by Cara Carnes
In her rush to spend time with Kristof and share something with him that she’d never shared with anyone, she’d forgotten completely about poor Olaf. Talk about a screw up.
She headed to her cottage and packed a bag. By the time she had everything ready to go, anticipation hummed in her veins.
Shouldering her backpack, she carried the small duffel and headed toward the cottage Kristof and Olaf shared. She knocked on the door and smiled when Kristof answered. His gaze swept downward. A panty-melting grin spread across his handsome face.
“Moving in? I approve.” He stepped back. “Come in.”
Her pulse quickened as she entered. Drawing him into a hug, she inhaled his musky cologne. “You smell so good.”
Warmth surrounded her as he drew her into his arms. “You okay? How did it go with Bree?”
“She’s going to be okay. In time. Sinclair can help her.”
“Good.” He glanced down at the bag, then put a hand on her backpack. “Are you going somewhere?”
“We both are. In a couple of days.” She glanced over to where Olaf sat on the sofa playing a video game of some sort with Johnny. Her teammate waved, then returned his attention on the melee on the screen.
“Stacia?” Kristof asked.
Addy nodded. “Day after tomorrow.”
“Okay. That’s good.” He looked around. “Why the fuck am I so nervous about that?”
“Because you’re a good man and you want everything to work out for her and your cousin.” Addy touched his chest. “We’ll come back here and go to Stacia’s. Levi will probably fly us there. Zoey’s going with us.”
“We’ll come back?” Amusement glimmered in his eyes. “Are you kidnapping me?”
“I am. Turnabout is fair play.”
Kristof glanced back at Olaf and sighed. “I’m not sure me getting kidnapped is conducive to him acclimating.”
“Jesse will watch out for him. So will my team,” Addy said. She looked over at Johnny. The man glanced up and nodded. Yep, he’d heard. The man had hearing better than a bat.
“Give me a moment to pack. I need to chat with Olaf,” Kristof said.
Addy entered the room farther and sat on the loveseat facing the sofa. Olaf grinned big and waved. He set his control down.
“Hey, Addy. J and I were hoping you were gonna show up soon. Kristof’s been climbing the walls wondering what you were doing.” Olaf grinned. “Don’t tell him I said anything.”
“It’ll be our secret,” Addy signed back.
“You’re going away again,” Johnny commented. “How long?”
“Just for today and tomorrow. Then I’ve got something to do with Kristof the day after.”
“Right. Figured that’d go down soon.” Johnny glanced at Olaf. “I’ll hang with my buddy here.”
“Thanks.”
“Are you kidnapping Kristof like he did you? Shep said it was funny,” Olaf said.
“I am, if you’re okay with it,” Addy said. “We’ll be back the day after tomorrow and anyone on the compound can reach me.”
“Even if we have no clue where you are,” Johnny groused.
Addy smiled. Her team always noticed when she took a day off here and there and disappeared. Several of them had attempted to follow her more than once, but so far they’d never found out where she went. Or why.
That wasn’t something she’d ever intended to share with anyone, but trusting Kristof with it felt right. He’d shown her his retreat, so she’d share her sanctuary.
“I’m okay,” Olaf signed. “You make him happy.”
Addy’s heart swelled. She hoped things with Stacia went well so Olaf would have that happy in his life. And, wow. Didn’t she sound like a heartsick freak.
Love?
No. She was just happy.
Don’t read anything into this. Just take it a day at a time and enjoy it while it lasts. Kristof appeared in the living room.
“Hey, man. Can I talk to you for a minute?” Kristof asked.
Olaf stood and rolled his eyes. “I already told her I was okay with it.”
“Still want to chat,” he said. He set a bag down on the sofa. “I’ll be back in a minute.”
Addy’s heart melted. He wanted to take his cousin’s pulse and make sure he was okay.
“He’s good with Olaf,” Johnny said.
“He is.”
“And you.”
Addy swallowed. “He’ll do.” She smirked at the sarcastic retort. Some emotions were easier to give her team than others. Glancing down, she added. “Thanks for giving him a chance.”
