Chapter 23
Twenty-Three
“It’s okay, buddy. You’re going to be fine.” Jackson walked beside the stretcher while Dylan kept a vise grip on his arm. He kept going in and out of consciousness.
“I knew you’d find me,” Dylan mumbled. His eyes kept closing even as he struggled to keep them open. “Jack, I’m sorry.”
“It’s fine, Dylan.”
Dylan shook his head. “No. I wanted to help my friend, but I shouldn’t have tried to do it alone.”
“I understand.” Jackson gently removed his arm from Dylan’s grasp. “Listen, Trevor and Eve are going to take you to the hospital. I have to give the police a statement, then I’ll be there.”
“Do I have to go back to the Reese’s house?”
Jackson shook his head. “I don’t think they’ll let you even if you wanted to. Mr. Reese has been arrested.”
Anger burned in Jackson’s gut every time he thought about Reese targeting Dylan. He didn’t think Cynthia had anything to do with her husband’s crimes, but he’d leave that to the police to investigate.
“On my count,” Trevor said. He and Eve hoisted the stretcher into the back of the ambulance, and Eve climbed in with Dylan.
Trevor closed the door and gave Jackson a thumbs-up before he walked around to the front and got into the ambulance.
Jackson remained in that spot until the vehicle had driven out of sight.
Sighing, he pivoted on his heel. He had assured himself that Dylan was safe. Now he itched to return to Mia and assure himself that she was as well.
He passed two officers leading Blaine Turner to a police cruiser.
Another group of officers had taken custody of Sean and walked him back to be placed in a cruiser and driven off to jail.
Jackson paused to watch as one of the officers placed a hand on top of Blaine’s head and guided him into the back seat.
As Blaine straightened in the seat, he saw Jackson watching.
His lip curled. Even now, his arrogance remained.
Jackson watched the officer slam the door between them. Satisfaction filled his gut. Blaine was out of the picture. They had him solid on drug dealing, human trafficking, fraud, and probably half a dozen more offenses. He would never be a state senator.
Mia stood watching the police car drive away. Jackson moved to her side and took her hand.
“Jackson,” Mark called out.
“Yeah.” Jackson waited while his friend jogged up to him.
“Guess what I just heard?” Mark shoved his hands into his pockets.
“What?”
Mark looked satisfied. “Captain Balluff announced that Roger Roussau has been located and arrested. They’re bringing him in now.”
Jackson’s eyebrows climbed his forehead. “Wow. That’s big news.”
“It is. We’ve been looking for him the past few weeks. He’s a suspect in a lot of other crimes. I’m glad your brother is safe.”
“Oh!” Mia broke in. “When Blaine had me, he talked about a syndicate? And said he was taking orders from a woman.”
Jackson’s brows rose.
Mark whistled. “Wow. Didn’t expect that.”
“I’m a bit lost,” Mia admitted.
Mark explained. “I don’t think Jackson knows this, but we’ve discovered that the drug Neurosync is being pushed by what’s called the Shadow Syndicate. Roger is involved up to his eyebrows. They found him hiding with a girlfriend under an assumed name.”
Jackson frowned. “From what I’ve heard, he’s been pretty hard to pin down.”
Mark nodded. “Yeah. But this time, I think we’ll have a solid case against him.”
“That’s great news, Mark,” Jackson said.
Mark gave them a slight salute and strode away.
Jackson turned to Mia and slid an arm around her waist. “How are you holding up?”
He searched her face. She’d nearly been killed by the man who’d raised her. She’d been hunted. Targeted. Right now, she looked utterly exhausted, dirty, and bruised.
But he’d never seen anything more beautiful than Mia.
She half turned toward him, letting the arm around her waist draw her closer to him. He slipped the other arm around her back and tugged her closer. Laying his cheek on her hair, he sighed. She was alive. For a moment, he held her, breathing in her familiar scent.
Mia moved in his embrace. He loosened his hold and waited to see what she’d do. She backed away from him but didn’t completely leave the hug. Instead, she lifted her hand and rubbed it along his jaw.
“I’m so happy Dylan is safe,” she whispered.
What a woman. She’d nearly died, and she was still thinking of others.
He couldn’t hold off any longer. He leaned in, slowly, communicating his intention.
He waited for her to step away or tell him to stop, but she didn’t. Instead, she licked her lips. He groaned. He bent at the same time she rose on her toes, fusing their lips together. A kiss of healing and promise.
He pulled back and gazed at her.
She shivered in his arms, but he knew she wasn’t cold. Heat smoldered in her glance. He moved in for a second kiss, longer, deeper.
When they broke apart, they were both breathless.
“Mia, I know that Dylan is safe and you’re safe, but I don’t want to go our separate ways. I don’t know where this will take us, but I want another chance with you.” He cupped her cheeks in his hands. “I’m falling in love with you.”
He held his breath, waiting for her answer.
