Relief mixed with fear inside Katie. This was good, but it could also be very, very bad.

Reardon let loose a string of foul language both inventive and searing. “McKay must have called them before he came down here.”

No duh, genius.

“What do we do now?” Dana asked Reardon.

“Help me find the money, damn it!”

Reardon and Dana went into high gear searching, throwing things out of their way and making a huge mess.

Katie tried to think straight, but the drug still messed with her system. At least her thoughts had unscrambled significantly. She thought she heard the bullhorn again.

The phone on the desk rang, and Reardon glared at it.

“Probably the police,” Katie said.

“Screw them.” Dana almost hissed the words.

The phone rang about eight times before going to the answering machine.

They continued to search, and Katie wished a hundred times she had a bottle of water. She felt parched.

“There’s nothing in here,” Dana said, her voice a growl.

What did I tell you already?

Again the phone went off.

“Should I answer it?” Katie asked.

“No!” Dana and Reardon answered at the same time.

Reardon turned to Dana. “Go out to the front and see what’s happening. Take that bitch with you.”

To Katie’s surprise, Dana hopped to it. She went to Katie and grabbed her by the biceps. She yanked her up. “Come on. You heard him.”

Katie stumbled as Dana steered her to the door and then down the hallway to the front. Katie’s knees trembled as she tried to stay upright. As they walked into the bar area, Katie could see the lay of the land in stark clarity. Cop cars had swarmed the building, lights going. Katie couldn’t see a SWAT command center, but she knew one had to be out there somewhere.

The phone behind the bar rang, so that meant the office would ring, too.

“I’d answer that,” Katie said without looking at Dana.

“Don’t be an idiot.” Dana’s pronunciation made it sound like ee-jit.

“Why did you do this? What are you in all this?” Katie asked.

Dana sniffed. “Cormack is my lover. He wanted me to come to America and take care of Dicky. Find him and convince him to work for us here in the U.S.”

“The Irish mafia?”

“Our branch of it, that is. Dicky didn’t want to cooperate. Oh, he considered it. Said he would at first. Backed out, he did. Worse decision he ever made.”

Katie looked at Dana and took in the other woman’s almost petulant expression. “So you’re the head of this…gang?”

“I thought I was going to be. But then…”

Bingo. Katie went for the jugular, hoping a little psychology would work. “Then?”

“Reardon and Toole took over. This hasn’t gone the way I want at all.”

“I see. Was your plan to hurt anyone?”

“No.”

Dana pushed Katie into a chair and stood by her. She put her weapon to Katie’s head.

Katie stiffened, fear making a thick, dark sludge in her veins. Maybe she’d miscalculated Dana’s willingness to harm others. Maybe in desperation Dana’s dark side would take over entirely.

The phone rang again.

“Dana, if you want to run this show, maybe you should get that phone. Negotiate the way you want this to go.”

“Why should I do that?”

“Do you really think there’s a good outcome to this? You know the SWAT team will come in eventually. It might be another hour or another ten hours. They’re going to wait you out. If you want to make it out of here alive—”

Dana grunted and let out a stream of colorful descriptions for what she did and didn’t want to do. She ended it with, “Damn it.” Dana moved to the phone and answered. “What?”

Katie heard the one sided conversation, picked up on the desperation in Dana’s tone as she worked on a deal. It went on for a bit, but then Katie heard words she didn’t expect.

“Yeah. All right. I’ll surrender. I’m coming out with the woman.”

Katie hadn’t expected that, and for a moment she doubted Dana meant it. Dana hung up and marched to Katie. Dana put the handgun on the table and went for the door. Katie still had the keys, and with trembling fingers she turned off the security system and unlocked the doors.

That’s when Katie heard the shot coming from behind her and Reardon’s virulent curses as he fired. Katie dropped to the floor just as Dana fell beside her. Katie had a half second to realize Dana was staring at her, but it was the face of a dead woman looking back. Chaos ensued. Katie covered her head with her arms, hoping she didn’t get shot. The noise was incredible as weapons fired back at Reardon.

Katie thought she heard shots somewhere else in the building, and terror shot through her. Please, please let Nathan and my uncle be safe. Please.

Kate shivered in reaction as the gunshots stopped. She lay on her stomach, not daring to move. Shouts came from all directions, then the pounding of feet. Weakness caught up with her. She could barely move. Someone pressed warm fingers to her neck. Above that she heard more shouting, but at least no more gunshots.

She heard someone shouting, “This one is alive. Get a medic over here.”

She shifted and tried to roll over and sit up.

