A Perfect Storm(72)

Okay, hold the phone. She drew in air to ask him what the hell that  meant, but he hugged her tight, so tight she could barely breathe, much  less talk.

Her head protested, but really, her heart liked it just fine.

"You disarmed the wounded goon?" Spencer quietly asked.

She squeaked, "Yup."

"The crazy guy is unarmed?" He kissed her temple, her ear.

"I took his gun, so, yeah."

His big hands opened on her back, stroking, cuddling, then squeezing again. "And the other one, he's not a threat?"

She shook her head.

Jackson came in then. He was dressed much the same as Spencer-kick-ass and prepared.

His presence in the small building meant that they'd already "secured" the guards.

He saw them and rolled his eyes. "So what are we doing here?"

Spencer eased her back, cupped her face in his hands and smoothed her hair. "Do you have a concussion?"

"Eh … probably," she admitted. "I'm a hair away from chucking, seeing two of you, and I've got a wingding of a headache."

He groaned and kissed her forehead. "What do you want them to do? Tell me quick, so I can get you to the hospital."

"Hospital?" But she didn't want to go to the hospital. She needed to get  to Joel's house, she needed to see about the women he held captive. She  needed-

"Shh. Give your orders, honey. It's your call. I understand that."

"You do?"

"I'm not a slow learner." He gave her a look of reprimand. "The purpose of your note was crystal clear."

Ho boy. Yeahhhh … she'd meant it to be a statement: she was available if  he wanted her, but she couldn't, wouldn't, completely alter her psyche.  She was who she was, formed by life experiences and a strong  personality, and an even stronger will to make a difference. She'd try  to buffer her take-charge attitude, but she could never become a mere  observer.

"I, uh … " She cleared her throat, certain that she wanted to go on seeing  him and not too proud to say so. "If you were interested, I could maybe  meet you halfway."

"One thing at a time, honey." Spencer gave her a gentle smile. "The task  force agent is on his way with a team, and so is the ambulance. I'm  holding on by a thread, so you will go to the hospital. Okay?"

Seeking a little guidance, she looked toward Jackson, but he'd already  pulled off his shirt to swaddle Joel's arm. "Where are the guys?"

"Awaiting instructions." Jackson glanced at her. "But since you were  preoccupied … I'm assuming you don't want him to bleed to death?"

With Jackson looming over him, Joel looked ready to swoon. Arizona waved  a hand for Jackson to continue and turned back to Spencer.

Damn it, why did she feel shy? She didn't know what any of this meant,  and she hated being unsure. She made to push her hair from her face-and  Spencer sucked in air.

"Jesus." He caught her hands, lifting them for a closer scrutiny.

More blood had trickled from her wrists, snaking down between her  fingers, going under her nails. It looked really gross and made her want  to groan.

"All superficial, I promise. I just nicked myself a few times while  getting free." She didn't know what to do with her bloody hands, but  then Spencer followed Jackson's lead and pulled off his shirt. He ripped  it cleanly in half with little effort.

Arizona stared at how the bulletproof vest fit him. It fastened with  wide strips of Velcro just under his pecs and over his abs. His muscled  shoulders flexed as he took her hand.

"Trace insisted," Spencer said, explaining the vest. "I had other things on my mind."

"Yeah, like … ?" Hopeful, she waited, her breath held.

He smoothed the strips of cotton around her left wrist, down and around  her palm. "Getting to you." He lifted her other hand and, in hoarse  tones, said, "That's all I could think of."

She'd scared him? Well, yeah, of course she had. Spencer cared for  everyone, and from the day she'd met him, he'd been trying to keep her  safe. "Sorry."

"You're forgiven." He'd just finished wrapping her hands when they heard the police sirens. "What now?"

She turned to see Quinto leaning on the wall, his eyes closed, his  entire demeanor waning. "He's got to eat," she told Spencer, trying to  think of his most immediate needs. "And he needs to see his sister. And  rest. And-"                       
       
           



       

Trace put a hand to her shoulder. "I'll see to it."

