Retribution (Otter Creek Book 8) Read online

  “Absolutely. He works miracles with anything mechanical. Bear’s worked on a weapon or two for us.”

  Handy guy to have in your corner. “I’d love to meet him, but I’m meeting Deke to work with the dogs.”

  “Deke’s already here,” the man in question said, Ace trotting by his side. The former marshal stopped beside her to watch Charlie run through a type of jungle gym obstacle at Heidi’s verbal command. “Nice. You can tell Charlie loves doing this.”

  “It’s all about his play drive. He thinks this is a game. He views tracking the same way.”

  “For Ace, it’s about work. Conquering the obstacles is his job and what he lives for.”

  Ace whined, glancing up at Deke. With a chuckle, Deke signaled him to join the game. Soon, both dogs were clambering over or through equipment. “Who did you want to introduce Heidi to?”

  “Bear. I have to drop off my SUV for repairs.” He glanced at his watch, grimaced. “I’m already an hour late.”

  Deke shook his head. “Oh, boy. Bear won’t be happy.”

  “Nope. He’ll probably charge me extra for the aggravation. This would be the third time in as many months I’ve been late getting a vehicle to him for repair.”

  “He’ll be angry?” Heidi wondered what kind of mood Bear would be in if an unwanted visitor appeared along with Quinn.

  “Not with you. He’s a big teddy bear with the ladies. Kind of growly and gruff. He was like that with Andrea and the girls. They adore him. You’ll enjoy meeting him,” Deke said to Heidi. “Leave Charlie with me. I’ll work with him and Ace until you return.”

  “Are you sure? I can meet Bear another time.”

  A snort from Quinn. “Not unless he wants to accommodate you. The man might be a mechanical genius, but he’s a surly one when you cross or inconvenience him.”

  Deke chuckled. “He wasn’t that way with my girls, just me when I ran late dropping off our minivan for him to reinforce. He’ll enjoy meeting you, Heidi. I’ll enjoy working with Charlie. In fact, my daughters should be here later. They’ll get a kick out of playing with your dog.” He smiled. “Go on with Quinn. We’ll talk about the training program when you return.”

  “Come on,” Quinn said. “I promise not to keep you too long.”

  She followed him to the parking lot. “Do you think we can uncover the arsonist, Quinn?”

  “If anyone can unmask this person, it’s my team.” His hand clasped hers for a moment. “You and Levi have been on your own for a long time, babe. You aren’t anymore. Trust us.”

  “I’m afraid to hope.”

  He sent her a pointed glance. “Don’t be. We’re good at our jobs. We aren’t ordinary soldiers, Heidi.”

  “I kind of figured that based on the information the women shared with me last night. They’re very protective of their men.”

  “It’s for everybody’s safety.”

  Interesting comment. Guess the woman who captured Quinn Gallagher’s heart would be required to keep secrets about his work as well. That thought sent an arrow straight into her heart. The idea of another woman in Quinn’s life hurt far more than it should. After all, what hold did she have on her childhood crush? Nothing much except a few sweet memories, a lot of bad ones, and a kiss that still made her knees want to buckle hours later. She reminded herself again that Quinn probably hadn’t thought much about the kiss they shared. After all, why should he? A kiss was probably a frequent occurrence in his life. Not so in hers. No time for relationships while on the run.

  At the passenger side door of his SUV, Heidi paused. “Can you tell me what kind of soldier you are, Quinn? It’s okay if you can’t, but I’d like to know.” The information would help her understand him better.

  He raised their clasped hands and kissed the back of hers, his gaze steady, watchful. “Durango is a Delta unit.”

  Delta? Stunned speechless, she stared into his dark eyes. Oh, goodness. No wonder the women were so determined to protect their husbands. A whispered word in the wrong ear would be deadly for them all. She couldn’t imagine how many enemies Quinn and his friends had accumulated while in military service and in their jobs with Fortress. Heidi suspected more than one terrorist would love to get their hands on the Durango team or their mates and exact some revenge. “How long did you serve in that career?”

  “Almost too long.” With that cryptic comment, he dropped a light kiss on her mouth, then unlocked the door and settled her inside. He came around and climbed behind the wheel. Key in the ignition, he tried to crank the engine. Nothing but a clicking noise.

