Chapter 20

GABRIEL

“Sarge, run,” he commanded when he heard the faint snap to their right. The wire was rigged to a trap pack, a runaway lead that would ignite the rest of the C-4, possibly constructed of a different material than the visible explosives. The sight of the spark zipping along the wire had Gabe incredibly happy that he had been able to disarm the charges on the staircase as he pushed the sergeant up the stairs.

The acrid smell of sulfur had Gabe calling to his CO when they reached the first floor. As quick as the sergeant was for his age, Gabe knew they weren’t going to make it at his pace. “Sarge, turn!”

Sergeant Brady turned as Gabe instructed, a look of confusion on his face. Gabe dropped his shoulder and lifted the smaller man across his back, the momentum of his faster pace carrying them further along the long hallway, the floor disintegrating mere inches behind him as the explosives discharged. With a final lunge, Gabe dove through the excuse of a screen door, the shockwave carrying them across the expanse of the porch.

“Tuck, Sarge!” Gabe shouted as he folded his body around that of the sergeant before they landed on the patchy gravel below the porch steps, both men covering their heads as the house imploded around them, burning splinters of wood and shards of glass raining down on them.

Gabe lay still for a long time, concentrating on his breathing and the fact that he was still alive. He pushed up on his elbows and looked over at the sarge who was lying too still beside him. Gabe shook the ringing from his ears and quickly crawled to his CO, turning him onto his back and checking for a pulse, but drew back with relief when the older man swatted Gabe’s hands away from him.

“Fuck, Von Ashner,” he moaned as he sat up. “Thirty years on the job. Thirty, long, uneventful years, and here you come along, and you have my heart working harder than when I play with my future grandchildren!”

“At least you’ll retire with some exciting memories.” Gabe couldn’t resist the jibe.

“Fu—” Sergeant Brady’s response was cut off by the sound of running feet.

“You guys okay?” Coolidge asked as he ran up to them.

“I think the sarge needs an EKG.” Gabe laughed and stood, holding out his hand to help the older man.

“You’re on weapons duty for a week, Von Ashner,” the sergeant groused as he slapped Gabe’s hand away and got to his feet, bending his back as he tested his muscles.

“You both need to get seen for cuts and have your sanity checked,” Coolidge said, shaking his head.

SARAH

She looked around the quiet restaurant, most of the tables empty on a Tuesday evening, and sighed in relief that she was working her last night on Wednesday. Sarah finished wiping down her station before moving to the serving area where she wiped down the stainless-steel surface, a buzz of excitement giving her a haze of energy that carried her through the slow service.

Her phone buzzed in the back pocket of her jeans. They weren’t allowed to have their phones during service, but as Sarah was the only parent on the crew, the other staff agreed that she could keep hers for emergencies. She dropped the cloths into the sink and dried her hands before reaching for the device.

With a frown, Sarah looked down at the name on the caller ID and hurriedly slid to answer it. “Gabe?”

“Rah.” His deep, gravelly voice sent a shiver down her spine, her stomach fluttering like a troubling of goldfish in a small fishbowl.

“Is everything okay?” she asked, leaning against the counter, wrapping her free arm around her waist to hold the sensations in check, her stomach clenching with alarm. “Seth—”

“He’s okay. Everything is good.” His voice softened as he assured her. “I need a favor.”

Sarah breathed a sigh of relief. “A favor?”

“I need a ride home please.”

Sarah frowned again. “A what?”

“My truck is at the office and Seth is busy on another call.”

What was he not telling her? “Why are you not driving yourself home?”

He hesitated a beat too long. “I… There was a… Aw, fuck, Rah, I’m at the hospital.”

Sarah straightened as alarm vibrated through her body. “Hospital? Gabe, what happened?”

“Nothing serious,” he assured her quickly. “It was just precaution, that’s all.”

“That’s all?” She felt her eyebrows rise, then breathed out loudly. It was typical of Gabriel to downplay his injuries to not worry anyone. Sarah wouldn’t be surprised if she arrived at the hospital and Gabe was strapped from head to toe in bandages. She remembered the day he had dislocated his thumb during a sparring match with Seth and how he had bit down on his teeth as he realigned the joint with a soft grunt, wiggled his digit, and nodded in satisfaction.

“Yes, Sarah, ~that’s all~…”

Sarah closed her eyes and shook her head. “Seth dropped me at work because my car is in for service. I could get your truck at the department?”

“That can work. The keys are in the console,” he said, the relief evident in his voice.

“I’m just cleaning up, so give me a half hour?”

“I need to wait for some meds so that’ll be fine.”

“Great.” She quickly hung up and rinsed the cloths in the sink before draping them over the handle of the stove, making sure everything was switched off, closed up, and ushered the rest of the staff out of the restaurant.

Cleve waited for her to lock the door and she hooked her arm through his. She had explained the situation to him, and he had offered to walk her over to the sheriff’s department to get Gabe’s truck. It was a pleasure to walk with him, their conversation was open and easy as they discussed the opening event of the bakery.

Gabe’s silver Ram 1500 appeared in the parking lot, and Sarah walked to the driver-side door. She gasped as the scent of Gabe’s cologne wafted over her, the smell of cloves turning her bones to jelly, reminding her of the taste of his skin and the heat of his kisses, the feel of his hands on her body. She blinked away the desire heating her from deep inside. Sarah frowned at the wide gap between the seat and the pedals and was reminded of Gabe’s long legs, especially when they were encased in those favored blue jeans.

