by E. M. Leya
"She's going to be okay. You trained her well." Rani sat across the room from them.
"I know, but I still can't help but worry about you guys." D glanced at Patrick and Marshall, who were watching the computer monitors.
Jeremy looked around the room. "We've built a great team."
D shook his head. "No, we've built a great family."
"Even better." Jeremy smiled, glad that they were finally at a place where everything seemed to be running smoothly. Everyone was trained and doing their part. There were still little things to work out, but for the most part, they were fully up and running. It was a bit overwhelming to sit back and think about all they did. Leading the team with D was something he'd never dreamed he'd be doing, but now that this was his life, he couldn't imagine doing anything else.
A text dinged on Jeremy's phone and he glanced down, smiling at the simple text from Jessica. "She's safe and headed to the dump site."
D visibly relaxed. "Thank God."
A second later, the police scanner came to life with the call for officers to report to the sting site. "Sounds like she did a great job. Let's get her home and call it a night." Jeremy rolled his shoulders. He was tired after spending all day on the computers, making sure everything was a go.
"Tomorrow, we'll go over what we are doing next week. I don't want to go in too heavy, but I do want to look into that one where the parents are photographing their kids for profit." D nodded to Marshall. "That was a good find."
"Thanks." Marshall smiled. "Police are on site."
"Good. Jessica should be home in no more than thirty minutes. Great job, everyone. We couldn't do this without you." Jeremy smiled.
Rani stood. "I'm going to bed. If Jess needs me when she gets here, have her wake me."
"Thanks, Rani." Jeremy watched him leave before turning to D. "Wanna grab a beer while we wait?"
D nodded as he stood, glancing at Marshall and Patrick. "Yell if anything changes."
Once out in the kitchen, Jeremy handed D a bottle and took one for himself. "So, the kids have grown up and gone off on their own," he teased.
"That's exactly what it feels like, doesn't it?" D grinned. "We've come a long way. Jessica has proven herself, and now that the shit with her brother seems to have blown over, I think we can finally sit back and relax as we focus on taking down the pedophiles."
"We can never let our guard down." Jeremy still worried someone would recognize D when they went out, which wasn't very often. "You look good with the longer hair. I like it." He tugged on a strand.
"I'm getting used to it." D shook his head, sending his hair every which way.
"Know what I like best about it?" Jeremy grinned.
"What?"
"Holding it in my fist when I fuck you from behind."
D's eyes lit up. "Come to think about it, that might be my favorite part too."
Jeremy took a long sip of his beer. "We've come a long way in just a few months."
"We have, but we have even farther to go. I still need to find a therapist." D sighed.
"We'll get there. Bryon said he'd keep an eye open as well. The right person will come along. So far, we've been lucky."
"We have. I just dread the day our luck runs out."
Jeremy frowned. "We aren't talking that way, remember?"
D nodded. "Right, positive only." He took a drink of his beer.
They sat in silence, waiting for Jessica to get home. That was one thing that Jeremy loved about D. Even when they were doing nothing more than staring out the window, watching for headlights, they were comfortable and content. They didn't need the conversation or the sex to have things work for them. It sure added to the relationship, but it was just a small part of a larger whole. He'd never spent so much time together and not gotten tired of someone. That said a lot. Even with his ex, he would need to plan days apart, unable to handle the tension between them. So far, that wasn't happening with D.
Headlights turning into the driveway distracted him from his thoughts. He was excited but nervous to hear how Jessica did on her first solo sting. After her accident, she'd bitched constantly about not being able to go out, and as soon as the cast came off her arm, she was going on every single one she could, so she could solo as soon as possible.
"She made it home in one piece. I count that a success." D smiled as the door opened.
"Well?" Jeremy asked as soon as Jessica walked in.
"That was such a rush. The look of fear in his eyes when he saw what I was going to do was amazing. I kept talking about the kids he hurt, how much pain he caused them, and told him to suck it up. The asshole actually had photos of naked kids framed beside his bed. It was disgusting."
"No problems?" D asked.
"None. It went just like we planned. I was nervous as hell, but just did like you said and focused." She pulled a bottle of water out of the fridge and sat down. "Does this mean I don't have to have you shadow me anymore?"
"I still need to train you on how to handle women, but that's simple. Other than that, you're good to solo. Great job tonight, Jess."
"Thanks." She sighed contently. "I was so afraid you'd kick me off the team after that shit with my brother, then the accident."
"Family doesn't turn family away." D reached over and gripped her shoulder. "This team is family. We stick together."
Jeremy nodded. "I agree. Once we were sure your brother wasn't going to be an issue, there was no looking back."
"I'm sure I'll have a phone call in the morning once he hears about what happened tonight, but like always, I'll tell him to mind his own business. I know he just wants to know if it was me, but the less I tell him, the better. Hopefully, he'll just let it go and won't push for details. That's the problem with a protective big brother. He's always worried about me."
