Guarded from Sabotage (Blade and Arrow Security Bravo Team #2)

Chapter 13

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

SARAH

This is the best date I’ve ever been on by far.

A romantic dinner in a restaurant reserved just for us? Gorgeous flowers at the table waiting for me? The most incredible food that I’ll be dreaming about for weeks? Not just fun, easy conversations, but ones that actually mean something? And Dante saying he sees a future with me?

I’m not sure how it could get any better.

Wait. It can. Because not only did my very sweet and thoughtful boyfriend—is he my boyfriend? We haven’t talked about it, but it feels like he is—plan this incredible date for me, but I also get to see him in a suit.

And Dante in a suit is something .

His white button-down pops against the gold of his skin, tucked into tailored pants that are belted around a trim waist and flat stomach, which I now know has not just a six-pack, but eight. The deep slate color of his suit brings out the blue in his eyes, and his jacket fits perfectly, showing off his broad shoulders and very impressive biceps.

Dante in regular clothes is already incredibly handsome. But Dante all dressed up? I can’t take my eyes off him.

Yes, I saw him in a suit at Hanna’s wedding, but that was different. I couldn’t allow myself to see him that way. But now that he’s mine…

“Did I mention how beautiful you are?” Dante tugs me to a gentle stop right before we leave the restaurant. Turning me to face him, he cups my cheek and looks at me with an intensity that makes my heart leap. “You’re stunning, Sarah. I just wanted to make sure I said it.”

My lips curve up. “You did. When you picked me up at the apartment. And again before we got in the car. And a few times since we got here.”

“Well.” He dips his head to kiss me, brushing his lips across mine. “I don’t think I can say it too many times. You’re the most gorgeous woman I’ve ever seen.”

“That’s not true.” Even as I say it, my cheeks heat. “I’m okay looking, but…” I don’t want to point out that the Blade and Arrow guys all have gorgeous partners, particularly Jade, who looks like an actual model.

“Hun.” Dante pulls me against him, and I can feel his arousal prodding my stomach. His eyes darken until they’re nearly black. “You are not okay looking. Everything about you is beautiful. Your eyes remind me of a forest at sunset. Your hair is the most amazing color, and it’s so soft I can’t stop wanting to touch it.”

As he wraps a tendril of my hair around his finger, he continues in the same earnest tone, “I love your body, Sarah. You’re small, but strong, and your curves… I think about them all the time. Your lips—” He kisses me again, first lightly nipping my lower lip, and then placing a quick peck on my nose. “Your cute little nose?—”

Oh.

Warmth is blossoming inside me, filling me with joy.

“Dante.”

“Yes?”

“Do you think… you might want to stay over tonight?”

His face stills, and he stares at me for a second before answering. “There’s no rush, Sarah.”

“I know. But—” Anxiety tries to worm its way in, but I push it away. “It doesn’t feel rushed. It feels like… I want you next to me in bed. I want to see you first thing in the morning. Unless… you don’t want to.”

Desire heats his gaze. “I definitely want to.” Then he wraps his arm around my waist and moves towards the exit again, adding, “I can’t wait to spend the night with you.”

Once we’re out in the parking lot, Dante shifts back into protective bodyguard mode, tucking me securely into his side and scanning our surroundings for any possible threat. But there’s nothing—just an expanse of asphalt with grass and a smattering of small trees beyond it.

Not that I expected there to be anything, not with Matt keeping an eye on things. Before we left, Dante told me he’d arranged to have Matt access the security cameras outside, so if anything looked concerning, he’d alert Dante right away. Since we made it through the evening without any interruptions, I think it’s safe to assume everything’s okay.

Still, I don’t mind Dante being extra careful. And honestly, I’d be surprised if he wasn’t.

He shields me with his body as we head to his car, and I never really thought I’d like being with someone so much bigger than me—he’s almost a foot taller and twice my weight—but with Dante, I like it. He makes me feel safe.

Before we get into the car, Dante scans it with a small device he pulls out of his jacket pocket. He doesn’t say what it is, but I know because Finn showed me one when I was visiting—it’s a bomb detector, which seems like overkill, but I’m not going to complain.

A minute later, Dante pockets the device and opens the passenger door for me, kissing me on the forehead before he closes it. When he gets into the driver’s side, he flashes me a smile and says, “Okay. Back home. And I have one more surprise for you when we get there.”

“Another surprise?” I tsk at him. “You’re going to spoil me, Dante. You don’t need to keep giving me things.”

“But I like to,” he replies as his smile turns to a broad grin. “And you deserve it. If it makes you happy, and me happy, I don’t see the problem.”

Well. It’s hard to argue against that. But it does make me think, what can I do for Dante? Besides cooking for him, which doesn’t feel like much of a surprise. Matt and Leo got most of my money back, and it’s sitting in a secure account held by Blade and Arrow for now, but if I asked to access it…

“What are you smiling about?” Dante casts a quick glance at me before turning out of the parking lot and onto the road.

I give him a mischievous smile. “You’ll see.”

Maybe I could get him something historical, like the artifacts he used to collect with his dad. There might be a store near Lake George, or a local collector. I still know people who live in the area; one of them might have a lead.

I bet Hanna would know. She used to talk to all sorts of people when she was a bartender in Lake George. Even though she doesn’t live there anymore, it hasn’t been that long since she moved.

