Page 164 of Jay Bird

Willow almost laughed at the sharpness in his voice because it sounded so much like him. “I hit the ground pretty hard, and pieces of the concrete hit my legs and arms, but I don’t think I was shot.”

Jay Bird continued checking anyway, and that was when Willow noticed his hands were shaking.

This man could apparently run directly into gunfire without hesitation, yet his hands were trembling as he touched her.

“Jay.”

His eyes immediately lifted to hers.

“Lily. Where’s Lily? Chen said he had her. He told me if I didn’t cooperate—”

“She’s safe, baby.”

Jay Bird cupped her face between his hands, his touch so gentle that the contrast between him and everything she had endured over the last several hours almost overwhelmed her.

“We found her. Lily’s safe,” he assured her.

Tears immediately filled Willow’s eyes. “She’s okay?”

“She was drugged, but she’s okay. She’s at the hospital, and Juliette, Riley, and the others are with her.”

The sob that tore from Willow’s chest felt as though it came from somewhere deep inside her. Jay Bird pulled her against him, and despite her bound wrists, she managed to wrap her arms around his neck and bury her face against his shoulder.

“My baby.”

“She’s okay,” he whispered against her hair.

Willow cried against him, finally allowing everything she had been holding inside since she had awakened in that bedroom to come pouring out. She was safe, and so was Lily. But most importantly, she was finally free.

When she finally pulled back, his hands remained on either side of her face. He stared at her for several seconds, and Willow could almost see something inside him breaking loose.

“I love you,” he said, his voice rough with emotion. “Jesus Christ, Willow, I fucking love you. I should’ve told you before, and I swear to God, if you ever scare me like this again, I’m going to lose my damn mind.”

A watery laugh escaped her. “You couldn’t have told me that at home?”

His laugh came out shaky as he pressed his forehead against hers. “Apparently, I needed an audience.”

Even after everything that had happened, Willow smiled. “Well, since you went through all this trouble, I suppose I should tell you that I love you too.”

Jay Bird pulled back enough to look at her. “You do?”

“Don’t make me repeat it while I’m lying on concrete with my hands tied.”

That finally earned her something resembling his normal grin. “Fair enough.”

He kissed her then, and there was nothing frantic about it. His lips pressed gently against hers, almost as though he needed the contact to reassure himself that she was really there. Willow leaned into him for several seconds before he pulled back and kissed her forehead.

“Jay Bird.”

Derek’s voice brought them both back to everything happening around them.

“We need to get her checked.”

Jay Bird nodded and carefully helped Willow sit up, keeping one arm around her as a paramedic approached.

That was when Willow saw Chen. Two agents had him several yards away, and blood covered part of his shirt, although Willow couldn’t tell where he had been injured. His hands were secured behind his back while another agent stood nearby.

Chen lifted his head. His eyes immediately found hers.