Page 35 of The Veteran

“But…” I glanced down at my knuckles, the spots of red contrasting against my skin like dozens of tiny accusations. I hated that she’d seen me like that. God, what must she think of me? I shook myself. “We need to call Ronan.”

She nodded. “I’ll do it while you check on him.” She gestured to the intruder.

“I’m on it.” While she returned her attention to her phone, I patted the intruder down and removed a gun and a knife. Jesus, he’d come prepared. Suddenly, I went cold. Where was Vic? I glanced at Sage, but she was still talking. When she finished, I nodded toward the door. “Vic.”

The color leached out of Sage’s cheeks, and she started toward the exit.

“No, wait.” I couldn’t let her go outside alone. “We’ll go find him together, in a minute. Can you go into my bedroom and get the handcuffs from the bedside table?” She nodded and hurried out. I reached for the bottom of the guy’s balaclava and peeled it up, wincing as I realized it was soaked with blood. My doing. I probed his face to see where the blood was coming from, but it seemed to be his nose and lip, neither of which meant anything serious. When he spat a curse word and tried to sit up, I felt weirdly relieved.

Sage reappeared, holding out a pair of metal handcuffs. I cuffed the guy to a cabinet. Under normal circumstances, he’d be able to get away reasonably easily, but I didn’t think he was going anywhere. Still, I didn’t want to leave him.

“On second thought,” I said. “You stay here.” I reached for her purse and emptied it, pulling out the spare gun I’d given her that she still kept inside. “Aim this at his torso and shoot if he so much as moves.”

“Okay,” she whispered, a torn look in her eyes that said she didn’t want to shoot him but was prepared to if it came down to it. My little pacifist had a core of steel. A wave of affection slammed into me and I dropped a kiss on her cheek, surprised when she didn’t flinch away. She’d seen how I turned that guy into pulp with my bare hands. How was she not afraid of me?

I took the intruder’s gun, musing on the fact he hadn’t tried to use it—what was that about?—and moved silently through the cottage room by room. I didn’t want to leave until I was sure nobody was hiding in a closet and planning to attack as soon as I was gone. Once I was certain Sage was secure in the house with the intruder, I headed outside. It took only a couple of minutes to find Vic slumped against the wall, bleeding from an injury to the back of his head. I gave his shoulder a gentle shake.

“Vic,” I hissed.

He murmured something incomprehensible, then jolted and sat upright, wincing as his head injury made itself known. “Wha’ happened?”

I stood, gripped his arm, and hauled him up. It would be best if we got inside. Out here we’d be sitting ducks. “My best guess is you were struck from behind.”

I ushered him inside, keeping an arm around him until we reached Sage’s bedroom. His eyes widened slightly at the sight of the guy on the floor, but then he lowered himself onto the bed and touched a finger to the back of his head.

“Sorry.” He looked mortified. “I let you down. I can’t believe he got the drop on me.”

“He’d probably been watching you, waiting for the right moment,” I said, trying to think clearly. “He must have tracked us while we were in the city and followed us out here, staying far enough back to be out of sight.”

“I should have noticed him,” Vic grumbled.

“So should I.” I’d been off my game, distracted by Sage, and it had nearly gotten her killed—if that had been the intruder’s intention.

“Can I get a first aid kit?” Sage asked. “Or do you need me to stay here?”

“Go, but take a gun.”

She pressed her lips into a grim line but did as I said. When she reentered, she opened the first aid kit on the bed and approached Vic. “I’m going to use an antiseptic wipe on your injury. Is that okay?”

“Yeah,” he grunted. “I don’t think it’s bad. I’ve just got a hell of a headache.”

He gritted his teeth while she wiped his wound clean and handed him a clean white cloth to press to it if it started bleeding.

“Let me check you too,” she said, coming over to me.

“The blood isn’t mine,” I protested.

Her eyes narrowed. “Humor me.”

I studied her face for a moment, wondering what she saw when she looked at me, but then nodded my consent. She grabbed another antiseptic wipe and gently cleaned my face. The tenderness was such a contrast to the brutality of the past ten minutes that emotion burned at the back of my throat.

“Aren’t you scared of me?” I asked, loud enough that only she could hear.

“No.” Her eyes searched mine. “I’m sorry that you had to be violent on my behalf, but I’m not afraid of you.” She leaned forward and pressed a chaste kiss to my cheek. “You’re a good man.”

I clenched my fists and battled to keep my emotions in check. “You’re too good for this world.”

“No. But it’s nice that you see me that way.” She shifted away again and knelt beside the intruder, who’d opened his eyes and was watching us in sullen silence. “The paramedics should be here soon,” she told him. “I’m just going to clean you up, if you’ll let me.”