Chapter 27

Walker

My head throbs as the massive headache takes over. I struggle against the zip ties that tie me to the chair until my ribs shoot an agonizing pain through my chest. It would be so easy to close my eyes and fall asleep, but I force myself to stay awake, watching the door. The men who took us are out of their league, definitely unsure of what to do with eight law enforcement officers. They’re waiting for orders.

Taking us was a mistake. The fear is written on their faces each time they come into this room.

“How ya doing, Kelly?” I swallow down the burn with each word.

“I’ll survive. I think those motherfuckers broke my hand.” His answer comes from across the dark room.

“What about the rest of you?”

There are grumbles from every man. The air is thick with anger and frustration, each of us pissed. Our first and only attempt to ambush the assholes resulted in one of our men getting shot. It was through the shoulder, but it stood as a warning.

We are bigger, stronger, and professionally trained, but we also hold an unspoken oath to each other. Now, we’re biding our time, using our heads to come up with a new plan. One way or another, we’re going to take these fuckers down and walk out of here—together.

“Scott, you ever think about joining the agency?” one of the men asks.

“Which one?”

“Pretty sure after this, you’ll have your pick.”

“As of this minute, no. Ask me again after we get out of this hellhole. Although, I have a feeling it may be a hard sell to Emi.” My chest tightens at the mention of her name. She knows by now I’m missing, and there’s no telling the hell she’s putting the Captain and Oliver through.

“Lucky SOB,” Kelly mutters.

“Speaking of getting out of here, we need to stop pussyfooting around. These fuckers need to be taught a lesson,” another of the men growls.

“Listen, do you hear that?” Kelly lowers his voice.

I listen intently and hear the faint sound of a motor. “Is that a drone?”

“It’s several. One would be almost undetectable, but a few together give off a distinct hum.”

“You think they can hear it?”

“I don’t think those dumb fucks know the difference between a drone and a toilet flushing.”

We don’t have to wait long to find out because there’s a loud crash followed by glass shattering. Shouts fill the space on the other side of the door as gunshots are fired. Thud after thud, bodies go down until it’s quiet.

The door flies open, and several men in uniform swarm the room with guns raised. Gun smoke fills the air, and the light is temporarily blinding. I blink a few times to find focus. When they see the eight of us tied to the chairs, and no more kidnappers, they lower their guns.

“Anyone hurt?”

“Few broken bones, gunshot wounds, bumps and bruises. Get us out of these fucking zip ties,” Kelly barks.

“Give me an update!” someone orders through a radio.

“Seven down. Our eight are all alive. Get the paramedics in here now!”

By the time my arms and legs are free and the blood circulation is back to normal, there’s a paramedic in my face, asking questions and assessing the wound on my thigh. When they try to get me onto a gurney, I refuse, standing and leaning into the man for support.

He helps me out and into a waiting ambulance. In the bright lights of the truck, I catch his grimace and know my face looks like shit. I took a few hits when I was captured.

“Where are we?” I look around the area for any sign of familiarity.

“In an abandoned building in Savannah, Georgia.” He hands me a bottle of water that I suck down in one gulp.

“What day and time is it?”

“Saturday, close to five a.m.”

A man wearing a DEA vest comes to us, handing me a bag. “I believe this belongs to you.” His eyes take in my appearance, then meet mine. “Good job, Detective. Damn good job,” he praises before walking away.

I dump the contents out and find my badge, gun, cuffs, and two dead cell phones. “Do you have a phone?”

He reaches in his pocket at the same time Captain Cornelius’s voice booms through the air, yelling my name. He and Oliver jog through the crowd until they get to me.

“You okay?” He does a full body scan.

“Never better.”

“I need to get your shirt off, sir.” The paramedic helps lift my shirt over my head. The second his hands touch my sensitive skin, I hiss.

“You look like shit,” Captain assesses.

“Nothing a shower won’t cure.”

“Bullshit,” he chokes back a laugh.

“I need a phone.”

“And I need a briefing.”

