Chapter 15

Chapter Fifteen

Despite the medical staff surrounding him in the emergency department, Gabe’s heart was full. He felt at peace knowing he’d told Cassidy how much he loved her.

He’d been poked, prodded, and taken for scans. He’d lost track of the time; he may have been there for one hour or twelve. The bright lights overhead hurt his head, so he closed his eyes and pictured Cassidy’s concerned features. Just imagining her beautiful face helped him to relax. He didn’t like knowing she was likely upset with him for leaving without her, but she and the rest of the team had come through for him. And for Travis.

He’d saved his younger brother. And that was all that mattered.

Feeling the sharp poke of a needle made him frown. It wasn’t nearly as painful as the ache in his head and the pain spreading across his chest with every breath, but still. Wasn’t he on the precipice of being welcomed into heaven by Jesus?

“Can you open your eyes?” a voice asked.

He did so, squinting against the light. A pretty face loomed over him, and he thought she looked familiar.

“I’m Dr. Finnegan, and you’re at Trinity Medical Center,” she said. “Can you tell me your name?”

That’s right, she was Colin Finnegan’s wife. Rhy’s sister-in-law. Faye? Yes, Faye Finnegan. He remembered thinking that his boss was related to half the first responders in the city. “Gabe Melrose.”

Dr. Finnegan nodded. “Great. And how are you feeling?”

That was an odd question to ask someone who was dying. “Like I was hit in the chest with a bullet.”

“Yes, and you have quite the bruise to show for it. We’re monitoring your heart closely to make sure you don’t suffer an acute myocardial injury. You’ve had some irregular heartbeats, but nothing that requires additional treatment at this time.”

What was she saying? His heart was bruised, but he wasn’t dying? “I don’t understand. I thought...” He let his voice trail off.

Faye rested a hand on his arm. “You’re going to be fine, Gabe. We have done CT scans of your head and your chest. There’s no internal bleeding, which is a relief, as we heard you have had two head injuries recently.” She arched a brow as if he’d done it on purpose.

“Yeah. My head still hurts,” he admitted. “So does my chest.”

“I’m sure they do,” Faye said with a nod. “We have the cardiology team involved in your care. They’ll keep an eye on your heart for the next twenty-four hours, but if things continue to look good, you’ll be discharged home to rest.” Her expression turned stern. “And I mean rest. Not work. I know you’re the technical backbone for Rhy’s team, but you’ll need to take it easy for a while.”

“Okay.” Discharged. He was shocked to hear that he’d be home soon. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” Faye’s smile was kind. She had red hair, too, but wasn’t nearly as beautiful as Cassidy.

He winced and shifted on the cot, realizing he’d told Cassidy he loved her because he thought he was dying. Now he wasn’t, and he felt ridiculous for blurting out the truth like that.

Yet he couldn’t regret his actions. Maybe she’d chalk it up to his being shot. He knew Cassidy only viewed him as a friend.

Although, hadn’t she kissed him?

“Gabe?” Another beautiful face loomed over him, and this time he recognized Rhy’s sister Alanna Carmichael. At least his memory was back, which was a minor miracle in itself. “We’re going to move you to a private room, okay?”

“Yeah. Sure.” He was in no position to argue, and a moment later, he found himself being wheeled through the hallway.

They hadn’t gotten far when Cassidy rushed forward, grabbing the cart’s side rails. “Gabe! You’re okay?”

He couldn’t help smiling up at her. She was so beautiful his heart ached. Not with pain, but in a good way. “I’m fine. Going home soon.”

“Home!” Cassidy looked shocked.

“Maybe tomorrow,” Alanna said. “His condition is stable, but the cardiology team is going to watch him closely to make sure his heart doesn’t do anything funny. Surprisingly, though, he seems to have tolerated being shot in the chest fairly well.”

“Have you given him pain medication?” Cassidy asked.

He lifted a hand to the bruise on his chest. “Don’t need it.”

“No, we have given him some fluids but nothing for pain. We can’t risk masking a change in his condition related to his head injury,” Alanna explained.

“You’re sure he hasn’t been given anything for pain?” Cassidy persisted. Her expression was concerned, and he wasn’t sure why.

“I’m fine,” he said. “Really.”

