by Addison Jane
“You got everything from my apartment,” I gasp. Emotions wash over me and once again the tears start to fall, but beneath them, I’m smiling. I’m smiling so hard my cheeks ache. “This is ours?”
Kace grins as he comes around the counter and brushes my tears from my cheeks with his thumbs. “It is unless you think that’s moving too fast?”
I can’t help the manic laughter that leaves my mouth, it sounds strange, like I am choking. “Too fast? I think we moved well past too fast the day you handed me a gun and asked me to trust you.”
Kace leans back against the bench top, his eyes constantly watching me as I rush through the space running my hands along all the surfaces, taking in the different textures and smells of new leather from the sofa.
“I thought you could go back to college,” Kace says suddenly, halting my steps. I look over and raise my eyebrow at him.
“College?”
He nods. “Yeah, you know, finish off your Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree and open your own business. One where you can travel out to farms and work with large animals like you wanted. But also go to people’s homes, too.”
I open my mouth to speak, but nothing comes out. Instead, I just kind of stand here looking like some kind of fish out of water. “Wow! How is this my life right now? How is this happening?”
Kace walks over and takes me into his arms. “You gave up everything. The possibility of a life and future to come with me, I want to give you something in return. Without you, I don’t know what I’d be doing right now, I don’t even know if I’d still be alive.”
I trail my hand down his arm and shake my head. “It’s strange you say that because I’m realizing now that I really didn’t have anything to give up. I was skating by, working, spending too much time watching Netflix. Content with having dreams, but knowing they’d never come to anything. But now… this… this is everything.”
“Come on, there’s more,” he urges, dragging me toward a staircase that I seem to have passed over in my utter awe and amazement.
He leads me upstairs, telling me about the house and the neighborhood. “It’s gated, with security. Half the team are looking at moving into the area. It’ll be super safe for you when I’m away, and there’s a big backyard. Now that we decided to let Daisy stay with Molly for her added protection - just in case - we could get a dog, or you could help foster some, whatever you want.” He’s rambling now, and for the first time I can tell he’s not just excited to show me the house, he’s excited about it himself.
I laugh. “Oh God, don’t tell me Luca is gonna be our neighbor or something,” I say that like it’s a bad thing, but honestly, I think I might actually kind of enjoy having him close, and I know for a fact Kace would too.
He rolls his eyes. “He’s trying to move himself in, so having him next door would be a bonus.”
We check out each bedroom, four in total, before heading back to the master where there’s a walk-in wardrobe and an ensuite with a deep, decadent spa bath.
“You’ll be heading back to work soon,” I say as I take a seat at the edge of the king bed.
The room is quiet for a second. “You know it has to be done.”
I nod, taking a seat on the edge of the bed. “Yes, I know. I know how much it means to you, and to be honest, I’m proud of the fact that you’re this amazing man. A man that I get to love and support, but it still scares me, and it’s gonna scare me every single time you walk out that door.”
“I can’t lie and tell you that I’ll always be safe,” Kace tells me, taking a seat beside me, the bed dipping under his weight. “That’s simply not true. Especially now that we’ve gotta go in and fix the shit-storm Camilla started. There are gonna be people who are pissed the fuck off that she’s been taken out.”
I nod. “And you’re gonna be there, in this place where your mother used to be, fixing her mistakes and working beside a father who you thought was dead. I mean come on, Kace, is your mind really ready to deal with that mess?”
He sighs, inhaling deeply before he turns his body to face me. “Yes, because I know that once again, we will be doing what’s right. And I’ll know that at the end of the day if I’m about to tear my fucking hair out or lose my damn mind, I can come home and sink into bed with you. The one person who saw the good inside me back when I didn’t even know myself if it was there.”
His words soothe the aching need in my gut to protect him, to fight him, and to plead for him not go back there. Because I know he can’t stop. Kace is determined and caring, and he’s one of the good guys. One of the guys you want fighting for you, protecting you. Who am I to steal something like that from a world that by the sounds of it, needs him just as much as I do?
His heart is in his work, and I fucking love him for it, just like he loves me for mine.
The fact that he’d thought of all this. Planned how I can go back to college and how I can incorporate my love for animals into our life.
Not my life.
Our life.
It might scare the crap out of me.
I might spend every moment he’s gone wondering if he’s okay, or if he will come home.
But the one thing I do know is that my mom was right.
Death comes every day to those who don’t deserve it. To those who other people love. To those who never lived a moment of their lives with regret or not following their heart or dreams.
And I would not let that be us.
I will love Kace with every inch of my being, for as long as we have left because this is it.
He is it.