“Let me call Emi, and you can have all the answers you need.”

He and Oliver exchange a look that gives me an unsettling feeling. “What’s going on?”

“Son, that’s exactly why we need to talk right now. Emi’s about twenty miles away from storming into this town. My guess is, once she sees you, she’s not going anywhere.”

“How?”

“The details are sketchy. Even I don’t fully understand, but the gist of it is, she saved the day. Something about her watch having a GPS tracker. Without her, we would still be in a war room in Charleston scratching our asses.”

The fucking watch… I forgot all about it in my pocket.

“Do I want to know why you have a GPS on her watch?” He raises an eyebrow.

“Remember, this is Emi we’re talking about.”

“Forget I asked. I’ll never understand that girl, but if she was mine, I’d probably have a tracker on her, too.”

“It’s a Maren thing,” is the only explanation I give him.

“Regardless, she’s on her way, and she’s not alone.”

I glance down at myself and see the purple and black bruises covering my ribcage and the dried blood all over my pants that are now torn almost all the way. She can’t see me like this.

“Okay, hop in. I’ll brief you on the way to the hospital.” I dip my chin to the inside of the paramedic truck then focus on the man working on my ribs. “You need to get us to the hospital and get me cleaned up.”

“Sir, you’re going to need to see a doctor.”

“And I will, but there are seven other men here that need to see a doctor, too. If you get me to the hospital, I’ll take care of the rest.”

He wants to object; I can see the hesitation in his gaze, but he grudgingly agrees, yelling to the driver to get ready to go. Oliver and Captain climb in the back as I’m loaded in, and we take off.

The whole drive, I fill them in on every detail, starting at the docks and ending with being blindfolded and led into the building before being restrained to the chair.

When we get to the hospital, there’s a nurse and a doctor waiting to wheel me to a room. They refuse to allow the two men to accompany me until I’ve been given an exam. Once my leg is cleaned and stitched, the doctor approves me taking a shower before my ribs are taped.

Once I’m under the hot spray, I gently scrub all the filth from my skin until I’m sure every ounce of dirt and dried blood is gone. Exhaustion starts to set in when I step out and towel off. It’s been almost three days since I’ve slept, and my body is starting to fight me.

I ignore the hospital gown laid out, wrapping the towel around my waist and exiting the bathroom. There’s a male nurse waiting by the door, undoubtedly there in case I fall.

“Can you get me something besides a gown? I’m not wearing that shit.”

“Scrubs?”

“That’ll be fine.”

He leaves to get them, and I brace against the door frame, knowing if I sit on that bed, I’m not getting up for a while. My eyes zone in on a tray of food, and my stomach growls.

He returns quickly and helps me get the pants on, foregoing the shirt for now. As he wraps my ribs, I ask for updates on the other men and discover all of us are here on the same floor, which is overcrowded with agents from the GBI, SLED, FBI, and local law enforcement, and the Governor of South Carolina is on his way.

“You feel like company now?” He settles me back, adjusting the bed until I’m comfortable.

“Only one person I want to see right this second.”

“I hope it’s the honey blonde raising hell and putting on a show in the waiting room. I’m the only person who hasn’t pissed her off, and quite frankly, I’m a little scared of her.”

I chuckle then hiss at the vibration inside my chest. “That’s her. She’s a little lively.”

“Yeah, I can see that. Your poor captain has been trying to calm her down.”

“Impossible feat. Put him out of his misery and send her in.”

He doesn’t get a chance. My door creeps open, and Emi’s head pops through the crack. Her eyes land on mine before she sucks in a deep breath and slinks in.

“Thank God it’s your room. It could have been embarrassing if I’d snuck in on someone else.” She tries to make a joke, but it’s impossible to cover up the shine in her eyes.

“Baby, come here.” I hold out an arm, and she hurries to my side, throwing herself at me.

The nurse starts to warn her about my ribs, but I slice my eyes to him to stay quiet. The jabbing pain is worth it. I inhale deeply, letting the scent of her wash over me as she kisses my neck, jaw, cheek, and finally my lips.

