Tamika gazed at her in silence for a few moments then nodded. “He went into a coma,” she said quietly. “They’re not sure he’s going to make it.”
Hope physically sagged at the news. Rusty was in a coma. Oh god. She had known it would be bad, but nothing had prepared her for how bad it turned out to be.
“Can I see him? I need to see him.” She looked up at Tamika. She heard the thin thread of desperation in her voice but did not care.
“I’m sorry, it’s just family…” Tamika said with regret.
“You don’t understand. I need to see him!” she said frantically.
Tamika sighed. “I’ll call Emily. If anyone can pull some strings, she can.”
“Thanks. Where are the others?”
“Everyone is at the waiting room over at the ICU,” Tamika replied. “I didn’t want you to be alone.”
On impulse, Hope threw her arms around Tamika in a hug. After a brief hesitation, the other woman hugged her back.
“Thank you,” she said through tears.
“Now, I think you need to lie down some more. Getting you in to see Russ might take a while.” She shook her head when Hope opened her mouth to protest. “No. I’m gonna have to insist. If you are going to see him then you need to be strong for him and that means getting enough rest. Capisce?”
Hope knew when she was defeated. She got to her feet wearily. “Damn, you’re bossy,” she said with a sigh.
“Totally right,” Tamika said with a wink.
She placed her arm around Hope’s shoulder and led her back to her room. Then she gently helped her on to the bed. Once she was settled in, she gazed at Tamika in confusion.
“Why are you being so nice to me?”
“You care about Russ. A lot.” And then she shrugged as though it was self-explanatory. “Actually, I think you’re in love with him.”
Hope wanted to protest. Sure, she cared about Russ, but love? She was not in love with him, was she? Definitely not. She opened her mouth to tell Tamika just that, but then the pills she’d taken just before she got out of bed took effect and her eyes drifted shut. She was soon fast asleep.
The next time she opened her eyes, she felt much better. She was more alert to her surroundings. She noticed Tamika asleep in the armchair next to her bed and frowned. Did she spend the entire time with her?
As she watched, Tamika’s eyes flew open. There was no trace of sleep in them.
“You’re up,” she said, getting to her feet and raising on tiptoe to stretch.
“Yes.” Her voice was hoarse. “What time is it, please?”
“It’s eight a.m., and the doctor will soon be on his rounds,” she informed her. “You should be good to go home then.”
Hope nodded. Home…did she still have a home to return to? She supposed she did, but she didn’t think she had a business anymore. Strangely, that did not seem so important anymore.
“Rusty…?”
“Emily was able to get clearance for you. Once the doctor has seen you, we’ll go over to the Intensive Care Unit.”
“Thank you.” Tamika smiled. Hope saw the fatigue lines around her eyes. “You should get some rest yourself,” she said.
“I know and I will. As soon as I get you to ICU, I’ll go find a bed,” she said with a smile.
The doctor came in then with a nurse. Tamika excused herself and stepped outside.
“How are you feeling today, Miss Conran?” he asked in a no-nonsense voice.
“Weak and tired, a little pain, but nothing serious,” she replied.
“Hmm…” He checked the bandages on her face as well as the swollen ankle. When he was satisfied, he stepped back.
He gave her some more medication and told her she was free to leave the hospital, but she needed to follow up on her treatment in a couple of weeks.
Hope thanked him and he left. Tamika entered the room soon afterward with a cup of hot cocoa. It was exactly what Hope needed. She smiled gratefully at the other woman before drinking the beverage. She felt better afterward. Tamika helped Hope get dressed. When they were done, she led the way out of the room.
As Hope walked slowly through the hospital, she felt her heartbeat accelerate. She made up her mind then that she was not stepping away from Russ until she was sure that he was okay.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
One month later…
Hope parked in front of the building that housed her office. She turned off the engine with a sigh. She had not been back in a while, not since the abduction. She was strangely reluctant to go inside. She had not written a single line of code since then and had left the running of the company to Jared. She’d woken up a week ago and felt it was time to return. So here she was.
With another sigh, she opened the door, picked up her brand new chic laptop bag, courtesy of Tamika, and locked the car.
“Welcome back, Miss Conran,” Sam said with a smile.
“It’s good to be back, thanks, Sam,” Hope said with a smile, finding that it was at least partially true.
The doors to the building swooshed open and taking a breath for fortification, she stepped inside.
“Surprise!”
Hope blinked in surprise as the staff stepped forward with huge smiles on their faces.
“What?” She looked around and was shocked to see everyone there. Her eyes pricked with emotion as she took in the large banner reading WELCOME BACK, HOPE! in the background.
Nora Mason from IT presented Hope with a bouquet of flowers. “We just wanted you to know that we missed you and we’re really glad to have you back,” she said.
Overcome with emotions, Hope gave her a one-armed hug as she struggled not to let out the tears that so badly wanted to fall. She stepped back with a smile.
“Thank you, everyone. I don’t have the words to express how much I owe you all.” She looked around at every face and a feeling of sadness came over her at the one face that was missing. She choked back the emotions. “Despite everything that has happened, we are a family and I couldn’t ask for better people on my team.”
