Carter then kept the man for a while to make certain he couldn’t warn Elias of his impending death.
A brief time ago, that same team took over Elias’s estate with orders to take him to the specified warehouse. Another team should be at his home this very minute, stripping the place of anything personal. This way, if the police get wind something went down, it’ll look like Elias fled the country.
Now that most of the plan has been put into action, all that’s left is for my confrontation with Elias. It’s one I’m looking forward to, but at the same time, one I’m dreading. Carter and Tobias do most of the killing for me, because as the head of the organization, I don’t have to get my hands bloody if I don’t want to. However, Elias went after the woman I love. If I don’t take care of him in a way that is sure to make anyone second guess the stupidity of going after Charli, I’ll look weak.
Tobias pulls in behind the warehouse, and there’s only one vehicle present—the cleanup crew. I push open the passenger door and climb out with Tobias right on my heels.
When we enter the warehouse, Carter meets us with a flashlight and guides us to the main room. Lighting has been set up, and plastic has been spread across most of the room’s floor. Elias is sitting on a chair positioned in the center of the plastic. He’s bound and gagged, sweating profusely, and his eyes are wild with fear.
I glance at the various weapons laid out a good twenty feet away from Elias. Both Carter and Tobias station themselves in the doorway, waiting for me to take care of business.
I bend down and pick up a wicked looking dagger. This’ll do for now. The machete will come later.
Elias’s eyes are wide as I slowly walk over and stand before him, head tilting to the side as I look at him coldly. He tries to talk from behind the gag, but I don’t care to hear anything he has to say.
“If you’re going to fuck me over, you better damn well make certain you’re smarter than me,” I say ominously.
Elias begins shaking his head, trying to deny it.
“You went after Charli because you made a deal you couldn’t follow through. You entertained the idea that you could control me?” I ask derisively. I shake my head with disgust. “You’re just an annoying voice in my ear most days, a gnat that I haven’t put down because you’ve been with the organization for so long. I valued your loyalty, that’s the only reason you were still in your position. I will never partner with Serrato, and you built yourself your own coffin by thinking that I would.”
Sweat trickles down Elias’s face as his beady eyes beg me to let him live.
“Since you’re so involved in all that I do, I’ll humor you,” I say in a voice soft as silk. “I’ll share my plans of how I’m going to clean this mess you’ve made.” My eyes hold his, and I let him see the murderer that lives deep within me, the one that peeks out from time to time. “First, I’m going to kill you, but not in a way that someone of your stature should be allotted. No, I am going to dismember you and send a piece to Serrato once a month as a reminder that I can’t and won’t be coerced. Not by him, and not by my own men,” I say calmly.
Elias whimpers.
I continue, my voice dangerously quiet as I carry on our one-sided conversation. “After I butcher you, I will be paying Serrato a personal visit. An attempt has been made on my woman, and I’m rightly suspicious of his organization. He can’t beat me in an outright war, so he’s going to fall all over himself to separate himself from your disastrous attempt at manipulation. The merger will be promptly taken off the table, because he’ll know it won’t happen with the suspicions of his organization clouding my judgement.” I give him a chilling smile. “Your death will serve more than one purpose, so thank you for that, Elias.” I begin to toy with the knife in my hand as Elias squirms.
I know Serrato will back off for a while, but after enough time has passed for the ‘incident’ to become water under the bridge, he’ll be back—possibly stronger and more powerful. I’ll deal with him when the time comes.
For now, I can only concentrate on the present, and that means keeping Charli safe.
I step forward with the knife, ready to get down to business.
Thirty-two
Charli
I can’t sleep.
Not when I know Devlin is out there, dealing with whomever had made the attempt on my life. This is going to become a way of life for me, and I need to compartmentalize my feelings about it. Am I worried things could go wrong? Of course. If I allow myself to entertain these thoughts, will it eventually eat away at me and cause issues? Almost certainly. Instead of focusing on my concerns, I choose to focus on the ‘after.’ As long as he comes home to me every night, that’s all that matters.
I’m also unsure of what his mood will be. Eventually, I’ll be able to predict what he needs, but tonight, I’m prepared. Towels are waiting in the bathroom. A couple of bottles of liquor, and two glasses, are waiting on the nightstand. If it’s sex he needs, I’m all for it. I know he’s capable of handling situations like tonight on his own, but he’s not alone anymore. I want to be there for him.
So instead of sleeping as he’d suggested before he’d left earlier, I’ve been waiting in the main room. It’s a long wait, and the hours drag on until it’s close to three in the morning when he enters the room from the direction of the hall.
I’d left the lights on, and he looks surprised to see me.
My eyes roam over him, taking in the disguise on his face, and the jeans and hoodie he’s wearing. There’s a few dark patches on his clothes, probably blood. He also has a dark smear on his jawline near a fake tattoo.
His shock has shifted to alarm and frustration. “You weren’t supposed to still be awake. I didn’t want you to see me like this,” he says.
I may not be able to hear him, but I can see how disturbed he is at my seeing him at what he thinks is his worst. I walk over and reach for his hand, but he won’t let me touch it as he backs away from me, his eyes clearly upset. I give him a look and hold out my hand. “Stop acting like a child,” I scold.
His eyes widen.
I roll my eyes, grab his forearm, and begin leading him towards the curved staircase. The only reason I can lead him anywhere is because he’s willingly tagging along.
When we reach the bedroom, I take him into the bathroom and turn to face him, touching his face. “I love you,” I tell him. “All of you. Even the man before me.”
He regards me with intense eyes.
