by Linde, K. A.
Reyna stood there frozen in shock. Beckham hadn’t said a word to her in so long and then all they had done was argue. Now he was here ready to rip out Gabe’s throat for an offhand comment.
“You’re a piece of shit, O’Connor. I should end your worthless life for what you risked tonight,” he spat in Gabe’s face.
“Beckham,” Sydney barked.
“No,” Reyna whispered.
“Fuck you, Anderson,” Gabe shot back.
She knew that Beckham thought he was a monster. But she knew the man underneath. She knew that there was so much more. She didn’t care that Penny was standing right there and watching what was going on. She didn’t care that they had been on the rocks since she got back and that there might not even be a them. She couldn’t stand by and let this happen.
Beckham would hate himself later if something happened to Gabe. Plus, Gabe was a good friend. He didn’t treat her any differently than anyone else. He didn’t care that she was “special.” And he didn’t deserve to be hurt when she was the one who had tried to sneak out.
“Beckham, stop it,” Reyna said. “I snuck out. I wanted to get out of here, okay? I was tired of having nothing to do and everyone telling me no. Gabe had nothing to do with it. He happened to be there when I was leaving.”
But Beckham didn’t seem to hear a word that she had said. And Gabe continued to sneer at Beckham. He did an incredible job of looking at Beckham as if he wasn’t worth the scum on his shoe. And Beckham’s face was a mask of fury. He channeled all of his anger, aggression, and madness into that one look. A lesser man would have backed down. A smart man would have too.
“Fuck me?” Beckham snarled. “I am the last person that you want to fuck with.”
Gabe laughed in his face.
Everything and everyone faded away. She couldn’t stand here any longer. That laugh had sent Beckham over the edge and Reyna could see that he was about to lose it entirely.
She rushed to Beckham’s side, heedless of the danger she might be in. No matter where she and Beckham stood right now, she had to believe that he wouldn’t hurt her. Even in the state he currently was in.
Reyna carefully placed her hand on Beckham’s arm. He was strong and solid beneath her gentle touch. She didn’t try to move him because she knew that would be impossible. She just stood there. Was there for him in that moment when he was bubbling over with anger.
“Hey,” she whispered. Her heart was lodged in her throat as she tried to reach him. “Hey, look at me. Look at me, Becks.”
He froze in place. His body tensing further at her words. Gabe was frowning at the both of them. She didn’t know if he had just realized how much trouble he had almost been in if someone hadn’t stepped in. She could hear the whispers behind them. But she focused solely on Beckham. On the anger slipping off of his features and his black eyes shifting back from stone. As he recoiled from Gabe.
Slowly, he shifted his attention toward her. He still held Gabe’s throat with his hand. She could see the color beginning to drain from Gabe’s face. She needed to reach Beckham. Her heart stopped beating when their eyes connected.
“Do you see me?” she asked, reaching her hand up and gently caressing his jaw. “I’m fine. I’m not hurt. I’m here. Come back to me.”
He had attacked Gabe for her. He had gone to that dark place within himself for her. At the thought that she could have been injured.
She didn’t know what that meant about what he felt for her. It didn’t erase the errors in their past, but at least he was showing something. She would have preferred that he come to her, talk to her, explain to her instead of bottling it all up. But here they were. And she could see then that he regretted not returning. That he regretted many things.
He released a breath, retracted his hand from Gabe’s throat. Gabe bent over and coughed as air reached his lungs once more, but Beckham’s attention was solely on her. Usually it was a very unnerving position to be in. But he wasn’t looking at her like a predator. He was assessing her because he had been…worried. His eyes crawled over her skin. He had to see with his own eyes that she was in fact fine.
His hand enveloped her own where it rested on his cheek and he took a step closer as he returned to himself. “You’re okay.”
“Yes,” she uttered on a breath.
“You’re prone to danger, Little One.”
She nodded. “It finds me.”
“We have much to talk about, you and I,” he said just loud enough for only her to hear.
“I’m ready to talk,” she told him honestly. She wanted to figure out where they stood. She cared for him. He clearly cared for her. They needed to figure out how this was going to work…if it was going to work.
A throat cleared on the other side of the room. “As much as we’d all like to continue to witness this reunion,” Sydney drawled dramatically. “Everyone take a seat. We’ll decide what to do with Mr. O’Connor and Miss Carpenter after we’ve heard their stories.”
Gabe ambled over to the empty seat next to Washington. Reyna figured that left her with the seat next to Penelope, which, under the circumstances, or any circumstances, she’d rather keel over than take. But Beckham didn’t give her an option. He took her hand in his and guided her over to the table. He gestured for Penelope to move down a seat. She gave him a wide-eyed expression and then shot one of loathing toward Reyna before moving. Beckham gave up his right-hand seat next to Sydney and offered it to Reyna. It was her turn to look at him in surprise, but he just nodded reassuringly. Reyna cautiously sank into his vacated seat and then he sat down between Reyna and Penelope. Cozy.
As soon as they were situated, Gabe launched into everything that happened—including the full details of his meeting, Jodie getting drugged, and then eventually…casually…mentioning that Reyna had run into Everett.
