Chapter 56
Blazeand the team broke into Royal Shipping, breached the container with the microprocessors again, and placed a charge inside. When they were positive that section of the warehouse was clear of guards or workers, they detonated it, destroying the contents.
Diana Corbin wasn’t waiting for them when they cut the fence and went through it. She wasn’t waiting back at One Shot, either. She was a little preoccupied with the Simon Marsh/Kyle Hollis case at the moment, which was a good thing for the Ghost Ops team.
When Blaze asked Ghost if he’d had anything to do with that when they were back at the range, he’d grinned before saying, “I made a phone call when we were at Rory’s place. Suggested that Special Agent Corbin should head up the Simon Marsh investigation when we caught him.”
A stroke of genius, really, because it had gotten her out of the way. Agent Corbin didn’t appear to have the weight of the entire FBI behind her when it came to questioning them about Royal Shipping, which seemed to make it more of a personal quest. That was a good thing for their mission, but she could certainly be a problem in the future if she kept at it.
Something to worry about later.
It was nearly dawn when Blaze drove back to town, parked in the lot behind the Sutton building, and climbed wearily from his truck. Chance parked beside him. He didn’t need to stay in Emma’s apartment now that Kyle Hollis was dead, but he’d be there for another night or two at least. Blaze suspected that had everything to do with Rory, but he hadn’t asked.
Blaze hadn’t taken three steps when a voice called out, “Melvin is happy again, Mr. Connolly. I thought you should know.”
Blaze turned to find Colleen Wright standing behind her building, smoking a cigarette. Damn, she got up early. Or maybe she’d had a séance and never went to bed.
“I’m glad to hear it, ma’am.”
“Melvin said that you and Emma Grace should keep the rear apartment. He thinks the sunsets are spectacular from those west facing windows.”
She couldn’t see his expression, but he was sure she’d have laughed if she did. It was definitely one of surprise. “Thank you, ma’am. I’ll take that under advisement.”
“You be sure you do.”
Chance was waiting for him. “Who’s Melvin?”
“You mean you don’t know about the Sutton building’s ghost?”
Chance snorted. “Nope. There’s a ghost?”
“According to Ms. Wright. He wasn’t happy for a while but now he is. Which she assures me is a good thing.”
“Does he, like, moan and rattle chains and shit?”
“Never heard him. I have no idea how she knows any of this or if she just has a very active imagination.”
“Let’s go with that one,” Chance said with a tired laugh.
“Maybe we should consult her before the next op. Get some paranormal assistance. Or maybe she can hex Diana Corbin for us.”
Chance just chuckled.
They reached the back door of the building and unlocked it. Blaze didn’t know if Emma would be upstairs in bed or if her parents would have insisted she go home with them for the night. He’d hated to leave her at the hospital, but he’d had to.
It would be that way sometimes, but he knew they’d deal with it.
Emma was his. She loved him, which was a freaking miracle, and he loved her. And he was going to marry her. Maybe not for a few months, but her mother would need that kind of time to plan a wedding anyway.
When they got to the top of the stairs, Emma was standing in the open door. Blaze’s heart thumped. He started to tell her she shouldn’t be awake, shouldn’t be there with the door open, but why not? Kyle Hollis was dead, and Emma was safe. She could open doors and walk outside in the open now without him hovering over her, though he still intended to do that as often as possible.
“Blaze,” she said, that one word filled with all the joy he felt in his soul at the sight of her.
He opened his arms and she rushed into them, wrapping hers around him tightly. He bent to inhale the scent of her hair and pressed his lips to her temple. His cock was half hard, but it’d be a while before they did that again. He needed her to heal first.
Chance disappeared without a word, the door to the front apartment closing behind him as Blaze held his woman tight and thanked God she was alive.
He’d been so focused and busy he hadn’t given himself a lot of time to process those moments when Kyle had been punching her. How close he’d been to losing her.
“I’m fine,” he said. “Perfectly fine.”
“Did your thing go the way you wanted it to go?”
He chuckled. “Yeah, textbook.”
“Nobody shot or cut? No need for stitches or exams?”
“No, no need.”
She stepped back and he got a good look at her face in the light starting to creep through the windows. Her cheek was a little swollen and her eye was black and blue. The cut on her lip was scabbed over.
He reached out and skimmed a finger under her jaw. “If he wasn’t dead, I’d kill him for hurting you.”
“But he is dead, and we aren’t.” She took his hand, wrapped his fingers in hers, and tugged him inside. “I want you, Blaze. I need you.”
He shut the door behind him, his wayward cock swelling again. “I don’t think it’s a good idea, honey. He hurt you, and you need to rest.”
“I have painkillers, and I’ve been icing my cheek and eye. My arm hurts where I strained the tendon again, but otherwise I’m okay. What I want, more than anything, is to be naked with you. I need to feel you inside me.”
“Baby, we’ve got all the time in the world,” he said. “I can wait.”
“I want?—”
“What?” he asked as she stared at him.
“You’re exhausted.” She shook her head. “You’re right, we can wait. You need to get some sleep.”
She pulled him toward the bedroom. Sassy came running from somewhere, and Blaze scooped her up as he followed Emma.
He set the kitten on the bed, shed his clothes, and climbed beneath the covers. Emma joined him, curled her body around his, and sighed as she stroked her fingers through the hair at his nape.
“I love you. Go to sleep.”
“I love you, too.” He was drifting off when something niggled at his memory. “Sunshine?”
“Mm-hm?”
“Would you go out with me?”
He felt her push up on an elbow. “What?”
“I never asked you out. I promised I wouldn’t when you gave me your number in the hall that day.”
“I think we’ve gone beyond a first date, Blaze.”
“Doesn’t mean I don’t want one.”
She grinned, then winced as the gesture stretched her lip. “Okay, yes, I’ll go out with you.”
“Excellent choice, Em. I’ll make it worth your while, I promise.”
She laughed. “You already have, babe. Oh, and before you fall asleep, my mother congratulated me on being smart enough to land you for a prospective baby daddy and future husband. Not that I encouraged any of that kind of thinking, but apparently telling you I loved you was enough for her.”
Blaze squeezed her to him. “If I’m honest here, I think I’m the smart one because I landed you and your family. I never had one of those before, other than my guys.”
“You’ve got us now. All the Suttons in your corner. Always.”
He stroked his fingers down the indent of her spine. “Always is a long time, Sunshine.”
“It sure is. How fortunate that we get to spend it together.”
“Nowhere else I’d rather be.”
For the first time in his life, he was home. Really, truly home.