Page 124 of Beyond the Rules

“Where is he?” She grabbed the first uniformed officer she came across by the lapels and shook him. “Where’sZar?”

The man frowned. “Who the hellareyou?”

“Sheriff Wilder?” Tanner recognized the local sheriff right away. “Tanner Vazquez. Have you seen ZarFlint?”

“Vazquez, yes.” The sheriff cocked his thumb over his shoulder. “We haven’t had time to sort out this mess yet, but they’re working on someone overthere.”

My guts twisted. I traded a look with Tanner. Nina was already on her way, her bare feet pounding the asphalt as she tore through the small crowd of first responders gathered by Dimayev’s wreckedSuburban.

A few feet ahead of me, she halted and let out a heart-wrenching sob. I followed the line of her gaze and saw what I’d feared. Zar lay on the bridge, sprawled on his back. His face had a bluish tint. The paramedics were trying to stop the bleeding. For a full ten seconds, I couldn’t move. I was hollow inside.Gutted.

Tanner knelt next to Zar and spoke directly to his ear. “Hey, Zar,we’reback.”

Zar’s eyelids fluttered. He opened his eyes slowly. “I killed thefucker.”

Dimayev’s body lay a few feet away in a tangled heap. Yeah, the fucker was dead. He’d died a savage, gruesomedeath.

“Sit-rep,” Zar struggled to speak. “Black?”

“Here.” I crouched next to Tanner and put my hand on Zar’s shoulder. Beneath my palm, his black shirt felt warm, sticky and sodden. Blood. Too muchblood.

Zar’s lips moved, but his voice was barely a whisper. “Did you…did yougether?”

“Aye, aye.” My eyes burned withliquidfire.

“Where is she?” Zarmurmured.

Tanner and I looked up and met Nina’s gaze. The stricken expression on her tear-stained face stabbed at my gut. I saw the fear there, the recognition that she was face to face with death all over again, and the pain of all her losses. I also saw her courage as her jaw tightened and she accepted her grim duty as a warrior’s bride. She knelt between me and Tanner, took Zar’s hand and, leaning over him, pressed her lips to hisforehead.

“I’m here, with you,” she whispered. “I’m righthere,love.”

“Love, yes, so glad you made me yours.” Zar’s lips turned up. “Take care oftheguys.”

And with that, he closed his eyes and all hell brokeloose.

Chapter36

Nina

The sky was the color of lead and the snow fell like gossamer over the landscape, transforming the world beyond the deck and tempering the mountains’ profile. I clutched my tea mug to my chest and borrowed some warmth for my heart as I stared over the canyon. Beautiful. So beautiful. Montana’s dramatic seasons appealed to my fragile emotions. One minute I was smiling. The next minute I was crying. My heart had been tested too many times. It should have burst, from grief, worry, stress and anxiety, from the deep, unavoidable pain that comes from love’storture.

But I was still here. Alive. Safe. Loved. And even though the last few weeks had been hard, they’d also been the sweetest. Yesterday, I’d accepted Josh Lane’s offer. I was officially part of Phoenix Prime’s Ulysses Project. I’d also asked Susie Mae to pack and ship my stuff to Montana. If all of those milestones weren’t enough, I had my guys to take care of and they had me—poorfellows.

Speaking of the guys. I looked at the time on my cell. They were running late. According to Aiden’s latest text, the roads were a mess. I took in the living room. I had the fire going, the tree trimmed and a full oven, despite the sheer quantities of things I’d burned to a crisp in the last few hours. But I’d succeeded on at least three dishes, something that was bound to shock the hell out oftheguys.

Sure, it was late January and the festive season was long over. But we were on our own schedule and, since we’d skipped the celebrations, I reserved the right to call today a holiday. We needed it. We’dearnedit.

The door flew open and Tanner walked in, using only a cane these days, on account of all the progress he’d made in physical therapy lately. “We’reback!”

His voice filled the house and echoed in my heart, smoothing all the wrinkles in my life, soothing all my nicks and scars. I ran to the entrance hall and walked straight into his embrace. “Everythingokay?”

“Everything went fine.” He planted a kiss on my lips and, laying his hand over my heart, looked me in the eye. “Are you hanging in there,sweetheart?”

“I’m better.” Since he could see straight to my soul, I could never lie to him. “Especially now that you guysareback.”

The smile he gifted me lit up my heart. He could’ve offered that warm, intimate smile to any woman in the world and yet he’d chosen to give it to me. How lucky couldIbe?

Aiden came up behind Tanner, dropped the duffel he carried by the stairs and swept me into his arms. He halted mid-kiss to sniff the air. “What’s with thestink?”

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