Page 47 of Last Hope
Terrance shook his head at his boss. “She’s at the hospital with Burns.”
Teddy scowled. “I know where she’s at. But I’m giving you an order.”
Terrance glared. It was going to be a raging mess of a battle. Victoria was barely recovered from the last battle with Caesareon’s men when she had taken a silver dagger to the side and nearly died in his arms. He was going to leave her out of this and avenge Joshua Burns himself. He didn’t need her by his side for this. He needed her safe.
“If you don’t get her she’ll be pissed at you. She’ll probably dump you—if you make it out alive. The least you could do is go say goodbye.”
Terrance narrowed his eyes.
“That’s an order.” And Teddy walked away.
* * *
Terrance decidedto follow Teddy’s advice. He knew Victoria was capable of handling herself but his world had been shaken to the core the last time he had almost lost her. And he wouldn’t go through that again. He didn’t want to hold her as her life bled out in his hands. He could never forgive himself if anything happened to her.
She would be pissed once he told her to stay but he’d deal with that. She’d be pissed and safe. If only she’d listen and stay put by Savvy’s bedside and keep herself out of the battle and out of trouble.
He drove like a madman towards the hospital, parked and jumped out and in, all the way to Joshua’s room. He burst through the door without preamble, only to startle awake a sleeping Victoria.
She was in a cushioned chair beside Savvy’s hospital bed. Her blonde hair was in disarray, almost as if she had run her hands through it a million times out of stress. There were gray shadows beneath her eyes and her face was pinched tight with worry.
She rubbed a hand across her face. “What’s going on?” She yawned, casting a worried glance at Burns. He remained unchanged, completely immobile to everything around him.
“You didn’t see the broadcast?”
At her look of confusion he recounted everything Azizi had said in his earlier broadcast. Victoria cursed and stood up as soon as he finished. “We need to get down there. Have the best hackers,” she nearly choked on the words, “hack into every single camera at every stoplight in every building, bank, store…whatever. We need to be able to tell where Azizi is going so we can stop him before he does any more damage.”
Terrance went up to a pacing Victoria and placed his palms on her shoulders. She was already in distress. In all the time since he’d met her, he’d never seen her lose her cool on the job. But this job had turned personal. It had become that way the moment Azizi put Joshua Burns in a coma. Needless to say, she wasn’t at all in the right frame of mind to go into battle. She’d be killed within seconds.
“I’ve done all that already. They’ve found him and they’re going to stop him.”
Victoria relaxed her posture for a mere split second before she tensed up again. “So what are we waiting for? Let’s go!” She ran back over to the cushioned chair and grabbed her brown leather jacket, wrapping it around her shoulders. “We need to surprise the little bastard and kill him before he can escape.” She shook her curls out and began to walk out the door but stopped when Terrance made no move to join her. “What’s the matter with you?” she asked angrily.
Terrance sighed. He didn’t know how he could begin to tell her what it was he wanted to say. He had never been good with words; never really felt the need to use them. Actions were always more than enough, they always seemed to suffice. But this time they wouldn’t. He couldn’t just tie Victoria up with chains and leave her there while he went out into battle.
For one, she was physically stronger than him and two, she would hate him forever. The idea of Victoria hating him forever didn’t sit well after all of the love he’d come to know with her. He had never loved another before her in his whole life, had never really looked for it. But now that he had it, he didn’t intend on letting it go so easily. Victoria was his. And he was hers.
But he still weighed the possibilities in his mind. Did he want her safe, even if that meant losing her love and everything they had? Or would he risk losing her forever in a dangerous battle just because she chose to fight?
They were members of the FBSI, for shit’s sakes. They faced danger on a daily basis. She had been kidnapped on the job once. She knew the dangers first hand. And if she knew about the dangers then she sure as hell knew how to handle herself.
He swallowed.
“What’s wrong?” Victoria repeated.
“Phillipe.” He wanted to reach out for her but he kept his hands to himself. He knew she wouldn’t want him near her after he said his piece. “I think you should stay here with Burns,” Terrance said. He stared into her eyes as he did so. It was the coward’s way to look away and anywhere else.
“Yeah, very funny, Crawford, now let’s go.” Victoria open the door. He reached her in one stride and pulled it back closed.
“I’m not joking, Phillipe,” he said. Her back was turned to him but she was pressed tightly against his chest. The back of her head reached his chin. His palm rested flat against the door, his arm beside her body. She didn’t move for a long moment.
He closed his eyes against her scent, against the pain it was bringing him. The fear of losing her dominated everything. If his good old friend, the Phantom of Fear and Darkness were there at that precise moment, he’d be having a field day with Terrance.
Victoria turned around and he took a step back. Her eyes flared with anger and he admired just how beautiful it made her. She was tall, like a model but not at all skinny. Her luscious curves drew him in, like they had the first time they had ever met. Wide hips, slim waist and fairly normal sized breasts that he had held and nipped and sucked time and time again.
He doubted she’d ever let him touch her again.
“What are you saying, Terrance?”
