Chapter 29
CHAPTER 29
Z ain’s pulse plummeted as he watched Dana’s teeth chatter and her muscles spasm. Shock was evident, and he didn’t like it one fucking bit. After removing his gun from the waistband of his pants, he pulled off his shirt and fit it over her head. The light T-shirt wouldn’t do much, but at least it’d give her an extra layer.
She sat on a rock with her back to the dead bodies. They needed to get her to the hospital fast, but he also had to make sure she was well enough to make the trek or they’d need to get a helicopter in despite her protests.
Micha rested her head on Dana’s lap. The dog hadn’t left her side from the moment they’d killed the assassins.
Taschen hung up the phone and stalked back to them. “Rami and Brick are in the parking lot waiting for us. Can you stand?”
Her throat bobbed on a swallow. “Yes.”
“The hell she’s walking,” Zain snapped. He passed Taschen his rifle then bent and slipped one arm beneath her knees and his other around her back.
“You can’t carry me the whole way,” she exclaimed, as he lifted her against his chest.
“Sure I can. You weigh nothing.”
“Head north and you can go around the ravine,” Taschen said. “It’ll be easier and a bit quicker.” He whistled to Micha, and she sprang to her feet.
Zain weaved through the branches. Dana curled her body against him, and he held her tighter. She was finally in his arms. The hours she’d been taken had subtracted years from his life. The adrenaline still pushed through his vessels too quickly, still told him he was in fight mode.
And for her he’d never stop fighting.
He’d fight to carry her through this forest to safety. He’d fight to bring justice to the ones who’d hurt her. He’d fight to prove to her how much she meant to him.
Just as long as she was okay. That was all that mattered.
After a few minutes, Taschen and Micha took the lead. Realizing Dana’s head hadn’t moved from his shoulder, panic rooted inside him. “Dana?” he barked, his tone far sharper than he’d intended.
“What’s wrong?” She glanced around.
He relaxed. “You weren’t moving. Scared me.”
“Oh. Sorry. I think I fell asleep.” She squinted with confusion. Warning struck his heart, and he picked up the pace. Had she lost consciousness? Soon shock would wear off, and not only would she feel more pain, but also any injuries would surface hard and fast.
Her eyes met his. “You’re going to be sore tomorrow. I can walk.”
“I don’t want you to.” What he wanted was to get her to a hospital.
She traced her fingers over his jaw. “Zain, you can relax.”
He swallowed the knot in his throat. He’d never understand how she could see him so easily. He’d spent years—maybe even a lifetime—building a thick armor to conceal the parts he didn’t want seen. He’d gone to war, fought, killed, mourned, and survived.
Yet none of that compared to the crippling fear that’d torn him down when Dana went missing. And she saw it.
He stepped over a fallen tree and tipped his head away from branches, all the while wishing he could form the right words to explain to her that he couldn’t just calm down. He couldn’t articulate himself.
He cleared the gravel from his throat. “I don’t know how to relax, Dana.” He dragged his teeth over his top lip. “I don’t know how to relax, because I’ve never been in this situation.”
Her thumb traced his chin. The only thing that kept him remotely sane was her gentle strokes. “It’s over now. We’re together. I’m so grateful. I—”
He shook his head. “It’s not over. I have a list of people to fucking kill. I have evidence I need to take to the FBI. I have to find some way to tell my racing brain that they can’t hurt you again.” The last part constricted his heart. He stopped and stared down at her. “They won’t hurt you again. I promise you. I won’t allow it.”
Tears filled her eyes, and the bright sapphires that’d become his beacon sparkled with adoration and... trust. “I don’t care about any of that. I just want you. Every day. Can you just promise me that?”
He brushed his lips over her furrowed brow, then he kissed her lips. “I promise you that and all the rest, babe.”
She smiled, and tears leaked out of her eyes. “That’s more than enough for me. But there’s one big question.”
“What’s that?”
“Will you move in with me? To my apartment.”
Relief rippled over him. In the back of his mind, he’d been worried about how they’d figure things out between them—where they’d go from here. Because the last thing he wanted to do was take her home and walk away. But he hadn’t realized how truly afraid he’d been that she wouldn’t want him around after she was free. That she’d hate him for all he’d brought to her door.
With one simple question, she’d wiped out that uncertainty. He chuckled. “Hell yes, I’ll move in with you.”
She let out a light laugh, the sound so full of love and ease that his smile spread. Only Dana could make the hardest shit simple.
Despite the ache in his muscles, his heart rate finally found a normal level—one that fell in sync with that of the woman he loved.
***
Dana hovered in the doorway of her bedroom wrapped in her thick baby-blue terry-cloth robe. There was something about being in her own space, her own clothes, her own everything that just erased strain. Some of it anyway. Over-the-counter meds had done the rest.
She’d been worried about how it would feel to be back home after the attack. But Zain’s presence removed all the anxious feelings. Allowed her to make new memories to wipe out the bad.
In the living room, Zain spoke on the phone, his voice low as if concerned he might disturb her. She should be resting. But after the longest, hottest bath she could tolerate, she felt almost human.
Although she’d gotten back from the hospital a few hours ago, it was only dinnertime, and the morning’s horrors seemed light-years away.
