Page 38 of Her Protector Bears

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I blinked a few times,trying to adjust to the light. This wasn’t what I was expecting to wake up to. I thought I was in the woods, by the cabin Brady was renting, making sure he didn’t hurt anyone else.

“Brady.” I bolted up, panic lightning bolting through me. “Oh fuck…”

“Hey, hey, hey.” Simon rested a hand on my shoulder, trying to push me back down in what I now realized was a seat in a waiting room somewhere... No, not somewhere, in a hospital. Shit, how did I end up in this building again? “Don’t panic. Miranda is fine. You don’t need to freak out or anything.”

“Miranda…”

As I said her name, a new, horrifying memory hit me hard. In the woods, we were all so concerned with getting Brady that none of us noticed the puddle of blood forming around Miranda. That fucker had stabbed her in the side, and she had become too weak to even tell us.

“The surgery is done,” Ivan confirmed. “She’s just getting some rest now and then we can go in and see her.”

“Surgery? I don’t like the sound of that.”

Ivan rested his hand on mine and smiled calmly. “She’s a fighter, Cole, you know that. She’s going to be just fine.”

I breathed a sigh of relief, but silently berated myself for allowing Miranda to become the bait. Yes it got us to Brady, but she got hurt. She was never supposed to get hurt.

“What about Brady?” I needed to know that all of this hadn’t been for nothing.

“Do you not remember?” Simon asked me.

I shook my head.

“As soon as we got Brady on the ground and unable to move, Ivan called in Owain. The police intervened and now Brady is in jail.”

“He is?” I tried to roll that around in my brain to see how it made me feel, but I honestly wasn’t sure. I suppose it was the best outcome for everyone, but it felt hollow. There was still a part of me that wanted him dead. “So, what’s going to happen next?”

“The evidence is overwhelming. Miranda did exactly what she needed to and got all the proof they needed. He admitted to a lot of the murders. The police believe there are more, but there is time now to investigate and question him.”

The way Simon was smiling was infectious. I couldn’t stop myself from joining in. He was happy with the way that it had all turned out, so I suppose it was best for me to do the same thing. I was irritated that the revenge didn’t feel quite right, but it was good, it was enough. Brady would have to answer for everything he had done. He’d rot in prison for the rest of his life, so that was something.

But until Ilaid my eyes on Miranda, I wouldn’t be able to accept that this was finally over and we could finally move on with our lives.

How were we going to move on with our lives? Practically? That was something we hadn’t had a chance to discuss yet. But if this really was done and Brady was gone forever, we were going to have all the time in the world.

“Thank you, Simon,” I replied, referring to absolutely everything he had done for all of us. He wasn’t just a close friend to Miranda, but to Ivan and me as well. This was a bond that would definitely last for our entire lives, I was sure of it. “I appreciate you.”

“We both do,” Ivan agreed. “We wouldn’t have survived without you.”

We shared a knowing smile that strengthened our bond. We had been through an ordeal that other people could not understand, and that meant something real. Something powerful and overwhelming.

Once we were out of this hospital, I was pretty sure we would finally be able to have something like a happily ever after. All of us, in our own little way. How crazy was that? I couldn’t wait for it.

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