Someone steps up beside me, and the barrel moves to them, allowing me to drop to the ground and pull Lexi into my lap.
For a moment, I don’t care about the chaos erupting around us or running the mission I’m overseeing. All I care about is the woman in my arms.
“I’ve got you, Wildcat.”
“Colt?” Her voice trembles, and I press my eyes closed at the sound of the fear.
“Yeah, baby. I’ve got you. You’re safe. I’ll never let anyone hurt you again,” I promise.
“I’m mad at you.”
“Okay.”
“You hacked the algorithm. You matched us.”
“I did.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because you loved the idea of a perfect match, Wildcat. You’re a romantic at heart,” I tell her, breathing out a sigh. “And because I was scared you’d try to leave.”
She peeks up at me, her eyes watering from the smoke, but that doesn’t stop her. My brave girl.
“You’re an idiot,” she reprimands. “Don’t you get it? I love you. I’ve loved you my whole damn life. I loved you when I was in my awkward teen years and was just your best friend’s sister. I loved you when I traveled across the country for school, just to put some distance between us, and I’ve loved you every single day since.”
I didn’t think words could sound so beautiful, but Lexi proves me wrong. Because hearing the ones I’ve longed for my whole life for the first time from her lips is like every dream I never allowed myself to have coming true.
“I love you so fucking much, Wildcat.” I hold her tight, ignoring the shouts and the very tense exchange happening above us.
The girl’s hands tremble ever so slightly, but Nico doesn’t flinch, holding her gaze as if being shot by her wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world.
“Laken.” Lexi reaches out and touches her calf softly, not wanting to startle the woman with a gun.
She hesitates for long seconds, holding Nico’s gaze before finally looking down at us.
“It’s okay. Nico won’t hurt you.”
The gun remains raised for a handful of seconds before she finally lowers it, and all the fight leaves her body.
I try to move to catch her when her knees give out and a violent sob tears from her chest, but Nico beats me to it, and I turn my attention back to Lexi.
“Laken Lancaster?” I ask quietly.
She nods. “She’s been with them for about a month.” Her eyes scan the clearing smoke, searching through each face until a deep frown tugs her brows down.
“What’s wrong?”
“They’re not here.”
“Who?”
“Grant and Jay.”
I stare at her for long seconds before repeating the same question again. “Who?”
She sighs, trying to get to her feet, but I hold her tight against me. “We need to go! We need to find them before they hurt anyone else!”
Cruz chooses this moment to appear, scanning over Lexi for injuries the same way I have over and over since I found her. “Sis, I know you wanted me home from my honeymoon, but getting yourself kidnapped is a bit dramatic.”
