Sam stood the far left. Ethan was next to him and Donovan and Garrett stood together. They were wearing army-looking fatigues with boots and shit. Damn, they looked like they were ready to kick some serious ass. She sighed. Probably hers.

“Winfree, just the guy we’re looking for,” Garrett called.

Oh shit. This was even worse. Rusty squeezed her eyes shut as the brothers looked beyond her. Then she slowly peeked around to see Matt standing several yards away, looking for the world like he was about to wet his pants. Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad after all.

“Come over here, boy,” Sam said in a terse voice that you simply didn’t ignore.

“Yes, sir?” Matt asked as he approached warily.

“Heard you’ve been messing with our sister,” Ethan said with a growl.

Unexpected tears burned Rusty’s eyes as she stared agape at the scowling brothers.

Donovan curled his lip back and took a step forward. Matt shrunk about three inches and went even paler. “Do you know what we do with punks like you?” Donovan asked.

“N-no sir.”

“I have no respect for little pricks who beat up on women,” Garrett snarled. “Especially a woman who happens to be a part of my family. Let me give you a little advice, Winfree. Stay away from Rusty. Far, far away. If I ever catch you near her, if you ever even say her name to anyone, I’ll find a dark hole for your body and trust me, no one will ever find you. You got me?”

Matt’s head bobbed up and down, his eyes so wide that he looked like a deer in the headlights. Rusty wiped at her eyes, determined she wouldn’t cry. But damn if her chest wasn’t about to burst open. Their sister. They’d called her their sister. A part of their family. They were sticking up for her. Hell, they’d just threatened to kill a guy if he ever messed with her again.

She stared at them in wonder as Matt all but ran to his car. A moment later, in a squall of tires, he roared out of the parking lot.

“I can’t believe you did that,” she whispered. “For me.”

Sam grimaced and his expression softened as he took a step toward her. “We meant every word. You’re our sister. Mom’s taken you under her wing, and her chick you’re going to stay. No one fucks with the Kellys, and I mean no one. You’ve been around us long enough to know that by heart. Well, you’re a Kelly now and no one’s going to mess with you.”

Without pondering the rightness or whether he’d be appalled, Rusty launched herself into Sam’s arms, nearly toppling them both over. She squeezed him so tight that it was a wonder he could breathe, and she’d never felt anything better in her life.

Brothers. Protective older brothers. The mind boggled. That they gave a shit about her stunned her. And it felt better than she could have ever imagined.

“Thank you,” she said as she gripped him harder. “No one’s ever done anything like that for me.”

When she finally drew away, she was embarrassed by the tears streaking down both cheeks. Her nose was all snotty and she probably looked ridiculous.

“Got a hug for your other brothers?” Garrett drawled.

She eyed him suspiciously for a moment. He was nice enough to Rachel, and Rusty saw him be affectionate and lovey with both Rachel and Sophie, but the truth was, he scared the shit out of her. But when he opened his arms, she forgot all about her fear and launched herself into his embrace.

One by one they all hugged her until she was a weepy, snotty mess. She cried all over them and they sighed indulgently, just like big brothers should. It was the best day of her entire life.

CHAPTER 40

“SO what are you going to do now?” Donovan asked quietly when he and Garrett were finally alone.

Garrett dropped onto the couch in the war room and stared tiredly at his younger brother. “I’m going to Boston to kick the shit out of Stanley Cross and make sure the little bastard never tries anything with Sarah again.”

“I’m going,” Donovan said tightly.

Garrett nodded. “Rio called a while ago. He wants in too. I’m going to make that little son of a bitch pay.”

“We could always make him disappear,” Donovan said with a shrug. “There are places where his body would never be found.”

“Don’t tempt me. I’ve never contemplated cold-blooded murder in my life, but I’d do it now and suffer no regrets.”

“And afterward? What then?”

Garrett knew what Donovan was asking. “Then I’m going after Sarah. I’m bringing her home with me. I’m not coming back without her.”

“I figured.”

“Yeah, I know you did,” Garrett muttered. “I’m head over ass for her. I can’t imagine my life without her. She may not forgive me. I don’t know what the hell I’ll do then.”

“You’ve never been the type to give up,” Donovan said dryly. “You’re a stubborn bastard.”

The security doors opened, admitting Sam.

“Thought you were on kid duty,” Garrett said.

Sam wore a frown and Donovan and Garrett exchanged uneasy glances.

“Joe’s been hurt. Busted his leg. He’s being flown to Fort Campbell.”

“Shit,” Donovan swore. “What about Nathan?”

“No word on Nathan. Ma got the call a while ago. All they told her was that Joe was hurt in combat. They patched him up and were flying him to the base. He’ll be there tomorrow.”

“That’s it, though? How did he break it? Bullet or what?”

“They didn’t tell her shit,” Sam said in frustration. “She’s pissed and ready to go kick some army ass. I’m going over with her tomorrow to keep her in line or she’ll end up behind bars.”

Donovan chuckled despite the seriousness of the situation. Then he glanced at Garrett. “Should we wait to see Joe before we head to Boston, or you want to go now?”

“What the fuck are you going to Boston for?” Sam demanded.

“A little unfinished business,” Garrett said quietly.

“Shit. Don’t call me to bail your asses out of jail.”

“I won’t let him kill him,” Donovan promised. “Rio and I will be there to witness what goes down. I guarantee you that Cross will fall down a few flights of stairs. Maybe more than once.”

Sam chuckled and shook his head. “I can’t even bring myself to call you down. I’d like a piece of the bastard myself for what he did.”

