Remington (The Theriot Family 1)

Lance cut me free from the tape that bound my wrists and ankles. I cradled my left arm against my abdomen, trying to breathe through the pain.

“We need to get him out of here, Remy,” Lance said. “He needs a doctor.”

Remington cupped my face. “Henri, I love you. I’m so sorry about… everything.”

I looked up at him then and tried to free myself from the daze I’d been in. He’d just charged in to save me. He hadn’t cared that the man who was hurting me was armed. He hadn’t cared about anything but—“I love you too.” My voice was rough and weak, but his smile told me he understood.

“Oh, cher, I love you more than anything. I was wrong, so stupid and… wrong and…”

There were tears in his eyes, and I was certain Remington rarely, if ever, cried.

“Come on. Show me where you’re hurt other than your arm.”

“I… um… I may have a cracked rib.” When I pointed to my chest, Remington saw the burn marks. He turned my arm over slowly and examined it, then he kicked the man who’d tortured me so viciously. His body slammed against the wall.

I frowned. “Isn’t he already dead?”

Lance smiled at me. “It never hurts to make sure.”

Remington picked me up and held me against him, careful not to jostle my arm. “Lance, you drive. I’ll send someone back for my car.”

Lance frowned. “I’m not sure your car will still be here when we come back. If it’s even still here now.”

“I don’t give a fuck about the car. All I care about is getting Henri out of here and having his injuries seen to.”

I stared at him. “Did you drive the Ferrari?”

“Yes, but it doesn’t matter.”

He’d referred to the car as his baby, and now… I laid my head on his shoulder and sighed. “I don’t want to go to the hospital. I just want to stay with you.”

“I have no intention of leaving you even for a minute,” Remington said. “There would be too many questions if we went to the hospital. We have a doctor on retainer who will come to my house.”

Lance patted his brother’s shoulder. “I’ve already contacted him.”

Remington held me in the back seat as Lance drove. They both wanted to know exactly what had happened, so I explained about the men grabbing me. A sudden memory had me trying to sit up. “They shot someone. There was a man. I think he was trying to help me, and they shot him.”

Remington glanced away and let out a long breath.

“What is it? Did you find him? Did he die?”

“He’s fine. I… I had him following you. I needed to know you were safe, but I told him not to let you see him, which meant he wasn’t close enough. I’m so sorry.”

“Are you sorry you had me followed or that your man didn’t get to me in time?”

“I’m sure you’d like me to say both, but only the second one.”

I smiled at him. I probably should be mad, but right then, I couldn’t make myself care.

“I do love you,” Remington said, kissing me lightly on the lips. “I tried to tell you the night before you left, and I was going to tell you when I found you getting ready to leave.”

“You mean that wasn’t a dream? You really did say that when I was falling asleep?”

“Yes.”

My stomach flip-flopped as I realized what I’d done. “You mean all this… That if I’d just listened to you… If I’d just stayed…”

He shook his head no. “None of this is your fault. None. Of. It. I should’ve made sure you were better protected, and I should have listened to you about fucking Charles Landry.”

“So that really was him?”

“Yes,” Lance said. “He apparently faked his death because he was working with the gunrunners. They were planning to screw Clark over even as Clark bought into our plan to screw them. Charles was power hungry and didn’t think his brother was a strong enough leader, which was true, but still…”

“Wow, that’s…”

“Yes, but it’s over now. They’re both gone.”

“What happened after they took you?” Lancelot asked.

“They threw me in the trunk of their car and brought me to the building where you found me. The one who was in the cell with me, he… he’s the one who hurt me. He kept asking me questions about you and your family. When I wouldn’t tell him your secrets… Well, you see what he did.”

The color drained from Remington’s face. “You didn’t say anything?”

“No. Nothing. I was mad at you, but I’d never…”

“Most people would have spilled everything they knew if they were tortured like that. I underestimated you, and I… Fuck, I’m so sorry.”

“Just so you know,” Lance said, “I don’t think my brother has apologized this much in his entire life.”

“Lancelot Theriot, if you say anything about what you just heard, you’ll regret it.”