Trev McNamara had been praised for having the strongest arm in his class, the most accurate arm in a decade. He could throw a football through a ring at forty yards, never once touching the target. He’d been forced to hold back, or his receivers complained that he threw too hard.
His arm had caused him nothing but heartache.
And every second of that heartache had led him here, to this place where he had only one way to save his love, his friend, and his sister. Every moment of his life, each lesson he’d learned, had brought him here. In a single second, the ache he felt morphed into something different. Strength. He had survived. He had fought. And he would win.
Trev McNamara picked up the rock. It filled his palm, the weight reassuring. It would do the job. Fifty yards. It was only fifty yards. He’d thrown for far longer than that and with far less on the line.
He took a deep breath, the air filling his lungs. He dropped back as though coming out of the pocket. It was a habit from years of playing. His vision focused, the world narrowing to a pinpoint—an inch of skin right in front of the man’s ear. His target.
He brought his arm back and let the rock fly.
One last Hail Mary.
And Trev took off. If he failed, he would go down with them. His eye tracked the rock as it flew through the air, and his heart soared. He knew his aim was true. His throw had been quick, accurate, and deadly.
The man with the gun didn’t stand a chance. There was a sickening thud that split the air, the sound of rock hitting soft, vulnerable flesh.
Trev saw the rock connect, nearly burying itself in the man’s head before bouncing back and falling to the ground.
“Trev!” He heard Beth’s scream as she dropped the package she carried. Her eyes were wide with horror.
The gun at Bo’s head hit the ground a single second before his captor. The man in the suit fell to the ground, his body crumpling at an odd angle. Beth kicked the gun away. Her arms went around Bo, checking him for injuries. She kissed Bo and then got back up.
Beth ran for him and launched herself into his arms. He caught her, happy to hold her, to know that she was alive.
“Trev. I thought we were going to die. Oh, god, I thought I wouldn’t see you again. And Bo. He was going to kill Bo. Shelley is okay. She’s inside the house. He knocked her out. Oh, it was so horrible.” She sobbed against his chest.
He wrapped his arms around her. She’d been stoic before, but now her softness broke through. His brave Beth. How had anyone ever called her a mouse? It seemed to Trev that Beth had held it together in the face of terrible danger. She’d managed to stay calm and keep Bo and Shelley alive. He would never be able to pay her back for that. But he would try. Damn, but he would cherish her every day.
“I love you.” He couldn’t hold it back. The words flowed freely now. They were nothing but the truth. “I love you so much, Beth.”
He was going to marry her. The present wasn’t enough. He wanted a future with her and Bo.
“I love you, too.”
Bo’s voice broke through the emotion. “Uh, I would love everyone if one of you would mind getting me out of this zip tie and away from the dead dude. He’s not breathing. You were like David and Goliath.”
No. He hadn’t needed a sling. Just fifteen years of training.
He helped his partner up. He stared at Bo. He needed to make a few things clear. “Don’t get used to this place. I know it’s your home, but I have to leave in a year’s time. I’m buying into a cattle ranch. Our ranch. We’re moving. You and me and Beth.”
Bo’s face flushed. He nodded, too choked up for words.
Beth wrapped an arm around them both, her soft body a conduit for them.
Trev completed the circle, wrapping his arms around them, hugging them tightly.
In the distance, he heard the sirens, but they no longer mattered. He was safe.
Chapter Twenty-One
One year later
“Well, you wanted it to be a family home again.” Trev smiled down at Beth who was looking up at her handiwork one last time.
The old Bellows place shone in the early morning light. It was a jewel of a house. Every room had been lovingly refurbished into a place any family would be proud of.
But it wasn’t his home.
Lexi O’Malley stepped out of the truck and reached behind the seat to lift her infant son from his car seat. She held the tiny boy in her arms, Lucas and Aidan at her side as they stared at the house they would raise their family in.
“Beth, it’s so beautiful. I can’t tell you how much I love it.” Lexi cooed down at her boy. “This is your home, Jack. You’re going to love it here. And your aunt and uncle will be here this weekend, though they’re really more like cousins.”
Bo stepped out of the house, the last box in his hand. “I thought we’d carry the coffeemaker with us. Those hotel room coffeemakers can’t keep up with Mr. Caffeine.”
Beth’s arm snaked around his waist. “He loves his coffee.”
Not as much as he loved her. And Bo. Damn, but he loved his friend. Weeks and months of working beside him had solidified their friendship. He couldn’t imagine his life without either of them now.
And they were following him to Colorado.
Aidan held out a hand as Lucas led Lexi up the steps. “Thank you. For everything.”
Aidan’s genuine admiration had done wonders for his ego. “Anytime, brother.”
“I hear your sister is on her way to The Club.”
Trev had to smile. His sister had spent the last year recovering from her injury, her marriage, from life itself. She’d closed up her business, uncertain of just how many clients her husband had managed to blackmail. She’d had to deal with FBI agents and DEA agents, but she’d done it all with grace and dignity. After she’d dealt with the fallout of Bryce’s death, she’d gone into her shell, but it seemed to Trev that she was starting to come out of it. She’d announced a few weeks back that she needed a fresh start, and she wanted to explore D/s. Trev had called Julian, and Julian had offered to take her in and find a Dom to train her.
Leo Meyer was in for a surprise.
“She’ll probably cause a ruckus.” It was one of the things she was awfully good at. He was going to miss his sister, but he knew she would be in good hands.
Aidan grinned. “I might have to go and see that. Y’all call us from the road. Let us know you’re okay. I need to get in there or Lexi will have moved all the furniture herself.”
Beth stood by the truck, her hair shining in the light, a soft, confident smile on her face. And a ring on her finger. Two in fact. Bethany Hobbes was now Bethany McNamara-O’Malley.
“Are you ready?” Bo wrapped an arm around her waist and kissed her. “I bet you’ll have a whole new house to work on.”
Her eyes gleamed at the thought. “I hope this James Glen doesn’t mind a little home improvement. I’m looking forward to it. And seeing Colorado. It seems like a big adventure.”
Suddenly every damn day seemed like an adventure. They got in the truck, and Trev turned the engine on. He pulled up the drive, the road ahead of him. His heart nearly skipped a beat. He’d never imagined that he would make this trip with people he loved.
“I don’t know about that town,” Bo said, bringing him back to reality. “Who names a town Bliss?”
“I think we’ll fit in,” Trev said with confidence. And if they didn’t, they would be okay. They were a world in and of themselves, an island of peace he’d found. He didn’t need Bliss. He’d already found it.
He turned the truck west, toward Bliss and their future.