Beck stared through the scope, his sight set on the man in the open plane door who pulled a gun from his back and aimed it at Ashley. Caden ran across the field toward her, his gun up, but no shot with Ashley in the way. He wouldn’t get to her in time. Beck fired, taking down the pilot a split second after he fired and Caden tackled Ashley to the ground.
Beck handed the rifle back to Agent Bennett and ran for Ashley, knowing Bennett would make sure that fuck Brice remained in custody until the ambulance arrived. Beck ran as fast as he could, his thighs aching from the exertion, his mind screaming at him that Ashley couldn’t have been hit. He killed the bastard and messed up his shot. She had to be okay.
Caden rolled off her, stood, and took her hand, helping her up. The second she hit her feet and spotted him, she ran to him. He caught her in his arms and held her close for two heartbeats, then held her away so he could check her out and make sure she wasn’t hit. He didn’t see any blood except for Brice’s on her hand and pulled her back into his arms.
“Are you okay? Are you hurt?” He held her tight, his heartbeat jackhammering in his chest with relief and disbelief that she was really okay.
“I’m fine. Are you okay?” She held him tighter, pushing against his sore ribs.
He didn’t care about the pain, only that she was alive and back in his arms. He’d never let her go again.
“As long as you’re safe, I’m good.”
Caden came to stand beside them. “That bullet whizzed right past my head. I got her just in time,” he assured Beck.
“Thank you.” Beck didn’t stop holding Ashley close, but gave his brother a look that said so much more than he could get out right now.
Caden brushed his hand down Ashley’s shoulder. “I hope I didn’t hurt you, Ashley.”
She shook her head against Beck’s chest. “I’m fine.” She trembled in his arms. “Is Brice dead? Did I kill him?”
Beck kissed the top of her head. “No, sweetheart. He’s alive.” Despite the fact Beck wanted to shoot him, too. He’d eliminated one threat by killing Guzman. He no longer had a man gunning for him or his family because of what he’d done. But Ashley still had to live with the threat of Brice making trouble in her life even if he did end up behind bars for the rest of his.
But she didn’t have to live with killing him.
Beck cupped her face in his hands and leaned down and kissed her softly. “You scared the hell out of me.” His heart thrashed against his aching ribs just thinking about the risk she’d taken stabbing Brice and cutting Beck’s bonds. If she hadn’t set him free, he’d have been almost helpless when Guzman’s men moved in to take him out. Luckily, he’d broken the ropes Ashley almost cut through and took down the guy hell-bent on killing him so Guzman could get away with Ashley.
“I thought I’d lost you.” She pulled him close again and buried her face in his chest.
“Let’s get you both checked out.” Caden pointed to the ambulance pulling into the parking lot between all the cop cars.
Officers swarmed the building and were bringing out the remaining men who worked for Guzman. Beck spotted Bennett standing over Brice just inside the roll-up door. Brice yelled for help, his hand outstretched to an indifferent Bennett and the other hand locked around the knife sticking out of his chest.
“Maybe I should go retrieve my knife.” Beck would like nothing better than to pull it out of Brice’s chest and let him bleed out. It would save him and Ashley a hell of a lot of headaches as his arrest, sentencing, and jailhouse interviews went on for months. Beck had no doubt Brice would bask in the limelight and his infamy as long as he was allowed. The media would eat that shit up and broadcast it far and wide.
Ashley would have no peace.
He wanted that for her. Somehow, he’d find a way to give it to her.
The paramedics went to help Brice. Another ambulance pulled in. Beck led Ashley to that one, wanting to get her checked out just in case. She’d gone quiet on him. After all she’d experienced and seen today, he didn’t blame her for retreating into her head and maybe that quiet spot by the river she’d used as a means to cope while in Brice’s house of hell.
“Beck, really, I’m fine. I’m not hurt.” Ashley didn’t want to let go of him.
To get her to let the paramedics check her out, he sat on the edge of the back of the ambulance and pulled up his shirt, showing off the bruises already spreading across his side. “If I let them check this out, will you let them check you out?”
