Page 236 of Protective Heroes

Caden caught her. “Oh, sweetheart, we’d never hurt you.”

“Ever.” Reece’s gaze warmed her along with his soft kiss to her forehead.

“Be careful, I won’t make the same promise. You leave me like that again and you’ll find out just how damn good of a shot I really am.”

Both men nailed her with a serious look. “Copy that.”

“I see this guy had nothing on you for damn sure.”

“It was either me or him. I did what I had to do.” Tears rimmed her eyes and she blinked them back. Her legs grew shaky and her heart was doing a funny cha cha cha in her chest. Cold chills washed over. She was getting really tired of being so weak.

“Sit down, darling, your adrenaline rush is tanking and you’ve lost more blood.” Caden passed her over to Reece who ushered her into a dining room chair. He bundled her hair and moved it over the side of her shoulder so he could look at her wound.

She hissed when Reece peeled back the makeshift bandage he’d used on her earlier.

“I know. Just a quick look. EMTs are on their way.” She took stock of Reece and saw he had the same amount of blood covering his clothes as Caden. Her men were a force all their own.

Her gaze roamed over to where Caden stood to her right.

“You did what you had to do, sweetheart. Don’t let it bother you. He came here today with the intent to kill you.” A big part of her liked the authority evident in his voice.

“Or worse, take me back to someone he called El Jefe.” Something told her that was far worse than taking a bullet.

She put her hands over Reece’s and he stopped fussing over her bandage to raise his gaze to hers. “I don’t know who he was talking about, but someone is still out there that wants me dead.”

Reece gathered her hands in his. “You don’t need to worry. When we get back Stateside we’ll make a few calls and put an end to this.”

Some things were better left unsaid and she knew that was where he would leave the conversation.

“What happened out there?”

Beyond the small kitchen she could see detectives and the local police marking off the property with yellow tape. It wouldn’t be long before they wanted to talk with her.

Caden’s jaw tensed and he grunted. “Short version. After I left you here I went to help Reece. All hell broke loose and we found ourselves in a bit of a Mexican standoff with Reece’s 9mm and my .38 special on our side, six highly armed and pissed off Bautista thugs and only one exit strategy.”

A low rumble worked through Reece’s throat. “Yeah, don’t get killed.”

Caden shrugged. “It worked. We took out four hostiles when local authorities dropped in.”

“Señor, estamos listos para la señorita.”

Caden cocked an eyebrow at the emergency paramedic who popped around the corner. Abigail moved to stand, but Reece placed a hand on her shoulder. “Allow me.” He bent, placed a hand beneath her legs and around her back then lifted.

“You know I can walk. It’s a shoulder wound, not a leg wound.”

“Yeah, but you don’t have to. That’s what we’re here for.”

“You spoil me too much and I might get used to it.”

“Is that a promise, darling?”

Epilogue

Abigail planted her good hand behind her and pushed. If she had to stay another day in bed, she would not be held accountable for the amount of crazy lady she would unleash on two very unsuspecting, stubborn men.

A small part of her loved all the attention, especially the sponge baths, but enough was enough. It had been a week since the shootout south of the Mexican border and she had work to do. She had to admit one thing, though. There was a definite upside to the extra time to work through the knotted mess of thoughts on what had gone down in Mexico.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

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