Shelby's Secret (Once a Marine, Always a Marine Book 4) Page 18

  “You better not leave me, Mike Hanson. You hear me?”

  Shelby’s touch and voice were just about the best things ever. Mike hadn’t thought about dying, but if he did, and the last two things he felt and heard were her, then he’d go a happy man. “Everyone in the state can hear you,” he replied.

  “Keep him talking.”

  That was Zach. He was in the process of ripping open Mike’s shirt. “That hurts, asshat.”

  Jesse chuckled and came into view from above. “Shut up. Zach is worried, and you know how he gets. He’s been cussing steadily since you passed out.”

  “The bullet was armor piercing and drilled right through your Kevlar,” Zach said.

  The pain was intense as Zach moved him to get a look at the wound. The throbbing pulled Mike right out of that hazy plane he’d been surfing and put him square in the present. “Where’s Larry?”

  “Dead.”

  “Good. Now give me a gauze pad, and the three of you get the hell out of here, unless you want to do some explaining to the Phoenix Police Department.” Mike could already hear the sirens in the distance.

  “Just hold pressure, Shelby,” Zach barked. “And don’t let him move until the medics get here.”

  “He’s not going anywhere,” she said. “Thank you.”

  Zach leaned over and gave Shelby a kiss on the forehead. “Anytime.”

  “Hey,” Mike complained. “Go home and kiss your own woman.”

  “We’ll see you at the hospital.” And then they were gone.

  “Where’s Daniel?”

  Shelby held pressure with her left hand and stroked his hair with her right.

  He wanted to take her into his arms and kiss her, but his body wasn’t moving.

  She looked over his head and nodded. “He’s making more phone calls. Someone named Casey is coming here to help with the scene, and apparently half of your department is arriving now from the sounds of all the sirens.”

  “Are you okay? Did he hurt you bad?” She looked at him with clear eyes, free of the degradation he’d seen on the faces of rape victims.

  “I’m okay, really. I’m burning this dress, but other than bruises and a massive headache, I’m fine.” Shelby leaned down and put her soft lips on his in a soft kiss. “It’s you I’m worried about.”

  “Takes more than one bullet to kill me.”

  “I was so scared.” Tears ran down her face.

  Mike couldn’t stand it. With all his strength, he lifted his left arm and hugged her body close. Her lips found his and he took her mouth possessively.

  “Damn it, Mike. Stop moving. You’re bleeding all over the place,” Daniel groused.

  “Not sorry.” His words slurred and his eyes went fuzzy. His eyelids slammed shut, and he heard the worried voices of Shelby and Daniel. He wanted to tell Shelby one more thing. He wanted her to know that he loved her. Just in case. But he’d already nosedived into unconsciousness.

  ***

  The hospital chair was relatively comfortable, and he’d sweet talked a nurse into bringing him a fold-up table to work at, so Daniel couldn’t complain too much. Now if only his boss would wake up, he’d be a happy man.

  Two days had passed since the train depot incident, and he’d been playing fast and loose with some evidence. To make matters worse, he’d enlisted Casey’s help in the cover-up. That woman had given him no small rash of shit about it, but once he’d explained what happened, she’d fallen in line. The truth would have gotten both he and Mike fired, at the very least.

  “Damn it.”

  Daniel looked up from his laptop to find Mike awake and frowning down at the IV tubes running out of his hand. “’Bout time you woke up.” But he couldn’t stop the grin as he stood and moved to Mike’s side. He poured fresh water into a cup and added a straw. Holding it out to his friend, he said, “Drink.”

  “Take out the damn straw, and I will.”

  He wasn’t sure if all people were this stubborn after being unconscious for two days or if it was just Mike, but the attitude made him laugh. “Fine.” He took out the offending tube of plastic and put the cup in Mike’s left hand.

  He’d been shot in the right upper chest, so that arm was in a sling and taped to his chest to keep it still. His hand was shaky, but he drained the cup and held it out for more. After a second full cup of water, Mike settled back and looked around.

