good five miles, and the paths through the trees settled her in a way that little else was able to.
Teague could.
He’d done an excellent job of it last night. It was more than the orgasms—although those had been outstanding. When he held her in his arms, she could almost believe that she was truly safe and that, together, they could vanquish any enemy who rose against them. It was a foolish romantic notion, but even now she craved his mouth on hers and his skin sliding against her own. Maybe she’d call him when she got home. There were still half a million worries plaguing her mind, but it wouldn’t hurt to have another reprieve again.
Selfish? Most definitely. But she was so terribly alone in her guilt of Brendan’s murder. She wanted Teague to tell her everything would be okay, even if she couldn’t be completely honest with him.
She turned for home, her pacing slowing as her muscles cataloged their exhaustion. She didn’t see the car approaching, but a strong hand around her stomach yanked her away from the street as the SUV screeched to a halt in front of them. Micah turned, putting his body between her and the threat, but she saw the rear door fly open when she peered around his arm. Callie flinched, but no attack came.
Instead, a body fell to the pavement with a dull thud and the door slammed shut as the vehicle burnt, its tires peeling out and flying down the street. Not a drive-by. She ducked around Micah. “The plates. Memorize the plates.” She didn’t pause to make sure he obeyed, because she’d reached the man.
She turned him over carefully, and went cold when she caught sight of his face. “Teague. Oh my God.” His face was swollen and there was blood…everywhere. She felt for a pulse even as she raised her voice slightly. “Micah, I need you.” His chest rose and fell slightly, and she nearly cried out with relief. “We have to get him back to the house.”
Micah crouched on the other side of Teague. “It’s that little O’Malley shit. I say we leave him.”
She froze, barely holding in the impulse to scream in his face. Instead, her tone came out icy and low. “That is my fiancé you’re speaking of, so I suggest you watch your tone.”
His jaw hardened. “Yes, ma’am.” He only ever called her that when he was pissed, but she couldn’t bring herself to care right now. She’d deal with Micah’s hurt feelings when she was sure Teague would be okay.
She hadn’t wanted Brendan. If he had been the one dumped, she barely would have spared the step it required to move over his body. Perhaps that made her a monster, but she couldn’t change the way she felt. But this wasn’t Brendan—this was Teague. The man who’d helped her forget, at least for a little while, who’d held her in his arms and made her feel safe so she could actually sleep through the night. She’d no more leave him here than she would one of her people.
Hers.
The thought was almost enough to make her laugh. She wasn’t sure when he’d slipped beneath her defenses, but she already cared about him more than was safe. She waited for Micah to heft him off the ground. The man wasn’t a weakling by any means, but Teague was a large man in his own right. Thank God they weren’t far from the house.
As they hurried the last few blocks, she dialed Dr. Harris. Ever since Papa had extracted justice for the harm done to the good doctor’s son all those years ago, he’d been loyal to a fault. They’d required his help less in the last few years, but he was willing to make house calls and was discreet.
She had a feeling she’d be seeing a lot more of him before this thing ended.
Callie gave him the information and he promised to leave immediately. She hung up as they hit the property, and glanced over. Teague looked even worse under the glaring floodlights that lit up as they approached—beneath the blood, his skin was too pale. In the quiet of the night, she could hear the rasp of his breathing, which was as comforting as it was worrisome.
Please be okay. Please. I can’t lose you, too.
Panic rose, fluttering in her chest like a trapped bird, but she wouldn’t give in to the scream building in her chest. She opened the door, pretending she didn’t see Micah’s hesitation