Chapter Twelve
Emmett
" F uck," I groan, my ears ringing. Blood rushes in a torrent of sound, my heart thundering in my chest. I turn my head, shoving the airbag away to check on Nate. "Nate, you okay, man?"
"Son of a bitch," he mutters beside me, looking dazed. "That hurt like a motherfucker."
I chuckle and then groan. Christ, it hurts to laugh. "Are you injured?"
"I don't think so?"
"Take stock," I order. "Does anything hurt?"
"Everything fucking hurts." He groans, searching for his seatbelt clasp. "But no, I'm not injured. Just sore, I think. Remind me to never do what you just did."
"Hopefully, you'll never need to do it." I glance around, searching for the car. I find it parked on the road a few yards away. "Did you get 911 on the line?"
"Yeah. They're sending someone."
"Good because we have company." I nod at the vehicle. "I need you to get out and hide in the woods."
"I'm not leaving you here."
"Yeah, you are. They aren't coming for me. They're coming for you," I remind him. "Your sister needs you to survive this."
"She needs you to survive it, too."
"I fully intend to survive it," I mutter, my eyes still locked on the car, searching for movement. "But I can't do what I need to do with you in this truck."
He's quiet for a minute and then, "Oh."
The driver's door opens on the car.
"Go," I growl at Nate. "Hurry. Stay low to the ground and move carefully so they don't see or hear you."
He hesitates for a split second and then reluctantly shoulders his door open, groaning softly. I don't look in his direction. I keep my eyes locked on the two men climbing from the car. Fuck. It'd be better if there was only one of them. But whatever. I'll do what I've got to do to protect Nina's brother.
I unlatch my seatbelt, moving slowly as I reach under my seat, feeling for the first aid kit I keep stored there. A motherfucker likes to be prepared, and in my line of work, there is no putting blinders on and pretending not to see an emergency situation. My truck is full of equipment.
My fingers close around the handle. I quickly pull it into my lap, keeping it below window level, ready to swing. And then I lean back…and wait.
Alexei and Sergei creep toward the truck, whispering back and forth. One of them circles around to the passenger side while the other strides right up to the driver's side window. I keep my eyes at half-mast and hold my breath, keeping my body lax.
He pauses for a moment, staring in at me.
"I think he's dead, Alexei."
So, this one is Sergei then.
"Check," Alexei orders.
Sergei reluctantly reaches through the broken window.
I grab his arm with one hand, yanking him forward into the truck, and swing the medical kit with the other. It cracks him across the forehead, cutting off his startled shout.
He goes limp, landing halfway across my lap, halfway across the door.
"Shit!" Alexei growls, diving into the truck from the passenger side.
I swing the medical kit again, cracking it against his wrist as hard as I can. He roars a curse, losing his grip on the gun in his hand.
"You motherfucker," I growl, struggling to grab ahold of him with his buddy still half on top of me.
He fights back, trying to get his hands around my throat.
I manage to elbow him in the face, grunting in satisfaction when I feel his nose break.
"I should fucking kill you," I snarl, shoving his buddy into him. "She doesn't owe you a goddamn thing."
"Then Vincent shouldn't have gambled what he could not pay," he grunts, lunging for my throat again. "We gave her ample opportunity to repay the debt."
"A month isn't ample opportunity." I clock him across the jaw. "Burning down a house with her inside isn't ample opportunity."
"The boy will pay with her out of the way."
So I was right about that. The prick wants her gone so they can force Nate to pay. Well, fuck that. They aren't getting a dime. And they aren't getting their hands on her or Nate.
"What's the plan? You take Nate, convince her to trade herself?"
"Something like that," Alexei pants, struggling to reach his gun. "It's a good plan."
"We told your Bratva buddies were to find you, Alexei." It's a lie, but he freezes for a split second, caught off guard. It's just long enough for me to kick the gun further out of his reach. Just long enough for me to realize there is something this motherfucker fears. Not jail. Not me. Hell, maybe not even death. But bigger criminals than him. "They're coming for you."
"You know nothing."