  Heidi frowned. What was wrong with his SUV?

  “Heidi, run!”

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  Quinn shoved Heidi out the door, bailed from the SUV himself, and ran. Before sprinting more than twenty feet, his vehicle exploded. The energy wave tossed his body into the air. Quinn hit the ground and rolled to a stop against the tire of another vehicle. The stench of burning metal and fuel made him cough.

  Groaning, Quinn scrambled to his hands and knees, but the ground met him in a hurry, adding to his growing list of aches and pains. He had to move. Heidi was his priority. She had to be unharmed. The alternative didn’t bear thinking about.

  “Quinn!” Hard hands ran over his arms and legs. “Can you hear me?”

  Another groan escaped. Man, everything hurt, including his head. And whichever teammate was with him sounded as though he was speaking under water. The blast had messed with his hearing. Should return to normal soon. He hoped. “Heidi,” he rasped out. His throat burned. “She okay?”

  “Josh is with her. An ambulance will be here soon. Don’t move, Quinn.”

  Those same hands tried to hold him still when Quinn shifted to his hands and knees again. “Need to get to Heidi.”

  “She’s not going anywhere.”

  Those words galvanized him into action. No! She couldn’t be gone, not when he’d just found her again. He shoved off the restraining hands and lurched to his feet, stumbling as though on a drinking binge though he and his teammates never drank. They had to be prepared at any time for deployment on missions. They couldn’t afford impaired judgment.

  Nate grabbed him right before he face planted. “Hey, you lunkhead! You might have internal injuries.”

  “Have to get to her.” Yeah, he was stubborn. “Is she okay?” Please, she had to be all right. “Nate?”

  “I don’t know, buddy. She’s unconscious.”

  Grim determination filled him. Quinn turned toward the burning remains of his ride. Fire roared and black smoke billowed from the wreckage. Even from this distance, the heat seared. “Where is she?”

  “Far side, near the building. She doesn’t weight much, Quinn. The shock wave tossed her against the wall.”

  Dread swelled inside him. Heidi might have serious injuries. He wouldn’t even allow himself to think of the worst case scenario. Before he staggered more than two steps, Nate draped Quinn’s arm across his shoulders.

  Once they moved past the inferno, he saw his team leader kneeling on the ground, talking on his cell phone. All he could see of Heidi were her legs. Not moving. Nate steered him further away from the blaze, then helped him the remaining thirty feet and eased him to the ground.

  His heart clenched. Blood marred Heidi’s pale skin, a macabre mask on her beautiful face. Quinn grasped her hand, afraid to move her though he longed to pull her into his arms, assure himself she was still alive. Her chest rose and fell with each breath and yet he feared any moment the motion would stop and he’d lose her for good. That couldn’t happen. He wouldn’t let it.

  Somewhere in his throbbing head, Quinn realized he wasn’t being rational. Couldn’t make himself back down. Heidi mattered to him. He’d figure out how much she mattered and why later. Right now he concentrated on her breathing.

  Josh shoved his phone in his pocket. “EMTs are two minutes out. Where are you injured, Quinn?”

  “I’m fine, just worried about Heidi.”

  His f
riend’s lips curved. “You’ll still go to the hospital to be checked.”

  “Call Bear. Tell him I need a new ride.” He shifted his gaze to his friend. “I want Bear to reinforce Heidi’s SUV. I’m not sure what this was about, but she needs extra protection.”

  “I’ll take care of it.” He looked at Heidi. “Was the bomb meant for her or you?”

  “Don’t know. Could be either one. We need the surveillance tapes.”

  “We’ll upload the security footage to your laptop.” Josh frowned, glanced over his shoulder at the burning SUV. “Did you leave your computer in your ride?”

  Quinn grunted. He’d been in a hurry after racing home to shower off the scent of smoke and wet dog.

  “No problem. I’ll bring you the laptop from your office. Focus on yourself and Heidi.”

  The growl of a siren stopped abruptly as the ambulance arrived. Quinn looked up to see two of his teammates keeping watch, weapons visible, standing between him and Heidi and threats in the area. He doubted anything further would happen. The bomber would be a fool to remain on the PSI campus. Trainees poured from the building and fanned out to search the grounds under the direction of PSI trainers who worked with Durango.

