“You could have died,” I whispered against her mouth. “I don’t know what I’d have done if you had.” My voice broke and she lifted her hand, cupping my face.
“I’m fine.” Her thumb gently stroked my skin.
“You’re not fine, but you will be,” I promised her. My hand came up and covered hers, moving her hand so that I could kiss her palm. “I love you so much, Quinn.”
“I love you too,” she said sleepily, her voice almost a whisper. Her eyes hadn’t opened at all since she’d started speaking and I knew she must be exhausted.
“Go to sleep, baby.”
“Stay,” she mumbled. Standing up, I whispered in her ear.
“I’m not going anywhere. I’ll be right here when you wake up.” She gently nodded her head before giving in to sleep.
Sitting back down I took a few shaky breaths. She was alive, hurt but alive. I’d never felt so relieved. Her outward wounds would heal over time, but I knew she’d be left with emotional scars that would take far longer to heal. Picking her hand up again, I held it tightly, wanting her to know I was next to her and always would be.
Quinn
Prizing my eyes open, I looked to the side, seeing Brody asleep with his head on my bed. I smiled to myself, thinking this was exactly like the first time we’d met. Gently removing my hand from his, I ran my fingers through his hair. Every part of my body ached, and my shoulder felt like it was burning from the inside out. But to be able to touch him when I thought I’d never see him again was worth all the pain.
When Evan had pulled the trigger, I didn’t hesitate at jumping in front of him. I wouldn’t have been able to live with myself if anything had happened to him. Brody would never have been in that situation if I hadn’t shown up at the ranch, bringing all my troubles with me.
“You’re awake.” He lifted his head and leaned over to kiss me. I nodded.
“Brody, where’s Evan?” I asked, needing to know if we were still in danger.
“He’s gone, baby. You don’t need to worry about him anymore.”
“Gone?” I questioned. “Gone where?”
“He’s dead. Mason shot him just after Evan shot you.” I gasped and lifted my hand to my mouth.
“Mason shot him? Is he in trouble?”
He shook his head. “No. The police are putting it down to self-defense.”
“He’s really gone? It’s finally over?” I asked quietly, unable to believe I no longer had to look over my shoulder.
“It’s over, sweetheart. You’re safe now.” I promptly burst into tears, the relief at knowing he would never hurt anyone again was overwhelming.
“Hey, don’t cry,” he soothed. “Shhhhh.” Standing up, he wiped my tears away with his thumbs. “How are you feeling?” he asked when my tears had dried up.
“Like I’ve been shot,” I told him with a smile. He frowned.
“It should be me lying there, not you. I should have kept you safe.”
“You did keep me safe. You found me and got me out of there. How did you find me by the way?” I was puzzled by how quickly he’d managed to get to me.
“Ethan managed to get back to the ranch after the car accident and raise the alarm. I tracked your phone to find out where Evan had taken you.”
“He’d been watching us you know?” I shuddered as I thought about him spying on us. Brody nodded.
“I think it was him who kept cutting the perimeter fence, and the tire marks on the field. It was his way of getting onto the ranch undetected.”
“I put everyone in danger,” I whispered.
“No! None of this is your fault. He was crazy, Quinn.”
I nodded, dropping my head back on the pillow. I’d only been awake for a few minutes but already felt exhausted again. Just as I was about to drop off I heard the door open. Turning my head, I saw Claire put her head around the door.