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Killian signaled Mateo with hand gestures, and Mateo nodded in affirmation. In a flash, Mateo lurched, angling and firing a shot at Marshal’s hip. Marshal cried out in pain and fell to the ground while Roxy broke free.
Pulling a set of cuffs out of his pocket, Mateo shrugged, eyeing Killian. “Had these in my pocket for Señora Roxy, but since we’ve changed allegiances…” Mateo kicked a groaning Marshal onto his stomach and cuffed him. “Not going to say that I mind joining the good guys. My wife will be pleased. She hates dirty money.”
Brendan blew out a breath, puffing out his cheeks. The threats were finally neutralized. He quickly switched his focus to what mattered the most to him—the woman he loved. “Gen?”
Her lids trembled open, a sheen of moisture glazing her eyes.
“Stay with me, baby. There’s a chopper on the way. Stay with me.”
Roxy dropped to her daughter’s side. She repressed the fear, tightening her crinkled features, and spoke firmly, “Don’t you dare give up, my sweet Gen.” She placed her hand on Genevieve’s forehead, stroking her hair back. “Listen to me—you have to fight. Don’t give up. You have too much to live for. This Mr. King”—her worried, warm hazel eyes flashed to him—“Brendan?”
He nodded.
“Brendan needs to become my son-in-law. Any man you’re willing to jump in front of a bullet for has to be a keeper…especially when he tried to sacrifice himself for you, too. Your relationship is exactly what we talked about, remember? When both people in a relationship make incredibly selfless sacrifices, then you know it’s real. You found him, Gen. You found the one. Now hang in there, baby girl, so you can live the life of your dreams. Breathe, sweetheart, breathe.”
Quill raced up to their side, his eyes wide as saucers. “I alerted Manning we’d need medical when I heard the first shots fired. His medics are on their way—in one of the choppers. Time estimate is only a minute out.”
Brendan nodded and flashed Quill a sincere look of thanks. He kissed Genevieve’s forehead and held his hand steady, keeping firm pressure. “Stay with me, Gen. Please.”
She had to live. For her. For him. For everyone. The world needed the strength of Genevieve Roxanne Hart.
Twenty-Three
GENEVIEVE
Ahazy glow from the overhead lights seeped into her vision, and the steady beep of monitors filled her ears. Brendan’s face, etched with distraught lines, gradually sharpened into focus. His cocoa-brown eyes lacked their witty sparkle, with crimson veins snaking across the whites. Staring blankly into space, he gripped her hand like a lifeline.
“Brendan,” she croaked in a throaty whisper, “are you okay?”
Wait, am I? A burst of color drew her gaze—a bouquet of sunny yellow tulips and bright blue irises sat on her bedside table—her hospital bedside table!
“Oh, Gen, thank god. Thank you, thank you, thank you.” Brendan pecked soft kisses across her hand. “I love you.”
A piercing, pulsating pain radiated from her shoulder, and she hissed in a breath. It all came to her in a rush. Jed’s mansion. The gun battle. Her dive in front of Brendan. He was safe. Thank the heavens! What were the chances?
“I love you too.” She gave his hand a reassuring squeeze, swallowing through her dry throat. “My mom?”
“Roxy’s fine. Safe, healthy, all’s well. She just went down to get a coffee.” Brendan released a long sigh of relief. “Gen, please don’t ever put me through that again. Just, just,” he stammered, “from here on out, I’m allowed to put my life on the line for you, not the other way around.”
Genevieve closed her eyes to ward off exhaustion, lifting her lips in disbelieving amusement. “If that’s what you want, I’m afraid you fell in love with the wrong woman.”
“No, I fell in love with the right woman. One who’s turned my life upside down in every way that matters.” He peppered more whisper-soft kisses across her hand. “I just don’t want to lose you ever.”
“I got that message pretty clearly when you decided not once, but twice, to show up in a room full of thugs with guns.”
He chuckled dryly. “Let’s hope we’re never in a situation where that’s necessary again. I could do without the life-threatening drama.”
“Agreed.” Genevieve beamed a sassy smile at him. “I’ll go with my bad boy blasting it down the highway from zero to sixty instead.”
Brendan met her smile with an enticing one of his own. “Anytime, I’ll give you the thrill of your life.”
So cute! If only she wasn’t stuck in this damn hospital bed. “Looking forward to it.” A familiar figure loomed in the doorway, and she startled, a searing ache jolting through her right shoulder. No, it couldn’t be!
“Whoa, Gen, relax,” Brendan said in a soothing tone. “Don’t hurt yourself.”
Her heart rate monitor took off. “What’s he doing here?”
“You’re safe, I promise.” Brendan brushed his fingers soothingly across her left palm. “Mateo works for us now. He and Killian are working together—switching shifts. Quill and I met with the FBI, and we convinced them to let both Killian and Mateo off the hook. While you were fighting for consciousness, Mateo took Marshal down and detained him. He’s loyal to Killian and now to us.”
