33. Reese
Reese
A thick blanket is wrapped around me as I sit on the porch. Aragorn is beside me on his leash, while I watch Brenda’s surviving cohorts be loaded into windowless prison transport vans. The ones that didn’t need medical attention, that is.
Sawyer is sitting on the bumper of an ambulance, chatting up the two paramedics who are tending to a gunshot wound on his shoulder and another on his left arm. Ryker seemed to walk away with minimal injuries, as did Zane.
Garrison finally settled enough to let them stitch up his forehead, but Weston refused to be checked. Instead, he’s been standing and talking to Captain Leopold for the last ten minutes, giving his statement about what happened.
Behind me, my mom’s house is trashed.
There’s broken wood, glass, and blood stains littering the entire space, but that’s damage I can live with. Losing any one of these guys? That would have been devastating.
As I watch, Weston shakes Captain Leopold’s hand, then turns and crosses back over to me.
His movements are slightly labored, and I can’t help but wonder how his older injuries are holding up after the activity of tonight.
Still, you wouldn’t know he was hurting just by looking at the smile on his face when he sees me.
Love. I love this man.
He takes a seat beside me and wraps an arm around my shoulders before pressing a kiss to my temple. “How are you doing?”
“Processing,” I reply honestly. “We’re alive, and I am so thankful to God for that.”
“Me, too.” He presses another kiss to my temple.
The adrenaline has waned, but thankfully, the shivering has finally subsided. This night is going to haunt me, though. That feeling of complete helplessness as they dragged me backward out of the window, a gloved hand stifling my ability to call for help.
The feel of the dirt biting into my knees when I was shoved down.
The cool steel of the gun pressed against the back of my head.
Another shiver runs through me. I’m okay. I’m safe. The danger is gone, and Weston is here.
“Sawyer’s going to be okay?” I ask, hoping to focus on something else.
He follows my gaze to the ambulance and laughs. “Oh, yeah. Though Anastasia gave him an earful about how this better be the last time he gets shot.”
I smile. “I certainly hope this is the last time any of us have to deal with something like this.”
“Me, too.” He presses a kiss to my temple again, then wraps both arms around me. “I was terrified when I realized she’d gotten to you. I’m so sorry. I thought you’d be safe up there.”
“It’s not your fault. They had the window open and a gun on me before I even realized they were there. I’d been so focused on the door, I’d completely forgotten about the window.”
“And Aragorn? How did he end up in the closet?”
The lump in my throat grows. “He’d put himself between the window and me, but they had a gun trained on him and told me that, if I didn’t put him in the closet, or if I screamed, they would shoot him.” Reaching over, I run my hand over Aragorn’s soft fur. “He was a brave boy.”
“He was trying to escape the closet when I got up there,” Weston tells me. “I’m making him a steak tomorrow.”
I laugh and close my eyes, letting the security of Weston beside me ease the rest of the lingering fear.
But then I feel Weston stiffen, his body going tense beside me, and open my eyes as two black SUVs pull up beside the police cruisers. My pulse kicks up, blood pumping through my veins in anticipation.
Is this the threat Agent Jones said would be carried out if they engaged with Brenda? It can’t be, right? She came here. Shouldn’t that be considered self-defense?
Zane, Ryker, Garrison, and Sawyer—his injured arm in a sling—move in to join Weston and me near the porch steps. Before, I would’ve thought they were just coming over to see what was happening, but now I know better.
It’s not curiosity.
It’s tactical.
Because if you come for one of them, you’d better be prepared to fight them all.
Sawyer’s earlier words to Brenda come to mind. “You put yourself on a kill list the moment you messed with Cowboy and Reese.”
Family. That’s what these men are. And I feel so honored to be a part of it.
Two men get out of one of the SUVs, then cross toward us, while four others linger near the vehicles. I don’t recognize any of them from the day Agent Jones came here, which only makes me more curious as to who they are and what they want.
“Weston Hayes?” the first man asks. His hair is greying, his eyes a soft blue. There’s a wedding band on his finger and a serious expression on his face.
“Yes.”
“I’m Director Oliver Gregory.”
“Is that supposed to mean something to me?” Weston asks after a beat of silence.
“He’s the real head of the agency Brenda worked for. Caldwell’s boss’s boss,” Sawyer explains. “I looked him up after our little visit from Agent Jones.”
“Agent Caldwell is dead. As is Agent Jones and Caldwell’s direct boss—”
“Assistant Director Murtagh,” Zane finishes.
Gregory looks over at him and nods. “You should know that I was unaware Brenda had been released, and had I known of their plans for her, I would have stepped in and prevented it. On behalf of my entire organization and the U.S. Government, I would like to offer my sincerest apologies for all that has happened, as well as my thanks that you and your team were able to apprehend and eliminate Brenda and those loyal to her.”
“This sounds an awful lot like Caldwell’s assurances after Brenda turned on us and took my wife captive,” Zane says, crossing his arms. “He also assured me that I would have nothing to worry about.”
“Yes, well, she won’t be an issue anymore. You all made sure of that.”
