Will rolled a block of ice in a towel and handed it to me. “You’re sure you don’t want to get checked out?” he asked, eyeing my throat.

I shook my head. “No, the ice and painkillers are fine.” The hospital would be more uncomfortable than this couch, not to mention more invasive. What I needed right now was to breathe and to relax.

I’m safe.

For now.

I pressed the cool pack to the back of my head with a grimace. It hurt a lot more now that the adrenaline was no longer flooding my veins.

“But are you okay?” Will’s soft tone did not match the faint flush of his cheeks or the fury blackening his gaze. “Sorry, that’s a stupid question. Of course you’re not.” He ran his fingers through his hair and paced the living area. “Fuck, if I’d answered my phone sooner . . . But I kept ignoring it . . .” He shook his head and went to his knees before me. When his head fell to my lap, my heart broke a little. He evidently blamed himself. “I’m so sorry, Rachel.”

“Don’t,” I whispered. “Don’t apologize for him.” It was reminiscent of what he had said to me after I’d told him about Ryan . . . Don’t apologize on his behalf ever again. Will’s nod said he understood, but his eyes still grieved.

If he hadn’t shown up when he did, who knew what would have happened. My body had frozen when Ryan started to unzip his pants, and all the fight inside of me fled. He’d reduced me to my most vulnerable state with a simple act. I’d managed to stand up to him in person for the first time in years, but one flip of a switch sent me back to my knees. Literally.

“I hate him,” I seethed. “I fucking hate him.”

Will’s arms came around my middle as he hugged me awkwardly from the floor. We stayed like that, holding each other, without speaking, for countless minutes until a buzzing interrupted the moment. He pulled the phone from his pocket, took one look at the number, and handed it to me. “This will be for you.”

“Just put it on speaker.” I didn’t have the energy to move, and everything hurt.

“She’s okay,” Will said by way of answering.

“That remains to be seen.” My brother’s voice knocked my brain into motion. I’d completely forgotten that he called before Ryan arrived.

“Caleb?”

“Hi, little sis.” The affection in his tone floored me. He never cooed at me, not like this. “Kincaid will be there in about three hours, so just hang tight, okay? I would come myself, but he was closer.”

I gaped at the phone as my mouth filled with questions. “What are you talking about? And how did you get Will’s number? No, scratch that, how did you know about Ryan? And what number are you using? Where—”

“Whoa, whoa, don’t go all lawyer on my ass, Rach. Look, all you need to know is Kincaid is on his way to you. He’ll explain as much as he can. Until then, stay put and I’ll handle things from here. Oh, and don’t worry about Albertson either. I should have handled him years ago, but I didn’t want to intervene. Now he’s left me no choice.”

“I’m going to need more answers than that, Caleb.” I told him flatly, my fire slowly returning. “How do you even know about Ryan? You weren’t there the one year I brought him home for the holidays, and Lord knows we hardly talk.”

The sigh that came over the line was trademark Caleb. Always brooding, always tired. I couldn’t even remember the last time I’d seen my brother smile.

“We may not see each other or talk very often, but I’m always there, Rach. And I’ll always be there.”

The line went dead.

Will pocketed the phone and arched a blond brow. “What did you say your brother does for a living?”

“He has some desk job with the government.” Whenever someone brought it up, he would shrug, spout something about it being boring, and change the subject.

“Right,” Will replied with a snort. “He’s the reason I found you. Not only did he figure out my private phone number and call me to say Albertson was in the hotel, but he knew what room the bastard had dragged you to. That requires a level of security access that goes well beyond the typical ‘desk job.’ ”

“Caleb called you too?” Obviously, he did. Will just said that, and he recognized the number when my brother called him back again. Stupid question. “I wonder how he knew.”

“I’m guessing he hacked into the hotel’s security cameras, which, again, implies skills beyond that of a clerk. Not to mention, I don’t think it’s necessarily legal either.”

“You think he works with Mark, then?” I’d never thought about it before, but it would make sense. As far as I knew, they were still best friends despite working in different cities and rarely seeing each other. Was it all a cover?

“Absolutely, and no way they’re FBI either. From my understanding, federal agents operate inside the United States, not outside of it.”

