Mended (14 page)

“My father doesn’t want me, and I don’t want him. It’s simple, and I’ve come to terms with it.” I rub my aching tummy.

He nods, pacing in front of me. “So you get ‘rescued,’ stay in a safe house, fall in love, get pregnant, all in a very short time? No offense, Miss Miller, but that doesn’t make you look like you’re a grieving victim.” I lock my jaw, but my tongue is battling to be let loose. “What I see,” he turns to address the jurors, “is a rich, bored little girl who hatched this plan and didn’t care who she took down. Should we be looking into the Colonel to see if he was involved too?” I know he’s trying to get me to break and let fly at him. I won’t lie, I’m frigging close. I grab my stomach and blink wildly. “Just tell me why. Why hatch such a lie to take down everyone in your family, and especially this woman who was like a sister to you?” I run my sweaty hand over my mouth. “What has she ever done to you?”

I need to get out of here.

“Please,” I whisper, but he keeps talking. “Please.” I heave forward.

“Stop!” Lynn calls out and the whole room stops. “Savi?”

I think I’m going to be sick because she’s trying to show concern for me. I shake my head at her. “Don’t you dare!” I’m nearly in tears now. “You sat across from me in a room while I was being held hostage and didn’t shed a tear for me when I begged you to let me go.” I point my finger at her face. “You
sat
across the table from me while my father shot my friend in the face! Don’t you dare try to pretend you care now!”

“The jury will disregard that last comment,” the judge orders. Every member on that jury is staring at me with concern and interest.

“You screwed your way up the political ladder,” I continue firmly but loudly, “and for what, Lynn? A cell block, a roommate, and shitty food?” The judge is yelling, but I don’t care, raising my voice louder. “You may have taken my life from me, but I found a hell of a lot better one. You’re pathetic. I feel nothing but pity for you!”

“Order! Recess!” The judge bangs his gavel loudly. The clerk helps me up and I hold the bottom of my stomach. Cole rushes to my side, wrapping a protective arm around my waist and yelling at Morgan that I’m done, no more. They got what they needed from me.

Once we round the corner and are away from the rush of people, Cole turns to check me over. His hands are everywhere. “Are you all right? What can I do? Should I call the doctor?” His words are frantic until he sees my face. “Why are you smiling?”

“Just call me a good actor.” I shrug.

“You’re not hurting?” He looks a little pissed.

“No, I am, but I knew we’d have to break soon, and there’s no way I’m going back into that room. So I did what I had to, to make sure I got to tell Lynn what I wanted to say.”

“Which was?”

“Which is no matter what, I’m still coming out of this on top.” I pull him into me, resting my head on his shoulder. “I didn’t mean to scare you, but I needed this to be over.”

His hand wraps around my hair and tugs my head backward to look at him. “I couldn’t handle sitting there for too much longer anyway.” He kisses my lips and takes my hand. “Come on, let’s see if we can get an early flight back home.”

***

Frank shakes his head at me and smiles. “I guess it could have been worse.” He holds the car door open for me. “Thanks for not getting held in contempt this time.”

“No problem,” I joke, settling into my seat and feeling a mixture of things. I know it will take some time to work things out, but now this chapter can be closed, at least for me.

Cole settles in next to me, placing his warm hand on my leg. Suddenly, my hormones kick in full throttle. I casually slip my hand on his thigh, dipping low and feeling him immediately spring to attention. He shakes his head, laughing under his breath.

“You’re killing me, baby.” He leans down and gives me a quick kiss, pulling back slightly with his mouth hovering near my lips. “Oh, the things I’d do to you if we were alone.”

My body hums with excitement. “Oh, the things I’d let you do to me if we were alone.” I bite my bottom lip playfully.

“Frank, get out,” he jokes as we pull into traffic. Poor Frank just shakes his head and turns up the radio.

“I love you, Cole,” I whisper, nuzzling into his neck and seeking his comfort.

“Is that so?”

I kiss my favorite spot along his jawline. “It is.” I doze off, and savor the fact that I’m finished with my part of the court proceedings.

