It wasn’t a question but a statement trying to convince himself.
She nodded once, breath catching. “I’m okay.”
He pulled her into him hard, arms locking around her as relief crashed through him like a physical force. She was alive. Thank God.
But after the first desperate second, their embrace registered as wrong. She wasn’t holding on. The realization hit hard enough to make him lean away, searching her face.
Was it pain? Shock? Or worse… rejection.
God knew he’d earned that after the way he’d fought her every step of the way. She was looking down. He couldn’t read her.
“Julia?” His voice cracked from exertion and dread.
She looked up, eyes wide and wet with soul-crushing tears. Then she twisted, showing him her still bound wrists. “Can you untie me?” she asked shakily. “I need to hold you, too.”
That nearly destroyed him.
Leland swore softly and reached for the knife Alec handed him without being asked. His hands were suddenly less steady than they’d been during the entire fight as he cut through the remaining rope.
The second her hands were free, Julia threw herself against him.
This time, she held on just as tightly.
Dev’s voice echoed over the water, already shifting to command. “Call it in. Suspect in custody. Victim secure.”
Sirens sounded, faint in the distance. Too late to matter.
Leland didn’t let her go as others moved around them. Not yet. Not until he was absolutely certain she wasn’t going anywhere.
Chapter 30
Sirens and flashing lights swallowed the marina within minutes.
Local police arrived first, followed closely by FBI vehicles that rolled in hard enough to spray gravel across the lot. Uniforms, agents, EMTs, questions—organized chaos replacing the isolation of the channel.
Julia sat wrapped in a blanket on the rear bumper of an SUV while a paramedic examined the bruising around her throat and wrists.
Each new mark revealed beneath the harsh emergency lights seemed to darken Leland’s mood further.
He sat beside her through all of it, silent, seething, and watching every hand that touched her.
The paramedic remained professional, though Julia noticed he became noticeably gentler once Leland’s attention locked onto him.
She answered questions when she had to. Her name, age, medical history, and whether Strickland had assaulted her further after the abduction.
No. Thank God.
Exhaustion settled heavier with every passing minute. Her body still hadn’t stopped trembling completely, adrenaline leaving her cold despite the warm night air.
She refused to go to the hospital as aprecaution. The paramedic nodded, not overly concerned about her decision, but he made her sign a release.
He looked at Leland next. “What about you, sir? You’re guarding that shoulder.”
As if he hadn’t noticed, he glanced down at it. “No need,” he said, clipped and firm.
The paramedic didn’t second-guess him and quickly packed up his emergency kit.
By the time Agents Keene and Price approached, focusing on the conversation felt almost impossible. Keene crouched in front of her, his tone careful. “I know this isn’t ideal timing, but we need an initial statement tonight.”