“He’s important to you and you’re important to us,” Johnny said. “We’ll make it work. That’s what family does. At least, that’s what Sanderson told us.”
Addy chuckled. Sanderson again. As if summoned by thought, Gage entered the cottage.
“I was just thinking about you,” Addy said.
“Oh?” Gage sat beside Johnny. “Heard you’re going away for a day or two.”
“And I’ve heard you’ve started forming Team Kristof.”
The man shrugged. He looked over at Johnny, as if gauging whether he should say anything in front of him. “It was you and me when you got here. Graves did his own thing. So that left you and me leading teams, trying to measure up to the Masons and find our own way. Hell, I didn’t even have a team back then. You and your crew dragged me through that.”
Damn.
“You put yourself on the line to get Zoey’s friend safe,” Gage said. “For that alone, I’d back Kristof because he’s important to you—even if you aren’t ready to admit it. But you’re a lot like I was when things were going on with Z.”
“And what’s that?” Addy asked.
“Terrified. Lost.” He glanced toward the hall. “Hopeful.”
Addy swallowed. She’d felt plenty of all those the past several weeks, more so the last several days.
“You’ve gone all in time and time again to help out your girls and anyone else here who needs it. So I’m playing you this round. I’m all in.” Gage grinned. “You haven’t ever backed down from a challenge, so I know you won’t now. If you do, I’ll be right behind you shoving you back in.”
“That’s not your decision.” Addy clipped the words, lowering her voice to a low growl.
“It is.” A glimmer reflected in Gage’s eyes when he looked at her. “You wouldn’t have backed down if Zoey ran. Or Kamren. Or Vi. Or Mary. You never got in their faces, but you were the sentry at their side. You were there, even if none of them realized.”
Emotion clogged Addy’s throat. “When the hell did you become a sage of wisdom?”
He shrugged and leaned back on the sofa. “What can I say? I’ve picked a few tricks up along the way.”
“It’s hard not to around here,” Johnny said, voicing his presence for the first time since the weird conversation started. “He’s right, though, Red. That’s why I’ll be beside him the entire way. Me and Shep. The others are still on the fence.”
Of course they were. They were the protective brothers she’d never had growing up.
“Everything okay?” Kristof asked as he entered the room. “Gage.”
“Kristof.” Gage motioned toward the hall. “I’m gonna hang with the guys and keep Olaf company. Jesse’s got a rotation schedule going.”
“I appreciate it.”
“Go.” Johnny motioned toward the door. “Have fun. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t, and if you do, name it after me.”
Kristof’s laughter rolled through the room as he settled a hand on her waist and guided her out of the cottage. She punched his stomach playfully.
“What was that for?” He rubbed his gut.
“It’s a good thing you’re so sexy because you’re a serious pain in my ass. You can’t laugh when someone on my team says that everyone on the compound knows we’re going off to screw.” Addy unlocked the vehicle.
Kristof boxed her in against the driver’s door. “A couple things.”
“Setting the record straight,” he whispered against her ear. “First, I don’t give a shit if the entire world knows what we’re doing, Addy. Side note, we aren’t screwing. We aren’t fucking. Those words are too inadequate to describe what I feel for you.”
Wow. Okay.
Addy forced a breath despite the rapid pounding of her pulse. She really, really liked what he said. “And second?”
He caressed her cheek. “I know you’re scared, sweetheart. We’re in uncharted territory here. It’s easier to sling sarcasm and feign annoyance rather than face whatever the hell this is head on, but you aren’t alone. I’m not backing down from whatever this is that’s going on between us.”
“You heard what Gage said,” Addy guessed.
“I heard enough to know that man in there has your back because you’ve had everyone else’s. He’s got mine because I mean something to you.”
Her stomach somersaulted. “Kristof…”
He pressed his lips against hers, then pulled away. “We don’t need to travel that road and look around. Not right now. You aren’t ready for whatever sits at the end. When you are, we’ll have that conversation. Okay?”
“Okay.”
