Protected: A Masters and Mercenaries Novella

by Lexi Blake

  “In the morning, she was going to tell you to take me to Dallas,” Ash explained quietly. “She never intended to go with us. Brock gets out of prison any day now and he’s going to come after both of us. She’s going to lie in wait and she’s going to kill him. I can’t allow that to happen because she’ll either lose that battle or go to jail. We need you. You’re a bodyguard. You work for one of the premier security firms in the world. I can’t pay you but I’m begging you to save my mom.”

  “She’s going to try to kill him?” The words didn’t make sense. Genny was gentle. Genny had worried about him going into the military because deep down she’d been a pacifist. The idea of her lying in wait to murder her ex didn’t compute.

  “Yes,” Ash said. “I’m sorry for taking this choice away from her. She’s had very few of them, but I can’t allow her to ruin the rest of her life because she’s protecting me. It might not be fair, but I’m putting it on you. You loved her once. You could love her again.”

  “I never stopped loving her,” he admitted. “But there’s a difference between saying she’s going to kill someone and actually doing it.”

  “She’s got a will in place that gives custody of me to Clint and Lori.”

  He felt like he’d been kicked in the gut. She was planning on doing it. She was going to try to go out in a blaze of glory. His eyes met Asher’s, a moment of pure connection and harmony between the men.

  “Pack a bag for your mother. I suspect you’re already ready,” Wade said. “We’re going to Dallas.”

  Ash was moving before he finished the sentence.

  He looked down at the woman in his arms and promised she would be alive at the end of this.

  Chapter Four

  Genny came awake slowly, her brain a bit on the foggy side. And then she kind of sighed and stretched. She was still dreaming because she was in some kind of heavenly bed. The one she slept in now was hard as a rock and still had metal springs. But this, this was paradise. Her back didn’t hurt and she was warm. And she could smell Wade.

  Definitely dreaming. If she was dreaming she would make the most of it. She reached out, hoping to feel his muscular chest under her hand. All she met with was more quilt.

  Even in her dreams she was far away from him.

  “Real maple syrup is the only way to go,” a masculine voice said from a distance. “And I have to admit I don’t mind putting some chocolate chips in. Now there are people in my life who tell me that means I eat like a five-year-old, but I’m okay with that.”

  “Seriously? Chocolate chip pancakes? I love the world.” She knew that voice. Her baby boy.

  A husky laugh followed. “I’ll make you love it more. We’re sitting down and watching some movies this afternoon. I’ve got to educate you, kid. You’re sure you’ve never seen Jurassic Park?”

  “Entertainment was not high on the list of Howard priorities. I watched a lot of documentaries, but mostly TV and movies weren’t allowed in the house.”

  Her heart ached at the sound of her son’s voice.

  And then it hardened because she remembered what had happened the night before. She sat up in bed, taking in her surroundings as the truth flooded her brain. She’d been in her trailer, drinking tea and talking to Wade. It had been weird to see Wade in her tiny trailer, but she’d felt safer than she had in years with him there. It had been an illusion because she was never safe and wouldn’t be until Brock was taken out, but she’d sat on her rickety barstool and decided to pretend for a night. Then she’d gotten woozy.

  Ash had put something in her drink. He’d even told her he’d done it.

  Where the hell were they? She glanced around the room. It was fairly utilitarian, with a bed covered by a quilt, a dresser with a mirror, and one chair. The place was neat but there wasn’t a lot of personality to it. Definitely decorated by a man, and not one who cared about making things pretty. There were no brightly colored throws or art on the walls. The lamp on the bedside table was simple. On the dresser were two framed photos. One was of the Rycroft brothers. The second was Wade and a group of men. There were seven of them, all with beers in one hand and flipping the bird at whomever was taking the picture.

  She was at Wade’s place. She glanced back toward the bed where a nightstand sat on the right side. There was a digital clock reading 10:20. AM, obviously. She’d slept almost twelve hours? She hadn’t slept more than four or five hours a night in years. Well, at least she knew the damn drugs worked. Someone had gotten her out of her dress and put her in a completely oversized T-shirt. Now she knew why she smelled like Wade.

