Authors: Becky McGraw
“The medics said not to move her,” the man beside him informed. “They said she’d be fine until they could get back because the bleeding is light, her contractions aren’t regular yet and her vitals are stable. But I doubt they’ll be back soon with the traffic backup from that accident.”
“Why didn’t they transport her with the other woman then?” It didn’t make sense.
“Priority…they took the other woman first because she was having a heart attack and was bleeding from the bullet trench in her forehead. The medic in the back of the van couldn’t treat both women, he said there wasn’t room.”
Cade wasn’t an expert for sure. His combat field medic training only brushed over labor and delivery, because his instructors probably realized that skill would be as important to him in theatre as a toothpick to a toothless man, but he’d had basic training because he needed that to pass his medic certification.
Even with that minimal training though, he knew enough to realize the growing bright red blood stain on the girl’s dress, her short and shallow breathing, the amount of pain she was obviously in said she probably had placenta abruption, a life threatening condition where her placenta had pulled from the uterine wall. That could be caused by stress, falls and other things.
“Did she fall? How far along is she?” Cade asked, moving to squat beside one of the SWAT guys.
“My Spanish isn’t good, but I think she said she tripped and landed on her side when the gunfire started,” he replied.
Cade looked down and her warm brown eyes pleaded for help. “When is the baby due, senorita?” he asked.
“A month more, senor,” she replied breathlessly. “It’s too early.”
Eight months, thirty-two weeks was in the viable range, and as young as she was it was probably a good thing the baby was coming early, but there could be breathing complications with the premature infant.
“We need to get her to the hospital.” Cade shoved his hands under her right hip to lift her and see exactly how much blood she had lost. Way too much, and it was mostly hidden under her. “Did the medics roll her to check under her body?” he growled, knowing they hadn’t if they didn’t consider her a priority.
With one glance, they would have known she was in trouble if they had and would have shoved her into that medic truck however they could to take her with them. Or they should have if they saw she was bleeding like this.
“I don’t know. They just came out to get us to sit with her because they needed to take the other woman.”
What they’d done was leave her here to die if these two untrained men couldn’t help her. Definitely not the critical thinking they should have practiced. The fear in the SWAT officer’s voice was a living thing, but at least he wasn’t having a meltdown like Cade wanted to have.
He absolutely was not delivering a fucking baby
.
“What’s your name, senorita? Have you had any problems before?” he asked the girl.
“Amelia and nada, no problemos,” she replied. Her face contorted, she gripped her belly and he heard her praying a Hail Mary under her breath. Cade said one too, because between the blood pool and her short and shallow breathing, he knew if the baby wasn’t delivered immediately, both she and the baby could die.
The woman’s eyes suddenly flew open and a horror-filled look claimed her round face, before she let out a long, loud wail that sent a shot of adrenaline through him. One on top of the other, it was time.
“Je
sus
—I’m going to die!” she screamed with tears flowing down her face and her body shook as her stomach went rigid in a contraction.
The blood pool under her grew a few inches, showed beyond her hips on the floor now, and something kicked in inside Cade. He scrambled to kneel at her feet, positioned himself between them and spread her knees wider.
“No, you’re going to be a mother, Amelia—now
breathe
!” he barked back in Spanish, and her eyes flew open and widened. Glancing back at the whimpering women behind him, he shouted, “Get me some towels and a sheet or blanket, something to use for suction...” Cade thought a minute about what he could suggest, because he highly doubted they would have a bulb or needle syringe. “A turkey baster would work!”
He looked at the SWAT guys, and switched back to English. “Either of you have a knife?” In a flash, two very sharp, serrated-edge knives appeared. It reminded him of that scene in
Crocodile Dundee
, his favorite movie. That’s not a knife—
this
is a knife.
“Lighter? I need you to sanitize one of those somehow—find some alcohol or something if you don’t have a flame. Wash it with soap and water at a minimum.”
Which is what he should’ve done to his hands before he started this.
The relief on the men’s faces as they pushed up to their feet and ran away made Cade want to laugh. SWAT guys were the elite forces of the police force so seeing the tough, obviously well-trained and capable men so out of sorts was comical. He couldn’t laugh though, because he was SOF, eliter than the elitest, and he felt like he wanted to vomit at the moment too.
Flinching, he spread the woman’s knees wider then lifted her skirt to take a look.
