Sending the rest of the officers around back in case Ellie tries to run, Brady and I make our way alone into the empty restaurant. Creeping quietly around boxes and overturned tables and chairs, I lead the way down into the basement.

Brady and I have done this a thousand times together. We’ve walked into dangerous situations not being able to speak and make our presence known. We’ve learned how to communicate with hand signals and one single look to tell the other what we should do, but this time is different. This time, people we love are depending on us to not make any mistakes. The only looks that pass back and forth between us right now are ones of worry and fear.

Stepping down off the bottom step, we stick to the wall of the hallway as we quietly make our way closer to the wine cellar. I pull my gun out of its holster at my back when I hear voices at the far end of the hallway. My heart jumps into my throat when I hear Gwen’s sobs and it takes everything in me not to take off running the rest of the way to get to her as fast as I can. I can hear Brady’s labored breathing behind me and I know he’s feeling the exact same way as I am.

I inch closer to the end of the hallway, trying to ignore the sounds of Gwen pleading and crying. When I get to the doorway that opens up into the main room, I slowly peer around the corner and the sight before me takes my breath away. Gwen is tied to a chair with her back to me and Emma is across the room from her, tied up in a similar manner. All of my SEAL training disappears and the only thing I want to do is scream in rage and do whatever it takes to get my girls away from the woman holding a gun on them. I have to swallow back the terror that will have me doing something irrational and getting them hurt worse. I need to be smart about this and remain calm.

Tearing my eyes away from the painful scene, I take a step back and whisper as quietly as I can to Brady. “They’re both tied up. Ellie has a gun on Emma.”

Even in the dark hallway I can see the same fury I’m feeling wash over his face. He clenches his jaw and takes a few calming breaths before nodding once.

Turning away from him, I move forward a little more until I can slowly creep around the corner and into the room, careful not to alert Ellie that anyone else is here with them. The movement catches Emma’s eye from across the room and I quickly raise a finger to my mouth when she looks at me, hoping she won’t give my position away to Ellie before I’m ready.

Just then, Ellie starts to turn away from Emma and I know she’ll see me. I won’t have time to back up and hide before that happens and I begin to panic.

“Hey, Aunt Ellie!” Emma yells suddenly.

I hold my breath as I watch Ellie quickly turn back towards Emma and I begin to move forward a little more. I need a clear shot at Ellie and I need her away from Emma to do that.

“When Austin gets here, he’s going to put you in jail with the bad Barbies,” Emma tells Ellie confidently with a raise of her chin.

If I weren’t scared out of my fucking mind right now I would laugh at Emma’s assurance and bravery. Ellie moves closer to Emma and I take another step until I’m a few feet behind Gwen. I want to whisper to her that I’m right here and that I’m not going to let anything happen to either one of them, but I have to remain quiet. I can hear Gwen sobbing and it rips a hole right through my heart.

Ellie mutters something to Emma and stands up, loading a bullet in place before pointing the gun right at her.

“Now it’s your turn to lose it all,” Ellie states angrily as she begins to turn in my direction.

God dammit! She’s still too close to Emma. I can’t risk taking the shot now and there’s nothing I can do before Ellie sees me standing here.

As my brain goes through every single scenario and the possible outcomes, each one worse than the last, Emma speaks up again. “Austin will save us.”

Right then, this brave little girl looks directly at me and smiles before opening her mouth and screaming for all she’s worth. It’s enough of a distraction that Ellie moves back away from Emma a few feet and I have a clear shot at her. I pull the trigger, hitting Ellie in the shoulder. Her body flies backwards and the gun falls from her hand as she drops to the floor.

Gwen’s terrified screams fill the room and I quickly rush to her, tossing my gun to the ground as I bend down in front of her and grab her face with my hands. Brady rushes past me to Emma’s side and the police officers that were waiting just outside of the walk-up door come charging down the stairs. Within seconds they have Ellie surrounded with their guns pointed at her while Brady quickly unties Emma, muttering words of love and praise to her the entire time.