They broke into a round of applause after her short speech. Hope spent the next few minutes shaking hands and exchanging hugs. After a while, Jared took her arm and walked her to her office. When she got to the outer office, she paused and stared at the empty desk.
“It’s a bit difficult to take in, right?” Jared observed.
Hope nodded then laughed sadly. “I trusted him so much. I can’t believe Derek would betray me like that.”
Jared gave her a brief hug then let her go. “These things just make us stronger.”
She looked up at him. “You’re right. I refuse to stop trusting people because of him.”
“That’s my girl!”
Hope rolled her eyes and walked into her office. She dropped her laptop bag on the table and placed the flowers beside it.
“First order of the day, I need a new assistant,” she said briskly as she moved to the other side of her table.
“Already handled it,” Jared said.
She lifted an eyebrow in question.
“I’ve asked HR to shortlist suitable candidates for you. You can start interviewing them whenever you’re ready,” he said, settling down on the chair across the table from hers.
Hope looked at him. It was obvious he had something to say. “Thank you,” was all she said.
She looked around her. She hadn’t thought she would still have a business after everything. But by some miracle, they did. Jared had told her how the staff had pulled together when he’d told them what happened. Some of them had put their personal savings into the company, just to keep it afloat. Then the IT team had worked day and night restoring the servers and sealing up the vulnerabilities they’d found. It had taken a couple of weeks, but they were finally pulling through. There was still a lot to do to get things back to normal, but they were out of the danger zone. Even with all that had happened, she knew that she’d never felt more blessed in her life. There was only on
e thing missing.
“So…”
“What is it, Jared?” she asked with a sigh.
“You and Rusty.”
“What do you want to know?”
“Shortest relationship in history. Even for you, that was a record.”
Hope folded her arms on her table and glared at him. “What are you trying to say?”
“What happened, Hope? That guy was so into you.”
She leaned back against her chair with a sigh. She really did not want to talk about Rusty. It hurt too much. She had stayed by his bedside until he’d come out of the coma. In that time, she had come to realize that she’d fallen in love with him. Even now, the thought filled her with wonder and a strange kind of joy. She had no idea when it happened or how, but she had fallen in love with the big man who loved to tease her, the man who had taken a bullet for her. And that was why she had left.
She could not stand the thought that she had put the life of the man she loved at risk. If he had not met her, Marinette Shipman’s bullet would not have hit him. Standing by his bedside, staring at his pale face with all the tubes and machines hooked up to him, she’d had only one thought…she had done this to him.
“Hope?”
She refocused her gaze on Jared. He was staring at her expectantly.
“It wasn’t meant to be,” she said in response to his question.
“Bullshit.”
“What?”
“I said bullshit. Even now, just talking about him, I can see your eyes light up. Why did you just walk away like that?”
“Because she’s in love with me.”
Hope froze when she heard the voice. She turned slowly and gasped in shock when she saw Rusty on a wheelchair by her open office door. Her heart began to thud in her chest as she stared at him. Her eyes roamed over him, taking in as much of him as she could. His beard had grown out, making him look even more badass than before. But he had lost some weight.
She got to her feet immediately.
“Russ? What are you doing here? Are you supposed to be moving about?”
“You wouldn’t come to me, so I had to come to you,” he said simply.
Her heart constricted. “It’s for the best,” she said, looking away from his amber eyes that seemed to see too much.
“Is it?”
“What do you mean?” She turned back with a frown.
“Best for whom? It’s obviously not the best for you because you look terrible. And I can tell you now, it isn’t the best for me.”
Hope frowned. She looked terrible? Sure she’d shed a few pounds because she had been too distraught to eat and maybe she hadn’t been getting enough sleep, but … terrible?
“Thanks,” she muttered bitterly. She turned to Jared and was surprised to find his seat empty. She had not even noticed when he left. He must have shut the door behind him because she was now staring at a closed door. How had she failed to notice that?
Rusty wheeled further into the office.
“Why have you been avoiding me, Hope?”
Feeling suddenly vulnerable, Hope met his gaze. “I couldn’t do it, Russ,” she said. “I watched you get shot and it was because of me.” She shook her head sadly. “I can’t do that to you again.”
Rusty nodded, like it was the answer he was waiting for. “At first I was angry. I thought you had abandoned me to my fate. I called for you over and over, but you wouldn’t come. I couldn’t understand it.”
Hearing the anguish in his voice, Hope walked closer to him. The last thing she’d meant to do was hurt him, but she’d ended up doing that anyway.
“Russ…”
He held out a hand, palm out, halting her. “Then Emily told me how you wouldn’t budge from my side while I was in coma. I kept wondering, why would you do that if you didn’t care about me? Then the answer hit me. You left because you cared too much.”
His clear eyes met her gaze and held it. Hope felt powerless to break free.
“Was I right, Hope? Do you love me, even a little?”
Hope gazed into his eyes and saw his own vulnerability. He was not sure of her answer at all, but deep in the depths, she saw hope. It was that hope that gave her courage.