With a grumble, she adjusted the seat and climbed into the vehicle, impatiently fishing the keys out of the console while she waited for Cleve to close his door. A country song played quietly on the radio when she started the engine, and Cleve laid his head against the seat as he sang softly. Her friend had a good voice and enjoyed playing his guitar at open mic nights, which is why they had opted to host them once a month at the bakery.

The engine whined, drawing Sarah’s attention back to her driving. Trust Gabe to drive stick, she groused as she punched the clutch and changed the gear to second. It was a good thing Seth had taught her to drive a stick, saying that it was an advantage for her not to be limited in what she drove.

“You sure you’re going to be all right then, love?” Cleve asked when she pulled up at his apartment building. “You don’t need an escort to the hospital?”

She narrowed her eyes at him suspiciously. “I’ll be fine. Why?”

“It has nothing to do with you. I know you can take care of yourself.” He smiled at her when she raised an eyebrow. “I just want to wallow in this man’s essence for a while longer.”

“Go home, Cleve!” She laughed as she swatted his arm.

He reached over, cupped her cheek, and kissed it. “I love you, Sarah.”

“I love you too, my friend.” She smiled softly as she watched him walk into the building’s front door.

GABRIEL

Gabe gritted his teeth when the pretty nurse patted the numerous cuts on his arms and back with an alcohol swab, the sting making him realize how happy he should be that he survived. He held onto that thought and pushed the dark voice away, the voice that whispered that he had missed the opportunity to—

He closed his eyes, and images of bouncing blonde curls filled his mind, Amelia’s joyful dresses reminding him of the beauty that life had. He thought of her green eyes which were identical to her mother’s, and he stifled a groan at thoughts of Sarah. Her green eyes had blazed like emeralds when he had grazed his teeth along the long column of her silky neck.

“I’m sorry, Deputy Von Ashner.” The nurse’s soft voice broke into Gabe’s thoughts. “That cut was a bit deeper than the others.”

“No worries,” he murmured, wincing at the continued sting of the nurse’s administration.

“Gabriel Von Ashner!”

He glanced over his shoulder with a raised eyebrow at the feminine gasp.

Sarah stood at the door of the cubicle in the emergency room, his sports duffel dropping to the floor as she walked to the bed he was sitting on. “What the hell did you do to yourself this time?”

He grinned at her, hoping to downplay the obvious disaster the shrapnel of the blown-up house had made of his back. “Hey, Rah. What’s in the bag?”

Her jaw dropped as she gaped at him, and he could see the myriad of emotions flashing through those eyes he loved. A hint of red tinged her cheeks as she settled on anger. He bit his cheeks to smother the grin, enjoying the beauty of an angry Sarah. He couldn’t wait to hear what was going to come out of her mouth, and he didn’t have to wait long.

“What is ~in~ the bag?” she hissed, lifting the bag onto the bed, and Gabe lowered his lashes to hide the laughter in his eyes as he anticipated the Italian that usually accompanied her anger. “Fanculo, Gabriel! You sit there so casually, your back torn to shreds, and you don’t seem to care that you could have died! Scemo uomo!”

Having been friends with Seth for nearly twenty years had taught Gabe enough Italian to know when he was being insulted, and it never sounded as sexy as it did coming from Sarah.

“I aim to please.” Gabe couldn’t resist teasing her. She narrowed her eyes at him but was stopped from saying anything else when the doctor walked into the room.

“All your tests check out; besides the cuts and bruised ribs, you need to watch that graze on your temple.”

“Thanks, doc,” Gabe said, trying not to look at the anger brightening Sarah’s cheeks to a deep red. He waited until the doctor left before asking again. “So, Rah, what’s in the bag—”

“Banana fritters!” she hissed. “Dannazione, Gabriel! Bruised ribs? Grazed head? What tests?! What the hell happened tonight, Gabe?!”

“Sarah,” he bit back the words ~calm down~ and instead, waved his hand around the room. “We’re in a hospital…”

She opened her mouth but sucked in a deep breath instead. “Fine.”

She opened the bag and pulled out a white T-shirt he recognized as the spare clothes he kept in his truck.

“Thanks,” he murmured when she tossed it at him.

He frowned when he saw that her eyes were fixed on his bare torso, her fingers gently flitting over the various bits of bandages across his body. He ground his teeth together as the heat of each touch seared his skin, and he caught her hand when she touched the old scar on his left arm. Their eyes met and he pulled her toward him, widening his legs so that she could stand between them. She licked her lips, and he followed the movement of her tongue, his head bending of its own accord, his own tongue intent on imitating hers.

Her hands settled on his shoulders as his fingers found their way to her hips, holding her in place as his head lowered. He could feel her breath on his lips, and her eyes changed from the angry emerald to the mossy softness of desire.

“Gabe…” She sighed, and he felt it deep in his soul. “We’re in a hospital…”

His own words used against him so huskily, so sexily, had him groaning softly at her reminder. With concentrated effort, he unclenched his fingers from her waist and reluctantly let her go. He lifted the T-shirt and slipped it over his head, more as a way to keep his emotions in check than to cover his body.

“I’ll tell you on the way home,” he said softly as he got to his feet. He packed the medication that the nurse had laid on the bed into his bag and hoisted it onto his shoulder. She nodded as she walked ahead of him and he laid his hand on the small of her back, needing to make contact with her. Sarah led them to where she had parked his truck and made to hand the keys back to him.

He shook his head. “They gave me some pills before stitching me up.”

“Okay.” She nodded. Gabe caught her watching him when he laid his head back against the seat, half closing his eyes as he watched her drive.

“Thank you, Sarah.” She gazed over at him as he took her hand and twined their fingers together. “I missed you.”