No! I can’t lose him too.
Without hesitating, she launched herself at Cas, tackling him to the ground just before she heard shots go off. They echoed in the confined space, deafening cracks that reverberated through her bones.
They hit the floor hard, and Harper braced herself for the pain, expecting the searing heat of a bullet. But it never came.
Cas rolled her over, his hands frantically checking her for injuries, his eyes wide with fear. “Harper! Are you hit?”
She blinked, her breath coming in ragged gasps. She shook her head, still stunned by the force of the fall. “I-I’m okay,” she managed, her voice trembling. “I don’t think I’m hit. Are you?”
“No. I’m fine.”
She raked her gaze over him, needing to be sure. At the lack of bullet holes and blood, she blinked back threatening tears.
Thank, God. She couldn’t go through it again. Not again.
“Good timing, Bro.” His gaze darted to the side, and she followed his line of sight.
That’s when she spotted Dale standing in the doorway, his gun raised and his expression deadly serious. The thug was on the ground, writhing in pain, clutching his bleeding hand and shoulder where Dale’s shots had hit their mark.
With his weapon trained on the man, he stepped further into the garage and kicked away the assailant’s fallen weapon. Her attacker was groaning and cursing up a storm.
“This guy isn’t going anywhere. He’s lucky I didn’t shoot center mass like we trained, but we need him alive,” Dale stated. “I already called Gabe. He’s on his way.”
“How…how did you know?” she stammered, slowly pushing herself up to sit, her body still shaking as the adrenaline coursed through her.
“Saw it on the feed,” he replied. “Had a gut feeling something was going to happen, so I’ve been monitoring the backyard.”
Praise be his instincts and Cas’ timing.
“You sure you’re okay,” Cas asked, hands on her shoulders, his face pale and gaze dark with concern.
She nodded, swallowing hard. “Yeah, I’m okay.”
Cas grabbed her arm and brought them both to their feet, then he crushed her close and held her tight. “Thank God.”
Harper burrowed into him, needing to reassure herself that he was alive. He was okay.
That he wasn’t full of bullet holes.
Needing to dispel the images that thought created, she drew back and turned to Dale, while slipping her arm around Cas. She couldn’t bring herself to release him yet. His touch grounded her, and damn she sure needed that right now.
She also needed to thank his brother. “Thanks, Dale. I didn’t even hear you come in.”
He shrugged. “That was the idea,” he said with a faint smile on his lips. “You’ve got good instincts, Harper. You kept your cool.”
She glanced at the thug on the ground, the reality of the situation sinking in. They were playing a dangerous game, but today had proven that she was stronger than her fear, stronger than the threats. No longer was she a prisoner to her old demons.
“We’ll be upstairs,” Cas said, before he guided her out of the garage and up to her apartment. Once inside, he pulled her close, his warmth and steady presence anchoring her. He was everything to her, and she’d almost lost him because of her foolishness. She wasn’t supposed to go anywhere alone. It hadn’t dawned on her that going to the garage qualified.
She leaned into him, drawing comfort from his presence, but the adrenaline that still coursed through her veins made it hard to fully relax. She kept replaying the moment when the gun had swung toward Cas, her heart seizing at the thought of how close they had come to tragedy.
“It’s all right. I’ve got you,” he murmured, stroking her hair. “Let it out. I’m not going anywhere.”
Her eyes stung and throat heated, and for several minutes, he held her while her tears flowed, and her body shook. When she finally found her voice, she drew back enough to cup his face. “I thought I’d lost you.”
“I thought I’d lost you too.” His hands curved around her neck and base of her head, and he set his forehead to hers. “God, Harper, when you stepped in front of me, and I heard the shots…I think I did die. Don’t ever do that again. Please, don’t ever do that again.”
She swallowed hard and blinked back more tears. “I understand.” She knew exactly how he’d felt.
