He returned with his bag in hand. Rowan noted the slight tightening of his features as he maneuvered the bag through the doorway. Knowing Brent, he wouldn’t take anything to dull the pain while she and Alexa were in danger. Maybe he’d be willing to take over-the-counter medication.
He brushed a kiss over Rowan’s mouth. “I need to secure my bag in case someone becomes curious about the contents.” With that, he left the room, ruffling Alexa’s hair as he went.
“I like him,” her niece whispered.
“Me, too.” She more than liked him. Rowan was crazy in love with Brent Maddox. Now if he was in love with her, life would be sweet.
When he returned, Brent held out his hand to Alexa. “Are you hungry, sugar?”
“For ice cream.”
He laughed. “I have pizza in the freezer. Sound good?”
“Yes! I love pizza!”
“Okay with you, baby?”
“Sounds great.” As long as she didn’t have to cook, she wouldn’t complain.
After dinner, Brent showed Rowan and Alexa the room his nieces and nephews slept in, one filled with the toys. Alexa’s eyes lit. “Can I play, Aunt Ro?”
Rowan glanced at her watch. “Kind of late, Lex. It’s almost midnight.”
She immediately turned her gaze to Brent. “Can I, Brent?”
“Lex.” Oh, boy. Alexa had turned on the charm, flashing those ocean-blue eyes at the SEAL. What would he say?
“Hey, kiddo.” Brent knelt in front of Alexa. “The toys will be here tomorrow. Maybe we can compromise. Rowan, what do you think about allowing Alexa to play for thirty minutes, then go to sleep?”
She pretended to think about it for a few seconds. “All right. Thirty minutes, Lex.”
When she tucked Alexa in bed for the night, her niece grabbed her hand. “Where’s Mommy?”
Rowan froze, gut churning. Brent’s hand squeezed her shoulder in silent support. She talked with Alexa and held her niece through the emotional storm, Brent’s strong arms around them both.
When Alexa finally slept, Brent led Rowan down the hall. Before they reached the living room, he stopped, pressed her back against the wall, and moved within an inch. “Brent?”
“I know the timing is lousy, but tell me again. Please.”
She blinked. “Tell you what?”
“You know what. Say the words again, Rowan. I need to hear you say them.”
Her lips curved with tenderness and amusement as her focus shifted from her niece to the man who meant everything to her. “I love you, Brent Maddox.”
“Thank God,” he muttered before his mouth captured hers. He spent long minutes expressing the depth of his feelings. Long, drugging kisses left her mind fuzzy and her heart racing. Even though he hadn’t said the words, Rowan couldn’t miss how he felt about her.
He lifted his head, lips swollen, and gazed deep into her eyes. “I love you, Rowan Scott,” he murmured. “When Phillips had you, then took you to Mexico, I was afraid I might not have the chance to tell you my heart is yours. I don’t want to live without you.”
“And Alexa?” she asked softly.
He laughed. “Are you kidding? She captured my heart the minute she held up her arms for me to carry her. I’m not letting either of you go.” Brent cupped her cheek. “I’m not in a hurry, my love. I know Alexa will need time to become used to me. I’ll wait until both of you are ready. We have the rest of our lives.”
How had she been blessed enough to have Brent in her life? “Shouldn’t take long. Alexa likes you.”
“Then we’re a matched set because I like her, too. Come on. Time for you to rest as well.”
“What about you?”
“You know the answer to that.”
“Your operatives aren’t on watch?”
He smiled.
Of course. A man of secrets. She suspected Fortress surrounded the house, keeping watch over the three of them. Minutes later, Rowan slipped into bed. Seemed as though minutes went by when she heard Brent call her name from the doorway. She sat up. “What’s wrong?”
“Perimeter alarm went off. We have company.”
“Again?”
“Sorry, baby. I want you and Alexa in the safe room.”
Thankful she chose to sleep in her workout gear, Rowan jammed her feet into tennis shoes, then ran with Brent to Alexa. She pushed past him and shook her niece’s shoulder. “Lex, wake up.”
“It’s still dark,” the girl complained.
“Shh. We need to play hide and seek again, Lex,” Rowan whispered.
Brent scooped the girl into his arms. “Come on, sugar.” He handed her the stuffed rabbit and dog she’d been sleeping with. “I have a special room for you and your aunt to stay in while I check the house.”
“The bad guys won’t find us?”
“If they find the room, they won’t get inside. I won’t let anything happen to you or your aunt, Alexa. I promise.”
“And you don’t break promises.”
“That’s right, sugar.” He moved into the hallway.
“How did Garcia’s men find us so fast?” Rowan asked.
“I don’t think the cartel is to blame this time.”
A deep voice coming from the end of the hall stopped Brent and Rowan in their tracks. “You’re correct, Maddox. It’s not a cartel soldier pointing a gun at your woman.”
CHAPTER FORTY
Brent’s blood ran cold, his focus wholly on the disgraced operative standing in the shadows. “Carstairs. The police are looking for you. Not a smart move to slip custody. They dislike it when people leave before they’re released.”
A snort. “They’ll never find me.”
Brent turned to the side, making Alexa a smaller target. He pressed a button on his watch, then handed the girl to Rowan. He moved to stand in front of them, shielding them from Carstairs’ view. “What do you want?”
“You, dead.”
Alexa started crying.
Ticked Brent off that she was being subjected to more trauma, this time in the place he’d hoped to make her sanctuary. If she couldn’t handle living in this house once he married Rowan, Brent would find another place where his girls felt safe.
His jaw clenched. If Rowan agreed to marry him after this latest incident. Something else to hold against the rogue
