Chapter 15: Redemption
One week later
She supposed she’d gotten off fairly light.
Simmons had been almost predatory, cornering Juliet the moment they wheeled Hank into surgery. Though the doctors had assured her that he’d live, that didn’t make it easier for her to force herself to speak to Hank’s stern superior.
Apparently, the hotel wanted to slap her with a misdemeanor charge for the arson, but he’d managed to deflect it. That didn’t, however, mean that Juliet was avoiding punishment at all. She’d be required to serve one hundred and ten hours of community service supervised by the DOJ - and Simmons had to sign off on it. After all, she was technically still under Federal protection, and would be until they wrung Solomon for all he was worth.
If it had been up to her, Juliet would have lived in the hospital to be by Hank’s side. Though she had come to hate it during the time she spent finding her own feet, recent events had her glued to the sixth floor as often as she was able.
Of course, Simmons had his fill of being lax with her. Even in the wake of taking Solomon into custody, she had a constant detail of three guards on her, none of which were as understanding as Hank. Once, their whispers behind her back and misplaced assumptions might have bothered her, but now, she found she didn’t care. As long as they allowed her to come to the hospital for a few hours each day.
The ride from the new safehouse was a long one, but it was worth it. Hank had needed several broken ribs set and his jaw re-wired. He’d fractured no less than five bones in his face and, though he hadn’t lost an eye, one of them was orbital. There were more stitches in him than Juliet could count and the first few times she’d seen him, he was out cold.
The first time he woke up to see her sitting beside him, he immediately tried to talk. Juliet quickly dissuaded him, as doctors had instructed her to, and, instead, merely handed him a pad to write on. Hank fumbled the first few times but finally managed.
Where’s Solomon?
It was, of course, the first question he’d ask.
“In custody. They’ve been questioning him for a few days - he’s not as hard a nut to crack as he made himself out to be,” Juliet answered with no small amount of satisfaction. Of course, Simmons hadn’t been able to give her all the gory details, but she knew enough to be sure that Solomon Aguiler wasn’t going anywhere for a long time.
It was hard to read Hank’s expression under the swelling, but Juliet thought he might have looked relieved. When she handed him the pad again, he wrote - smoother this time.
I wanted to kill him before I let him touch you again.
Juliet’s breath caught. She thought he might ask about more details from the case - or even when he’d be out of bed. That was more Hank Compton’s style.
This...this was something less expected. “It’s better you didn’t,” She finally managed, once she remembered how to speak. “This way we can take down his father and their entire network. You did amazing, Hank. Like always, I’m sure.” She reached down to touch his hand briefly before forcing herself to draw back. They weren’t in the solitude of a cabin safehouse now. Out and among the world of the living, any relationship between she and Hank would be frowned on, to say the least. And he had enough to worry about without his fellow agents continuing to question him.
When Hank wrote again, the motion was stiff, almost angry. He showed her the pad, his good eye gleaming gray fire.
Why the hell did you come? He would have killed me anyway. It wasn’t worth it.
“Don’t you dare say that,” Juliet’s own vehemence surprised her. She glanced around the room and out into the hallway to make sure no one was close enough to eavesdrop before leaning as close to him as she dared. Even from a hospital bed, the heat radiating from him was enough to make her lightheaded. “I wouldn’t have let him. There was no way I was letting Solomon take you from me, Hank. I’ve never had anyone...It would have killed me to lose you. So don’t you dare say it wasn’t worth it.”
She couldn’t tell him.
Juliet could only imagine what Hank might think if she blurted out her feelings impulsively. She had no idea how long she’d remain under federal protection, then she’d have to testify against Solomon. Her life would be difficult over the next few months, and Hank would be occupied with trying to recover. The time for their inevitable separation was almost at hand...she just wished it were under better circumstances.
She didn’t lift her head until Hank’s hand touched hers, making her jump. She was surprised to see he’d scribbled on the pad anew.
You’re brave. Brave and stupid.
At that, she laughed softly. “Well, that makes two of us.”
