Free Finally Home (Home Series) by Ann Vaughn Page A

tough," he assured Lainey, though he had to admit, it looked bad.  The assailant disappeared from view.  Mike called Colt.  "Tessa is down.  Assailant is MIA.  Go in hot."
    "I've got building security behind me.  We're on the express elevator.  Two floors to go.  One.  I'm out.  Hall is clear."  Mike heard Colt bust through the office door, and then they could see him.  "She's in the corner office.  She isn't moving."
    "Tessa!" Colt called.  He'd gone in with gun drawn and was clearing each room as he went.  When he entered the office where Tessa was, he cleared the room first, then dropped to his knees beside her.  "Tess!  Talk to me!  Tess!  Oh, shit!  Boss!  She's been stabbed.  I've got a pulse, but it's weak."
    " Figlio di Troia !!" Mike roared, causing Lainey and Kacee to flinch. 
    "Tess!!  Come on, Little Bit, talk to me," Colt urged, ripping his shirt off to stuff against her side to staunch the flow of blood from the stab wound. 
    Tessa groaned and Mike thought it was the best sound he'd ever heard. 
    "Call Sh-Shane," she said, referring to her husband.
    "We will," Colt told her.
    "Call him now."
    "Tess..."
    "Colt.  Please."
    "God...OK," he said, pulling her phone from her pocket.  Mike watched Colt scroll through her phone then heard him hit speaker as he called Shane.
    "Hey, babe, I was..." Shane answered, but Colt cut him off.
    "This is Colt, Shane.  I'm here with Tessa.  She's been stabbed.  It's bad.  She wants to talk to you."
    "What?" Mike heard Shane's shocked voice over the speaker.
    "Shane?" Tessa said, her voice weak.
    "Tess?  Baby?"
    "Shane.  I love you," she whispered, her voice weak.
    "T essa!"
    "She's, um," Colt began, but stopped to clear his throat.  "She's passed out.  You need to get to Springfield, McCanton.  Now."
    "What the hell happened??" Shane roared.  "You were supposed to be protecting her."
    "We got separated.  She got attacked from behind," Colt looked up when the paramedics came rushing in.  "The medics are here.   Just get your ass to Springfield.  I'll call you as soon as we get to the hospital."
    "You better hope and pray that she pulls through this, Harris ," Shane snapped, then hung up.
    "Colt?" Mike said, watching Colt pacing behind the medics as they worked on Tessa.
    "Yeah, I'm here.  They're stabilizing her.  Her face is beat to shit but her knuckles are busted up, too."
    "She put up a helluva fight, man.  He may have gotten away but he's not untouched.  She got some good blows in on him.  We need to be sure they collect evidence from under her nails.  I don't know if she managed to get any blood on her but she tried to pull the mask off; he nails raked his face a few times, too."
    Colt walked over to her and lifted her hand in his.  "There is some blood there."
    "Good.  I'm bringing the girls down, I'll meet you on the street," Mike said when the medics loaded Tessa onto a gurney. "Get your things," he said to them, and they both silently collected their things, both shell-shocked.
    In the elevator, Mike scrolled through his contacts and made another call.
    "Hey, man, what's..." Riley began but Mike cut him off.
    "Tessa was just attacked.  She's on her way to the hospital."
    "We'll head back tonight," Riley said.
    "Thanks."
    "Is she going to be all right?"
    "She was stabbed.  Colt says it's bad."
    "Lainey?"
    "She's here with me."
    "OK.  See you in a few hours."
    They emerged onto the street just as the paramedics were wheeling Tessa out, Colt hot on their heels.  Tessa looked extremely pale, from what he could see of her swollen face.  Shane was going to lose it when he saw her. 
    "They were able to stop the blood loss," Colt told him after the ambulance sped away.  "Her pulse got a bit stronger after that."
    Kacee met up with her driver and bodyguard and offered them a ride with her but they declined.  Colt rode with Mike and Lainey in Mike's Escalade, calling his wife on the drive, telling her he needed to hear her