Alanna nodded. “I’m sure. Would you like to walk with us to the cardiology unit?”

“I—yes. Thanks.” Cassidy stepped to the side, and Alanna resumed pulling the foot of the cart. He had no idea who was pushing on the other end behind him. Cassidy reached over and took his hand. “We have the three men in custody, but we don’t know who actually created the malware.”

He thought briefly about Faye’s directive to rest but thrust that aside. If the guy who’d orchestrated this mess was still out there, they needed to find him.

And soon.

“I need a laptop from the precinct,” he said, even though he wasn’t entirely sure how he’d find the mastermind of this thing.

“You’re supposed to rest,” Alanna said with a frown.

“Can’t rest until we get this guy,” Gabe said with a shrug. “I’ll be more stressed if I don’t do my part on this.”

Alanna sighed and shook her head. “I’ll leave that up to you and Rhy to work out.”

Cassidy’s expression was concerned. “Rhy will want you to rest.”

He didn’t say anything until he was settled in his new hospital room. The floor nurse chatted with Alanna, then came in to introduce herself. “My name is Diane. I’ll be your nurse for the day.”

Cassidy stood off to the side as Diane performed a quick exam. She glanced up at the heart monitor above his bed and nodded. “Everything looks good.”

“Thanks.” Once she was gone, he locked eyes with Cassidy. “I need a laptop.”

She sighed. “I’ll talk to Rhy. Even though he’s not happy about how you took off on your own to go to the warehouse.” She glanced away, staring at the wall. “I was hurt by that too.”

“I’m sorry. I never wanted to hurt you or make Rhy angry. It’s just—try to understand. I had to do everything possible to save Travis.”

She finally turned to face him. “You almost died today, Gabe. That’s not something to take lightly.”

“I know. And I’m sorry about that.” He grimaced. “I honestly didn’t expect Turk to shoot me. I figured I’d stall long enough for you and Rhy and the others to arrive.” And his plan had worked.

For the most part.

She bit her lip, then looked away again. He wished he wasn’t in a hospital bed so he could pull her into his arms.

“I had faith in you, Cass. And in God. We’re here today because of His grace.” It was important to him that she realized he’d embraced the Lord.

Her phone rang. She pulled the device from her pocket. “Excuse me, I need to take this,” she said. “This is my stepbrother Ben. I called him and Brian to warn them about the game.”

As she moved toward the door, he heard her say, “Hey, Ben. I’m glad you called me back.”

He remembered Cassidy telling him that her mother’s new husband’s sons were big gamers. And he’d found them on the Dorian site. He wondered how many gamers had already had their networks breached by playing the Sorcerer’s Sword game. Die-hard fans wouldn’t wait until Christmas to get it; they’d camp outside the store the minute the game went on sale.

Once he would have been among them, but his role within the Milwaukee Police Department had changed his priorities. He was more interested in supporting the team than in playing games.

If Travis hadn’t reached out to him about discovering the malware embedded within the Sorcerer’s Sword, he probably wouldn’t be lying here connected to a heart monitor.

Cassidy was gone for so long he’d assumed she’d left without telling him. He stared up at the ceiling, praying she’d find it in her heart to forgive him.

Rhy too. And the rest of the team. Maybe he’d acted rashly, but given the same set of circumstances, he knew he’d make the same decision again.

But what he regretted the most was disappointing Cassidy. He loved her more than anything. It hurt to know that she didn’t feel the same way.

And likely never would.

Cassidy thought her conversation with Ben was odd. He had more questions about what had happened with Gabe than the malware on the game. She’d had to cut it short to take a call from Rhy.

“Gabe wants a laptop, but the doctor has given him strict orders to rest,” she said. “I’m torn because he’s probably the best person to track this guy using the dark web. And Gabe claims he won’t be able to rest until we know the truth.”

“I’m torn too,” Rhy agreed. “I’ve asked Brady to see if Ian can dig into the origin of the malware. But I’d feel better if Gabe were involved. Maybe I’m biased, but Gabe has been a great resource for us, and I believe in him. Besides, two brains working this are better than one.”

“Do you want me to run back to the precinct?” she asked.

“No, I’ll bring it. I need to talk to Gabe anyway,” Rhy said. “I’m glad he’s fine, but if he pulls another stunt like that, leaving without telling us, he’ll be sorry.”

