She dropped the straw and waited while he put the cup back in place.
Wade leaned close, catching one of her hands and pressing the palm against his cheek. He closed his eyes and held his hand over hers. “You scared the shit out of me, Bess.”
She stared at his face. “Is he dead?”
Wade’s eyes opened. “He won’t be bothering you again.”
“That’s not what I asked.” Bess narrowed her eyes at him. Why would no one give her a straight answer? “Is he dead?”
“We can talk about it later.” Wade turned his head to kiss the palm of her hand. “Right now I want you to focus on getting better.”
“Wade.” She didn’t even try not to snap at him. She’d been shot. Her son was sick. And she might have to pee. “Is. He. Dead?”
They stared each other down for what felt like forever.
Finally Wade nodded.
Bess let out a breath she’d been holding forever. “Good.”
Wade’s brows barely lifted. “Killing someone isn’t a simple thing, Bess.”
She looked from side to side, considering his words.
Maybe something was wrong with her.
Because she didn’t feel bad. Not even a little.
“Didn’t you tell me the world is better off without certain people in it?”
“Something like that.” Wade barely shook his head at her. “I didn’t know you were going to take it and run with it.”
“It was either him or you.”
“You don’t know that. I would have found a way.”
Bess shrugged. “I found a way first.”
“Hey.” Tyson’s head popped between the curtains. “How’s our girl?”
Bess smiled at him. “I was shot.”
“I heard that.” Tyson stepped into the space. “Bullet went in and everything.”
She nodded. “And everything.” She blew out a breath. “I killed him.”
Tyson watched her closely. “Heard that too.”
She bobbed her head, trying to find some sort of remorse. “I don’t feel bad about it. Not even a little bit.” She chewed her lip, hoping Tyson might give her the truth she knew Wade wouldn’t. “Am I a bad person?”
Tyson’s head bumped back a little. “Hell no. Right now the whole damn team is pissed you got to be the one to take that bastard out.” He jumped a little and quick-stepped to one side as a nurse pushed in beside him. “Sorry.” The remorse on his face was short-lived as the tall, full-figured woman entered the room. “Good afternoon.”
She shot Tyson a look over one shoulder, a dark brow lifting. “Didn’t you say you were her brother?”
Tyson gave her a solid nod. “Absolutely I am.”
Bess nodded along with him. “I used to have to change his sheets when he wet the bed.”
The nurse laughed loud and long, her head tipped back. “I like you.”
Bess smiled at her.
She’d been shot.
She killed a person.
And all she felt was peace.
Finally.
CHAPTER 23
“I SWEAR TO God, Bess.” Wade caught Parker as she tried to heft him up. “Go sit on the damn couch and I will bring him to you.”
She scowled at him. “I’m fine.”
“It hasn’t even been two weeks. You are not even close to being fine.” He held Parker with one arm and pushed Bess toward the couch with the other. “Just because it didn’t hit anything important doesn’t mean it didn’t hit anything. You need to heal.” He waited while she dropped onto the cushions of the large sectional before settling their son into his momma’s arms.
She smiled as Parker grabbed at her hair. “I’m so glad you’re feeling better, handsome boy.”
Wade carefully lowered his body to the seat beside her and held out a snack puff. Parker immediately snatched it away, giggling at Wade’s fake upset over the sneak attack as he crunched into it.
He wrapped one arm around Bessie’s shoulders. “How’d you sleep last night?”
“Great.” She leaned back, trying to move Parker without him noticing. “I really like the new bed.”
Wade took Parker and sat him between them so his weight would stop pressing on her still-sore stomach. “Good.”
She and Parker were discharged from the hospital over a week ago and he’d brought them to one of the smaller cabins Alaskan Security owned.
They needed time alone together. As alone as it was safe for them to be anyway.
“Morning.” Brock sauntered into the kitchen in his underwear and grabbed the coffee pot off the maker. “You guys are up early.”
“Shawn is supposed to be coming over for a meeting, remember?”
Brock stared at him over the breakfast bar. “Yeah. So?”
Wade shrugged. “I didn’t realize you were coming to meetings naked now.”
“I’m not naked.” Brock shoved the carafe back in place. “Do you see my dick hanging out?”
Bess opened her mouth.
Wade held one hand up. “Don’t answer that.” He pointed toward the back of the house where Brock was staying. “No more walking around in your underwear.”
Brock cocked one hip as he stood and swallowed down his coffee, making no move to go get dressed.
Bess laughed. “Leave him alone. It’s a good way to tell how cold it is in here.”
Brock straightened, one hand flying to cover his dick. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
Bess shook her head. “It’s not a big deal. It happens to all men.”
Brock slowly backed down the hall before turning to rush toward his room.
Wade leaned into Bessie’s ear. “Have I told you how much I love you?”
