"Kaila?" he croaks. "Thehell took you so long?"
Ahysterical laugh bubbles out of my chest. "Trafficwas a bitch."
Shiftingback toDaniel,Ifind him tracking my every move with an intensity hot enough to scorch the air.Themassive man forces himself upright, groaning as his torn muscles protest the shift in weight.Acalloused hand cups my jaw, his thumb dragging reverently along my cheekbone.
"Ihad the shot," he murmurs quietly, meant solely for my ears. "Thelieutenant.Ihad him dead to rights."
Myspine goes rigid.TheCostacommander.Themonster directly responsible for months of waking nightmares.
"And?"
"Andthe ceiling started to go,"Danielanswers flatly. "Icould have pulled the trigger, orIcould have shielded your boy."
Thatpitch-black gaze flickers toKevin, then locks back onto my face.Endless, terrifying protectiveness radiates off his brutal frame.
"Ichose the kid," he states, the absolute truth ringing in the air between us. "Becausecoming out of there without him meantIcouldn't come home to you.AndIhave to come home to you,Kaila."
Alloxygen exits my lungs.Thisvicious apex predator sacrificed his personal vengeance to safeguard the broken pieces of my family.Thesheer weight of that devotion makes my doubt dissolve into ash.
"You’rehome,"Ivow softly, pressing my forehead against his bruised brow. "You’rehome,Tracker."
"Clearthe area!"Loganbarks, shattering the quiet intimacy. "Thatstructure is caving.Move!"
Risingon unsteady legs,DanielhaulsKevinupward alongsideShane.Iwedge myself firmly underDaniel’sleft arm, bearing whatever bulk he allows me to take.Theman is pure granite against my ribs, smelling intensely of ash and dried sweat.
Together, we limp away from the burning pit.Behindus, the sub-basement groans and settles, black smoke pouring from the collapsed ventilation stack.
Thecompound above it still stands.Stilllit.Stilltheirs.
WegotKevinout.Wedidn't take the hill.
Nottonight.
Theconvoy idling on the service road comes into view.Austinyanks the rear cargo doors open, his massive shoulders finally dropping from his ears.
"Getthem warm,"Logancommands. "Weride for theClubhouseto assess the damage."
Refusingto enter the cab,Danielstands guard in the slush untilKevinis strapped securely onto a stretcher inside the medical bay.Onlywhen the doors lock does he finally turn his attention back to me.Amassive, soot-stained hand wraps possessively around the nape of my neck.
"Youleft the van," he growls low in his chest. "Itold you to stay put."
"Ithought you were dead,"Ishoot back, tipping my chin up defiantly. "Iplanned to dig through that rubble with a plastic spoon ifIhad to."
Theharsh lines around his mouth instantly soften.Pure, raw need eclipses the flash of anger.Wrappingboth arms around my waist, he crushes me flush against his ruinedKevlar, burying his face deep into my messy hair.
"Mine," he hums straight into my ear, the deep vibration sparking a delicious heat along my spine. "You’remine,Kaila.We’vegot the boy now.We'rewhole."
"Notyet,"Icounter, wedging an inch of space between us to meet his intense stare. "Thelieutenant got away.It’snot over."
Shadowsinstantly harden theTracker'sfeatures. "No.It’snot.Butthat bastard is running blind now.AndIwill hunt him down."
Hismouth claims mine right there in the snow, kissing me with hard, desperate pressure.Thesharp tang of copper and smoke floods my senses.Thatbrutal kiss stamps a vow of absolute violence against any soul stupid enough to ever threaten us again.
"Let’sgo home," he commands roughly.
Scalingthe high cab step,Islide into the passenger seat beside my bloodied mountain man.Hethrows the heavy rig into gear, steering us away from the inferno and straight into the dark.
8