Chapter 55

Hope spun around and saw Colin fall to the ground and his gun skidding across the room. She froze.

He started to crawl across the wooden floor toward it.

Leech stepped out from behind the wall. There was another opening at the other end of the living room that led back into the kitchen behind the massive central fireplace. He'd circled around and shot Colin in the back.

Leech aimed the gun at her former intern, his finger tightening on the trigger to take a second shot.

"Don't!"

Leech looked at her. "Why not? He came here to kill me after he'd collected his ten million dollars for fetching you. I'm sure you'd have been next, Hope, considering he's Dick Prince's bastard."

"You killed my father, you sonofabitch," Colin ground out as he inched slowly toward the weapon.

Leech threw back his head and laughed. "If you finish that sentence with ‘prepare to die,' I will be officially the happiest man on the planet."

"Fucking loser," Colin grated.

Blood poured from his wound, and Hope felt panic well up inside her. Not only for Colin but for Ella too.

Leech's smile disappeared. "I'm the billionaire whose dreams have all come true, and you're the one leaving a trail of blood across my beautiful floor. I'm not the loser here, bucko." He lifted the weapon again.

"Wait." Hope took a step forward. What she really wanted to do was to run. "Don't. Please don't shoot him. I know he's a weasel and a liar, but he's little more than a kid."

Leech raised his brows and blinked at her theatrically. "Why, Hope, is that forgiveness I hear in your tone? I didn't think you had it in you."

"Maybe," she admitted reluctantly. "Also, he took one of my witnesses, and I don't know where she is."

Colin spat blood. "Ella will die if you don't find her."

Leech's expression looked amused. "Oh, the little mouse who was beaten by her deadbeat boyfriend?—"

"No," Hope corrected because what the hell? "She was beaten by an ex-boyfriend who as an ex should have no more influence on her life than a stranger." The term domestic when applied to couples who'd broken up was her pet peeve. "Were the people you murdered strangers to you?"

She figured he'd deny it again, but she needed to stall for time. The FBI couldn't be far behind, and there was no way she was using Leech's child for leverage. Thank goodness Aaron had made Colin leave yesterday before he'd told her about Eloisa's son.

Leech's expression twisted to reveal the killer he really was. "Well, they weren't friends, but trust me. They all deserved it."

She sucked in a horrified breath. Danny hadn't deserved it. Paige hadn't.

She heard the throb of helicopter rotors and optimism began to grow inside her.

"Not a rescue mission I'm afraid, my dear." Leech spared her a glance. "My getaway plan." His pale blue eyes met hers. "My reasons for sticking around are almost over."

Because she'd be dead.

"Killing me, Sylvie, Beasley, you mean? Why not the others? The judge, the crime scene techs?"

"Oh, you bloodthirsty soul, Hope. Who knew?" He held her gaze then as he gave a smile that didn't reach his eyes. "Well. I did. Obviously."

What did that mean?

She thought about all the times she'd wanted the opportunity to be alone with this man and extract her pound of flesh. In none of the scenarios had she imagined herself with her hands cuffed behind her back and him with a gun.

"If you must know," he sounded almost bored. "You were the three who told lies about me. You and the good doctor in the courtroom and Jeff to anybody who'd listen after he screwed up the trial."

"You lied."

"No." He tilted his head to the side. His eyes glittered. "I omitted certain truths. Not the same thing."

Semantics.

She hadn't lied on the stand but he'd convinced himself she had. She couldn't imagine she'd be able to change his mind after all these years.

Colin was inching closer to the gun. She had no more desire to see her former intern reach it than Leech did.

She walked over. "Don't worry. I'm handcuffed. I'm going to kick it out of reach." She shoved it with her foot, careful not to let the trigger catch on anything. Then moved back so she stood in front of the fireplace.

Was that a shadow she saw moving outside the window?

"Any last words?"

"Colin or me?"

He smiled. "I always liked you, Hope. Why don't you start? Leighton here bores me."

She raised her chin and swallowed. "Last words? Sure. How about I've dreamt of being alone in a room with you for years. I had planned to kick your ass for what you did to my family."

"Oh, spare me the self-pitying theatrics. It's you and me, Hope. You can drop the pretense." Leech sighed dramatically. "I didn't kill your pathetic little family. I went to your house that day because I stupidly believed we were friends."

Fury burned through her veins.

"You murdered them in cold blood!" She rushed him. He still had the gun pointed at Colin, and she took him by surprise.

She barreled into him and shoved her knee into his groin the way Aaron, Seth Hopper, and Sebastian Black had taught her. She didn't hold back but put all her force into shoving his balls into his scrawny throat.

Leech's face contorted in pain as he curled over, and she remembered what else her bodyguards—her friends—had taught her. To run. She sprinted for the back door and was brought up short in surprise as she heard an ear-splitting crack, and then men poured into the house. She froze. They streamed around her, and she flinched as she heard another gunshot.

Please don't let any of these people get hurt.

She went to whirl around, but someone took her head and pressed it against his chest. Aaron. She sagged against him as he wrapped his arms tight around her.

"Don't look," he ordered. "Leech definitely didn't want to go back to prison."

Her stomach lurched, and she closed her eyes as her heart thudded madly against her ribs. "Thank you. Thank you for finding me. Thank you for saving me. I knew you would."

His hand rested cool against her nape.

"I think you were already saving yourself." He laughed against her hair, but the sound was cut off abruptly as if he couldn't quite go there. Someone removed her handcuffs and placed them inside an evidence bag. When her wrists were free, she wove them around this man and held on so tight she was worried she might hurt him. She didn't care about the ballistics vest and weapons. She didn't care about the audience. Slowly her pulse calmed, and her breathing returned to normal as she realized it was over. Leech was dead. She could hear them working to stabilize Colin.