  Good. If this clown was still here, somebody would lasso this guy and turn him over to the cops. Quinn scowled. Chances were, though, the bomber was in the wind. His gaze focused on Heidi. “Wake up, sweetheart,” he murmured, stroking the inside of her wrist with his thumb. “I need to see those beautiful green eyes.”

  His team leader’s head whipped his direction, eyes narrowed.

  “Problem, Major?”

  “How involved are you?”

  “Not your business.”

  “Anything impairing your judgment is my business.”

  Quinn stiffened. “My judgment is as sound as yours was when you rescued Del and Ivy from Granger.”

  “No one touches what is mine.” Ice coated the words of his friend. Anyone who came after Del would regret it.

  Quinn’s exact sentiments about Heidi. His gaze traced the delicate lines of her face. As a child, she’d wormed under his barriers. As a woman, Heidi was storming his heart. Should he let her? He wasn’t perfect boyfriend material, if she would consider him in that role. A wise woman would kick him to the curb. One of Durango’s enemies might try to exact revenge, anyone in his life a target. Heidi had spent her life on the run. He didn’t want to add his problems to hers.

  She should keep him as a friend, nothing more, but his gut cramped at the thought. Quinn didn’t want to be a friend to Heidi Thompson. He didn’t know what they were yet, but he wanted the chance to find out. Quinn wanted more than he should, more than was safe.

  Josh moved aside as the EMTs rushed over, though he didn’t move far in his role as temporary bodyguard. Minutes later, Quinn climbed into the back of the ambulance and sat as close to Heidi as he could without hindering the EMT.

  He watched for any signs Heidi was regaining consciousness. Nothing. With every passing moment, he feared she’d never wake. The EMT relayed Heidi’s vital signs to the hospital. To Quinn it was a bunch of jargon. He wished Rio had been at PSI. The medic would have been able to interpret the coded conversation. All Quinn could do was watch, pray, and will Heidi to wake and show him those remarkable green eyes which had haunted his dreams for years. If things worked out between them, he would tell her.

  The ride to the emergency room was short. When the EMT threw open the doors, some tightness left Quinn’s muscles when he saw Rio jogging toward him.

  “You all right, Quinn?” Rio’s eyes assessed him as he stepped down from the ambulance. “You need stitches, buddy.”

  “I’m fine.” He gestured toward Heidi. “She’s still unconscious. Rio, the blast threw her against the wall.” His voice broke.

  The medic squeezed Quinn’s shoulder. “Josh told me. He and Nate are en route. Alex is with Serena. You want me to stay with Heidi?”

  “I can take care of myself. She can’t.” Much as he longed to provide moral support and protection, the medical personnel wouldn’t allow him in the examination room with her. He wasn’t family. He wasn’t her boyfriend. Yet. All he had to do was convince her to take a chance on him.

  He almost snorted out loud. Sure. Like she’d want to throw her lot in with an operative whose job was slightly less dangerous than his military career had been.

  “Stay alert,” his friend insisted. “We don’t know the motive behind this.”

  Rio didn’t have to spell it out for him. No drugs to render him unconscious or impair his reaction time. The bombing was connected to her arsonist or one of Durango’s missions. Would an arsonist change his MO from a fire to a bomb? He frowned, remembering his burning SUV. A bomb would take out the target and give the arsonist the thrill he sought watching the flames. “Don’t let her out of your sight.”

  Rio hurried to the stretcher bearing Heidi. “I’ve got it, Mac. Help Quinn.”

  Their team medic might convince the medical staff to bend the rules. Not only was Rio well known and well liked in the medical community, he also trained the EMTs as an instructor at PSI.

  Quinn followed them at a slower pace, Mac by his side. Though the other man didn’t touch him, he looked ready to catch Quinn if he started to go down. Not going to happen. He wanted the focus on Heidi, not him.

  As soon as they cleared the ER doors, someone called out, “Room 2, Mac.”

  “This way, Quinn.”

  He glanced up and the floor pitched. He prepared himself for the inevitable pain at the end of his journey to the linoleum.