“Baby, it’s okay, it’s all over, look at me,” I plead to Gwen.

With a sob, Gwen opens her eyes, her head moving to the side to look around me at Emma. She’s having a hard time taking in air as she continues to cry while I let go of her face and get the ropes off of her. She needs medical attention immediately. She’s got a gash in her hairline that is steadily dripping blood down the side of her face and I know immediately the cause for the blood on the crystal dish I found in the apartment.

As soon as Gwen is free from the ropes, she stands quickly, but her legs give out from under her and she starts to fall. I wrap my arms around her and hold her steady as Emma is finally freed and races over to us.

“Oh God, oh baby, I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry,” Gwen sobs as I help her down to the ground so she can wrap her arms around Emma.

I have to choke back tears as Gwen holds tightly to Emma and rocks her back and forth. With my arm around Gwen’s waist, I reach my hand up and smooth it down the back of Emma’s head as she squeezes tight to her mother.

“Did I do a good diversion, Austin?” Emma suddenly asks, lifting her head from Gwen’s shoulder and smiling at me.

I don’t even bother fighting the tears at this point, I let them fall from my eyes as I lean over and kiss the top of Emma’s head. “You did so good baby, I’m so proud of you.”

There’s a flurry of activity around us as paramedics storm down into the basement and begin loading Ellie up on a stretcher while Brady shouts orders to everyone. One of the paramedics squats down next to us and starts looking over Gwen and Emma and I’m not about to let go of either one of them so he better not expect me to or I’ll kick his ass.

“I knew you’d come and save us, Austin. You’re a soldier and you told me soldier’s never leave a man behind,” Emma tells me proudly. “I know me and mommy aren’t men, but I knew you wouldn’t leave us behind.”

Resting my forehead against Emma’s, I close my eyes and thank God for this little girl. “You are so smart and so brave, Emma. You are the best soldier I’ve ever worked with.”

I hear Gwen moan softly and I turn to look at her and see that her eyes are starting to flutter closed.

“Ma’am, we need to get you to the hospital right away,” the paramedic tells Gwen, wrapping his arms around her and helping her to her feet.

Taking Emma out of Gwen’s arms, I lift her up as I stand and Brady rushes over, helping the paramedic get Gwen to another stretcher.

“I don’t want to leave my daughter, please,” Gwen begs as she’s pushed back onto the stretcher and strapped in.

“It’s okay, Gwen, I’ve got her. We’re going to be right here with you the entire time,” I tell her, shooting the paramedic a threatening look in case he decides to argue and tell me that we can’t ride in the ambulance. The man smartly smiles at me and nods.

Emma wraps her arms around my neck and I hold her close to me, wondering how in the hell I ever thought I could walk away from her and never feel her hugs again.

The paramedics lift the stretcher and lock the legs into place as Brady leans down and places a kiss on Gwen’s forehead.

“You took ten years off my life today, little sis,” he whispers.

“Good, you were starting to look old as shit,” Gwen mumbles.

“Yeah, she’s going to be just fine,” Brady says with a laugh.

When they get Gwen up the stairs and into the back of the ambulance, I climb inside with Emma in my arms and set her down in my lap on the bench along the side as Brady slides in next to us. The ambulance siren screams as the vehicle starts up and speeds out of the parking lot and the paramedic starts an I.V. in Gwen’s arm.

I try to keep my fears at bay as I look Gwen over and all of the bruises and blood that mark her beautiful face.

Leaning forward with Emma in my arms, I kiss the top of Gwen’s head as she fights to stay conscious.

“I love you, Gwen, do you hear me? I love you so fucking much,” I whisper in her ear.

“Austin!” Emma scolds, holding her small hand out in between us.

“You know what, how about I just write you a check for college?” I ask as Brady chuckles next to me.

Gwen doesn’t say a word, but I see a small smile tug at the corner of her mouth before she loses her battle and passes out.

