The blood in the dirt pushed Flynn to move faster. To pump his legs as quickly as they could move. The droplets were few and far between, but there were still too many.
The wind whipped his face, the dirt sinking beneath his feet. He didn’t slow. He didn’t pause.
Smoke had begun to scent the air. That’s where she’d gone.
Did you make it, honey?
His gut told him yes. But his phone hadn’t buzzed from his pocket. And he knew the first person she’d have called if she reached safety was him.
So what had gone wrong?
He leaped over a tree root and dodged a bush. Behind him, he heard the faint crunching of leaves. Guys from his team were following. Who, exactly, he wasn’t sure. He didn’t care. All he cared about was getting to Carina and getting to her quickly. Even a single minute could mean the difference between life and death.
Finally, he spotted the house in a crack between the trees. It was another minute before he cleared the forest. Then, for the first time in a while, he stopped. Paused. Listened.
That’s when he heard it. Light thuds from inside the house. Then an angry voice…
“You should have just loved me back!”
Flynn sprinted, barreling through the front door—just in time to see Carina plunge a knife into Greg’s side.
Greg cried out in pain, his fingers falling from her neck. But almost immediately, those hands were back, fingers tightening again, his entire focus was on Carina.
Flynn flew across the room—
Snapped Greg’s neck before the guy even knew he was there.
He dragged the lifeless body off Carina and dropped to her side. His hands went straight to her wound, pressing down to stem the bleeding. Her eyes were shut.
“Carina! Honey, can you hear me? Talk to me!”
Carina coughed, her chest making a gurgling sound and blood trickling from her mouth. Her lips parted, like she was trying to speak, but then closed again.
Flynn lifted her shirt, cursing under his breath at what he saw. A bandage that was soaked through with blood. She needed medical attention, and she needed it now.
Quickly, he tugged his shirt from his body, tearing it apart and wrapping it around her waist like a bandage.
Footsteps sounded from the front of the house. He looked up, spotting Logan. “We need to get her to a hospital!”
Flynn slid his arms under her back and legs, while Logan moved behind him, searching Greg’s pockets until he found keys.
Carina made a whimpering sound as he stood. Fuck, he hated hearing her in pain. “I’m sorry, honey. We’ll be at the hospital soon.”
There was movement at the back of the house. Footsteps. Then a car sped down the drive. They’d just stepped outside when he recognized Liam driving toward them. He must have tracked their location from the GPS on Flynn’s phone.
Blake stepped around from the side of the house, carrying a man in his arms. “I’m guessing the owner. Bullet wound to the chest, but he has a faint heartbeat.”
Logan nodded toward Liam. “Take him to the hospital with Liam. I’ll drive Flynn and Carina in this car.”
Flynn slid into the backseat, and Logan took off.
“Carina, can you hear me?” He pressed a hand to the wound once again, studying her face. She was so pale. “Honey, please, if you can hear me, talk to me.”
Suddenly, one of her hands rose and grazed his chest. “Flynn…”
“Yeah, baby, I’m here. I’m not going anywhere.”
“Is he…” She stopped to breathe, and his heart tore in his chest.
“He’s dead.”
The small line between her brows smoothed. “Good. I’m safe.”
Those words… they annihilated him. He lowered his head, touching his forehead to hers. “Yeah, honey. You’re safe from danger. But I need you to stay with me.”
A steady beep penetrated the deep fog in Carina’s mind. Her brain had been murky all day, pulling her in and out of sleep.
Slowly, her eyes opened, and the first thing she noticed was the darkness outside. The last time she’d woken, it was still daytime. She vaguely remembered Flynn sitting beside her. The doctor telling her about her stitches. About needing to stay in the hospital a little longer.
She looked at the seat next to the bed. The chair Flynn had been in every time she’d woken. It was empty now.
Slowly, she pushed up into a sitting position. Had Flynn gone home to rest? He’d needed sleep and a shower, so it wasn’t a huge surprise. She had no doubt someone from his team was posted somewhere in the hospital for her. Probably right outside the room.
Her gaze skittered to the door. She needed to use the bathroom, but she didn’t want to ask for help from one of the guys.
Slowly, she swung her legs off the side of the bed and tested out her weight. When it seemed to hold, she rose, gripping her IV pole tightly and taking slow steps toward the bathroom.
She was halfway there when she heard Aidan’s curse. Then he was by her side. “What the hell are you doing, Carina?” His arm went around her waist, holding her carefully, shouldering most of her weight.
“Um, I need to pee?” Why was she so embarrassed about that?
“You should have called for me.” Disapproval thickened his voice.
“I didn’t know you were there.” A half-lie.
She took a step, thinking he’d help her limp along, but instead, he gently lifted her off her feet.
“What are you doing?” she cried, grabbing his shoulder with one hand, and keeping hold of the IV pole in the other.
“Helping.” He moved across the room and into the connected bathroom before lowering her to her feet beside the toilet. “Do you need help—”
“No!” Her eyes widened. Her cheeks were probably the shade of a tomato. Heck no.
