Page 125 of Lethal Threat

“Sierra, can you hear me?”

“Y-yes. It’s really you?”

“Shhhh.”

My heart squeezes so hard behind my ribs that it feels like I’m shattering.

Cole came for me. He charged into the midst of a building full of bad guys to save me.

“I love you,” I whisper. The emotion flashes so hot inside of me I have to be glowing.

This could be the end. I might not live to see tomorrow, but I know what love truly feels like in the heart-pounding seconds his eyes hold mine.

I breathe and whisper, “God, am I glad to see you.”

“So fucking relieved.” His words are raspy and low as he gets to work, cutting the cage with some kind of hand tool. His eyes are electric with something I’ve never seen before.

He looks every bit the hero I knew he was.

Nothing at all like the man who touched me so tenderly when I was coming apart at the seams. This is a man with a mission, and I’m going to live another day because of his bravery.

Ten seconds later, the hole in the cage is big enough for him to drag me out. I whimper in pain. His eyes flash to mine. “I’ll have you free in a sec.”

He hisses and curses as he works on the cuffs on my hands. I’m sure they’re a bloody mangled mess. “Jesus, Sierra, I’m going to destroy whoever did this to you.”

I realize he’s talking to someone else on some kind of radio system when he says, “Hostage in custody. Over.”

My weak arms fall to my sides. My legs spasm as he cuts the last of the restraints.

He rolls me carefully to my left side and leans close to my ear. “Start moving around, get the blood flowing in case they hit me and you need to run on your own.”

Hitme… Oh god.

What? Then I realize he’s talking about him taking fire. The thought of him being hit by bullets sends me into nuclear panic. Cold sweat instantly covers my chest.

But Cole is as calm and cool as if he’s napping under a palm tree in a hammock. He’s not even breathing hard.

I, however, am breathing hard enough for both of us.

He wraps his big warm hands around my shoulders and sits me up. Smooths back my hair. “Let’s get you home.”

Tears threaten my vision.

Home.

I’ve never heard a more beautiful word.

I sway under his touch, overwhelmed by emotions. “Cole, Bryan’s here. You have to help him too. He said he was in a cage?—”

“He’s out already. He helped us get in.”

My words comes out breathless. “He did?”

He nods as he rubs his knuckles across my cheek.

I fight the urge to throw my arms around him because I know we have to move. But I want to wrap myself around him and hold on forever.

If we make it out of this alive, I’m going to tell him exactly how I feel. That I want to marry him. That I want his child growing inside of me. That I want to spend every winter night for the rest of my life tucked away in his cabin together.