Page 24 of Blade’s Edge (L.A.S.T. Defense #1)

Jasper

I watch Emi sleep from the doorway. AJ found a syringe on the floor of the cellar and a vial of ketamine in one of the dead asshole’s pockets.The sedative shouldn’t have any lasting effects, thank fuck.

She refused to go to the hospital. The EMTs were livid, and AJ argued with me for a full ten minutes before I told him to shut up and let me take care of her.

Her cheek is several shades of purple. She’ll be sore for days, but the bone isn’t broken, and she’s safe. At least for now.

AJ paces the living room, cursing every time he finds another bullet casing or drop of blood. “It’s my fault, Jas. I told Van you were safe at our family cabin. I didn’t know he was dirty. I swear to you. The minute the call came in?—”

“You saved Emi’s life, AJ. We’re square.”

He runs a hand through his hair, a sure sign he’s pissed at himself. The man hates messing up his hair. “We’re not. I almost got you both killed! If I hadn’t called in a favor and gotten one of the best hackers in the world on the case?—”

“Aaron. Don’t.”

He stops in his tracks and meets my gaze. Shit. It’s like looking in a fuckin’ mirror. Except for the pain in his eyes.

“You couldn’t have known. And since you saved my ass, I think you can stop kicking yourself for five goddamn minutes.”

“Don’t you understand?” he shouts. “This is what I do. I fuck up, and people die.”

He stalks out the front door, slamming it behind him.

Emi startles awake with a tiny whimper. I limp over to the bed and sink down next to her. “Easy, sweetheart. You’re safe. We’re safe.”

She lets me pull her into my arms and rests her head against my chest. “What was AJ yelling about? He ‘fucks up and people die’?”

My fingers tangle in her silky locks. I can’t stop touching her. If I weren’t so worried about her, I’d tell her how much I love her right fucking now.

“The weekend Grace disappeared, she and AJ were supposed to come up here for a long weekend. But he was gunnin’ for captain at the time, and when our commander needed someone to take an overtime shift, he volunteered. Grace went out for a run that Saturday and never came home.”

“Oh, God.” She settles closer to me with a sigh. “He blames himself.”

I stare at the front door. “He hasn’t taken an easy breath in two years. Not sure he ever will again.”

We sit in silence for a few minutes. I can’t stop seeing her unconscious on the porch. I could have lost her. And then where would I be?

“Jasper?” Emi tightens her fingers on my flannel shirt. “I know what they were after. But it doesn’t make any sense.”

I tip her chin up to meet her tired gaze. “Tell me.”

“I recorded my conversations with the building inspector. Alan Trowing? That’s what they wanted tonight. The originals. But why? Even if the cartel destroyed them, the FBI still has their copy.”

“Because Van and Spooner were on Fowler's payroll. That’s how those assholes found us. They probably deleted the copy five minutes after you turned it over.” I rub circles over her back. “Where’s the original?”

“My tablet.” Her words are starting to slur. “And…in the cloud. Backups of the backups.”

“Good. Try to sleep a while now. I gotta find AJ. He’ll have a plan for what happens next.”

Easing her down, I brush my lips to the tip of her nose. There isn’t another square inch of her face unmarked from the past few days.

“Wait.” Emi wraps her fingers around my wrist. “Earlier…you said you were falling in love with me. I pretended to be asleep. I…shouldn’t have done that.”

“It’s okay, sweetheart. We went from zero to somethin’ fast as greased lightning. I should have kept my fool mouth shut. When this all blows over…if you ask…I’ll walk away.”

One corner of her mouth twitches. “You better not turn tail on me, Jasper. I’m tryin’ to say ‘I’m falling for you too.’”

I stand behind the cameras in the Channel 5 studio.

A skeleton crew—along with Emi’s news director, Nelson, came in on a Sunday afternoon so she could tape tonight’s final update to the Eugene Fowler story.

AJ, Parker, and three other Rangers I don’t know are stationed at the doors.

We’ll be far away from here by the time this goes on the air.

Emi sits at the anchor desk and reads the final paragraph from the teleprompter.

“I can now report that five of the eight members of Consolidated Investment Group’s Board of Directors, along with several men linked to the Cordova Cartel are in custody.

Eugene Fowler is facing multiple felony charges, including conspiracy to commit murder.

Construction on the Empress Hotel and Conference Center has stopped for the foreseeable future, but the owner of the Austin Stars has vowed to personally finance the new community center.

Plans are being drawn up now, and the center should open by the first of the year.

For Channel 5 News, this is Emmylou Marsh, reporting. ”

The cameraman offers a thumbs up, and the red Recording light goes dark.

“That’s a wrap,” Nelson says. “Great job, Emi.”

I limp over to her, slide my arm around her waist, and help her to her feet. “You ready to get the hell outta here?”

“God, yes. I need to sleep for a week.” She leans against me, her head on my shoulder. “And maybe go more than twenty-four hours without someone trying to kill me.”

“Call me in a few days.” Nelson says. “Let me know when—or if—you think you can come back. Or which one of the networks steals you away.”

Emi links her arm with mine and smiles. “National news isn’t my end game anymore, Nelson. I’m afraid you’re stuck with me.”

The guy’s jaw drops, and with a chuckle, I urge Emi toward the back door of the studio. AJ’s waiting for us.

“What about me?” I ask as we step into the afternoon sun. “Am I stuck with you, too?”

Emi laughs. “I think you might be. Turns out, I’m in love with you, Jasper.”

“If you two are done making googly eyes at each other, can we go?” AJ drawls, leaning against the SUV with his arms crossed.

“A friend of a friend set the two of you up at the Five Points Austin for the next week. It’ll give the Feds time to make sure the corruption didn’t go any higher than Van and Spooner. ”

“The Five Points? When did the Rangers start springing for a hotel that nice?” I ask.

He snorts. “Never. The ‘friend of a friend’ took care of it. Don’t ask questions. I won’t answer them.”

Well, at least my brother’s back to his usual grumpy self. For a few minutes at the cabin, I thought maybe, we’d built some sort of bridge between us. But it’s gone now.

I bring Emi’s hand to my lips. “I love you, Emmylou Marsh. When this is all over, move in with me? Or move…somewhere with me? Or let me move in with you?”

She tries to smile, but winces as her fingers fly to her swollen lip. “I ruined the moment.” The words are a little awkward and muffled behind her hand. “Ask me again tomorrow?”

It takes a beat before I understand. “Ask you again, huh? So you can say ‘yes’ properly?”

Her eyes narrow. “I’m usually the one with the trick questions.”

“Take the day off, sweetheart. I think you’ve earned it.” Leaning over as far as the seatbelt will let me, I cup the back of her neck and carefully seal my lips to hers.

We’re both breathless when she pulls back to whisper in my ear. “Will you ask me again tomorrow, Jasper?”

“Yes, ma’am. I sure will.”

Thank you for reading Blade’s Edge! This is the first book in the L.A.S.T. Defense series. There are currently four books planned for the series. Each book is a standalone, but I love bringing back characters for supporting roles later on.