AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Is it bad?” she asked, her voice tight with despair.
He sighed, stroking wisps of her hair back from her face. “We don’t know.” She looked at him, her eyes again filling with tears. “But Volk is one tough son of a bitch and he’ll recover well. I’m sure of it.” She finally nodded. He leaned down and kissed her. “That’s my kick-ass babe,” he whispered against her mouth.
“Kat? Was she with you?”
“Yeah, she suffered a broken wrist, cuts, and bruises. She’ll be in a cast for a while, but nothing serious.”
That’s a relief. “Who are those two women with you?”
“The one with the unique eyes is Agent Kaiya Pawar. She’s been working with the team in Australia to stop NSH. She works counterterrorism for the Australian Federal Police in Sydney.”
“She’s far from home,” Karasu murmured.
“From what I gather from Hazard, she’s sweet on our Kodiak.”
“Aw, go big guy. He deserves to be happy. I know the signs of deep scars. He’s got them.”
Preacher nodded. “I hope they can find a way like we did.”
“They will if their love is strong enough. The others?”
“FBI Agent Bree West. She’s engaged to one of Joker’s teammates, Blitz.”
“Okay, and the others?”
“Tier 1 operators, Reck’d, Wraith, and Panda.”
“Wow, a full contingent. Did they stop the attacks in Sydney?”
“Yeah.” He grinned. “They did and they saved the president and prime minister’s lives.”
“Oh, good. Celeste was so worried about that.” She abruptly tightened her hold on him, pressing her face against his neck. “God, but I love you, Boyce.”
He drew her snugly against him as he cradled her head on his shoulder. “I love you so much, Luna. We’re going home, babe, and it’s us all the way. Forever.”
“Forever,” she whispered.
* * *
GQ cradledCeleste in his arms, his chest filling up with all kinds of emotions he couldn’t even define. And suddenly, his vision blurred. God, but he loved her.
His hand not quite steady, he gathered her hair back off her face and smoothed it down, the ache in his throat so intense it made his jaws ache. He didn’t know what he would do if he had lost her.
Her eyes opened, and she stared at him, then a confused frown appeared. “Remmy?”
He tried to smile as he stroked her cheek with his thumb. “You scared the hell out of me, babe,” he said, his voice gruff.
She stared at him for an instant longer, then she closed her eyes and came up into his arms, holding on to him with a desperate strength. Closing his own eyes, GQ roughly turned his face against her neck, locking his arms around her. Inhaling raggedly, he tightened his hold on her, an agony of relief rushing through him. She gave a soft sob and tried to pull him down beside her, but he lifted her up against him. His face contorted with raw emotion as she came fully into his arms, fusing herself flush against him. His face pressed against her neck, he hung on to her, grateful—so grateful—for her. “Ah, babe,” he whispered, his voice shaking. “You came through for everyone. You and your brilliant AI.”
Making a choked sound, she tightened her arms around him and turned her face into the curve of his neck, then started to cry. He didn’t say anything, and he didn’t try to stop her. He just hung on to her with all the love and the strength he could muster. And he let her tears heal him from the inside out.
He held her like that for a long, long time, locked in a tight embrace, trying to comfort her, absorbing comfort from her. Finally, she drew a deep breath, grasping the back of his head and holding him close. “I thought I was dreaming,” she whispered brokenly.
“Nope. I’m as real as my love for you.”
She gave him a soft, shaky laugh, tightening her hold on him. “Thank you for coming to rescue me.”
“I think Karasu did most of the rescuing.”
