by Jen Talty
Maxwell tossed his head back and laughed. “I didn’t take you seriously then, and I don’t take you seriously now.”
“You’re making a mistake, because you’re either going to prison, or you’re going to die. I don’t care which one it is.” Clayton moved next to Kick.
“You’re so pathetic.” Maxwell whistled.
Nothing happened.
He did it again.
Still nothing.
His face turned hard.
Clayton snapped his fingers and in seconds, Shamus, Bear, Trisha, Swede, and Dustin stepped from the back of the playhouse, all carrying semi-automatic weapons. “And if you’re wondering, we’ve confiscated your limo.”
“You stupid little boy.” Maxwell jabbed his gun into Cassandra’s gut. He raised the weapon, finger on the trigger.
“Don’t you fucking dare.” Kick lunged forward, flinging his body over Cassandra’s.
Pop!
“Jesus Christ.” He moaned.
The bullet tore through his muscle as he rolled to the side, holding his leg. Blood oozed onto his hands. Two of Maxwell’s men grabbed Clayton.
“I’m not getting out of here by limo.” Maxwell raised his hand and gave the swirling motion. The sound of a chopper filled the sky. “You all must think I’m stupid.”
Clayton smiled. “That’s not taking you anywhere either.”
Kick didn’t find any of this amusing as he bled onto the grass. But he’d gladly take another bullet if it meant Cassandra wouldn’t be hurt, and he knew, based on the relaxed stance of his teammates, she’d end up getting out unscathed.
He, on the other hand, not only had a bullet in his body, but his ego took a big hit as well.
“Of course it is. Let’s get the fuck out of this place.”
Kick glanced up at the bird and smiled. “Hey, Cassandra. I think I want to see that high kick now.”
“Now?” she asked with wide eyes.
“Now,” he repeated.
“What the—”
Cassandra connected her foot to Maxwell’s nose just as Jaden and Hank jumped from the helicopter. Five shots were fired, taking out, but not killing, Maxwell’s men. Kick wasn’t sure if it was the blood lost or the fact that it all happened so fast, but he grew so weak, he collapsed on the ground. He stared at the blue sky and listened to the sounds of his team calling out commands, securing the bad guys.
“I should have killed you,” Clayton said. “But my mother raised me better, and it was too much fun to see my buddy’s girlfriend kick the shit out of you. I think she broke your nose.”
“Kick!” Cassandra dropped to his side. She tore at her shirt, pressing it against his leg.
“Needs a tourniquet. Just saying.”
She pursed her lips, tugging at the belt around his waist. “I can’t believe you didn’t tell me you were going to have them turn on the phone. I should shoot you myself for that.”
“Yeah. That didn’t go quite as planned,” he said. The pain hit his brain receptors with the force of an F-15 doing Mach 5.
“Actually, it did. Well, except for you getting shot.” Hank knelt on the ground. “I made the call to have the phone turned on in this spot. I knew you wouldn’t bring Cassandra out here if that had been the plan all along, but we found something on Monty’s computer that forced our hand.”
“I can’t imagine what that would be.” Kick rested his head in Cassandra’s lap, enjoying her fingers as they threaded through his hair. “I mean, he could have shot me in the chest, killing me instantly.”
“That’s because you didn’t take the hint,” Hank said. “Now, I’ve got some really great news.”
Kick let his lids close over his eyes. All he wanted to do was go to sleep with Cassandra holding him and wake up holding her.
Nice dream.
“What did you find on the computer?” Cassandra asked.
“Your brother and Asia aren’t dead.”
Chapter 10
Cassandra paced in the emergency room. Five times she brought her thumb to her mouth, and each time she stopped before she started gnawing on her nails, remembering how much it seemed to bother Kick.
She’d flown with him to the hospital, opting to do that over going to see her brother and Asia at the safe house, where she’d found out both her father and mother were as well. Anger filled her heart, and she needed time to sort through her emotions.
“Relax,” Bear said from his seat in the corner near the television. “He’s going to be fine.”
“Maybe, but he got shot because of so many different lies and cover-ups.”
“It’s not the first time he’s gotten shot. Sadly, it might not be the last in our line of work.”
“You lied to him, and you lied to me. It could have cost both of us our lives.” She picked up a magazine and tossed it toward the wall. “Look. We knew when we came to your father’s place that your brother was alive. We did what we had to do to make sure Maxwell paid. It was the only way.”
“I disagree. And I’d put good money on the fact that Kick will feel the same way. He has a huge issue with liars.”
Bear shook his head. “Kick has two fundamental problems and only one of them has to do with why we lied to him.”
She waved her hand over her head. “I know. I know. His last mission. But still, you took an unnecessary risk with our lives.”
