Page 31 of Shelter for Shay (Broken Heroes Mended Souls #2)

And she wasn’t sure she'd make it to morning with that knowledge sitting like poison in her chest.

Moose – Saturday Afternoon | Perimeter Outside the Cabin

The cabin sat like a splinter in the woods—half-rotted porch, warped windows, one crooked chimney curling smoke into the canopy like a beacon for trouble.

Moose crouched behind a fallen pine, eyes locked on the structure. His earpiece buzzed low with updates.

“North side secure,” Sloan whispered.

“South, too,” Lief added.

Jupiter’s voice filtered in next. “No cameras. No motion sensors I can see. But there’s a signal blocker running inside—nothing’s getting in or out clean.”

“Visuals on hostiles?” Moose asked, adjusting the grip on his sidearm.

“One at the rear entrance. Armed, restless. Looks ex-military,” Kawan said. “Another patrolling the perimeter, moving counterclockwise every sixty seconds. They’ve done this before.”

“Still only two visible,” Thor added. “Edmonds just went back inside.”

Moose nodded to himself, jaw clenched. “We do this quietly. Clean. No collateral.”

“Copy that,” his team echoed.

He exhaled, stood slowly, and looked at the structure again—memories of Shay flickering like flashes in a storm. Her laughter. Her stubborn fire. The sound of her voice over the phone when she’d told him she was glad he’d called.

He wasn’t going to lose her.

“Thor, you and Lief take the rear. Sloan, Kawan, take the side window. On my mark, you breach only if I give the signal. Not before.”

Jupiter’s voice came through. “You sure you want to do this part solo?”

Moose slid his rifle onto his back and holstered his sidearm. “If I walk in alone, he doesn’t panic. He doesn’t shoot her. I need his eyes on me.”

“And if he pulls the trigger anyway?” Jupiter asked.

“Then you end it.”

A pause. Then Thor said, “Don’t be a hero, Moose.”

“I’m not. I’m buying time,” Moose said. He crept toward the front porch, boots crunching soft underbrush, one hand lifted. The steps groaned under his weight. No movement inside yet.

He pushed the door open.

The room was dim. The oil lamp on the counter hissed. The air stank of sweat and damp wood. And there she was—Shay. Tied to a chair, blood on her lip, chin high, eyes wide when she saw him.

Then Blake stepped out of the shadows behind her—gun pressed to her temple.

Moose froze mid-step, arms half-raised. “Easy.”

Blake’s smile was brittle. “Ah. The boyfriend.”

“I’m here for her,” Moose said evenly. “That’s it.”

“You shouldn’t have come back to this town,” Blake sneered. “You screwed up everything.”

“You did that yourself.” Moose took a careful step forward. “You torched the trial. You exposed the truth. Then you took her. It’s all unraveling, Blake. You know that.”

“Don’t talk to me like I’m stupid,” Blake snapped. The gun pressed harder against Shay’s head. “You think I don’t know what happens next? You think I don’t know what you brought with you?”

“They’re not coming in unless I say so.” Moose kept his voice steady. “Let her go. Walk out of this. You might still have a sliver of a deal left.”

“You don’t get it.” Blake’s voice cracked now. “She’s the match. She always was. Margaret set the fire, but Shay’s the one who’s going to burn.”

Shay looked at Moose, shaking her head slightly—as if to say don’t push him .

But it was too late.

Blake’s finger tensed, and Moose saw the shift in his stance.

He dove forward.

The gun went off.

Pain exploded in Moose’s left arm as the bullet tore through muscle, knocking him off-balance—but not before he tackled Blake with a roar that shook the walls.

Shay screamed as the chair tipped.

The gun clattered to the floor.

Moose fought through the haze of pain, driving his knee into Blake’s ribs. Blake clawed at his belt, reaching for a backup piece—but the window shattered as Sloan and Kawan crashed through.

Thor and Lief stormed the rear, weapons raised, sweeping the room.

