Chapter 30

30

I really wished I'd paid more attention when my dad was teaching me how to shoot. I was more interested in learning how to aim and fire, not to mention gun safety, and hadn't been paying much attention to lessons about the gun.

He'd gone into great detail about what each one was named, the caliber of bullet the shot, barrel length, all sorts of crap I wasn't interested in. Probably why beyond knowing how to handle a weapon safely and how to shoot I knew nothing about guns. What I really wished I'd paid attention to was the capacity of ammunition a revolver held.

I would count the holes in the cylinder if she'd quit swinging it around in front of me, but she wasn't stopping and I could hardly focus, my temple and cheek hurt so bad. And I could feel blood dripping down my face.

I was on my knees in front of Derek Lowe's tombstone.

Natalie had been blathering on about how I'd murdered her brother and how she was going to kill me. I knew she was going to do it. Her eyes had gone dull and dim. There was something missing, like, maybe her soul. Whatever it was, I wasn't waiting for her to explain why she'd snapped. I didn't care. I went for the gun, we struggled, and she'd fired two shots. Then she'd swung the gun and hit me in the face with it. Pain bloomed and I dropped to my knees.

Now I was staring at the man's grave who'd killed my baby.

Beloved son and brother.

Fuck. That.

Drug dealing killer was more like it.

I continued to scan the granite and I understood why Natalie decided today was the day she was going to turn full-out loony tunes. Today was her brother's birthday.

I wanted to spit on his grave and claw the dirt with my nails until I reached the box he'd been buried in so I could dump his rotting bones in the dumpster where they belonged.

"Get up!" Natalie screamed.

I got to my feet, feeling less vulnerable now that I was standing.

Tires screeching drew her attention back to the street and I didn't hesitate—I lunged.

We landed on the ground with a thud, she was under me and I started swinging. I think I missed the first few times because I was still trying to get my balance. I finally landed a punch to her jaw and my knuckles felt like they broke. I didn't care. I didn't care she was screaming, or was that me? I didn't care she had a gun in her hand, I didn't care she'd threatened to kill me.

I was blinded by rage and fueled by despair. Her brother had taken one child from me. She was not going to take this one as well.

I was raining fury and hell to her face when suddenly I was pulled back, up off Natalie, and strong arms wrapped around my chest, turning me.

I'd almost lost sight of the crazy woman when she lifted her hand—the sun's rays reflected off the metal and I screamed.

"Gun!"

Two very loud cracks rang out and I was twisted away from the gruesome sight.

My lungs burned as I tried to fill them with much-needed oxygen.

"Breathe, Delaney."

The tone of Carter's voice snapped me to attention and I locked eyes with…not my Carter. His eyes were the same color they always were. A shade of green that was so unique there was no word to describe them. I'd always thought they were beautiful, but when he'd looked at me, from the time we were teenagers on, they'd turn soft and sexy and I knew just by the way he looked at me he adored me. I knew it like I knew my name. Like I knew it in my heart. In my soul. In my bones.

"Carter," I whispered and he let go of me.

"You need to go to the hospital."

What was happening? His expression was murderous, all hard edges, and fury. A look I'd never seen, not from anyone in my life, and most certainly never from him.

"Okay. Take me."

There were sirens wailing in the background, my dad was talking to me, Carter's dad was saying something. Uncle Levi and Uncle Clark were both on their phones, but none of them mattered. Nothing could pull me away from Carter's bottomless stare.

"Delaney—"

"Yes."

"Huh?"

"Yes, Carter, I'll marry you."

"Don't say that. Not now."

"Now's the right time."

"Not here, Delaney," he snapped.

"Yes. Right here, right now. Come back to me, honey. Turn it off and come home to me."

"Delaney."

"I have to go to the hospital, honey." I stepped closer to him, his eyes leaving mine to look at the blood I knew was still streaming down my face. I could taste the coppery liquid in my mouth. My hands rested on his chest and he tried to jerk back.

"Now's not a good time to touch me, Laney."

"I'm not scared of you, Carter. Switch it off, and take me to the hospital."

The sirens were close and the lights to what looked like a hundred first responders filled my line of sight. I paid none of them any mind.

All I wanted was my Carter back. And I knew with great clarity if I didn't get him back right now he'd pull away.

I saw.

I saw the man he'd tried to keep hidden.

And I finally understood how wrong he'd been. He thought I'd be horrified. I'd never been prouder. He thought I'd be scared. I'd never felt safer. He thought this side of him, my warrior, my hero, would make me turn my back on him.

Without care or concern for his own life, he'd protected me. Natalie was taking aim to kill one or both of us and he didn't hesitate. I saw that, too.

"Carter, I wanna take that test now, but I can't unless you're with me. Let's go to the hospital and see if we're having a baby."

Finally his eyes flashed and the storm that was raging inside them settled.

"Fuck!" he roared. "Christ, Laney." My name was ripped from his throat and it sounded painful.

One hand went to my face and he pushed my hair away from the gash at my temple, taking a long hard look at it before he gathered me into his arms and shoved his face into my neck.

And for the second time, my big, strong man broke. I waited for him to catch his breath and when he was ready he lifted his head and asked, "You hurt anywhere else?"

I wanted to laugh at his belated question but instead answered, "No."

"Proud of you, Laney."

"I didn't—"

"You did. You were handling business like a UFC fighter. And one day I may be able to joke about you being a mixed martial arts champion the way you were cleaning that bitch's clock, but it may be a while. In the meantime, just know I'm damn proud of what a strong woman you are."

"The paramedics are ready to take her," Lenox said.

"I'm not leaving her side."

"Nick already cleared it; a uniform will follow you there for questioning. Jasper's going with you."

I looked up at Lenox, a man I'd once called my uncle, but would soon call father-in-law, and much like his son, his face was marred with fear and anger.

"Lenox?"

"Right here, Laney."

"Thank you."

"I didn't—"

"Thank you."

"You're welcome. You two get to the hospital. We'll all be there as soon as we can."

Carter's arm was around me, mine around his waist and I was standing there in a cemetery near the headstone of the man who'd torn my life to hell, a place where his crazy sister had tried to kill me, and I was all right. Actually, I was more than all right. I was good.

"Jasper!" Carter shouted.

My dad lifted his chin in answer and Carter chuckled.

"You mind hurrying it up so we can get our girl to the hospital?"

My dad pinched his lips and some of the anguish washed away. He made his way to us and Carter transferred me to my dad's arms.

We walked to the ambulance, my dad and I, with our arms around each other. His around my shoulders, mine around his middle. Just like he'd done thousands of times before. Something he loved to do. If not with me then my sisters or Mom. Jasper Walker loved his girls, liked showing it, and didn't give a flying rat's ass what that said about him. I thought it said he was the most caring, generous father a girl could ask for. And he'd always said my opinion and that of my mom and sisters was all that mattered to him.

He helped me into the back of the rig and stepped aside, but before Carter could step up, my dad grabbed his hand and with a firm shake and a nod, he helped Carter climb in.

And away we went. A medic was at my side cleaning the gash on my face and asking rapid fire questions and as I was answering, exhaustion took over and I yawned. Carter barked at the poor man and told him that was enough, his outburst causing my dad to laugh.

Yeah, I was all right. Even after a lunatic shot at my sister and held me hostage, driving me to her brother's grave, all the while talking crazy. I'd been scared out of my brain, so afraid I was going to die, but somehow, I'd found the strength to fight. I wasn't going to give up, not on myself, not on Carter, not on my family, and not on the baby I might be carrying.

So while it sucked I was in the back of an ambulance, I was alive, unharmed, and having the two men who meant the most to me in there with me made it bearable—kinda.