“Bryson?”
“Yes, it’s me. Help is on the way.”
“I knew you’d come.” Her eyes opened and she looked up at him with relief.
He could barely see her from the glow of the flashlight lying next to them, but what he could make out sent a whole new level of fury through him. He wanted to march back over to Jesse and beat him until he wasn’t breathing.
He lifted his hand and gently caressed her face, tracing around the smooth skin on her temple where a nasty purple bruise was forming.
“I’m sorry for getting mad, Bryson.”
“Aw, no, baby. You were right to get mad. I was wrong. But none of that matters right now. All that I care about is getting help for you. With this little stunt, Jesse won’t be able to worm his way out of trouble. You won’t have to hide ever again,” he promised, leaning down and kissing her forehead.
“Thank you, Bryson. I’ve been so scared, but I’m okay. I beat him. I got away.” A couple of tears of relief drifted down her cheeks.
“You are so strong, baby, so very strong,” he said. “I knew you could do it. You’re a fighter — and you don’t give up.”
“I didn’t give up. I just…my head hurts so much, and I think my ankle is hurt pretty badly.” She moved to snuggle closer to his warmth.
“I should have been here sooner, Misty.”
“No. I’m glad…” She had to take a deep breath. “I’m glad I did it. I beat him. I’m not going to be afraid anymore,” she said, and she gave him a weak smile.
“That’s right. You have always amazed me,” he told her, and he ran his fingers through her hair.
“I’m really cold, Bryson.”
Damn. He felt like a complete jerk for not thinking of that. Careful not to jostle her, he removed his coat and draped it over her shoulders as he heard sirens screaming down the drive.
“Help is here. I’m going to stand up and bring us out into the light so we don’t spook them,” he said.
He rose carefully, keeping her cradled against him, and he was walking toward the front porch as the first cop car screeched to a halt a few feet from Jesse’s trembling body.
“I’m the one who phoned you. My name is Special Agent Bryson Winchester,” Bryson called out when the officer jumped from his cruiser with his gun drawn.
“Walk slowly, sir,” the police officer said, “and don’t make any sudden moves.”
Bryson walked to the car. “My badge is inside my coat pocket, on Misty here.”
The officer took the coat carefully and found the badge. “Thanks for your patience, sir. Is this Jesse Marcus?” he asked, indicating the man lying on the ground and groaning.
“Yes. He’s been stabbed in the abdomen, and shot in the kneecap and hand,” Bryson said just as the ambulance pulled up.
The paramedics rushed out and Bryson took Misty to them. One attended to her, while two more rushed over and looked at Jesse.
“He’ll live,” the paramedic said, and he rolled his eyes just a bit.
“Good. I want him to have a nice long stay in prison,” Bryson said. Jesse would get what was coming to him.
“Oh, I can almost promise that,” another officer said. The police took it as a personal affront when one of their own went bad and gave everyone with a badge a bad name.
Soon, while Misty was being patched up, Bryson was able to run back and get his SUV. Then he transported her to the hospital, where she could have a full workup. Her ankle was severely sprained, and she’d have to wear a soft cast for a while, but at least it wasn’t broken. Jesse must have really put some pressure on the delicate bone.
Bryson so wished he’d gotten at least one punch in. It was too late now. The bad cop was already squealing faster than they could write down the information he was providing — giving them names of people the FBI never would have thought to suspect, and bringing down everyone he could with him in an attempt to reduce his sentence.
It wouldn’t help him, but it would certainly make the streets of Montana a much safer place to be. And, not to their surprise, the conspiracy went well beyond their state, all the way to Washington, D.C., and included some very surprising players.
By the time Bryson was able to take Misty home in the early hours of dawn, he was exhausted, but feeling so good about her safety that he didn’t care a bit.
“I can walk; I may just take a while,” she said with a laugh as he carried her inside, her foot nice and secure in its cast.
“I like carrying you,” he said, and he bent down so she could unlock the doors.
“I like you carrying me, too,” she said before kissing his jaw. “I won’t be staying in this house anymore, will I?”
“Nope. Jesse will remain locked up now, and his trial will start real soon, unless he agrees to a deal, which it looks like he’s doing. We can now take you back to Montana,” he said as he made his way to her bedroom.
He thought she’d be relieved to go back to her real name, and to leave this episode in her life behind her, but disappointment flooded her features.
“I’ve never lived in a place this nice,” she admitted as he laid her down.
Ah, that was the problem. “I know of a beautiful four-bedroom home that overlooks the lake and has deer who are unafraid to come and take an apple right from your hand.”
“Oh, that sounds beautiful, but something like that would be priced far too high for me. Plus, it would probably be wiser for me to be close to town so I can get a good job while I go to school.”
“It’s only about a ten-minute drive to town, Misty, and the roads stay plowed in the winter. It only gets bad when a freak storm hits.”
“Still…”
“The price is right, too. It would only take one piece of paper and you could own the place,” he said, unbelievably nervous as he lay down next to her and looked into her eyes.
“What? I’m confused,” she said as she reached up and ran her fingers through his short hair.
“Marry me, Misty. Come home with me and live in the mountains of Montana. Let’s fill our log cabin with a dozen pets, and hopefully a few two-legged creatures as well.”
Her eyes grew big, and he couldn’t believe how frightened he was that she might turn him down. His heart was in his throat.
“Are you sure, Bryson? I mean, maybe it’s just the adrenaline from the situation, or maybe you think you love me and you don’t, or maybe —”
“I love you, Misty, more than I could ever show you. Yes, our relationship has been intense, but that’s not why I love you. I love you because I can’t go a single day without thinking of you, and when I thought I could lose you, my world stopped having any meaning. I love you because you make me want to be a better person. I love you because you’re you.” The truth of his words shone brightly in his eyes.
She was silent for a minute, and his heart thudded as he waited on her verdict.
“I love you, too, Bryson, so much more than I thought I was capable of loving anyone. I want all of that and more.” Tears of elation welled up in her eyes and a bright smile flashed across her face.
Bryson pulled her into his arms and held her close, knowing that his future was now set. There wasn’t anything they couldn’t accomplish as long as the two of them were together. He planned on a lot of beautiful tomorrows.
Epilogue
“I can tell he’s going to have my rugged good looks.”
Misty laughed at her brother as he held her newborn son in his arms. “Yes, Damien, he certainly has his uncle’s eyes, or at least it appears that way right now. It’s a bit hard to tell with them closed all the time.”
“Don’t you be taking credit for all the hard work I put into my son,” Bryson said. He looked down at the baby, his pride evident.
“What hard work? It wasn’t like that part wasn’t enjoyable,” Damien said with a laugh.
“Hey, who do you think had to drive into Taco Bell at two in the morning every time she wanted her favorite Crunchwrap Supreme?” Bryson asked.
“Yeah, I kind of miss those late-night-craving runs. Sierra was so adorable when she was pregnant,” Damien said, a fond smile on his face. “Of course, I gained a few pounds from all the junk food.” He patted his perfectly flat stomach.
“Well, it’s a good thing you like me pregnant, because…” Sierra said.
Everyone was silent as they turned toward Sierra, who was glowing in happiness.
“Really?” Damien gasped.
Bryson took his son from Damien’s arms before his brother-in-law could drop the baby in his excitement. Damien rushed over to Sierra and lifted her into the air, hugging her gently before kissing her with a passion that looked as if it would never die down.
“Really,” she assured him with a big smile.
“Oh, that’s wonderful,” Misty said, and she held out her arms for her son. Bryson put the child right where she needed him to be.
“What are you naming the young lad?” Sierra asked when Damien finally stopped kissing her.