Page 34 of Sworn to Defend

“Why?” she repeated.

“Because, Mom and Dad are out searching for Vivienne, and when they find her they’ll drag her right back. If it gets out that she got cold feet and ran, Scott can’t take over as CEO of his father’s company. His father can’t take his seat in the Senate. Our family will be cast in a bad light again, and my husband might lose his position as an elected official. But, if Vivienne left the wedding search for her nephew who wandered into the woods and then tried in vain to save her sister when she went into the lake after him? Well, then she’s a hero.”

“That’s ridiculous,” she shouted as loud as her voice would carry. Between the drag marks and blood, there was going to be quite a trail left behind. Hunter would find her. All she had to do was hang on. If she couldn’t, at least he understood that she loved him. And not only that, she trusted him. So much that when he said he’d always watch out for Collin, she believed him. Absolute conviction that Hunter would care for her precious son was the biggest gesture of trust there was.

“Regina! Stop.”

Her older sister stiffened, then stood. It was Vivienne’s voice.

“Let her go.”

Hannah struggled to sit up as she tried to locate the source of her younger sibling’s voice. Vivienne was standing at the bottom of the embankment in front of the lake, which was far closer than she expected. Her heart clutched. Viv was supposed to be safely tucked into the vehicle with Silver and Iron. Something must have happened. Sickness pooled in her stomach. If the men were hurt or worse, she’d never forgive herself for pulling them into this dangerous situation. Her sister’s chest was heaving. How long had she been running? Vivienne’s perfectly styled locks were tangled around her shoulders. There was a streak of blood on her face, and she was in danger of losing her wedding dress. She’d never looked more beautiful. Fiercer. There was so much more to her little sister than anyone gave her credit for. Hannah just hoped she’d live long enough to get to know her as a person.

“Stay where you are.” Regina’s voice was feral.

Hannah opened her mouth to scream that she had a gun, but it was too late. A shot rang out just as a blur flew past Vivienne, knocking her down. Iron. Regina repositioned the weapon. She would kill them both. Hannah glanced around and spotted a fallen branch. Using the last of her strength she whipped it at the backs of Regina’s knees, taking her legs out from under her.

All hell broke loose around them. There were shouts and the barks of dogs. Heavy footsteps crashed through the woods. A group of police officers surrounded Regina. She struggled wildly as they placed her in handcuffs.

Hunter was at her side, dropping to his knees. “Hannah. Oh my God, baby.”

“Did you find Collin?” Her breath bottled up as she waited for him to answer.

“He’s the reason we were able to locate you so fast. Collin…he ran through the woods and into the street right in front of Silver’s car. Also dropped a trail of UNO cards through woods starting at the parking lot.”

She dropped her head back on the ground and let the breath rush from her lungs.

“God, I love you both.” Hunter ran a hand over her hair. “But, baby, we are never coming back to Texas.”

Despite the pain in her knee, she smiled. “That’s fair.”

Epilogue

Two months later, Branch and Hannah attended a very different kind of wedding—Ransom and Brynn’s. He helped Silver and Joker carry out the last of the desserts and arranged them around the cake under the white tent erected in Ransom and Brynn’s backyard. Between the tiny lights swooped above the wooden dance floor, the linen-clad round tables topped with floral arrangements, and the gold chairs that seemed far too delicate to hold any of the men’s weight, the space was transformed into an ideal venue for the intimate wedding.

“I’ve got to hand it to Sam,” Joker said, smiling at the dance floor. “I wouldn’t be moving like that if I had a watermelon-sized human inside me.”

“Don’t think I’d be getting down with crutches, either.” He shook his head, but he couldn’t stop the grin from spreading over his face as Hannah hopped around the floor with Collin.

Brynn and Ransom were in the middle, swaying slowly as though there wasn’t a fast-paced pop song playing. Addison was dancing with Jacob and his girlfriend, Cora, whirling their wheelchairs to the beat of the music. Axe and his woman, who also happened to be Cora’s grandmother, were moving with a level of skill he would never have expected from the old Marine. Vivienne had dragged Iron out to the dance floor, and he was failing at keeping a straight face.

Hannah’s sister carried an air of freedom he hadn’t seen before. She was flourishing in her newfound independence. He hadn’t seen her wear makeup or anything but jeans and T-shirts since her arrival to Virginia Beach, a far cry from the pageantry of her previous life. They hadn’t realized how sheltered Vivi had been until she decided to stay in Virginia Beach. The first time they took her to the local burger joint they frequented, the excitement over her meal would’ve been comical if it weren’t for the knowledge that Hannah’s sister had every moment of her life planned down to the very food she was allowed to consume. Iron had developed a soft spot for Vivi, and was trying to help her locate Thalia, the maid who had created a distraction so she could slip the note to him that aided in her escape. Despite the age gap between Iron and Vivi, he secretly hoped Hannah’s sister turned the broken SEAL’s life upside down. Even the canines had come to the event. Oscar and Sam and Joker’s dog, Angel, happily wiggled around looking for treats or scratches behind the ears.

“Do you ever wonder how we got so lucky?” Branch’s chest expanded, heart full of love for their tight-knit group.

“Every damn day.” Joker left them standing there and crossed the room to Sam. He caressed her rounded stomach and pulled her into his arms.

He turned to Silver and immediately forgot the question on the tip of his tongue. His friend was staring down at his cell phone with a lopsided grin. The team had been seeing that look on his face more and more often. Silver punched in a message and tucked the device back in his pocket.

A moment later, Addy paused on the dance floor and pulled her phone out of the pocket in her dress. She checked the screen, and a smile lit her face. Interesting.

Before he could question his teammate, Hannah was hopping off the dance floor in his direction. “You guys are missing all of the fun.”

“Half the fun is watching all of you have fun.” He wrapped one arm around her and she leaned in to his side.

“Anyone need a drink refill?” Silver asked.

“I think I’m tapping out.” Hannah gestured toward the nearly empty slushy machine that had housed Brynn’s frozen sangria.