She closed the distance between them and knelt in front of his wheelchair. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, inhaling the familiar scent of him. She had missed him so much. Opening her eyes, she placed a hand on his chest. She could feel the rapid thump of his heart, almost echoing hers. She loved him so much and she had tried to do the right thing. Somehow, everyone in her life was messed up, except Jared. She did not want to mess up Rusty’s life, which was why she had left. But he’d come after her. And she was too weak to turn him away, not when she loved him so much.
**
Rusty’s heart was in his mouth as he stared at Hope, waiting for her to speak. He knew she loved him, he could see it in her eyes. But was she willing to admit it? It didn’t matter. He loved her. The last three weeks were pure anguish and he was going to do whatever it took to make sure she never left him again.
He opened his mouth to tell her just that, but she placed a palm across his mouth, silencing him.
“You are right, Russ,” she said.
Okay, so he was right. He got that, but what did that mean? He was becoming anxious, but was determined not to ruin this by rushing her. Instead he lifted an eyebrow and gave her a cocky smile. “I usually am, that’s nothing new,” he said.
Just like he knew she would, she rolled her eyes at him. “That ego,” she muttered, shaking her head with a smile.
Seeing her smile, his heart skipped a beat. “Yeah, yeah…what am I right about his time?” Okay, so he’d lied to himself. He needed to hear her say it.
Then her eyes went all soft and emotional. “You’re right; I do love you. I can’t bear for anything to happen to you…that night at that river cabin…” she choked and took a deep breath. “It almost killed me, Russ. I hated being apart from you, but I did not want to jeopardize your life like that again.”
Rusty released the breath he wasn’t aware he was holding as a great sense of elation rushed through him. He couldn’t speak past the lump in his throat. He drew her to him and kissed her like a man dying of thirst. He had missed her so much.
Hope pressed closer, careful not to press too hard against his chest and wrapped her arms around him. She kissed him back with equal fervor.
Finally, he drew back but did not let go. He rested his forehead against hers and gazed into her eyes, letting her see how much she meant to him.
“I love you so much, Hope Conran. Please, don’t leave me like that again.”
She kissed him on the lips and promised, “I won’t.”
“As soon as I’m well enough to get down on one knee, I’m going to make sure you won’t,” he declared.
Hope pulled back and gazed at him in shock. Rusty chuckled at the surprise in her eyes. She looked like a deer caught in the headlights. When she began to blink rapidly, he broke into a full laugh, then winced at the pain in his chest. But he didn’t care. He was just so happy.
“Ah…okay. But we need to get you home,” she said, getting to her feet.
He reached out and caught her hand. “Say it again,” he ordered, but his eyes were pleading.
Hope smiled then, a bright smile that brought out the sun. “I love you, Rosabelle.”
“Let’s go home so you can show me how much,” he said, suddenly needing to have her in his arms.
Her eyes turned smoky then and she nodded. She grabbed her laptop bag, then paused. “Are you sure it’s okay to have sex?”
“Why don’t we find out?” he said with a mischievous wink.
Several hours later, they were curled up in Hope’s big bed. Hope gave a satisfied sigh as a languorous feeling stole over her limbs. There had been something different about their lovemaking. It was like they were trying to communicate their feelings through each touch. It had been so beautiful, so intense that she had cried when s
he had orgasmed.
“I called my mother,” Rusty said suddenly.
Hope raised herself on one arm and looked at him. “You did?”
“Yeah. We talked a little. She came to see me in the hospital.”
“Oh, Russ, that’s wonderful!”
“She wants to meet you,” he said, turning his beautiful eyes on her.
“Me? But why…?
Rusty smiled then. “You changed me, Hope,” he said gently. “In the time we’ve known each other, you touched something inside me. Made me more willing to give others second chances.”
Hope felt her heart turn to mush at his words. He had done the same for her as well, helped her to stop hiding who she really was and actually let people know she cared.
“We’re good for each other,” she said softly.
“Yeah, babe. We sure are.”
Just then, Rusty’s phone buzzed. He picked it up with a frown. “It’s Ryan,” he said. He answered the call and brought the phone to his ear. “Yes?”
“Turn on the news,” Ryan said and ended the call.
Rusty stared at the phone as he sat up in confusion.
“What did he want?” Hope asked.
“He said to turn on the news.”
She reached for the remote and turned on the TV in her bedroom, flipping to the news channel. They caught the anchor announcing the breaking news.
“Businessman and founder of WC Technologies, Wayne Carter, has been declared missing. The wealthy forty-five year old was last seen at his Kensington residence in London, a week ago. We’re standing by for more details as they come.”
Rusty took the remote from her and flipped through the other news channels. They were all reporting the same news. Wayne Carter was a big deal and the head of a company that created and manufactured cutting-edge security devices. How could he just disappear without a trace?
“I’ve heard of Wayne Carter,” Hope said. “Do you know him personally?”
“He’s Emily’s ex-husband,” Rusty said in a grim voice. His phone rang then. It was Emily. He picked it up immediately. “I heard the news,” he said.
Silver Shield Security Box Set Page 99
