"Sounds good. Do you mind if I take a shower?"
"Of course not. Go right ahead. Make yourself at home here."
"Thank you. Really. It still doesn't feel real."
"I know. It takes time to sink in." Ridley smiled sadly at her.
"I can assure you that piece of trash is cut off from his powers and behind bars. He isn't getting out any time soon. The forensics team already found a truckload of evidence that the Legion lawyers are having a field day with. You won't even need to testify."
Beth eyed Cormac with suspicion before turning that same expression onto Reese. "Thanks. That is a relief. If you'll excuse me." She grabbed her bag and hurried into the bathroom.
"We scare her." Reese sounded sad.
"I'm guessing all men will for a while."
"Did you go through that?" Reese asked.
"Until I learned to protect myself with more than my powers, yeah. I'll work with her, but no amount of training or powers would have worked against the prick who had her."
Cormac nodded. "True. And I'm concerned how the Legion decides to handle it."
"What do you mean?"
"Mind control is a rare ability. They're going to want their claws in him. I doubt he'll stay locked up for long."
"Damn. I should have killed him." The fucking Legion.
"We'll keep our eye on the situation and we'll cross that bridge when we get to it,” Cormac said. "We'll also make a point to them that if they try and turn him, he might have a bone to pick with us and with Beth."
"For fuck's sake. Your bosses suck."
"We know."
Ridley's doorbell rang.
"That'll be Beckett and Maddox."
Ridley peeked out the window. "Nope. It's Malia." Ridley snorted. "Actually, it's all of them."
Chapter 27
Ridley
RIDLEY OPENED THE DOOR and the three of them shoved inside, taking up even more space in her crowded home. They all inspected her, noting her bruises and scrapes before turning that same attention to Reese.
"We're fine. Just a little banged up."
"Which Cormac said you did to each other?" Maddox’s face reflected the horror still plaguing her.
"Long story. We'll get to. For now, Beth should be out in a moment. She needs more help than we do."
Ridley sent Reese a warm smile in response to his words, appreciating he wasn't insisting Beckett dealt with her first.
Malia shoved Ridley's shoulder. "I can't believe you went up against a mind controller."
Ridley winced as pain radiated through her from the push. "I tried to call you in."
"I know. I'm so sorry. And I'm so impressed that you didn't go alone."
"I'm not a complete idiot no matter what the rest of you seem to think. Though Cormac definitely saved our asses." And she hated she’d needed to be rescued.
"That I did. Those two were going to kill each other if I hadn't shown up."
Ridley sneered at him, but her retort was cut short by Beth joining them from the bathroom. She stumbled to a stop at the full house, her eyes wide and alarmed.
Ridley stepped forward. "It's okay. It's the rest of my...uh...team." She gestured to Beckett. "This is the healer I told you about. Beckett. He'll have you feeling better."
"And I'm Malia. I work with Ridley at the garage. She said you have some experience with engines?"
"Nothing too extreme. Shop class in high school and a little tinkering here and there. I guess you could call it more of an interest than experience."
"We can work with that. For now, even if you help with scheduling and calls, that will free us up to work on the bikes until you know a little more. Go with Beckett and then I'll take you and show you around and give you a break from all these massive dudes."
Beth smiled, a small, surprised laugh bursting from her.
"You can use my room for a little privacy."
Beth's smile disappeared, worry replacing it.
Malia took Beth's arm. "I'll go with you."
Beckett smiled reassuringly. "It'll only take a minute."
Beth nodded and let Malia and Beckett lead her into Ridley's bedroom.
Once the door closed behind them, Maddox turned to Ridley and cupped her face in one of his hands. "Are you all right? Really?"
"Hey. What about me? Our girl here packs a mean left hook."
They both ignored Reese. "I'm fine, Maddox. I'm more interested to hear what happened at the prison."
"Once we're alone, we'll tell you. I'd rather not be interrupted once I get started. You three will probably have a lot of questions and we still have a lot to figure out."
"I guess I'll get some coffee ready."
"We'll need it."
"Especially after a healing," Beckett warned.
Maddox followed her into her small kitchen while she fixed a pot of coffee. "I'm really glad you called them to help you."
"So am I. It could have ended a lot differently if I'd gone alone."
"Does that mean you've made the decision to join us?"
"I think I'm in with working with you guys on your investigations and even bringing you in on mine when it's necessary."
"We could really use you. You have a natural gift for investigating. And we are all on board with what you do in your spare time and I think we might have proved we can be helpful at times with the legal side of matters."
She scooped coffee grounds into the filter. "Maybe a little. I guess prison works better than a beat-down on occasion."
"What about more than work?"
She flipped the lid down and pressed the button to get the coffee brewing. "I'm not going to lie and say I'm not tempted."
"But it's too much too fast?" Maddox saw way too much.
"Let's start with working together and see where things go." She could agree to that. She liked working with them. They were fun and smart and damn good at their jobs.
"We can do that. I can't promise we'll be able to keep our hands to ourselves unless you tell us to back off."
"Don't worry. If any of you do something I'm not okay with, you'll know."
"I take it you mean you'll respond with violence?" Maddox’s lips quirked.
