Chapter 18
Chapter
Eighteen
July 14 th
8:20 P.M.
There was no longer a body curled up at his side.
The realization was enough to snap Cooper from sleep to find the bed beside him was indeed empty.
Jerking upright, it took his brain a little longer to process things than it did for his panic to kick right on in. Taking in the motel room, and his brothers standing around the bed, his panic eased only marginally.
They might be out of the desert, but that didn't mean everything was magically fixed.
It had taken them hours to get Willow’s temperature down enough that Cole was satisfied she was improving. Along the way, there had been half a dozen times they’d come too close to needing to risk it all and take her to the hospital.
Once he was sure she was going to be okay he’d finally crawled into bed beside her and allowed himself to crash .
Had that been a mistake?
Had something happened while he was asleep?
While he knew his brothers would never lie to him, he also knew that if something had gone wrong, if Willow’s condition had suddenly taken a turn for the worse, they would try to cushion the blow and deliver it in the gentlest way possible.
“Relax, bro, before you have a coronary,” Cole told him before Cooper could open his mouth and demand to know what they’d done with Willow.
Even if she’d passed away, they should know that he didn't want her alone.
Not even for a second.
“She’s in the bathroom,” Connor explained.
“The bathroom?” he repeated, relief slowing his heartbeat to a more normal rate. “And you let her go alone?”
Jax chuckled. “Don’t think your girl wanted an audience while she peed, dude.”
There was no embarrassment that came with his brothers referring to Willow as his. While they had all agreed that their priority was finding the truth about what happened to their parents, they all still knew they were allowed to have their own lives outside of that.
So far Cade had been the only one to ever have a relationship serious enough that it turned into love. While they all had their suspicions that his daughter’s nanny’s quite obvious feelings for him weren't as nonreciprocal as Cade pretended they were, none of them had ever gone for it with a woman.
Well, he was going to go for it with Willow.
Not giving this thing with her a chance would be the biggest mistake of his life. He’d already gotten a taste of what it would be like to live without her when he’d thought she was going to die, and he didn't want a repeat.
“She can't be strong enough to be up and about on her own,” he rebuked his brothers as he climbed out of the bed. It wasn't rocket science. He’d told them, in great detail, what Willow had been through. Didn't they have a brain between them ?
“I think that woman is strong enough to do anything,” Jake countered.
Before Cooper could agree with his stepbrother’s assertion, the bathroom door opened, and Willow limped out. With most of the dirt washed off her face, and a little color back in her cheeks, she looked a million times better than she had when he’d left her side to run toward the approaching vehicle.
Her eyes widened when she saw him standing there, and it felt like the rest of the world faded away as their gazes locked. He had no idea how long they stood there staring at one another, but the next thing he knew she was moving toward him and he was closing the gap between them, snatching her off her feet and into his arms.
Where she belonged.
“We’re alive,” she whispered, pressing her face against his neck.
“Thought I lost you,” he admitted, burying his face in her hair and breathing in her scent, letting it invade his nostrils and then his body, reassuring him that she was alive and as well as could be expected after what they’d been through.
“You didn't lose me, I'm right here.” The arms she had wrapped around his neck tightened and she lifted her face and shot him a brilliant smile before touching her lips to his.
Cooper was sure the kiss was supposed to be quick, chaste, but he immediately tangled a hand in her long, blonde locks and deepened it. His tongue sweeping inside her mouth, in a fiery kiss that under other circumstances would lead to a whole lot more.
But now wasn't the time.
Willow might be awake, but she’d almost died, she was weak, and injured, had to be in pain, and likely still exhausted.
A mewed protest fell from Willow’s lips when he pulled back, and clear desire shimmered in her turquoise eyes.
“Later,” he promised as he touched a kiss to the tip of her nose.
“Definitely later because right now, with all of us watching, would be totally weird,” Cole joked, making them all laugh.
Shifting his hold on Willow so he was cradling her against his chest, Cooper carried her over to the table where it was clear his brother’s had been hanging out and sat, settling Willow in his lap. There was no way he wasn't going to keep her as close to him as physically possible until they’d eliminated the threat hanging over her head.
They might have made it out of the desert, but they were far from safe.
So long as he was alive and free, Tarek Mahmoud was a danger to Willow. She had the ability to destroy him and even if he couldn’t stop it from happening, the professor wanted to ensure he got his revenge on her.
“Let’s take your IV out,” Cole said, pulling up a chair beside them.
“Here. Drink some water,” Cade said gruffly, taking a bottle and unscrewing the lid before handing it over to Willow who took it with a smile.
If his older brother’s gruff manners put her off, Willow didn't show it. While he cared fiercely about the people in his life, Cade wasn't one to sugar coat things, or handle them with care, unless they were talking about his daughter. But he’d accepted Willow as one of them, as had all his brothers, and Cade would treat her as such.
