Grayson
“I found her! Over here. Hurry!” I grab the flare gun, shoot it to the sky, and falling snow sparkles like fireworks. Quickly, I unzip my jacket, wrap her in it, and kiss her cold blue lips.
Ah shit, Izzy, no. Don’t leave me.
Moments later, the captain of the rescue team squats on his heels, checks her neck for a pulse, then shoots me a grin. “She’s hypothermic but we got to her in time. Let’s get her warmed up but remember, no sudden movements.”
After shooting a prayer to the Big Guy upstairs, I wipe my eyes with the back of my hand and hold her. She needs the warmth of my body until the rest of the search team arrives. Then, they expertly strap Izzy onto a gurney and wrap her in silver blankets. With walkie-talkies crackling and my waiting helicopter looming overhead, we make our way down the hill.
When we near CJ’s cabin, Slate and a man with a bloodied face approach. I figure the one limping must be Carl, the guy Slate left to watch over Isabella. If he didn’t look so beat-up, I might’ve taken a swing at him.
Instead I ask, “What the fuck happened?”
He growls back. “Hey, I’m really, sorry but you two should’ve warned me. Hell, I would’ve had at least two more guys watching with me. You want to know what happened? Here’s what went down. Around six, I heard a noise and went outside to check. Then, all hell broke loose. I counted at least eight guys. While I tried to contain the situation, Isabella bolted and they tried to follow her up the mountain.”
He tosses his head at the two arriving ambulances, red flashing across the snow. “Those three won’t ever cause a problem again. Unfortunately, the rest ran off before I could take them out.”
“Was Xavier with them?”
“I didn’t see him. He probably hired those thugs and they must’ve cost him plenty. They were good.” Carl smiles grimly as body bags are loaded into the back of one of the vehicles. “Just not good enough.”
“My lawyer is coming. Make sure to clam up until he gets here, okay?”
This guy put his life on the line and I want to make sure that he doesn’t catch any fallout.
But why Isabella?
I’m still trying figure this out when she opens her eyes in the ambulance. Again, my eyes water, this time in pure fucking relief.
“Where am I?” Her eyes dart all over the inside of the small space, then rest back on me.
“You’re on the way to the hospital, babe.” Still holding her icy hand, I shoot her a smile.
“You found my breadcrumbs?” She grins back and as I cup her cheek, I swear to God, I’ll never let her out of my sight again.
I was the one who’d found the tiny pieces of paper floating down the stream while the others tried to trace her tracks in the snow.
I’m so proud of her. If she hadn’t been so quick thinking, this evening could’ve turned out much differently.
That thought causes my throat to tighten so I lean over and kiss her forehead to remind myself how lucky I am.
“You were awesome, Isabella. I traced those tiny shreds right to you. No matter where you go, I’ll always find you.”
“That’s so sweet. I love you.”
Oh fuck. What? No. Oh shit. Wait, that’s good, right?
Before I can say anything back, her eyes close and she’s sound asleep.
The paramedic taps my arm, no doubt misreading my panicked look. “She’s fine. I gave her something for the pain.”
~~~
I wait up with her all night while the emergency room doctors do their thing. Slate’s talking quietly with Carl, in a nearby bay and the police come and go. My lawyer, Paul’s standing guard, fierce as a pit bull, making sure no one says anything.
With everything under control, I call Cherry. “Hey hun. I need a favor.”
“Already on it, boss. I called Melanie and she called Isabella’s Mom in Minnesota. I took care of the flight, the ride, everything. Her mom should arrive sometime midday and I expect you’ll be seeing the Quinn’s any minute.”
“Thanks.”
“No problem. That’s why you pay me the big bucks.” She chuckles and mentally I make a note to give her a big bonus when I get back to the office.
When I check on Isabella again, she’s awake, but groggy. I lean over the bars, and give her a kiss on the forehead because her lips and cheeks are covered in a kind of greasy balm.
“Hey, how you holding up?” I sit down next to her while an attendant checks her IV.
“Tired. Can I go home?”
“Not quite yet. They’re going to check you in, probably for a few days.”
“Shit. I hate hospitals. You have lots of money. Make them send me home.” She sounds a bit drugged up and I have to chuckle because I think she’s serious.
“Mel called your Mom. She should be here, tomorrow.”
Her brows furrow. “Really? Why?”
“I guess she just wanted to.”
“Okay.” Her eyes close and she sleeps again.
That’s about the extent of our conversation. I really wanted to bring up the ‘L’ word but it wasn’t the time or the place.
The Quinns show up around midnight and I give them an update, grateful for someone to talk to and fill them in on what happened in their cabin.
With a bribe of fresh coffee, donuts and muffins, the staff lets Mel in to see Isabella before she’s brought to her room. Then the famous couple leaves, promising to be back tomorrow.
While Isabella sleeps I drink buckets of coffee and pace.
Love?
Shit.
Since meeting her, my world is brighter, I can’t wait to see her face and all I want to do is touch her. I’ll be damned.
If that’s love, I’m all in.
It’s almost seven in the morning when she stirs and I jump to her side. “Thirsty?”
She nods and I hold the plastic cup under her chin, placing the straw in her mouth.
After swallowing, she glances down at her elevated feet and lifts her bandaged fingers. “Is it really that bad?”
“No, babe. You may need some hydro therapy but no permanent damage.” I take back the cup and kiss her chapped lips.
She nods, her eyes get teary, and her voice cracks. “I thought I was going to die.”
This was all my fault and I feel like shit. She got caught in the cross hairs because I was taking down Xavier. I should’ve been more careful.
Her brows furrow as if it’s hard to think. “Is Carl okay? There were gunshots. Then everyone drove away. What happened?”
“Some men came after you and he convinced them to go.” There’s no point in telling her more, not yet. The psychiatrist told me to ease out the story slowly as she asks questions.
“Who were they? Why me?”
“We’re still looking into it but we think it was Xavier. He embezzled a lot of money.”
“You got him, right? For sure he was there. He called out to me.”
I shake my head slowly. “What with the storm and all, the FBI thinks he was able to slip out of the country.”
“Shit.”
“Don’t worry. I’ve hired a guy to watch you, twenty-four seven.”
“You don’t have to do that.” Her sweet eyes meet mine. Dammit, when she does that, my chest gets tight thinking how I almost lost her.
Also, I remember the ‘L’ word. Does she?
“Isabella?”
“Uh huh?”
“I want you to stay with me for a while.”
“But what will the stockholders say?”
“I have an idea for keeping you around which will keep them at bay.”
Her mouth turns down. “You’re firing me?”
“No, not that.” I get down on my knees next to the bed. “It’s not illegal for you to work with me if you’re my wife. Marry me?” I hold my breath. Yeah, it’s a shitty marriage proposal but she’s the only woman I ever wanted so bad. I just need a few months for her to figure it out.
She grins and kisses me. “Oh… Okay. I get it. I can be your fake fiancé. I mean, I need this job, right?”
Huh?
That isn’t what I meant but I got a whole lifetime and over a billion dollars to prove how much I love her.
And I always get what I want.