I followed closely behind, hopping into the bus and starting it.

Winter pulled up the rear, b.u.t.toning her shirt as she went.

"I really, really could use another three hours of sleep. I'm about to go crazy."

As we pulled up three blocks away from the bank, a uniformed police officer met us, and explained what was going on.

"We've got some gunmen holding up the First National Bank. We know that one teller has been shot and, as far as we know, has sustained a non-life threatening shot to the leg. We..."

"Rawls!" A man boomed from the edge of the police line.

I followed the sound of the man's voice to find James standing there in full SWAT gear.

"s.h.i.t, must be really serious if they have the SWAT team here." Winter observed as Rawls, as James had called him, went running to him.

James didn't even spare them a glance as he spoke to the uniformed officer and then took off. The officer returned moments later bearing instructions.

"He wants us to move back. Says the main guy has a hunting rifle and could easily hit anyone from this distance. We're going to need you to park around that corner right there." He said, indicating the next side street.

Winter moved the bus and Bowe moved the engine; we waited for what felt like hours.

"Do you think they'll deliver pizza over here?" I asked over the radio to Dillon.

Static.

"Negative. The Chief would kill us." Bowe replied good naturedly.

"What about going to that Subway over there. I'm dying here." I continued.

Seriously, there was a Subway not even two stores down from us. We'd been sitting in the parking lot of the Speedy Lube for well over an hour, and I was dying. And I had to pee.

Just as I was about to suggest it when Downy, my brother's best friend and fellow SWAT member, rounded the corner.

He looked pretty darn hot.

I don't mean s.e.xy hot, either. Not that he wasn't easy on the eyes...well, really easy, but he looked like he was sweating his a.s.s off.

He was in long sleeved cargo pants, a long sleeved shirt, a helmet, a protective Kevlar vest, a neck covering, and st.u.r.dy black boots. Then he had multiple weapons strapped on; one to his thigh, one across his back, a knife on his left leg, a utility belt, and, finally, one in a shoulder holster under his left arm.

He looked well and truly p.i.s.sed, too.

Which was unusual for him.

Downy was what you would call the cla.s.s clown.

He was tall, about two inches taller than my brother. He had broad shoulders, a strong firm jaw, and beautiful red hair.

He reminded me of a Scottish Highlander with all those ropey muscles and Scottish heritage attributes. All he needed was a blue face and the mullet, and he could totally pull it off.

He'd been on the police force when my brother had met him, and together they'd broached the subject of a SWAT team with the Chief of Police.

He'd a.s.signed a senior officer to the team, and Downy and Luke had been the first actual members.

They'd become fast friends, and I absolutely adored him.

I'd never seen him mad before, but with one glance at him now, I could definitely cross that particular item off my list.

He'd approached the firefighters first, and when he didn't get what he wanted, he came to us.

"They're allowing a medic to go in there and help the lady that was shot. You don't have to do it, but they said they'd let the other hostages go if we showed good faith by sending one of our own in. I need one of you to tell me what to do, and we'll see if we can help her." Downy rushed out.

That was just too hard to explain to someone who'd never had any basic medical experience.

I didn't really know how it happened, but one thing led to another, and I found myself strapped into a Kevlar vest and neck guard, heading into a building where there was a gunman.

And my brother was p.i.s.sed.

He'd gotten into a fight with Downy, and instead of waiting, I just went in.

At the time, I wasn't really thinking of the consequences. There was only one thing I thinking of and that was that there was an injured person in there, and I wasn't letting her die if I could help it.

Sebastian "Where is she?" I growled, once I pulled up on my bike.

I parked the bike as close to the tape as I could without actually running it over with my bike.

The cops probably wouldn't see that in a good light.

Everyone looked around nervously. There was a crowd behind the bright yellow strip of police tape, made up of her friends and fellow workers. They all looked concerned and very reluctant to tell me where she was. The surprising thing was that Luke was the one to point out where she was.

I found her sitting on the floor of the open doors of her own motherf.u.c.king ambulance. She had a dressing pressed against her forehead, and the white t-shirt she normally wore underneath her uniform top was stained bright red with blood.

When no one said anything, I a.s.sumed she'd gone inside and then had the nerve to get hurt in the process.

Not waiting for permission, I stomped forward, in precise steps toward the woman who was about to feel the pain and terror I felt in that hour drive over here. I'd been so G.o.dd.a.m.ned scared that she would get hurt, and low and behold, she was hurt.

When she saw me, her smile widened, but immediately fell when she saw the expression on my face.

She came to her feet warily. "I know you're upset, I really do. But I was completely..."

"Enough." I hissed.

Her mouth slapped shut so hard her teeth clicked together.

She looked worried about what I was about to say, and she should be. "I've never had these feelings before. Never. I went through two tours of deployment. Watched my three best friends burn alive in front of me. I've just spent the last hour of my life worrying about you; whether you were dead or alive. I have never...never...felt this way before. It felt like a piece of my heart was ripped out. What in the holy f.u.c.k were you thinking?"

I was all but yelling by the time I was finished.

She sneered at me. "I'm a paramedic! We've taken an oath to preserve life! What'd you want me to do, let her die?"

"Yes! You're carrying my G.o.dd.a.m.ned kid! You can't put yourself in those kind of situations anymore! Because you have a responsibility to the life that you're carrying inside of you that trumps any motherf.u.c.king oath you took!" I bellowed.