"Definitely. No one touches me without my consent. Ever."
"Good." Maddox stepped closer, trapping her against the counter, his body an inch from hers. "Do I have your consent now?"
Her heart pounded. "Consent for what?"
"To kiss you."
She swallowed. "Yes."
Maddox placed his hands on the counter on either side of her, bending down with a smile. Ridley's pulse sped up as she tilted her chin, the need Reese and Cormac lit inside her bursting into flames. Maddox teased, her drawing it out, moving slow and with clear intent, always giving her the opportunity to stop it, to change her mind, respecting her boundaries.
There was nothing hotter than a man like him.
Their lips had barely met when Malia and the others burst from her bedroom, making her jerk away from Maddox in surprise.
"We'll finish this discussion later." He literally smoldered at her, his pierced eyebrow raised.
Fuck, these shitheads were trouble.
He pushed back from the counter and Ridley turned and busied herself finding enough coffee cups for the crowd in her small home, trying to calm down her racing heart.
Malia came in, grinning at Ridley's flushed face. "I'll make coffee at the garage while I show the new girl the ropes."
"Oh. I finished the Honda Shadow this morning. Can you call and tell them it's ready for pickup? And the '97 Harley needs to be finished. I'm only halfway through with it."
"I'll take care of it."
"Thanks, Lia. I'll let you know what's going on with all this tonight. Dinner? On me? We can bring Beth. Invite Katy if you want."
"I'll ask her."
Beckett came in after Malia left. "Leave the coffee. Cormac can finish up for you. I need you and Reese on the couch so I can heal you."
"I
feel a lot better." Her words were utter lies. She still felt like shit and her arm was killing her.
"You were in a fight with Reese. A real one. It's amazing you're both still standing."
"Apparently we're pretty equal in hand to hand skills. It kept us from hurting each other too much."
"Good. Also, impressive. Reese is our best hand to hand fighter."
"Really?" She wouldn’t have guessed that.
Beckett flashed her a smile. "Yes. Maddox and Cormac both rely on their powers more and I usually fight with my brain and clean up after the fights are over."
"We should all train together. I usually only train with Malia, but we're so used to each other's fighting styles, I think we've plateaued." She needed to improve.
"I like the idea and can guarantee Reese will be all for it."
"I guess we can talk about it once things calm down a little."
"Do they ever?"
It certainly didn’t seem like it. "Not if we're going to combine our work. We're going to be busy as hell."
"Then it's a good thing you've hired yourself some help around here. Do you trust her?"
"No clue. I just met her this morning. I'm not letting her anywhere near anything other than my garage and she needs to stay away from your work too until I know if we can trust her." She wanted to trust her.
"I'll do a background check on her later today and make sure there aren't any red flags."
"Thanks." That made her feel better about having the woman in her home. And her job.
"She's in your life now and knows where you work and live."
Ridley grimaced. "I've been letting it slip way too often lately."
"Another reason to let us help you on these."
"And get that safe house ready."
"I'll see if I can fast track it.”
She followed him back into her living room. "You guys are certainly useful."
Beckett raised a brow. "Something we've been telling you for months."
"And we're pretty,” Reese said. “You really couldn't do better than us."
Beckett shook his head. "Good to see you're back to normal."
Reese shrugged. "Ridley asked for help."
"Why do you guys keep making such a big deal about that?" She sat next to Reese on the couch and Beckett knelt in front of them.
They acted like she was completely insane and would have tried going against a mind controller on her own.
All four of them snorted.
Beckett slid his hand beneath the hem of her shirt on her belly and closed his eyes. "It doesn't matter. we're just glad you did. Now, be still. I think you have a hairline fracture in your wrist and Reese has a broken rib."
"Well, hell." She knew it.
"How have you been walking around using your arm like it was fine?" Reese sounded pissed.
"Pain and I are old friends. I've had much worse."
"All right, hard ass. Be still so I don't make it worse."
Ridley sucked in a sharp breath as Beckett's healing made her body prickle with heat. And not the fun kind. His power knit her broken skin, smoothed away the bruises, and rebuilt her broken bone.
Her head spun when he pulled away and Cormac thrust a cup of coffee in her hands. "Here. Drink this. Try not to pass out."
"It's a good thing you aren't a healer. Your bedside manner sucks ass."
Reese groaned as Beckett placed his hands on the skin beneath his shirt and started working his magic. Ridley reached over and took Reese's hand, letting him squeeze it hard.
When Beckett sat back, Reese refused to release her hand, instead he threaded their fingers together. When she scowled over at him, he winked, the little bastard.
"Okay. We're healthy, we have coffee, we have privacy. Tell us what the hell is going on."
"You are brilliant and cracked a decade old case that has flummoxed the Legion, the regular police, and the four of us."
Chapter 28
Ridley
"SO, IT WAS DEFINITELY one of the douches I brought you?" She couldn’t believe she’d actually figured it out.
"It's Wallace. I'm almost sure of it." Maddox paced in the small space between the door to the kitchen and her desk.
"Wallace? Not Misner?" She’d really thought it was Misner.