“Clear!” someone shouted.

Moose rolled off Blake, clutching his bleeding arm as Sloan yanked the bastard’s wrists behind his back and zip-tied them with brutal efficiency.

A strangled cry broke through the room.

“Get her loose,” Moose barked, already scrambling toward her.

Kawan was there, blade in hand, slicing through the zip ties at Shay’s wrists. The moment she was free, she crumpled forward, body sagging like the strings holding her up had been cut.

Thor caught her, arms strong and steady, but Shay trembled so violently she couldn’t stand. Couldn’t speak. Her breath came in ragged gasps, shallow and sharp, her eyes wide with pure animal panic.

“Shay,” Moose said, his voice hoarse. He dropped to his knees beside her, pain screaming through his arm. “Hey, sweetheart. I’m here.”

She looked at him—and that shattered something inside his chest.

Her face was pale, streaked with tears and blood and dirt, but it was her eyes that broke him open. Glassy. Hollow. Haunted.

“You’re bleeding,” she whispered, her voice barely more than a breath. Her gaze was locked on the blood soaking through his shirt, but her hands didn’t move. She was frozen.

“We’re both alive,” Moose said gently. “That’s all that matters.”

She blinked slowly, like she didn’t quite believe it. Then, suddenly, her hands were fisting in his shirt, clutching hard as she collapsed into him with a sob that came from somewhere deep—somewhere cracked and raw and full of terror.

“You came,” she gasped against his chest. “I didn’t think— I didn’t know if?—”

“I told you I would,” he said, burying his face in her hair. “You’re never alone, Shay. Not ever again.”

She broke then. Shaking. Sobbing. Her hands tangling in his shirt, her knees tucked against his side as if she were trying to fold herself into him and disappear. Her whole body trembled with the aftershock of fear, her breath hitching in broken waves.

He held her through it, one arm tight around her, the other throbbing with pain. He didn’t care. Let it bleed.

Behind them, Blake groaned on the floor, his face split and bruised, fury still flashing in his eyes.

Jupiter stepped over him, holding up a tablet with grim satisfaction.

“Got it all,” he said. “Audio, video, confession. Every word. He’s not walking out of this.”

Moose didn’t look at him. Didn’t look at anyone.

All he saw was Shay—shaking in his arms, trying to breathe, trying to believe this was over.

He kissed her temple and whispered, “We’ve got you now.”

But the fight wasn’t finished.

Not until Blake Edmonds paid—for every scar, every threat, and every tear.

Moose – Saturday Evening | Lake George Community Hospital

The antiseptic tang of the hospital room clung to the back of Moose’s throat. Fluorescent lights buzzed overhead, too bright for how exhausted he felt. A nurse finished wrapping the gauze around his upper arm, tightening it just enough to make him wince.

“You’re lucky this didn’t cause too much damage,” the nurse said.

Moose grunted. “Lucky’s not the word I’d use.”

The nurse gave him a look that said she’d seen worse and left him with a fresh set of discharge papers.

He flexed his fingers. The bullet had torn through clean, but it’d be a few weeks before he’d be able to do anything meaningful with his left arm. Which meant no shooting, no lifting, and no pretending everything was fine.

The door creaked open, and Andy Harmon stepped in, followed closely by Jacob Donovan.

Both men looked like they’d aged a decade in the last twenty-four hours.

Moose gave them a tired nod. “Tell me you’ve got good news.”

Andy leaned against the wall, arms crossed. “We’ve got Blake Edmonds on multiple charges—kidnapping, unlawful imprisonment, obstruction of justice, jury tampering, attempted murder.”

Jacob lifted a folder and flipped it open. “Between Shay’s testimony, your team’s footage, and the voice recordings Jupiter captured during the standoff, we’ve got more than enough to bury him.”

Moose let out a long breath. “And the LLC stuff? The other criminal activity?”

