Page 63 of Apple of My Eye

The cottage was quiet for what stretched too long. My ears strained for any noise. A few creaks of floorboards came through. I fucking needed eyes on. Who built a cottage with no windows on three sides? I intended to remedy that when this was all over.

“Well. In my defense…” Trevor’s voice hit low and evil. Your father did say he’d rather be dead than see a Brewster marry one of his daughters.”

An anguished scream from a human in pain split my ears. Movement, crashes… Enough.

“Fuck this. I’m going in.” I broke the door down. In front of me, Daisy must have plowed into Trevor, knocking him off his feet with the full force and fury of grief from a woman who had been carrying this question far too long. She was half on top of him, and half trying to crawl for the door with her hands and feet bound with rope.

Trevor grabbed her, but his gun slipped out of his hand. The shot went wide. And then he was on top of her, pinning her down, and I saw red.

I pulled Trevor off her by the back of his collar and hit him with the full weight of everything I had been holding back since the night she opened up and told me everything.

I threw punch after punch and did not stop, not entirely in control of when to stop, until Colt and Ash together got their hands on me and pulled me back.

“We’ve got him. Stand down.” The sheriff and his brothers moved in, cuffing Trevor and taking over.

Daisy was safe. Trevor was caught. It was all over in an instant.

I staggered back a step. Pain radiated out from my shoulder. Blood trickled down my arm. I fell against the wall, scraping down until my ass hit the floor.

Then it registered. The bullet had hit me.

“Well, uh…” I breathed, almost laughing. In all my military years, I’d saved plenty of people. I’d never been shot or wounded.

The cottage floor was cold, and suddenly I was looking at the ceiling. In all the melee going on with people in and out of the cottage, shouting orders, Daisy’s voice was the one I picked out.

“Knox. Knox! Stay with me.” Her hands were still bound. She dropped to her knees beside me anyway, her face above mine. She was upright and breathing, and her eyes were open, and that meant everything.

“Did he hurt you?” I croaked.

“Let me untie you,” Colt came up behind her.

“Look at me, Knox. You’re going to be fine.”

“Did he hurt you?” I repeated.

“No. Stop worrying about me. You need to stay with me.”

“Told you I’d find you.” And for some reason that rang funny to me, only my laugh came out in short breaths.

“You stay right here. You said you’d always be there for me, and I am holding you to that, mister.” At last her hands framed my face. Her touch was all I needed right now… All I needed…

“Ambulance is five minutes out. Hold this towel with full pressure against him, okay?” Liam instructed. Daisy pressed, but I felt nothing.

Weightlessness sent me floating to the ceiling, dizzy. Tired. So tired. My limbs shook, or was that the building?

“He’s going into shock,” Liam shouted.

“Knox!” Her voice broke on my name. “I love you. Do you hear me? Please, I need you to stay with me. I love you.”

I fell to the floor, no longer floating, crashing back into my body. Outside the sound of sirens neared.

“I heard you,” I breathed.

“Thank God.”

“Say it again.”

She chortled. “I love you.”