"I know enough." I slam my elbow into his face again, tipping him off balance. He falls sideways, wedged halfway in the floorboard. I shove Sergei's limp body off me, giving me room to move as I grab the handle of the medical kit again. "I know enough to know that you'll never get paid. You're going to prison. And you'll die there as soon as your Bratva friends manage to get to you."
I bring the medical kit up over my head as high as I can in the confined space and then slam it down against the back of his head, denting the fuck out of the kit. He pitches forward, groaning.
"Enjoy what's left of your life, asshole." I clock him with the kit again, enjoying the way he immediately slumps, no longer a threat.
I fall back against the seat, breathing hard. "Goddamn son of a bitch," I pant, tossing the medical kit aside. Every muscle in my body hurts. My truck is fucked. These assholes are bleeding all over it. And Nate is somewhere in the woods.
I haul myself out of the truck, stumbling around to the passenger side. "Nate!" I shout, sinking to the ground. "You can come out now."
I lay back, look up at the stars, and wait.
He appears a few minutes later, looking down at me. "You okay?"
"Wonderful," I mutter. "You?"
"Peachy-keen."
I chuckle and then groan. "Don't make me laugh. I think I broke a rib."
"Shit." He kneels beside me. "Can I do anything?"
"Yeah." I meet his gaze. "Give me permission to marry your sister."
"Promise not to ever do the shit you just did with her in the car?"
"Yeah, I can make that promise," I rasp.
"Then I guess I'll give you permission." He pauses, smirking at me. " If she wants to marry you."
Nate and I sit side by side, waiting for the police to arrive. The assholes in the truck don't move. Surprisingly, it isn't Dillon who arrives on scene first. It's Nina and Callum.
"Emmett!" I hear her cry from the roadway, sobbing.
"Fuck," I growl, rolling to my feet with my heart in my throat. I'm around the side of the truck in three steps, desperate to get to her, to let her know that I'm okay. I hear the pain in her voice, the fear. It tears at my heart, threatening to rip it in two.
So does the sight of her with tears streaming down her face.
"Emmett!" she sobs when she catches sight of me, swaying on her feet. She races toward me, flinging herself against my chest.
I grunt, catching her in my arms.
"I thought…I thought…" She shudders, pressing her face against my throat. "I was so s-scared."
"I'm right here, baby," I murmur, burying my face in her hair to breathe her in. "Everything is okay."
"Jesus Christ," Callum mutters, peering into the truck.
"Keep an eye on those two," I order him. "If they move, knock them out again."
"Gladly," he mutters, crossing his arms and planting his feet, eyes trained on the truck.
"What happened?" Nina asks, her voice shaking as she pulls back to look at me. And then she whimpers. "They have Nate, Emmett."
"No, they don't."
"They do," she insists, her eyes watery. "They–"
Nate steps out from behind the truck, and her gaze falls on him. A startled cry falls from her lips as she rips herself out of my arms, racing toward her little brother.
"Nate!" she cries, flinging herself at him the same way she flung herself at me.
"Hey, big sis," he says, wrapping her up in a big hug.
"I'm so happy! I'm so mad!" Her shoulders shake as she clings to him, crying. "You're really here?"
"Yeah." He rubs her back, chuckling. "I'm really here."
My heart pulses as she sobs a prayer, truly at peace for the first time since I pulled her from that fire. Truly safe for the first time in weeks.
"I'm so happy you're home," Nina whispers hours later, lingering outside of Nate's bedroom door as they say goodnight. She's been like a little mother hen ever since we got home from the hospital, fussing over both of us.
My ribs aren't broken, but they are bruised. They hurt like a bitch. Nate has a few scratches, but he's otherwise fine. We'll both be sore for a while. I think we could be perfectly fine, and she'd still fuss and hover. Her life didn't flash before her eyes the night of the fire. It flashed before her eyes tonight. She thought they had Nate. She thought she lost me.
I'm going to spend a long damn time making her forget how that felt.
Alexei and Sergei are in jail. They'll stay there until they go to trial. And then they'll go to prison. There won't be any getting out of it for them. If we're lucky, the Bratva will find them wherever they're sent and take care of the problem. It's what they deserve. You don't target women and children and get to walk away from that like nothing happened. Fuck that. Some lines shouldn't be crossed. They trampled the hell out of it.
