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

Chapter 14

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

DANTE

“Are you sure you don’t want to go to the hospital?”

I know I’ve asked Sarah some variation of the same question at least a dozen times since we got back to B and A, and my protectiveness is verging on obsession, but I can’t help myself.

I keep seeing Sarah right after the accident, dazed, bloody, bits of broken glass in her hair, and I’m reminded of how close she came to being hurt so much worse.

If we’d been at a different part of the road, there would have been buildings surrounding us instead of grass, and I wouldn’t have had a place to slow down. If there had been more traffic, I might not have been able to maneuver around it. And not even two miles ahead, there was a tight curve I’m not sure I could have made traveling at such a high speed.

Every time I think about how close we came to a catastrophic accident, a sick, clammy feeling comes over me. Bile rises in my throat. My chest squeezes.

It was too close.

I’ve been in situations where death wasn’t just possible, but a probability. Missions when the odds were stacked against us ten to one. But I never felt the same kind of fear as I did when we were rocketing down the road, the car accelerating on its own, and the wrong decision could cost Sarah her life.

Fear still has its claws in me, which is why I’m battling irrational worries about Sarah being injured more badly than I initially thought. Even though I’ve been a medic for almost twenty years, the residual fear has me doubting my abilities.

If I missed something—a broken bone, a spine injury, internal bleeding—I’ll never forgive myself.

I’m not sure I can forgive myself, anyway.

What was I thinking, taking Sarah away from the safety of Blade and Arrow? Why didn’t I just arrange for a date here, like Niall did when Jade was under our protection? But no, I wanted to impress her, and I ended up putting her in danger instead.

“I’m okay, Dante. Really.” Sarah gives me a small smile, unsuccessfully hiding her wince as the movement tugs against the cut on her lip. Which makes me feel terrible all over again.

“Still.” I sink down on the couch beside her, my eyes narrowing as I inspect her swollen lip. “I just want to be absolutely sure you’re alright.”

“You already did.” She catches my hand, slipping her smaller one inside it. “We did everything the emergency room would have. And I’m fine. Some bruises and a little cut inside my lip, but that’s not a big deal.” A beat, and then, “I still can’t believe you guys have an actual X-ray machine in your clinic.”

Our medical clinic on site at the ranch is the only reason I didn’t override Sarah’s wishes and take her to the emergency room, anyway. Complete with a portable X-ray machine, a defibrillator, heart monitoring equipment, and a stockpile of first aid supplies, it’s enough to treat most minor injuries.

The paramedics at the scene were ready to take both me and Sarah to the hospital as a precaution, but she gave me this wide-eyed, pleading look and said quietly, “Please, Dante. I really want to go home. It’s just some bruises. You can keep an eye on me, can’t you?”

How could I say no? Especially given that I knew several of the firefighters at the scene, and they agreed with Sarah’s assessment. “Unofficially,” one of them told me in a quiet aside, “I think she’s fine to go home. Ice her lip, have her take some over-the-counter pain meds, and get plenty of rest. She’ll be sore for a while, but that’s all.”

It sounded good at the time, especially since I was itching to get Sarah back to headquarters, where I knew she’d be safe.

But now? After decades of having to make life or death decisions, sometimes with only seconds to consider them, I’m doubting myself.

And I’m feeling guilty.

“Dante.” Sarah climbs onto my lap and snuggles against my chest, and my arms come carefully around her. “I’m okay. The only place I want to be is right here, with you.”

The giant hand squeezing my chest eases a little.

Pressing a soft kiss to the top of her head, I breathe in the lingering scent of her shampoo and memorize the feel of her silken hair against my lips.

I’ll never be more thankful than this moment, holding Sarah after knowing how close I came to losing her.

“I’m so glad you’re okay,” I murmur. “I’m sorry I took you out?—”

“No.” She jerks her head up so quickly, she almost whacks me in the nose. “It is not your fault. You took me on a wonderful date. And you did everything you could to make it safe.”

“Not enough.”

“You did .” Regret darkens her eyes. “You know this is because of me?—”

But she’s interrupted by a quick series of knocks at the door. Still holding Sarah, I lean over to grab my phone off the coffee table, then open the security app to see Matt and Xavier standing outside with matching somber expressions.

Sarah tenses in my arms. “Who is it?”

“Matt and Xavier.” I lift her off my lap and set her on the cushion beside me. Standing, I say, “They probably have news. I asked Matt to head over to the impound lot to look at the car, and Xav was going to speak with the police.”

Both are things I’d normally be involved with, but not this time. No way. While Matt and Xavier headed into San Antonio, I stayed here to take care of Sarah. Three hours later, she’s showered, changed—wearing my Army sweatshirt, which I love seeing on her—and situated on my couch with a blanket and an ice pack for her lip.

Before heading to the door, I lean over and brush a light kiss across her forehead. “I can talk to them in the hallway. So you don’t have to worry about this right now.”