“If we hadn’t, Maxwell might not have fallen for the bait. He didn’t know your brother faked his death, but it was only a matter of time before the medical examiner blew that wide open.” Bear stood, putting his arm around her. “Kick knew that he had to take you there. He also knew that he needed to draw out Maxwell, bringing him to a place we could control. What he couldn’t do was do both of them at the same time out of fear. That’s what could have killed him and you.”
She plopped herself down on one of the ugly metal chairs. She didn’t know much about the business of protection, but she knew enough about sting operations from her cop friends that what Bear said made sense.
Bear eased himself in the seat across from her, resting his elbows on his knees. “Now, the other issue that Kick has is with women who lie. You should know he’s three months off a bad relationship.”
“Why would I need to know that?”
Bear arched a brow. “You know how close we all are, and we don’t need to talk to each other to know what’s going on in our lives. I can tell by the way Kick looks at you that something is going on. I can also tell he’s struggling to trust you, and I think you should know why.”
“Isn’t that for him to tell me?”
“I know Kick, and he’s a proud man. He’s not going to bring it up unless he thinks there is a reason to and when they rolled him into surgery, he asked me to say goodbye for him.”
“Why would he do that?”
Kick had made it clear, he wanted to know one way or the other, and she wouldn’t keep a baby from him, so it made no sense that he’d just let her go without a discussion. Then again, maybe he’d come to his senses and wanted nothing to do with her.
“Because he’s been hurt by a woman who only wanted him for what she thought he could offer. Mostly, she wanted his money.”
“I don’t want him for money.” Her stomach filled with butterflies.
She wanted him.
Only him.
Nothing but him.
“Listen. You lied to him about a few things, but I know he understands why, and he would have done the same thing.”
“He lied to me too.”
Bear nodded. “Be honest with yourself now with why you’re really here and not at the safe house with your family, especially knowing your brother faked his own death.” Bear waggled his finger. “And don’t tell me it’s because you’re mad at him or your parents.”
She was furious with Karl and Asia. The pain they’d put her through was still raw, but gratitude swelled in her heart. She’d be able to hug them. She’d be able to play with their child. She’d have them in
her life again.
Would she have Kick?
“Kick took that bullet for me.” She swiped at her burning eyes. “But he’d do that for anyone.”
Bear nodded. “We Brotherhood Protectors are weird that way. But we wouldn’t die for many, and he’d lay down his life for you. I don’t think he would have done that for that lying bitch, Eliza Jane.”
A smile tugged at her lips. “That’s his ex-girlfriend’s name?”
“The emphasis is on the ex.”
The automatic doors swung open, and a man wearing scrubs came out. “Are you Bear?”
Bear took her by the hand, and they both stood. “How is Kick doing?”
“Other than he’s higher than a kite, he’s great. You must be Cassandra. He’s been talking about you for an hour, and I must say you’re prettier than he described.”
Her cheeks heated.
“Though, he wasn’t sure you’d still be here,” the doctor said.
“Can I go see him?” she asked.
“Absolutely. He’s in the room at the end of the hall.”
She took five steps before turning. “Bear? Are you coming?”
“I want to talk to the doctor a bit. I’ll catch up.”
She tapped her foot. It seemed like it took forever for the doors to swing open again. She breezed past the nurses’ station and continued down the hallway. Perspiration beaded across her neck. She had no idea what to expect when she saw him. Or what he might say.
Hell, she didn’t know what she’d say.
She needed to see him.
Pulling back the curtain to his room, she took in a deep breath.
“Hey, beautiful,” he said. He scrunched his face as he tried to sit up.
She raced to his side, fluffing his pillow. “You shouldn’t be moving.”
“Doctor says I’ll be up walking in a day or two,” he said with a few slurs. “It was a clean shot and did very little damage to the muscle. Missed the bone altogether, which is good.”
He reached up, clasping her chin with his thumb and forefinger. “I’m sorry I lied to you.”
“We were both lied to. I’m just glad you’re going to be okay.” She curled her fingers around his wrist. “Thank you for saving my life, again.”
He winked. “I live to serve you.”
“Oh, my God. You’re higher than the doctor said.”
“I’m high on heavy like.” His face turned serious. “Do you have to go back to Florida right away?”
She shook her head. “I’ve taken a leave of absence for the next four weeks.”
“That’s long enough for you to find out if you’re pregnant.”
Thankfully, no one was around to hear that. Not that she’d be ashamed of having his baby, but it would be a few weeks before she could even take a test, and she wanted to spend that time getting to know him better. Things had moved too quickly. She cared for him instantly and that scared her, but not enough to go running back to Florida.
If anything, it made her reconsider her lifestyle.
She leaned over and kissed his cheek. “Get some sleep.”
“Only if you promise to sit with me.”
“I’m not going anywhere.”
Epilogue
Two weeks later…
The dull ache in Kick’s thigh had been a small price to pay to see Cassandra reunited with her family.