Her body still ached from all the abuse it’d taken—a mild concussion, bullet graze, contusions, not to mention her battered pinkie and the knife wound on her forearm. She hadn’t hesitated to take the ibuprofen the doctor recommended, and she sure as hell was glad she had.
“That’s right. I’ll send you all the information I have. Thank you.” He hung up and lifted his head. His eyes creased with worry when he spotted her in the doorway. “Babe, you should be in bed.”
He got to his feet, but she crossed the living room and sat on the couch before he could whisk her back to her room. “I think I’ll sleep better once I know what the FBI said.”
Zain had returned her phone to her, and she’d found that Suzanne, her old colleague, had responded to her email from earlier that morning. Which turned out to be a great thing—she was putting Zain in contact with the right people; the people with whom to share everything Maxine, Roger, and the CIA had done.
He blew out a breath and lifted her legs onto his lap. “It’ll be under investigation. I don’t think they’ll disclose more than that, but by the sounds of it, they’re taking the accusations very seriously.”
A little thrill of satisfaction sparked inside her. “I hope Maxine’s squirming.”
“She must know by now her plan didn’t go as expected. I just wish I had a way of knowing how things will go down with Jabar.”
She made a sympathetic face. “I get that. You put so much of yourself into that mission—your life on the line.”
He grunted.
She squeezed his shoulder. “You just have to trust everything will work out the way it should. For now, we’re all safe.”
“You’re right,” he sighed. His hands wrapped around her foot and massaged.
She melted. “Ohmigod. Please never stop doing that.”
His mouth slid into a grin. Although he appeared calm now, the creases around his eyes told her he’d been under intense pressure all day. “You should rest too,” she said. “How’s your mom?”
“Good. She stayed with Toth and Savannah while we found you. She’s going to live with Rami and Ivy for a while until her house is renovated.”
“I’m sure that will be stressful for her.”
He scrunched his face. “Nah, she’s tough as nails. Said she was happy to get a new porch out of the deal. Besides, she’ll enjoy Micha’s company.”
“I’m sure Micha’s getting all the treats and snuggles.”
He chuckled. “You know it.” The planes of his face hardened, and seriousness entered his eyes. “We learned something else.”
Her stomach bunched. “What’s that?”
He moved his ministrations to her calves. “August spoke to his contact at the police department and they found the DNA of a missing person in the house you were in. It’s very likely Drake murdered someone there.”
She rounded her eyes and brought her fingertips to her lips. “I found blood on a piece of plastic. It was hidden in the closet beneath wet towels. I totally forgot until now. It’d looked like the floor had been recently mopped.” She shook her head. “I’m almost mad he’s dead and won’t face any prison time.”
A muscle in Zain’s jaw jumped. She moved closer and let her cheek rest on his sternum. The gentle thump , thump , thump of his heart echoed in her ear, calming the fear that oscillated inside her. One of his large, strong hands held the back of her head and the other moved up and down her leg.
So many things could have gone differently. There were a lot of scenarios that would’ve resulted in her being another body to search for. Her knees shuddered, but she forced away the intrusive thoughts.
“It really drives home how close I was to losing you,” he finally said, his words carrying the weight of an anvil.
She wrapped her arms around his waist. “It’s all over now, though.”
He lowered his head and brushed his lips over her hair. “Damn right it is.”
He pinched her chin between his thumb and forefinger. “I know I said this earlier, but you really need to understand something. ”
She blinked but didn’t move her gaze away from his unwavering golden hues.
“I love you, Dana. I went insane when they took you. I’ve never been so damn helpless and... gutted. I realize I don’t have a clear picture of my future right now, but I know for damn sure I want you in it. Will you do that? Be with me.”
Tears clouded her vision. She didn’t need a play-by-play of their plans, didn’t need to know what career he’d find. None of that mattered right now. All she wanted was him. Forever. “Yes,” she choked out. “That’s all I want.”
He brought his lips to hers, and his tongue gently licked into her mouth. The warm scent that was all Zain filled her with promise.
She swept her fingers through his hair, gently tugging the strands.
“Mmm.” He pulled his mouth away and kissed her cheek, then her lips again, and then her forehead. “We need to stop before I get carried away. No sex until your concussion’s all clear.”
She pouted, but in truth, she was much too weak to do anything more than kiss.
A soft, pensive look took hold of his eyes as his fingers traced her chin. “You smell so damn good.”
She wrinkled her nose. “Considering I threw up twice today and was covered in sweat and blood, that’s quite the compliment.” But the gentle look on his face piqued her curiosity. “What do I smell like?”
He touched her cheek with his thumb and was silent for a fraction of a second. “Home.”
A warm tingling sensation surrounded her. Before she could respond, he gave her body a gentle shake. “While you were in the bath, Gigi brought over food. You hungry?”
Her salivary glands tingled. “Starving.”
“Good. You need to get your strength back.”
She grinned. “I sense an ulterior motive.”
He laughed, and the sound was so free, so unrestrained, that she grinned ear to ear. He caught her hand and helped her to the kitchen table.
The future might be as dark and scary as the cave in Afghanistan. But with Zain, she’d always have light by her side.