BRENT FELT THE BLOW to the back of his head and he staggered to his knees. The floor shook and for a long moment, his vision clouded.
He had the sudden image of Abby crumpled on the dirt floor and then it disappeared.
His nerves stopped prickling and dread settled in the pit of his stomach.
He forced himself to his feet and walked over to the window. A quick peek and his fingers started to smoke. Pain shot through him, but it was nothing compared to the ache in his chest because he could no longer feel Abby.
The connection had been broken.
She’d been broken.
The realization plagued him as he paced for the next few hours, waiting and hoping he would feel her again.
Her feelings.
Her thoughts.
Something.
He felt nothing and finally the waiting was too much. His gaze scrambled around the room before focusing on the blanket. He snatched it up, draped it over his head and grabbed his keys.
And then he did the only thing he could think of.
He hauled open the door and went after her.
“I DIDN’T MEAN to hit her that hard.” The woman’s voice peeled back the layer of sleep that smothered Abby and pounded through her already pounding head.
“You did what you had to do. She had a gun.”
“I know. But I don’t think she would have used it,” the woman insisted.
“You don’t know Abby.” It was Rayne’s voice this time. “She does what she has to do to get the job done. It’s reassuring when you’re in the field. Not so much when you’re holed up in a barn.”
“I knew we shouldn’t have come here.”
“We didn’t have a choice. She would have found us eventually. If not here, then somewhere else. It was better we faced her now. We’re just lucky Cody was able to warn us.”
Silence settled for a few moments before Abby felt a tentative touch at the back of her head. Soft fingers prodded, checking to see the damage that had been done.
“At least there’s no bleeding.”
“Stop worrying about it. The longer she’s out, the bigger a headstart we’ll get.”
“She’s tied up. Even if she comes to, she can’t do anything. Speaking of which, maybe we should loosen the ropes a little. I don’t want to cut off her circulation.”
“You worry too much.” Rayne’s voice was softer this time and Abby watched through barely closed eyes as he touched his wife’s face. “She’ll be okay. We’ll stash her over behind the hay bales and then we’ll get out of here. By the time she wakes up, we’ll be long gone.”
“Where will we go?”
“I don’t know yet, but we’ll figure something out. I’m sorry about your school. I know how much Monday meant to you.”
“Not half as much as you.”
The woman touched her lips to his and for a split second, the world faded. They forgot all about Abby and the fact that her hand was slowly moving toward the knife that sat only a few inches away.
Abby’s hand stalled as she watched Rayne hug the voluptuous blonde. Her own chest hitched and she thought about Brent and the fact that she’d walked out on him rather than risk her heart, her career, her life.
This woman had chosen to take the risk. To gamble everything for the man she loved. And here she was, losing everything, yet it didn’t seem to matter.
He was all that mattered to her.
And she was all that mattered to him.
Regret knifed at her as she realized that she might never get the chance to take such a risk with Brent. And while that would have been okay a half hour ago, it wasn’t now.
Not after seeing two people fight so hard to be together. To stay together.
Abby suddenly wanted to take the risk if it meant having even half of the happiness she saw in front of her.
She shifted her attention to the knife and inched forward. Her fingers had just clasped the handle when Rayne finally noticed.
He flew at her, snatching the knife from her hand and throwing her onto her back. A hiss sizzled in the air and his mouth opened. His fangs pulled back and she knew she’d pissed him off royally. This was it.
The end of the line.
She clamped her eyes shut and braced herself.
But he didn’t rip her to shreds. Instead, the barn door crashed open.
In a flash, Rayne flew backwards and Brent leaned over her.
At least she thought it was Brent. Smoke surrounded him, his face red and charred, his hands nearly unrecognizable.
“You’re okay,” he murmured, his green eyes clouded with pain. But there was something else in them, as well. Relief glimmered, hot and bright, and she knew that he wasn’t as destroyed as he looked. “I was so worried about you.”
“I’m okay.”
“You shouldn’t have left—” he started, but the words ended in a fierce groan as Rayne grabbed him by the back of the neck and tossed him to the far side of the building.
Hay scattered and dust smoked. Brent stumbled, stunned for a long moment before he seemed to gather his wits.
With a furious cry, he retaliated and the two vampires went at each other for several moments before a gunshot exploded and cracked open a piece of ceiling.
A circle of sunlight spilled down into the room and both men jumped back out of the burning blaze.
“Stop!” Abby heard her own voice and realized her gun trembled between her bound hands. “Get away from him,” she told Rayne who stood dangerously close to Brent.
She aimed the gun at Lucy, intent on making her point. Rayne’s eyes flared for a quick second, but then he backed away.
Brent swayed for a few seconds, but then the floor seemed to give way beneath him. He toppled over in a heap of charred flesh and panic rushed through Abby.
“Untie me,” she cried, motioning to Lucy. She held the gun at the woman’s forehead, determined to do whatever she had to do to get to Brent. The blonde obeyed, working at the ropes for what seemed like an eternity. Finally, Abby was free.
She struggled to her feet, the gun still pointed at Lucy.
“I’ll go back with you,” Rayne said quietly. “Just don’t hurt her.”
“I’m not going to hurt her.” She tamped down the fear rushing through her and turned the gun upside down. She handed it over to the blonde, then turned away.
Her gaze riveted on Brent, she rushed toward him.
She dropped to her knees beside him and gathered his limp body in her arms.
“Don’t leave me,” she murmured, her gaze roaming his body. He was so badly burned that she couldn’t imagine him climbing behind the wheel and making it all the way out here, much less surviving. “Please.”
It had been the exact plea she’d whispered to Hockey Hunk all those years ago, but this was different. This wasn’t the naïve love she’d felt way back when.
This was as real as it could get. She loved Brent. He was her life. Her love. Her man.
She was his woman.
And she wasn’t letting him go.
Her eyes blurred then and she blinked, feeling the tears slipping down her cheeks and not caring one way or the other who saw her or whether they thought she was weak.
She was weak compared to Brent.
“I walked out on you. You had no obligation to me. You shouldn’t have risked your own neck.”
“Sometimes it’s worth taking a risk. You’re worth it.” He gazed up at her, into her and this time she let him.
She didn’t put up any fences. She didn’t have to. She loved him. And while she’d been hesitant to believe that he really and truly loved her back, there was no doubt in her mind now. He’d braved the sunlight for her.
“I love you,” she murmured.
“I know.” He touched her face. “I’ve always known and now so do you.” Then he closed his eyes one final time.