Page 69 of Searching for Bristol
Rocky parked his Tahoe in the parking lot at his apartment complex and ran a hand over his face. He was exhausted. More so than usual after a search. He and his team had been on alert the entire time. They’d had no idea where their target might be or what he might do to avoid capture. Tensions had been high as they’d constantly watched their backs while hiking through the thick underbrush in the forest.
It was still summer. The day was hot and humid. The foliage was thick this time of year, and it was almost impossible to see more than a few feet in front of yourself in places. The man they’d been hunting could’ve hidden in the underbrush, or even high in the trees above them. It didn’t help their anxiety that no one had any idea if he was armed or not.
So it had been a long twenty-four hours.
In the end, they’d gotten lucky. Their target had panicked when they’d gotten too close and tried to flee. Which wasn’t exactly possible in the woods. If he’d stayed still, there was a possibility—a slim one, since they had Duke—that he might’ve been overlooked.
As they’d subdued the fugitive, the guy absolutely lost it. Screaming obscenities and threats. He’d claimed to have some very scary friends, and he was going to send them all “to this backwater town to take out each and every one of you and anyone you love.”
Rocky wasn’t too worried about the threat. He’d heard worse from terrorists he’d apprehended. A child molester’s threats couldn’t compare.
He’d been too busy to think too much about Bristol, or to eat more than the protein bars he’d choked down while on the trail. But as soon as the team had gotten back to the trailhead, he, Ethan, and Zeke had all pulled out their phones to text their women.
Rocky wondered how Bristol had managed without him. If her leg was hurting. What she’d done to pass the time. If she’d missed him.
That last thought made him laugh at himself a little sheepishly. The truth was, now that he had a second to think about something other than being ambushed in the forest, he couldn’t wait to see her. To hear all about what she’d been doing in the last day.
He’d definitely missedher. If that didn’t prove how different she was from anyone else he’d dated, nothing would.
Taking a breath, Rocky got out of his car. He grabbed his pack from the back seat and slammed the door, then took the stairs up to the second floor two at a time. He’d been exhausted a second ago, but now excitement filled him at the thought of seeing Bristol.
The second he opened the door, the scent of garlic greeted him and his stomach immediately growled impatiently. Smiling, he shut and locked the door behind him, dropped his pack—making a mental note to restock it in the morning—and headed toward the living area and the small kitchen.
Bristol hadn’t heard him enter, which was a little concerning, considering the apartment wasn’t that big. But he couldn’t be upset about it. Not when he saw her shimmying and shaking in the kitchen. She had music playing from her phone. Not too loudly, but enough that she’d missed his entrance.
She was standing at the counter chopping vegetables, probably for the large salad in a bowl next to her. She was dancing without moving her feet, bobbing her head, swaying her luscious hips, and clearly lost in the music.
Not wanting to startle her, causing her to chop a finger instead of the pepper she was cutting, Rocky cleared his throat.
She immediately looked up. The second she saw him, a huge smile spread across her face and she put down the knife. “Rocky! You’re back!”
“I’m back,” he agreed, not able to keep from returning her grin. He walked toward her, even as she used the counter as a crutch to hop closer. Making a mental note to bring her to see Doc Snow—as it seemed she was healing up quick enough that she could probably move on to the next phase of her recovery—Rocky pulled her into his arms the second he got close.
She didn’t complain about him being dirty and smelly. She grabbed hold of him as if he’d been gone for weeks rather than only a day.
They stood there for several moments, neither saying a word, just soaking in the joy of being back in each other’s presence. Finally, Rocky pulled away just enough to run his gaze from her head to her toes. Wanting to make sure she was truly all right.
She did the same thing, rubbing her hands up and down his biceps as she eyed him just as closely. Finally, she met his gaze and her wide smile faltered a bit. “You look exhausted,” she blurted.
Rocky couldn’t help but chuckle. “That’s because I am.”
“Did you get any sleep at all?” she asked.
His smile didn’t dim. “Can’t exactly call a time-out for a nap, Punky,” he said dryly.
She scrunched her nose. “True. All right. Go shower. By the time you get out, dinner will be ready. You can eat, then go to bed.”
Rocky’d never been the kind of man who needed coddling. He’d been on missions as a SEAL that were many times worse than this search. But he couldn’t deny it felt good—damn good—to have Bristol worried about him.
“How was your day?” he asked.
“No,” she said sternly with a shake of her head.
“No?” he asked, confused.
“We aren’t talking about me until you’ve showered and have something in your belly.”
Rocky chuckled. “I had no idea you were so bossy.”