  The room was filled with flowers, balloons, and get-well cards from the guys in Homicide, the ladies in dispatch, and even a bouquet from the Mayor. The room smelled like a florist shop, but it was bright and cheerful.

  If Daniel ever got shot again, he hoped he was treated with such love and respect.

  “Shelby?”

  “She and Rebecca are fine. Doctors checked her out, and she was banged up pretty good, but no broken ribs or nose.”

  Mike nodded and squeezed the cup in his hand.

  What he was thinking, Daniel couldn’t guess but he could see relief on his face.

  “What about the guys?”

  “Casey and I took care of the scene. All the evidence shows four people. Larry Charleston, Shelby, you, and I.”

  “What’s the story?” he asked.

  Daniel was happy to fill him in. “With the help of Lance and I, you played a very educated hunch and we went and checked it out. We didn’t call for back-up, because we went together and didn’t think we’d actually find anything. When we got there, we found Shelby in a life-or-death situation that didn’t allow us to wait, or call in patrol.”

  “And Casey agreed to cover up the fact that neither of us fired our weapons, but the suspect is dead?”

  Daniel shrugged. “She was a hard sell, but she wasn’t willing to help take you down either, especially since she wanted that asshole dead as much as we did. Besides, he was killed with his own gun.” He could feel his ears get hot, but he admitted, “The report states that after you were shot, I wrestled with the suspect and during the struggle, he was shot and killed.”

  Mike grinned. “Good for you. Glad you took the credit. You deserve it for everything you’ve done in this investigation.”

  The praise made him feel good. He looked up to Mike and wanted to model his career after him. He was one of the most successful homicide detectives that Phoenix Police had ever had. It was uncanny how he solved some of the hardest crimes.

  “So how bad is my injury?”

  “Not as bad as it could be. Doctor said it was a good thing you had on your vest and that your pectoral muscles are so dense. They stopped the bullet from going through to your back and ripping its way out. You lost a lot of blood, that’s why you’ve been out so long.”

  “Thank God for weight day,” Mike said.

  “Now that you’re awake, Internal Affairs will want to interview you about the scene and what happened. After you eat something, we’ll go over my report together.”

  “Sounds good.”

  “I’ll call Zach and let him know you’re finally with us again. He’s been calling every two hours, and the hospital staff threatened to put him on the trespass log if he didn’t comply with visiting hours.”

  The statement got a pained chuckle out of Mike. “I’d like to see them try.”

  And it was true. Daniel, Jesse, and Damon had to physically escort Zach from the building once Mike was out of surgery. They might not have succeeded if Elizabeth hadn’t been there.

  Daniel envied Mike. His friends were a special breed, and they stood by each other, no matter what. Zach had even gone as far as shaking Daniel’s hand when they’d last met. He considered that a major achievement. “Shelby’s been here as well, but they wouldn’t let her in either, since she’s not family—”

  “How is she?” Mike said. “Besides her injuries, I mean?”

  “She’s been here, hoping to see you for two days, even with all her bruises. She looks terrible and great all at the same time. Tough, talented, and gorgeous. You’re a lucky man.”

  The monitors beeped and a
nurse came rushing in. “What is going on in here?” she asked, glaring at Daniel.

  Then she saw that Mike was awake, and her stern frown turned into a smile. “You’re awake. Let me get the doctor.” She bustled back out.

  Daniel had no choice but to move out of the way when several other nurses came rushing in, taking his temperature, checking his pulse and looking at the IV bag.

  “We need you to step out of the room, sir.”

  “Hey, this isn’t fair,” he said over his shoulder.

  The nurse pointed toward the door. “Out.”

  Daniel obeyed, but he’d seen the look on Mike’s face when he asked about Shelby Lynn. That man was totally and completely in love with her. Daniel shook his head, wishing he had someone like that. After pulling out his phone, he called the one person he never would have thought would become a friend. When the gruff voice answered, Daniel said, “He’s awake.”