Which reminds me, I have to talk to Hanna. She just got back from Vermont the other day, and I didn’t want to tell her about me and Dante through text, so she doesn’t know that he’s now my… what? If I’m going to spend the night with him, possibly have sex, I’d like to know if he considers himself my boyfriend.

“Dante?”

He glances away from the road for a second to look at me. “What, beautiful?”

A flock—wait, no, it’s called a kaleidoscope—of butterflies takes up residence in my stomach. “Well, I was wondering… I know we’re both adults and we don’t have to use labels, but…”

“But what?”

Just ask. “Would you call yourself my boyfriend? Like… we’re not just casually dating, but something more serious?”

His brows jump up. “Have I done something to make you think this is casual for me?”

“No. I guess… I just wasn’t sure what you were thinking.”

As we come up on a curve, Dante refocuses on the road. But he says, “Sarah. I know it’s still early, but what we have is serious to me. And I definitely think of you as my girlfriend. Unless you don’t?—”

“I do.” A spurt of happiness fills my heart. “I want you to be my boyfriend.”

“Good. Because I—” He stops abruptly. His smile shifts to a frown.

“What’s wrong?”

All the lightness disappears from his tone. “Is your seatbelt on?”

My chest constricts. “Yes. Why?”

In profile, Dante’s features are all hard lines and dark shadows. His jaw clenches. “Because the brakes aren’t working.”

“What?”

“I don’t know what’s going on,” he says tightly. “They’re just not—shit.”

As we come around the corner too fast, the tires squeal, but we stay on the road. But instead of staying the same speed, or even slowing—if Dante’s not pressing the gas, we should be—we’re actually moving faster .

Fear settles on my chest, pressing down, making it hard to breathe. Through a narrowing throat, I whisper, “Why aren’t we slowing down?”

“I can’t control the gas.”

What?

Though his tone is calm, I can’t miss the worry in his voice.

A glance at the speedometer tells me we’re now going eighty miles an hour, eighty-one, eighty-two…

Oh, God.

I can’t freak out. Not now. Not when Dante needs to concentrate on—what? If he can’t control the brake or the gas, what are we going to do?

“Okay, here’s what’s going to happen.” The only outward sign of stress is the muscle working in his jaw. “In a second, I’m going to steer off the road. Right at that flat spot up ahead. Then I’m going to use the emergency brake. It’s going to be bumpy. But it’s going to be okay.”

I look ahead at the stretch of land he’s indicating, and my stomach falls to my feet. There’s a stretch of grass, yes, but beyond it is a wall of shrubs and trees. Trees we’ll no doubt crash into.

But I don’t say that. I just nod and whisper, “Okay.”

“Right up here,” he says.

I stop breathing.

One last check of the speedometer says we’re going ninety.

Oh, please. I don’t want to die. Not when I just found the man who might be the one.

Dante turns the wheel.

We’re going so fast, everything is a blur.

The car careens off the road with a jarring thud.

Now we’re speeding across the grass, the car thudding hard over every bump.

He grabs the emergency brake and yanks it, but it doesn’t do much to decrease our speed.

The line of trees is running parallel to us, but getting closer by the second.

We go over a large bump and actually catch air before coming down with a heavy clunk.

Dante says something, but I can’t hear him over the frantic pounding of my heart.

I thought I knew what fear was like. I was wrong.

This is my fault. It has to be.

“We’re slowing down,” Dante says, and this time I can actually hear him. “But soon, I’m going to have to hit some small shrubs. To decrease our speed even more.”

A few seconds later, we hit the first of them with a bone-rattling thud. Then another. And another.

It’s like a giant hand has hold of the car, shaking it.

“Almost…” Dante puts out his arm, clamping his hand over my stomach. “Close your eyes, Sarah.”

Before I do, I see the tree getting bigger in front of us. Not a shrub. Not a little baby tree, but a full-grown one.

Oh, please.

And then.

We slam into it.

Metal screeches and crumples.

Glass shatters.

Just as my body is flying forward, the seatbelt jerks me back.

The airbag deploys, smacking me hard in the face. Hot blood fills my mouth. My ears ring. Everything grays out for a second.

Then I hear a faint voice. Rough. Worried.

The airbag is pushed away from me, and Dante’s face appears.

“Sarah. Talk to me.” He’s touching my face, my hair, my chest. “Can you hear me?”

With a groan, I reach up to touch my stinging lip, faintly surprised to feel wetness there.

“Don’t move,” Dante commands. “Not until I can check you out.” His gaze is all over me, dark with fear and concern. “I’m sorry, I didn’t want you to get hurt, but there was no other way to stop the car.”

Everything is slowly coming back into focus. “Your head.” My voice sounds like it’s coming down a long tunnel. I move despite Dante’s instructions, touching the rising bruise on his forehead. “You’re hurt.”

“I’m okay,” he replies. “I’m more worried about you.”

For a moment, I take stock. Bloody lip, not too bad. Nose sore, but not broken. My chest aches, but not too badly. The ringing in my ears is diminishing.

“I’m okay, too,” I tell him. “But you… How did you know what to do?”

“I took a driving course in the Army.” Dante touches my lip and his expression clouds. “You might need stitches. And ice. Right away.”

Then he reaches under the seat and pulls out a gun. “Just in case,” he explains. “I don’t think whoever did this is out there, but if they are…” His voice dips dangerously. “They’re going to be very sorry.”