Page 92 of Edge of Desire

She nodded, but those damn eyes of hers ate right into my soul, shredding me to pieces. I grabbed my phone and hit Pete’s number again. When he answered, I shouted, “Where the fuck are they, Pete?”

“Hang on, man. Give them a chance to get there.”

“She needs a fucking medical team. Now!”

“Preston, stay calm. They should be there any minute.”

“Yeah, well, if they’re not, heads are gonna roll all over the fucking place.”

“Stay on the phone with me, man, and calm down. For her. Your ranting isn’t helping.”

I inhaled as much as my lungs would allow. A tight band was squeezing the fuck out of my chest.

“I’m trying, but you don’t see what I do.”

“Preston, they’re outside your door. Let them in. I have confirmation.”

It took me all of a half second to yank the door open and six guys stood there. They shoved me out of the way and took over. Pete kept me on the phone, but within minutes, the men informed me we had to get to the hospital. Her blood pressure was dropping, and she was in serious condition. The Vail Medical Center was only ten minutes away. They carried her to their SUV, and off we went.

The ER expected us, as Pete had called ahead. He’d also called in the local police for added protection. I refused to leave her side until they wheeled her into surgery. That’s when I allowed them to look at my shoulder. Fortunately, the bullet had only grazed it, slicing through a bit of muscle. I would be sore for a few days, but they were able to patch me up without doing any kind of surgery.

Avery was a different story. The bullet had gone clear through her, but it had done quite a bit of damage internally. The surgeons were amazed it hadn’t dropped her like a stone, and that she continued to ski. She had significant blood loss and damage to her spleen. She would make a full recovery, but this would be difficult for me to get over. I was furious.

Pete flew into town, and when I finally left Avery’s side after five days, we met in his hotel room. The only reason I came was to have words, serious words with him.

“I’m done, goddammit. This shit ends now. Avery almost died. You know, when it was only me, I didn’t really give a damn. Then they started fucking with my family. I should’ve manned up when they hit my dad. But no, I let you have your way, and talk me into doing my duty as a faithful employee. Then they threatened my mom and sister. Ruined their lives. And what did I do? I buckled and was the faithful fucking employee again. I’ve given too many lives to the DEA. Not anymore. This time it’s gone too far. Avery’s life is far more important to me than anything else in this world. The final line’s been crossed. I don’t care what it takes. Send in the fucking army. Whatever. It. Fucking. Takes. Do it. Because if you guys don’t, I’m going to MSNBC, Fox, ABC, CBS, NBC, and any place else that will listen. I’m not even joking. I’ve given everything I have, but I’m not giving any more. You got it?”

Pete looked at me and I wasn’t sure if he believed me.

“You don’t think I’ll do it?”

“I didn’t say that.”

I picked up a pen that was on the bedside table and started flipping it between my fingers. “Don’t doubt me, Pete. You haven’t lost your family or any loved ones because of this fucked-up job. I’ve reached my limit, and I’ll go to any lengths ... desperate lengths to keep Avery safe.” All the time I was talking, I kept flipping the pen and suddenly the damn thing snapped, and ink stained my fingers and hand. I stared at it for a moment and then got up, walked to the bathroom, and calmly washed it off.

When I came back into the room, Pete was on the phone, talking to his boss. The conversation was heated, and it was about me. He was on my side. I knew it might take a while, but I had scored points, and he would do what he could to get the cartel taken care of.

“You’re not listening. I don’t care what we have to do. He’s given not only his life, but his family’s as well,” Pete said.

There was a pause in the conversation. Then Pete said, “Send in the fucking CIA, the SEALs, or the damn Special Forces. Just remove them from the face of the earth. I don’t want him looking over his shoulder every minute. What would you do if he were your son?”

More words and minutes passed, and I motioned to Pete that I was leaving. I wanted to get back to Avery. I knew he had my back. When I hit the hallway, my guard was waiting on me. He escorted me back to the hospital.

Avery was sitting up in bed when I made it back. Seeing hints of rose in her cheeks made me smile. For five days her skin had gone from gray to white and now it had a pink cast to it.

“Well, hello there, babe. How’s my girl today?”

“Better, I think. I’m not really sure.”

I frowned. That’s not what I wanted to hear. “What is it?”

She scooted around in the bed and winced.

“Do you need something for pain?”

“No, I’m okay for now.”

“Hey, tell me the truth. I don’t want you to suffer.”

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