11
AIDEN
As soon as I hear the shot, I take off running toward May. I pick her up in my arms, and the only thought that I have is to get her as far away from that man as possible. I knew that Colt would not miss his shot. I knew that May was going to be safe, but it still hits me worse than I ever would've thought.
Seeing her that way, in danger, is enough to bring me to my knees. There's chaos all around us, but all I care about is May. I hold her until she whimpers, and I know that I'm holding on way too tight. "God, May, I've never been so scared in all of my life," I tell her. "I wouldn't be able to live without you."
She's crying, and I can't wipe the tears away fast enough. We have our arms wrapped around each other. "I love you so much, Aiden."
Her head is resting against my chest, and we just stand there like that, holding on and seeking comfort from each other.
Colt walks up, and I tighten my arms around May because I'm not ready to let her go yet. "Good shot," I tell him. May lifts her head and turns and sees her brother. I don't want to, but I know I have to, so I release her so she can go to him.
He looks down at her. "Are you okay?"
She nods, and Colt wraps his arms around her.
"Yeah, I am okay, thanks to you and Aiden."
Colt points at me. “The plan was his idea. Pretty smart one too, I might add.” He nods his head at me, and then looks down at his sister. "Is he what you want? Does he make you happy?" May looks at me and then back at her brother. "Yes, happier than I've ever been."
I hold my breath, waiting to see what he's going to say next. But all he does is shrug and say, "Okay." When he looks at me, he apologizes and points at the bruise on my eye. "I'm sorry about last night. I shouldn't have hit you."
I shrug him off and hold my hand out, and we shake hands before he pulls me in for a hug. "Thanks for saving my sister," he says softly, and I can feel the emotion in his voice.
"Always," I tell him. As soon he releases me, I have May back in my arms. I know that there are all kinds of questions that we're going to have to answer, but I need a few minutes, and I think Colt understands that.
He points to his truck. “My truck’s right there. Have a seat, and I'll have one of the guys come over to talk to you to get your statement, May."
I hold her hand and walk over to her brother's truck and put the tailgate down. I lift May and set her on the gate and then jump into the back beside her. Almost instantly, I realize I need her closer, and I pull her onto my lap and hold her there. We sit here while people run all around us. Patients are still standing outside trying to figure out what just happened. There’s local police and all the Ghost team here, but I don’t move because I know they’re handling it all while I’m right where I should be. My whole focus is on May. I almost lost her today, and that thought has me sick. "I'm so sorry, May. I never should have left you here."
She snuggles closer to me. "I think you know me better than that, Aiden. I wasn't just going to quit or leave my job because of this."
I rest my forehead against hers. "I know, but I shouldn't have left. I shouldn't have just believed that he was out of town. I should have found out for myself before I left you unguarded. None of this would've happened if I’d done that."
She lifts her head and looks at me. "You really do love me, don’t you?"
It amazes me because through everything that just happened, she has a smile on her face. "I told you that I do. I love you more than anything in this world." I think finally she believes me.
She pats my chest and then rests her head back on my heart. "I know you do."
I squeeze her. "What do you need? What can I do for you? Name it and it's yours."
She's quiet for just a second, and it's almost like I can feel her thinking. "Well, after I answer the questions, I'll probably have the rest of the day off, or at least I would like to take the rest of the day off."
"Definitely, you should go home for sure, May."
"What about you?" she asks me.
I cup her cheek with my hand. "You'll be lucky to get rid of me. I plan on taking you home and waiting on you hand and foot and holding on to you."