I gave his waist a squeeze. “I do.”
The doorbell rang and I looked at Sid with wide surprised eyes.
“It’s Cade,” he assured me. “Figured you could use a little time with that dog you love even though you don’t like dogs.”
Truth be told, that little ball of fur with her freakishly large eyes was exactly what I needed.
“Thank you,” I murmured, rising on to my tiptoes to kiss his gorgeous mouth before he strode to the door to answer it.
Cade didn’t stay. After delivering Trixie and a hug to me with some worried looks he tried like hell to mask, he left us alone. As much as I loved Cade, I welcomed the time alone with Sid and Trixie, who nearly peed herself in excitement at seeing me.
After a breakfast that I didn’t eat much of, we crawled back into bed with Trixie nestled between us. I was still wrung out and my face hurt, though thankfully, it didn’t look as bad as it felt.
“This is either the best or worst time to bring this up,” I ventured when we’d been lying quietly for awhile. “But Piper’s wedding is coming up fast. It would mean the world to me to be able to go, especially since I’m her maid of honor.”
His body stiffened only for a moment and I soldiered on.
“With Osip locked up, I figure it’d be okay now—or at least a lot better than before,” I rushed to add.
His hand splayed across my back. “I’ll talk to the guys.”
It was more of an answer than I’d gotten before so I nodded, deciding not to press further, at least for now.
“Should we start looking for a place? Brad should be back soon—though he was vague on the details last time we talked,” I added as it hit me, really hit me for the first time, that Sid and I were going to build a home together.
He pulled me closer, kissing my head. “Yeah, babe. I have a few ideas about that.”
I propped my chin against his chest, looking up at him. “Oh?”
“There’s a place right near Danny and Cade’s for sale. I thought we’d go look at it. Figured it’d be best if you were close to them for the times when I’m gone.”
We hadn’t talked much about when life returned to normal—when I wasn’t under threat and he went back to taking dangerous jobs overseas.
“Sid, I don’t have the money to buy a house,” I protested.
He shrugged. “I do.”
I knew he did well, working at Talon, but we’d never talked specifics.
“Sid....” I trailed off pensively.
“Baby, I make really good fucking money—more than I can spend. The trade-off is that my job can be dangerous. When I’m gone, it would put me at ease knowing you’re near my brother and who I hope someday soon is his wife. Just look at the place, okay? Please?”
I bit my lip, thinking about that. Then I looked into his hopeful eyes and couldn’t do anything but nod. “All right. But just to look,” I warned with a severity we both knew was bogus.
He smiled, his dimples on full display. “Just to look.” His gaze grew serious as his eyes swept my face. “Why don’t you sleep a little longer? Do you need anything for the pain?”
I shook my head, realizing how exhausted I was. “I’ll be fine, but yeah, some more sleep sounds good. Will you stay? Just for a little while?”
“Not going anywhere, sweetheart,” he murmured, taking my lips in a close-mouthed sweet kiss before situating himself in a way that told me that no, he wasn’t going anywhere.
****
The distant clang of the doorbell woke me from a deep sleep. Trixie came out from her place buried underneath the covers with a quiet woof.
I rubbed my eyes, feeling groggy as I sat up, noting that Sid’s side of the bed was empty. He stuck his head in through the door a moment later. “Hey, babe, your brother’s here.”
I nodded as Trixie jumped down from the bed, undoubtedly ready to be let outside. “Okay, give me just a minute and I’ll be out.”
I dragged myself to the bathroom, feeling stiff from sleeping so hard. I started the shower, needing the warm water to pull me out of my groggy state before I was ready to face anyone, even Travis.
I knew why he was here. Of course he wanted to check on me; he was a good big brother like that. But no doubt he also needed to finish his conversation with Sid from earlier.
After a relatively quick shower, I got dressed and put on some makeup, needing to feel more like myself. My nose looked much better with just some minor swelling along the bridge and some light bruising under both eyes. With one final look in the mirror, I noted that my green eyes were bright with determination instead of the fear that had been pervasive for the last few days.
“Hi, Trav,” I greeted him when I found both guys drinking coffee in the living room. He rose when he saw me, walking over to wrap me in a gentle hug.
“So glad you’re okay.” He blew out a relieved breath. “How’re you holding up?”
I looked to Sid, feeling as though our bond had cemented that much more following our conversation. “I’m doing okay. I’m in good hands.” I looked back to my brother, determined to appear confident. “I know I need to make a statement. Let’s get it over with.”
“Sam...,” Sid’s concerned voice sounded as Travis looked down at me worry evident in his brown eyes.
“Really,” I reiterated. “I’d rather just do it now rather than feel like I’m moving forward and then have to relive it all again.”
“Are you sure?” Travis replied. “Because you can take more time. This should be on your terms.”
“This is on my terms.” I nodded resolutely.
Travis’s gaze shot to Sid and I watched Sid give a stiff nod before Trav returned his attention to me. “Okay, I’ll set it up. They agreed to come to headquarters. I figured you’d be more comfortable there.”
I nodded in agreement. Talon sort of felt like my turf at least. “Let’s do it.”