Her eyebrows jump up and she gives me an are you crazy look. “Not worry? I don’t think that’s possible. And I want to hear whatever they found out.”

I’m not surprised by her response. But I have a feeling my suspicions are about to be confirmed, and the guys have proof that what happened on the road was intentional. I’m not sure how, since no one got close enough to my car to mess with the brakes, but there’s no way this, on top of everything else, could be a coincidence.

I don’t want Sarah to have to hear that. Not now. Not when the memories of the accident are so fresh. Not when she’s sitting on my couch looking so small and vulnerable it makes my heart ache and everything in me is desperate to protect her.

But it’s her life. She has the right to know.

Just as I’m about to open the door, I turn back to Sarah. “If it gets to be too much, just tell me. We can take a break at any time.”

She lifts her chin and sets her shoulders. “I’ve heard some pretty awful things in my work. I think I can handle this.”

“I know you can. I just don’t want you to feel like you have to.”

Her lips curve up into a hint of a smile. “I know, Dante. I love that you want to protect me. But I have to know.”

But once Matt and Xavier are sitting in the two recliners opposite us, Matt frowning at his laptop and Xavier’s features set in a scowl, she looks less certain about it.

Sarah’s hand is trembling; icy-cold despite the heat of mine wrapped around it. Her foot is jittering and her jaw is clenched tight. Fine lines of worry are etched across her forehead and between her eyes. And I can feel the rapid fluttering of her pulse each time my thumb brushes over her wrist.

I wish like anything she didn’t have to go through this.

If I’d just planned something here, none of this would be happening. We’d probably be cuddled on the couch together; Sarah completely relaxed after the dinner I cooked and the massage I was planning to give her. Our kisses would probably evolve into something more, like they have been the last few nights. Maybe I’d even see her naked, and I could kiss her all over, and?—

“I found some very interesting information at the impound lot.” Matt taps a few keys on his laptop. “Information about the car, I should say.”

Shit. I should be paying attention to Matt and not letting myself fantasize about a night that didn’t happen.

Looking over at Matt, I ask, “What did you find out?”

“Well.” His gaze lifts from the laptop to me. “You know I worked part time in a repair shop back in high school. So it was easy to check the brakes and accelerator for any signs of tampering.”

“And?”

“There weren’t any.” His brow creases. “Which didn’t make sense. With your car being only a few years old, there’s no reason for the brakes or accelerator to malfunction like that.”

“I just had it inspected a month ago,” I reply. “Everything was fine. And no one went near it at the restaurant. Right?”

“Right,” Matt affirms. “I was watching the entire time. Which means it was tampered with a different way.”

My molars nearly grind to dust as I grit out, “Did someone mess with my car when I was in town earlier today? Is that what happened?”

Shit. I never even thought. Did I put Sarah’s life at risk through my own oversight?

“No.” If possible, Matt’s expression goes even more grim. “After I checked the obvious places, I looked deeper. I scanned the car’s diagnostic trouble codes, and that’s where I found our answer.” He pauses. “Someone hacked the computer in the car and took over the brakes and accelerator.”

“Shit.” I bite out the curse just as Sarah flinches.

Guilt slams into me again. Not only did I put her in a dangerous situation, completely miss a looming threat, but now I’m upsetting her. “Sorry, Sarah,” I soothe, forcing a calm I’m not feeling. “I didn’t mean to?—”

“It’s not you.” Tears well up in her eyes. “I was afraid… it had to be my fault. And you almost died , Dante. Because some asshole has it out for me. They weren’t trying to hurt you. It’s all me.”

“No, it’s not.” Taking both her hands, I hold her gaze. “It is not your fault, Sarah. Not even a little.”

“It’s not,” Xavier echoes. “You can’t control what this fucker does.”

“But I can make sure I’m not around other people,” she retorts. “Not out in public. Not where this person can get to me.”

“I should have thought of it,” I tell her, the guilt a heavy weight on my chest. “I should have been more careful.”

“ I should have thought of it,” Matt interrupts. “I’m supposed to be the tech guy. This is on me.”

Xavier stands up. “Enough.” He walks behind his chair and puts his hands on the back of it. His gaze moves from Sarah to Matt, and then to me. “The only person at fault is the one who pulled this shit. Hacking a car? That’s something new. It’s not a surprise none of us thought of it.”

To Matt, he says, “You can’t anticipate everything. No matter how good you are.” Turning to me, he continues, “And you took all the precautions. You even brought a damn bomb detecting device with you. And Sarah—” His voice softens. “This is not your fault. It just isn’t.”

Matt nods, but he still looks unhappy. “I’m going to find out how to make sure all our vehicles are safe. There’s got to be a way to make the computer systems unhackable. Dante, I’m going to work on tracing the signal that took over your car. Hopefully, this will at least give us another clue to who’s behind this.”

