Chapter 19 #2
When they got there, Jethro was already waiting. His expressionless stare immediately went to the woman in Emmett’s arms.
“How bad?”
“She has a pretty good cut on her arm, but other than that and some bruises, she’s okay.”
“Glad to hear it.” He dipped his salt-and-pepper chin.
“Thank you.” Emmett would have shaken the man’s hand if his weren’t already full. “I don’t really know what else to say aside from that.”
“Nothing more to say.” Jethro shrugged. “You get in a bind again, you’ve got my number.”
The two men shared a knowing look.
Jethro Barclay may not be interested in a full-time spot on Echo Team, but he’d have their backs again in the future, if the need arose.
The mysterious man gave the others a half-hearted wave before walking back to his car and driving away. With Lucas’ help, Emmett got Janie into the back seat first before climbing in and pulling her onto his lap.
Lucas took his place behind the wheel as the others filtered in. The doors slammed shut and they pulled away from the curb, speeding down the road on their way to get Janie the medical help she needed.
“I love you,” she whispered, seemingly uncaring of their audience. “I didn’t know if I’d ever get the chance to say it before, and I thought . . .” She smiled up at him from where she lay cradled in his lap. “I just thought you should know.”
“I love you, too, Janie.” He leaned in and gave her a sweet, chaste kiss.
The moment was unconventional, and the timing probably couldn’t be worse. But for them, after all they’d been through to get here, it couldn’t have been more perfect.
Unfortunately it didn’t last long because the next thing Emmett knew, Gwen was doing a fist pump from the front passenger seat and turning around with an ornery grin.
“That reminds me.” She held out a palm and wiggled her fingers. “Come on, boys. Time to pay up.”
Several groans and grumbles surrounded them, and it took Emmett a minute to understand why. His jaw dropped open wide when Lucas, Draven, and Blake all began digging their wallets from their pockets.
“You’ve got to be kidding me.”
The three men begrudgingly slapped several crisp bills into Gwen’s awaiting hand.
“Don’t be so surprised, boss.” Gwen folded the cash and shoved it into a small pocket sewn into her vest. “We all knew it was only a matter of time with you two. I wanted to claim victory earlier, when you gave us that little speech about how important Janie was to you. But I figured the timing wasn’t exactly on par for a conversation like that, so… ”
The smile she flashed his way was the most shit-eating grin he’d ever seen a woman wear.
Damn, I love my team.
They’d taken bets on him and Janie falling in love, and there were a couple of moments of frustration along the way, but those were nothing in comparison to the bravery, loyalty, and dedication they’d shown when the time came to step up.
“That’s fine.” He smiled back at Gwen. “I’ll just get my money back when your time comes.”
“Ha.” She snorted, turning back around in her seat. “Good luck with that.”
Emmett’s gaze fell back to the woman in his arms. He closed his eyes, leaned forward, and pressed his lips to her forehead before resting his head against hers.
They didn’t say anything more the rest of the drive. He didn’t ask for details about her time in captivity or try to get intel to pass along to the authorities.
One of the guys may have gotten away, but now that the main players had been caught, it was only a matter of time. He thought about the men they’d left cuffed, confident those two would sing like canaries the first chance they got.
Janie would share what she knew when she’d been cleared by a doctor, and not a minute before. She was the priority now and always.
Forever.
Emmett couldn’t believe he’d been blessed, not only with the love he felt for her, but by the love she carried for him.
Thank you.
He lifted his head and watched her closely, never taking his eyes off her for the remainder of the drive.
“Knock, knock.” Janie smiled at Devon as she and Emmett walked into the recovering woman’s room.
“Hey.” There was no light in Devon’s smile, her hazel eyes haunted by the horrors of recent memories.
Janie took the chair at the head of her friend’s bed while Emmett hovered closely behind her. He hadn’t left her side for a second, save for a quick trip to the bathroom. Even then, he insisted on standing guard outside her door.
He still blames himself.
It would take time for the deepest wounds to heel, she knew. For him. Her. Devon. So many people’s lives had been changed forever.
“How are you feeling?”
“Sore.” Devon shrugged. “You?”
“I’m okay.” Janie took her friend’s hand in her good one.
Her left arm was in a sling to help protect the newly stitched wound from being bumped or jostled around too much.
“Did you catch them?”
“We did.” She smiled. “Well most of them. Authorities are still looking for the man who hurt us, but they’ll find him,” Janie assured her friend, who’d recognized Billy as the man who’d beat her, as well. “They’ve got their best people looking for him, Dev.”
She prayed she hadn’t just lied to her best friend.
From what Emmett’s Homeland handler had told him over the phone, Billy Crawford was a ghost. A hitman for hire, willing to do just about anything for the highest bidder.
“Turn that up, would you?” Devon asked of the TV’s volume.
