“It’s gotta be in here. There’s several places—”
“Yeah, there are. But you know what? I think I’ll look around now without you. Yeah. I think your usefulness has reached its end.”
She heard him rack the slide on his automatic. A cold circle of metal pressed against the back of her neck. She had time enough to pray that Brock would never find her body, never feel the pain of failing to save her in the place where he’d proposed.
The roar and flash of gunfire filled the cavern.
And the bullet missed because Brock was there, pulling her to safety as he returned gunfire.
At such close range, the driver had no chance. His body crumpled to the cavern floor.
Chapter 25
Brianna woke in Brock’s arms before the dawn. Brock had stirred, nudging her out of a light sleep.
“You’re awake?” she asked needlessly.
“Yeah. Sorry I woke you.” He pulled her closer and kissed her forehead.
“That’s okay.” She kissed his jawline.
“You haven’t been sleeping well,” he said.
“Neither have you.”
Brock sighed. “I almost lost you. Twice.” He rolled onto his back and gazed at the ceiling.
“But you didn’t.” She went up on her elbow to study him in the pale light from the streetlamp outside her apartment. “You saved me twice. If I hadn’t met you, I wouldn’t be here.”
He nodded but looked unconvinced. “Someone would have saved you from the van.”
She rolled her eyes. “But not the cave. You knew right where I’d be and you waited.”
“I did know about the cave,” Brock acknowledged.
“So, you saved me when no one else could have.”
He stared at the ceiling and said nothing else.
After her rescue, she’d learned that her brother had awakened and told Luna to make sure no one went to the secret place. Luna had no idea what he was talking about, but Brock did. Not trusting the police, he, Jake, Kyle, and Wolf went in through the main cavern and waited silently in the dark at the entrance to the second pocket. He’d almost given up hope when he heard Brianna’s voice. The driver, Guapo or whatever his name was, was dead. Brianna didn’t know what they did with the body after that, and she didn’t want to know.
The official story was that Brock, Jake, Kyle, and Wolf found her at the side of the road like her brother and that she had no memory of anything after accepting her award until they found her.
Officer Tom Hicks had gone AWOL and not even Tex could find him. They couldn’t find the place where she’d been questioned either, or the second man with the sweat, cologne, and mint smell.
“This is about what’s happening later today, isn’t it?” she asked with all the tenderness in her heart.
Brock went from staring at the ceiling to looking at her. He ran his finger along her face. “It is. Yeah. You’re right.”
She bent to kiss his lips. “You’ve been beside me ever since you saved me. And today, I’m going to be beside you, supporting you.”
Brianna thought back over the last couple of days. Facing Brian was the hardest. But Brianna had to speak to him to know why he’d betrayed her. There was no money, no drugs in their secret place—Watchdog had done a thorough search, just to make sure. It had to be hidden somewhere else and Brian not only lied but implicated Brianna.
Brian was out of the coma, but that didn’t mean he was well. The effects of the overdose, the beating he took, all of it affected his cognitive abilities. Chances were he wouldn’t be able to stand trial for a long time, if ever. Their parents were hiring the best lawyer in Colorado to make sure he was declared incompetent.
Brock held Brianna’s hand as she approached the hospital room. A guard stood outside, making Brianna’s skin crawl. She didn’t think she’d ever be able to trust a police officer again after What Hicks had done to her.
“Do you want privacy with your brother or do you want me to go in with you?” Brock asked.