“What?” Beckham asked, exploding out of his chair all over again. “And you let him get away?”
Reyna’s mind spun with that new knowledge.
“I personally searched the premises. I put my guys on it. They scanned the tapes. The guy fucking disappeared,” Gabe shot back.
“You compromised her security. He was the person who got Reyna kidnapped, and you let him walk right up to her? Are you out of your bloody mind?”
“I didn’t just let him,” Gabe ground out.
“Did he see you?” Beckham continued, ignoring his response. “Does he know that you work for Elle? Did you check to see if you were tailed?”
“I’m not a fucking idiot, Anderson. Sit your cold lifeless ass down,” Gabe spat. “No one tailed us. No one knows that I work for Elle. He’s not going to figure that out.”
Beckham looked as if he were about to launch across the table and actually rip out Gabe’s throat this time. But Sydney slapped her hands down on the table.
“We’ll continue monitoring Everett. Gabriel, you are lucky that your reach extends so far and that we have a history or else I’d fucking kill you myself,” Sydney said. “Reyna Carpenter is the only known blood match of the most dangerous man in the world. With her, he is invincible. You know where this Blood Census has led us. You know that he is already rolling out permanent escorts to everyone at headquarters. Do you want to see him take over?”
“No,” Gabe ground out.
Sydney continued as if he hadn’t spoken. “Now we find out that he has purchased a huge plot of land, and recent reconnaissance missions have shown that he is building an enormous facility. Can you guess what that would mean, Gabriel?”
“No.”
“Exactly. You don’t have the brains to look to the future. You hardly think beyond your own dick. So next time you decide to compromise the only person who can prevent William Harrington from taking over the world, maybe think again! Are we clear?”
“Yes,” he spat.
“I didn’t hear
you!”
“We’re clear!” he shot back.
“Good. Now get the fuck out of my sight.”
Chapter 17
Sydney’s fury never subdued, and after Gabe stormed out of the room, she gave the order for everyone to be dismissed. Reyna was relieved. She’d had quite a night. But she knew it wasn’t over yet. She and Beckham had unfinished business.
But before she could say anything to Becks, Sydney snaked a hand around her wrist. “And you.”
Reyna’s eyes widened. “What?”
“You and Jodie engineered this little outing. It was foolish and reckless. We put in a lot of effort to free you from Harrington’s grasp. Perhaps you should show some more respect around here.”
“I understand that you’re upset. It was reckless, but I never thought that it would happen like this. Who would have guessed I’d run into Everett? So back off. I’m not going to do it again.”
Sydney’s anger simmered and her eyes narrowed. “You have free rein of the facilities. There are no locks or bars on your doors. We keep you in to protect you from the outside world, not to keep you from it. You could be happy here. Instead you act like a spoiled child.”
“I am not a spoiled child. I am a recovering kidnapping victim who found herself in another prison,” Reyna spat. “I am a pawn on your chessboard. That is all I am to you. Don’t think for a second that I don’t know that. So, cut the ‘you could be happy here’ bullshit and use it on someone else.”
Reyna yanked her arm out of Sydney’s grip. Sydney gave her an appreciative look.
“You have fire. I’ll give you that.”
“I appreciate that you got me out of there and that my brothers are safe. But I offered to be of help and all anyone has said to me is no. You shouldn’t even be surprised that I’m frustrated. I want to help this organization, Sydney. So let me help, but I’m not going to be used. Not by you or Harrington or anyone.”
Sydney crossed her arms and arched an eyebrow. “We’ll see about that.”
Reyna shoved past Sydney. She didn’t even want to deal with that shit right now. She knew Sydney had every intention of using her. But wouldn’t it be easier if they would work with her?
Reyna took a deep breath and prepared herself for what was to come as she walked over to Beckham, who was standing next to Penelope.
“Time for that talk?” she asked Beckham.
“Hello, Reyna,” Penelope said.
“Penny.”
Reyna couldn’t help it. Her eyes darted to Penny’s left hand. Empty. It was empty. Her heart stuttered. There was no ring. No engagement ring. Did that mean that they weren’t engaged? She’d tried not to think about it. Or Beckham much, for that matter, yet she couldn’t help but get her hopes up.
“Good to have you back on board.”
“Good to be back.” Reyna nearly sighed at the pleasantries. “Sorry to hear about your father.”
“Yes, it’s dreadful,” Penelope said, frowning at the mention of her father’s death.
“Congrats on becoming mayor though. Following in his footsteps.”
“Oh, you heard?” Penelope asked.
“I was at your mayoral ball, in fact.”
Penny scrunched up her almost perfect face in confusion. “Weren’t you still with Harrington then?”
“He brought me along.”
“I didn’t see you,” Penny said.
But it was Beckham’s attention that shifted, his eyes widening slightly. “You were there?”
“In a soundproof room with one-way tinted windows overlooking the festivities.” She hated the memory, but Beckham’s brow furrowed in confusion.
“How voyeurish of you,” Penelope said.