She glanced at him. “Not in the past five minutes.”
He’d spilled his guts within ten minutes of her waking up after surgery. In front of Tyson and a few nurses. It should have been a private moment, but at that point he would have fucking yelled it across a crowded room.
She smiled at him. “You think Shawn is going to let me go visit my parents soon?”
Wade stilled. “Visit?”
Bess hadn’t told him she loved him back. She didn’t need to, honestly.
The woman took a bullet for him. That told him all he needed to know.
The only time Bess had ever moved fast was that very first night. It was one single leap in a life full of careful steps.
And that was just fine.
She rubbed her lips together, lifting one shoulder to shrug off the full weight of that one single word. “I know it’s killing them to not be able to see me and Parker. Especially with the whole—” she pointed to the spot on her stomach that bore an angry still-healing wound, “gunshot thing.”
Every day he woke up thinking this would be the day she would break down. That the full impact of what Bess was forced to do would finally hit her.
But every night he went to bed holding a woman who had no regrets.
Maybe it was because she knew there was no choice. She had to kill Chris or he would have absolutely killed her.
But it was most likely something else that kept Bess from bearing the weight of the guilt and remorse that plagued most people that first time. Even when they know they’re doing what has to be done.
Bess smiled wide at Parker. “You are such a sweet boy.” She kissed his head, leaving her lips against his skin as she breathed deep.
Ultimately she killed Chris to protect her son. Their son.
Parker would never doubt what Bess would do for him.
And neither would he.
****
“HE WAS IN bed with bad fucking people.” Shawn wiped one hand down his face. “I’m not sure we even know the extent of all the people Chris owed money or favors to. Parker’s kidnapping and ransom was his plan to clean up the mess he made.”
Harlow was leaned back in her seat, Doc Martin’s kicked up on the conference table, her dark eyes focused on Shawn, lips barely twitching at the corner
s.
Bess eyed her new friend before leaning in. “What do you know?”
Harlow glanced her way and gave her a sly smile.
“Do you ladies have something you’d like to share with the group?”
Bess looked up to find all eyes on them. She turned to the woman at her side.
Somehow they had found themselves a part of this group of almost mercenaries.
And maybe she’d earned her place. She had killed a man.
And Harlow was cool as hell and smarter than anyone in here, so they’d be stupid not to include her.
And so far these men were not stupid.
“He was trying to break into the drug trade.” Harlow tapped the pen in her hand against the arm of her chair. “Unfortunately he didn’t have the funds to be as big of a player as he wanted to be. Probably thought Bessie’s family’s money would be the key.”
“The drug trade?” That made no sense. “He didn’t do drugs.”
Harlow lifted her brows. “The traffickers don’t do the drugs. They sell the drugs.” She snorted. “Which is a shame. They’d clear themselves out way faster if they did the drugs too.”
The whole room looked at Harlow.
She held her hands up. “What? Everyone knows drugs will kill you.” She pointed the end of her pen Bessie’s way. “If Chris had done some of the stuff he was trying to figure out how to smuggle up to Canada you probably wouldn’t have had to shoot his ass.”
“He was trying to smuggle them into Canada?” Shawn sat up straighter in his seat, eyes flicking to Dutch before moving back to Harlow. “Are you sure?”
She gave Shawn an irritated look. “Uhh— yeah.”
Shawn leaned back in his seat, the tips of his fingers pressed together as he stared at the table in front of him.
“That other team was checking you out because the actual players thought you might get in their way.”
Bess looked at the men around the table. “Chris wasn’t smart enough to figure out how to do this all on his own.” She looked to Harlow. “Who was he working with?”
“Someone with really good security.” Harlow dropped her feet onto the floor and straightened in her seat. “Thank God Chris was stupid or I wouldn’t have been able to find out what I did. I hacked his email in about thirty second and found emails he sent himself from whoever he was working with.” She opened her computer and flipped it toward the men around them. “I guess he was worried something would happen, so he forwarded the messages to his personal account as a way to have copies. Like a dumbass.”
“But now you have their email, so all you have to do is get into theirs the same way, right?” The heavy weight pressing into Bessie’s chest lifted a little.
She thought having Chris dead would make things easier. Expected things to be smooth sailing from here on out.
But while the danger to her and Parker was gone, a whole group of men she was starting to love like brothers were potentially the only thing standing between some very bad men and a lot of money.
Harlow shook her head. “It’s not that simple.” She rolled the pen between her hands. “I tiptoed around a little, and it looks like if I even get close they will know I’m there.” Her blue eyes moved to Dutch. “I didn’t think it was a good idea for them to know we were onto them.”
Dutch smiled. “Good call, Mowry.” He held her gaze until Harlow broke it, eyes dropping back to the pen in her hand.