  “Finally,” Zach said. “I was starting to worry.”

  “Oh, you were just now starting to worry?”

  “I’ll call Shelby and let her know.”

  “Thanks, it saves me a call. I’ll do what I can to get her in to see him. That prick administrator will have to get over the fact his staff all wants her autograph.”

  “Just make sure they take care of Mike, or I’ll come down there again.”

  “He’ll be fine.”

  “Well, he’s a Marine.”

  “Damn right.”

  Chapter 20

  The concert of the year had been pushed back two weeks in order to let Shelby’s bruised ribs heal, and for her face to look normal again.

  Mike had been told she’d looked like a prize fighter until the bruising faded. They’d barely let him out of the hospital earlier that day. If they hadn’t, he was having the guys break him out.

  What he wanted was to be alone with her, not surrounded by thousands of screaming fans. He had to know if she was serious about quitting all this. And if he learned she wasn’t, then he had to come up with another plan because losing her a second time wasn’t an option.

  “A packed house again,” Zach said over the loud murmur of the crowd.

  “The arena is always packed when she does concerts,” Mike replied. “Daniel said she’s leaving tomorrow. Back to Nashville.”

  Zach nodded. “For the funeral.”

  “They took longer than I thought to find Abby’s body.”

  “That’s because the city has more train stations, and they don’t have a lot of detectives to spare on a cold case. They found her in a week. That’s fast.”

  “Casey flew out to consult. She’ll make the comparisons and close this case.”

  Then he fell silent. Casey wanted to make sure all the threads of this case were found and accounted for. He was proud of her and Daniel. They’d done an outstanding job, and he’d submitted both their names for commendations.

  Mike chanced a look around and wished he hadn’t. Elizabeth, Lily, and Dani glared at him from the row behind him. They were worried about him, but he couldn’t take another day without seeing Shelby. His heart monitor jumped and beeped every time he’d tried to call her, and the nurses had gone militant on him and taken away his cell phone. He was to be on total rest while he recovered. The mandate was bullshit, but everyone had taken the doctor’s orders to heart, even Shelby.

  Thank God for the kids. Xavier and the twins were too excited to sit still, so they stood, twisting and turning to look at everything. They asked questions and talked non-stop. Mike was glad he was sitting with them. It was safer to avoid the wives. Zach was behind him, leaning forward and talking with him. Damon and Jesse were there as well, laughing and having a great time now that the danger had passed.

  When the lights dimmed, the crowd went wild. She didn’t have an opening act. Shelby wanted to do this on her own. He was damned proud of her. He couldn’t imagine another performer going on with the show after everything she’d been through.

  For two hours, Mike sat there, mesmerized and haunted by the woman on stage. Every time she changed clothes or played with the audience, she dazzled him a little more. Her voice, her songs, and her stage presence held several thousand fans in awe.

  Then she walked off stage for the last time, and the crowd was on its feet. Yelling and begging for more. Always more. That was his cue.

  He got to his feet and stepped out into the aisle. The microphone put into his hand was courtesy of Zach. How he’d talked the sound guys into giving him one, Mike could only guess.

  “Shelby Lynn,” he said. Then he repeated her name.

  And the crowd went silent in confusion.

  “I need a word with you.” He stood in the aisle, not yet ready to be in the spotlight. This was her arena, and he wasn’t comfortable with the venue, but he was determined. It had to be in this place.

  And then her voice lit up the night again. “Mike?”

  “I need to tell you something, Shelby Lynn.”

  She came back out onto the stage, gazing into the audience.

  The crowd wasn’t sure what to do. A smattering of applause started and stopped, and everyone looked around, trying to figure out where he was.

  Shelby was out of her stage dress and stood there simply in an oversized t-shirt and blue jeans. And she was looking right at him.

  A halo of bright light surrounded him from the spotlight that finally zoomed in on his position.