She noticed he didn’t threaten to fire Gabe, that would be like cutting off his nose to spite his face. “This was personal for him. And you know as well as I do, Rhy, most of the team members has put themselves in harm’s way for their loved ones. Even you.”

“Yeah, yeah. I know.” Rhy sounded tired. “I’ll see you soon.” He ended the call without saying anything more.

She stood in the hallway for several minutes, wrestling with putting her conflicted feelings aside. She had been so angry with Gabe for leaving, then horrified and worried when he’d been shot.

He said he loved her, but she still didn’t believe he was of sound mind. Maybe it was the shock of being hit at close range in the chest. Because if Gabe really did love her, why had he left without her?

From the moment he’d contacted her from the gas station, they’d been a team. Working together, side by side.

“I demand to speak to Gabe Melrose,” a shrill voice said. She turned in time to see a woman standing in the hallway tapping her foot on the linoleum floor.

It didn’t take long to recognize Gabe’s mother.

Cassidy saw red and stalked toward her. “Ms. McCord? I’m police officer Cassidy Sommer. I’m afraid Gabe can’t have visitors right now.”

The woman’s eyes narrowed, but Cassidy did not back down. Instead, she took a step forward, holding the older woman’s gaze.

“Your son Travis is fine. Gabe was shot in the chest while wearing a Kevlar vest trying to protect him. But I will not tolerate anyone going into his room to upset him. So you can turn right back around and leave.”

“I—really? He saved Travis?” Shelia McCord asked, her expression uncertain.

“Yes, he put his own life on the line for his brother .” She stressed the last word. “And it would be wise of you to remember you have two sons. Not one, but two!”

Her words must have struck home because Shelia nodded. “You’re right. I—thank you for telling me.”

Cass was about to give in and let Gabe’s mother visit when she turned and walked away. After watching her go, Cass turned and went back into Gabe’s room.

He’d been resting, but his eyes shot open when he heard her come in.

“I thought you left,” he said, his expression troubled. “I know you’re upset with me. I’m so sorry. What can I do to make things better?”

“I’m fine.” She forced a smile and crossed over to take his hand. “Your mom stopped by and is grateful for your help. I think she’s feeling bad for the way she treated you. Oh, and Rhy’s bringing a laptop...”

The door opened, and she turned, expecting to see Gabe’s nurse.

But it was her stepbrother Ben who stood there with a hard expression on his face.

“You just couldn’t stay out of it,” he said, coming farther into the room. When he pulled a small gun from his coat pocket, she abruptly realized what had been so strange about their conversation.

Ben had known Gabe was injured and in the hospital. But she hadn’t told him that. Now that he stood there, glaring at them, she realized Ben was involved.

As much if not more so than Turk and Lonny.

“You did this?” She wished she’d brought her service gun along, but she’d left it in the SUV’s glove box. The hospital had a very clear no weapons rule, and she hadn’t expected to need it.

“Stop right there,” she said in her best cop voice. “You don’t want to make this worse than it already is. Put the gun away and we’ll talk. If you cooperate, I’ll convince the DA’s office to waive any jail time.”

“Yeah, right,” Ben sneered. “Your pal here is already onto us. And there’s only one way to fix that.” Ben abruptly reached over to grab one of Gabe’s pillows and pressed it over the barrel of the gun. “Cheap silencer,” he said with an eerie grin as he aimed the weapon toward Gabe.

Gabe yanked on the wires connected to electrodes on his chest and rolled to the side, causing the monitor to alarm loudly at the same time she launched herself at Ben. The gun went off, sending her heart into her throat. She slammed Ben against the bathroom door, fighting to rip the gun from his hands.

Anger and fear gave her the strength of ten men. Every minute she’d worked out with Jina and Raelyn at the MMA gym had paid off. She wrenched the gun free while planting her elbow sharply into Ben’s ribs. He howled in pain, but she didn’t stop there. She brought her knee up into his groin and then brought the butt of his gun down hard on the back of his head.

Gabe was out of bed, his gaze frantic as they towered over Ben who was curled in a ball on the floor. “Are you okay?”