“So what in the hell are we going to do?” Bess didn’t like that no one was tossing out ideas yet.
“We?” Shawn’s mouth turned up into a small smile. “Does that mean you’re going to take me up on my offer, Hines?” His attention bounced to where Wade sat beside her. “Or is it Denison? I heard you had a husband now.”
“He was worried they wouldn’t let him stay with me.” Bess glanced at Wade.
That wasn’t why he’d said it. Completely. She knew that.
But they were less than a month into knowing each other. Really knowing each other.
It would be crazy for them to even consider getting married.
And she’d had enough crazy for a little while.
But that didn’t mean they weren’t something. And dating just sounded so—
Not enough.
He’d saved her life. She’d saved his.
They had a child.
He loved her.
And she definitely loved him.
****
“I HAVE SOMETHING for you.” Bess walked into the room they shared, a paper pressed against her chest.
“Oh yeah?” Wade shifted on the bed, straightening a little against the headboard as he closed his laptop and set it on the nightstand. His eyes raked down the front of the soft drape of her pajamas. “I can’t wait.”
She stopped walking, dropping her head to one side. “It’s not that.” Her lips twisted into a smile. “Not just that.”
His hands itched to grab her as she started walking to him again, the need to have her close almost painful.
He’d almost lost her. Again.
Wade held his arms out. “Hurry up.”
Bess carefully eased onto the bed and into his ready embrace. She rested against his chest, shifting around until she found a comfortable position. “You still sore?”
He didn’t like how long it was taking for her to heal. They said the bullet she took didn’t hit anything important, but apparently that didn’t necessarily mean a speedy recovery. Knowing she was in pain killed him, which meant he was suffering right along with her.
“It’s getting better.” She smiled at him. It was tight enough he could tell she was putting it on just for him.
To ease the guilt he fought every day.
“You should have stayed behind me.”
“Then he would have shot you.”
“I know.” Wade rested his palm gently over the spot where the bullet pierced her skin.
Bess frowned at him. “The gun was pointed at your head.” She reached up to run her fingers down the center of his forehead and along the bridge of his nose. “And I like your head the way it is.”
They were never going to agree on this.
He should have been the one to take that bullet. Period.
Bess let out a sigh. “Stubborn man.” She lifted the paper away from her chest and held it up for him to see.
Wade squinted down at the notary stamp across the bottom. “What is that?”
“It’s the paperwork Charles and I submitted to have you added to Parker’s birth certificate.” She flipped the page, revealing a second document. “And here’s the one I filled out to have his name changed.”
Wade swallowed hard. “You’re changing his name?”
Bess nodded.
“You didn’t have to do that, Bess.” He pinched the paper between his fingers and took it from her, unable to look away from the line in the middle where three words were typed in a different font.
Parker William Denison.
“I know I didn’t have to. I wanted to.” Bess rested her head against his shoulder.
He cleared his throat, trying to work around the lump making it hard to speak. “As long as it’s what you wanted.”
Bess tipped her head back to look up at him. “Well, I thought it made the most sense, considering I’ll probably have the same name someday.” Her lips pressed together as soon as the last word was out.
Someday.
He would take that.
Wade placed the papers on top of his closed laptop before wrapping Bess in his arms and slowly rolling her body under his. “I love you, Bess. So fucking much.”
She nodded. “I know.” Her hazel eyes moved over his face, wide and a little scared looking. She blinked a few times before barely shaking her head.
“I love you too.” The words were soft and rushed, spilling out of her mouth before it quickly clamped shut again.
“I know that, Sweetheart.” He cradled her face between his hands, stroking the soft skin of her cheeks with
the pads of his thumbs.
“You do?” She sounded surprised.
“Of course I do.” He leaned down to find the little dip just below the lobe of her ear with his lips. He nipped it before moving his mouth against her ear.
“I know you, Bess. I always have.”
****
Thank you so much for reading Loss Recovery. I hope you loved Bess and Wade’s story. It is one that is very close to my heart and I hope it was able to touch yours.
As I’m sure you’ve guessed, Alaskan Security-Team Rogue will be an ongoing series that is currently slated to have at least 11 books.
That’s right. Eleven.
Maybe even twelve.
I can’t leave any of our boys behind, can I?
Book two will feature Brock and a brand new lady, and I can tell you she is freaking fun.
Counterfeit Relations releases February 14 (Happy Valentine’s Day).
You can preorder your copy here.
I will be doing a cover and blurb reveal in my Facebook readers group soon, so zip on over if you want to be the first to see them!
You can join us here.
P.S. In case you missed it, there is a prequel to Loss Recovery that fills in all the missing pieces about that one very special night Wade and Bess spent together.
Grab your copy of Collateral Damage here.
Loss Recovery (Alaskan Security: Team Rogue Book 1) Page 21