“We go in right before dawn,” Logan began. He’d been thinking about this since they’d found the camp. Hell, he’d been thinking about it since he’d heard that Wade had escaped. “From what we’ve seen Wade only has two men with him. First task is to take out his protection.”

  Second? I’m sending Wade back to prison. Or a body bag. His choice.

  * * * *

  Reed hated the hospital so fucking much. He’d spent far too many hours, days, and weeks in them in his youth and few of those memories were good. Images of Julia lying in a hospital bed had come back to haunt him. Just like then, he was powerless to do anything. He could only sit on this hard plastic chair and wait. Just wait. And hope and pray too, but he’d done that before and it hadn’t helped.

  The doctor had come in about an hour ago and had given Reed good news. Kaylee was strong, her vital signs excellent, and it would be only a matter of time before she woke up. She’d have a long hard road ahead of her but it looked like she would recover. He had to keep saying that over and over in his head so he could finally believe it.

  Kaylee would live.

  “Reed…”

  His name came out hoarse and rusty. Her throat had to feel like sandpaper after her surgery this morning. Immediately he was at her side, holding her hand and offering her some water from a straw.

  She’s okay. She’s awake.

  “Can you hear me, baby?”

  She nodded and blinked a few times, still heavily medicated. Her eyes were glassy and voice was still thin and wispy as she took a sip from the straw. “Yes…I can hear you.”

  He leaned closer so she could easily hear him and ran his fingers across her cheek. So soft. He’d never felt anything as soft as Kaylee’s skin or as silky as her auburn hair.

  “Baby, do you know where you are?”

  She took another drink and then nodded.

  “Hospital.”

  The doctor had warned Reed not to expect too much the first time she woke up. He said she’d be confused and possibly agitated but to simply be calm. Temporary memory loss was common in these situations. Honestly, Reed wouldn’t blame her if she didn’t want to remember.

  “Yes, you were brought here after we were ambushed at the airfield. Do you remember that?”

  She frowned and shook her head and he lightly placed his hand on her shoulder, well above her bandages. “That’s okay. You don’t have to remember anything right now. You just have to rest and get better.”

  She seemed to relax and accepted another sip of water. The reality was beginning to hit him across the face.

  Kaylee was alive, and she was going to stay that way.

  “You’re going to be okay,” Reed assured her, tears beginning to fall down his cheeks, carving a path through his unshaven face. His heart felt too big for his chest. He loved this woman more than anything in the world. “They did surgery and they took out your spleen. You lost a hell of a lot of blood but the doctor says you’re lucky. We’re lucky, baby. God, I love you so fucking much. You’re my world, Kaylee. If anything had happened to you, I wouldn’t want to go on. I love you. I love you.”

  She didn’t get a chance to reply. The door to the room swung open and a smiling older nurse bustled in. “Are we awake? That’s wonderful. I’ve alerted the doctor. Mr. Mitchell, I’m going to have to ask you to step out for a little while so we can check her over.”

  The nurse – Helen, perhaps – was messing with the IV bag and was far too happy for the current circumstances.

  “What do you need to do?”

  “Just check her over.” The nurse patted Kaylee’s arm. “It’s good that she’s awake but she needs her sleep. The doctor will give her something so she rests tonight. She can have more visitors in the morning.”

  “But I can come back in?”

  “In just a few minutes,” the nurse assured him. “Go have a bite to eat.”

  Food was completely out of the question. It would come straight back up. But a call to Logan might be good.

  Leaning down, he brushed his lips over Kaylee’s. “I’ll be right back, baby. I love you.”

  “Love.” Kaylee yawned widely, her eyelids fluttering. She was already beginning to fall back asleep. “You.”

  “Wore herself out, poor thing,” the nurse said. “She’ll sleep mostly for the next twenty-four hours or so, only waking for a few minutes here and there. She’s heavily medicated. Don’t be surprised if later she doesn’t remember any of her first few days in the hospital. It’s probably better, if I’m honest.”