God, please let it be a baby’s head I see and not a placenta or cord
.
Cade finally breathed again when he saw the very top of a baby’s skull, and no umbilical cord impeding its path into the world. Lowering her dress, Cade unlaced his left boot and removed the string.
“I found alcohol,” the SWAT leader said as he handed Cade his knife handle first.
“Did you bring the bottle? I need to sanitize my hands.” The guy handed him the bottle, and Cade quickly poured it over his hands then took the knife from him. The woman tensed and screamed again, sounding like a wounded mountain lion and Cade’s fingers tightened around the hilt of the knife.
Oh, God—he was going to deliver a baby
.
A folded sheet, a stack of bath towels and thank goodness, a turkey baster, appeared at his side and his insides tensed. This wasn’t just a bad dream. As many tight situations as he’d been in when in the military and the CIA, this topped them all. Cade had never experienced the gut-wrenching fear that he felt at the moment. Fear that he wouldn’t do something right and this woman—or worse—a baby would die.
How in the hell was he going to deliver a baby?
Cade had no freaking idea what he was doing here. How in the hell had he gotten into this mess? He should be in Columbia taking down bad guys, not kneeling between a woman’s legs preparing to deliver a child into the world. A small hand dropped onto his shoulder and squeezed and his insides unclenched.
“Cade, you can do this. Let me know if I can do something to help you,” Cecelia said softly, and his breath came out in a rush.
Nobody could help him, but he was damned glad she was there.
“Just relax between pains, senorita, and breathe,” he said, as he draped the sheet over the woman’s knees, spread them wider then ducked under the sheet.
CHAPTER NINE
Cade blew out a tired breath and lifted a hand to shove it through his hair but looked at it and dropped it back to his side. He was so freaking exhausted but exhilarated at the same time, as he watched the medics who made it back in record time according to them, an hour, which wasn’t so swift in his opinion, load the new mother and baby onto the gurney.
They could’ve at least arrived before he had to cut the cord and tie it with his damned alcohol-soaked shoestring. But at least they came back. That kept him from having to figure out how to get the patients up into his truck with just him and Cecelia there.
As soon as the SWAT guys passed him the knife, they’d hauled ass. Too bad for them, because they missed out on the most amazing thing a man could experience. Cade felt like he’d just atoned for all the lives he’d taken in his military career somehow.
A small hand squeezed his bicep and he looked down at Cecelia who wore an expression he couldn’t decipher, worshipful almost. It was certainly a welcome change to the one he’d been treated to by her since he’d been back in Texas. Wary, distrustful and disgusted.
“You did a great job, Doc,” she said with a grin, and her words tugged at something in his chest. “We’re the last ones here, so we should probably go. It’s getting dark outside, and I definitely don’t want to be in this neighborhood after sundown.”
“Last ones here?” Cade repeated, and just then realized not only had the SWAT guys left, all the women had too, so they were alone in the big dormitory-style room now. “Where’d everyone go?”
“Lou Ellen ordered up a full police escort and charter bus to transport the women to Senator Rooks’ mansion,” Cee Cee replied.
That was pretty stupid, and definitely not what he’d have done if he was involved, but he was a little busy to offer advice, and after his brief glimpse of the legendary Aunt Lou Ellen, Cade realized that was just her style. Loud and boisterous, definitely not covert ops material. But at least they had protection. They may need it from the neighbors.
“Oh, that should go over well in a neighborhood where the homes are called mansions,” Cade replied with a snort.
It sure wouldn’t have gone over well in his old neighborhood at Phil’s mansion. But then his mother would
never
have offered up her home to a group of abused women—especially illegals. Their brown skin may have wiped off on her white carpet. She may have offered to hire them as domestics though. Phil kept her well stocked in undocumented domestic help—cheap labor.
“Did Veronica go with them?” he asked, kicking himself in the ass for not at least telling her to stay put and wait for him.
“Yeah, she was leading the convoy. I think she rode with that FBI guy she knew.”
He blew out a breath and relaxed. A little. Yeah, she was with a specialized cop who knew how to defend her, but it was Cade’s responsibility.
“I need to go to the mansion…” he said, but glanced down at his disgusting clothes. He had a change in his go bag which was stashed in his truck. “If they’re making a grand entrance, the odds are it won’t be a safe house for long.”