When he merely rolled his single eye and gestured for water from the bedside table, Juliet rose to take the glass and hold it to his lips. She jumped when he took hold of her wrist and yanked her closer so she was forced to hoist a knee onto the bed to keep her balance. The water sloshed over the edge of the glass and onto the sheets but Hank hardly seemed to care.
His arms closed around her, drawing her close. He obviously didn’t give two shits about anyone who might walk in, and after a moment of resistance, Juliet relaxed against him. She forced herself to swallow the tears that rose to her eyes as Hank brushed his lips over the place where her pulse hummed just beneath her skin.
“Safe.” He murmured against her ear, the sound warped by his wired jaw.
But Juliet understood it all the same.
She was safe, after all this time. Safe from Solomon. Safe from the Aguilers...Safe in Hank’s arms.
It was one time she supposed she didn’t mind crying. Tears of relief were much more gratifying than those of grief.
**
Two weeks later
“Fuck protocol. I want back on the detail.”
Despite the fact that having his jaw wired shut was uncomfortable as fucking hell, Hank managed to learn to speak clearly enough to be understood. And to argue - which was what he was doing with Simmons now.
Juliet wasn’t due to visit for another hour or so, so now was the perfect time to make his demands. For the first time in his entire career, Hank could only hope that playing the wounded card would work in his favor.
“No way, Hank. You’re in no condition to work. You’ll need eight weeks off, at the very least. And after that there’s a mountain of paperwork to get you back on board.”
“Cut the shit, Simmons.” Hank scowled, grimacing at the discomfort it caused. “I got us Solomon Aguiler-”
“Yes, with the help of the wayward protectee who shouldn’t have been near you. Do you know what she did to get to you?”
It was a point of curious pride that, yes, Hank knew exactly what Juliet had done. It took him almost five days to get her to admit it, and then he had to give her brownie points for her sheer audacity.
That was, of course, after he chewed her out for putting herself in danger in the first place. He could still see her all but walking back into Solomon’s grasp, see the fucker touching her...Like hell. He wanted to be right back where he belonged: at her side.
“None of that matters now. We got him. I’m fine and she’s fine and I want to make sure it stays that way.”
Simmons’ eyes narrowed in suspicion. “The man hunting her is in custody, Hank. And she has a three-man detail on her twenty-four-seven. One she can’t charm into doing her bidding. She’s perfectly safe.”
“What about Caesar?” Hank immediate snapped, grasping at straws as he tried to contend with the fact that his time with Juliet was coming to an end. “What if he-”
“Something tells me this isn’t about protecting Juliet,” Simmons interjected, his tone carefully neutral.
Immediately, Hank opened his mouth to retort - but found that none rose to his lips. Instead, he merely sagged against the pillows of his bed, glowering at the older man before him. What the hell was he supposed to say? He could deny everything, but that would only mean that Juliet was whisked away sooner. At this point, it was just a matter of time.
The moment his involvement with the case was over, there wouldn’t really be any reason to see her again. Simmons was bending the rules allowing her to visit him at the hospital as it is. She sure as hell wasn’t family, so they’d been getting away with telling the nurses on duty that she was his wife.
A year ago, the mere thought would have made him grimace. Now, he remembered the way she looked at him when she found him - the way her eyes glazed with relief and she took him in her arms like he was fragile instead of two hundred fifty pounds of hulking muscle.
She knew him, better than anyone ever had. Call him a selfish sonofabitch, but he didn’t want to lose that.
“I want to see her, after all of this.” He finally grunted. “Is there any way I can do that?”
Simmons huffed a sigh, crossing his arms over his chest. “Not that the department can help with, no. In matters of romance, you’re on your own.”
Romance. The term still made Hank frown a little. He had never been one for roses and candlelit dinners. That shit was beyond him. But the prospect of holding Juliet - of seeing the way she smiled when she hit the center of a target and her laugh after half a bottle of Jameson. Of knowing she judged him exactly as little as he did her….if that was romance, he could deal with it.
