Guardian Ranger (Shadow Agents 2)

Veronica glanced to the right. Jimmy stood, with his shoulders hunched and his chin down. The star on his chest gleamed dully. Jimmy wasn’t speaking. He looked so dazed that she wasn’t even sure he was hearing much of the conversation.

Jimmy’s best friend had tried to kill him, had set him up for murder. The guy just didn’t seem to have anyone he could rely on.

Veronica edged closer to Jimmy. When her fingers brushed against his arm, he flinched. His head snapped up, and he stared straight at her. “I didn’t run you off the road, Ms. Veronica. That wasn’t me!”

She nodded. “I know, Jimmy.”

“I realized it was Wyatt. He brought my car in...had his gun... I asked him...asked if he’d hurt anyone...”

All eyes were on her and Jimmy.

“He said...he said he’d try again for you. That I could...could help him...” Jimmy shook his head. “That’s not what I do. I don’t hurt people, especially not good folks like you....”

She blinked away the tears that wanted to fill her eyes. Jimmy had always been so good, to everyone. “I know you don’t do that, Jimmy.”

His lips trembled. “You...you shouldn’t have run to the car and tried to get me out. You should have left me.”

Now Veronica was the one to shake her head. “That’s not what I do,” she said, giving him the same words back. “Especially not to good folks like you.”

Some of the darkness seemed to leave Jimmy’s eyes. He offered her a faint smile.

We’re going to be okay, Jimmy. They’d both made it through the nightmare. They’d survived.

She felt a light touch on her shoulder. She turned and found Jasper staring at her with his stark gaze. “You knew that Wyatt was going to take a shot at either me or Cale, didn’t you?”

A frown pulled down her brows. “I knew he was going to shoot you both. First you, then Cale.”

Jasper searched her eyes. “How’d you know who he’d go for first? Did he tell—”

“He knew that Cale loved me, so he trusted that my brother would never shoot, not when he thought I might be hurt.” She was her brother’s weakness. One that Wyatt had used. “And as for you...”

“He thought I didn’t love you?” Jasper’s words were flat.

She wasn’t sure what to make of that sudden lack of emotion. Clearing her throat, Veronica said, “He wasn’t sure if you’d hesitate as long. I wasn’t sure so—”

His hands tightened on her. “Let me make you sure. I would never do anything to hurt you. For the rest of my life, I swear, I’ll always protect you.”

“And I’ll always protect you,” she told him quietly. “Why do you think I ran toward you?” To cover him, while her brother took the shot.

“You ran to me.” He exhaled slowly. ?

?Because you love me.”

“Hell,” Cale muttered. “This is it...my sister’s about to—”

“And you love me,” Veronica told him, lifting her chin and staring at him with all of the certainty she felt. “I didn’t doubt that. Wyatt did. His mistake.” A mistake that had cost the man his life.

Jasper pulled her closer against him. He acted as if no one else were in the room with them. Maybe to him, there wasn’t anyone. She’d never had a man focus so completely on her that way before.

As if she were every dream that he’d ever had.

“I love you more than life,” Jasper told her. His voice wasn’t so flat anymore. Emotion rumbled in his words. “Hell, you are my life, Veronica. I might have screwed things up at the beginning, but from here on out, I’ll be the man you need me to be. A man you can want—”

She rose onto her toes and kissed him. The silence around them was thick enough to slice. “You are the man I want.” She smiled at him.

“He’s gonna be in the family,” Cale growled, sounding lost. “The EOD agent who hunted me down is gonna be in my family.”

“Yes,” Jasper said, and he smiled, too, a big, bright, happy smile that took Veronica’s breath away. “I sure will be, brother.” But then Jasper glanced over at Cale. “Only I won’t be an EOD agent for much longer.”