“I’m not…disgusted. I see a man that has done what he has to in order to protect me,” I say earnestly.
He visibly exhales. “Damn, you amaze me every day, Charli,” he finally says.
“Good.” I reach for the hem of his sweatshirt. “You need a shower. I wouldn’t mind one, too,” I say playfully.
Heat immediately stirs in his gaze. “I’m not going to turn down an offer like that.”
I didn’t think he would.
Epilogue
Five years later
The watch on my wrist is vibrating, dragging me from the dream I’d been caught up in. The sensation of my tender, heavy breasts immediately alerts me that it’s time for Lila’s morning feeding.
I open my eyes and yawn. Devlin’s side of the bed is empty, and the baby monitor’s light on his nightstand is glowing, letting me know that he’s probably in with Lila.
After I turn off my alarm, I rise from the bed and grimace. Morning’s don’t bother me, but the sore breasts are uncomfortable. Before, when Lila was feeding every three hours, they didn’t hurt like this. But now she’s skipping her two AM feeding and sleeping six hours straight. It should be a blessing, but by the time I wake at six for her morning feeding, my breasts are so full of milk that they’re engorged.
As I pass by the large windows in our bedroom, I pull the curtains open, allowing the morning sunshine to filter in. Once Devlin climbs out of bed for any reason other than the bathroom, he’s up for good.
My eyes flicker to the giant canvas prints
hanging above the bed, and a smile curves my lips. The wall is now painted a warm cream, and we have three large canvas prints hanging. Our wedding portrait, a maternity photo of myself in a flowing white gown with my belly protruding from the silky material, and lastly, our first family photo taken only four weeks ago.
Our home is filled with photos that have captured the best moments of our life together—something that Devlin has become obsessed with. He wants to be reminded of all the good moments so he can cherish the things he’d never had as a child.
I walk to the open doorway of what used to be Devlin’s huge, walk-in closet. We’d turned it into the nursery and bought two dressers for the master bedroom for our clothes. Anything that doesn’t fit in those are in a closet down in the guest room. I don’t need much space for clothing, but Devlin has so many clothes that I tease him all the time about being a suit fanatic.
I peek in the doorway, my eyes sweeping over the lavender nursery fit for a princess. Devlin’s sitting in the white rocking chair near the crib. He’s wearing only lounge pants, and Lila is cuddled against his bare chest, her little bottom sticking out.
Both are fast asleep.
My heart melts over the sight.
In only three short months, Lila has taken over our lives and made us a family. I hadn’t known how wonderful motherhood could be, nor could I have known just how much love one can have for their child.
Fur brushes my ankles, and I look down to see Alien. We have two Bengal cats, and I’m sure Predator is lurking nearby. They were a spur of the moment purchase when I’d come across an ad and insisted we buy them. I was already wanting to nurture something, but we weren’t quite ready to become parents, so we’d settled for the cats. They’d originally began their lives as Tippy and Ingo, but after all the trouble we had housebreaking the mischievous kittens, Devlin dubbed them Alien and Predator.
I move away from the doorway, deciding to let Devlin and Lila sleep just a little longer. Alien remains right on my heels as I walk through the bedroom and down the short hall to the stairwell. Predator is on his way up, and as soon as he spies me, he darts down the stairs, probably racing to the kitchen.
It’s breakfast time for them.
They both twine around my bare ankles as I prepare their food and then put their bowls on the floor.
I wince as my sore nipples press against the fabric of my spaghetti strap nightie. Five minutes, and then I’m waking my little angel and her handsome devil of a father.
With a little time on my hands, I detour to the other guest room that had been converted to my office. I’ll check my emails quickly before my morning becomes too busy. I sit down in my chair and turn on the computer.
I no longer work at the library, and instead, I run a youth center for children with disabilities. This way they can be themselves without feeling like they’re the minority. Devlin and I own the center, so I am my own boss, and Devlin has remained a very silent partner.
I also have a blog about what it’s like being a member of the deaf community. Followers can ask me questions, simply connect with me, or connect with others that follow the blog. I also make tutorial videos on how to sign in ASL. A lot of people are interested in learning, and I’m still amazed over the number of followers I have.
Life is great, and I mean really great.
Devlin and I have been married for nearly five years, he’d proposed shortly after we’d agreed to build a life together. Life hasn’t always been easy, but we’ve made it through.
I glance up when I spy Devlin in the doorway. My eyes run over his bare, sexy abs as he walks over to me. He bends down, giving me a lingering kiss. When the kiss lengthens, I rise to my feet and move into his embrace, but I’m soon wincing when my breasts come into contact with his bare chest.
Devlin pulls back, giving me a rueful smile. Lila is awake and anxious for her breakfast, he signs. He’s quite fluent these days, but I still make it a point to speak every so often, because not only does Devlin like my voice, but so does Lila.
I kiss him on the cheek and move past him, exiting the room to go back upstairs to the nursery. Lila’s face is turning red as she wiggles in the crib, and I quickly pick her up before she can begin to cry. I brush a tender kiss to her forehead, and she promptly settles down and stares at me with fascination.
I coo at her and sink down into the rocking chair, drawing down a strap of my nightgown and baring one of my breasts for her. She promptly latches on, her long lashes drifting closed in contentment.
Movement in the doorway draws my attention, and I see Devlin leaning a shoulder on the doorframe, his gaze fixated on me with open adoration.
I had a rough beginning in life, and quite a few hurdles to overcome, but in the end, it was leading me to Devlin. I know that now, and every second was worth it. My life is perfect, and I wouldn’t change a single thing.
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