  “You think so?”

  “I do. Now don’t you worry about this young lady. She’s in good hands here. Go have a bite to eat or get some sleep. She’s really going to need you in a few days when she starts to be awake more.”

  He’d be there for her. No matter what. There wasn’t anything Reed wouldn’t do for Kaylee.

  Anything.

  “She’ll sleep all night?”

  “Like a baby. This would be a good time for you to catch some rest too, if you can. There’s a nice little motel a few blocks away. We can call you if anything changes.”

  He didn’t need rest.

  But there was one thing that he needed to do.

  Get Wade Bryson and make him pay for what he’d done to Kaylee. Logan had said that Bryson would be behind bars by breakfast.

  That wasn’t soon enough.

  * * * *

  Ava accepted the steaming cup of coffee from Griffin and took a sip. It was late and the hospital was quiet as visiting hours were over.

  “Thank you,” she said, eyeing the extra cup that he’d set on the coffee table in the waiting area. “Where’s Reed?”

  Frowning, Griffin looked around the room. “He’s in with Kaylee…right?”

  Ava shook her head, her mind racing to several conclusions and hopefully all of them were wrong. “I thought he was with you. He came out of Kaylee’s room about an hour ago. He said they were going to give her something to sleep all night. I assumed he was going to find a couch to sack out on or maybe get a bite to eat.”

  Swearing under his breath, Griffin pulled his phone from his pocket. “I never saw him downstairs. I bet I know where he is, though.”

  It didn’t take a genius to figure out that Reed had taken the opportunity while Kaylee slept to go find Wade. He’d probably kill him too, with his bare hands. Assuming he got there before Logan did, of course.

  “I’ll let Logan know. I can’t say that I blame him. I would do the same if it were Jazz.”

  Ava had no doubt that all the men would go after anyone that hurt their wives.

  “We should have anticipated this.”

  Griffin paused and looked up from his phone. “Would you have stopped him?”

  An interesting question. Part of her thought he should be here even though Kaylee would be sleeping all night and wouldn’t know the difference. The other part of her was cheering him on.

  “No,” she finally replied. “I wouldn’t have. I just wish he would have told us when he left.”

  “He probably thought we’d try and talk him out of it.”

  That’s when it hit her that there was one remaining person on the team who wasn’t going to be there when they brought Wade Bryson in. Griffin.

  “You can go if you want,” she assured him. “We’ll be fine here. They aren’t going to try anything in a hospital and Logan has Wade under surveillance anyway.”

  Griffin grinned and took a drink of his coffee. “My job is to protect you and Kaylee. I don’t need to be in on the action. It’s not personal to me like it is to Logan or Reed. I’m happy to do my part and my part is to take care of you while Logan goes and does what he needs to do. Hopefully this will all be over in the morning.”

  All over. Wade back behind bars and Ava reunited with Colt and Brianna. She made a mental note to apologize to them for being a lousy parent. All the men could go back to their wives and Kaylee…

  Kaylee would have months of painful recovery in front of her. For her, it wouldn’t be over in the morning. It would only be just starting.

  Because of me.

  Ava had mentally scarred her children and physically scarred her best friend. She’d been arrogant and selfish thinking that Wade Bryson couldn’t really touch them. That somehow they’d all get through this unscathed while the body count piled up around them.

  But now Wade had hit close to home, drawing blood on one of their own. He’d brought all of this on himself.

  Logan and Reed weren’t going to fail when the time came. An end had come to Wade Bryson’s reign of terror.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  The others were asleep and would be for another hour or so. They’d all agreed that they needed to get some rest before going in right before dawn to take down Wade and his little gang. Logan had volunteered to keep watch. He knew he wouldn’t sleep anyway.

  But Logan had always known what was really going to happen. No one else was going to get hurt or die on his watch.

  This was between him and Wade.

  And it would be settled between them.