"Just let him know we're looking out for you too. He has nothing to worry about." D set his beer down.
"I'm just sorry we haven't found anything on your attackers. I promise we won't give up." Jeremy had dug as deep as he could, trying to find anything. There was a ton of shit the two assholes were up to, but nothing that the team could get involved with. His hope was that one day they'd mess up bad enough that Kevin could arrest them. For now, that was the best they could do.
"It's okay. I want my revenge, but you're right, this isn't a matter for the team. I understand why you won't bend the rules for anyone. I respect that about you guys." Jessica finished off her water. "Do you guys need anything from me? I'm beat. I want a hot shower to wash the stench of that pedofuck off me, and a good night's sleep."
"Nope, you're good to go. Remember, gun range, Saturday at nine," D said.
"I'll be there," Jessica called over her shoulder as she left the room.
Jeremy laughed. "Quite the family we have, isn't it?"
D nodded. "Like a bunch of teenagers just waiting to cause trouble."
Jeremy tossed his empty beer bottle in the trash. "You want to stay here tonight?"
"Yeah, I'm too tired to go home." D stood, tossing his own bottle in the garbage.
"You lock up. I'll let the other kids know we're off to bed." Jeremy headed down the hallway. As he did, he thought about how perfect his life had become. With everything that happened, one would think his life would be a mess, but despite being wanted by the police, and being part of a highly sought-after vigilante team, he was happier than he'd ever been. Life was far from perfect, but he didn't want perfect. He wanted it just how it was. Because with D by his side, there was nothing he couldn't face. Good times or bad, he had everything he never knew he wanted, and he wasn't going to let anything take it away.
EPILOGUE
D looked out over the beach in Florida, taking in the waves as they crashed against the sand. Not too far from where he sat with Jeremy, Faith, Xander, and Matt were tossing a football back and forth. It was good to see everyone again. It was hard to believe that almost a year had gone by since he'd been arrested. Time flew by. He was sure it wouldn't have g
one so fast if he'd been stuck in prison.
The fact they were clear across the country, leaving Rani in charge of the team, spoke volumes about how much they trusted those they worked with. He still didn't have the connection with all of them that he had with Xander and his old team, but it was getting there. He trusted them to take care of things and handle any situation that came up. They were only a phone call and a plane ride away if anything went wrong.
"You look happy." Jeremy glanced over at him.
"I am. It's good to get away, and even better to be on the beach again. If I had to shovel snow one more time, I think I was going to scream." D sighed. "Colorado is beautiful, but I could handle only living there in the summer."
"It's not so bad. I actually expected worse." Jeremy reached for a beer that he had sitting in a cooler beside him. He handed it to D before getting one for himself. "At least you got a short vacation."
Christmas in Florida had been Faith's idea. She wanted to check out Disney World and all the other tourist sites. While D was happy to tag along, he would have been just as happy sitting on the beach, enjoying the sun instead. "We should make this a habit." D brushed sand off his leg. "Not just to escape the snow, but so we can have some time alone without all the stress on us."
"Hawaii next year?" Jeremy grinned.
"Now that sounds perfect." D clinked his beer bottle to Jeremy's. He pushed the bottle into the sand to keep it upright, and relaxed back onto the towel he was laying on. The sun was hot against his skin, but after a freezing Colorado winter, he welcomed it, even if it meant a bit of a sunburn.
His new tattoos still were odd to him, and he did a double take each time he looked into the mirror, but they did make a difference, and with his longer hair, and a slight bit of facial hair, he was secure enough to go out in public. After almost a year, news about his escape had disappeared, and being on the other side of the country from where it happened was a big plus too. "I could get used to this."
"Too bad we have too much work at home to enjoy the good life." Jeremy sighed. "Maybe someday we can retire."
"Maybe?" D laughed. "How about we will retire someday." He didn't hesitate to think about that happening with Jeremy by his side. While they hadn't pushed their relationship too hard, he was pretty sure they both knew it was a forever thing. He planned on asking Jeremy to move in with him once the weather improved, because he'd be damned if he was going to help him move with six inches of snow on the ground. They spent all their time together anyway. It made sense to have one house.
"What are you grinning about?" Jeremy asked, rolling to his side, and resting his head on D's chest.
"You," D admitted without shame.
"Your addiction need feeding?" Jeremy blew over his nipple.
D shivered, but shook his head. "For the longest time, sex was my addiction, but now I have a new one." D smiled.
"Oh, you do?" Jeremy grinned.
"You." He wrapped his arms around Jeremy, ignoring the sand that was getting all over them. As he thought about all that had happened over the last year, he realized that the monsters who had chased him so long were gone, and he was finally free.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Emma Marie Leya, lives in Salt Lake City, Utah with her daughter and two dogs. When she isn't writing, she is an avid swimmer with a passion for the mountains. You can often find her playing outdoors.