Whether in life or death, our souls are connected, and they will find each other again someday. But for now…
“Is this our bed?”
He raises an eyebrow at me. “Yeah, I got all new furniture. Is that okay?”
“Definitely…” I grin. “But it feels a little hard… I think we need to break it in.”
He’s on his feet before I can even finish my sentence, picking me up and throwing my body into the center of the bed before crawling over the top of me. “I fucking love you.”
“I love you, too… now show me how much.”
Lily and I moved our stuff from the hotel to our new house that night.
Unfortunately, we weren’t alone, my whole team inviting themselves over for a barbecue to celebrate. One drink led to a few more and the house was suddenly full of bodies on couches, and in bedrooms and Luca who crashed out on the floor of our bedroom.
But you know what, neither of us minded one single fucking bit.
That’s what family’s for.
“You’ve gotten slow after all this time off,” Luca jokes as he throws a punch which I easily avoid. It’s taken nearly a week, but The Agency’s now clear of Camilla’s cronies. The clear out has slashed our numbers almost in half, becoming obvious how easily she’d begun to integrate herself, her plan coming together almost perfectly.
I still cringe when I think about how easily things could have been so different.
The Agency is still closed for business, while my dad is scouring the country, searching to fill much-needed spaces in our ranks. If shit went down right now, we’re basically screwed. We have no manpower, no backup and not enough people with the skills needed to support us.
But we will get there.
And we will be stronger than ever.
“It’s all the sex I’m having,” I taunt him, laughing when he screws up his face.
“Lily is like my sister now. I’d appreciate if you didn’t talk to me about your sex life,” he groans. “And anyway, I’m getting laid too. Plenty.”
“Your hand doesn’t count.” I laugh, raising my forearm to block another punch.
He stops and lets out a long bout of laughter. “But she loves me, it’s a deep and meaningful connection.” He holds his hand to his mouth, pecking at his hand and making noises I never imagine I ever want to hear him make again.
I shake out my stiff arms, stretching them across my ches
t. “It’s good to hear you laugh, man.”
“I’m not paying you to make out with yourself, Deveraux,” my dad’s booming voice comes from the doorway.
“Wait,” he gasps. “We’re getting paid?”
Dad and I both shake our heads.
“We need to meet in my office. Now! Both of you.” He walks out with his usual hard stomping footsteps that demand respect just from his walk and we both follow pulling off our gloves.
Dad’s been appointed as the Director of The Agency, taking Camilla’s place a couple of days ago, he fits into the role perfectly and certainly doesn’t play favorites. He’s tough but fair, and no one looks differently at him for his disability. In fact, they admire him for it.
We step inside his office which is already filled with the other members of the SO7.
At first, I’d felt awkward coming in here, the memories of Camilla still fresh and raw. But a few days ago, Dad had it redecorated. The furniture was changed from light and fluffy to leather and dark accents. His new desk is dark mahogany, hard and rough around the edges but strong and sturdy, just like Dad. The new masculinity gives it a different vibe, one that reflects who my dad will be as our new leader.
I spot a young girl sitting on one of the large armchairs, I recognize her immediately—Everly Coal. I nod my head, offering her a welcoming smile which she returns.
That is until Luca brushes up beside me licking his lips like he’s just spotted his favorite meal. I roll my eyes and move over to the wall to stand next to Axel, the both of us grinning as we know what’s about to come.
“Well, hello there,” Luca says to Everly.
“No,” Everly replies.
“But I haven’t even—”
“Just no! Keep it to yourself, pretty boy.”
“Did she just?” Luca questions, looking around the room as though he’s the only one who’d seen her brush him off. “But I’m irresistible to women,” Luca rebuts looking forlorn.
“I’m not most women,” Everly throws back, unable to keep the smirk off her face.
He smiles wide. “Challenge accepted.”
She half-smiles and shakes her head. “Prepare for utter annihilation, pretty boy.”
“I like you. We’re gonna be good friends,” Tanner says and Everly smiles.
“Okay enough! We have things to discuss. Everyone, this is Everly Coal. She’s the daughter of the family I stayed with when I was recovering. She is the hacker genius who helped me keep in touch with The Agency while I was out of touch,” my dad explains.
I feel a small twinge in my chest, remembering exactly what he’d gone through—months of rehabilitation and years of being separated.
“So you’re the one who cracked my firewalls,” Noah says, scratching his head and looking at Everly with confusion.
Obviously, the dark haired beauty isn’t your typical nerd. She has long black hair that trails all the way down her back, and her skin is pale but not in a sickly looking way. She reminds me of Snow White, and in fact, has always seemed to hold herself with an air of royalty.