“I’m fine,” I reassure her over and over.

She backs away, taking a good look at my face and sliding her hand down my arm. There’s a familiar and distinct clink right as I feel the cold metal on my wrist.

“What the hell?” I lift our now handcuffed wrists.

“Until I can get the image out of my head of you being led by a madman with a gun to your skull, you’re stuck with me.”

Her lips start to quiver, and her eyes pool with tears. “I was so scared,” she admits in a small voice.

“Baby, come back here.” She hugs me again, this time carefully.

I stroke her back and whisper into her hair that everything is okay now.

“Mr. Scott, I’m going to leave you two alone for a little bit. If you need me, press the button.”

I wave him off and clutch her a little tighter.

“Don’t you ever, ever go off and get yourself kidnapped again!” she mutters into my neck.

“Okay.”

She pushes up and uses her free hand to roam my face, flinching at the bruising. “They hit you?”

“Once or twice.”

“You’re still beautiful.”

“So are you.”

“There are people in the waiting room that want to see you.”

“They can wait.”

“Your parents are waiting to hear from you.”

“They can wait,” I repeat.

“Word on the street is the drugs you stopped were worth over twenty million dollars.” Now, it’s my turn to be shocked. This I had not heard.

“Is that right?”

“Yes, you did great, Walker. Everyone is praising your whole team.”

“We did our jobs. Speaking of jobs, I understand you are the one who found us.”

She bites down on her lip, her eyes now dancing with happiness. “Trixsters isn’t so bad now, is it?”

“No, babe. It isn’t, but do you care to explain why there was a GPS on your watch?”

“Because Maren was trying out a new software after the Ricky situation.”

“I’ll have to remember to thank her.”

“She’s here, along with Marcus. Which, by the way, he’s declared himself a partner. The whole drive here, he tried to convince us to let him in.”

I groan at the thought. “Doesn’t he have enough shit to deal with at his own job?”

She starts to giggle and flashes me her bright smile. “We should probably let them in.”

“One more question.”

“What?”

“Where’d you get the handcuffs?”

“I borrowed them from Oliver.”

“You mean you stole them?”

“Who, me?” She flutters her eyes dramatically, feigning innocence in the worst way.

“Kiss me before the cavalry bursts through the door.”

She dips her mouth to mine, and every bit of darkness and stress from the last few days disappears.

If I wasn’t afraid her head would explode, I’d laugh. But seeing as her face is a bright shade of red and her eyes are on fire, I tamper down my enjoyment.

“Emi, calm down.”

“I’m calm.” She waves me off and goes back to scrubbing the already spotless countertop.

“Then stop cleaning and come here.”

“Nope.”

I go to her, wrapping my arms around her, and throw the sponge in the sink. “Anger doesn’t look good on you.”

“Get used to it because, unless you get back on that couch and rest, I’m going to be very angry.”

“Baby, I slept for two days.”

“That’s what you’re supposed to do. Sleep, rest, let your body heal. That’s one of the reasons we came to the cabin, so you could take it easy.”

“I had to get out for a while.”

“You knew I wouldn’t approve, and that’s why you slunk out of bed, snuck out of the house, and left me a note. Not to mention not answering your phone.”

“I told you in the note I was with Dad.”

“Who also will be getting the Emerson Baker wrath the next time I see him. He knows you should be taking it easy.”

“Going on a car ride isn’t exactly running a marathon.”

She spins to face me, her eyes still blazing. “Need I remind you that four days ago you were in the hospital because you were shot? Twice?”

“Do I need to remind you that three days ago I was released because I am fine?”

“I’m going to find your handcuffs. There are only so many places they could be hidden. When I do, you’re going to be cuffed to me until I’m convinced you’re healed.”

This time, I can’t stop the smile from forming. Oliver was not thrilled when he discovered Emi had his cuffs. It took him and Marcus to hold her still, so the Captain could remove them in the hospital.

I drop my forehead and run my nose along hers. “I’ll gladly tell you where they are if you lose the attitude.”