Her mouth, which had been open to yell right back at me, closed again with another audible snap. I could also see the crowd that was gathering, watching the interaction, but I could care less at that point. The woman I loved, the one who was carrying a part of me within her, almost took that part of me away with one reckless act. One heroic feat that could have ended so much more differently than it had.

"I know that you think I was in danger, but I really wasn't." She said petulantly.

"Really? Were you the one in control of that gun?" I asked sarcastically.

"No..."

"Did you have control of the four other men in there with him? Do you think you can take on four men at the same time? Because I'm not even sure that I could do that!" I growled.

She shook her head, not saying anything this time.

"I didn't think so." I snapped. "I think it's time for you to grow up a little. Stop blaming all your problems on your disability. Let me know when you can act like an adult. Keep that kid of mine safe. I don't want to hear about you going into any more dangerous situations. You won't like the results if I do."

With that parting comment, I stalked back to my bike. Ignoring the anger on the women's faces, even my sister's. The men looked like they agreed with me 100%, but that was to be expected. No man wanted to find out that their woman went into a mother-f.u.c.king bank with a gunman and four other a.s.sailants to help a teller that'd been shot.

I didn't care if the woman was dying. My woman had a responsibility. And it sure as h.e.l.l wasn't to the woman who was injured, but to the unborn life inside of her that depended on her to keep it safe.

I'd been in the down room at the station when I'd looked up at the Breaking News Alert on the television. It'd said that a paramedic had gone in to help a hurt teller during a robbery. The gunman, and leader, had allowed it to happen in exchange for a freaking helicopter.

When I'd heard about the paramedic going in, I just somehow knew, knew, that it was Baylee. The girl had no fear, and although she blamed that little tidbit on her ADHD, this time it wasn't going to fly. She had to learn that she couldn't do that anymore. Not if I was with her. I couldn't handle that. My heart couldn't handle it.

Baylee "You okay?" Luke asked me.

I looked up at my big brother in his SWAT uniform and grimaced.

No, I was anything but okay, and he d.a.m.n well knew it.

When Luke's hand came out and swiped a few stray tears coursing down my cheek, I broke down.

Luke pulled me close, and I buried my face into my big brother's arms, just as I used to do.

Although, the last time I remembered doing it was when my boyfriend broke up with me because my ADHD was too much for him to handle.

"You really pregnant?" My brother rumbled.

A whimper escaped my lips. "I dunno. Maybe. Probably."

"Why don't you know?" He asked curiously.

His big arms squeezed me a little tighter before he let me go. His face was soft and open as he looked into my eyes, and I was struck with how very much I loved him.

He'd always been the best big brother. He was so nice. Never complained that I followed him around constantly. He taught me how to drive a standard. Taught me how to change my oil. Took me to and from school. Protected me.

"I'm scared." I whispered.

"Of what?" He asked concerned.

"What if the baby is like me? What if he or she has the same problems I have?" I mumbled, looking down at my cuticles.

Luke's blunt finger went underneath my chin and brought my gaze to his. "What if it does? Are you going to love it any less?"

I straightened in indignation. "No, of course not!"

His blonde eyebrows raised at the ferocity of my voice. "Then what's it matter? Get your head out of your a.s.s and go to him."

With those eloquent words, Luke disentangled himself from me and left to talk to the Chief of Police.

"I don't think you need st.i.tches. It just looks bad. The skin was sc.r.a.ped off along your temple, but there is nothing to fix." Winter explained as I dropped down in the seat beside me.

"What'd Allen have to say?" I asked looking in his direction.

Winter grimaced. "He wasn't happy that the SWAT team let you go in. He's pretty upset himself. He told Dillon and Tai to take over the medic duties and told us we were off shift pending investigation."

I turned in surprise. "But you didn't go in!"

Winter shrugged my shoulder. "I would have. I was going to until Jack got here and forbid it."

My insides churned. I hadn't really thought about it at the time. I'd just reacted. When we'd learned the severity of the injury, not to mention the fact that the teller was pregnant with twins, I hadn't even considered anything else.

"Sebastian is really mad at me." I sighed.

A low masculine voice startled me making me jump. "You have no clue."

Winter and I screeched as we turned to find Loki on the other side of us, leaning casually up against the back doors to the bus.

He was wearing his cut over a black t-shirt, and a faded pair of jeans.

His hair was even messier than the last time I'd seen him, and I could tell that either he'd just woken up, or had just as bad of a day as I had.

"What're you doing here?" I asked softly.

Loki's eyes softened at the hitch in my voice. "You scared about ten years off everyone's life. When Kettle called to tell us what happened, and that Sebastian may need some help, we followed. Caught up to him at the Texas border when your man nearly got himself killed the first time. A car pulled out in front of him and he nearly t-boned it. Then he nearly got sideswiped when he tried to get in front of someone going to slow for his liking. And then he nearly had to lay the bike down when a deer ran out of the woods and crossed the street right in front of him. The man's lucky as f.u.c.k, if you ask me. Driving reckless isn't the thing to do on a motorcycle."

My heart stopped in my chest when I thought about all the things that could've happened to him on his mad dash over to me.

He could've been gone and I never would've known it.

"Can you take me to him?" I pleaded.

"Don't know where he is, darlin'. But there's no way I'm taking you on the back of my bike. Not after what we heard. He'd probably kill the one that tried. You'll have to catch a ride home, and then I'll drive your car if you still want me to. But there's nowhere I can take you other than the clubhouse or his place. I don't know where he went. If you want honesty, though, I think you should give him a few days to cool off. Let him come to you."

Feeling defeated, I nodded my head at him before turning around. "Thank you, Loki. If he asks, I'll be at home."