  No one knew the importance of working as a team more than Logan. He’d been in the military after all, but this was the exception. After what had happened to Kaylee he wasn’t taking any more chances. He’d take Wade one on one. They’d started this whole clusterfuck of a situation years ago and they’d end it.

  Slipping silently down the hill, Logan hid behind some pine trees that overlooked the front door of the cabin. He and his friends had been watching the camp for hours and had come to the conclusion that there were only three people there. Wade and two other men. There was no sign of any hostages, unfortunately. The chances of finding Amy and Mike alive were low.

  Crickets chirped, and the wind rustled the leaves but all else was quiet and dark, save for one lone man sitting outside the door of the cabin. He had to take him out first without alerting the other inhabitants. There was a wide expanse of clearing that he needed to cross without being seen and the night sky was cloudy playing peekaboo with the bright light of the full moon. That was going to make this operation more difficult. He’d never know from one minute to the next whether he’d be bathed in moonlight or shrouded in darkness.

  If they’d gone in as a team, it would all be pretty straightforward. A team member would toss a smoke grenade into the cabin while the others took care of the guard outside. If Wade and the other guy didn’t come out, they’d go in and get him. Either way, the numbers were on Logan’s side and the entire operation would be done in minutes.

  But they weren’t going in as a team.

  The lilting whistle of a bird in the trees captured Logan’s attention. No bird would be singing at night like that which only meant one thing…

  Reed.

  Logan watched as his friend of many years appeared out of the shadows, his footsteps silent. Reed wasn’t supposed to be here. No one was.

  “Fuck,” Logan hissed quietly. “What in the hell are you doing here?”

  “Same thing you are.”

  “You’re supposed to be with your wife.”

  “The nurse said she’s going to sleep all night. By morning we’ll either be heroes or dead, I’m thinking.”

  “You can’t be here.”

  Reed quirked an eyebrow. “Because it’s personal for you? Fuck that shit. It’s personal for me now, too.”

  “It’s more personal for me.”

  “We are not going to have this conversation. We both have good reasons for standing here. Now just admit that you need help and let’s get this done. The sun will be up soon.”

  “I don’t need your help.”

  “You’re getting it, so shut the hell up and let’s get a fucking plan.” Reed nodded toward the sleepy guard slouching in his chair. “I figure he’s first.”

  The sun would be up soon and that would necessitate an entirely different approach. Logan didn’t have time to argue with his friend and besides, Reed made a decent case. There was no question that Logan would go after anyone who dared harm a hair on top of Ava’s head. Reed wanted revenge and Logan wanted Wade out of his life. They both had the same goal so they might as well work together.

  “Okay, but I’m in charge.”

  It was too dark to actually see but Logan was sure he could hear Reed roll his eyes.

  “Whatever, let’s do this. I need to get back to the hospital.”

  “Does Ava and Griffin know you’re here?”

  “By now they probably do.”

  Logan had turned off his phone and left it back at camp. He’d have dozens of messages when he turned it back on later.

  “I’m getting too old for this shit,” Logan muttered, crouching down farther behind the trees. Reed did the same. “It was easier when I was single.”

  “Everything’s easier when you’re young and dumb. We didn’t know enough to be scared. We have a hell of a lot more to live for now.”

  That was true. Logan didn’t fancy dying here on this hill. He wanted to grow old with Ava. Step one? Get rid of the biggest interference in their lives. Wade Bryson.

  “Listen closely,” Logan whispered, his gaze on the guard. “Here’s the plan.”

  * * * *

  Reed’s job was to take out the guard in front of the cabin while Logan went around back and threw a smoke grenade into one of the windows. It would hopefully force the two inhabitants out into the open.

  That was the plan, anyway.

  As soon as a gray cloud passed over the luminous moon, Reed sprinted silently across the clearing and took up a position behind a stack of firewood before counting to one hundred. He could clearly see the guard, who was lousy at his job because his firearm was sitting on the ground next to him instead of in his hands. As predicted, waiting to go in had made the fugitives lax and a little lazy. They’d assumed that Logan would come in guns blazing hours ago and when that didn’t happen, they’d let their guard down slightly.