“Promise me you’ll take your recovery seriously and rest the next few days, and I’ll think about tampering down my rage.”

“I promise. For the next few days, until we have to go back to work, I’ll do nothing but R&R.”

The heat in her eyes starts to disappear, and she circles my waist gently. “I know I’m not the greatest nurse, but you don’t have to sneak away from me.”

“You’re the perfect nurse and happen to be taking perfect care of me.”

“You ready for lunch? I could make us—”

I don’t let her finish the sentence, cutting her off with my mouth. She mutters against my tongue before giving in. I kiss her lazily, walking us backward until I reach the sofa, then ease her down.

“Walker, be careful.” She breaks away, checking my face for signs of discomfort.

I roll us so my back is to the cushions, and she’s forced to release my waist, laying pressed against me. “I’m fine, Emi, but I need to talk to you about something.”

“Is everything okay?”

“I realized something in the hospital, something I already knew, but it still fucked with me.”

“What?” She places her hand on my cheek, her face growing concerned.

“I know I’m a lucky fucker. Known it since the beginning. Knowing you’re mine and you’re going to be forever makes me a happy man, but it also brings out a possessiveness that makes me wild with jealousy.”

“Walker—”

“Shhh, let me finish.” I place a finger on her lips. “That possessiveness hit an all-time high this week when we visited the guys in the hospital, and I saw the way they looked at you. I could read their thoughts. They knew you were mine, but that didn’t stop them from checking you out.”

She shakes her head in disagreement, but I keep going. “I’ve never actually understood the significance surrounding the whole engagement ring tradition, because until you, I’d never cared. But now I get it.”

“I don’t need a ring,” she burbles against my finger.

“But I do. I need that diamond on your finger until you take my last name, and then I need that band to prove to the world you’re a taken woman.”

I remove my finger from her lips and dig in my back pocket, finding the ring I picked up this morning.

“That night in the hospital, you asked me if I was scared when we were taken, and I told you no. But what I didn’t tell you is that the only time I allowed myself to get anxious was when I thought about not coming home to you. I made a vow that wasn’t going to happen. You already said yes, but I want to hear it again. This time, I’ll even ask.

“Emerson Leigh, will you marry me?”

Her lips start to quiver, and she closes her eyes, sucking in a deep breath. When she opens them, they are twinkling a bright shade of amber. “The answer will always be yes. You can ask me, tell me, order me—whatever you want. The answer will always be yes.”

I take her hand and slide the ring on, kissing the base of her finger where it sits. She holds her hand in the air, staring at it, her smile growing wider by the second.

“I was so wrong. I need this ring on my finger.”

I lean in to kiss her again, sweeping my tongue over her lips before slipping it in her parted mouth. My hand glides up her side, bringing her shirt with it, until I reach the curve of her breast and flick my thumb over the piercing. Her nipple hardens instantly.

“We can’t,” she murmurs on my tongue.

“Why the hell not?” I tear away mid-stroke.

“Sweetie, you can’t have sex. You’re injured.”

“I’m not fucking dead. My dick works just fine.” I thrust into her hip to prove my point.

She giggles and cups my cheek, her eyes now shining mischievously. “One condition.”

“There are no conditions.”

“I do all the work.” She licks her lips suggestively, and my cock lurches in my shorts. The implication of her mouth on me is all it takes for the aching to begin.

“I’d be an idiot to turn you down.”

She curls up and whips her shirt over her head, exposing her naked chest. My eyes instantly gravitate to her nipples that are taunting me with those sexy barbells.

Her hands glide to the hem of my shirt where she inches it up slowly, kissing every inch of flesh not covered by the bandages. When she reaches my armpits, I help her by ripping it off and tossing it behind us. Her mouth trails back down, her tongue making a lazy path of circles until she hits the waistband of my shorts.

My dick starts to pulse in anticipation when her hooded eyes capture mine with a wicked gleam. “Remember, I’m doing all the work.”

“No arguments here.”