Since she hadn't heard him come in, she jumped.

After studying her eyes, he gave her shoulder a squeeze. "You did good,  Arizona, but even the best soldier knows when to retreat."

Her face went hot, and she mumbled, actually mumbled, "I'm not a soldier."

"No, but you are doggedly persistent, intuitive and capable." He drew  her forward to kiss her brow. "Now, how about you put Spencer out of his  misery by sitting down until the ambulance gets here?"

Put him out of his misery? She eyed Spencer's expression and frowned. Yeah, he did look pretty miserable.

And it was her fault. She didn't need guilt on top of a splitting head.

Jackson said without looking back, "He's giving you the deference you want, doll. Accept it with good grace."

"You can both leave her the hell alone." His mood growing blacker by the  moment, Spencer put his arm around her. "Come on. Let me take you  outside for some fresh air. We'll wait for the ambulance."

"Yeah, okay." She went along willingly, doing her utmost not to wince  over the excruciating pain in her noggin. "I really do feel like crap."

He started to say something, but then they stepped outside and into the  growing crowd. Police, task force, locals … they combined to make quite an  audience.

Chaos consumed them. Paramedics rushed inside to see to Joel and to the  man Dare had shot. Other EMTs came to look her over and, after a cursory  exam, insisted that Spencer was right, and she needed to go to the  hospital.

"Great," she grumbled. "Just freakin' great."

Spencer bent to kiss her brow. "I'll be right behind you. You aren't going to get away from me again."

And that confused her enough that she didn't complain as she got loaded into an ambulance, and it drove off for the hospital.





CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE


SPENCER SAT IN A PLASTIC CHAIR, coffee cooling in front of him, Jackson pacing back and forth around him.

Dare and Trace were busy wrapping up everything with Quin and  Joel-because they insisted on it, and even the official in charge of the  elite task force didn't try to dissuade them.

They would, supposedly, keep a low profile-if you could call maiming  guards and shooting a thug in the chest a low profile. But they would  also ensure that it was handled to their satisfaction.

Always.

They had such power-and Arizona was now a part of that.

They wanted him to be a part of it, too. It'd mean relocating for the  sake of anonymity. It'd mean starting over, burying the past for good.

Moving on with his life.

Moving on with Arizona … if she'd have him.

Spencer rubbed his face. Arizona had only been away from them for an  hour or so-long enough for the docs to examine her and run some  tests-but it still worried him.

Knowing her, she could sneak out. Again.

She could refuse medical attention. She wasn't dumb, but she did seem to think herself invincible.

Or disposable.

She could-

"Stop it, damn it." Harried, his blond hair standing on end, Jackson snarled, "You're stressing me out."

Slowly lifting his brows, Spencer looked up at Jackson. "I haven't done a thing."

"You're brooding." Jackson dropped down beside him, his mood black, his expression fierce. "Jesus, what is taking so long?"

Spencer eyed him with disgust. "You're going to be miserable when Alani gives birth. You know that, right?"

"Just … shut up." He got up to pace again.

Spencer joined him.

"If she was a guy … " Jackson said.

That deserved a short laugh. "Then I probably wouldn't be here."

"Well … yeah." He suddenly grinned. "She really proved herself, didn't she?"

"I'm thinking that was the point."

"I hate it when Chris is right." Jackson jammed his hands, palms out,  into his back pockets. "He's never going to let us live it down."

Spencer rolled his shoulders. He still wanted to take Joel apart, but  more than that, he wanted to show Arizona how important she was to him.

"What are we going to do?" Jackson asked.

We? "I want her back," Spencer said, distracted with his thoughts.

"Oh, really?"

That got him focused real quick. "I'm getting her back," he amended,  challenging Jackson with a look. "And I'm keeping her." God, he made her  sound like a pet. He manned up, stared at Jackson, and said, "I love  her."

"Is that supposed to be news to me?"