“Am I hurting you?” my husband whispered in my ear.
Unable to speak with my throat clogged with emotion and the tears that were taking over, I lightly shook my head. Then a sob ripped from the depths of my soul and my body began to shake.
“Oh baby, I promise you are okay. I won’t let anything else happen to you.” He rubbed slow circles on my back. “I failed you, but it won’t happen again.”
I couldn’t stand that he felt that way but I wasn’t able to get all the words out. Only one slipped from my lips.
“I-Italia,” I stuttered.
Carefully placing both hands on my shoulders, Pax pushed himself back and looked into my eyes. “Our baby is doing amazing. She’s okay. Our girl is a fighter, just like her momma.”
And then, tears were streaming down my husband’s face too.
“Thank God, you’re both going to be okay. You girls are my world,” he said before wrapping his arms around me again.
I laid my head against his chest. “I love you, Pax.”
“I love you too, darlin’.”
We stood there holding one another, crying over the past, but also the joy of what we knew our future would bring. The threat that had plagued me for years, sending me into hiding for so long, was finally gone.
* * *
“Don’t look, sweetheart,”my husband said as we headed out of the room.
Pax had warned me that the men had been killed and he didn’t want me seeing that any more than I wanted to see it myself. When he placed his hand under my knees and the other on my back, sweeping me up into his arms, I diverted my gaze by burying my face in his neck.
Once outside, I lifted my head to peek at the craziness going on around us. Pax carried me to an ambulance that was already there with flashing lights. Not only were paramedics there, but multiple police cruisers had arrived too.
Just as my husband carefully set me down at the back of the ambulance doors, my eyes caught on a body lying near the small set of stairs that hadn’t been concealed yet with a tarp.
“That’s h-him,” I stammered. “The man there.” I pointed toward the unmoving figure. “He’s the boss.”
Placing his hands on the sides of my cheeks, my husband carefully turned my head so I was focused solely on him. “Look at me, sweetheart. He can’t hurt you anymore.”
I felt like a cry-baby, but I couldn’t help it. I was overwhelmed with emotion and the idea of finally being free took over my body. Leaning into my husband, I blubbered for several minutes all over him.
“Let it out, baby,” he soothed.
“Sir, can you step back so we can check her out, please?” a male voice said from behind Paxton.
When he let out a small growl, I couldn’t help but laugh. It felt just like the night of the shooting at Alley’s house and my overprotective man was not wanting to let me go. I knew how he felt and wished he didn’t have to, but I knew the poor guy was just trying to do his job.
Releasing me, Pax stepped to the side a bit as the paramedic got to work asking me a series of questions to see where I hurt and how bad things were. Once they had a look, I fought them tooth and nail about taking another ride in the ambulance. Thank gosh they listened and determined I could ride back with my husband and the guys.
Not exactly sure where we were, I didn’t know how long the ride would be, but Paxton had said we were up in the mountains an hour and half from Portland.
“How did you get here?” I asked, puzzled.
He gave me a small smile. “Dropped out of the sky, beautiful.”
My mouth fell open. I knew he was skilled, I just didn’t know he would have to use those skills for me. But I was damn glad.
I scanned our surroundings. “Then how are we getting back?”
“I’ve got you covered, beautiful,” Bronson said walking up.
Self-consciously, I reached up and touched my face and hair, not feeling beautiful at all, but the thought didn’t stay long as it was interrupted by my husband growling—yet again.
