That’s when Rafe saw them—a half-dozen syringes embedded into the asshole’s torso. All emptied. All placed there by one quick-thinking redhead.
Rafe didn’t waste a second getting to Penny. The image of her stepping in front of that gun had shaved ten years off his fucking life.
“Please tell me you’re okay.” His voice shook while he scanned her head to toe.
“I’m fine.”
“Red,” he said in warning.
He hated that fucking word, but it let him breathe long enough to pull her into his arms where she belonged. Nose buried in the curve of her neck, he closed his eyes and soaked himself in her warmth. “Please tell me you’re okay. Again. Just say it again, baby.”
Her voice quivered as she fisted his shirt and held him close. “I’m okay. But I thought you were—”
“Shh.” Cupping her cheek, he soothed her trembles with a tender kiss to each visible bump and bruise. “It takes a hell of a lot more to get rid of me than a roof falling over my head.”
Though it killed him to pull back, he needed to look at her. Really look at her, and the moment he did, that hot rage he felt earlier bubbled back, closer to the surface than before. She looked as if she’d lost a game of chicken with a semi and a few of its friends. But the bumps and cuts were superficial. What worried him was the way she braced herself for each breath.
“Do you think they’re broken?” He gently slid his palm over her ribs, sensing her tense.
He watched her summon a slow smile. “I’ve never had broken ribs before so I don’t know. But if you’re asking me if it hurts worse than when I danced with Marco in that alley, then the answer is without a doubt yes. I don’t think a bag of frozen peas is going to do the trick this time around.”
Knowing she was in pain ripped his gut to shreds. He nodded, knowing a heart-to-heart was long overdue, but he couldn’t tell her a damn thing if they were both dead heaps on the floor. He shot a concerned glance to Rachel, who, for everything she’d been through, looked alert and ready to take on the world. “You okay to make a hustle?”
“I can do it,” came her soft answer.
Turning to Penny, he spread his arms wide. “Do I have your permission to be your knight in black Kevlar? No offense, sweetheart, but we have to haul ass and you don’t look like you could scamper, much less fly.”
She groaned out a laugh and raised her good arm. “This is going to hurt like hell either way. Your way will get us out before we get blown to pieces.”
“That’s my girl. Always the optimist.” He gently scooped her off her feet, wincing at her sharp inhale. “Fuck, baby. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry. You’re here. We’re here. We found her, Rafe,” she murmured sleepily.
He gave Rachel a quick wink to make certain she was still with them as they hustled down the hall. “Yeah, sweetheart, you did. And there wasn’t a doubt in my mind that you wouldn’t.”
“You never doubted me. You’ve always believed in me.” Penny buried her nose against his neck, her voice not much more than a slurred whisper. “That’s one of the reasons why I love you, Rafe. I just needed to say that out loud. I love you.”
He nearly stumbled over his feet. Rafe didn’t think it possible, but those three words, the first time he could ever recall hearing them, settled into his chest like a warm ray of sunshine. A glance down into her sleeping face and that warmth went supernova. He wanted to wake her up and tell her to say it again.
Never having anything to compare with love, he was clueless. But he knew this was it. He knew it every time he looked at her, thought about her. Life without her witty sarcasm and infectious smile would be cold and dark.
He needed her by his side. He wanted to watch her kick ass but also needed her safely tucked into his arms and in his bed. She made him invincible and weak all at the same time. And it made him realize he couldn’t live happily without her.
The moment they hit open air, all hell broke loose. Trey flung Rachel over his shoulder and then he and Rafe ran like fucking hell. At the first rumble, they hit the ground. Rafe, careful to take the impact of the fall himself, coiled his body around Penny’s as they tumbled. When they finally rolled to a stop, he covered her head with his arms and tucked her face into the curve of his shoulder.
“God, baby. I love you, too,” he murmured into her ear, voice rough with emotion. The words flowed, sliding easily—and truthfully—from his lips. “I love you so damn much, Red. I can’t even begin to put it into words.”
An explosion rocked the ground. The warehouse structure they’d been in only moments before erupted into a sky-reaching inferno. Rafe shielded Penny against the wall of heat. Burning planks and ash fell down around them as shouts echoed through the din.