They made a grand
exit
from here in broad daylight, so if whoever shot up this shelter was watching, they would’ve followed that procession.
Cecelia lifted her stubborn chin and put a hand on her hip, adopting her ‘I’m not taking any crap’ stance he’d seen her take plenty of times when she got wound up with him.
“No, sir—what you’re
going
to do…” she pointed a finger at him, then the door. “Is take me home where I am cooking you dinner while you have a shower and relax for a few hours. Lou Ellen assured me the police would stay until we get there.”
We?
He’d go to her house and shower, because he definitely needed one and to change, but then he was leaving her there and going to the mansion. He didn’t need her interference, or another head on his watch.
“Uno momento,” Amelia said and the medics stopped in the doorway with the gurney. “What’s your name, senor?” she asked.
Cade opened his mouth and “Domingo,” fell out, before it flapped a couple of times.
“My son shall be called Domingo then,” she said, and her eyes filled. “Maybe he will be half as good a man as you. Thank you for saving us.”
A feeling of exhilaration so intense it made his body feel like it was floating off the floor a few inches overwhelmed him. It took a few hard swallows to push the emotion that came with that feeling down his throat so he could speak.
“De nada, senorita,” Cade replied, swallowing once more. “Take care of Domingo, and give him a good life.”
One that doesn’t include having a prostitute for a mother
.
Even though they were from different circumstances entirely, Cade almost knew what that felt like and it wasn’t something any child should be exposed to or grow up knowing. This woman had a chance to make things different for her son, because of caring women like Ronnie and Senator Allison Rooks. He was going to do everything he could to help too.
The gurney disappeared through the door, and he just stood there trying to get a hold on the emotional shitstorm brewing inside of him. Adrenaline crash had to be the cause, but this was worse than any he’d ever experienced.
“Let’s go,” he growled, walking past Cecelia to the door and opening it.
When they walked through the outer office area, he was glad to see the windows had been boarded, and the floor swept up. At least the shelter would be secure for the night. In the morning he was calling a contractor to repair the damage.
From his missions and bounties he had a helluva lot of cash stashed in his offshore account. Three hundred grand from the government, his latest bounty for taking out their high-value target Tovar, and another hundred from Deep Six Security on top of what he already had in the account, Cade was pretty damned set for the rest of his life.
That was his go fund if things got too hot and he needed to lay low for a while, or if he decided to retire when he was too old or injured to work anymore. But he had a better use for some of it. Helping these women have a place to learn to help themselves could mean he wouldn’t have to go back to Columbia, or some other godforsaken place, to try and stop men like Tovar from abusing them.
He’d have the repairs done so they could reopen without Ronnie having to shell out money for the repairs from their funding. He’d also hang around until things settled down to make sure they were safe. She would be here anyway acting as admin, so he’d just watch out for them all. If the Sovereign Soldiers tried this shit again, their soldiers would be leaving in a pine box. Cade was going to make sure they knew this shelter was well-protected.
“What are you thinking so hard about?” Cecelia asked as she hopped up into the truck when he opened the door for her.
“Nothing you need to worry about, Brat,” he replied gruffly, before he shut the door.
Cee Cee sighed as Cade made his way around the truck to open the door and vault into the seat behind the wheel. The warm and fuzzy feelings which had been with her while he delivered that baby with so much care and compassion, and made her think maybe he wasn’t the cold bastard he appeared to be, now evaporated. She wanted that man back so she decided she wasn’t going to let him shut her down.
“Why did you join the military instead of going to med school?” she asked, and his hand froze on the keys in the ignition. She couldn’t help but wonder what kind of man he’d be today if he’d done that instead of entering the military life that had hardened him…hardened her. “It’s obvious you love medicine, and you’re talented at it.”
After a second he glanced at her but she couldn’t see his expression. “Unlike you, I didn’t have a choice. Phil cut me off, so I decided to find other means to support myself.”
“Killing people?” she accused, totally able to picture the man he was now behind a sniper rifle with his human prey in the crosshairs. That’s what she’d felt like he’d been doing to her for the last two months.
“When it’s necessary and I’m paid enough,” he growled as he twisted the key violently and the engine roared to life.