I manage to get a little sleep on the plane as Cole rubs soothing circles over our little Fritter, relaxing my sore muscles as I think about my mother and what she’d think about this entire situation. The only upside to her not being here is she can’t be affected by any of this. I only hope she can see I love someone who loves me as much I do him.

I wiggle my fingers, moving the heavy diamond and relishing its feeling and what it represents. Cole lifts my hand to his mouth and kisses the ring; he is so tuned to my thoughts.

“Cole?” I turn to look up at him. “I want to go home.”

“That’s where we’re headed.” He brushes my hair off my face.

“No,” I shake my head, “I want to come home.”

His eyes sparkle as his finger traces along my brow, down my cheekbone, and stops at my lips. “Yeah, baby, let’s go home.” He leans down, sealing his mouth over mine and our words into a promise. I doze off, comforted by the warmth of his hand on my thigh.

The North Dakota airport is quiet. There are very few people around, as it’s the middle of the night. I’m not looking forward to the long drive home, but I know I won’t have to return to Washington for a very long time. If ever.

As we step outside into the fresh air, my fingers slip on the strap and I drop my bag, tripping over it and nearly falling flat on my face. Cole catches me in time and tugs me close to him. He checks me over, hands everywhere. I bat them away and tell him to stop fussing. I laugh when he starts in harder, clearly making fun of the situation. He suddenly pulls me in for a kiss, chuckling while his tongue plays with mine. A gust of wind whips my hair wildly around my face.

We both freeze as we hear
his
voice.

Chapter Eleven

“Savannah.” A chill rips through me, tearing a hole in my armor and turning me into a quivering mass. My senses lock onto the 40mm pointed directly at me
.

Though his face is shaded by a hat, I see sweat dripping from his brow. A drop lands on his lip then is blown away by his rapid breathing. At first glance, he looks all business. One wouldn’t think he’d be carrying a weapon into an airport. I now know his look, and this will end in one of two ways.
Either one, I lose.

Everything grows quiet, even though chaos whirls on around us. Time seems to stand still. I can only hear the mad beating of my own heart. I should have known better than to think I could ever be truly free. In slow motion, I look to Cole and say a silent goodbye. I want to cry, but I can’t seem to find the emotion. It’s lost like the rest of my life. “I love you,” I mouth.

The gun is steady. He has complete control, and his eyes have never left my face.

Suddenly, Keith and Mark both appear out of nowhere, weapons drawn.

“No,” Cole whispers. His grip tightens around my fingers.

The gun lowers to my stomach before he speaks. “The one woman I truly loved, you took from me. You have always been in the way. Enough is enough, Savannah.” His bitter words cut through me.

Mark shifts closer to my side, muttering something to Cole, but I can’t understand them.

“Dad?” I try to sound in control. I pull my hand out of Cole’s death grip. I have no idea what to say, so I go with the first thing that comes to mind. “Can I ask you one thing, please?” I take a shaky step forward. The hot, heavy tears pooling in my eyes blur my vision. I hear the sound of guns shifting in the hands of those who are now surrounding us. “Do you remember the year we went up to northern Canada for Christmas? The year before Mom found out she was sick?” He nods, clearly annoyed by this trip down memory lane. “It was around eight at night when the power went out.”

“Six,” he corrects me, flipping the gun for me to hurry up.

“The temperature dropped, and we all huddled by the fire, not caring because we had our tree, the heat, and hot chocolate.”

He rubs his head and mutters, “What’s your point?”

I swallow hard, forcing my emotions back and taking another step closer. Where this bravery is coming from, I don't know. Maybe my mother is here, or maybe I’m just losing it.

“Savannah, stop,” Cole warns behind me, but I hear him tell the other men to stand back too.

The gun is closer now. I can smell the steel. “Did you love me then?” I hold his gaze and see a tiny flicker in his eyes. His gun wavers a bit, then he points it directly in my face and pulls the trigger.

No.

Pop! Pop! Pop!
I’m blinded and falling hard. The breath is knocked out of me as I’m covered with heavy bodies.

