Chapter 34
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
Savanna slammed her fists against Griffin’s vest-covered chest when she reached him on the road near the truck. “You, damn it. You!” she cried, still hitting him like a crazy person.
“I’m okay,” he reminded her, his tone soothing, but he snatched her wrists and stopped her from pounding him. “But my chest still hurts, so maybe stop hitting me,” he said around a laugh, which also sounded like him making light of it to hide the pain.
“Oh shit, I’m sorry.” She stepped back and cupped her mouth, forgetting he’d not only had a bullet graze his neck, where a small white gauze was now taped, but he’d taken one in the vest too, which was definitely going to leave a painful bruise.
“It’s okay, Sugar.” He pulled her in for a big bear hug, wrapping his arms tightly around her.
“You have to stop jumping in front of bullets for people,” she whispered before he brought one hand between them and cupped her chin.
“It was Nick. What’d you want me to do?” It was too dark outside to see his face clearly, but she heard the weight of his emotions in his tone. She didn’t need to see his eyes to know they’d be expressive too.
“You almost died. That bullet could have pierced your throat.”
“Ah, it was like a fresh shave.” The smile in his voice nearly had her smacking him again.
“It’s not funny.” She tried to ease out of his arms, angry at him for getting hurt, damn it. For putting someone else ahead of himself like always. But that was the kind of man he was, and she both loved and hated that. It meant he’d constantly be at risk, and now she might have a panic attack. “I watched you get shot on screen. I thought . . . I thought I lost you.”
“You saw?” His voice dropped an octave that time as understanding dawned—he was remembering that she’d told him she’d watched as Marcus was killed. And now, the only man she’d ever felt anything for since had been shot before her eyes. “I’m so sorry.” He held the back of her head and brought her cheek to his chest, and despite the loaded vest of mags between them, she heard his heart pumping overtime. “We’re all okay. Everyone. Sydney. Nick. Everyone .”
“And next time?” Savanna stepped back, needing a minute to find her breath and slow her own heart rate down as it seemed to compete beat for beat with his.
Griffin released his embrace and moved off to her left, placing himself in the line of the small track of light catching the road from the open truck doors.
Savanna peered over at Sydney and Gray standing nearby, Sydney with a bow still in her hand, holding it against her thigh as they talked. The rest of the team was back inside the truck handling the “wrap-up shit,” as Jesse had called it.
“You know what I do for work.” Griffin’s voice drew her gaze back his way.
“I know,” she said softly. “And I love that about you.”
“But can you handle that about me?”
Before she had a chance to summon a response, Sydney and Gray joined them. “I just spoke with my father,” Sydney said after quickly introducing herself to Savanna. “The FBI are moving in now.”
“And Joe and his team?” Griffin asked, folding his arms across his chest only to wince and let them fall again, obviously forgetting he’d taken a bullet.
“I know Joe,” Sydney said in a low voice. “There’s no way he’d intentionally help a criminal. But he placed the company’s interests over that of the nation, which is still problematic. I’ll talk to him soon and handle the situation.”
“They weren’t vets out there tonight, right?” Savanna asked.
“No, definitely not. Just your basic bad guys,” Sydney said with a shrug.
Basic bad guys, huh?
“Come on, let’s move out. The police will be here soon to clean up the mess we left out in the swamp,” Gray said.
“What happens next?” Savanna couldn’t help but ask.
Gray looked to Sydney. “She’ll handle the situation at Archer. And Nick needs to go help MI6 with the safe-deposit box in Greece.” He paused. “As for us, we roll out tonight before the police catch wind we were ever here.”
Right. Carter, the rogue one. “Griffin too?”
Griffin and Gray exchanged a quick look. “He can escort you back to Birmingham, but you have Jesse and Beckett, so our work is pretty much done.”
Work. Gray had to know she wasn’t just Griffin’s “work.” Just like Sydney wasn’t “just” someone from West Point.
“Come on.” Gray motioned for Sydney to head up the ramp into the back end of the truck just as Nick joined Savanna and Griffin on the street.
“You shouldn’t have put yourself in danger for me,” was the first thing Nick said once he was with them.
“It’s what he does,” Savanna softly said and positioned her gaze on Marcus’s brother, shock still coursing through her. “Will you come back after Greece? Visit me? There’s something I’d like to give you.”
“If, uh, they let me. But if you really want me to,” Nick began, “then yes, I’ll find a way.”
She smiled and stepped forward to wrap her arms around him. Nick was slow to return the hug, and she wasn’t quite sure how to interpret that. Was it merely because of the alpha male standing off to his left? Or did Nick believe that if Marcus were alive today, he’d still consider him unworthy?
Once she let go of Nick, she waited until he was back inside the truck to face Griffin. “Are you going to take me home?”
Griffin stepped closer. “I think Jesse and Beckett have that covered.” No . Was he pulling back because she’d hesitated when he’d asked if she could handle that his work was often dangerous?
And did she hesitate?
Shit.
“I need to head back to Pennsylvania with the others for now,” he responded in a somber tone, a match to his overall body language now.
“But you still owe me that talk,” Savanna reminded him, hating the tears springing from her eyes. It’d been an emotional night. An emotional week, actually.
He stepped forward and gently gripped her arm while dipping his head to try and capture her gaze in the dim lighting. “We’ll have that talk.” Griffin’s focus moved to the truck, and she spotted Jesse and Beckett looking their way, waiting for them. “You’ll be in good hands, but yes, I promise. Cross my heart and . . .”
“Don’t finish that sentence.” Don’t say hope to die.
But the ache in her chest told her that maybe some time apart would be good for the both of them.
Just not too much time. Or she might lose that “bewitching” hold over her Delta operator.