“The Army doesn’t pay squat so enlisting couldn’t have been about the money,” she pressed, as Cade shoved the truck into gear and popped the clutch. The truck lurched, and Cee Cee grabbed the door handle to hold herself in the seat.
“I learned the skills I needed in the military and I can assure you those sacrifices were worthwhile, because my present career pays
extremely
well,” he said with a dark laugh.
“What exactly do you do now? Are you an assassin? A mercenary? Are you in a cartel or something?” Cee Cee asked, her heart speeding up at the thought. “Your grasp of foreign languages is quite impressive.”
“Cecelia, if I was any of those things, I certainly couldn’t confirm it for you.” She heard the eyeroll in his voice, as he pulled onto the main road. “It’s none of your business. I work for your brother at the moment, and that’s all you need to know.”
“At the moment?” she repeated.
“Yes, until I tell him tonight I’m unavailable for missions in the foreseeable future.”
“Where are you going?” she asked, her fingers digging deeper into the handle. She should be glad he was leaving because that solved her problem of having to see him daily, but relief was far from what she was feeling at the thought of him leaving again. If he left, they’d spend another six years, maybe a lifetime, with unresolved issues, and she could never move on.
“To your apartment, if you’ll stop grilling me,” he replied angrily. “Give me directions and a little peace, please. I’m sorry for being gruff, but I’m extremely amped up right now.”
Cee Cee complied, because she saw his arms were so tense they were shaking. From the frequent attacks on the forward base where she was posted in Afghanistan, she knew adrenaline dumps weren’t fun after the action stopped. That was most likely his problem right now, but she wasn’t letting him off that easily. After Cade had food and a shower, they would talk and he was going to give her answers she wanted about their past and present, so she could have a future.
Cade Winters owed her that much for two years of her life.
Two hours later, Cee Cee put Cade’s plate of chicken stir-fry into the oven and slammed it shut. He’d been in the shower for over an hour and she could still hear the water running in there. It had to be cold by now, and no man she knew took showers of that length, so she decided to go check on him.
When she walked into her bedroom, she heard a loud groan echo in the bathroom and ran for the door. Thank goodness he hadn’t locked it, she thought, as she pushed it open and padded across the wet tile floor to the shower door. She stopped there, unsure what she should do but when she heard a sharp breath followed by a lower pitched moan, she grabbed the handle and jerked it open.
Head thrown back, Cade’s back pressed against the shower wall as water sluiced over his face, down his perfectly sculpted body to part on either side of his fist which stroked his fully erect cock. It was the sexiest thing she’d ever seen in her life. From the looks of it, he was really close to the orgasm he sought, and at that moment the only thing she could think was how damned badly she wanted to help him get there. After yesterday and today, she could damn well use the release herself.
Cade’s steely blue eyes popped open and through water-clumped dark lashes he glared at her as a flush crept up to his throat and he released his cock to splay his hand to cover himself.
“What the
fuck
, Cecelia?!?” he growled, moving toward her, but she put a hand in the center of his wet chest to stop him and felt his heart pounding there.
“That’s exactly what you need and I can help with it…if you’re interested,” she said, her voice low and raw with the need clawing at her insides.
Cee Cee couldn’t believe she was doing this, would most likely regret it, but if he was leaving this would probably be the only chance she had to find out what yesterday at the range had been about. By pressing himself against her, crowding her, had Cade’s intention been to teach her a lesson that had nothing to do with a pistol? Would he have laughed at her and walked away if she’d have responded quicker? Or if Keegan hadn’t showed up, would he have kissed her like she thought he wanted to do?
One thing was for sure, his erection then wasn’t anymore pretend than it was now. Cade was turned on, the only question was what would he do about it?
His eyes narrowed, and he shook his head. “We ended that chapter of our association six years ago, Cecelia. I’m not opening it back up. Just leave me alone and let me get dressed.” He jerked her hand from his chest and walked out of the shower. Her eyes dropped to his tight rear end as he walked to the linen closet and her mouth watered.
“Just a little stress relief…it won’t mean a thing. That’s the only way I roll these days, remember?” she said as nonchalantly as she could manage.
While he opened the door, jerked out a towel and wrapped it around his waist, Cecelia tugged her t-shirt over her head and dropped it to the floor then quickly removed her bra. When Cade turned around, he gasped and his hot eyes fell to her breasts. Cecilia cupped her breasts, pinched her nipples and moaned.