“You should eat something, too,” Cole said as he reached for her elbow and removed the needle, replacing it with a ball of cotton wool and a Band-Aid.
Scrunching up her nose, Willow gave a small shake of her head, even as she sighed. “I'm not all that hungry, I know I should be but I'm not. You're right though, I should eat.”
“You almost died,” Cooper reminded her. As much as he hated to say the words, they were true. Willow had been through so much, she wasn't just going to magically bounce back to full strength. It would take time, a lot of it, before she was fully recovered. “Baby steps. Why don’t you try some fruit, that should be light on your stomach.”
“We have oranges,” Jake said, holding one out to Willow. “It’ll help with hydration, plus lots of vitamins and minerals.”
“Thanks,” Willow said, accepting the piece of fruit.
“Let me check your eyes first,” Cole directed, pulling out a penlight.
“I’ll cut the orange for you,” Cooper told her, there was no way she could hold it and cut it with a broken arm and finger.
“You're doing as well as could be expected,” Cole announced after checking her pupils and then taking her pulse. “I'd feel much better if a doctor checked you out, and a couple of your wounds are going to need to be watched for infection, but as long as you take some time to rest and recover you should be okay.”
“I don’t have time,” Willow reminded them as she took the piece of orange he held out and took a bite. “Professor Mahmoud is still out there and he’s not going to just back off. He must know by now that we weren't in that helicopter when it crashed. Maybe he’d be prepared to let Cooper go, but he’s not going to feel the same about me. I won't stop until he’s held accountable for what he’s done,” she said with the glint of determination in her eyes that he’d come to recognize as being innately Willow Purcell.
“We were thinking we’d sneak you out of the country,” Connor said. “He knows you have Cooper as back up, but he doesn’t know you now have all of us. Once you're back home you can finish up your article and hand over everything you have on him so far to Prey. Eagle would be more than happy to bring down a man like Tarek Mahmoud, I'm sure of it.”
“Actually,” Willow said slowly, dragging out the word as though she knew what she was about to say he wasn't going to like.
If it was anything other than getting herself as far away from danger as possible and having a twenty-four seven bodyguard then she’d be right.
Her safety was his number one priority.
“Actually what?” he asked tightly.
“I have a plan to catch the professor,” she said, meeting his gaze squarely even as he could read the apology in it.
“A plan?” Jax asked.
“One that I'm sure will work,” Willow said.
“What is it?” he demanded, harsher than he should have, but anxiety had already raged to life inside him.
“I play bait.”
July 14 th
8:34 P. M
“You what?” Cooper asked, voice low and dangerous.
Willow fought the urge to shrink down, to pacify the obvious fear billowing off Cooper.
It was a new experience for her. She had basically been on her own since she was eight years old. Maybe her mom was physically present but that was it. Not only wasn't she emotionally and psychologically present, but she didn't take care of any of her parental responsibilities.
So, Willow had learned to do it all herself.
Learned to become self-sufficient.
Even as an adult, she rarely found herself relying on other people except for the most basic things like doctors, dentists, mechanics, and pilots. Any skill she couldn’t do herself she sought out an expert, but that wasn't working as a team, that was just them performing a skill she didn't have.
This was the first time she had a team at her back.
The first time someone else’s opinion mattered to her as much as her own.
But just because she didn't want Cooper to be angry, didn't want him to be scared, she also didn't want to let a dangerous man walk free when she absolutely did have the skills needed to do something about it.
Writing the article wasn't enough.
Sure, it might wind up ruining Professor Mahmoud’s reputation and hopefully get warrants put out for his arrest. But the professor had a huge head start. He knew he was at risk and would have gone to ground. He had enough resources and enough people backing him to stay under the radar indefinitely.
Unacceptable.
This was the fastest and most efficient way to get Mahmoud to show his face, with the best odds at working.
To that end, Willow straightened her spine and met Cooper’s gaze squarely. “I play bait. We all know there is no way the professor will pass up a chance at snatching me.”
Silence echoed around her .
None of Cooper’s brothers said anything. It was clear even to her that they were letting this one be Cooper’s call.
Only it wasn't his call.
It was hers.
“I'm not asking permission,” she added. “I'm telling you what I'm going to do.”
“Unless I have Cole sedate you and we throw you on a plane back home,” Cooper muttered under his breath.
“Dude,” Connor groaned with a roll of his eyes.
Willow’s lips quirked up. “It’s okay,” she told Cooper’s twin. “I know he’s just joking. He’d never do something like that to me knowing what I've just been through. He’s just scared. I am, too, Cooper. But we all know I have to do this. I will literally never be safe again if we don’t make sure that Professor Mahmoud is taken care of.”