  But he hadn’t shared the bed with her. The left side of the bed was smooth and unused. He’d given it to her and she would bet anything he’d been the one to change her clothes. Ash would do a lot for her, but he would have left her in the dress she’d worn. Wade had left her in her bra and undies, but they were comfortable enough.

  It couldn’t stand. They’d shoved her in Wade’s truck and taken her to Dallas against her will, though she allowed Wade might not have understood her will. She hadn’t wanted to get into a fight with him the night before and had left the discussion of how things would work until the morning. Still, she had to put her foot down. Wade felt guilty now, but she couldn’t count on anyone. Too much was at stake, and at some point Wade would figure out Brock had simply been determined and it was a mere twist of fate that made him the vehicle to force her to his side.

  And she was ready to have a serious talk with her son.

  Except she couldn’t find her clothes. Screw it. She was angry enough that the part of her legs they saw wouldn’t matter. The T-shirt was like a mini dress. She strode through the door and into the hallway.

  The heavenly smell of bacon hit her nose.

  God, it had been forever since she’d had bacon. Brock had put her on a diet the day they married. He’d controlled what she ate, who she saw, what she did. And then after Brock had gone to jail, she had to pay for everything with what little she had. They’d been eating ramen noodles and boxed pasta for months.

  Tears pierced her eyes, clouding her vision. She wanted this life for her son, a life where bacon and pancakes were normal, where no one ground him into the dirt if he rebelled, where the authority figure in his life wanted to watch movies with him.

  But it was dangerous for her to stay here. Ash might be able to have those things, but until she did what she needed to do, she couldn’t begin to dream about it for herself.

  She took a deep breath and strode in, pointing her finger at her criminally-minded child. “You are grounded.”

  Ash held his hands up. “I’m really glad Wade still has your gun.”

  Wade was standing at the stove. He’d forgotten to put on his shirt and it was all she could do to not drool. That man was fine. The promise of his youth had been fulfilled. He was all muscle, his chest covered with tan skin and some scars that spoke of years with the Green Berets. His jeans were worn and hung low on his hips. And he had the most phenomenal ass she’d ever seen on a man. “Hey, good morning, princess. I’m sorry about the mickey. I would like to note for the record that I had no knowledge of what was coming and I managed to catch you before you hit the floor. Coffee?”

  He was acting like this was some joke they would laugh about. “You knew where you were going. You knew I wasn’t conscious when you shoved me in your truck and drove me away from my home.”

  He flipped a pancake neatly in the pan. “That rickety trailer wasn’t a home. It was a set of accidents waiting to happen. And I’m pretty sure someone was cooking meth in that place. I did not shove you anywhere. I was very gentle. I gently laid you in the back of the cab and belted you in for safety. Ash manipulated the situation so I was the only adult left who could make decisions. After careful consideration, I decided I could either call the police on the kid or bring you both up here and start his rehabilitation. Besides, you told me we would talk in the morning. It’s morning.”

  “He’s totally right about tha
t,” Ash said.

  “You keep quiet and maybe you’ll see the light of day in a couple of years.” She turned to Wade. “I need to go back.”

  A single brow rose on Wade’s handsome face. “To that dilapidated trailer? There’s no security there. It’s safer for you here by far. I’ve already got a couple of calls in to friends around town. We’ve got a meeting with the principal of the local middle school first thing Monday. I’m taking a week off to get you two settled in.”

  The temptation to let him take over was so great. “Ash can stay. That was my plan all along.”

  “Which was why I had to slip you that sleeping pill,” Ash added. He winced when she looked his way. “Did I mention I was scared, Mommy?”