Epilogue

Austin

Three months later…

My boots crunch through the snow on the sidewalk as I make my way to the front door and stick my key in the lock. As I quietly push the door open, I’m met with the sight of a huge Christmas tree lit up in the corner of the room and stockings hung by the fireplace. I smile to myself as I close the door behind me, dropping my go-bag on the floor and kicking my boots off.

“Don’t you even think of leaving your stuff there on the floor, I just cleaned the house.”

Looking up, I can’t stop the huge grin that spreads across my face when I see Gwen standing at the end of the hallway wearing nothing but one of my dress shirts with her arms folded, giving me a dirty look. I’ve only been gone two weeks, but it felt like a lifetime. I never really cared much about going home in between missions before, perfectly fine with moving right on to something else without any down time, but things are different now.

“But I’m home two days early, darlin’, doesn’t that earn me a few brownie points?” I ask.

I watch as Gwen tries to keep a stern face, but quickly loses the battle. She lets out a squeal and races across the room. I have just enough time to brace myself as she throws herself into my arms and wraps her legs around my waist. Holding her tightly to me, I bury my face in the side of her neck and breathe her in while she runs her fingers through my hair. I was an asshole for ever thinking I could live without this woman. It’s been a tough road getting to where we are now, but every single day has been worth it.

After a few days in the hospital to repair her arm from that day in the wine cellar three months ago, Gwen went through a really hard time, understandably. She couldn’t stand to have Emma out of her sight for more than a few seconds at a time and after so many years of trying to be strong all on her own, it finally took its toll on her and she broke down. All I wanted to do was hold onto her and never let her go, try to make everything better, but she didn’t want to have anything to do with me. She hated herself for allowing Ellie to fool her and she hated me even more for being the one to help rescue her and Emma when I had left them without looking back. She’d tried for so long to be strong and independent and it killed her that once again she had to lean on someone else for help to save her.

Brady and I had been taking turns between standing watch over Gwen and being with Emma back at the apartment. I was climbing the walls and nothing made it better. If I was at the hospital holding Gwen’s hand while she was under anesthesia in between surgeries, I was thinking about Emma and anxious to get home to her. If I was with Emma watching movies and tucking her in at night, I was thinking about Gwen and wishing I could be with her. Nothing would get better until both of my girls were back under the same roof and I could breathe again.

After Gwen’s second surgery, I sat in my usual spot in an uncomfortable chair pulled up right next to her bed. With my elbows resting on the edge, I gently held the hand of her injured arm in both of mine, tracing the lines of her palm and talking to her softly. She had yet to wake up or give us any indication that she heard us ever since that hint of a smile in the ambulance. The doctors assured us that it was just her mind’s way of healing after such a trauma, but I still didn’t like it. I wanted to see her eyes, I needed to hear her voice… I just needed HER.

Five minutes before I needed to head home to relieve Brady from Emma duty, I pressed my lips to Gwen’s cheek and whispered in her ear how much I loved her. When I pulled back, she was looking right at me.

“Oh my God it’s so good to see those beautiful eyes again,” I told her softly as tears pooled in my eyes.

I placed kisses all over her face, excited laughter bubbling out of me mixed with tears now that she was finally awake. I ran my hand over the top of her head, down her cheek and over her shoulder. I just couldn’t stop touching her.

She didn’t say anything, just continued to stare at me while I fussed over her. A few minutes later, she finally moved her uninjured hand up to her face and yanked the oxygen mask away. When she tried to speak, it came out raspy and garbled. I quickly moved to the other side of her bed and grabbed a cup of water with a straw that the nurse had placed on her bedside table earlier and held it to her lips.

After a few slow sips and a couple of coughs, she finally spoke. “Where’s Emma?”

I placed the cup back on the table and smiled down at her. “She’s at home with Brady. We’ve been taking turns being with her and being here with you. She’s going to be so happy that you’re awake.”

I reached for her good hand, but she quickly pulled it away. I tried not to let it bother me, but I’d be lying if I didn’t say it hurt a little. I just wanted to pull her into my arms and tell her what an idiot I was.