CHAPTER 18
Sid wrapped his arm around me as we walked into Talon an hour later. I was surprised to find everyone there, including Trent and Marcus, who’d just returned from an assignment in Cairo.
Sarah greeted me with a hug and a reassuring squeeze as the guys looked on.
None of them seemed to be working and it was getting to be late in the evening. They were all here for me, I realized with a jolt. They wanted to support me. The thought warmed me despite the trepidation running like ice through my veins.
“They’re in the conference room,” Theo told Sid gruffly. “The guys and I are going to go in the back to train, but we’re here if you need us.”
Sid took my hand and headed in that direction.
“They wanted to talk to her alone,” Travis informed Sid.
“Fuck no,” Sid growled.
“I figured you’d say as much,” Travis replied easily. “Actually, I thought you’d just tell ’em to go fuck themselves.”
“That works too,” Sid grumbled as we neared the conference room.
Two men, including agent Richards, and one woman stood up when we entered the room. All were dressed in suits, but I had the passing thought that the Russians had been far better dressed.
“Ms. McAllister.” Richards nodded. “This is Agent Bowers and Agent Campbell,” he introduced indicating the man and woman to his left.
“Uh, hi,” I replied, offering a small awkward wave.
“Masters, we won’t keep her long,” he told Sid as a clear indication he should leave.
Sid’s hand squeezed mine reflexively. “I’m stayin’.”
His curt response left no room for argument, and after a weighted pause, Richards nodded, clearly unhappy with the outcome.
Sid pulled out a chair for me and I sat down, realizing I’d never actually been inside their conference room before. The huge glass table took up a majority of the space with a large TV mounted on the wall to the right for presentations. The twelve black chairs around the table were comfortable and sleek, though they may as well have been made of stone for how at
ease I felt.
After a few preliminaries, I launched into the tale of that horrible night without sparing a single detail. When I got to the incident with Boris, I felt Sid go solid next to me. I tried to pull my hand away to allow him time to collect himself but he wasn’t having it. His hand remained clasped over mine, providing strength as I recounted my attack.
“I was worried they’d be angry that I killed him,” I recalled. “But Osip almost seemed… amused. It’s strange—for such a violent, horrible man, it was clear he still had some principles. He’d given clear orders to Boris not to touch me. In his mind it was justice served, I think.”
The three agents watched me, their pens poised above their pads.
“They just left his body there. They were completely unaffected by it,” I continued.
“And they never asked you anything? Not about the diamond?” Richards pressed. He’d already asked this several times.
“No.” I shook my head, starting to feel tired and impatient. “It’s like I said, Osip told me they were waiting for someone—someone who’d promised him the diamond. That’s why he took me in the first place.” I shivered slightly at the thought there could have been a far worse fate for me.
“That would be surprising,” Agent Bowers cut in, sounding skeptical. “Ivanov doesn’t wait or take orders. From anyone.”
I sat forward in my seat, staring the man down. “I know what I heard.”
“Traumatic experiences often lead to misinterpretation,” Richards nodded, his tone sickeningly pacifying.
Sid let out a grumble in irritation.
I shrugged, tired of repeating myself if they weren’t going to listen.
“We’ve already given our statements about what happened next. We done?” Sid clipped brusquely.
After two hours of questioning, I silently prayed we were.
“We still don’t have the diamond,” Bowers pointed out.
“Not my problem.” Sid shrugged indifferently.
His disdain for these men had been made obvious time and time again.
The agent’s eyes narrowed before he quickly masked his frustration with a professionally blank expression. “If we have more questions, we’ll be in touch.” He nodded curtly.
“We’ll see,” Sid muttered.
The moment we were alone inside the cavernous room, I sagged into Sid, feeling completely wrung out. “You did good, baby,” he murmured, kissing my temple.
“Thanks.” I looked over at him. “Is it over?” I asked hesitantly. It didn’t feel over, not to me.
He looked at me intently. “I’d love to say yes, babe, but something still doesn’t feel right. Especially if you felt like Ivanov and his guys were waiting on someone.”
“You believe me?” I replied with relief.
“Of course,” he replied without hesitation. “I’ll always believe you. That said, I feel a fuck of a lot better that Ivanov and his right-hand men are either dead or locked up.”
I nodded my agreement.
“Let me brief the team and then we’ll get outta here, okay?” he asked as we rose.
“I’ll go sit with Sarah,” I murmured.
“Sam.” My name on his lips said so much without saying much at all.
I turned to look up at him, watching the torment that brewed just beneath the surface.
“Fucking proud of you, baby.”
I smiled. “I’m getting that. I have to say, I’m pretty proud of me too.”
****
“You up for a quick stop on the way to Brad’s?” he surprised me by asking once we piled into his truck.
I wasn’t really, but I nodded anyway.
We drove in silence as I stared out the window, feeling like a shattered piece of glass held together by really strong duct tape. The cracks would always be there, but the result just might be more beautiful.
When we pulled up to a beautiful bungalow-style house, I looked over at Sid in confusion.
He turned to me, his eyes bright despite the dim light of the cab. “I know this might seem like fucked timing, but I thought maybe after tonight—maybe thinking about the future might be what you need.”
