Chapter Twenty-Four
Josh and Taylorwere in one of the many abandoned offices on the other end from where Liza’s office was located. He’d been pacing and talking to himself, praying that what was about to go down would happen without his cousin or Riley getting hurt. He was also antsy because he had no control, he had no weapon, and he had no way to help. The only thing he took comfort in was knowing that Charlie was safe with Candace.
Josh had had no other choice but to call Agent Wallace to bring in the cavalry despite Taylor’s plea not to. He wanted to be a hero, to save the day, to save his cousin, and to rescue the woman he was falling hard for. But Taylor had reminded Josh he couldn’t hear, and since he’d nearly blacked out when Taylor had shown up, Josh wasn’t exactly the model hero he’d been when he was a SEAL. And for that, he had his fists clenched and his jaw locked tight, plus nerves were eating the lining of his stomach.
In addition, Agent Wallace had ordered Josh not to engage under any circumstances if the situation got out of control. Wallace knew Josh wanted to help. He knew Josh was itching to strap on a gun and go into battle. Man, that was the understatement of the century.
Taylor chewed her nails as she kept her ear to the door. The only reason she was in the building was because they’d run out of time. As for Josh, there was no way he was leaving.
Taylor raised her finger to her lips, indicating that they needed to be quiet. Josh’s heart jackhammered against his ribs. Then she motioned to the door with her finger. “They’re here,” she mouthed.
Josh stopped pacing. He stopped breathing. He pressed his ear to the door, straining to hear a pin drop.
Suddenly, he heard Riley call out to Liza, which told him she had to be screaming. As if that were his cue to jump into action, Josh grabbed the doorknob.
Taylor shook her head vigorously, narrowing her eyes as she covered her hand over his. “Wait,” she mouthed.
Josh suppressed a growl. Patience wasn’t his strong suit. Besides, he’d been trained to attack at the right moment, and that was the right moment. Riley needed him.
As hard as it was, Josh held steady, again his ear and the door becoming one. He heard a muffled voice, then a man’s voice became deeper and sharper. “You’ll get a bullet to the head.”
Josh didn’t need to hear anything else. He threw open the door and tackled the big guy to the ground. The man’s bald head slammed against the wall, and his gun slid out of his grasp. Josh wrestled with him, but the man got Josh in a choke hold with Josh’s back to his front.
Josh’s lungs screamed for air. He slammed his head into the man’s nose. The bald man faltered, and his grip loosened. Josh shrugged out of the hold and primed his fist, ready to use the baldheaded guy as a punching bag, when someone from behind him caught his arm.
“We got it from here,” Agent Wallace said loudly on Josh’s good side.
The dude snarled when Dennison appeared and took him into custody.
A muscle ticked in Agent Wallace’s jaw. “I thought I told you not to engage.”
“I’ve been known not to obey,” Josh returned. Luckily, for everyone, no guns went off.
But agents, guns, and bad guys faded as Josh searched up and down the hall for only one woman. His pulse was still beating rapidly but now for a vastly different reason. He didn’t want to see Mr. Gansett or Moretti’s son being escorted out in handcuffs.
Riley’s cherry blossom scent wafted in the air, and every one of Josh’s muscles tightened and loosened at the same time. His heart beat like a wild horse running through the vast open plains.
In slow motion, he pivoted on his heel and looked behind him. When he did, he lost his breath—not because of her smile and not because she was alive, but her gray eyes had a storm brewing in them of epic proportions. Or maybe it just looked that way since the underside of her eyes were turning black and blue. Josh’s gaze traveled down to find blood smeared around her nose.
He rushed to her, wanting nothing more than to lift her in his arms and take care of her. Yet the moment they were face to face, all sense of where he was disappeared. Josh cupped her cheek, breathed her in, and slowly lowered his lips to hers.
Riley sucked in a sharp breath and nodded as if to say, “Please kiss me.”
So he did. He kissed her as if she were his last breath. In that moment, he knew he didn’t want this woman to leave California. He also knew that he would do anything to make sure she didn’t.
Their tongues collided in a heated kiss as she pressed her body to his. Josh kept one hand on her soft cheek and snaked his other hand around to her lower back to make sure she didn’t fall, leave, or back away.
She abandoned his mouth. “I want that dinner and a movie.”
He lifted her up in his arms. “And I want you.”
All was right in the world.