“And the other two? Ash and Max? Given their desire for revenge, I can’t imagine they’ll let it go now that they’ve each lost a sibling. Are we going to have to worry about them showing up in the future?”
Gregory turns to Garrison. “They will be handled with the utmost caution and will not be a problem for any of you in the future.”
“I’ll believe that when I see it,” Ryker retorts.
“I can’t blame you for your apprehension, Mr. Granger. Which is why we are prepared to offer you and your families brand new identities and a new location wherever you choose, on the off chance there are more threats out there. Brenda’s net is wide, her network loyal.”
The guys all share a look.
“While we appreciate the offer, Mr. Gregory,” Zane starts. “Stormwatch Landing is our home, and everyone here is our family. We’ll stay put and just trust that, should you lose track of any more of your prisoners or identify any potential threat to us, you’ll notify us next time.”
“You have my word.”
“Then that’s all I need.” Zane offers his hand, and Oliver takes it.
“But understand this. If anyone comes after my team or our families—whether they are connected to you or not—we will do whatever it takes to eliminate the threat.” His gaze doesn’t waver even during the silence following the threat.
“Understood.” Oliver removes his hand, then turns and heads back to the SUVs.
“So Brenda’s game was revenge,” Ryker comments.
“She would have come here whether I helped her or not,” Weston says.
Is he thinking about how he nearly lost his life on that boat? Is he wondering what would have happened had he not been here to fight alongside his team?
I thread my fingers through his and squeeze gently.
He squeezes back, though his attention remains on the men getting into the SUVs.
“She’s not doing anything now,” Garrison says. “Let’s just hope they keep better track of her sister and Marcus’s brother.”
“Can we just take a minute and point out how weird that is?” Sawyer leans back against the railing. “Ash is Brenda’s sister, and she was dating Marcus’s brother, Max. Yet we can be pretty confident—given her response to his death—that Brenda was seeing Marcus.”
“I don’t even want to begin to unpack any of that,” Ryker says.
“Same. I’m too tired.”
“Just saying, it’s weird. Did Max and Ash meet when he went to work with Brenda? Or did they know each other first? Lots of questions over here.”
“That only you have, Cable Guy,” Weston replies.
“I bet Max and Ash met when Brenda escaped,” I add.
Sawyer snaps the fingers of his good arm and points at me. “Yes! Exactly!”
Weston rolls his eyes. “Don’t encourage him,” he jokes.
I laugh, so incredibly happy for the diffused tension. I’ve had more stress in the last twenty-four hours than I ever want to experience again.
As Sawyer continues painting a picture of what he thinks happened, I lean against Weston’s shoulder and close my eyes, letting myself drift as I focus on the fact that everything is over.
My mom is safe.
The team is alive.
Weston is here.
And we have our entire lives ahead of us.
“Reese?”
“Huh?” I straighten from where I was leaning on the porch, blinking rapidly to clear the sleep from my eyes. Weston is still beside me, though the activity that had been going on is over. There are no police cruisers remaining, and the ambulance is gone.
Pastor Reeves is standing in front of me, though, a sympathetic smile on his face. “Hey, Reese. I just came out to make sure you guys were all okay. That was—” He shakes his head. “I don’t have words. God is good, though, and I am so glad you are all okay.”
“Thanks.” I yawn and stretch, then look over at Weston, who is watching me with a smile on his face. “Sorry I fell asleep on you.”
“Don’t be. Holding you is my favorite place to be.”
My heart swells, eyes filling with tears of joy. The rest of my life will be spent with this man, I know it, and from the look he’s giving me? He knows it, too.
Which gives me a crazy, wonderful idea.
I turn to Pastor Reeves. “Are you busy right now?”
He looks around. “Can’t say that I am.”
“Think you can spare a few minutes?”
He grins. “I would say so. What do you have in mind?”
I turn to Weston. Fear tries to claw its way up, and I push it aside the moment I look into his eyes. “Marry me. Again,” I add quickly.
“What?” His gaze widens, and he stares down at me. “Reese, it’s been a long day. You might not be thinking—”
“I am thinking clearer than I have in a long, long time. Weston, I love you. I never stopped loving you. My biggest regret was walking away from you nineteen years ago, but if you’re up for it, I would love to make up for all those years we were apart.”
Sawyer whistles. “About time!”
Zane grins and mutters at him to be quiet.
Weston’s smile is blinding as he pulls away and kneels in front of me. “You took the words right out of my mouth. But we rushed the wedding the last time we got married, Reese. I want to do it right. I want to give you the wedding you want.”
“Don’t you see?” I ask, cupping his face. “I don’t care where we get married, only that I get to spend the rest of my life with you. So let’s pick up where we left off. Let’s get married. Right now. Right here.”
Weston’s gaze searches mine, but in it, he will find no hesitation. We can have the party with our friends later, but I can’t think of a better time to promise my life to this man than on the heels of almost losing him.
“Then let’s get married,” he replies, and pulls me into his arms. “Right here. Right now.”
Laughing, I wrap both arms around his neck. “We should probably FaceTime my mom first. I’m not sure she was thrilled about missing it the first time.”