“Beck! Oh my God.” Ashley touched his face. “I’m sorry.”
“Why? You didn’t punch me. Sit next to me. Let these guys do their thing and take a minute to catch your breath.” He tugged her hand to get her to sit beside him. One of the paramedics started poking at his ribs, then strapped an ice pack to his side when Beck assured him he didn’t have any cracked or broken ribs. They just hurt like hell. Beck held another ice pack to the back of his head where he’d been cracked in the skull with the gun when they kidnapped them.
Ashley allowed the other guy to take her blood pressure and listen to her heart. She settled her head on Beck’s shoulder and whispered, “Thank you for saving my life. I love you.”
He tilted his head, kissed her softly, and looked her right in the eye. “You saved mine the second you walked into my life. I love you, too, and I swear, I’ll never let you go, and I will try every single day to make you happy.”
Ashley brushed away the paramedic’s unwanted attention, turned to Beck, and kissed him, her tongue sliding along his. He lost himself in her taste and the overwhelming sense that he got damn lucky escaping Brice and Guzman, and he wouldn’t take a single day he had with her for granted. The kiss ended with them touching foreheads and looking into each other’s eyes. He lost himself in the depths of love he saw in hers and the promise that she wanted to be with him forever. He’d have to make that promise permanent soon.
“How could you do this to me?” Brice bellowed from the gurney the paramedics wheeled him on toward the other ambulance, drawing their attention. “I love you. You’re mine, Aurora. You’re everything to me. Everything I did for you is because I love you. Don’t you see? I did it for you. Please, Aurora, don’t let them take me from you. I love you!”
Special Agent Bennett slammed the ambulance door on Brice’s next words and slapped the back, letting the ambulance driver know he could leave.
Ashley watched it go, letting out a heavy sigh of relief as Brice was finally taken away and out of her life. At least out of her sight for now.
Special Agent Bennett joined them at the ambulance. Caden stood with his shoulder propped against the door, watching over him and Ashley.
“Nice job taking down Guzman’s men, Bennett, but you let that white-haired fuck get away with all the drugs.” Beck shook his head, giving Bennett grief, but not really meaning it. “Thanks for saving my ass though.”
“I really wanted to get the drugs instead,” Bennett razzed him.
“Whatever.” Beck rolled his eyes, still holding Ashley close.
“Miss Swan, I’m glad you’re okay. Lucky for you, Trigger and King are the best snipers we have. I’m sorry to lose Trigger as an undercover agent, but I hope we can convince him to stay on in another capacity.”
“I’m sure you can,” Ashley said, no hesitation encouraging him in this way to stay with the DEA and in a job that would still be dangerous. She wanted him to be happy doing what he loved and trusted him to be careful and come back to her each and every day.
It meant so much to him to have her support.
“But Beck’s leave of absence isn’t quite over. I still need his help to make sure Brice gets what he deserves.”
Bennett focused on her. “I think we can help each other.”
Beck understood exactly where Bennett, King, and even Caden were going with this. He turned to Ashley and placed his hand on her shoulder and brushed her soft skin with his fingers. “We can use those files as leverage to get what you want and what we need to take down the rest of Guzman’s crew.”
“Okay, but . . .”
“Adam comes first.” Beck finished her sentence, letting her know that Adam was his priority, too.
Bennett caught Ashley’s attention. “I think I have a way to get you what you want and get King close to one of our major targets. Iceman took you two today. He’s the one who took off in the truck. King went after him, but they had a hell of a head start. If King doesn’t apprehend him today, I’ll need your help to take him down.”
“How?” Ashley asked.
Bennett and Caden laid out their plan, but it hinged on using the blackmail files Ashley wanted to keep secret because she knew what it was like to be targeted and exposed in the tabloids. She knew what it was like to have someone take control of your life.
In this case, Ashley would use the information to take down a very dangerous man and give a child a bright and happy life.
Beck hoped she understood and could live with the consequences of what she was about to do.