Her dad and mine were friends before her dad lost his battle with cancer almost six years ago. While Everly was a lot younger than I was, I’d always join Dad when he would go visit Mitchell in the hospital, my respect for the man extremely high.
Everly was there more often than not, telling him about her day at school, showing him pictures she’d taken or reading him books. She’d often be wearing her cheerleader’s uniform, and I remember the pride in Mitchell’s eyes the day he told us that she was made prom queen at her senior prom.
He loved her with every being in his body. She was his pride and joy and she was daddy’s little girl.
Everly sits up taller and nods in response to Noah’s question. “The one and the same.”
“No one should have been able to crack that,” he replies, his tone filled with more disappointment in his own abilities than surprise at hers.
Everly shrugs like it was just another day at the office. “What can I say, I’m really, really good at what I do.”
“Where did you learn?”
“Self-taught.”
Noah’s face lights up and I see an instant connection between the two, a comradery. “Hmmm… like me. I might need to pick your brain. See what level we’re both at just to see if you’re a good fit for our team, you know, basic protocol.”
“Noah, I think I’ll decide that,” Dad says as Everly smirks.
“I’ve already hacked into your station and locked you out. Also, your handheld device too, anticipating this kind of response. Just to show you that I am good enough, Noah.” She sits back as he stares at her in confusion.
“What?”
“Check!”
He pulls out his handheld device and we all move in a little closer, eager to see this new girl screw with our best and favorite tech nerd. Sure enough it’s locked and he can’t access it. He screws up his face and huffs. “I hope you have the correct access to unlock it.”
She grins. “It will automatically unlock in an hour, don’t worry.”
Jack taps his fingers on the desk in front of him. “See, she’s good. She’ll be around here a bit more. We all good with that?”
Everyone nods except for Noah who’s still fiddling with his device trying to unlock it.
“I’ve invited some other people to join us.” Dad points to the glass door as it pulls open and two familiar faces step inside.
My body tenses immediately. So far, things have been calm. We’d managed to keep Camilla’s troubles within our circle, but I had no doubt that she has friends out there, friends who won’t be happy their alliance with The Agency has been stripped away.
That was coming, I knew that much. But this, this was a whole new problem of its own and one I didn’t expect to deal with so soon.
Ares and Ezra both have stern looks on their face as they step inside Dad’s office. Their eyes flick around, taking us in, the people who are out to absolutely decimate everything their family is built on and burn it to the fucking ground.
“Long time no see,” I grin, even though I know that the reason they are here won’t be a pleasant one.
Ares turns to me and returns my smile. “Hope you’re looking after my little sister.” I see through his smile, noting the dark bags under his eyes and the way his body seems to slump as both he and Ezra begin to relax.
Luca walks past Ares, patting him on the shoulder. “He’s looking after her all right, just a few minutes ago he was telling me—”
“Deveraux!” Dad snaps before I reach out and wrap my fingers around my best friend’s throat. “Sit your ass down, fucker.”
Ares shoves Luca playfully as Luca heads for the sofa where Axel is lounging casually, then looks over at me. “How’s she doing?”
Lily still doesn’t realize the danger her brothers have put themselves in to help us out. She thinks they went back to the Syndicate of their own volition. They made a deal with us and they played their parts really well. We made it look like they were going back to the Syndicate of their own accord. We planned it so the Syndicate would be able to find them and come for them. We needed them back inside to help us find someone we’ve lost, and I guess we’re about to find out whether that plan has worked.
“She’s good… great actually.” I smirk, unable to help myself.
He screws up his nose. “You’re lucky you’re all the way across there so I can’t punch you in the face, smart ass mother fucker.”
“Hey, I can come over there to you if you’d like to try, old man,” I throw back, my smirk only growing bigger.
“Can we get this shit done, please? I have places I need to be,” Dad says gruffly, sitting back in his chair.
“We didn’t expect to see you guys so soon,” I comment seriously.
“Neither did we,” Ares replies with a sigh, fishing something out of his pocket. “But we found something we thought you ought to see.”
He moves forward, slappin
g a small picture down on the coffee table in front of where Axel and Luca are seated. We all move in closer, our eyes narrowing in on the photo. It’s blurry and grainy, but there’s no mistaking the face that takes center stage.
They found her.
Axel braces his elbows on his knees and hangs his head. “When was this taken?” he asks, his voice almost breaking.
“Yesterday.”
“Where?” Axel’s harsh grit in his voice is evident as his muscles tense, I place my hand on his shoulder for support.
Ares clenches his jaw and sighs. “This is where it gets complicated.”
Next in the Series
Coming Soon
Revive – The Vindicated Series Book Three
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