“Peachy,” she said breathlessly, looking for something to use to tie Ben’s wrists together. Spying one of the heart monitor wires lying on the bed, she grabbed it and used it as a binding to secure Ben. “You?”

“You better teach me how to shoot,” Gabe said with a sigh. Then he gestured toward the heart monitor. “Oh, he shot and killed that thing.” She hadn’t noticed the alarm in the room had fallen silent.

But the initial alarm had done the trick. Several staff members ran into the room, looking on with astonishment at how Cassidy finished tying Ben’s wrists behind his back.

“Sorry about the damage,” Cassidy said, feeling guilty over the destroyed hospital equipment. “He got a shot off before I was able to take him down.”

“I’m calling security,” one of the nurses said, stepping back outside the room.

She reached down and dragged her bound stepbrother to his feet. “You’re under arrest for attempted murder,” she said, then proceeded to read him his rights. Gabe weakly sat back down on the edge of the bed, looking grim.

When she finished, he asked, “Is your stepbrother’s username Axe? I know I found them both under their own names, but I’m sure he created a new identity to help hide his actions.”

She had no idea, but the flash of guilt over Ben’s features confirmed Gabe’s suspicions.

“I saw his screen name linked with the Turk and commenting on Travis’s post downplaying the danger,” Gabe said. “Now we know Axe is Ben. I’m sure we’ll find everyone else involved, in this too.”

She nodded trying to hide her guilt. Logically, she knew she was not responsible for her stepbrother’s actions.

Five minutes later, the room was full of people. Rhy had arrived with the laptop, and the security guards had called the local police, who had hauled Ben away. Gabe’s mother, Shelia, had returned to the room to see her son, and Cassidy was glad when Shelia actually hugged and thanked Gabe for what he did for Travis, before being hustled away by the security team.

They spent nearly an hour giving their statements and explaining what had transpired. At some point during the process, Rhy spoke at length to Ian and filled Cassidy in on the latest aspect of the case. Then Rhy finally convinced the authorities to let her and Gabe go, promising to work together to close this incident.

The hospital staff moved Gabe to another room, but he stood with his arms crossed over his chest, threatening to leave against medical advice. “I’ll sign whatever you bring me, but I’m not staying.”

The nurse sent Cass a harried look.

She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Come on, Gabe, work with me,” she pleaded. “Ben is under arrest, and Rhy has tasked the rest of the team with finding and arresting Brian. Ian was able to pick up the investigation where you left off and has implicated both of my stepbrothers in this.” She frowned, then added, “Apparently, my stepbrothers were smart enough to not only make the malware, but to hack the game’s operating system to insert it.” She still couldn’t believe they were involved. Ben had once told her they were given beta versions of games to test them out. She doubted the company had expected anyone to use the beta version of a game for something like this. “According to Ian, they probably worked on it for six months straight, planning to reap in the bulk of their cash over the Christmas holiday once the game had been uploaded to millions of homes across the United States and even worldwide.”

“Until Travis noticed and raised the alarm,” Gabe said, finally sinking down onto the edge of the bed. “He’s a brilliant kid with a bright future.”

“He is,” she agreed with a smile. “He takes after you, Gabe. Travis is the kind to use his talent for good, not evil.” Unlike her stepbrothers, she thought grimly.

“So that’s it?” Gabe asked uncertainly. “It’s really over?”

“Yes.” She fought a wave of exhaustion brought on by the second adrenaline crash of the day. And she was secretly relieved she didn’t have to kill Ben, the way she had shot Taylor’s cousin last month. She managed a smile. “Please stay. I won’t be able to relax until I know your heart hasn’t been damaged by all of this.”

“Yeah, okay.” He stretched out on the bed. The way he absently rubbed the center of his chest made her realize he was still hurting.

“Thank you.” She dropped into the chair next to his bed.

He was silent for a long minute. “Cass?” He spoke in a low, hesitant voice. “Do you think you can find a way to forgive me?”

“Forgive you?” At first she didn’t understand, then she realized he had picked up the thread of their conversation before Ben had rudely interrupted to threaten them with a gun. She leaned forward to take his hand. “Of course, I forgive you,” she said. “I was a little hurt that you didn’t include me in your plan after we’d been working so well as a team, but your health is all that matters.”

His expression betrayed his relief. “I’m glad. Because I love you so much.”

