Page 127 of Surly Sheriff
Purple cushion in hand, Rae watched him prowl across the room. She had not told Beau everything that transpired duringher stay at the safe house, and her moment of reckoning was at hand. Pulling the velvet cushion closer to her chest, she muttered, “It was just a flesh wound.”
“Just. A. Flesh. Wound.” He enunciated each word in a low voice, fury emanating from him in thick waves.
She stepped back, and her calves connected with the bed, hemming her in. “Itoldyou the safe house was compromised.”
“Compromised? One FBI agentdied. Three more wounded. That’s notcompromised, Raegan, that’s a fucking firefight.And you could’ve died.”
“But I escaped.”
“After beingshot,” he hissed. “The FBI found blood,your blood, all over the driver’s seat of the car you used to escape theambush.” He swiped a hand over his face.
“I know,” she whispered, the terror from that awful evening flooding back.
His features softened a little. “Tell me what happened.”
She sat on the edge of the bed, her knuckles digging into the velvet of the cushion. “The assault took place just after shift change. I was in my bedroom when Agent Hopkins rushed in. With him came the sound of shouting, followed by automatic gunfire. He locked the bedroom door, and we retreated to the bathroom. Using the window as an exit — an escape we practiced mere days before — we cut across the roof and shimmied down the drainpipe. Intent on reaching the second vehicle parked at the back, one attacker surprised us when we moved around the side of the house. In the brief exchange of gunfire, Agent Hopkins killed our attacker, but not without taking a couple of bullets himself. He urged me to get away just before losing consciousness.
“I listened to him, as protecting our baby was my top priority. The keys of the vehicle were stowed in the underside of the wheel well, and I got it going, cutting across the neighbor’s yard to analley, and then on to the freeway, heading for the bolt hole I’d set up in case things went south. I only realized I was wounded when I reached the apartment fifteen minutes away.”
“Where?”
“Pleasantville, New York.”
He glowered at her. “Where were youshot?”
“Here.” She placed her hand against her left hip. “Itwasjust a graze, Beau.”
“Show me.”
“Itreallywasn’t bad, requiring only ointment and a bandage. The scar’s barely visible.”
“Show. Me.”
Delaying the inevitable was pointless, and she stood. Holding her T-shirt with one hand, she pulled the waistband of her pajama pants down far enough to expose the narrow scar running horizontally above her hipbone. “Told you it's barely visible.”
Lowering to his knees before her, Beau traced his finger over the thin ridge.
Goosebumps spread across her hip. “An inch higher …” He placed a soft kiss on the scar.
“I survived. Jack survived.”
“Fuck, Rae. Just… fuck.” His voice was low and thick with emotion. Beau dropped his forehead to rest against her hip, releasing a ragged sigh, his breath a warm gust caressing her skin. “I should’ve been there with you.”
Righting her clothes, he tipped up his face. Tears clung to his lashes. His Adam’s apple bobbed, his swallow audible in the quiet room. “You were alone.Alone. And hurting. While I stewed in my misery here, you were running, keeping yourself and Jack alive, andI didn’t know.”
Rae’s heart hurt at the stark pain in his eyes, and she steeled herself against flinging herself into his arms and beggingforgiveness. Lowering herself to the bed, she cupped his bearded jaw, her thumbs wiping the wetness from his cheeks. Her gaze caught and held his. “Leaving Clearbrook protected you. I acted on instinct born out ofmyreality,myknowledge of the ruthless power Vasily yielded. The assault on the safehouse reinforced that decision, and even knowing I was pregnant, there was no way I was putting your life and that of everyone here in danger by returning.”
She rested her palm over his heart and managed a tremulous smile, her own eyes wet. “I love you. Beyond measure. And I hope that somewhere beneath all that hurt and censure you’re holding on to, there’s still a fraction of affection left, and that you will forgive me. But hear me, Beau, I am done feeling guilt over my actions.”
He took a long moment before replying. “I hear you, Rae. And deep down, here” — he placed his hand over hers, pressing it closer to his chest — “I know that if I were in your shoes, I’d’ve made the same decisions.”
Her eyes widened at that admission.
He acknowledged her surprise with a crooked smile. “You’re a strong and courageous woman, and every move, every decision you made, was born out of love, not malice. Idoforgive you, and I’m sorry it’s taken me so long to say that to you.” His smile faded, his eyes taking on a serious gleam. “And there’s a lot more than affection in my heart. There’s respect and admiration.”
He brought her hands to his mouth and kissed her knuckles, looking at her through half-mast lids. “And love. I love you, my precious Rae-Bae. So very much.”
She drew in a ragged breath, emotion robbing her speech, hope surging to the surface. The threatening tears overflowed and trailed down her cheeks.