“Easy, easy.” The guy looking down at her wore full tactical SWAT gear. “Medics are coming. Just lie still.”

Katie didn’t care. “Nathan McKay and my uncle are up there. There’s a guy by the name of Toole that has them.”

The SWAT guy smiled at her. “No, he doesn’t. Seems McKay and your uncle kicked serious ass.”

It was then that she saw Nathan and her uncle coming into the bar area, followed by two SWAT team members.

“Nathan,” she croaked the word, her throat so tight she could barely make sound.

Profound relief hit her, and so did tears. They rolled down her face. She struggled to her feet with the SWAT officer’s help.

Nathan picked up speed, a smile on his face. He snatched her into his arms and held tight.

Amid all the noise, he whispered something into her ear that sounded like, “I love you.”

Dazed, she pulled back from him in shock. Before she could ask if she’d heard him right, cops came up and wanted to question them.

“Katie needs to go to the hospital,” Malcolm said.

“She was given GHB,” Nathan said.

Paramedics came into the bar and from there started their examination while Nathan and Malcolm talked with the authorities.

“We recommend you go to the hospital,” one paramedic said a few moments later.

“Your vitals are really good for someone with GHB in their system,” the other paramedic said.

Katie nodded. “I know the drill. I used to be an ER nurse.”

Nathan came over a moment later. “Can’t go with you to the hospital, Katie.” He looked a little perturbed. “The cops still have questions. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

“I understand.” She did, but boy did she want Nathan by her side.

He reached for her hand and brought it to his lips. “I’ll see you a little later.” He gave the paramedics a solid, no-nonsense look. “Take care of her, okay?”

The female paramedic, whose name tag said Robertson, nodded and smiled. “You got it.”

As they led her to the ambulance, Katie heard Nathan’s words repeating over and over in her head.

I love you.

Later on, in the emergency room, Katie used everything she knew about being a nurse to tolerate the situation that came from being in a hospital. Hours went by and Katie told the staff that she’d check herself out soon. She’d done so well with treatment for the GHB, she didn’t want to stay the night. Blood tests showed that the drug had started to clear from her system, which was sometimes the case for GHB.

Her mind swirled with questions. Detective Busby had arrived, along with another police officer, to question her. It’s then she learned that the Irish trio of Dana Simpson, Reardon and Toole had worked for Cormack Toole. Dana, Reardon and Toole had shot at Nathan and Dicky with intent on killing Dicky. As it turned out, Dicky had passed away only an hour ago from complications stemming from the gunshot wound. She shed some tears for him. She’d gotten along well with him and felt awful even though Dicky had been involved with criminal activity. Reardon had died in the shootout with police.

“Your uncle and Nathan McKay overpowered Toole and trussed him up like a chicken. They called 9-1-1 and told us what was happening once they’d overpowered Toole. They wanted to come down and help SWAT take out Reardon and Simpson, but we encouraged them to stay upstairs,” Busby explained.

She smiled, which would’ve seemed inappropriate, but she had this interesting vision of Toole incapacitated and hogtied.

Less than a minute later, Nathan and Uncle Malcolm peeked around the curtains pulled around her bed. Nathan came to her right side and took her hand as Busby and the other officer excused themselves and departed.

“You all right?” Nathan asked, worry etched on his face. “Sorry it took so long to get here. Cops had a thousand questions.”

“You had us worried, little girl,” Uncle Malcolm said.

She smiled at her uncle. He hadn’t called her little girl since she was…well, a little girl. He didn’t show affection easily, so she counted the nickname as a plus. When he leaned over and kissed her cheek, that surprised her yet again.

“I think my parents are going to tell me I have to move back home after this. It’s dangerous working in your pub,” she said.

Uncle Malcolm’s expression turned rueful. “I’m beginning to think so, too. That my place is dangerous.”

Nathan’s eyebrows arched. “Your parents would ask you to move home?”

She smiled. “No. They just didn’t want me to leave nursing. This will give them one more excuse to tell me how wrong I was to leave it.”

“But then I never would’ve met you,” Nathan said, a smile curving his handsome mouth.

An arrow of unexpected arousal hit her low in the stomach. She wanted to get him alone and do something that required being naked.

Nathan’s eyes narrowed. “You really okay?”

“I’m fine. I almost feel normal. It’s been about seven hours since Dana put GHB in my wine. I’m lucky she didn’t give me a large dose, or I’d still be out like a light or…”

Dead. She couldn’t vocalize it.