"I was surprised too. Everything was pointing to him. But I used the photograph method you suggested and they all reacted to Wallace's picture."
"But they didn't admit it?"
"No. They want a fucking deal." Fury hardened Maddox’s expression.
Ridley’s head fell back against the couch. "Of course, they do."
"They did tell us where some evidence is hidden."
She perked up. Another lead? "What evidence?"
Maddox growled. "We don't know. We were going to go get it, but we got the call Beckett's skills were needed here, so we still need to go get it."
"How is evidence not going to automatically connect to Wallace? Why do you still need their confession?" Reese asked.
"I don't know. They said they'd understand when we had it."
"So, a treasure hunt is our next step. Exciting." Reese grinned and drained his coffee with a loud slurp.
"Can your lawyer guy get a deal?" Ridley asked.
"He's going to try.,” Maddox said. “I'm hoping after we have the evidence, we can figure out a way without it."
"So, why did Wallace kill your brother?" They needed motive.
"Wallace wanted Tony to join them in robbing banks."
Ah. Of course. "Makes sense. Adding X-ray powers to their crew would make things a lot smoother. I'm assuming he declined the job and Wallace killed him for it."
"Yes."
"We'll get him. Somehow." Even if they had to color outside the lines to get it.
"I'm waiting on a call from the lawyer and for now, I want to go get this evidence."
"Then, let's go."
Maddox shook his head. "I'll take Beckett and Cormac with me. You and Reese need to rest from the healing. We're just picking something up. There's no danger. We'll go pick it up and come back here and get Reese out of your hair."
"You sure you can't take him with you now? I'm sure he can nap in the car."
Reese shoved his shoulder into hers. "Hey. That's hurtful. I'm an excellent snuggle buddy. You know that now."
"My first thought was actually squid. It seemed like you had more than four limbs."
Beckett's phone dinged, interrupting them. "I just got into Misner's black file."
Reese laughed. "The timing is hilarious. Do we even need it anymore.?”
"No. And it's useless anyway. It's a juvie record. Some shoplifting charges when he was fifteen. Then he stole a car when he was seventeen. The Legion kept it quiet." Beckett squeezed his phone so hard, Ridley worried it would shatter.
"If we had found that earlier, we'd have even been more certain it was him. Are we absolutely sure?"
"No. But there wasn't the slightest reaction at his photo. They made it a point to keep their eyes away from Wallace's once I laid it down."
"Maddox is right. Wallace is our guy." Beckett stood. "Let's get going and grab this evidence. I have a feeling whatever it is will keep me up all night researching."
"We'll bring back dinner. You two get some sleep."
Ridley shook her head. "I'm supposed to do a late dinner with Malia and Beth and maybe Katy. Besides, there is not enough room here for all you guys and food. I don't even have enough seats for all of you."
"Fine. We still on for Saturday night?" Maddox asked.
"Tomorrow? Yeah. I'll come as long as Beth is comfortable here alone. I don't think she'll want to come with."
"Let us know." Maddox smiled at her. "We'll be back soon."
He trooped out the door, Beckett and Cormac trailing him. Ridley rose with a groan and locked the door behind them.
"What if we're asleep when they get back?"
"Malia has a key." There was no way she was sleeping comfortably with he
r door unlocked.
"When do I get a key?"
"Why would I give you a key?"
"So, I can sneak into your bed at night so you can sleep." Reese followed her into her room.
Reese and Cormac had made her bed.
"Let's see if it works a second time and we'll see."
"Really? No pillow wall this time?"
"Nope. I'm exhausted and don't want nightmares to wake either of us up."
"You're going to cuddle with me?" Reese stripped down to his black boxer briefs.
"Not if you keep making a big deal out of it." She was willing to try if she could actually have a peaceful nap.
"Sorry. I won't say another word."
"Bullshit." She peeled off her leggings, but left her shirt and underwear on.
Reese mimed zipping up his throat. Ridley rolled her eyes and slid into the bed. Reese leapt into place beside her and opened his arms. She hesitated for a moment.
"I won't bite. Promise. This time anyway."
Ridley sighed and laid her head on his chest, her eyes shutting when his arms closed around her.
"You smell like me." It was weird. She missed his usual scent of ocean and sunlight.
"I know. I like it. Cormac did too."
"What did the two of you do in my bed?" A shiver ran up her spine.
"We just made out a little. Why? Wishing you got to see it?"
"Maybe." Yes. Definitely.
"Or wishing you were in the middle of it?"
Also, yes. "Maybe."
"Look at you admitting what you actually want for once."
"I guess you four have worn me down. I'm too exhausted to fight it anymore."
"Bullshit. You like us."
She wished she didn’t. "You're all right, I suppose."
"We're the best thing that ever happened to you."
"Nope. So far, Malia still wins that title."
"For now."
"It won't be easy to top her."
"There are four of us. It'll be a slam dunk. Especially since we can give you orgasms." He whispered the words in her ear.
Ridley hid her grin in the pillow. "I do like orgasms."
"How long as it been since you've had one?"
"A couple nights ago?"
Boom (Aces and Knaves, #2) Page 12