Page 41 of Shadow Games

“No word yet,” she asked, leaning back in his arms.

Wyatt shook his head. “They came out about an hour ago and told me she was holding her own in surgery, and that one of the techs were bringing in her personal dog to donate blood.”

Tears filled Rowan’s eyes. “Wow. That tells you how much they’re trying.”

Wyatt clenched his jaw, fighting not to tear up again himself. It was just a dog, and he knew most people wouldn’t understand the emotion he had attached to her, but he appreciated that Rowan did.

They sat in the waiting room for two hours, saying little, as they waited for word on Echo. Occasionally he got up and paced the small room, then he’d sit down again. It was torture. Finally, a bedraggled looking middle-aged man walked out in blue scrubs. He swiped the cap off his head, crumpling it into his hand. “I’m cautiously optimistic she’s going to make it,” he said simply.

The ten-ton weight on his chest slid away, and Wyatt wrapped his arms around the man, bouncing him in his arms. “Really?” he said, dropping him to the ground and stepping back.

The vet grinned with him. “Yeah, I think so. She had a lot of trauma and she lost a lot of blood, but I think I got everything repaired. She has a new plate in her leg and half a dozen screws, but in a couple weeks you won’t even notice she had a broken leg. The gut shot was harder to fix and we’ll still have infection probably, but she’s on massive doses of antibiotics. You’re welcome to come back and see her.”

Wyatt agreed immediately, and when he saw Echo, her tail wagging weakly, those damn tears finally fell. He swiped them away, but they kept coming as he bent down into the metal cage to rub her head. “Good girl,” he breathed.

Echo would have to stay in the hospital for the next few days, but he was welcome to come see her as often as he wanted. Wyatt appreciated the offer, and he stopped at the counter to pay what he expected to be a massive bill. The woman waved him off with a smile. “It’s been taken care of.”

Charlie.

When he turned around, Team Two was there. “Okay, guys, we can go.”

But they didn’t move. Instead, every man held out his hand to shake Wyatt’s. “We heard about your team,” one man said simply. “And your former partner.”

Fuck, they were all going to think he was a damn crybaby if he didn’t get his shit under control. “Thanks,” he said, voice tight.

With his arm wrapped around Rowan, they stepped out into the sunshine. He took a deep breath, feeling like life was beginning to turn around. Turning to Rowan, he cupped her face in his hands. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.” He kissed her, wishing they had more time.

They were separating again. The Navy needed its information, so Wyatt was heading to debrief with Admiral Bradbury, and Rowan was heading to a hotel. She drew back. “You’d better be.”

They each went with their respective contingent of bodyguards.

Wyatt gave his account of what happened. It took several hours, and he talked to several different people, then a team of lawyers. Just from some of the questions they asked, he thought they were trying to cover themselves from a lawsuit. The thought had not entered his head until they put it there.

On his way back to the hotel, he made the team stop at the vet’s office. They allowed him to see Echo again, and she seemed to be improving steadily. He hated to leave her there, but he could tell that several of the techs had already fallen in love with her. Echo wouldn’t want for anything.

When they arrived at the hotel, the team walked him to the elevator, bypassing the check-in desk. They left him at a room on the fifth floor. “We’ll be around,” one told him, and they walked away.

Wyatt wondered how long they were going to be under guard.

He knocked on the door. Rowan answered almost immediately, a broad smile sliding across her mouth. Her hair was damp, like she’d just gotten out of the shower, and she was wrapped in a fluffy white bathrobe. “About time,” she exclaimed. “I was just going to eat. Now you can join me.”

She drew him into her arms, then tugged him into the room. The scent of something mouthwatering wafted to him, and he sat down heavily at the small kitchenette table. There were two places set with covered dishes.

“How is Echo?” Rowan asked. “I assume you stopped to check on her.”

He nodded. “She’s doing good. They said she’ll probably be able to come home in a few days.”

Rowan beamed. “That’s excellent.”

Then her expression faltered, and he knew why. His home was in North Carolina and hers was in Ohio. Without giving himself time to second-guess himself, he moved to kneel beside her chair. “Rowan, before you start stressing out, know that we will make it work. I lost you once and I don’t want to lose you again, so we’ll be together come hell or high water. Or drug cartels or rogue armed gunmen.”

She sputtered out a laugh, reaching out to cup his face in her hands. Then she leaned forward and just rested her cheek against his own, breathing deeply.

Wyatt understood the touch. They’d been running, running, running, and it was finally at an end. They could breathe and take a moment to savor.

“I love you,” she whispered. She drew back, with tears in her beautiful eyes. “I’m sorry I didn’t respond to your words sooner, but I had to take a minute. This has been the most crazy two weeks of my life, and I had to be sure. You know? But I saw you slide that damn truck in front of the plane to protect us, and all my doubts just evaporated. You were willing to die for me, and I was worried about three little words. I vowed that as soon as we had a minute to ourselves, I would tell you.”

Wyatt grinned and shrugged a little. “I knew you loved me that night in the cabin, so I didn’t need the words, but they’re nice to hear now.” Leaning forward, he took her mouth in a thorough kiss, but she drew back again.

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