“Not my idea of a good time. Trust me.” Reyna turned her attention away from Penelope to concentrate on Beckham. He seemed to be piecing something together and she couldn’t read what he was thinking.
“Where was the room?” Beckham asked.
Reyna tilted her head in confusion. “I don’t know. I guess, from the stage, it was in the upper left corner. Why?”
Beckham straightened and something dawned on his face. “You’re right. We should go talk now.”
“But Beckham,” Penelope all but whined.
He shot her a look. “Go home, Penny. You shouldn’t be absent much longer anyway.”
“You’re not coming back with me?” She stuck her bottom lip out slightly and tried to put her hand on his. He pulled back from her and gestured to the door.
“No,” he flatly refused.
“We’re going to need to talk about this,” Penelope said.
“We’ve talked.”
Penny glared at Reyna with accusation written in her eyes. But Reyna couldn’t help but feel a sense of satisfaction when Penelope left.
She and Beckham stood there, facing each other, in the wake of Penelope’s absence. So much was unsaid between them.
Beckham gestured to the door. “Come on. I know the way.”
Reyna exited the conference room and Beckham moved to her side, walking in silence down the hallway. Reyna wanted it to be the comfortable silence that they had developed before her kidnapping, but it was more like when he had first been matched with her. Tension crackled between them. She finally spoke just to break the silence.
“Were you always in Sydney’s inner circle?”
Beckham glanced her way. “No.”
“When did that start?”
“You do love to ask questions, don’t you?” He shot her an inquisitive look.
“Yes. And you promised to answer them all.”
He slid his hands into his pockets and faced forward once more. “Different time.”
“It doesn’t have to be.”
“It’s more dangerous now.”
“It was always dangerous. I just didn’t know it. You knew about my blood type and why I was valuable…It was why you wouldn’t drink from me…” Reyna said, cutting off her rambling.
“I tried to stay away,” he said coolly.
Reyna sighed and crossed her arms over her chest. Sometimes she felt like they were moving a step forward and then just as quickly three steps back. She wanted answers. She wanted concrete under her feet instead of eggshells.
Beckham reached for the stairwell door. “Let’s continue this conversation somewhere more private.”
“Will Penny be okay with that?” she shot at him drily.
“Penny has been dismissed.”
Reyna chanced a glance at him. He betrayed nothing, as usual, but somehow she could sense that something had shifted. Between when he had seen her last and this moment something had changed.
They trekked down the stairs and soon they were back in front of the door to her room. She sheepishly revealed Jodie’s handiwork with the door. Beckham’s nostrils flared.
“You want to let anyone have access to your room?” he asked.
“It was Jodie’s idea. So we had a way to get back in.”
“Jodie.” He seemed to be considering her presence as they entered Reyna’s room. “I still can’t believe you saved her. Though I understand why. She seems like a bad influence.”
Reyna snorted. “Jodie is just like me. She’s a broken girl who was taken from her home and forced to work for those monsters.”
“Ah,” he said, straightening. “At least you’re admitting again that we’re all monsters.”
She shook her head. “Harrington is a monster.”
Beckham leaned back against the closet and observed her. “I believe there are more pressing matters to discuss.”
Reyna sighed and took a seat on the end of the bed. “Yes, there are. I still can’t believe you left.”
“You told me to.”
“Of course I told you to leave,” she said with
a wave of her hand. “You wouldn’t tell me if something was going on with you and Penny again. You wouldn’t even tell me whether or not you were engaged!”
He looked down at the floor and uttered, “I deserved your hatred.”
Reyna reeled back in shock. “What?”
He gave her a look that said I don’t repeat myself.
“I don’t hate you,” she gasped. “I could never hate you.”
“Oh Little One,” he said, taking a silent step forward, “how do you still have such a heart?”
“When I was gone, the only thing that kept me going was you. It was knowing that you were on the outside waiting for me. I’d put all of our happy memories in one part of my brain and cornered it off so no one could ever damage them. But then I got out…and it was as if I meant nothing to you.” Reyna choked out the words that had been haunting her since her release.
“I am a monster. I fed off of you. When you realized my true nature, you fled my presence. You left with someone else, you were so desperate to get away from me.”
A tear slipped down her cheek as she realized the turmoil he must have been suffering all this time. At the turmoil she had inflicted. “You are not a monster. When we were together, when you bit me, it was the best moment of my life, Becks. I trusted you. I told you I trusted you and then I spit it in your face. I was wrong. As soon as I woke up at Everett’s, I tried to come back to apologize to you and let you know that I didn’t mean anything I said. But by then it was too late.”
Beckham stepped forward to where she stood before the bed, cupped her face in both his hands, and wiped the tears from her cheeks. “What did I ever do to deserve you?”
“You showed me the real you. The real Beckham underneath this façade.”
His obsidian eyes stared deeply into her own dark orbs and she was utterly lost. His hands were on her. His mouth mere inches away. This was the moment she had dreamed about.
“I knew you were at the ball,” he confided.
“You…what? How?”
He frowned and glanced away. “It sounds outrageous.”
“You looked at me.”