Page 60 of The Heat is On

Rio shook his head. “He stays with me.”

“Right, well, that’s fine. You can come with us. We’ll be following the ambulance.”

Alicia was loaded into the ambulance, Archer next to her. “I’ll be right behind you, babe,” Darryl said.

Skye just stared at them, then back to Rio. “You’re letting him go to the hospital?”

Rio reached up and rubbed his thumb along her cheek. “Someone told me that compassion should always win.” He kissed her forehead.

“I’ll be in the car,” Stevie said. “Get Darryl and meet us there.”

Skye noticed that Tucker walked her back into the building.

“C’mon, Darryl,” Rio said, even as he slipped his hand into Skye’s one last time. “Let’s get that arm looked at and then we’ll take off.”

“I’m fine.” Darryl walked away from the ambulance, now pulling out.

“Now,” said Rio, folding his fingers through Skye’s as they followed Darryl into the clinic.

“He was shot in the arm. We just need some fresh packing,” Rio said to one of the nurses. She directed them to a fresh exam room and Rio pushed Darryl toward it.

“Get on the table and don’t move,” he said.

Darryl obeyed, his mouth in a tight line. Rio turned his back to the door, one eye on Darryl before he looked at Skye. “You be safe out there. That fire is big.”

She pressed her hand to his chest, again feeling the warm beat of his heart. “You won’t go back to prison, right?”

“No. But…I don’t know when…”

He just stopped talking. Lifted his hand to her face and ran his thumb down her cheek. “I want…”

She captured her breath, seeing the emotion in his eyes.

“Me too,” she whispered.

He kissed her again, maybe feeling, too, that the words weren’t enough.

But maybe she didn’t need answers. Not yet. Just Rio, right now, here. This amazing man’s arms around her.

He finally loosened his hold on her, his lips soft as he let her go.

“So, this isn’t goodbye, then, right?” she said, too much terrible hope in her voice.

He shook his head. Smiled.

“Oh, not so fast, Agent Parker. I think this is definitely goodbye.”

Rio froze in her arms.

Skye looked up.

One moment she was in Rio’s arms, the next in a headlock, cutting off her breath.

Darryl held something sharp to her neck and spoke to the man holding a gun to Rio’s head. “Kill him and I promise I’ll keep my mouth shut.”

“Deal,” Wayne Buttles said.

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