Night Is Darkest by Jayne Rylon (books recommended by bts .TXT) 📕

Another round of sobs wracked her diminutive frame against his chest. It didn’t surprise him when the racket roused Mason from his fitful, drug-induced slumber on the hospital bed beside them.

“I thought you said I’m not gonna buy the farm, doll?”

Even though she still cried, Lacey laughed, too. The impressive combination resulted in a very unladylike snort. “Not. You’re not. Promise.”

Ty smoothed her hair as best he could in spite of the clumps of dried blood making it stick out like a porcupine’s needles. “I tried to take her home. She needs to shower then crash. She assisted the ER team as they worked on you for six hours. But she’s being stubborn again. She won’t go.”

“Yes. You will.” Mason’s declaration wheezed between tight lips. “I can’t rest until you’re settled.”

Lacey objected. “I can shower here. I’ll take a nap in the lounge. I do it all the time when I pull a double. I’ll be fine.”

Even hopped up on pain meds, Mason saw through the ruse. “You’re afraid to go home.”

“I-I killed Gina. In my bedroom.” Fresh tears coursed down her puffy face.

“You had no choice, little one.” Ty squeezed her trembling body closer to his heart. “I think you scared twenty years off my life when I saw you facing off with her. How did you know she was out of bullets?”

“She told me she’d shot Razor. Then Mason.” She shuddered again. “I counted the rest.”

“What if that bitch had reloaded after Razor?” Their fellow officer hadn’t fared as well as Mason. His fate still hung in the balance. They’d managed to revive him but he lay in a coma in the intensive care unit. The doctors were split on their prognoses.

“I didn’t have a lot of time to consider it. I knew that if I didn’t pull the trigger, you could be next.”

Ty kissed her salty cheek. “Then you did the right thing, Lacey.”

“Take her home.” Mason directed the order at Ty. When she began to object once more he added. “Our apartment. For now.”

She went lax in his hold. “For now.”

“I love you both. Now get the hell out so I can sleep.”

Tyler grinned. “Oh, don’t worry, I’ll put Lacey to bed the right way. Enjoy your Jell-O.”

“I love you too, Mason.” She wriggled from Ty’s grip to drop one last kiss on Mason’s forehead before holding out her hand. Ty grasped it, tugging her close.

“We’ll be back before you know it. Rest up.”

Epilogue

Lacey clutched the newspaper to her chest as they picked their way across the hilly terrain. Mason had lost so much weight during the past month, she knew he struggled to keep even their slow pace but he’d never admit it.

She had intended to keep her face averted from the two fresh graves at the bottom of the hill but she couldn’t help but look. It seemed a fitting reward for Jackson, and punishment for Gina, to bury them side by side. The twisted couple made the perfect pair. Seeing the dirt, with just a few sprouts of grass poking through, somehow gave her closure.

Their nightmare was over.

They continued up to the giant oak tree. Lacey tucked the sports section against the headstone of Rob’s grave between the dozens of flowers left by myriad friends. She kissed her fingers then pressed them to the granite, surprised it felt warm to the touch in the early winter morning. They’d come straight after picking her up from work. Recent events hadn’t done much to tone down the guys’ protectiveness but, suddenly, she didn’t mind so much.

After all, she loved them more with each passing hour.

Lacey didn’t realize she’d been talking out loud to her brother until she caught the nod Mason gave Tyler in response to some unvoiced question.

“Look, little one, I realize this is probably the weirdest place on earth to do this but…” Mason and Tyler both dropped to one knee at the foot of Rob’s grave.

“What are you two doing!” She covered her gaping mouth.

“We thought it appropriate to propose here. We hope he would finally approve.”

The first shaft of morning light to break over the mountains illuminated the contents of the jeweler’s box Tyler cracked open in front of her. The diamond burned with unnatural brilliance.

“This is your grandmother’s ring!”

“The last time I saw her before she passed away, she gave it to me. She dropped it in the center of my palm and told me she thought it would look stunning on you.” Tyler slid the ring onto her trembling finger.

“She was right.” Mason added, “Accept this promise from us, Lacey. We love you. Forever.”

“But…how will it work?” she whispered, in awe of the hushed intimacy. In a place others might have found creepy, she felt surrounded by loved ones. Rob, her parents, even Grandma Lambert were all here. For one moment, she thought she could see them just beyond the trees.

“The vows we exchanged that night, doll.” Mason drew her attention from the vision and when she looked again it was gone. “Did you mean them?”

Her heart filled with love all over again. “Of course.”

“So did we.” Tyler took her hand. “I consider us hitched. Mostly.”

She frowned. “You and I never said the words to each other.”

“How about we fix that in a traditional wedding? You can have your big white dress and we’ll make it official. As for the rest…we know.”

Lacey looked to Mason. He nodded in agreement. “You’re already mine in my heart.”

“Mine, too.” She kissed him.

“Then marry me?” Tyler asked.

“Yes!” She kissed him, too. “With one stipulation…”

“Uh oh.” He raised one brow.

“I don’t want to wear a big, ugly dress.” She grinned.

“Thank God,” the guys muttered together as they rose and headed back toward the truck.

Locked together, they crossed the wrought iron gate of the cemetery. Tyler boosted her into the cab. When they crammed onto the bench seat, Mason asked,