Hot Shot Hero Hostage - Chapter 20

Sam poured all her fears into her screaming, into her crying, even as she clutched the gun and kept her gaze focused on those sliding doors.

She saw the glint of the gun pointing her way. But before it fired at her, a shadow passed between her and the shooter as Braden moved so fast his big body was just a blur of motion. The shooter couldn’t have seen him coming.

She jumped up from the floor and rushed out. And as she did, gunfire rang out. Braden hadn’t gotten the gun away from him before he’d fired.

A real scream tore free of her throat. Braden had to be okay. She couldn’t have lost him. Not so soon…not when they’d had so little time together.

Not ever.

She ran toward the woods, but she wasn’t the only one; other people appeared, in uniform, guns drawn. They held her back, blocked her from checking on her husband. It felt like all those months ago when a building had collapsed, trapping Braden and the arsonist in an alley. But he’d survived that; he’d come back to her.

And finally, as she held her breath, he emerged from the woods, walking toward her as state troopers lifted a handcuffed man from the ground.

She ran to her husband and threw her arms around him. “Are you all right?”

That was all that mattered; he was all that mattered.

He closed his arms around her and held her tight. “Yes.”

“But the gun went off…” Tears choked her at the fear that had overwhelmed her then, that overwhelmed her now even though he held her.

“The bullet went into the ground. He didn’t hurt me. I’m fine, Sam.”

She released a shaky breath and pulled back to look at the handcuffed shooter. Just as she’d begun to suspect, it was the arsonist’s father. “You bitch!” He hurled the insult at her. “You took my son. I wanted to take something from you.”

He’d nearly taken the most important thing she had: her husband. But Braden’s arms tightened around her as he reassured her, “We’re fine.”

And they were. After giving their statements to the officers, they decided to stay at the cottage for just a little longer, determined to make the most of their surprise honeymoon—grateful that it wasn’t the hostage situation they’d both feared it was. Mack must have set up the cabin surprise, but the arsonist’s father had followed her out to the woods. With him caught, they were safe now.

Soon enough they would have to get back to their jobs, back to finding the saboteur, back to stopping arsonists. But for the stolen moments in that cottage, they enjoyed being newlyweds. And maybe, just maybe, they started that family Sam was certain now she was ready to have with her hotshot husband.

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