  “What the hell are you doing out of the hospital?” she asked, one hand on her hip.

  “They wouldn’t let you in to see me.” And that was the truth of the matter. He needed to see her, to touch her, to love her—for the rest of his life. What he needed to know now was if she was ready for that.

  “Well, you got me back out here.” Her voice softened. “What’s your question?”

  “Do you love me?”

  “I wrote a song about us, Mike. The one you heard at the cabin. That was for you.”

  He looked up at her. Just her. No band, no back-up singers. Just Shelby. Standing up on stage talking to him as if thousands of people weren’t listening.

  “I’ve written all my love songs about this man,” she said to the audience with a wave of her arm. “You see, I’ve loved him since I was a teenager, but I broke his heart when I left him to follow my dream.”

  The women in the crowd all sighed at once.

  Mike couldn’t move, because he was caught up in her too. In her story, in the intimate way she drew everyone in on her secret.

  Then she looked at him. “The question I have is, do you still love me?”

  Mike was ready and so were his friends, because he’d planned this with them. He might land flat on his ass, but he didn’t care. He took three big strides and stepped into the stirruped hands of his best friends. They catapulted him upward to the stage, grinning and laughing as they did it. And even with one arm strapped to his body, he reached it.

  The audience gasped and started clapping.

  Mike didn’t waste any time in triumph, he went to his woman. He had one useful arm and he put it to work, pulling her into him and kissing her with all the love inside of him. When he could pull away, he said, “I’ve loved you almost my entire life. No sense stopping now.”

  Tears gathered in Shelby’s eyes as he got down on one knee in front of God and several thousand strangers. After pulling the velvet box out of his sling, he handed it to her. “Marry me,” he said. “Let me love you for the rest of our lives.”

  ***

  Shelby stood there in awe of the man in front of her. Battered and bruised, he’d come for her. She’d been prepared to fight for him, but he was here and fighting just as hard for her. How could she not love him?

  The crowd was going wild, but she’d tuned it out.

  “Say yes,” he said in a raspy voice.

  The crowd had fallen silent.

  She had no doubt their images were up on the big screen for the whole audience to see. “Do you have to do everything in front of a cro
wd?” she teased.

  “Say yes, damn it,” he growled.

  His face was a mask but she could see the love shining out of his eyes. She reached down to cup his face with her hands, and he leaned into her touch. She turned and lifted the microphone to her lips. “I gave myself to all of you,” she said to her fans, “but now it’s time to stop and take something for myself. This is my last concert, and I hope it was my best because I love you all. You’ve given me an amazing life and for that, I can never thank you enough. I love this man more, and I want to be everything to him now.”

  Clapping and wolf whistles filled the auditorium.

  “I never asked you to walk away from your music,” he said. “From being a star.”

  “And I would never ask you to stop risking your life as a police officer. This is my choice, and I want this.”

  “Are you sure? Because I won’t let you go again. I can’t,” he whispered.

  “Say yes.” Rebecca’s sweet voice blared out over the loud speakers. She stood on stage with Madge who had tears streaming down her face. “I want to live with Cinnamon.”

  Shelby could feel her face heat as she turned back to see Mike’s face. “I might have told her that we’d live with you.”

  “Pretty confident, huh?”

  She shook her head. “Hopeful.”

  “Marry me, Shelby,” he said.

  “Yes.”

  The crowd went berserk, cheering and screaming. But that all faded as Mike kissed her again, taking his time and not caring in the least that everyone was watching.

  “I love you,” she said.

  “I know.”

  Shelby opened the velvet box and sucked in a breath. The ring was simple, yet stunning, just like the man who’d given it to her. “This is beautiful,” she whispered.

  “Put it on, Shel.”

  He looked down at his sling as if he wanted to rip it off and put the ring on himself, and knowing Mike, he did. But there was no way she was going to stand by and watch that, so she plucked the ring out of the velvet and slid it on.

  “Now show the damn audience that you’re mine.”