Eye for an Eye, an (Heroes of Quantico Book #2): A Novel (24 page)

“Or, at the very least, responsible citizens who aren’t afraid to get involved.” He set the paper aside and angled toward her, dropping an arm around her shoulders as he played with her hair. “How’s the hangover?”

“Improving. The headache’s fading, I can stand without the room tilting, and my appetite is kicking back in.”

He tipped his head and scrutinized her face. “Honest?”

“Cross my heart.” She traced an X on her chest. “Since leaving the hospital, I’ve had thirty-six hours in my own house to recuperate, with the shades up and sunlight spilling in. And didn’t I eat more than my share of that gourmet meal you provided tonight?” She tried to tease away the lines of worry on his face.

To her relief, they eased slightly.

“Yeah. You even pilfered part of my dessert.”

“All’s fair when it comes to chocolate.”

Chuckling, he twirled a lock of her hair around his finger. “I talked to Coop again today.”

Emily tried not to be distracted by his touch. “Didn’t you talk to him on Monday too?”

“Yeah.” One corner of his mouth hitched up. “He claimed to be a bit peeved about missing all the excitement.”

“Let’s see . . .” Emily pretended to give Coop’s complaint serious consideration. “Spending your first anniversary with your wife or chasing around in sweltering weather after a murder suspect. Why do I think he wasn’t all that upset?”

“I told him the same thing. He didn’t argue much.”

“Speaking of a murder suspect . . .” Her tone grew serious.

“I appreciate whatever you did to see that Dale Edwards was taken unharmed.”

“I didn’t have to do anything. There was no call for force.You were right, Em. He’s a very sick man. At least now he’ll get some help.”

“I hope so.” She was silent for a few moments. Then she forced herself to switch gears. “Why did you talk to Coop today?”

“To tell him I decided to accept Steve’s offer.”

Happiness bubbled up inside her. “You’re staying?”

“Mmm-hmm.” He continued to play with her hair, but his intent gaze was fixed on her eyes. “Do you remember anything about that first night in the hospital?”

“Not much.” She tried to read his expression. “Why?”

“You told me to take the job.”

Her pulse skipped a beat. She had no memory of that exchange. In fact, her total mental shutdown was the most frustrating thing about the whole experience. From the time the full effects of the drug kicked in until the early hours of Monday morning, she could remember nothing.

But she did recall that Mark had dominated her thoughts as she began to lose awareness. And she remembered thinking how ironic it was that she was the one who seemed poised to die when all along she’d worried that Mark might be taken from
her
, as Grant had been.

She also remembered feeling regret. And thinking that if she had it to do over again, she’d live each day fully and without fear.

Those were her last coherent memories.

Over the past couple of days, as she’d rested and regrouped, she’d reflected on her final thoughts as she’d prepared to die.

And she’d reaffirmed the decision she’d made Sunday night as consciousness faded—that given another chance, she’d move forward with Mark.

But she hadn’t realized she’d voiced it.

Nor had she found a suitable opportunity to bring up the subject. Mark had been busy at the office with paperwork, his visits had been brief, and she’d been feeling out of sorts. And it wasn’t a subject she’d wanted to talk about over the phone.

“You were pretty disoriented on Sunday night. I understand you might not have meant what you were implying.” Mark took her hand and wove their fingers together, picking up the conversation when she remained silent. “It was the other thing you said that convinced me to take the job.”

“What other thing?” She gave him a wary look.

“You said you loved me.”

Warmth suffused her cheeks, but before she could respond he continued. “I’m sure you have no memory of that, either. But I hoped it reflected what was in your heart, even if your mind hadn’t quite accepted it yet.”

“You were willing to take that chance?” A sense of wonder filled her.

“Yes. Because
I
love
you
.”

Fireworks began to go off somewhere in the region of her heart. “I don’t remember saying that to you. But your instincts were right.”

He went absolutely still. “You want to spell that out for me?”

It was time to take the leap. Time to take the lessons the experience of the past few weeks had taught her and put them into practice.

It was time to let trust replace fear.

“I love you too.”

His lips were on hers in an instant, his hands framing her face as he told her in the silent, eloquent language of love how much her declaration meant to him. The kiss played havoc with her pulse, and when he pulled her close, she couldn’t tell if the thudding against her chest was his heart or hers. Or both.

“I want to marry you, Emily.”

“I think I’d like that.” A slow smile curved her lips, and as she pulled back far enough to trace the outline of his strong jaw she felt a muscle twitch beneath her fingertip.

“When?”

“We’ve been back together for less than a month. We probably shouldn’t rush things.”

“So next week would be too soon?”

He grinned, but she could tell he was more than half serious. “Maybe a bit. Besides, you have to go back to Quantico for a while. How about a Christmas wedding?”

“That’s four months away.”

“It will give us a chance to plan.”

“I already have plans.” He leaned down and nibbled at her lips.

“If you keep that up, you’ll wear me down,” she murmured.