  “Whoa, buddy.” Mac steadied him, then draped Quinn’s arm across his shoulders. “Second door on the right. Your lady friend is in Room 1. Rio will update you on her condition.”

  Inside the room, Mac eased him down on a chair. “Doc will be here soon. You need to stay here, Quinn. I know you want to check on your woman. Don’t. You can’t help her if you collapse from internal injuries.”

  “I’m fine,” he insisted again. Why wouldn’t anyone listen?

  “Tell it to the doctor, okay?” Mac’s radio squawked. He sighed. “Gotta run. An accident on Highway 18.”

  “Thanks, Mac.”

  “Yep. See you around.” With that, the EMT dashed from the room.

  Quinn thought about slipping into the next room, resisted when he swayed the moment he stood. Sinking onto his chair again with a disgusted sigh, he settled back to wait.

  Just when he thought the doctor had forgotten his existence, a tall, athletic woman breezed through the doorway, her brown eyes twinkling. “Well, we meet again, Quinn Gallagher.”

  He blinked, at a loss for a moment. Ah. Susan Bailey, the doctor he’d met at a fundraiser for the fire department and EMTs in Dunlap County. While Otter Creek’s fire department personnel were paid employees, the rest of the county wasn’t so lucky. “Hey, Doc.”

  “I hear you tangled with a bomb.”

  Quinn grimaced. “Afraid so.”

  Susan’s gaze swept over him. “Looks like superficial wounds, though the cut on your forehead needs stitching. Let me take a closer look at you. Take off your shirt and climb on the examining table, buddy. I want to make sure you don’t have cuts or burns you aren’t telling me about.”

  His lips twitched as he moved to the table. “You think I’d do that?”

  “You are as macho as my cop husband. I’m positive you wouldn’t tell me everything.”

  Smart lady. “Does Ken know he’s a lucky man?”

  “I remind him daily.” Susan motioned with her hand for Quinn to take off his shirt.

  He ditched the leather jacket that had protected him from burns on his arms and back, then peeled off his black t-shirt. Quinn would have to order a new jacket. This one now sported slashes and burn marks.

  The doctor looked at his back and whistled. “You’ll be colorful in a few hours.” Her cold hands pressed against his back and ribs.

  He hissed when she hit a particularly s
ore spot.

  “We should do x-rays.”

  “If I had broken ribs, I wouldn’t be able to breath.”

  “Had those before?”

  “Oh, yeah. Not fun.” Especially since he’d been on a mission and couldn’t be airlifted out. Rio had taped his ribs and kept Quinn mobile.

  Susan finished the exam, stitched his forehead, and declared him fit except for a slight concussion. His hearing and balance had already improved. “The woman who was brought in with me is a friend. How is she?”

  Susan’s eyebrows raised. “A friend, huh? Quinn Gallagher, is there something you aren’t telling me?”

  His cheeks burned. “Such as?”

  “Maybe she’s more than a friend.”

  Was he that transparent? “Planning to tattle on me, Susan?”

  She laughed. “Not me. She would be lucky if she caught your interest. Too bad for the single women in town, though. You’re going to break their hearts.”

  He shifted, uncomfortable with the direction of their conversation. In his view, Quinn wasn’t a great catch. He was frequently out of town with his team so he couldn’t be counted on for dates. Most women hated the uncertainty and turned him into a serial dater. What woman would tolerate his career long term? “Right. About Heidi?”

  “I’m checking on her now.” She nodded at his shirt and jacket. “Get dressed and wait in the hall.”

  As soon as Susan left, Quinn dragged on his t-shirt and grabbed his battered jacket. He leaned against the wall across from Heidi’s room.

  A couple minutes later, the door opened and Susan motioned for Quinn to step inside.

  He drew his first free breath since seeing Heidi on the ground when she held out her hand to him. Thank God.

  Quinn grabbed a chair and crossed to her side. Not wise to let Susan or Rio know his head pounded and the room spun. “Hey,” he murmured, threading his fingers through hers as he sank onto the hard chair. He was vaguely aware of Susan and Rio leaving. He focused on the woman clinging to his hand as though he were her lifeline.