He only hoped she could as well.
“Hey.”
He was dozing when she knocked on the door, but the sound of Juliet’s voice was enough to make Hank straighten.
The sight of her...that was enough to make something else stiffen entirely. She was wearing an ankle-length dress that clung to her curves and showed off just enough of her ample breasts to remind him that it had been weeks since he’d last had her…
But this was hardly the time to be wrestling his fucking erection. “Hey,” he managed, as best he could through the wiring in his jaw. “Come in.”
She smiled, waving off the men guarding her as she stepped into the room. “You’re looking well today. Guessing they haven’t fed you yet.”
“Yeah, well, the longer I avoid the shit food, the better.” When Juliet perched on the chair next to his bed, Hank frowned, reaching down to curl his fingers around the leg and tug her closer to the bed. Her squawk of surprise made him smirk.
“You’re not supposed to be doing that! The doctors said-”
“Fuck the doctors,” he growled, “I’ll be out of here soon enough anyway.” The mention of his discharge date was enough to sober her slightly. Hank took in her reaction carefully as she sat back, her fingers twisting together in her lap.
“That’s good. You can get some rest.” When she spoke, her words were soft - subtle. Unlike Juliet.
“What about you?” He changed the subject swiftly, cursing the nerves in his gut. “They told you when Solomon’s going to court yet?”
Juliet shook her head. “Not yet, but he’s given them a lead on Caesar, so my guess is it’ll be soon. And after that...well…” She smiled, a gesture that didn’t quite meet her eyes. “I’ll finally be out of you guys’ hair.”
Goddamn it. All this subtlety was giving him a headache. If he was honest with himself, Hank had been thinking about this for a while now. He didn’t mind going into deep cover to meet drug dealers or getting into spontaneous shoot-outs. But this….this intimidated him. Being blunt had never seemed to bother Juliet as much as it did other women.
So that was what he decided to do. He was in a hospital bed, and they both faced a ticking clock. What the hell did he have to lose?
“I don’t want you out of my hair, Juliet.”
The moment the words left his mouth, her lips parted slightly in surprise. Hank forged on. If she interrupted him now, he might not ever finish. “I’m a fucking mess - and it’s not just these injuries. I’m not good with people, I’m not good with women. I talk with my fists and I’m a grumpy old fuck. But you’ve never minded any of that.” He raised his chin to meet her gaze evenly, searching her dark eyes. “I can’t promise being with me will be a picnic. There’ll be red tape and a shit ton of work to do. I’ll see the Aguiler case through to the end, but I’ll try to involve you as little as possible. My work is dangerous and I don’t plan to quit. I’d just...It would be nice to know you’re there. For me.”
Jesus, he was fucked. Hank wasn’t sentimental but he could swear his sister had to be laughing at him somewhere.
“Hank…”It was a long beat before Juliet spoke, but when she did, she slid from the chair to the edge of the bed. He had never quite understood how women could smile and cry at the same time, but she was doing it. Throwing her arms around him so he grunted - but would gladly take any amount of discomfort to hold her close. “I...I want to say something and I’m not sure-”
He snorted at that. “Say it.” He murmured against the top of her head, inhaling the floral scent of her shampoo indulgently.
When she raised her head to meet his gaze, her smile was nervous and endearing all at once. “I love you.”
For a moment, Hank just stared at her as his brain worked hard to process what she’d just said. What the hell had he done to deserve her love? Juliet was the strongest woman he knew. Stronger than the man who had subjugated and abused her. Stronger than the system that had tried to contain her. She was gorgeous, she was sexy and hell, and despite every fucking thing he’d done to try and avoid it, he loved her too.
He loved her too.
When he said the words, she merely sighed in contentment, raising her mouth to his for a kiss. Hank obliged her without hesitation, relishing the taste he had missed for so long. They might both be fucked up - and there was certainly a long road ahead of them - but, come what may, they had saved one another.
She was his redemption, and that was more than enough for him.