“We’ll wait for Joe to get in. I want to make sure he’s all right,” Garrett said. “Van, get the Kelly jet fueled and ready to go. I’ll let Rio know what’s going on so he can meet us there.”

THE whole Kelly family descended on the base the next day. Even Rusty came along and Marlene evidently had been made aware of the fact that her boys had showed up at Rusty’s school because she beamed at them nonstop the entire afternoon.

At least she hadn’t kissed them and pinched their cheeks in front of the military personnel on the base.

Sophie had little Charlotte bundled up, and Garrett had to admit the kid looked cute as a button in all that pink. She was a beautiful girl, just like her mama. Garrett gave Sam shit about how glad he was she hadn’t taken after her daddy. Sam just grinned and agreed wholeheartedly.

Rachel had hugged Garrett so tight that he’d felt immediate guilt for not going over to see her the minute he got back. He’d been too preoccupied with thoughts of Sarah and calling Resnick every five minutes to get a status report.

“Hey, sweet pea,” he murmured into Rachel’s ear as she hugged him. “You doing okay?”

“I’m fine. It’s you I’ve been worried about.”

She drew away and he could see the concern darken her already dark brown eyes. It gratified him to see that she’d filled out more and the shadows she wore under her eyes like permanent bruises had lightened. She looked ... happy. Content.

“You look terrific,” he said. “Ethan’s been taking good care of you, I see.”

She smiled, her entire face lighting up. Rachel was a beautiful woman, but when she smiled, it seemed the sun shone just a little brighter. Ethan and Sam had chosen well with Rachel and Sophie. Now Garrett couldn’t wait to bring Sarah home to meet his family. They’d love her. He just knew it. And she’d love them too.

“She’ll forgive you, Garrett,” Rachel said softly so only he would hear. “Donovan told me some of what happened. Don’t be angry at him. I did puppy dog eyes at him.”

Garrett laughed, making the rest of his family look over at him to see what was going on. He lowered his voice and turned Rachel to the side. “You’re evil, Rachel. You know Van can’t resist you when you do that.”

“That’s the point,” she said with a mischievous grin. Then she sobered slightly. “You love her a lot.”

Garrett sighed and glanced sideways again. It wasn’t as if he was ashamed of his feelings. He just wasn’t ready to share them with the world yet. “Yeah, I do. I fucked up though.”

Rachel touched his arm and then wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug. “I know a lot about pain. And forgiveness.”

Garrett squeezed her back. “I know you do, sweet pea. Ethan’s so lucky to have you.”

“She’ll forgive you if she loves you. She’s hurting right now, but she’ll realize that being without you hurts more.”

“I hope you’re right. I’m a stubborn son of a bitch. I don’t plan to come home without her.”

“I can’t wait to meet her. I can only think she must be an amazing woman if you love her.”

“Well, I love you and you’re amazing,” Garrett said.

She smiled. They were interrupted when the doctor came into the waiting area where the Kellys had been stashed. Marlene pounced immediately, though Frank wasn’t far behind.

“How’s my son?” she demanded.

“He’s doing quite well,” the doctor said as he surveyed the gathered family members. “A bullet shattered the fibula and we’re taking him into surgery shortly to reconstruct the bone.”

“Can we see him before you take him to surgery?” Marlene asked anxiously. “I want him to know we’re here.”

The doctor chuckled. “Oh, he knows you’re here. I think the entire base knows you’re here. I’ll let you in to see him for five minutes. You’ll be able to see him again when he comes out of recovery.”

The entire family crowded into the small holding room where Joe was propped against several pillows, his leg swathed in tight gauze to anchor the break.

“Ma, Dad!” His entire face lit up when his parents entered the room, his brothers right behind them. “Hell, you all didn’t have to come.”

Sam snorted. “As if we wouldn’t come, little brother. What the hell have you done to yourself this time?”

Garrett watched as Marlene fussed and clucked, kissed and petted. He grinned as Joe ate it all up just like he was a young boy with a boo-boo again.

“It’s damn good to see you again, son,” Frank boomed out. “I’d rather not have had to see you in the hospital, though.”

“Joe, do you know anything about Nathan?” Marlene asked anxiously.

Joe grimaced and shook his head. “Sorry, Ma. He wasn’t with me. Things were pretty tense. We were separated into two teams. Our team came under attack. I took a bullet. Two of our guys died. I don’t know about Nathan’s team. No one has told me jackshit.”

“I’m sorry,” Marlene said softly. “I’m sorry about your team members.”

Joe leaned back, his face white with pain and fatigue. “Yeah, it sucks. We were coming home after this mission. Most of us were getting out. We talked about nothing else for the last weeks. We all had plans. Now two of them aren’t coming home and three of us are in the hospital. I’m lucky to be alive, I guess.”

“Guess you’ll be home faster than you thought,” Ethan piped in. “Might take them a little while to get you discharged, but you sure as hell won’t be going anywhere after this.”

“Nathan and I were supposed to get out together,” Joe said through a clenched jaw. “This sucks. It wasn’t supposed to happen like this.”

“I’m just glad you’re alive,” Marlene said as she kissed his cheek again. “My prayers are so close to being answered. My babies back home, where they belong.”

The nurse stuck her head in the door and looked pointedly at the gathered Kellys.

“Time for us to go, Joe,” Frank said as he rose. “We’ll be here, though. We aren’t going anywhere. We’ll see you when you get out of surgery.”

Garrett stepped forward and took Joe’s hand. “Hey man, I’m shoving off for a few days. I have some loose ends to tie up. I’ll be back soon. I’ll be checking on you through Ma.”