Jacob smirked. “Your friend Ry from The Refuge delivered. I don’t know who she is exactly, and I don’t think I want to, but the chain of financial laundering traced through Margaret’s accounts, Blake’s shell companies, and the W.E.H.

Holdings network is ironclad. He used Margaret.

Exploited her. Manipulated a young woman trying to raise her daughter into being the front for his criminal enterprise—and that’s just the tip of the iceberg. ”

“And then he threatened her when she wanted out. Looks like the murder of Adam Lawrence was about keeping the secret from surfacing,” Andy said.

Moose rubbed his good hand down his face. “And Shay…?”

Jacob’s expression softened. “She’ll be protected. Her name’s going to surface, but I’ll do everything I can to keep it from becoming a circus. She’s a victim here. We’ll make sure that’s how the story is told.”

Andy pushed off the wall. “He thought she’d break. But she didn’t. That woman’s got grit.”

Moose didn’t say anything. He just nodded—because grit didn’t even begin to cover it.

Andy and Jacob exchanged a few final words and let themselves out, promising updates soon. The door clicked shut behind them, and Moose allowed himself a moment of stillness.

Then it creaked open again.

This time, Shay stepped in.

Her hair was pulled back into a low knot, and there were dark circles under her eyes. She wore a long-sleeve shirt that hung a little loose on her frame and held herself like someone who wasn’t quite sure if the ground beneath her feet was real.

Moose sat up straighter. “Hey.”

She didn’t speak right away—just crossed the room slowly and sat on the edge of the chair beside him.

“You look like hell,” she murmured.

He smiled faintly. “Bullet holes will do that to a guy.”

Her hand found his, fingers trembling as she twined them with his. The danger was over, but what lingered in its wake was far from finished for Shay and that tore his heart into pieces.

“You saved me,” she whispered. “He was going to kill me. You knew that, and you came anyway.”

“I’d come every time.”

Her throat bobbed. “I watched you get shot.”

“And I watched you stand toe-to-toe with the man who’s been controlling your life since the day you were born.” He reached up with his good hand, brushing his fingers across her cheek. “You didn’t back down. You didn’t break. That’s strength, Shay. That’s the woman I love.”

Her eyes filled. But she didn’t cry—not really. Just leaned forward and pressed her forehead to his.

“I don’t feel strong,” she whispered. “I honestly feel broken. I can’t close my eyes and not see it all unfold right in front of me like it’s happening all over again.”

“I know,” he said softly. “I’m here to help you unload it and I’ll carry it for both of us.”

They sat there like that for a long beat. Breathing the same air. Steadying each other.

Eventually, Moose pulled back just enough to meet her gaze. “I was thinking… The Refuge. It’s quiet. Safe. It would be good for you, considering everything you just went through. It will help you work through everything… maybe more than I can.”

“The guys were all talking it up.” She nodded. “Thor said it really helped him and Danni.”

“It did.” He nodded. “And since I’m technically injured and under orders to rest?—”

“You want to come with me?”

“I’m not letting you out of my sight for a while,” he said.

“Besides, it was no walk in the park for me to see that man holding a loaded gun to your head. That’s not a visual that will leave my brain overnight.

It’s what the people at The Refuge are for.

To be a lighthouse in wake of a storm like this. ”

A small smile curved her lips, fragile but real. “Okay.”

“Yeah?”

She nodded. “I want to go, but I don’t want to do it alone. I’m tired and I don’t feel strong.”

“I know me telling you that you’re one of the strongest people I know feels like just words right now, but it’s true. Being at The Refuge will help you find that person again,” he said, leaning back against the pillow. “We’ll disappear for a little while. Let the world spin without us.”

“I do feel lost,” she said, resting her head against his shoulder, “and The Refuge sounds perfect.”

Moose knew better than most that this wasn’t going to be an easy journey, but in the end, Shay was the air that he breathed and he’d do anything to help her find that safe space again.