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“You are my brave boy, aren’t you?” she whispered.
Silas nodded into her chest, hiccuped, then said in a low voice, “I never want to lose you. I was so afraid. ”
Anne kissed his forehead. “Me too. But I never doubted that you would get help.”
The doctor came in just then. Sam took Silas out of the room as Anne was whisked away for X-rays. The group gathered in the cafeteria. Killian looked around. He knew it was newly renovated but couldn’t concentrate on the light coming in or the garden outside. His thoughts were of Anne.
They got coffee for themselves and a sandwich and milk for Silas. Luke told them that Jenkins hadn’t fed Anne and Silas during the whole time they were tied up in the cabin. Silas finished his sandwich quickly and was getting antsy.
“I’m going to stretch my legs,” said Sam as she stood. “Silas, want to come with me?” She held out her hand to him. “We’ll get some ice cream.”
Silas nodded enthusiastically and ran over to Sam. Killian watched the two walk along the corridor.
“Jenkins won’t be causing any more trouble,” said Joe.
“Did the police get there?” Killian asked.
The other guys started laughing. Finally, Joe said, “not before Sam kicked his ass.”
“Boy, was she pissed,” added Hank. “I knew she was tough, but I’ve never seen her in action.”
“It was a sight to remember,” added Pete. “Jenkins thought he was all that, and when we went out to get the trucks, Sam was left to guard Jenkins.” Pete winked. “Her idea.”
“Yeah, I guess he thought he could take one small woman,” said Hank. “The surprise was on him. When I went into the cabin to tell Sam the police were there, Jenkins was groaning on the floor and holding his junk. He’s going to be peeing blood for a while. She might have broken a couple of ribs and several fingers. Oh, he won’t be eating solid food for a while.”
He’d heard the rumors about Sam, and he sure would have liked to have seen Sam kick Jenkins’s butt. Although Killian wished it were him, not Sam. Later, he’d go to the gym, find a sparring partner and let loose some of his frustrations and pain.
Silas was okay. Anne would be too. He would make sure Jenkins never got out of prison.
Killian looked at the members of KnightGuard Security. They had each other’s backs.
They were more than colleagues—they were family.
CHAPTER FIFTY
Anne shuffled toward the kitchen for a cup of tea.
She’d been home for a day after spending one night in the hospital. The raging headache she came home with hadn’t subsided. The bruises were still on her face, and she lost a couple of pounds, but everything was okay. Silas was in school. Killian had a meeting at KnightGuard that he tried to get out of, but Anne insisted he go.
The house was quiet. She needed time to rehash events and think—just think. Anne put the kettle on and grabbed a cup and a tea bag. When the kettle whistled, she poured the water into her cup and took the cup into the living room.
Curling up into a chair, Anne let out a sigh. The negative thoughts had started in the hospital. She couldn’t get them out of her mind. She always considered herself an intelligent, brave woman, but recent events showed her how wrong she was.
How stupid was she to allow Martin to get them into the truck? It didn’t matter that he held a gun on them. She could have done something, anything. Silas depended upon her to keep him safe, and she felt she let him down. Killian depended upon himself to keep her safe, and she failed him. There were some huge decisions to make.
Maybe Silas needed a different home. Seeing him go would break her heart, but how could he trust her going forward? Killian needed to know that the woman he loved could care for herself in an emergency. Sam probably thought she was incompetent.
Anne felt like a failure. This was worse than losing her baby years ago.
How could she look at herself in the mirror?
* * *
Killian sat in Sam’s office, reflecting on all the events of the past few days.
Sam wanted to talk to him about Anne. He couldn’t imagine why. Anne was home and, outside of her injuries, safe. He hadn’t wanted to leave her, but she insisted.
“What happened to the bear?” he asked.