He dipped his head, moved back a step, and checked that she was stable. Then he left, closing the door behind him. Even though it was just her in the room, she knew he was right there on the other side, listening in case he needed to rush back in.
Snap out of it, Carina. You almost died. A guy listening to you pee is nothing.
She went quickly then moved slowly to the sink and washed her hands. Then she looked up at the mirror.
Yet again, her eyes almost bugged from her head. Holy hell, she looked like crap. Dark circles shadowed her eyes, and her skin was so pale she resembled a ghost. She touched her cheeks lightly.
The door suddenly opened.
“Hey! I didn’t call you.”
He lifted a shoulder. “It was quiet in here. I was worried. I take my protective detail seriously.”
Clearly!
Then he was stepping inside before lifting her once again and moving back into the room.
She sighed. “Yeah, I think you all have protector genes in your DNA.”
“Is that a bad thing?”
“No.” Definitely not for the people they protected.
“I just texted Flynn,” he said quietly, setting her on the bed so that her legs dangled over the side. “He’s downstairs talking to the police. He’ll be here in a second.”
She swallowed, nodding. She had a faint memory of the police trying to speak to her earlier, but both Flynn and her doctor had insisted she needed more time to recover. At least, that’s what she remembered through the fog. That was the only time Greg’s name had come up all day. Flynn hadn’t asked a single thing about what happened the few times she was briefly awake.
“Hey. You okay?”
Her head shot up at Aidan’s question. “Of course.”
He looked like he was going to argue but buzzing sounded from his pocket. He tugged out his phone, frowning when he read the screen.
When he didn’t say anything, she tilted her head to the side. “Okay, now it’s my turn. Everything okay?”
“Just a new job. I’ll head to Blue Halo once Flynn arrives.”
“At this time?” Her gaze skittered to the window and the darkness beyond. Jeez. She knew they worked in the security business and danger didn’t save itself for the hours between nine and five, Monday to Friday, but a new job request could surely wait for daylight, couldn’t it?
He lifted a shoulder. “I don’t mind.”
Before she could reply, the door opened and Flynn walked in. His blue eyes scanned her body from head to toe before his attention shifted to Aidan. “Thanks.”
He nodded. “I’ve got to go to the office. You going to be okay?”
“Yeah. I’ll call someone else if that changes.”
Aidan smiled at Carina briefly before heading out. Flynn moved in front of her, his hands going to the bed on either side of her hips. “How are you feeling?”
His eyes were so dark and stormy, flicking between hers. Like he was moments from leaping in front of a bullet to save her.
“I’m okay. The drugs are doing a pretty good job of dulling the pain.”
There was a small tightening of his eyes. Then, gently, like he was afraid she’d break, he pushed a lock of hair from her face, grazing her skin.
She touched his chest, her voice quieting. “Are you okay? Is Patricia okay?”
There had been so many men with guns at Patricia’s house.
He gave a small nod. “A bullet grazed my shoulder, but it’s bandaged and already healing. Grace and Logan are taking care of Mom. They said she’s a bit shaken up but doing okay. And everyone who attacked us is dead.”
A long-relieved breath released from Carina’s chest. “I haven’t said this yet, but thank you.”
“For what?”
“Saving me.”
He shook his head. “I didn’t. You saved you. You fought Greg. You escaped. Hell, you even stabbed him. You are so damn strong, Carina.” He lowered his head, his temple touching hers. “And I’m so grateful for that strength.”
She wasn’t sure she agreed with the part about her saving herself. She’d been a second away from passing out when Flynn had arrived. But she had fought. She’d fought with everything in her, for her freedom and the ability to live another day. To return to Flynn.
She shook her head. “I can’t believe it was all Greg. The complaint in Michigan. The notes. My fall. The murders.” A shudder jumped down her spine at the last part. She would never have suspected the man was capable of any of that. “He always seemed so…normal.”
Flynn’s hand grasped her hip. “He was good at keeping that side of himself hidden. But I promise you, no one will ever hurt you like that again.”
His words had so much conviction that her breathing eased and her eyes closed.
When he cradled her cheek, she looked at him. He stared at her with adoration. With relief. Maybe even a bit of awe. She had a feeling he’d be looking at her like that for a long time.
“I want you to move in with me,” he said softly.
She smiled shyly. “But there’s no more danger.”
He shook his head. “Not because of danger. Although, I don’t think I’ll be able to take my eyes off you for a while without feeling crippling fear. No. I want you to move in with me because I love you. I want to hold you in my arms every night. I want to wake up and drink coffee with you every morning. I want you, Carina. All of you. As much as I can get.”
Wetness filled her eyes. She didn’t even need to think about her answer. “Yes.”
The hand on her hip tightened. “Yes?”
“I love you so much. And I want to be with you as much as you want to be with me.”
Flynn’s eyes closed. Just for a second. Then he was kissing her. And the peace she’d almost lost forever returned to her in full force.