  She couldn’t talk to him right now. “Don’t you even play that with me. You knew I had a plan. You know I’ve spent months studying up on him to make sure he’s the right man to watch over you. You don’t get to ruin the plan because you don’t agree with me.” Months and months she’d spent first talking to Clint and Lori and then spending what little money she had to get a report on her former lover. She had to make sure he hadn’t changed in the long years they’d been apart. She turned to the man she knew would take care of her son. “Wade, I will sign everything I need to in order to get him into a good school, but I need to be in Broken Bend.”

  “Why?” Wade asked the question like he already knew the answer.

  “I have to be there when Brock gets out of jail. We have things to work out.” It wasn’t exactly a lie. They needed to work out his death. When he had a bullet in him, maybe she could come back for her son. And if not, she’d made plans for him. The one thing that wasn’t going to happen was Ash going back to his father.

  “I have that handled,” Wade said smoothly. “We’re going to talk to a lawyer on Tuesday. His name is Mitchell and he’s a friend of mine. He’s very terse and not all that friendly, but you’ll like his wife and he’s excellent at what he does.”

  “I’m already divorced.” She didn’t see what a lawyer could do.

  “Mitch can try to revamp the custody agreement,” Wade explained. “Right now it’s fifty fifty, correct?”

  So Ash had been talking. “Yes. Despite the fact that he was under indictment at the time. I was terrified he would take Ash and run. I was relieved when they revoked his bail. He flew to Mexico to meet with some business associates when he was under strict orders not to leave the county.”

  “I turned him in,” Ash said with a smile. “And then told him it was safe to come home. I’m an excellent actor. For years I’ve played the dutiful son and it finally paid off. It was beautiful when they met his plane and hauled him away in handcuffs.”

  “Yeah, well, the local judge still granted him joint custody. I think he might have given him full if there hadn’t been a bunch of press at the time.” The fact that a great deal of Texas knew the story had been the only thing that had saved her. Brock and his family had controlled the local legal system for a long time. “Clint made that happen. He pressed the local papers to cover the story and it got picked up in Houston and San Antonio.”

  “Clint made a lot of things happen,” Wade replied, his eyes narrowing.

  “I love it when he does that,” Ash said with a grin. “It’s super intimidating. His eyes are like lasers. I’ve gotta learn how to do that. Mom, you were right. He’s awesome. He can kill a man like twenty different ways and he makes great pancakes.”

  Heat flashed through her system. “I didn’t say he was awesome. I merely said he was capable of taking care of you.”

  Wade’s gorgeous face split into a breathtaking smile. “I’m glad you think so because that’s exactly what I plan to do. Take care of you. Both of you. There’s no need for you to ever be in a room with that bastard again. Definitely not alone. And Mitch is going to attempt to get the case moved here to Dallas. He can make the argument that you’ve begun a new life here in a place where the scandal can’t touch your son and where you can make a decent living. You start your job at McKay-Taggart next Monday. Nice salary and benefits.”

  Her head was spinning, and not because she’d been drugged. “A job? I have a job? I can’t have a job. I don’t even think I have clothes.”

  “Wade’s figured that out, too. You’re going shopping with some of his friends’ wives,” Ash explained. “I am, too. I need a flashy wardrobe if I’m going to make a splash in the new school. I’ve decided to go with mysterious newcomer. Is he a Hollywood star undercover? Or perhaps an operative out to save the school. Wade says women like a little mystery. I’m totally into bacon. I think it’s time for me to move on to other things I was forbidden. I want to pick up some chicks.”

  Oh, dear lord. She wanted to watch him blossom into the wild, imaginative, loving man she knew he could be. She’d done one good thing in the last fifteen years and now he was going to spread his wings. And she wouldn’t watch it because she had to ensure that he could live and thrive. Wade could bring in anyone he liked, but she knew Brock always won in the end. If she gave him the confrontation he would want, maybe he would leave their son alone. “I would like to know where my dress and purse are. I’ll get myself home.”

  “Genny,” Wade began.