The hand that rested on her hip tightened its hold on her, his fingers digging into her flesh almost to the point of pain. His other hand rubbed tiredly at his eyes. They were both wiped out and needed proper rest, but they only had a short window of time if they were going to make a move and end this once and for all.
“I'm not just scared, Willow. I'm terrified to let you anywhere near that man,” Cooper said. The hand that had been rubbing at his eyes moved to palm her cheek, fingertips whispering across the bandage taped to her temple. “I don’t want to lose you.”
“And I don’t want to lose you. But if we don’t do this, I could lose everything. Including my life. I'd rather deal with this now while I have a whole team at my back.” Her gaze roamed the room to include everyone. These men might be Cooper’s family, but they knew she was important to their brother and that meant Willow was confident they would do whatever it took to have her back.
“You got it, sister,” Cole said, grinning at her.
“I don’t disagree that if we don’t take this opportunity to get Mahmoud, we might not get another, but I think I should be the one to play bait,” Cooper told her.
Fear gripped her heart in an icy hold.
The same fear she knew was pulsing through Cooper’s body .
They both wanted a chance to explore what could be between them, but one huge Egyptian professor-sized boulder stood in their way.
Lifting her good hand, Willow stroked her fingers through Cooper’s short hair. “I love that you want to put yourself between me and danger. It’s been a long time since anyone cared enough to do that. But, Cooper, we both know that Mahmoud might be prepared to let you go to protect himself, he’s only after you because you got in his way by rescuing me. There is no chance in hell he’ll pass up an opportunity to take me.”
“Willow’s right,” Cade interjected, and she shot him a grateful smile. He was definitely the scariest of the five other men surrounding her, but Cooper had told her a lot about his family in the hours they’d spent walking through the desert, and she knew the oldest Charleston brother would do anything for his family.
“Course I am,” she teased, cracking a small smile out of Cooper.
“I don’t like this,” he said, and she could hear every drop of the raw terror in his voice.
“I don’t particularly like the idea either. But it’s the right thing to do. It gets a dangerous man in custody, and it gives you guys an opportunity to question someone who might have more answers about your mom, and your dad,” she added, glancing at Jake and Jax. “It’s killing two birds with the one stone. There’s no other way I can think of that will get us the same results.”
“I hate that you make too much logical sense because I don’t want to be logical right now.” Cooper wrapped his arms around her and crushed her against his chest. “I just want to wrap you up in cotton wool, tuck you into a nice, warm, comfortable bed, and make sure you get the rest you need. I want to slay all your dragons so you never have to put your armor on again. I want to stand between you and anything that wants to hurt you and take every single one of those bullets so you never feel pain again.”
Tears blurred her vision, and she pressed closer, soaking up every ounce of Cooper’s support. That he could already care about her so deeply after such a short time was nothing short of a miracle, and Willow prayed like she’d never prayed before that they got a chance to shoot for their happy ever after .
“Thank you,” she whispered through the tears rolling down her cheeks.
When she lifted her head to meet Cooper’s gaze, she found it tortured. His stormy gray eyes reflected everything he felt for her to see. Respect, admiration, fear, tenderness, affection, and attraction.
It was the last that had her blood heating.
Her gaze dropped to his lips and a groan rumbled through his body.
The only kisses they’d shared had been while they were fighting for their lives.
Now they were free, nothing stood in the way of them exploring their mutual attraction, except …
“We’re going to let you guys have some time alone together,” Connor announced, and she could hear the guys moving about even though she didn't tear her eyes from Cooper’s lips.
“We have both the rooms next door, if you need us, you know where to find us,” Cole said, and Willow gave a short nod as desire hummed through her body.
“Yeah, thanks,” Cooper said, tearing his heated gaze off her for a moment. “I mean it. Thanks for everything. For hopping on a plane and flying out here, finding us, not giving up, and for saving Willow. I can't ever repay you for that.”
“Pfft, as if we want payment,” Jax said.
The closing of the door signaled that they were alone, and Willow wasted no time in crushing her mouth to Cooper’s. Right now, she didn't care that there was a terrorist wannabe with a personal vendetta against her, or that her body still throbbed with a myriad of aches and pains. She didn't care that she was still exhausted or that the feel of sand still clung to her skin even though it had all been washed away.
All she cared about was this.
Him.
Cooper Charleston, who had set aside his own quest for answers to save her life, and stuck by her when he could easily have handed her and her problems off to someone else. Willow knew how lucky she was. Another man might have left her to her fate, walked away because it didn't concern him.
But not Cooper .
That wasn't who he was.
He was honorable, had a big heart, loved fiercely and completely, and wouldn't walk away no matter how tough things got.
Now she just had to pray that her plan to play bait worked so she got her chance at happiness. A chance she hadn't even known would exist for her, hadn't even cared about anything other than fulfilling her vow to her father.
A chance she would now do anything to make come to fruition.