Risky Love (Dirty Hacker 2)

The motorcycle roared beneath Rowan as he tore up the streets, weaving in and out of Manhattan traffic. He’d given Alex the helmet, and she clung to him, only releasing him when he parked the bike outside the hospital. He waited for her to get off then put out the kickstand and cut the ignition. Rowan heard Alex drop the helmet next to the bike before she followed him as he ran to Mia.

It came as no surprise when he found his good friend and FBI agent, Wes Fanning, a lanky, tall man with dark brown hair and dark eyes waiting for him. Wes, a man that Rowan served with in the military, held his hand up. “Just breathe, Rowan. Let me tell you what’s happened.”

Rowan’s heartbeat thundered in his ears. “Is Mia okay?”

Wes nodded. “She’s just with the doctor now.”

A smidgen of the tension released from Rowan, causing his hands to tremble with the adrenaline coursing through his veins. “Where did you find her?”

Wes glanced at Alex, obviously considering how much he wanted her to know. Rowan pulled her in tighter, and Alex’s heart tripped at his bold statement. Wes finally nodded at Rowan and then explained, “A couple was driving down the road not far from where the last victim was found and saw Mia stumbling around.” The last victim had been left like a disturbing piece of art in a farmer’s field miles away from Manhattan.

Alex gripped Rowan’s forearm, either to comfort him or due to her own shock, but it didn’t matter why, he appreciated her closeness. She’d been a big reason he’d been holding it together. She was a constant sense of strength, never letting him give up in the weak moments he thought he’d never see Mia again. “Did she escape?” she asked Wes.

“No, the bastard drugged her before he let her go,” Wes reported. “I’m guessing so she couldn’t lead us back to him.” A pause. “The hospital wanted to call your parents since they’re Mia’s emergency contact, but I asked them to hold off until you got here.”

“Thank you,” Rowan said. He’d been protecting his parents from Mia’s disappearance, knowing he’d find her. They deserved to know, but he wanted Mia to decide how she wanted to tell them, on her terms. Rowan forced the images of what Mia had went through from his mind, but he felt his control slipping. “What room is she in?” he asked, needing desperately to see Mia for himself.

“You can’t see her yet,” Wes said. But his friend’s gaze flicked to the right, telling Rowan exactly where they were keeping Mia.

Rowan would thank Wes later for breaking protocol. Wes never made a move to stop Rowan as he stormed into the room, having no idea what he’d find. Long days and nights, fighting to find Mia, and there she was, lying in the bed, all soft, blond hair and blue eyes, just like their mother. Only she had bruises covering her face, her arms, every visible inch of bare skin.

Rowan had known rage, but he never knew this level of rage. Lewis was a dead man. Rowan didn’t know how or when he’d get the chance to kill him, but that death—Lewis’s blood would drain at Rowan’s hand.

Mia’s eyes widened. “Rowan?” she said softly.

“You shouldn’t be in here,” the doctor began.

Rowan shoved the doctor aside, his eyes only for his broken sister. “Jesus. Mia.” He went to her side immediately, taking her into his arms. He heard her breath hitch and then felt her hard sobs before those filled the air too. She clung to him, and he did not let go, not for anything or anyone.

He vaguely heard the doctor mutter, “I must insist you give Ms. Hawke time to rest.”

“He’s her brother,” Alex said firmly. “Give them time.”

Rowan didn’t know what happened after that, but he sensed the room grow quiet. He held Mia tight as she wept, crying because she was finally safe as well as grieving for what happened to her. “I’m here,” he said, his gaze falling onto Alex at the end of the bed. “And so is my friend Alex. We’re not going to let anything happen to you.” Alex watched with a mix of relief and sadness, which he understood. She had lost her sister, Lena, who overdosed and died when Alex was just a teenager. She had tried to find Lena when she’d gone missing and failed. Rowan knew that’s why Alex was the best hacker out there now. All to ensure no other families felt what she did. “Thank you,” Rowan mouthed to her. For never stopping. For holding me up. For keeping me strong until this very moment.

A tear slipped down Alex’s cheek as she gave a soft smile.

No matter that the killer had let Mia go, Alex had been there by Rowan’s side every step of the way. He would never forget that. He would never forget how she impacted his life those five years ago in Paris, and the impact she was still creating now. She made him feel alive.

Mia began to stir in his arms, and when she looked at him again, even beneath the dark circles and the pain visible there, he saw the strength in her. A strength Lewis could never break. “Mom and Dad?” she asked.

“They don’t know,” Rowan explained. “Wes asked the hospital to wait to contact them until I saw you. I didn’t know if…I wanted it to be your choice, I—”

“Did the right thing,” Mia interjected softly. “I need…” Her voice blistered as she clung to Rowan’s black T-shirt. “I don’t know what I need, but it’s not them hovering right now.”

Rowan couldn’t let Mia go, afraid if he did, she’d vanish again. “Tell me what I can do for you.”

Mia’s breath hitched into a shudder. “Just…just stay.”

Rowan did one better. He climbed on the bed next to her, took her into his arms, and she settled her head against his chest. She felt thinner, and Rowan didn’t let his mind wander to the reasons why. He hadn’t yet thought about what Mia had likely went through, but as she lay against him, he took note of the rope burn on her wrist, the bruises near them. He studied those marks. Every indent. Every discoloration of her skin. He’d allow those images to fill his mind when he had his gun cocked at the man who brutalized her. Once he had 100 percent confirmation it was Lewis, the man would pay for everything he’d done to Mia.

When Mia’s soft elongated breaths filled the silence, he glanced down, finding her asleep. Rowan looked at the door again, discovering Alex still watching them closely. How long had she been there waiting? Still by his side. He gestured to the chair next to the bed. “Come sit.”

She quietly came over and took a seat. “It’s good you’re here. I suspect she needs this.”

Rowan nodded, not even sure what to do next. Christ, his whole focus had been to get Mia home, but this was not the Mia he had lunch with before she went missing. He had to do everything right for her. But what those steps were seemed hidden behind his rage and absolute relief Mia was safe. “This was a turn I was not expecting. Why would he release her?”

Alex shrugged. “Lewis must have felt the noose tightening.”