Love? He’d said those words to her back in the warehouse, but he’d been delirious at the time.

Hadn’t he?

“It’s okay. I know you don’t feel the same way,” he said quickly. “I wanted you to know how I felt in case I didn’t make it.”

“Oh, Gabe.” She slowly stood, searching his gaze. “I care about you, too, but I seem to remember you saying once that you didn’t think you could handle being with a cop. And since that’s exactly why Wade left me, I figured anything more between us was out of the question.”

“I don’t remember saying that,” he protested. “And if I did, I only meant that I hated knowing you were in danger, Cass. Not because I can’t handle it. But because I love you.”

She frowned. “Okay, I know you’re saying that now, but being in danger has a way of magnifying feelings to unrealistic proportions.”

He quirked a brow. “Fancy talk for someone who’s clueless,” he said. “It’s your turn to listen to me, Cass. When I couldn’t remember my own name, I remembered yours. When I didn’t know my own address, I was able to give the gas station guy your phone number. I’ve loved you for months, Cass. My feelings have nothing to do with the way we’ve faced danger over the past two days. I fell in love with you long before this.”

“He’s right,” Steele drawled, coming into the room. The rest of the team quickly gathered around them, each of them grinning like maniacs. She was starting to wonder if they’d all lost their minds when Jina shot her an exasperated look.

“Cass, Gabe’s feelings for you have been obvious to everyone,” she said. “What we all want to know is how you feel about him.”

“Yeah, fess up,” Roscoe drawled.

“Come on, Cass, tell us you’re not as clueless as Gabe accused you of being,” Brock said.

Grayson, Flynn, and Raelyn simply stared at her.

She turned back to face Gabe. “I love you. More than I’ve ever thought possible.”

“Woot!” Flynn shouted. “It’s time for another wedding!”

“Yours first,” Raelyn said, giving him an elbow to the ribs. “Then Cassidy and Gabe’s.”

“I’d like to ask all of you to leave,” Gabe said, his gaze never leaving hers. “We don’t need an audience for this.”

To her surprise, the team turned and left the room. Gabe slid off the bed and took both of her hands in his.

“This is just between you and me, Cassidy,” he said somberly. “I don’t want you to feel pressured by the others. Take some time, maybe we can, you know, go out on a couple of dates.” He said the words casually, but the tips of his ears burned red.

And that’s when she realized he always blushed like that when they were alone together. The rest of the team was right. She had been clueless. She’d let her personal experience with Wade blind her feelings.

But not anymore.

“I don’t need time, Gabe. I love you. When you were shot...” She shook her head helplessly. “I thought I’d lost you forever.”

He drew her close and kissed her. She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him close as she kissed him back.

“They’re kissing,” she heard Grayson say. “I think that seals the deal.”

“It’s about time,” Brock muttered.

“I’ll call Zeke,” Flynn offered. “He’ll want to hear the news.”

Gabe broke off from their kiss, breathing hard. “Bunch of idiots,” he muttered. But then a slow grin spread across his features, and he began to laugh. “We work with a bunch of idiots!” Cassidy couldn’t help but laugh too.

“You may as well all come back inside,” Gabe said between chuckles.

Their teammates hadn’t gone far, and it made Cassidy laugh that much harder at the thought of the seven of them huddling outside Gabe’s room listening in.

Bunch of morons for sure, but they were her morons. Hers and Gabe’s.

They rushed in, enveloping her and Gabe with unfettered exuberance.

Kissing hadn’t made his monitor alarm, but it began to shrill now, once again bringing several staff members rushing into the room.

“Okay, that’s it.” The older nurse planted her hands on her ample hips. “Everyone out. Visiting hours are over.”

“Cassidy stays,” Gabe said, keeping his arm around her waist. He glanced at her, as if expecting she might disagree.

“Yes, I’m staying,” she confirmed.

The rest of the group good naturedly took their leave. When they were alone again, she kissed Gabe. “I love you,” she whispered.

“I love you too.” He gave her that same goofy smile that made her think he was high on meds.

Maybe that was his I’m in love expression. He was so adorable the thought made her smile again.

Because she felt the same way. Loving Gabe made her feel as if nothing could go wrong. That their future would be bright with joy and happiness.

Like Christmas itself.