Would she agree to give them a chance to discover what they could become, or would she tell him to go away, now that her life was back on track?
Mia’s heart pounded. She could barely hear over the blood pumping in her ears, but she understood his expression.
When he’d asked for another chance, her heart had melted.
“Are you sure? I have so much baggage. And you need to focus on getting custody of your brother.”
“I’m sure. You don’t have any more baggage than I do. Everyone has some trauma in their past. That’s part of life. And as for my brother, there’s no reason I can’t try to get my brother back and have a girlfriend at the same time.”
For some reason, the word girlfriend made her giggle. It seemed such a childish term for the strength of her feelings for him.
He frowned at her giggle. “Unless you don’t want—”
She bounced up and kissed him quickly. “I do. I’m falling for you too.
So hard. High school was nothing compared to what I feel now.
I want to see where this takes us. And now that we both have God leading our lives, I think we can avoid some of the mistakes we made before.
However, I do think we should take it slow. ”
“Slow?”
She nodded. “It would be nice to go out to dinner or take a walk without worrying about someone trying to kill us. That kind of thing.”
He chuckled. “I think we can manage that.”
Jackson grabbed her hand, and they walked toward his truck. He waved to some of the emergency workers on the scene as they called out to him.
“So, what happens next?”
“I need to go to the hospital to check on Dylan. He was sleepy, so I’m sure he’ll be out like a light. But I don’t want him waking up alone.”
She nodded. “I get that.”
“What about you?”
She thought for a moment. “I need to go home and talk with my mom. Even though she left Blaine, this is going to shock her. I don’t know what kind of relationship I can build with her. After so many years, I feel like I hardly know her.”
“You’re going to try.” It wasn’t a question.
“I will. I think I’ll regret it if I don’t. She is my mom. I also want to get to know my brother and sister, and maybe even my real father.”
“What about your master’s degree?”
She shrugged. “If I can, I’m going to finish it. Now that this is over, hopefully, the school will reinstate me. I really need my job.”
“Dylan will miss you if you aren’t his teacher this year.”
Mia bit her lip. “What do you think will happen to Reggie? He said he was coerced into selling. And he did help the police. Will that count for anything?”
Jackson’s hand tightened on hers. “It might get him an easier sentence. But honestly, I can’t see him not doing time in juvie. At least until he’s eighteen. People died from taking these drugs, although I don’t know if Reggie personally sold to any of the victims.”
“How will Dylan handle that?” Mia asked. Her heart hurt for both kids.
“It’ll be hard. But he’s strong.”
She brushed against his side. “He’ll have you. That will help.”
Jackson opened his truck door for her to climb in. After the week they’d had, it seemed like a dream that she was going home. Her mom and Gus would be there too.
As Jackson drove, they spoke quietly, both tentative about breaking the mood. She invited him to come in.
He shook his head. “I can’t. I’m filthy. I need to shower before I head to see Dylan. I know he’s fine, but he took quite a beating.”
She didn’t pressure him or ask to go with him. He needed time alone with his brother. They had time now. She’d see him soon.
He opened her door for her, then held her hand and walked her to the front door. “I’ll call you when I get home.”
She moved closer, enjoying the warmth emanating from him. “I’ll hold you to it. I’m anxious to know Dylan is recovering.”
He eased closer, kissing her softly. When his arms scooped her closer, she hummed deep in her throat.
“Ah-hmm.” Her mother’s voice interrupted them.
Mia slowly backed away from him, gazing distractedly at the door. “What?”
Her mom and Gus both stood there, beaming at them.
Mia groaned, and her head fell forward, thumping against Jackson’s chest. “I’ll never hear the end of this.”
“In that case, there’s no need to be shy.” He winked at the two women grinning at them.
“What?”
Jackson leaned in and kissed her again.
Mia laughed, then melted into the kiss, sliding her arms around his neck, ignoring her mom and Gus cheering them on.
Later that night, she sat at the dinner table, gazing into space.
“Mia, are you planning on eating?” her mom asked. “That chicken will be cold soon.”
Gus snickered. “I think someone’s got her head full of a certain paramedic.”
“Do you blame her? He’s handsome. And you saw that kiss! My cooking didn’t sizzle as much as that.”
Mia gaped at her mom. “Since when did you become sassy?”
She enjoyed seeing this side to her.
Carol Turner smiled, a hint of sadness lurking in her eyes. Mia had told her about Blaine’s arrest. “I used to be very sassy. Until I married Blaine.”
Mia pushed back from her seat, walked over, and hugged her mom. “I’m glad you got it back. You deserve to be happy too.”
She used to just have Gus and Shannon. Now she had her mom, Jackson, and Dylan too. Her small circle continued to grow.
More than that, she had God on her side. The man she’d thought was her father had been cold and unapproachable. Thanks to Jackson, she now knew that she had a heavenly Father who loved her infinitely.
Life was good.