He sat by the pool in her parents backyard, sipping his beer. Her father had been gracious enough to let him stay in the guesthouse while he recovered.
And got to know the woman who had changed his world forever.
If she was pregnant, he’d be thrilled. If she wasn’t, he’d be looking forward to trying to make a baby. Either way, he loved Cassandra and was willing to do whatever it took to make it work.
Even if that meant moving back to Florida to be with her.
He smiled when Cassandra waved to him as she stepped from the kitchen carrying a small tray of snacks. She wore a white bikini top with a white wraparound skirt that hugged her hips, showing off all her voluminous curves.
“How was physical therapy?” She set the tray on a table.
He shifted his legs to the side, straddling the lounge chair, trying to hide a grin. “Sit here.” He patted the fabric between his legs. “Where are your parents?”
“They just left with Asia and Karl to go shopping for baby stuff.”
His heart beat a little faster. “Where are we in finding out if we’re having a baby?”
“We know. Well, I know.”
His jaw dropped. He cleared his throat three times before he was able to croak out anything. “Are we?” He held his breath. He’d told himself it didn’t matter if she was pregnant or not. That all he wanted was to love her, and that was still true.
But he wanted everything with her and that included a child.
Maybe children.
“I want to say something before I answer that, okay?”
He nodded, biting his tongue. He couldn’t deny her request if he tried, but his soul longed to be a father.
“These last two weeks with you have been amazing.” Her fingers glided up and down his thigh. Her gaze followed the path she traced on his skin.
Her words sounded like a kiss off. Her actions felt like love.
“I want you to know I won’t ever lie to you. Ever.”
“I know that.” He swallowed his thumping heart.
Tears filled her eyes.
“What’s going on, sweetheart?” He reached out and palmed her face, running his thumb across her cheek.
“I need to know how you feel about me.” She blinked a few times before catching his gaze.
He set his beer on the table. No time like the present to say the words. “I love you.”
She gasped. “Really?”
“I love you so much, I’m ready to move to Florida.”
She shook her head. “I don’t want you to do that.”
He narrowed his eyes. “Why not?”
“Because I want to move back here. Be closer to my parents. My brother. You.”
“I don’t want you giving up anything just for me.” He chomped down on his tongue. That’s exactly what he wanted, but he wouldn’t push it. That would make him the most selfish man in the world.
She leaned closer. “I’m not giving up anything.” She brushed her lips against his. “I love you, too, and I want to raise our child here.”
“Child?” He cocked his head. “We’re pregnant?”
“Technically, only I am, but yes. We’re going to have a baby.”
He smiled. “I’m in for one hell of a rough ride, aren’t I?”
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Also by Jen Talty
NY State Trooper Series
IN TWO WEEKS
DARK WATER
DEADLY SECRETS
MURDER IN PARADISE BAY
TO PROTECT HIS OWN
DEADLY SEDUCTION
WHEN A STRANGER CALLS
Brand New Novella for the First Responders series
A spin off from the NY State Troopers series
PLAYING WITH FIRE
Other novels
REKINDLED
JANE DOE’S RETURN
THE BUTTERFLY MURDERS
The Aegis Network
THE LIGHTHOUSE
HER LAST Hope
THE LAST FLIGHT
THE RETURN HOME
Coming soon!
THE MATRIARCH
The Collective Order
THE LOST SISTER
THE LOST SOLDIER
THE LOST SOUL
Coming soon!
THE LOST CONNECTION
Special Forces Operation Alpha
BURNING DESIRE
BURNING KISS
BURNING SKIES
BURNING LIES
BURNING HEART
BURNING BED
The Brotherhood Protectors
ROUGH JUSTICE
ROUGH AROUND THE EDGES
ROUGH RIDE
The Twilight Crossing Series
THE BLIND DATE
SPRING FLING
SUMMER’S GONE
Coming soon!
WINTER WEDDING
Witches and Werewolves
LADY SASS
ALL THAT SASS
Coming soon!
NEON SASS
PAINTING SASS
Boxsets
LOVE CHRISTMAS, MOVIES
UNFORGETABLE PASSION
A NIGHT SHE’LL REMEMBER
SWEET AND SASSY IN THE SNOW
Novellas
NIGHTSHADE
HIS DEADLY PAST
A CHRISTMAS GETAWAY
About Jen Talty
Welcome to my World! I’m an Award-Winning and Bestselling Author of Romantic Suspense, Contemporary Romance, and Paranormal Romance. DARK WATER, book 2 in the NY STATE TROOPER series hit number 10 in Barnes and Nobel overall. THE BLIND DATE hit number 1 in the Contemporary Romance/Kindle Worlds List on Amazon. JANE DOE’S RETURN won both THE MOLLY and the BEACON before being published by the WILD ROSS PRESS.