  That’s all Reed and Logan needed.

  Ninety-eight, ninety-nine, one hundred.

  It happened fast and as quiet as Reed could manage. The guard jerked and grabbed Reed’s arms, trying to dislodge his grip. When that failed, he lowered one hand and grunted as he delivered a blow to Reed’s midsection with his elbow. Reed nearly doubled over, but he never let up on his grip. This was for Kaylee. The man stomped on Reed’s instep, forcing Reed to swing the man around and smash his face against the ground. Using what was left of his strength, he increased the pressure until the guard’s eyes fluttered closed and his body went limp.

  The guard might be crumpled on the ground, but as soon as the blood started to flow again this guy was going to wake up in a minute and be incredibly pissed off. And cranky.

  After slapping cuffs on the guard’s wrists, Reed shoved a rag in his mouth and then tied a gag around it. He didn’t need much time to find Wade, only a few minutes, and that’s what this would buy them. Neither Reed nor Logan were looking to kill a man they’d never met and didn’t know from Adam. Let the justice system sort them out.

  Dragging him around the side of the cabin, Reed placed the guard, who was already beginning rouse, several feet from the structure where he would be out of the way.

  Logan had worked his way from the back of the cabin to the doorway on the porch and was signaling with his arm.

  The sound of breaking glass indicated Logan had tossed the smoke grenade into the cabin. Not wanting to be in the way when the inhabitants came out, Reed dashed to the security of the vehicle and hid behind it. Logan went somewhere, disappearing into the darkness. A few seconds later, the door flung open and two men stumbled out, coughing and firing into the darkness. They sprinted across the clearing toward the tree-covered hill.

  Ducking down as a few flying bullets bounced off the vehicle, Reed crawled near the back bumper and shot at the fleeing figure. Footsteps sounded to Reed’s right and he caught sight of Logan in hot pursuit of someone headed in the opposite direction, giving Reed an open field to bring down the other guy.

  This one’s for Kaylee.

  He wasn’t as young as he used to be, but if he couldn’t chase down a bad guy then he ought to hang up his badge. Leaving the relative safety of the truck as a shield, Reed sprinted across the clearing behind the fleeing man, his lungs aching from sucking in the chilled night air. The guy stopped at one point and haphazardly shot a few times into the darkness, the muzzle flash giving away his location, before setting off again toward the hill.

  No one said criminals were brain trusts.

  The other guy was getting tired too, because Reed was now easily gaining on him. Pretending he wasn’t over forty, he lunged and dropped the man to the ground with a thump that knocked the air out of both of them and sent the fugitive’s firearm sliding a few feet away. Surprisingly, there was still fight in the guy as he kicked himself free with enough force to be able to throw a punch. It sent Reed sprawling into the dirt, gasping for air. The man stretched out his arm for the dropped gun. Not in a position to kick the firearm away, Reed only had one option.

  It all played out in a split second but the result was the fugitive lying in a pool of his own blood while Reed fell back onto his knees, his breathing ragged and steam coming out of his mouth as he gulped in oxygen. The thud of footsteps in his ears had him whirling around but a figure was there holding up his hands and yelling.

  “Don’t shoot. I’m Marshal Mike Dayton with the US Marshal Service. Don’t shoot.”

  Jesus, Mary, and the camel. Mike was still alive? Miracles do occur every now and then. Reed pushed himself to his feet and wiped the blood trickling from his mouth with his sleeve.

  “We thought you were dead.”

  It may not have been the most elegant thing to say but it was the truth. Last Reed had heard, they’d only seen three men at the cabin and none of them had been Mike Dayton.

  Chuckling, Mike lowered his hands and leaned down to inspect the body. “There were several times I thought I was, too. They took me hostage and kept me tied to a chair. I was able to get out of the ropes but hadn’t managed to make a break for it until your very convenient smoke grenade. Who else is here?”