His assessment matched mine, but I didn’t have the energy left to ponder it. I exhaled heavily and winced. My shoulder felt stiff from holding my hand up, which was sad considering it’d only been about ten minutes.

“Here, let me.” Will slipped onto the couch beside me and took control of the ice pack. My arm fell limp to my side, thankful for the break. Everything ached. My feet, my throat, my stomach, my ego . . .

I relaxed into the strong man beside me and fought the urge to cry. This emotional roller-coaster ride we were on needed to end, and there was only one way to do it. But it would require all the strength I had left, and then some.

“He’ll never stop,” I whispered. “He’ll consider this a setback and come after me again later when we least expect it.”

“And I’ll kick his ass.” So certain, but it wouldn’t solve anything. Knowing Ryan, he would frame it in a way to make Will look bad or ruin his reputation somehow. My ex held an advanced degree in manipulation and never hesitated to use it when he wanted something.

I shook my head but stopped when the room started to spin. “No, we have to beat him at his own game. It’s the only way.” A restraining order would just make him laugh, as would increased security or bodyguards. Which reminded me . . . “What happened to Sam and Beau?”

“According to your brother, Ryan fucked with their water upstairs and knocked them out cold. I don’t know if he did it himself or hired someone, but either way, it shows he had access to their rooms and the bottles in their fridge.”

Because that wasn’t terrifying. “I warned you. He knows people, Will. It’s always been this way with him.” I shivered and folded myself into his warmth. “He was talking about his friends with the TTB.” I knew Will would recognize the abbreviation, as his company would have filed several documents with them over the years.

Will chuckled. “He wants to come after Mershano Vineyards, does he? I’d love to see him try. He seems to be under the impression that I don’t have access to similar resources, which is a fault on his part. And you call me arrogant.”

“This isn’t a joke, Will. He could hurt you.”

He set the ice off to the side and pulled me into his lap. “Darlin’, you let me worry about me, okay? I grew up with men like Albertson. He’s nothing new, and he sure as fuck doesn’t scare me. What does scare me is how close he came to hurting you. It was purely a power play on his part to grab you and hurt you within arm’s reach of me. He knew I would find you, but probably hoped it would be a bit later. He wanted to deliver a message, and he succeeded. Except I’m not backing off. If it’s a fight he wants, he better fucking bring it.”

Promise and certainty underlined each word, and I could see the determination in his eyes. Ryan’s warning had backfired. He expected Will to tuck tail and run, but the strong man holding me had no intention of taking the bait.

“You’re amazing,” I said, awed. Most men would walk away from my baggage with a muttered “Good luck,” but not Will. He sat beside me, radiating strength and fury on my behalf, and knew all the words to put me at ease. I should have been a quivering mess of tears right now, but instead, I felt safe. My body ached all over, and I’d definitely be covered in bruises tomorrow, but inside, I knew nothing could harm me. Relying on another person went against the grain, and yet, that’s what relationships were all about.

Trust.

Security.

Understanding.

Love.

I smiled at that last thought and let out a little laugh. Because it rang true. I loved Will. This man, this impossible, stubborn, trying man, had bulldozed over all my barriers and plowed into my heart with the speed of a freight train. I never thought it possible to grant anyone such intimate access again, but nothing about this man met normal standards. When he wanted something, he took it all, and I was no exception.

His brow crumpled as he studied me. My giggle must have confused him. Talk about the wrong time to realize how I felt. But to hell with it. He had to know, and if Ryan’s threat wasn’t going to make him run, neither were a few harmless words.

“Will Mershano, I’ve just realized I love you.” There. Done. No taking it back, no running away, no hiding. He wanted me to fight, and this was it. I, too, could go after what I desired, and I craved him. Always, and forever.

His forehead smoothed as his lips curled into a breathtaking smile. “Oh, darlin’, if you’re just realizing that, then I have more work to do.”

I slapped his chest playfully. “Always arrogant.”

Those dimples deepened. “I’ve earned it.”

“You have,” I conceded and curled back into his chest. Content. My eyes fell closed on a yawn. All the commotion from this evening had exhausted me, and I knew that with Mark coming, we were in for a long night.

“Rachel?”

“Hmm?” I murmured, groggy.

“I love you too.”