Nathan squeezed her hand gently. She returned his touch, loving the reassurance his big, strong hand gave her.

Uncle Malcolm looked between her and Nathan. “Are they letting you out?”

“I pulled the ‘I’m a former ER nurse’ and can take care of myself card. I’ve signed the paperwork already.”

“Then let’s get you home,” Malcolm said.

* * *

It didn’t take long to get home, and after they entered and locked the building, Malcolm stated he was heading straight to bed. After he left, Katie took Nathan’s hand and without a word, led him to her apartment. Once inside, she turned to him and drew him into a hug.

Cuddled in his arms, she shivered. “I don’t want to be alone tonight. Can you stay here?”

Oh, hell yeah. He was glad she’d asked. He wanted that more than anything. He held her tighter, running his hands up and down her back. It was more than comfort for her, it made him feel better, too.

He tilted her face up and kissed her nose. “Anything you want, sweetheart. I’ll stay as long as you want.”

Her smile was damned angelic. He brushed hair away from her eyes, his libido crying out to kiss her. He wanted her with a staggering strength. He also understood this wasn’t the time for sex. She needed sleep, and there were dark circles under her eyes.

She cupped his face between her palms. “I’m sorry.”

“About what?”

“That I got us into that mess today. I—”

“Whoa, Katie. You’re not responsible for what happened.” He steered her toward the couch and they sank down on it. He slipped his arm around her shoulders and drew her close. “You had no idea…none of us did, that Dana was part of the Irish mafia.”

“I guess. I just feel like an idiot about now.”

“Then your uncle and I qualify as idiots, too. They got the drop on all of us. When all of this was going down, I kicked myself that I hadn’t asked Finn to stay here. We’ll lick our wounds and move on.”

“It would’ve been worse. Or could have been worse if you and Malcolm hadn’t taken out Toole.”

Nathan smiled. “Yeah, that helped.”

“Are you okay, Nathan? I never asked…”

“Sweetheart, I’m better than all right. First, I’ve been through some gnarly situations in the military. Second, you’re safe now. That’s all that matters to me.”

She sighed and yawned. “Oh, God. I’m so tired.” She laid her head on his shoulder and yawned yet again. “I’ve got one question.”

“What’s that?”

“What is a MFIC?”

He laughed. “Well…uh, it’s very vulgar.”

She looked up at him. “Let me guess. It’s a polite form of some military saying.”

“Bingo.”

“Well? Tell me. I won’t be offended.”

He grinned. “Okay. It’s mother fucker in charge.”

She burst out laughing, which kind of surprised him. He laughed with her, and then she laid her head back on his shoulder.

“I think that’s a term I’m going to use from now on,” she said through another yawn.

“You have my permission.”

She snorted.

He drew her closer to him, and within moments she’d fallen asleep. He could’ve woken her up or carried her to her room, but he didn’t have the heart to wake her up. He had his own selfish reasons for staying right here and not moving a muscle. When he’d told her he loved her, it had taken him by surprise. A few seconds later he’d realized he had spoken the truth. His love for her had grown over time, and when shit hit the oscillating device, it hit him hard that he’d better tell her in case he never had another chance.

He hadn’t lied about being okay. He was. Now that she was in his arms.

* * *

Katie awakened some time later feeling disoriented. She realized she was lying on her right side. Although she was missing her shoes, she was fully dressed and under a blanket on her bed. Also under the blanket and curled around her was a big, hard male. She blinked in the semi darkness. Only the night light from the bathroom illuminated the room. She immediately recognized Nathan’s distinct masculine scent, a musk and sandalwood that drove her a little crazy she liked it so much.

“Mmm.” The sound in his throat was deep and husky. “You all right?”

“I’m fantastic.”

She was. Being here in his arms, alive, was one of the best things she’d ever experienced.

She shifted against him and reached back. Her fingers came in contact with denim jeans. Like her, he was still fully clothed. His hips pressed forward and oh. She couldn’t miss the long, thick bar of his erection. She sucked in a breath as delicious warmth filled her lower belly. His palm slid up and under her shirt and landed warm and heavy on her stomach. He started to move away from her.

“Don’t go,” she whispered.

She turned toward him, and he gathered her back into his arms. In one motion they both moved, and their lips came together. She arched against Nathan, wanting everything he wanted to give. His lips trailed over her forehead, down to her ear. He pressed little kisses that teased as they touched her neck, her nose, her chin. Each brush of his lips brought sweet tingles of delight, sparks that lit her from within. She wanted everything now, yet wished to savor it slowly. They melted into each other as he took another kiss. His tongue tasted her, and she responded to the blatant stroke that mimicked sex.

