Page 88 of Fierce Hope
Deke vaulted the mess between them, arms wide. Before she could protest, he pulled her hard against him. “Dumb, and brilliant and brave and inspired.” He kissed the top of her head. “Thank you for saving my son. Thank you.”
All she could do was hug him back. She had no words. No thoughts beyond a brief, heartfelt prayer of thanks.
Sarah thrashed weakly against her restraints, blood seeping steadily from the bullet wound in her shoulder. Pain and fury twisted her features as she glared up from the floor. “You idiots. We’re all dead now. You get that, right? Kent was stealing from Russians. Russians!”
Deke inched away from her to wrap an arm around his son’s shoulders.
“And that justifies murder?” Jade asked, voice steadier now. “That justifies trying to kill us?”
“You have no idea what they’re capable of,” Sarah insisted, genuine fear mixing with rage. “I was dead the moment Kent started skimming. I was just trying to survive!”
Izzy swept Sarah with a look of disgust so deep it was a wonder the injured woman didn’t melt into a puddle. “Delgado is secured outside. He’s talking already, trying to cut a deal.” She glared pointedly at Sarah. “You might want to beat him to the punch,chica.”
Christian holstered his weapon, casting a quick glance at the shattered window by the door. “Law enforcement is four minutes out. We’re gonna have some ‘splaining to do.”
Deke’s gaze flicked toward the open window, following Christian’s glance. He shook his head slightly, relief evident in his voice. “Nice shot,” he murmured quietly.
Christian looked pained. “Yeah. He’s gonna brag on this for way too long.”
Deke laughed. “Small price to pay.”
Only then did Jade fully realize she and DJ had survived. The adrenaline drained suddenly, leaving her weak and trembling.
Deke reacted immediately. His strong arms encircling both her and DJ.
She collapsed against him, burying her face in his shoulder as tears of relief threatened to overwhelm her. His heartbeat thundered against her cheek, his breathing ragged with emotion as he held them tightly.
Her voice caught as a wave of guilt suddenly washed over her. “I opened the door to her, Deke. If I hadn’t—if I’d realized sooner?—”
“Stop,” Deke interrupted firmly, pulling back just enough to meet her eyes. “Seriously, stop. Sarah wasn’t on my radar either. None of us saw this coming. If she’d just slipped out of town, she might have gotten away with this ... for a while.”
He released her and cupped her face gently, eyes filled with intense emotion. “You have nothing to feel guilty for. There’s no one I’d rather trust with my son. No one.”
“You two were amazing,” DJ said quietly, glancing between them with awe. “Like you’ve been partners forever.”
Warmth spread through Jade’s chest at his words. She met Deke’s gaze over DJ’s head, seeing the same warmth reflected back at her.
“Told you my dad would come,” DJ added, voice trembling but triumphant as he looked up at Jade.
Jade smiled through tears, smoothing DJ’s hair back from his forehead. “Yes, you did. Thank the Lord you were right.”
Outside, the wail of approaching sirens cut through the night, steadily growing louder. Red and blue lights flashed across the snow-covered landscape, reflecting brightly through the shattered windows.
“It’s over,” Deke said quietly, gently wiping tears from Jade’s cheek. “You’re safe now. Both of you.”
Jade nodded, unable to speak past the knot of emotion in her throat. She tightened her arms around them, anchoring herself in their solid presence. The fear that had been her constantcompanion for days began to recede, replaced by overwhelming gratitude.
They were alive. And for the first time in what felt like forever, she allowed herself to believe that everything might actually be okay.
46
Sirens wailed closer,emergency vehicles converging rapidly on their location, their lights casting sharp red-and-blue patterns across the snow-covered ground. The rhythmic pulse of those lights felt oddly comforting—a return to order after chaos.
Now that DJ and Jade were safe, Deke wasn’t ashamed to notice his own hands trembling.
Uniformed officers swarmed the area. Christian secured Sarah’s gun, ejecting the magazine and checking the chamber before handing it carefully to Chief Frazer.
“Everybody good?” he asked as he took the weapon with a gloved hand.
