Ella saw that Bri was nervous when the various law enforcement officials arrived at the scene. Frank had fired the shot that had killed the man on the chopper pad, so he’d have to be interviewed. In fact, they all were giving their stories to the investigators. All but Bri. An older man with silver hair that was cut close to his head came over to the loveseat where Ella was waiting for the EMTs to check out her wounds.

“Ella and Bri, I’m Director Truehart,” he said. His voice was low and deep, and there was something reassuring in his tone. “Allow me to apologize for what happened here tonight.”

“I’m sure this wasn’t your plan,” Ella said.

“No, it wasn’t,” he said. “Ella, you need to stay so that the medic can take care of your injuries, but Bri, would you like to wait outside?”

“How did you know?” she asked.

“It doesn’t matter. Frank has to speak to the police, but Linc has already given them his statement, would you feel safe with him?”

Bri nodded. “He’s the man who kept Ella safe, right?”

“Yes, he is,” Director Truehart said.

The director signaled to Linc, who came over and reached down to brush his hand against Ella’s forehead. And then he led Bri out of the room. She knew that Grimaldi Global, the CIA, and the cops were all here to make them feel safer, but knowing that Bri was with Linc was all that it took. He’d proven tonight that he’d do anything to keep her and her sister safe.

She’d lived a lifetime with him tonight. And she’d fallen for him. She had never believed in love or forever, and to be honest, she wasn’t sure that had changed, but she did think she’d found a man she could count on.

The medic bandaged her feet and wrists and gave her some salve to apply twice a day, and then checked out her ribs, which were bruised but not broken. She also had some other bruising that would heal in time. Kaylee stayed next to her the entire time, and Ella realized her fear around men was starting to fade. It helped that she was in a room with people that she trusted, but she also knew that part of it was Linc.

Kaylee found her a pair of shoes and some Grimaldi Global sweats that Ella changed into before going to find Linc and her sister.

She found them sitting on lounge chairs under a covered patio, and someone had lit a fire in the firepit. The rain had slowed to a drizzle, and she stood there in the shadows watching the two people who mattered most to her in the world.

“When will you get Reece?” Bri asked. “Ella won’t be able to relax until he’s behind bars.”

“We’re going after him now. One of my team is with him, and I injured him pretty badly, he’s going to need to find a surgeon to get the bullet out of his shoulder and repair the damage.”

“And you’ll be monitoring for that?” Bri asked.

“Yes. One of our computer experts has a tracking program that is searching not just for the injury, but also for supplies that would be needed to do the surgery. Because of the money that Reece has, he’ll be able to hire someone to come to him.”

“Doesn’t everyone know who he is by now?” Bri asked.

“Yes, but not everyone believes he’s a monster,” Linc said, carefully. “I won’t stop until everyone does.”

“I believe you’ll try,” Bri said.

“Fair enough,” Linc said.

Ella came out of the shadows and over to them, sitting at the foot of her sister’s lounge chair. “Where will we go next?”

“To a safe house. But I’m not sure I trust everyone at Grimaldi Global. My father is one of the richest men in the world and has a security force that rivals heads of state. Would you feel comfortable staying with him?”

Ella looked at Bri and then back at Linc. “Can you give us a few minutes to discuss it?”

“I’ll stand over there. I can’t just leave you alone,” Linc said, getting up and walking a few feet away.

“What do you want to do?” she asked her sister. “We can take off and disappear. We both know how to do it.”

“I think…I think we should stay in the safe house. You like him, Ella,” Bri said.

“I do. I like him a lot, but you’re my sister,” Ella said. “I did this to protect you and Reece got to you anyway.”

“But he didn’t. And I’m still not completely sure he’s the man who was responsible for everything,” Bri said.

She kept quiet about him tormenting her in the panic room. “Trust me, he’s evil. So we go with Linc?”

“Yes. Will he stay with us?”

“I don’t think so,” Ella said. “I think it’s personal with Reece, and he’s not going to be able to sit out going after him. Will you, Linc?”

She knew he could hear them. After all, they’d made no attempt to lower their voices.

“You’re correct. But I’m going to take a day off to recover and make sure you both are settled.”

“It’s going to take you one whole day to recover?” Ella asked.

“I’m getting older,” he said, with a laugh.

She just shook her head.

They left as dawn was breaking over the sky. Linc drove them out of the D.C. metro area into rural Pennsylvania. They switched cars twice before they arrived at a farmhouse where an older version of Linc greeted them.

* * *

Ella sank deeper into the bath in the bedroom that Linc had shown her to. Bri was safely ensconced in her own suite that had a balcony that overlooked the wooded area around the house.

At the moment, she and her sister were safe and she was happier than she’d been in a long time. Reece Hammond was on the run, but she and Bri were back together, and Ella knew that Linc and the rest of the Ares Team would get him. They’d almost had him this time, but Linc had saved her and Bri instead of going after Reece.

That was something she’d never be able to repay.

