Chapter Forty
Kay
“Your numbers are great, Mr. Stevens.”
Dr. Derik Stevens was here for Collin’s last post-op check before he would be released from the hospital.
He explained to him he wanted Collin to continue seeing a cardiologist every six months to keep an eye on the bullet. This was a rare condition, but the people who suffered from it went on to live healthy lives.
“You. I want you to be my doctor,” Col said, his ice blue eyes meeting Dr. Steven’s warm ones. He nodded.
“Come to Dallas for your appointment, and we can make that happen.”
“I’ll be there.”
My heart swelled. “Me, too.” Col looked to me, and I grabbed his hand. “Every single appointment, Col.”
A throat cleared by the doorway, and we turned to find James and his director standing there. “Dr. Stevens,” James greeted.
“Agent Garner.” He looked at his tablet one more time before directing his attention towards us. “I’ll get your discharge paperwork started, okay?”
“Thank you, doctor,” my demon said.
James and Mr. Alex came into the room and shut the door. “Director Alex. Agent Garner.”
The director looked at him. “I’m sorry, have we met before?”
Col smirked; his eyes cold. “We haven’t had the pleasure, but I've met your boss.”
James’ head snapped to Mr. Alex and then back to us. “What are you talking about?” he demanded. I could see the wheels turning in both of their heads, but Mr. Alex figured it out first.
“Son of a bitch,” he hissed, pinching the bridge of his nose. My hand tightened around Col’s as the hairs on the back of my neck stood up. I looked to him to find him staring at me, his cold eyes studying me.
“How is Director Wells doing?” he asked, his eyes not leaving me.
Had he been lying to me about something else?
“Who's Director Wells?” I croaked; my voice thick with fear as a familiar sense of betrayal knocked on the door.
“Ronald Wells is the director of the FBI,” James answered, and I tore my eyes away from my demon to look at the agent. He ran his hand through his hair, ruining the hair style. I pointed to Mr. Alex with my thumb. “I thought he was the director.”
“I'm just the director over James’ department, Ms. Jones,” the man answered simply as he came around and dropped a file into Collin’s lap. “We can circle back to your involvement with Director Wells later. We need you to look this over.”
My demon’s jaw ticked and looked to James. “I’m not looking at anything until I'm out of this fucking hospital.”
Haley’s lover nodded. “Then you can come back to the field office with us after you're discharged. In cuffs, of course.”
“James,” I interjected.
He looked to me. “Let me do my job, Ms. Jones.”
I tilted my hand and slowly stood. “Then you better cuff me to him, because I am not leaving Col’s side.”
James Garner escorted Collin and me into the field office.
Handcuffed.
John Alex was ahead of us, getting us an elevator.
Want to talk about awkward?
Being in an elevator with two federal agents and the most wanted man in the country, who you are in love with. I cleared my throat as the elevator made its slow climb up the building. “Maybe, when this is all over, we all could go on a triple date?”
James' head slowly turned to me, his dark eyes flaring. His jaw was so tight, I was pretty sure he was a second away from shattering it. Col chuckled and looked at his feet.
“Such a shit starter,” he muttered.
I stared at him for the remainder of the ride, taking in his simple black T-shirt and jeans that James fetched for him.
His tattoos were more striking as color and signs of health had come back to his skin.
His arms were covered in ink, and seeing him in just a t-shirt was beginning to make me dizzy.
We were brought into an interrogation room, where James informed us he would be right back. Collin and I were sat beside each other, our backs to the window. I smiled a bit, knowing James did that on my behalf.
My eyes found Col's body once more, and my mouth salivated.
He was here. Alive.
My beautiful art.
My Collin was alive and here with me.
My soul was happy.
It was finally over. Romano’s horror was over.
“Karina,” my demon grumbled.
My eyes snapped to his. His pupils were dilated making him look almost feral. “Yes?” I rasped.
“Stop looking at me like you want me to bend you over this fucking table,” he quipped, baring his teeth. My body hummed with need, and my nipples pebbled under my shirt. His eyes dropped to my chest and my heart skipped a beat.
“Never stop looking at me,” I pleaded, my voice soft.
“I plan on looking at you for the rest of my damn life, baby,” he said, leaning down to capture my lips. I whimpered at his fierceness and urgency. I almost lost him…our chance at happiness.
Pulling back slightly, I whispered, “Don’t you ever take a bullet for me again.”
He growled and brought our hands up so he could grip the front of my shirt, holding me to him. “I will take every fucking bullet that comes your way. I will protect you from any threat, angel. Don’t you ever say that again.”
“Col,” I whimpered.
“Who owns you?” he asked harshly, bringing our forehead together.
“You do,” I breathed. He let go of my shirt and brought our hands up so that mine could press against his chest. Underneath his shirt, I could feel the bandages from his incision.
He tried to press my hand harder, but I resisted.
He still had a long road to go before he would be fully recovered.
Dr. Stevens said Collin would have avoid stressful situations and take it easy.
Yes, a doctor told the new head of the mafia to take it easy.
“Who owns this?” he asked, his voice soft—vulnerable. His eyes met mine, bouncing back and forth, like he was trying to memorize the color of them. His ice melted away for me, showing me how much I meant to him. “Who owns my heart, Karina?”
My face crumbled, and tears broke free. He dipped his head and kissed them away, slowly and tenderly. As if I was made of glass.
“Answer the question, angel. Who owns my heart?”
“I do,” I cried. A low groan came from him before his lips crashed down on mine, kissing me harshly. Our lips moved together in a frenzy of love as his tongue met mine, and a moan slipped from me.
“That’s right, baby. You own me. The rest of my life will be to serve you,” he rasped before kissing me again. I gripped the front of his shirt, holding him as close as I could, handcuffed together like a modern-day Bonnie and Clyde.
“You are the only one,” he growled against my lips.
“Why is she in handcuffs?”
Both of our heads snapped up just in time to see Haley busting into the room, James hot on her tail. She looked at me and then to Collin, a slow flush crawled up her neck as she looked back to me.
“Sorry to interrupt,” she stammered.
“I can kiss my woman later, Haley,” Col said with a low chuckle.
James came around her and looked to the ceiling.
“Princess, you cannot just come into interrogation rooms,” he deadpanned, looking at her. I smiled at them. Haley Austen was going to give James Garner a run for his money for the rest of their lives, he might as well get used to that shit now.
“Don’t handcuff my friends,” she snapped, getting in his face.
His dark eyes scanned her face for a moment, and he leaned down to whisper something in her ear.
She gasped and then stepped back, her hand on her chest, the other one going through her hair.
I looked away, knowing that what James probably said to her wasn’t workplace appropriate.
“I’ll be just a moment, Haley,” he said to her as he came around the table. The door closed as he braced his hands on the metal surface, his dark eyes bouncing back and forth between us.
“I just received a phone call from Emily Tipponi,” he began, focusing on Col. “She said to name my price for bail and to release you immediately.”
“Did she now?” Col drawled leaning back in his seat and spreading his knees, getting comfortable. James’ lips twitched.
“Then we got a call from some kid named Anthony in Boston, who said the same thing.”
“What a coincidence,” my demon deadpanned. The agent sighed and bowed his head. A second later, he rose back up and tossed a file on the table. He nodded down to it. “In that file, you will find an offer. This offer contains your freedom—"
"Freedom always comes with a price, agent.”
“As does everything good in this life, Mr. Stevens. But let me be clear that this offer is only going to be on the table for the next ten minutes.”
“Does Director Wells know?” he asked as I looked at him. His eyes were ice cold again, his walls back up.
“Read the file and find out,” James replied, sliding it to Col. I watched those blue eyes scan both of the pages quickly, and jis jaw jumped once he reached the end.
“I have conditions,” he said finally, sitting back and taking my hand.
James smirked, rising up to fold his arms over his chest. “I’m amused you think you're in a position to be making demands.” The two men stared at each other for what felt like an eternity.
“You will agree to these conditions, or you can throw me in a prison cell, Garner,” he said, his voice stern. My heart skipped a beat, and fear pooled into my gut.
“Col—”
“You and I both know that if you let that happen, your kind red head won’t be happy with you,” my demon continued, a slow smirk playing on his lips.
“She has a soft spot for me, after all. Not to mention all the underground and inside knowledge I possess about the Romano family and their future plans. I will remain silent until the day I die in that fucking cell, agent. No amount of torture, interrogation tactics, or bribery will convince me to speak. Do your worst. My offer will remain on the table for the next thirty seconds. You accept my conditions and I’ll sign the contract. ”
I looked to Garner, who shot a quick look to me. “What are your conditions, Mr. Stevens?” he finally asked ten seconds later.
Without missing a beat, my lover responded, “Jeremy Jones’ criminal record is to be wiped clean.”