Page 7 of No Man Left Behind

Chapter3

Woman Of The Hour

Elina wanted to keep the focus off her past. She hadn’t searched for Arrow for so long to dump her troubles on him. She’d come to make surehewas alright. And she hadn’t been lying. She’d been lucky. Very lucky. It was thewhat-ifsthat haunted her. “Tell me how you’re doing. Your team wasn’t able to stay in the area for more than a day. No one else would talk to me about your condition. At that point, I knew you’d survived the first surgery, but they’d had to amputate part of your leg.”

Too late, she realized how nosy that sounded. She closed her eyes. “Andthatwas incredibly intrusive. Sorry. I’m so thrown off by actually finding you. I promise I’m normally a lot more sensitive.”

To her surprise, Arrow—Marcus, laughed. “Not intrusive in the least. I’m not uncomfortable talking about the amputation or the prosthesis. I was lucky. The guys treated the leg as well as they could in the field. According to the docs, they’re the reason I not only survived the blood loss but kept the rest of the leg. I don’t remember the chopper or the hospital but I was happy to wake up at all.”

That made her heart jolt. She’d been so afraid that saving her and the girls would have cost him everything. It almost had. “I’m so sorry.”

He grinned. “Nothing to be sorry for. None of it was your fault. We know the risks going in. I’m alive, healthy, and I’ve got a good life here. Having a prosthesis doesn’t change any of that.”

No wonder she’d always been attracted to this man. “Was it difficult to get used to?”

He shrugged. “Not really. I actually got a new one last week. I have to actively think about it once in a while, but that’s it.”

He raised his pant leg and pointed. “My knee was fixable, so it’s a transtibial unit. A woman who lives in this area has done some work with creating prostheses. She hooked me up with people on the cutting edge of new technologies, and this one isn’t on the market yet. It’s got more motion in the ankle. It’s pretty cool, actually.”

Elina had seen several devastating injuries overseas. Each one hurt her, as no one should have to learn to cope with that. She was relieved that Marcus appeared to be comfortable with the prosthesis and his recovery. They didn’t weigh him down as she’d feared.

Relief swept through her as he showed her the improvements in the technology and explained he also had extra prosthetic options for running and showering. His complete comfort with the device convinced her he truly didn’t harbor resentment toward her for the injury.

“How did you get into policing?”

Another laugh. “That would be Troy’s doing as well. The man’s a bulldozer, but at least he uses his powers for good. Once I was transferred to a hospital state-side, he showed up with information pamphlets and applications for me. Told me the entire team was retiring instead of signing up again, and that he needed me here in Phail.”

Not a surprise, as Epic had always been full of plans and ideas. “And here you are.”

His grin warmed her. “Here I am. And here you are, too. I can’t tell you how happy I am that you found me. Us. I’ve thought about you often over the years. Without a last name, I didn’t think there was any way to find you. Yet, you did it with even less than that.”

She laughed. “I remember Epic talking about winter and bugging all of you to come live in his hometown. When I saw the name Phail on the map back at the rest stop, I remembered the jokes you all made around the word Fail. And I wondered.”

Marcus laughed and leaned back against the bench. “Smart lady. You said your parents were from Seattle. Did you grow up there?”

A fairly easy question for her to answer, as long as she ignored the sensation of being watched that had driven her away from the city.

Despite having been searching for Marcus for over a year, she was remarkably unprepared for this conversation. She should have practiced reinforcing her shields and talking about herself. “I did, but we moved before I was ten. My parents worked with several agencies working in third-world countries. By the time I was eighteen, I’d lived in more than a dozen countries.”

His smile warmed her. “And that’s why you grew up to be an amazing woman.”

She managed a smile, but she didn’t feel amazing. Most of the time, she barely felt like she was coping.

Marcus tilted his head, and those eyes grew serious. “You’ve obviously had to deal with some things, Elina. But youareamazing. You’re kind, steady, generous, and brave. Never doubt that.”

Everything inside her warmed, and she couldn’t stop her smile. “I’m not sure about any of that, but thank you.”

He squeezed her hand again. “I’m sure enough for both of us. How about we head over to the Saloon and grab a big table for the gang?”

She nodded, and Marcus rose. He kept her hand until she stood from the bench. When he released her, she felt the loss and had to fist her hand so she didn’t grab for him.

Then he rubbed his hand up and down her arm. “Is it okay if I give you a hug? I’m so damn happy you’re here.”

Her heart lit up as she nodded, and she stepped into his arms. He wrapped himself around her, and she nestled into his chest. Warm, strong, caring.

How many times had she imagined how his touch would feel? Her imagination had been close, but the reality was even better. It was like having safety wrapped around her. As long as safety came in the sexy package of a truly good man.

They stood entwined for a long minute and Elina felt parts of herself click together in a way they hadn’t in a very long time.

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