Emmett grabbed the remote, which had fallen between the mattress and the bed’s adjustable frame.
“Again, this is a developing story, but we’ve just learned that Press Secretary Howard Daley, along with several Secret Service members have been shot and killed in the act of committing a felony.
That’s right, you’re hearing it here, first. Howard Daley is dead.
Unfortunately we have no further details at this time, but we will be back on the air as soon as more information becomes available. ”
“They’ll probably spin it as some act of heroism,” Devon scoffed.
“No, they won’t.” Emmett gave a shake of his head. “Trust me. My team and I will make sure of it.”
“He’s right.” Janie squeezed her friend’s hand. “Dead or not, they aren’t going to get away with what they did.”
For the next several minutes, she shared with her friend all that they’d discovered.
The part about the VP’s Chief of Staff devising a plan to sell the names and locations of every clandestine CIA operative to the enemy with the biggest wallet.
And how Daley, Campbell, and the others had been roped into helping by the blinding lights of greed.
From what Emmett said, his Homeland handler was doing all he could to make sure Janie was the one to break the story. Not because she wanted money or fame. But because no one else out there had cared enough to look for Amy when she’d gone missing.
After that, the two women shared a good cry over Janie’s heartfelt apologies for what her friend had been through, and Devon’s insistence that it wasn’t Janie’s fault. When they’d finally agreed to disagree, Devon was yawning and her eyelids were heavy.
Janie gave Emmett a look before standing from the chair. She leaned down and gave her friend the gentlest of hugs.
“We’ll let you get some rest.” She kissed her friend on the temple. “I’ll be back tomorrow. And call if you want me to smuggle you in something more edible than what they’re giving you here.”
“Okay.” Devon rewarded her with a weary smile.
“Love you, Dev.” She gave her friend another parting squeeze of her hand.
The other woman’s fingers held hers a bit tighter. “I love you back.”
As they were leaving the room, Blake appeared at Devon’s door with a huge bouquet of flowers.
“Hey.” Emmett greeted his teammate. He eyed the flowers and shot Blake a questioning glance.
“What?” Blake shrugged. “I figured if Devon had to be stuck her a couple more days, she might like something bright and cheery to look at.”
Janie’s chest grew warm, and her lips began to spread into a wide, toothy grin. But her smile fell when the cut on her lip from earlier started to pull.
A flash of a memory from Campbell’s hand cutting across her jaw struck, and she squeezed her eyes shut. But then she felt Emmett’s comforting hand on her lower back, and she knew she was safe.
She opened her eyes and brought her gaze up to his. The worry she found there nearly broke her.
Not now. Not here.
“Can we please go home?” Janie blinked the sudden rush of emotion away.
“Of course.” His stare held hers as he carefully pulled her to his side. Turning to Blake, he asked, “You ready?
Earlier, after Blake and the others had driven her and Emmett to the hospital to get her arm stitched, he and the rest of the team had driven the SUV back to the office.
While they cleaned her blood from the back seat and floorboard, Blake had driven his personal car back to the hospital so they’d have a ride home.
“Let me set these down in here really quick, and I’ll meet you in the lobby.”
Janie couldn’t help but wonder about Blake’s interest in her friend. It could be something as simple as their kindred tech genius spirits.
Or it could be something more.
Emmett linked his fingers with her good hand and kissed the top of her head. “Come on.” He winked. “Let’s get you to the car.”
Thirty minutes later, they’d said their goodbyes to Blake and were walking into Emmett’s apartment. He closed the door behind her, setting the alarm as soon as the door was locked.
“Are you hungry?” He moved toward her slowly.
Janie shook her head no.
“Want me to run you a bath?”
Another jerky shake.
Her throat felt tight, and it was becoming hard to swallow. The corners of her eyes stung, and her nose burned from her efforts to keep the overwhelming emotions at bay.
“Hey.” Emmett closed the distance and pulled her close, careful of her injured arm. “It’s okay.” He cupped the back of her head, guiding it to his chest. “You’re safe now.”
The comforting words broke her. A loud sob escaped, and Janie’s face crumbled into a puddle of tears.
As he had in that terrifying basement, Emmett scooped her up, holding her with ease as he carried her to the couch. He sat down, lowering himself while keeping her secure in his strong arms.
“I know,” he crooned. “That’s it. Cry as loud and as much as you can.”
He shouldn’t have said that, because it only made her sobs grow stronger.
Janie wasn’t sure how long they sat like that, with him cradling her on his lap through her shower of tears. But through it all, he was there. From the beginning, he’d been by her side.
“I love you,” she whispered between hiccuping breaths.
Emmett guided her tender chin up and brought his lips to hers. “I love you, too.” He kissed her gently.
She laid her head on his chest, and with her bucket of tears fully dumped, Janie fell soundly asleep.