the first time in hours.

  “I take it there’s no news on Paxton yet?” Peter asked with his face set seriously. Normally he was all smiles.

  Tinsley shook her head.

  “There is news on the case. Do you want to hear it?” Peter asked as everyone quieted down.

  Tinsley nodded, still not knowing if she could find the voice to talk.

  “Paxton led the largest drug and weapons bust in history. We’ve found enough evidence both here and in Atlanta—at least in the places Cy didn’t blow up—to connect the Myriad to the Argentinian mafia. Arrests have already been made as we captured ten associates trying to board a plane to Buenos Aires from Atlanta. The CIA is working with the Argentinian government to bring the rest to justice.”

  “The paintings,” Tinsley said finally. “We need the whole collection together. I have to find the owners.”

  “You’ll have the full support of the federal government at your disposal to do so,” Peter assured her.

  Tinsley nodded but then stopped as a tired doctor came out from the double doors. Ridge and Ryker both took her hands in theirs as everyone else stood. Peter stepped to the side as the doctor made his way to her.

  “I’m sorry, I didn’t get your name. I’m Dr. Evans.”

  “Tinsley Faulkner,” Tinsley stammered out. “How is Paxton?”

  “You’re fiancé is a fighter. We almost lost him, but we managed to get the artery repaired. He’s had blood transfusions to replace the blood he’s lost, and he’s stable now. He’ll stay in the hospital for a couple of days for us to keep an eye on him. Would you like to see him?”

  Tinsley could only nod as her knees gave out and she collapsed against her brother. “He’s going to live,” she said, finally breathing for the first time all day.

  “Can we all see him?” Ridge asked.

  The doctor looked around the packed waiting room. “Um, a limit of two visitors is our policy.”

  “How’s this for policy?” Peter held up his badge as Granger and Kord followed suit.

  “His room is very small. I don’t think you will fit,” the doctor stammered, trying to figure out where the hospital policy fell on this situation.

  Tinsley felt Ryker stiffen. “I’m Ryker Faulkner and that man is about to become my family. Get him a bigger room.”

  “Ryker Faulkner?” the poor doctor stammered. Ryker simply nodded. “We’ll move Agent Kendry to a suite right away and then I’ll send a nurse to escort you all to him.”

  The doctor practically ran off and Granger shook his head. “How did you do that? I thought we had him with the badge. That usually works.”

  “I’m the hospital’s largest donor. There’s a whole new Faulkner wing,” Ryker said with a shrug as if it weren’t a big deal.

  “Thank you. I would have never pushed,” Tinsley told her cousin.

  “I know. Even if you are now a dagger-throwing badass, you’re still the nice one.” Ryker winked at her and went to sit back down.

  Energy Tinsley never imagined she had in reserve flowed through her and she began to pace.
She just needed to see Paxton. She had to tell him she loved him and she needed to have him in her arms. Then she’d know it would all be all right in the end.

  Paxton felt as if he were floating. That was the first thing he processed as being real instead of the dreams he’d been having. The second thing he processed was the small hand holding his. Paxton knew instinctively that it was Tinsley. The third thing was that he heard talking all around him.

  Paxton blinked his eyes open and the talking immediately stopped. Tinsley’s face appeared in front of his and he gave a small smile. “There’s my fiancée.” Paxton paused then and looked around the room. “I did propose, right? Or was that a dream?”

  Tinsley smiled as unshed tears shone in her eyes. “You did and I accepted.”

  “Oh thank goodness,” Paxton sighed and Tinsley laughed happily. He looked down at their joined hands and saw the engagement ring. His dreams had come true. Then he looked around the room and saw what might be his nightmares come to life. “Tinsley,” he whispered.

  Tinsley leaned forward so she could hear him. “Yes?”

  “Is the knitting club sitting in the corner or are the drugs making me see things?”

  “We’re here,” Dare said, looking up from his knitting needles.

  “We made you something,” Miss Ruby said.

  “Give us one more second to finish it off,” Miss Winnie told him.

  Paxton looked around and saw groups of people all around the largest hospital room he’d ever seen. The Davies and Faulkner families were in one area. The law enforcement people were in another. Then the knitting club had laid claim to the couch area.

  “This doesn’t look like any hospital room I’ve ever been in,” Paxton said, looking around.

  “It’s a conference room,” Ryker answered. “I can’t have my new cousin in some small room where his family couldn’t gather.”

  “Thanks, Ryker. You had my back during the bust. I didn’t imagine you as anything but a businessman but I was wrong.”

  “I’ll do anything for my family. I’ve learned that doesn’t make me weak, but stronger. Now you’re going to be part of this family. But if you hurt my cousin,” Ryker said and leaned down so his face was inches from Paxton, “I’ll kill you.”