***

I wake to semi-darkness. It takes me a moment to see I’m in Cole’s bed, and he’s standing in front of the fireplace watching the flames and sipping brandy. He’s only in a pair of pajama pants, his bare chest reflecting orange from the fire. He looks so tall and powerful the way his muscles flex, casting shadows. His head presses into his hand gripping the mantel.

I slip out of bed, move behind him, and run my hands along his warm back, feeling him jump then immediately relax. “Hey,” I whisper against his skin, giving him a little kiss, “everything all right?”

“No,” he mutters, downing the rest of his brandy. He puts the glass on the mantel and turns in one swift movement to face me, holding my head in his hands. His eyes are dark; I can see he’s fighting to hold himself together. One hand moves to my hair, entangling his fingers and getting a good grip, while he leans forward and rests his forehead to mine, squeezing his eyes shut. “I can’t do this again. I can’t have you leave me. I need you, Savannah. I need you to be mine.” His words seem painful.

“I am yours,” I whisper.

His eyes suddenly pop open.

“Marry me now.”

“Now? Cole, it’s the middle of the night.”

“Then tomorrow.” He sounds frantic. “I promise I’ll give you a fancy wedding later, just marry me.”

I lean forward and press my hands over his chest. “Cole, I love you more than the earth needs the sun, but nothing in my life has ever been in my control.
Ever.
I want to stress about the food, the flowers, and the music, all that ridiculous wedding stuff. Because it will be normal—
my normal
—and I need normal.” I walk my fingers up his chest. “Please understand how much I need this, how much I want it.”

I can see his internal battle flickering though his eyes. His tongue runs over his bottom lip, the moisture on them catching the flicker of the flames.

“If stressing over food, flowers, and music makes you get your normal, then I’ll wait,” he says quietly. I’m pleased he hears me, but I can see something is still weighing on him.

I start to say more, but he picks me up, laying me back down on the bed. I think he’s going to kiss me, but instead he lies down next to me, resting his head on my chest, his hand on my tummy. We stay like that for a long time, my fingers combing through his dark, silky hair. The only noise is the soothing sound of the fire. Just as I’m about to fall asleep, he speaks in a quiet, raspy voice.

“Tonight did things to me, Savannah.” He draws a small square pattern along my belly. “Even though we got him, he did pull the trigger.” He clears his throat. “Images flash before my eyes.” Blinking away tears, I still can’t believe my father pulled a gun on me, let alone actually pulled the trigger. I know why he did it, I know why the gun wasn’t loaded. He was too much of a coward to kill himself, so he made others do it. If he had really wanted to kill me, he’d never do it at an airport with so much security around. My father is—was—a selfish, dangerous man who never thought of anyone but himself. “I’ve always been in control of my life,” Cole continues. “Since I’ve met you, though, I’ve been tested. I need it to feel right again, so bear with me, because I’m going to be an over-protective husband and father. Give me time to work through these issues, all right?”

I lean down, kissing his hair like he always does mine. “I understand.”

He kisses my belly then shifts so he’s up on his pillow. “I need to hold you.” I roll into him, tucking my head under his neck. I can feel his body battling with itself to work through what he witnessed tonight.

“Cole?”

“Mmm,” he answers like he’s a million miles away.

“How did my father find us at the airport?”

He waits a beat. “Mark checked with the airline. Looks like he followed us from the courthouse. He was on the same plane.”

“How did he get a gun through security?”

Cole shakes his head. “They have footage of him retrieving it from a locker. He paid someone to leave it there. Mark found the man. He’s just some lowlife looking to make a quick buck. He’s been arrested, and he’ll get a little time.”

“Oh.” I shudder, pushing the thought out of my head. He’s gone, and that’s all that matters now.

“You’re safe now, baby.” He pulls me tighter, lowering his voice and lacing it with a dark undertone. “No one will ever hurt you again. I promise you that.”

I don’t doubt his words, and for once I allow myself to believe I’m going to be okay. I keep quiet after that, falling asleep to the even sounds of his heartbeat.