She stiffened and tried to pull away. "Oh, God. Ella is?—"

"We have her." His arms tightened and his hands moved up and down her back in a soothing motion. "Alex Parker backtracked the movement of the burner cell Colin used, which is how we initially found you. When Frazer noticed it was outside Ella's apartment early this morning, we figured she was either an accomplice or in danger. They were able to follow the signal to an abandoned warehouse near the docks, and Boston PD sent out a search party and found her bound and gagged in an old office. She was fine but suffering from exposure. They took her to the hospital for observation."

Hope gripped his vest. "Thank goodness. That poor woman." The scent of Aaron filled her senses and helped ease the terror of the last few hours.

Her fingers dug deeper into his flak jacket, and she held him to her. She didn't want to ever let go. "Even alone with me Leech wouldn't admit to killing Danny or Paige. The bastard went to his grave denying it."

"Maybe the reality of murdering a child was too much even for him."

"I'm glad he didn't know he had a son." Maybe that was cruel, but Leech had died thinking he was the last of his line. There was satisfaction in that.

And as tempted as she was to stand here and absorb Aaron's comfort, she knew he had a job to do. She was ready to declare undying love to the guy, but maybe he wanted a casual relationship. Sure he'd been upset by the "just sex" comment, but it didn't mean he wanted to jump into the deep end with her. He'd been hurt before.

Suddenly unsure, she released him and stepped back. "I hope we get the chance to talk privately back at the house when you finish here."

He looked confused for a moment and then his expression blanked as he became aware of the other men moving around them.

He nodded and stepped away. "We'll escort you to the hospital, and I'll talk to my boss about what time we ship out."

Her eyes went wide, and agitation swept through her. She didn't want him to leave. She reached for her usual armor, but it seemed to have disappeared.

Aaron was still a man who risked his life on a daily basis. Could she deal with that? Would he want her for more than the short time they had left when she suddenly wanted a whole lot more? A whole lot more.

"I'm not going to the hospital."

Aaron opened his mouth to argue.

"I'll have blood drawn and photos taken here for evidence by anyone qualified to do so but I feel fine and I refuse to put myself through hours of being examined by doctors to tell me the same thing. There's blood, prints, DNA, and duct-tape in the back of that crashed cab. I have a few bruises and a couple of sore wrists but I'm otherwise uninjured."

Aaron examined her critically, staring into her eyes, searching for signs of a concussion. She smiled so he would realize she was telling the truth. "If I feel unwell in any way when I get back to Boston I will go to the ER."

Realizing she was serious, Aaron yelled. "Hopper, get over here and take some photographs of Hope's injuries."

Seth strode over to her side. "Somebody refusing medical treatment?"

Aaron's jaw flexed.

"I don't need a doctor. Just record these injuries and take a blood sample so they can figure out what he drugged me with." Hope held out her wrists for a series of shots, then turned them over for more, spreading her fingers wide. Seth angled her head toward the window to photograph the gash on her temple and bruising on her face.

Aaron scowled.

Someone dumped a heavy medical kit on the floor beside them and Seth made short work of collecting two vials of dark crimson blood. He taped cotton wool over the injection site, labeled the blood vials with time, date, plus her name. Signed them and sealed them in an evidence bag that he stored in a small cooler.

"All done." Seth nodded and backed away, taking the evidence and medical kit with him.

Aaron opened his mouth to speak, but they were interrupted by yelling coming from outside.

Her head dropped as she recognized Brendan's voice. "Uh-oh. I better get out there before he gets himself arrested."

"Okay." Aaron scrubbed the back of his head, his brown-black eyes full of regret. "I'm sorry for not protecting you?—"

"What? No! You did everything right. No one could have predicted Colin abducting me from the courthouse."

"I should have."

"How? There's a difference between smart and psychic. I like the former, but I'm not sure I'd enjoy the latter." She forced a smile, but she could tell he was going to beat himself up about this. She touched his arm. "Please don't leave without saying goodbye. I need to apologize?—"

"No. You don't."

"I want to explain." She couldn't say what she needed to say in front of an audience. It might cost him his job. "Promise me, Aaron. Please."

He pressed his lips together and looked away. He nodded again but still didn't say the words. Instead, "You'll need to make a statement, which is gonna take some time, I'm afraid. And I have a lot to finish up here before the local agents arrive to take over."

"Don't worry about me. The danger is over. Brendan can give me a ride home."

Aaron walked her to the door. They didn't touch, and the few inches between them felt like a gulf a thousand-feet wide. She looked up before she went outside and noted all the other guys pretending not to stare.

"I'm sorry if I got you into any trouble, Operator Nash," she whispered.

"You are worth every moment of trouble, ADA Harper." He smiled suddenly—a flash of white teeth against that trim beard—and her heart double-timed in her chest.

She blinked slowly. Maybe they had a chance. Maybe he'd forgive her for the hurt she'd caused him, and she'd figure out how to deal with the constant risk of his job. After all, she realized with sudden insight, she'd survived the worst life could throw at her, and she was still here. Why not be open to the best that life had to offer?

She took his hand and leaned up to press a quick kiss to his cheek.

"So are you, Aaron, worth every moment of trouble."

Surprise widened his pupils.

She stepped outside to find Brendan and Lewis Janelli going nose-to-nose with Hunt Kincaid.

She sighed. Some things didn't change.