“The DEA and the FBI have been all over us the last few days. Endless questions, endless paperwork. I can’t get my head around how they make this all seem like it’s nothing more than business as usual.” He sounded irritated at the fact, and as if to prove his point, Wyatt and Grady both climbed to their feet as we approached.

Both men offered their hands to shake and I let my eyes drop to the older man’s shiny badge as I took his hand. “They let you go back to work?”

He chuckled and lifted a hand to rub at the back of his neck. “Yeah. I’m technically on a probation period but this bust is going to lead to bigger fish, and since Wyatt was the lead and refused to work the case without me, they had no choice but to let me take my badge back.” He shrugged. “But that badge comes with a job behind it that I have to do. You’re going to have to give us a couple hours to go over everything, Ms. Conner.”

His use of my formal title startled me and made Cy growl in warning. It was actually Webb who came to the rescue. For a guy who had spent time behind bars, he was actually pretty good at playing hero.

“Grady, chill. We had to wrestle scared horses back to the ranch. None of us even stopped to take a breath before we hustled our asses here. You’re lucky we took the time to shower. Leo isn’t going anywhere as long as her girl is stuck to the cowboy. You can grill her later.”

Cy nodded. “Much later.” His gaze shifted down to me and a frown pulled at his now heavily whiskered face. He looked good with a beard, way more like an actual cowboy, but I was pretty sure I was going to forever think he looked good no matter which way he came. “You haven’t slept in a real bed in two weeks.” It was a statement not a question.

“Nope. Ten’s an even tougher trail boss than you are, but she got everyone, human and equestrian, back to the ranch in one piece. And she took care of Webb, well enough that his arm didn’t fall off.”

Everyone’s gaze shifted to the younger man as he involuntarily rotated his busted up shoulder. “I guess, I should get this looked at since I am in a hospital.”

Ten snorted and rolled her eyes. “You think, city boy?” There was concern under the sarcasm, and the glint in Webb’s eyes let me know he didn’t miss it.

I was forcibly turned around by Cy’s heavy hands on my shoulders. His slate colored eyes bore into mine and everything inside of me wanted to curl around everything inside of him and latch on.

“We have a bunch of rooms rented out at the hotel next door. Let’s get you in to see your girl for a little while, and then I’ll run you over and you can get some sleep . . . in an actual bed. Nothing has changed with Sutton for the last few hours, so there’s no reason for you to be uncomfortable while you wait with the rest of us.” He was trying to be sweet. He must have missed the part where I was here to help him shoulder the entire world that was sitting on his shoulders at the moment.

I pushed some of my hair off of my face and gave him a soft smile. “Cy, I’m not going anywhere until we know for sure your brother is on the mend. I do want to see Em but if you’re here, I’m here.”

He opened his mouth to argue but I could clearly see the appreciation in his eyes. Cy stood for everyone, he deserved someone to stand for him, and with him . . . even if I could only do it for this moment.

His dark head bent and his lips touched mine so lightly that if it wasn’t for the scrape of his beard across my face, I might have missed the kiss all together.

“Never had anyone to lean on before, Sunshine.”

I kissed him back, harder, so there was no way he could miss it. “Lean away, Cy.” He gave me a little nod and then walked me over to a seat next to the one where Lane was propped up against the wall. Brynn turned her head and gave us a watery grin before burying her face back in the crook of Lane’s neck. His arms visibly tightened around the leggy redhead and it was easy to see the need to protect and comfort in him as he held the woman. The waiting room felt a hundred times bigger when Ten and Webb left with Grady and Wyatt to go to the hotel in order to do their interviews with the agents and to catch some real sleep. Webb’s shoulder was now wrapped up like a mummy, and he was sporting a fancy sling and a bottle of painkillers that indicated his injury was far from being healed. Pain carved deep lines next to his mouth, which only lightened slightly when his brother promised to take it easy on him over the next few hours. The overwhelming relief the siblings had that the other was alive and well was palpable, but so was the push and pull that existed between the brother in the suit and the one in tattered jeans, sporting a flannel with more than one bullet hole in the fabric. They promised to bring real food back with them and they made us promise to keep them updated on Sutton’s condition.

I curled into a ball on the hard, vinyl covered seat and rested my head on Cy’s shoulder. I let my fingers play with his while he sat perfectly still and silent, his jaw clenched, and a furious tick moving in his cheek. We sat that way for hours, only moving to get terrible vending machine coffee or to take a bathroom break. I wanted to see Em, but she refused to leave Sutton’s bedside and they wouldn’t let anyone else in the room as long as she was in there.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, one of her nurses came out and told us they were taking her back to her own room so they could check her bandages. Cy got to his feet so he could go through the lengthy process of getting himself scrubbed up to go sit with his younger brother.