  Ash had lost the grin and gone pale. She’d seen that look on his face far too many times. It aged him and reminded her that he was old beyond his years. He had been forced to act, to pretend in order to protect them both. She’d taught him how to make himself nearly invisible, how to pick his battles. “Mom, I’d like to talk to you before you go. I packed some clothes for you and I’ll give you the bag if you’ll talk to me for a moment.”

  Yeah, she’d probably taught him that, too. Too much of her life had been a negotiation, finding any kind of leverage she could in order to get the tiniest of compromises from her husband. “All right, but you’ve always known I never meant to leave Broken Bend until I deal with Brock.”

  “And I’ve always known I was going to stop you,” he replied.

  Wade had turned around, focusing on the bacon, his back to them as though he was giving them space.

  She walked through the small kitchen into Wade’s living room. The house wasn’t large, but it had great bones. Though she hadn’t seen the outside, she would bet it was an older home, perhaps built in the seventies or early eighties. A ranch house because that’s what he would be comfortable in. The living room was sadly devoid of anything decorative.

  Shouldn’t a girlfriend have fixed this place up? It had real potential, but there was no warmth in the leather lounge chairs and massive TV. There were two chairs and a sad little TV tray between them. Though he seemed to have invested heavily in remotes and video game systems.

  She turned to her son. Wade’s lack of style wasn’t her problem. Ash was. “I can’t believe you drugged me and thought you could get away with it. Do you have any idea what could have happened if you hadn’t gotten the dosage right? How could you do that to me?”

  “First of all, I can read, and I wasn’t worried that it would hurt you. That medication was prescribed by a doctor for you. You’re the one who’s too stubborn to use it.” Ash crossed his arms over his chest. “And secondly, how could you do this to me?”

  Yep, it was like arguing with herself. “I’m doing this for you and you know it. I have to deal with your father. He won’t simply get out of jail and go on about his life. He’s going to come after us. If you’re safe, then I believe he’ll only come after me. I’ve been his obsession for years.”

  “I know that. Let Wade deal with him. He wants to. I think Wade would love to spend some time dealing with Brock.”

  She was sure he would, but she wasn’t putting this on Wade. He’d made his choice long ago. “It’s not his problem.”

  Asher paced, a sure sign he was anxious. “He’s willing to make it his problem. None of this means anything if you’re dead at the end. Or if you’re in jail. We’ve spent years planning how we would get away. You’ve spent years promising me
what our lives would be like if we could get away. I want that life and I can’t have it without you.”

  His voice cracked at the end, a reminder of how young her baby was, how much of his youth had been stolen away.

  Her heart ached, but she couldn’t back down. She had to do everything she could to protect him. She wanted him to have that life. He could have it without her. “You won’t have anything at all if you don’t let me do what I need to do.”

  “But that’s the point,” he shot back. “You don’t have to do anything. You want to. You want to be the one who takes him out. You want to be the reason he goes down, and you can be, but you don’t have to do it yourself. You don’t have to be the one who pulls the trigger.”

  “I can’t trust anyone else.”

  He stopped and stared at her. “Bullshit.”

  “Stop, Ash. You have to stop the cursing.”

  He shrugged. “Why? Why should I listen to a word you say? You want to leave. Fine. Go, but you don’t get to have any say over what I do with my life if you’re not willing to be my mom.”

  He was attempting to put her in a corner, but he didn’t understand. “I’m trying to be your mother.”

  He shook his head. “Again, I call bullshit. You’re leaving me behind. You think you can pawn me off on someone and then finish this war Brock started. You won’t win. Even if you manage to kill him, you’ll go to jail for the rest of your life. They don’t allow you to kill a man because he used to abuse you. Either you’re going to set something sketchy up or you’re going to let him get close enough that it’s a real fight. You’ll lose a real fight. The chance of you coming out of this alive and free is not worth the risk.”

  “Baby, letting him potentially get custody of you isn’t worth the risk.”

  He wasn’t having any of it. “If you’re dead, he’ll get custody and you won’t be here to fight for me. I’ll be alone, and I don’t know that I can handle that.”