Hidden Away (KGI #3)(105)

“I won’t let him kill him,” Donovan promised. “Rio and I will be there to witness what goes down. I guarantee you that Cross will fall down a few flights of stairs. Maybe more than once.”

Sam chuckled and shook his head. “I can’t even bring myself to call you down. I’d like a piece of the bastard myself for what he did.”

“We’ll wait for Joe to get in. I want to make sure he’s all right,” Garrett said. “Van, get the Kelly jet fueled and ready to go. I’ll let Rio know what’s going on so he can meet us there.”

THE whole Kelly family descended on the base the next day. Even Rusty came along and Marlene evidently had been made aware of the fact that her boys had showed up at Rusty’s school because she beamed at them nonstop the entire afternoon.

At least she hadn’t kissed them and pinched their cheeks in front of the military personnel on the base.

Sophie had little Charlotte bundled up, and Garrett had to admit the kid looked cute as a button in all that pink. She was a beautiful girl, just like her mama. Garrett gave Sam shit about how glad he was she hadn’t taken after her daddy. Sam just grinned and agreed wholeheartedly.

Rachel had hugged Garrett so tight that he’d felt immediate guilt for not going over to see her the minute he got back. He’d been too preoccupied with thoughts of Sarah and calling Resnick every five minutes to get a status report.

“Hey, sweet pea,” he murmured into Rachel’s ear as she hugged him. “You doing okay?”

“I’m fine. It’s you I’ve been worried about.”

She drew away and he could see the concern darken her already dark brown eyes. It gratified him to see that she’d filled out more and the shadows she wore under her eyes like permanent bruises had lightened. She looked ... happy. Content.

“You look terrific,” he said. “Ethan’s been taking good care of you, I see.”

She smiled, her entire face lighting up. Rachel was a beautiful woman, but when she smiled, it seemed the sun shone just a little brighter. Ethan and Sam had chosen well with Rachel and Sophie. Now Garrett couldn’t wait to bring Sarah home to meet his family. They’d love her. He just knew it. And she’d love them too.

“She’ll forgive you, Garrett,” Rachel said softly so only he would hear. “Donovan told me some of what happened. Don’t be angry at him. I did puppy dog eyes at him.”

Garrett laughed, making the rest of his family look over at him to see what was going on. He lowered his voice and turned Rachel to the side. “You’re evil, Rachel. You know Van can’t resist you when you do that.”

“That’s the point,” she said with a mischievous grin. Then she sobered slightly. “You love her a lot.”

Garrett sighed and glanced sideways again. It wasn’t as if he was ashamed of his feelings. He just wasn’t ready to share them with the world yet. “Yeah, I do. I f**ked up though.”

Rachel touched his arm and then wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug. “I know a lot about pain. And forgiveness.”

Garrett squeezed her back. “I know you do, sweet pea. Ethan’s so lucky to have you.”

“She’ll forgive you if she loves you. She’s hurting right now, but she’ll realize that being without you hurts more.”

“I hope you’re right. I’m a stubborn son of a bitch. I don’t plan to come home without her.”

“I can’t wait to meet her. I can only think she must be an amazing woman if you love her.”

“Well, I love you and you’re amazing,” Garrett said.

She smiled. They were interrupted when the doctor came into the waiting area where the Kellys had been stashed. Marlene pounced immediately, though Frank wasn’t far behind.

“How’s my son?” she demanded.

“He’s doing quite well,” the doctor said as he surveyed the gathered family members. “A bullet shattered the fibula and we’re taking him into surgery shortly to reconstruct the bone.”

“Can we see him before you take him to surgery?” Marlene asked anxiously. “I want him to know we’re here.”

The doctor chuckled. “Oh, he knows you’re here. I think the entire base knows you’re here. I’ll let you in to see him for five minutes. You’ll be able to see him again when he comes out of recovery.”

The entire family crowded into the small holding room where Joe was propped against several pillows, his leg swathed in tight gauze to anchor the break.

“Ma, Dad!” His entire face lit up when his parents entered the room, his brothers right behind them. “Hell, you all didn’t have to come.”

Sam snorted. “As if we wouldn’t come, little brother. What the hell have you done to yourself this time?”

Garrett watched as Marlene fussed and clucked, kissed and petted. He grinned as Joe ate it all up just like he was a young boy with a boo-boo again.

“It’s damn good to see you again, son,” Frank boomed out. “I’d rather not have had to see you in the hospital, though.”

“Joe, do you know anything about Nathan?” Marlene asked anxiously.

Joe grimaced and shook his head. “Sorry, Ma. He wasn’t with me. Things were pretty tense. We were separated into two teams. Our team came under attack. I took a bullet. Two of our guys died. I don’t know about Nathan’s team. No one has told me jackshit.”