Page 12 of Deadly Holiday
Cooper’s large hand captured the back of her head, pulling her close, as if afraid he would lose her. “Don’t you ever do that to me again. What the fuck were you thinking?”
Celina looked up to meet his eyes. “I needed to protect Novia and you needed to get out and bring help. Partners, remember? We work as a team.”
His mouth curved in a pained smile. He may not have liked that she put herself in danger, but he knew she was right. “True, but I’m supposed to protect you both.” His mouth crashed onto hers and he poured all of his anger, worry, and love into that one kiss. She gave right back, too relieved to be back in his strong arms to care who was watching.
By the time they parted, Victor informed them SWAT was still fifteen minutes away. “We need to secure the premises and make sure Ortega doesn’t escape.”
They didn’t want Ortega to get wind of what was happening, although Celina knew he must have heard the gunfire and was wondering. As Victor and Cooper walked with her toward Via, they batted around ideas.
Emma and Sophie were trying to calm everyone back down and Celina lent a hand, leaving Cooper to pick up Via. He lifted his daughter from the playpen, snuggling her against his massive chest, and even Victor stopped talking to let The Beast reassure himself she was okay. Via giggled and patted her daddy on the cheek, babbling unintelligible words that made him grin.
“My Princess,” he breathed, feathering a kiss over her forehead. Celina paused, heart in her throat as she took in the tender scene between father and daughter. Oh how she loved them both, so very, very much.
“Who the hell are you people?” a man asked, holding a crying child tightly against him.
“We’re the Southern California Violent Crimes Taskforce.” Thomas tipped an imaginary hat. “At your service.”
“Speak for yourself, Mann.” Sophie grumbled. “I’m FBI, and I work alone. Usually.”
“And you all justhappenedto be here tonight?” the man looked confused and a touch skeptical.
Celina couldn’t blame him. It wasn’t everyday a cartel leader fell into the taskforce’s lap. In fact, she was sure this was one for the record books. Right time, right place for them, not so much for Basilio Ortega.
“We’re like the Avengers,” Nelson offered dryly, grunting when Sophie’s elbow found his ribcage. “What? Wearepretty damn impressive.”
“I second that,” Thomas agreed, and then shared his favorite quote from one of the movies. “You get hurt, you hurt back. You die, walk it off.It’s like, our motto.”
Mitch rolled his eyes as Nelson and Thomas exchanged a fist bump.
“The guards in the hall are taken care of.” Ronni breezed through the cafeteria doors like she owned the place. Her elf costume was slightly skewed, and her red and green striped tights were covered in grime, probably from crawling through the air ducts. “All we need is Basilio.”
“What, no gun?” Thomas asked, giving her a crooked grin. “You never leave home without a weapon.”
Ronni arched a sculpted eyebrow. “Some of us don’t need a gun to take down a bad guy, Mann.”
Shaking his head, Thomas laughed. “That’s my girl.”
Victor nodded at Cooper and Ronni. “Nice work you two.”
“Sorry it took a bit,” Cooper said, handing Via to Celina. “Those air vents are a bitch to maneuver.”
Celina tried to picture Cooper’s large body twisting through the ductwork and failed. “Wheredidyou guys end up?”
“Not far.” Cooper admitted. “We made it to an office a few doors down and called for backup.”
Victor’s gaze traveled over the dozens of heads to Olivia who was talking to several parents. “We need to move the kids back to their rooms and get to the surgical floor to help Dr. Kyan.” He paused to meet Cooper’s solemn stare. “Ortega has a surgeon and two nurses under his control.”
“Celina told me. We need to get them out of there.”
Amber sidled up alongside Celina, stroking Via’s back. “How are you going to do that? Especially without compromising Jana’s health?”
Cooper jerked a hand through his disheveled hair. “Okay, Plan C. Mitch, you and I will stake out the surgical wing to determine the best way to apprehend Ortega without jeopardizing Jana. First, we need to get the kids to the safety of their rooms. How do we get to the surgical wing, Amber?”
“It’s on the second floor.” Amber’s voice wavered, and she paused to clear it. “If you take the back staircase you should be able to get to that floor without being seen. The stairwell is only used by staff, so they’re probably not guarded. When you exit the stairwell, find the lines painted on the floor to help patients find where they’re going. The bright blue line will take you right to surgical. The safest way to get the kids to their rooms is by using the service elevator.”
“Thank you.” Cooper slipped an arm around Celina’s waist to draw her off to the side. Her stomach flip-flopped at his serious face, and she almost dreaded what he was about to say. “I want you to stay here,” he said softly, playing with one of Novia’s soft curls. “Please.” The fear in his eyes when he lifted them to hers took her breath away. “Sophie and Victor will handle the prisoners. All you have to do is take care of Via, okay?”
She mutely nodded.
“You scared the hell out of me when you walked out of that kitchen earlier, and it took everything I had to not go after you.” He held up a hand when she opened her mouth to respond, pressing a finger firmly over her lips. “I want you to stay here with our daughter where I know you’ll both be safe. I love you so much, Celina. If anything happened to you, I would never forgive myself.”
Tears pricked the backs of her lids and she blinked several times to keep them from spilling over. Damn. When he asked like that, how could she possibly refuse him? She hooked an arm around his neck, careful not to smash Novia as she dragged his mouth down to hers. “Then come back to us, because if you don’t, I’m going to seriously kick your ass.”
He grinned against her mouth, eyes sparkling mischievously. “Deal.”