“That’s the plan. Remember?”

Chuckling, she drew back. “Where is your patience, Agent Sanders?”

“I think I lost is somewhere in those green eyes of yours.”

“Look at it this way. We’ll have time to arrange a wonderful honeymoon.”

“Do you have any place in particular in mind?” He gave her a lazy smile.

“I was kind of thinking about a nice, secluded cabin at Wren Lake.”

“How come I already knew that?”

“Because I’m predictable?”

“In a good way.”

She wrinkled her nose. “Predictable can also mean boring.”

Chuckling, he pulled her close. “Trust me, Em. You are never boring.”

“I think I’ll make proving that to you a priority at Wren Lake.”

She gave him an impish grin, and his eyes deepened in color.

“Then I heartily second the motion for Wren Lake.”

His BlackBerry began to vibrate against her hip, and she gave him a questioning look when he hesitated.

Making no attempt to hide his irritation, he finally pulled it off his belt and glanced at the caller ID. Sliding it back into its holder, he reached for her again. “Now where were we?”

“Do you need to take that?”

“No. It was just Coop. I’ll call him later.”

She snuggled beside him. “Do you think he’ll be surprised about our news?”

“Not a chance.”

“Why not?”

“He had me pegged two days after the shooting. And a few days after that, he started dropping hints about the two of us. When I explained that our very different lives weren’t conducive to romance, he responded with three words.”

“Which were . . . ?”

“Love changes things.”

“Hmm.” She considered that. “I suppose he’s right. But it’s a good change, isn’t it?”

Smiling, Mark drew her into the circle of his arms. And in the instant before his mouth once again claimed hers, his response whispered against her lips.

“The best. For always.”

Acknowledgments

Although this is book 2 in my Heroes of Quantico series, it’s actually the first one I wrote. And when the idea began to percolate in my mind, I was more than a bit intimidated by the amount of research I would need to do to ensure that my book accurately portrayed police and FBI procedure.

Many people assisted me along the way, and I’d like to offer my thanks to a few who went above and beyond.

To twenty-one-year FBI veteran Tom Becker, now chief of police in Frontenac, Missouri, who offered me great insights—with great patience. Not only did he answer my many questions (and follow-up questions!), he also agreed to read my manuscript.

And his diligence in doing so put the final polish of authenticity on this book. What a trouper!
An Eye for an Eye
wouldn’t have come together as well as it did without his gracious and generous assistance.

To Captain Ed Nestor from the detective division of the Chesterfield, Missouri, Police Department, who gave me a thorough behind-the-scenes tour (that convinced me I
never
want to be arrested!) and spent hours answering my questions. His input was invaluable.

To Captain Craig Koehler of the Illinois State Police, who read the final manuscript with a fresh eye. His perceptive comments and suggestions greatly enhanced the story.

To fellow author and nurse Patricia Davids, who reviewed and tweaked the medical sections of the book.

To all those who organize and present at the Citizen Police Academy I attended. I came away from that experience with a renewed appreciation for the dedication and courage of police officers.

To the fabulous folks at Revell—Jennifer Leep, Kristin Kornoelje, Twila Bennett, Cheryl Van Andel, Michele Misiak, Car-men Pease, Claudia Marsh, Deonne Beron, Janelle Mahlmann— and so many more who have helped bring this book to market. You are a great team, and I feel blessed to work with you.

And of course, to my agent, Chip MacGregor of MacGregor Literary, who persevered until he found the perfect home for this series.

On a personal note, my love and thanks go to my husband Tom, who has shared in the excitement of my suspense debut every step of the way, and to my mom and dad, whose parenting skills are worthy of the hall of fame.

Finally, a caveat. Readers familiar with the world of law enforcement may notice that in a few cases I took a bit of dramatic license with protocols. But beyond those situations, I have tried to be as true to police and FBI procedure as possible.

Irene Hannon
, who writes both romance and romantic suspense, is the bestselling author of more than thirty novels. Her books have been honored with the coveted RITA Award from Romance Writers of America (the “Oscar” of romantic fiction), the HOLT Medallion, and a Reviewer’s Choice Award from
Romantic Times BOOKreviews
magazine. A former corporate communications executive with a Fortune 500 company, Irene now writes full time. In her spare time, she enjoys singing, long walks, cooking, gardening, traveling, and spending time with family. She and her husband make their home in Missouri.

To learn more about Irene and her books, visit www.irene hannon.com.

Watch for Nick’s story,
In Harm’s Way
,
coming April 2010!
And be sure to read Coop’s story,
Against All Odds
,
available now at your favorite bookstore!

© 2009 by Irene Hannon

Published by Revell
a division of Baker Publishing Group
P.O. Box 6287, Grand Rapids, MI 49516-6287
www.revellbooks.com

E-book edition created 2010

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—for example, electronic, photocopy, recording—without the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.

ISBN 978-1-4412-0487-5

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC.