42. Henri
HENRI
T he dark-haired man delivered a sharp kick to my chest. I thought the searing pain I felt might be from a cracked rib.
I bit down on my lower lip, trying to stay quiet, but some of my agony crept through anyway.
The man loomed over me, laughing. He was enjoying my misery.
I wondered again when it would end, then something creaked, a man shouted, and gunfire erupted.
The man torturing me pulled his gun, but before he could aim it, Remington appeared and grabbed him. The man’s gun went flying, and Remington wrenched his neck. There was a sickening crack and Remington dropped his body to the floor and raced to me.
“Henri, are you okay?”
I couldn’t find my voice. I stared at the man who had tortured me. He had to be dead. No one’s head could hang at that angle if they were alive.
“Henri! Look at me. Please.” Remington’s hands skimmed over me. I cried out when he touched my arm. “Shit. I’ll take care of you. I promise. I wish I could kill that fucking bastard again.”
Lance appeared then. “It’s finished. I know you wanted Landry, but I killed him for you. Henri needed you more.”
He nodded as he ran his hand over my hair. “I’m right here, cher.”
Lance cut me free from the tape that bound my wrists and ankles. I cradled my left arm against my abdomen, trying to breathe through the pain.
“We need to get him out of here, Remy,” Lance said. “He needs a doctor.”
Remington cupped my face. “Henri, I love you. I’m so sorry about… everything.”
I looked up at him then and tried to free myself from the daze I’d been in. He’d just charged in to save me. He hadn’t cared that the man who was hurting me was armed. He hadn’t cared about anything but—“I love you too.” My voice was rough and weak, but his smile told me he understood.
“Oh, cher, I love you more than anything. I was wrong, so stupid and… wrong and…”
There were tears in his eyes, and I was certain Remington rarely, if ever, cried.
“Come on. Show me where you’re hurt other than your arm.”
“I… um… I may have a cracked rib.” When I pointed to my chest, Remington saw the burn marks. He turned my arm over slowly and examined it, then he kicked the man who’d tortured me so viciously. His body slammed against the wall.
I frowned. “Isn’t he already dead?”
Lance smiled at me. “It never hurts to make sure.”
Remington picked me up and held me against him, careful not to jostle my arm. “Lance, you drive. I’ll send someone back for my car.”
Lance frowned. “I’m not sure your car will still be here when we come back. If it’s even still here now.”
“I don’t give a fuck about the car. All I care about is getting Henri out of here and having his injuries seen to.”
I stared at him. “Did you drive the Ferrari?”
“Yes, but it doesn’t matter.”
He’d referred to the car as his baby, and now… I laid my head on his shoulder and sighed. “I don’t want to go to the hospital. I just want to stay with you.”
“I have no intention of leaving you even for a minute,” Remington said. “There would be too many questions if we went to the hospital. We have a doctor on retainer who will come to my house.”
Lance patted his brother’s shoulder. “I’ve already contacted him.”
Remington held me in the back seat as Lance drove. They both wanted to know exactly what had happened, so I explained about the men grabbing me. A sudden memory had me trying to sit up. “They shot someone. There was a man. I think he was trying to help me, and they shot him.”
Remington glanced away and let out a long breath.
“What is it? Did you find him? Did he die?”
“He’s fine. I… I had him following you. I needed to know you were safe, but I told him not to let you see him, which meant he wasn’t close enough. I’m so sorry.”
“Are you sorry you had me followed or that your man didn’t get to me in time?”
“I’m sure you’d like me to say both, but only the second one.”
I smiled at him. I probably should be mad, but right then, I couldn’t make myself care.
“I do love you,” Remington said, kissing me lightly on the lips. “I tried to tell you the night before you left, and I was going to tell you when I found you getting ready to leave.”
“You mean that wasn’t a dream? You really did say that when I was falling asleep?”
“Yes.”
My stomach flip-flopped as I realized what I’d done. “You mean all this… That if I’d just listened to you… If I’d just stayed…”
He shook his head no. “None of this is your fault. None. Of. It. I should’ve made sure you were better protected, and I should have listened to you about fucking Charles Landry.”
“So that really was him?”
“Yes,” Lance said. “He apparently faked his death because he was working with the gunrunners. They were planning to screw Clark over even as Clark bought into our plan to screw them. Charles was power hungry and didn’t think his brother was a strong enough leader, which was true, but still…”
“Wow, that’s…”
“Yes, but it’s over now. They’re both gone.”
“What happened after they took you?” Lancelot asked.
“They threw me in the trunk of their car and brought me to the building where you found me. The one who was in the cell with me, he… he’s the one who hurt me. He kept asking me questions about you and your family. When I wouldn’t tell him your secrets… Well, you see what he did.”
The color drained from Remington’s face. “You didn’t say anything?”
“No. Nothing. I was mad at you, but I’d never…”
“Most people would have spilled everything they knew if they were tortured like that. I underestimated you, and I… Fuck, I’m so sorry.”
“Just so you know,” Lance said, “I don’t think my brother has apologized this much in his entire life.”
“Lancelot Theriot, if you say anything about what you just heard, you’ll regret it.”
Lance glanced back with a smirk on his face. “I’ve got plenty of dirt on you. I don’t need to use this too.”
When we reached his house, Remington carried me in.
Before we had a chance to talk, the doctor arrived.
He examined my wrist and declared it sprained rather than broken.
He wrapped it for me and gave me a sling.
He also taped my ribs and told me what I should do to take care of them.
Finally, he cleaned and applied ointment to my burns and urged me to rest as much as possible so all my injuries could heal.
After all I’d been through, I was too overwhelmed to remember all the instructions, but I had no doubt Remington would take care of me. He loved me. He really loved me. Thank God we had a second chance now.
Remington returned after showing the doctor out, and the two of us were finally alone. He’d sent Lancelot home, not wanting to keep him apart from Tony any longer than he had to. I couldn’t believe he’d left the little creature in his cage. It really showed how much he loved Remington.
Remington sat on the edge of the bed and gently brushed my hair from my face.
“I love you, Henri. I’ve never said that to anyone but family.
I never thought I would, but I’m saying it now, and I’m going to say it again and again until I’m absolutely certain you believe it.
Even after that, I’ll say it at least once a day, probably more.
If I’d lost you today without ever having told you… ”
I reached my good arm up and placed a finger over his lips. “You found me. You saved me. I’m right here, and if you’ll have me, I won’t ever leave.”
“I have no intention of letting you out of my sight again for a long time. I want you here. I want to treat you like you’re my princess.
I want to give you everything, and while I never thought I’d say this, if that includes kids, I’m all in, as many as you want.
I’ll do anything for you as long as you let me be part of your life. ”
I reached my good hand behind his neck and pulled him down to me.
He kissed me gently, not wanting to hurt me, but even that touch, lighter than what I wanted, felt exquisite.
My fairy- tale dream was coming true. The hell I’d been through had been worth it for me to end up with such a beautiful, caring man.