Protect Me(82)

“You guys okay?” Jake hollers from the tree line just off to the side.

“About damn time you showed up,” I yell back with a smug grin on my face.

“Some people say thank you for saving their lives,” Jake says as he slowly makes his way towards Garrett, gun drawn and pointed at the suspect.

“If you wouldn’t have stopped to get your nails done, you would have been here ten minutes ago and my life wouldn’t have been in jeopardy,” I throw back at my brother.

A rustling sound comes from the North as I see Maddox break through the thick brush along the edge of the clearing.

“Shit, Jake. You couldn’t wait for me before you shot the bastard?” Maddox says as he approaches from the other side.

“He was pointing the gun at Nate. I didn’t want it to go off, and then I’d be stuck dealing with the wrath of my mother,” Jake says as he kneels down next to Garrett.

“Is he dead?” I ask without moving.

“Hell no,” Jake says. “I shot the prick in the leg so he couldn’t run. Looks like he fell and hit his head on this rock when he went down,” he says with a chuckle.

I pull Lia against my body. She’s shaking from head to toe. I hear the distant sound of sirens approaching and know that the cavalry is almost here. I pull back just slightly enough to look down at Lia. She’s safe.

She’s free.

“Do you remember when you asked me what my dream was when you first brought me here?” Lia asks with shaky breath, tears prickling the corners of her eyes.

“Yes,” I croak out over my own dry throat.

“Well, my dream is you, Nate. You’re my dream,” she says strongly.

I grab my girl and slam my lips down onto hers for a bruising kiss. I revel in the feel of her skin brushed against me, her lips pressed firmly against mine, and her breath fanned out over my face.

“I love you so fucking much,” I tell her as I devour her mouth with another fierce kiss. “So fucking much,” I add in between breaths.

“I love you, too,” she whispers as she threads her arms around my neck and kisses me back with everything she has.

She’s my light. She’s my happiness. She’s my home.

And I love the ever-loving shit out of her.





Chapter Fourteen


Lia




I watch from the back of the squad car as they lift Garrett off the ground and push him towards the waiting ambulance. When he came to, he started spewing all sorts of crap about his daddy’s money and how he was going to make Jake pay. Of course, that didn’t stop Jake from reading him his rights as two other cop cars and an ambulance pulled up.

“You doing alright?” Maddox asks as he crouches down in front of me. Nate is over giving a quick statement to one of the cops and Jake is busy recounting the events to his lieutenant.

“Yeah, I guess. As good as can be expected,” I say with a small smile.

“You did good, girl. You don’t have to worry about that guy anymore,” he says.

“Is he going to be alright?”

“Unfortunately, yes. Jake only shot him in the leg, and he even missed the major arteries. They’ll take him to the hospital first and as soon as he’s released, he’ll be escorted to County Jail. He has a whole slew of charges ready to be filed against him, so chances are, he’s going away for awhile.”

“God, I hope so,” I say, more to myself than anyone else. “And Nate? He’s not going to be in any trouble is he?”

“No, he didn’t fire his weapon. It’s a registered gun and he’s licensed to carry. According to his statement and yours, he was acting in self-defense and only pulled his weapon after Garrett’s was trained on him. You’ll both need to go down to the precinct and give a formal statement, but I am confident that there won’t be any charges against either of you.”

“Thank you,” I whisper as I lean forward and give him a hug. “For everything,” I add.

Maddox returns my hug and says, “It was nothing, honey. You’re going to be a wonderful addition to the family someday,” he says with a wink, which makes me laugh. “And besides, Avery would have kicked my ass all the way to Wednesday if I let anything happen to you. She’s kind of attached.”

I smile widely and give him another hug as Nate and Jake walk up. “Get off my woman, Jackson,” Nate barks.

“She hugged me, dude. I can’t help it that women find me irresistible,” he adds like salt to a wound, earning a growl from Nate.

I stand up and pull Jake into a tight hug. “Thank you,” I whisper.

“It was nothing, Lia. Not only was I just doing my job, but I sure as shit didn’t want to listen to my brother whine and cry for the next fifty years about how I got him shot,” Jake says with a cocky grin.