My eyes widened in understanding. “This is the house?”
He nodded. “The realtor agreed to meet us late. Is this okay? We don’t have to—”
“No, it sounds really good, actually,” I answered honestly, stepping down out of the truck and staring up at the house.
It was a darling gray bungalow with white trim. It had a beautiful rose garden in the front with a big porch I could just picture spending time on.
Sid came to stand beside me, grasping my hand and leading me toward the front door just as it opened.
“You must be Sam.”
I nodded, shaking the hand of the attractive older woman who smiled at me. “I’m Melissa Jones. I’ve been working with your husband.”
I looked up at Sid in surprise and he shrugged. Neither of us corrected her as we followed her inside.
The house was beautiful, with original hardwood floors and classic built-ins. It had three good-sized bedrooms and two bathrooms. The kitchen was out of date, but the open concept had huge potential.
When we glimpsed the backyard through the darkness, I was surprised by how large a space it was.
“Do you like it?” Sid asked, watching me with a boyish eagerness that made me all the more besotted with him.
He really wanted me to like it, that much was clear.
“I love it,” I murmured. “It has to have a hell of a price tag though.” I looked at him worriedly. This size of a house in this neighborhood wouldn’t come cheap.
“It’s in the price range.” He shrugged casually. “It’s got great bones. The kitchen and bathrooms need some work, but it’s right down the street from Cade and it’s in a good school district.”
If I’d been drinking something, it would currently be splattered all over him, such was my shock. “You researched the school district?”
He grinned, splaying his hand over my flat belly and pulling me close. “Yours and mine, remember? Someday, at least.”
My heart melted. “I remember.”
“So what do you say?”
I looked around the beautiful house, feeling like it was home already. “I say… let’s do it.”
He blew out a relieved breath. “Good, because I already put in an offer.”
CHAPTER 19
The next morning, after the first normal night’s sleep I felt like I’d had in days, I actually felt like writing. It was a relief to sit on the floor with my notebook and guitar in the living room as beams of sunlight cascaded through the space. Trixie sat on the couch above me while Sid took calls upstairs.
“Babe!” Sid hollered from the makeshift office he’d created. Except for that very first night, he hadn’t slept in the room but had spent many an hour working there.
“What!” I hollered back.
“C’mere!”
“Bossy,” I huffed with a smile as I set aside my guitar. Trixie jumped down from the couch and followed me upstairs. “You beckoned?” I quipped, finding him seated at the small desk against the far wall.
He spun around, his gaze sweeping over me. “Have I told you today that you’re gorgeous?”
I blushed. “Not today, no.”
“Well you are,” he murmured. “Come here.” He gestured for me to sit on the edge of the unused bed.
“Is this an official meeting?” I asked, only half joking. He’d never called me up here.
“Sort of,” he admitted. He leaned toward me his forearms resting on his muscular thighs. “Look. I know Piper’s wedding is really important to you. Me and the guys have done a lot of digging into the state of play with the Russians, and I’ve had a lot of conversations with Ryker.”
I listened with bated breath having no idea where this would go.
“Long and short is, we can go.”
I clapped my hands together, bouncing up and down.
&n
bsp; He held up a hand. “I have a few conditions. Despite the feds thinking this is all over, I don’t necessarily agree. Though we can’t find any intelligence on a further threat, I’m not confident enough you’re not at risk. And until we can find someone at the Fed we trust, we still have the diamond, which in my mind, keeps you in harm's way. So, we’ll drive. We’ll take one of Talon’s Suburbans. That way we can take the weapons I want to without hassle.”
That seemed like an easy enough thing to agree on. It also meant we could take our instruments without having to deal with checking them with the airline. I nodded readily.
“I want to take one of the guys for backup—Declan’s agreed. There will also be room for Caden and Danny if they want to ride with us.”
“And Trixie?” I ventured. Brad still hadn’t committed to when he’d be back, which reminded me I needed to call him, again.
“And Trixie,” he agreed before his expression turned more serious. “I’m not ready to let my guard down here, Sam. I’m okay traveling to Hawthorne, especially knowing I’ll have Declan and Ryker’s guys to back me up, but I’m not going to loosen up on your security. Not now.” He paused before continuing. “That means you don’t go anywhere alone. That means I’m not taking any contracts—not until I feel 100 percent certain you’ll be all right.”
I couldn’t stand the formality a moment longer and crawled into his lap, wrapping my arms around him. “I get it, babe. I’m just sorry this is still going on. I don’t want it to affect your job.”
He gave my waist a gentle squeeze. “The way I look at it, it just gives me an excuse to spend every minute with you, which is what I want to do anyway.”
“I’ve been spoiled to get all this time with you,” I replied with a sigh.
“Wish it would have been under different circumstances,” he muttered. “But sweetheart, even when shit goes back to normal, when I’m gone for periods of time or in training, you’ll always be the most important thing in my world—always.”
I stared back at him with wide eyes, knowing that “always” could be taken in the very literal sense.
“For me too—I mean, you will be,” I blathered. “I’m still getting used to this whole reciprocation thing.” I blushed.
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