Isaac nodded before continuing. “She never even checked her six. Just as she was about to get in, I stepped around the back and pointed my gun at her and told her to hold it. It was only after she turned around that I even knew it was a woman and not some damn kid. And Jesus. She looked like an angel. Bluest eyes I’ve ever seen in my life. Pale porcelain-looking skin and long blond hair with crazy curls and twists in it. And she was barefooted. But worse than her not being dressed for the weather and her trying to steal my ride was the fact that some asshole worked her over and did a real number on her.”
Dane’s and Beau’s expressions darkened. A growl rolled from Dane’s throat and he gripped the edge of his desk.
“She was bloodied and bruised over most of her face, neck and what skin I could see. Who the hell knows how bad it was in places I couldn’t see. She was terrified of me and begged me not to hurt her. And she apologized, for fuck’s sake. For trying to steal my vehicle. She said she didn’t know what else to do, that she had to get away.
“I was trying to talk her down when someone opened fire on us. Rifle shot and from a good distance away. I was trying to get her down and my gun out when I caught a bullet right in the heart and lungs. Fuck! Never felt anything like it in my life, and I’d just as soon never experience that shit again.”
Dane and Beau were staring in bewilderment at his chest covered by a simple T-shirt, no evidence of any injury anywhere.
“This is where it gets weird, but well, you two are certainly accustomed to the weird and unexplained, so you shouldn’t even blink an eye over this.”
Dane’s brow furrowed while Beau just stayed focused, his concentration on Isaac’s story absolute.
“I knew I was dying and there was no helping me. I’d already activated the call for backup and knew someone was on their way. I told the woman to take my vehicle and go, to get out of there before whoever was shooting got close enough to either kill her or take her. And now I know they wouldn’t have killed her, but they sure as hell would have taken her.”
“What happened?” Dane asked calmly, sensing something huge.
“She was hysterical and kept screaming no over and over, and then said she wouldn’t let me die. She wouldn’t! And then . . . Jesus. I don’t even know how to say this, but she put her hands on me. Her entire body tightened and her expression was strained to the point of agony. She looked as though she’d been the one shot and that she was in horrific pain. And she fucking healed me. I felt her warmth from the inside out as it spread throughout my entire body. It was like . . . a miracle. She’s a fucking miracle. My miracle. Afterward it was as if it had never happened. And she was devastated, her arms wrapped around her knees, rocking back and forth in complete despair. I realized that she’d given up any chance of escaping by deciding to save me. I was still a little weak, probably from shock more than anything, and I knew backup would be arriving shortly but she might not have that much time, so once again I told her to take my vehicle and go. She finally did, and I regretted telling her to do it when I saw it didn’t appear that she even knew how to drive.”
Dane’s brow crinkled again. “How old is this woman, Isaac?”
Isaac shrugged. “No clue. My guess is early twenties, but who the hell knows? I could see how someone could easily mistake her for a child or a teenager, but her eyes. Jesus, when you look into her eyes, you see someone a hell of a lot older.”
“So you lost her? She’s gone?” Beau asked incredulously.
Isaac scowled. “Fuck no! I waited until Dex, Zeke and Shadow got there. Explained everything to them because when they saw all the blood, they wanted to take me straight to the hospital. Using the tracking device on my vehicle, we followed her to where she’d pulled off into a wooded area several miles away, and I found her in the backseat, unconscious and crying in her fucking sleep.”
“Jesus,” Beau muttered.
“Tell me about it.”
“So what exactly did you need to talk to us about?” Dane asked in puzzlement.
Isaac sucked in his breath as he stared at the two men he considered not just friends, but family. “She’s not a DSS client, but there is no fucking way I’m turning my back on her. I left her with the others so I could come talk to you two, but then I’m going back and I’m going to do whatever’s necessary to get her to confide in me, and then I’m going to protect her and figure out a way to take out any threat to her.”
He paused again for a moment to let his statement sink in.
“And I need to ask for a leave of absence to do that,” he said quietly.
Beau frowned and Dane’s head came up, his eyes narrowing with anger.
“What the fuck?” Dane growled. “Leave of absence? What the hell, Isaac?”
“I can’t give DSS my full time and concentration and do what I need to do for her at the same time,” Isaac said in a low voice. “It wouldn’t be fair to her or you. If that’s a problem, then I’ll resign and you can fill my position.”
“You need to shut the fuck up now and quit talking before I lose what’s left of my goddamn temper,” Dane snapped.
Beau didn’t look any happier.
“When did you get the idea that I or Beau or anyone at DSS would ever turn their back on someone who is not only in great danger and need but also saved someone very dear to us all, just because she isn’t a paying client?” Dane asked through gritted teeth. “Jesus Christ, Isaac. We damn near lost you today and the woman you’ve sworn to protect is the only reason we still have you and aren’t making fucking funeral arrangements instead. You’ll protect her all right, but so will the rest of us. She gets my and DSS’s full priority from now on.”
“Means a lot,” Isaac said around the knot in his throat.
“You don’t get it, do you,” Beau muttered. “You’ve risked your life for the most important person in my life. In Zack’s life. In Wade Sterling’s life for damn sure, and you’ve risked your life for us time and time again. Dane and I just had to sit through listening to you talk about damn near dying, and only because this woman risked her life to save yours are you able to sit here in front of us, whole, not dead. And you don’t think that would mean something to us? That she wouldn’t mean something to us, no matter who she is, what she’s done or not done or what kind of baggage she brings to the table? Or that we wouldn’t all take an active role in protecting her and eliminating the threat to her?”
The knot only grew larger in Isaac’s throat.
“She’s pretty goddamn special,” Dane murmured. “I mean God, when I think of what Ramie, Ari, Tori and Gracie can do, it’s mind-boggling enough. But this woman pulled you back from death. She performed a fucking miracle. I’d be more surprised if she wasn’t in danger or if she didn’t have assholes constantly trying to take her so they could take advantage of her powers. Because Isaac, she’s always going to be in danger. No matter if we eliminate the current threat to her, with what she can do, she will never be safe.”
“I know,” Isaac said softly. “But she will never be without protection.”
The room went silent while Dane and Beau digested Isaac’s response, but they didn’t comment on it.
“Where is she now?” Dane asked.
“For now, my place with Dex, Shadow and Zeke guarding her. I need to get back as quickly as possible. I don’t plan to keep her there. It’s too risky.”
“You got a plan?” Beau asked.