I lift my chin at him. “Thanks, Matt.”

Glancing over at Sarah, my heart twists at the sadness in her expression. None of this is her fault, but I know she’s blaming herself for it.

There’s still more I want to discuss with Matt and Xavier, but now isn’t the time. Not when Sarah so clearly needs to be comforted. Needs to be held. She needs me to tell her over and over that she’s not to blame until she finally believes it.

“I think we should continue this tomorrow,” I announce. “Erik, Niall, and Rhi should be back first thing, so we can have a full team meeting. Discuss plans. Right now, Sarah’s safe, and that’s the most important thing.”

“You don’t have to stop because of me,” Sarah says softly. “I can handle it.”

“Dante’s right.” Matt closes his laptop and rises from his seat. “We’ll get a fresh look at things tomorrow.”

Xavier gives Sarah a kind smile. “I have no doubt you can handle anything.”

Her lips lift slightly. “Thanks, Xavier.”

Then the two make a speedy exit, leaving me and Sarah alone in my apartment again.

For a minute, we sit in silence, both of us caught up in our thoughts.

Emotions are bouncing crazily around in my head. Guilt. Fear. Protectiveness. Worry. And this feeling for Sarah that’s so much deeper than affection.

But it doesn’t matter how I feel. Right now, the important thing is making sure she’s okay—not just physically, but emotionally. So I give her hands a little squeeze and ask, “What can I do? Do you want to eat something? A snack? Would you like something to drink? I might have some tea that my mom sent. Do you want to put something on to watch? Or go to bed? Or?—”

“When we were in the car, I had this thought.” Sarah turns, crossing her legs pretzel style as she faces me. “I was scared, of course.”

“Oh, Sarah.”

“But that’s not what I want to tell you.” She takes a deep breath and blows it out slowly. “I’ve heard people say that experiences like that put everything into focus. And it’s true. That’s why… I’m not going to wait. Because you never know when?—”

My heart wrenches painfully. “ No , Sarah. Nothing is going to happen to you.”

Her gaze is steady on mine. “I thought… I didn’t want to die after finally finding the man I think might be the one.”

Oh. It’s a sledgehammer slamming into my chest. A battering ram. A tank.

I can’t breathe for a second.

“I know it’s soon,” she adds quickly, “and I’m not saying I expect a lifetime commitment. There are still so many things we have to learn about each other. You know I was engaged before. But this thing with you, it’s so much bigger than anything I’ve ever felt.”

“Sarah…”

“If I’d known how… all-encompassing it could be, I never would have gotten engaged. I would have kept waiting.” She pauses, and her cheeks go pink. “Maybe I shouldn’t say this. Maybe it’s too soon. But if I’d met you first, I would never have considered anyone else. Ever.”

“Sarah.”

The red in her cheeks spreads down her neck and across her chest. “ Is it too soon?” She looks at me worriedly. “Did I mess things up between us?”

“No.” A feeling of lightness expands inside me, chasing away the guilt and fear and worry. I lift Sarah onto my lap, then touch her chin gently, so she’s looking up at me. “You did not mess things up. And it’s not too soon.”

“It’s not?”

“It’s not.” And I start feathering kisses across her cheeks, her forehead, her jaw, and even the lightest one to her poor, hurt lip. “It’s not too soon. And I feel the same way. Like my heart knows you’re the one I’ve been waiting for.”

“ Dante .”

“From the first time I met you,” I tell her, “sitting there at the table, looking so pretty in your yellow dress, and you had that flower in your hair, and when you smiled… you captured me. And when I got to know you, I liked you even more. I wished… that I could ask you out. That you were single.”

“Dante.” She strokes my cheek. “I’ve thought about you a lot since then. At the wedding, I couldn’t let myself think about you that way… but I think, deep down, I knew even then. That once I met you, I couldn’t be happy with anyone else.”

This joy .

Framing her face, I stroke my thumbs along the delicate lines of her jaw. “Is it crazy to feel this way already?”

“Does it matter if we both feel the same?”

A smile spreads across my face. “I guess it doesn’t.”

Sarah smiles back at me, but a moment later, she frowns.

She couldn’t have changed her mind this quickly, could she? “What’s wrong?”

In an affronted tone, she says, “We’re supposed to have sex tonight. I got candles, and I’m wearing my sexiest underwear, and… now I’m sore and all covered in bruises and my lip is banged up and that’s not how I want our first time to be.”

This kind of problem, I can fix. “We’ll just wait a couple of days. That’s all. Tonight, we’ll sleep in the same bed together, and I’ll hold you all night, and I’ll make you breakfast in bed in the morning. How does that sound?”

Sarah gazes at me for a few seconds, and then her lips curve up again. “I think it sounds good. Great, actually. But in a couple of days, we are having sex. Okay?”

I grin at her, and everything is right in the world again. “Okay.”