Heat engulfed her as she tried to touch him everywhere, threading her fingers through his hair, cupping his beard-roughed jaw, encircling his broad shoulders. Cupping, testing, caressing everywhere, they explored each other. They kissed for ages until he teased her nipple through her shirt and bra, a relentless touch that made her moan and almost beg for more. Her nipples went tight and tingled. She hissed in a breath and lifted her hips into his.

He eased back and onto his haunches. In the dim light she could see enough to drive her crazy. With a swift move, he peeled his shirt over his head and revealed a torso to die for. Nathan was everything she’d imagined. A sprinkle of reddish brown hair spread over his muscled pecs and down over a well-defined six pack and into his the waistband of his jeans. Her mouth almost watered. Without hesitation, he came down beside her again. He shoved her shirt up around her neck, unhooked her bra and freed her breasts. A moment later he worshipped her. Sweet kisses peppered the sides of her breasts and all around the nipples, never quite touching the hard tips, making her insane until she twisted against him in desperation. When she didn’t think she could take it a moment longer, he licked one nipple and gently caressed the other with his thumb.

“Oh, God,” she said as the pleasure spiked. “Nathan.”

Over and over he licked and stroked. Arousal spiked so high inside her, she thought she might come just from this. He suckled both her nipples and she gasped.

“Please,” she said, moaning as he stopped.

He eased down her body, kissing as he went. He helped her shuck her pants and toss them away. Soon she was naked, and moments later, so was he. She tried to reach for him, but he kissed his way down her legs and back up. He parted her thighs.

“Sweetheart,” he said in a reverent voice. “You’re so wet.”

Just those words made her crazy with need. She shivered and groaned as he stroked her with his fingers and slid two deep within her. As he settled in to taste her, the pleasure came quickly. He moved his fingers inside her slowly and when he licked her clit, she came apart. Orgasm slammed her hard and fast. She held back a fierce cry. He brought her down, her panting breath the loudest sound in the room. He caressed and kissed his way back to her mouth, and she tasted herself on his lips.

She wanted to discover what it would feel like to have him buried deep within her. Just imagining it promised to set her on fire, the deep ache between her thighs burning higher and hotter.

“Sweetheart, do you have protection?” he asked.

“In the nightstand.”

“Thank God,” he said, his voice thick with lust.

Within moments he’d located a condom, and she heard him put it on. He came down between her legs, found and touched her with his thickness. She arched against him again, aching with a need so profound she thought she’d die if she didn’t get him inside her soon.

He sank deep in one slow, relentless thrust. He parted her deep, wide until she gasped at the delicious sensation of his heat and thickness. She’d never felt anything so wonderful in her life. Nathan kissed her again, holding still within her. Seconds built as he kissed her tenderly, as if savoring their connection. The ache inside built, urging her to arch and writhe. He finally moved, each stroke a ruthlessly slow and gentle caress that stroked a wildly sensitive spot inside her. Each second drove her closer to insanity as he refused to quicken his thrusts. It was agony and bliss.

A wild flutter began deep in her womb, a tremor of absolute arousal. She held on to it, as she held on to him. The pleasure was too hot, too wild to be contained. His breathing quickened, his gasps for breath rough.

As if he’d read her mind, he rasped, “Give me everything.”

“Yes.”

Fierce need took control, shortening her patience. Aching from within, she clung to his powerful arms, digging in her fingers and her legs twining around him. She couldn’t get close enough, deep enough into him or him into her. The tingle built in her core until she was crying out, begging him. Another slow stroke and she came apart. She muffled her cry against his shoulder as ecstasy engulfed her world and took over her senses.

He quickened, thrusting harder until with a growl, he stiffened and shook in her arms. As he panted for breath, he drew her close and rolled them to their sides. Not long after, he went to the bathroom and a few moments later returned. They snuggled again.

“You…are amazing,” he said softly, caressing her hair as he caught his breath.

“Mmm. So are you. I’ve never…it’s never been like that for me.”

He clutched her tightly, hugging her as if he feared she might leave. He sighed deeply, and the contentment she heard in the sound warmed her to the core.

As she basked in that realization, she needed to know one thing. “You said you loved me when we were in that desperate situation.”

“It’s true. I know it’s sort of fast…”

“I love you, Nathan. I love you.”

“I had to tell you in case something happened…in case…”

She placed her index finger over his lips. “I know.”

They kissed, caressed until she knew it wouldn’t be long before they made love again.