Nate may be on the cusp of adulthood, but he's still just a kid.
And right now, I think he's grateful as hell to be back home with his sister fussing over him. The love between the two of them is obvious. They'd do anything for one another. I'm happy as hell to know I'll have his help looking after her. And a little bit fucking worried that I'll be looking after him too. He's just like her. They're going to stress me the fuck out.
I can't wait.
"Me too," he murmurs and then clears his throat. "Um, I'm sorry I worried you, Nina. For the record, I knew you were going to be worried, but I decided to do what I did anyway. I kept my phone off so you couldn't find me. I didn't come home because I knew you'd talk me out of it."
"Nate," she says softly.
"I wasn't going to let you die," he says, a hitch in his voice. "You're the only thing I've got."
I disappear into the bedroom, giving them a little privacy. They need it after the last few days. And my ass needs a bed. Pronto.
I strip down and crawl onto the bed, groaning.
I thought maybe I should stay at my place tonight, but they both insisted I stay here with them. It's where I wanted to be anyway, so I didn't argue too much. Spending the night in Nina's arms? Fuck yeah, that's where I want to be. Any night of the week.
"Are you asleep?" Nina whispers a little while later, crawling over me. Her ass settles against my hips, and my dick immediately turns to steel.
"No," I rumble, grasping her hips. It's a lie. I definitely dozed off. But I'm wide awake now.
She runs her hands down my chest, her touch gentle. "You look awful, Emmett."
"Mm. Know what would make me feel better?" I crack one eye open, looking at her.
"What?"
"You settling that pussy down on my cock and riding me soft."
"Emmett!" Her cheeks blaze with heat.
"I'll be a good boy and lay still, Red."
"No, you won't."
She's right. I won't. But she doesn't tell me no. Instead, she rocks against me, grinding her clit against the head of my cock.
We both moan at the same time.
"Fuck, that feels good."
"Yeah? You feel better already?"
"No. You should keep doing it. But with me inside you."
She laughs softly and then lifts up slightly.
I growl, gripping her hips hard enough to bruise as she slowly sinks down on me, the heat of her cunt searing my cock. Christ, being inside her is like coming home. It's perfection every damn time.
"I love you," she moans, tipping her head back as she begins to rock on top of me, taking me deep and then sliding almost all the way off before starting over. She moves slowly, carefully, as if she's afraid to hurt me. But I'm not feeling any pain right now. All I feel is her.
"Then marry me, Red," I rasp.
Her eyes fly open wide.
"I asked Nate for permission. He said it's up to you." I buck my hips slightly, pushing deeper. "You know you want it, baby. You want this for a lifetime."
"Emmett," she whimpers.
"Say yes, Nina," I growl, bucking my hips again. "Tell me that I can keep fucking you like this forever. That I can keep loving you forever. That you'll have my last name, let me give you my babies and the world."
"Yes," she moans.
My balls churn, the need to come overwhelming as she gives me the entire fucking world in a single syllable. I slip my hand between us, rubbing circles against her clit.
It doesn't take much to send her over the edge. When she goes, I go with her, chanting her name, panting. So fucking lost in her I don't think I'll ever be found again. Frankly, I don't want to be found again. I want this right here for the rest of my life.
This is fate.
This is forever.
She slumps against my chest before trying to roll to the side. I quickly wrap my arms around her, keeping her right where she is.
"You're hurt," she protests weakly.
"Never too much to hold you," I murmur, brushing my lips across her forehead. "Never too much for this."
She settles against me with the sweetest sigh, her hand curled around my neck. "Thank you, Emmett," she whispers, pressing her lips to my skin.
"For what?"
"For bringing him home." Her watery eyes meet mine, full of adoration. "For keeping your promise. For being you."
"Jesus," I rumble, squeezing her hip. "I love you, Nina. You don't ever have to thank me for that. This is worth every fucking second."
"Then how about this?" She smiles at me. "Thank you for being the stupid-hot firefighter who pulled me from the flames."
I chuckle, running my lips across her crown. "Single best moment of my career, Red. Hands down."