You can contact Emma and find out more about her books at…
https://www.facebook.com/E.M.LEYA/
You can also find a STK awareness page if you are interested at…
https://www.facebook.com/STKbooks/
Want to talk about my books? Come join my Facebook group!
Leya's Lovers
ALSO AVAILABLE FROM E.M. LEYA
Most of the books are available on Amazon and on Kindle Unlimited.
Find E.M. Leya's Author Page on Amazon by clicking here.
STAND ALONE BOOKS
LOVE PLUS ONE — (mmf erotic romance)
OUT OF THE FLAMES — (mm romance)
FINDING HOPE — (mf romance)
THE JUDGE — (mmff erotic romance)
WESTERN INHERITANCE — (mm erotic romance)
UNCLE — (mm romance)
A LITTLE BIT ROCK AND ROLL— (mm romance)
COMING HOME — (mm romance)
TRUSTING TRENT — (mm romance)
LEARNING TO LOVE — (mm romance)
VACATION — (mf romance)
BIGFOOT — (mm romance)
JULIE — (mf romance)
LOST IN THE CROWD — (mm romance)
PASTOR'S DAUGHTER — (mfm erotic romance)
THE BOSS — (mm romance)
PUSHED (mm romance)
A VAMPIRE FOR HALLOWEEN (mm romance short)
MASKED — (mm romance, light bdsm)
TIME GONE BY — (mm romance)
THE PRINCE (mm fantasy romance)
SECOND CHANCE (mm romance)
LOVE UNDERCOVER – (mm romance short)
KITTEN CLAWS AND PUPPY BREATH- (mm romance)
PRIDE – (mm romance)
WASHED UP – (mm romance)
LIGHT BEYOND THE DARK – (mm romance)
WAKING UP DEAD – (mm romance short)
RAGS AND RICHES SERIES
WINTER FREEZE (mm romance)
LOVE JAKE (mm romance)
ONE MORE NIGHT (mm romance)
HEALING TOUCH (mm romance)
CAMERA SHY (mm romance)
INKED (mm romance)
THE WAY INSIDE (mm romance)
AS I AM (mm romance)
BEGIN AGAIN (mm romance)
THE ROAD HOME (mm romance)
SOUND OF SILENCE (mm romance)
SAVE THE KIDS SERIES (STK)
PAIN – (mm romance)
SECERT— (mm romance)
HEAL – (mm romance)
FREE – (mm romance)
TALES OF THE MERMAN SERIES
SAGE — Tales of the merman 1 (mm romance)
RANDY — Tales of the merman 2 (mm romance)
HEARTS NOT PARTS BOOKS
LOVE IN TRANSITION — (transgender male to female romance)
FLUIDITY (gender fluid mm romance)
TERRIN PASS PACK SERIES
BITTEN (shifter mm romance)
FOUND (shifter mm romance)
BLINDED (shifter mm romance)
MOTEL MINI SERIES
DEBT PAID — motel mini 1 (mmm reluctant erotica short)
MY SON'S BEST FRIEND — motel mini 2 (mm erotica short)
SIBLING SEDUCTION — motel mini 3 (mf taboo erotica short)
MY HUSBAND'S LOVER — motel mini 4 (ff reluctant erotica)
*DOUBLE TAKE — motel mini 5 (mm taboo twin erotic short)
PAYBACK— motel mini 6 (fmmm reluctant erotica short)
BLACKMAILED-motel mini 7 (mm blackmailed erotic short)
PIERCED-motel mini 8 (ff friends to lovers erotic short)
MOTEL MINI BOX SET Books 1-5 MM, FF, MF, Taboo, and Reluctant
*Available only in box set.
SINFUL TEMPTATION COLLECTION
HORIZONTAL ANALYSIS with Nicole Colville (mm romance)
ABSOLUTION with Nicole Colville (mm romance)
ROCKY PEAKS SERIES with Nicole Colville
The Journey Home (mm romance)
CHRISTIAN ROMANCE
HARMONY- (mf romantic suspense)
THE CHALLENGE- (mf New Adult romance)
FRENCH BOOKS
LE JUGE (French Edition) — (mmff erotic romance)
*MOTEL MINI BOX SET FRENCH Books 1-5 MM, FF, MF, Taboo, and Reluctant
DETTE PAYÉE — motel mini 1
LE MEILLEUR AMI DE MON FILS — motel mini 2
*SÉDUCTION FRATERNELLE — motel mini 3
LA MAÎTRESSE DE MON MARI — motel mini 4
*DOUBLE PRISE — motel mini 5
*Comptable pourrait ne pas être disponible chez tous les détaillants
r /> E.M. Leya, Free (Save The Kids Book 4)