She let the warm water soothe her aching body, but she was waiting for Linc. They hadn’t had a private moment together since before he’d put her in the panic room. That seemed like a lifetime ago.

There was a knock on the bedroom door of her suite. She’d left the bathroom door open so she could listen for it.

“Yes?”

“Can I come in?” Linc asked through the door.

“Yes. I’m in the bath,” she said.

He walked into the room and she saw him in the doorway. He had showered and changed and now wore a pair of jeans and a t-shirt that said Han Shot First.

She realized that he’d taken a chance bringing them to his home, but she was pretty sure he’d brought her here because she meant something to him.

“I like this house. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. I wanted to make sure you both were safe and could relax.”

“Are you leaving?”

“Tomorrow morning,” he said. “We’re going to keep the pressure on Reece. The good news is that the cops are going to make it public that he kidnapped you and your sister, so no one doubts his criminal deeds now. There is a warrant out for his arrest.”

“I’m glad,” she admitted. “Want to join me in the bath?”

“More than you can know,” he said, grinning at her as he pulled his t-shirt over his head and tossed it aside.

She caught her breath at the sight of his body. When she’d asked him to make love to her before, it had been about saying goodbye to the past, this felt more like saying hello to her future.

“I almost lost you,” he said, as he unfastened his pants and pushed them down his legs.

“Would that have mattered to you?” she asked, realizing how vulnerable it felt to care about someone else and not know how they felt.

“Yes. I love you. I know you’re going to say it’s too soon, and I can respect that. I’ll wait as long as I have to for you to be comfortable with me. But I’m not letting you go, Ella.”

“Good. I love you too,” she admitted. “That’s scarier to admit than anything that Diavolos threw at me tonight, because I didn’t realize I could care this much for another person…well, a person who wasn’t Bri. And you have a dangerous job.”

“But I’m good at it,” he said, finally standing naked next to the tub. “And I’ll never let anything hurt you.”

She loved that he wasn’t hiding anything from her. He could have tried to make it seem like he didn’t care as deeply for her as he did, but that wasn’t Linc’s way. He might be the sort of man who could fit into any situation, a chameleon, but underneath all the different guises was a solid man. One she was proud to call her own.

He stepped into the tub behind her. The hair on his legs brushed against her. She kissed his thigh and his hands came down, tangling in her hair. “Scoot forward so I can sit behind you.”

She slid up and Linc settled in behind her. Waves rippled from the movement, splashing over the side of the tub.

He pulled her back against his chest. He wrapped his arms around her waist and she tipped her head back to look up at him. He leaned down, rubbing his lips over hers, slowly seducing her mouth. Tracing the seam between them with his tongue and then slipping it inside.

Ella shifted around so she was facing him, rising up to her knees. She felt the water and soap suds sliding down her body, baring her breasts to his gaze.

“I keep hoping this isn’t temporary, that you aren’t going to wake up and decide you don’t need me.”

“I’m never going to change my mind about you, Linc. Tonight showed me that I don’t need a man in my life, but I want you in it.”

“I want you in mine too. We can talk about me retiring, if that’s something you need from me.”

She didn’t want that. She knew he’d only be half-alive if he wasn’t out there saving the day. “I can’t ask you to be less than you’re meant to be.”

“Good. We can discuss this further later.”

“Later?”

“Later,” he said, taking her by the waist and lifting her onto his lap. His teeth scraped against her breast before he found her nipple and suckled her.

She arched her back, her hands tunneling through his hair, holding him to her.

His hands slid up and down her back and his erection nudging at her center. She reached between their bodies and positioned the tip of him at her entrance.

“Not yet, Ella,” he said, lifting her off his body and standing with her in his arms.

Linc carried her to the bed and laid her down in the center of it. He reached into the nightstand and took out a condom, put it on, and then turned back to her. She knew he was waiting to see if she’d let him be on top. And her heart was full. He put her first because he cherished her, and she wanted to cherish him as well.

She held her hand out to him and he hesitated before taking it, coming down on the bed next to her.

“Come on top of me,” she said. “Make love to me this way.”

“Are you sure?”

“Surer than I’ve ever been.”

He lowered himself over her and took her mouth with his as he shifted his hips and entered her. She wrapped her arms and legs around him, holding him close to her.

She started to close her eyes, but she wanted to watch him. Their eyes met.

She slid her hands down his back, cupping his butt as he thrust deeper into her. Their eyes met, and it made her feel like their souls were touching. She felt her body start to tighten around him, catching her by surprise.

She climaxed before him. He gripped her hips, holding her down and thrusting into her two more times before he came with a loud grunt of her name.

He held her afterward, pulling her into his arms and tucking her up against his side.

She wrapped her arm around him and listened to the solid beat of his heart.

“I never thought I’d have a man like you in my life.”

“I never thought I’d meet a woman who understood me the way you do.”

“I love you, Ella.”

“I love you too, Linc.”