“Let’s get this kidnapping underway.”
The drive took longer than Kristof expected. Conversation flowed easily once Addy had turned onto a highway heading north out of Nomad, a small town twenty miles from The Arsenal compound.
They’d taken turns playing music from their phones since local radios had shitty tastes in music. It wasn’t too surprising they both had eclectic tastes, likely because they’d both travelled and been exposed to a variety of cultures through the years.
Tree-filled hills encroached both sides of the narrow, windy road. They’d passed a couple towns, but Addy hadn’t stopped for gas or to stretch her legs, which meant they were likely close to their destination.
She paused at a four-way stop in a small town, then turned into a tiny convenience store. “Hang tight. I’ll be right back.”
Kristof wanted to go with her but nodded his agreement as she exited the vehicle and disappeared into the squat building. Two gas pumps that looked older than him were outside the vacant lot.
Where were they going and why did it make Addy so nervous?
She returned and opened the back door of the truck. She set a large box down and closed the vehicle door. Sliding into the driver’s seat, she offered a smile as she put the still running truck into drive and headed back onto the road.
“Gus isn’t a fan of strangers. It took me a few times coming up here before he’d even speak to me,” Addy said. “No one knows I come out here. A couple of the guys tried to follow me a few times, but I spotted them.”
“You don’t want anyone knowing?”
“It’s my sanctuary,” she said, her voice low. She glanced his direction, then returned her focus to the winding road. “No television. No internet. Barely any cell phone reception.”
“Sounds a lot like my cabin.”
“That’s why I thought you might like it out here.” She shrugged.
The rightness of her admission slid deep into his heart and burrowed down. She was giving him a glimpse into her sanctuary—somewhere she’d never shared with anyone else. “I’m honored you’d share this with me. Thank you.”
“The Arsenal can be overwhelming. So many people and everything happening all at once.” She glanced at him again. “I-I just wanted you to know it won’t always be like that. We’d have a sanctuary to retreat to.”
We. She was worried he’d bail if The Arsenal got too intense. “I’m not running or tapping out, Addy. I thought I was pretty clear about that.”
“I know. It’s just…” She gripped the wheel tighter. “Like you said, this is new terrain for us both.”
“We’ll figure it out together.” He touched her knee. “I hope this place is close, because I really want to make love to you right now.”
“We’re close.”
29
Kristof hung back with Addy as Zoey approached the farmhouse. Drones situated within the surrounding trees had picked up their arrival, but they’d already been warned hours ago. The red and white farmhouse sported a new addition toward the back. Toys were strewn about the fenced-in yard. Bicycles sat in front of a closed garage.
It was nothing like the mansion Stacia had grown up in, yet he suspected she was far happier here than she’d ever been in her mother country. She and Gavriil had a rough upbringing—not as harsh as his own, but reprehensible, nonetheless.
Nervousness quaked within his stomach and along his skin. Would she be happy to see him? Angered? Would she blame him for what his father had done? What Olaf had suffered?
Guilt kept him silent as he watched the closed door Zoey had disappeared into. “Should it take this long?”
“It’s only been a few minutes,” Addy whispered. She splayed her hand on his chest.
Awareness arced through him when he severed his gaze with the house and looked at her. For a moment he could pretend everything was okay. The war he’d started two decades ago might be near the end, but it was far, far from done.
“It’ll be okay,” Addy murmured as she glided her lips across his.
He sighed and wound his arms around her. “I’m glad you’re here with me. And in case I didn’t say so before, I really enjoyed your sanctuary.”
“You showed me how much you enjoyed it. Repeatedly.” She grinned at him. “I’m looking forward to sharing it with you often.”
“Good.” He caressed her jawline, then downward past her neck to her collarbone. “I know you’ve been worried about Bree. We’ll be back soon so you can check on her.”
“She has Zoey and Ellie and Mary and Vi and Rhea and Riley and a slew of others,” Addy whispered in his ear. “This is where I wanted to be. With you.”
“I shouldn’t have come,” Kristof said. Panic filled him as he glanced at the car. “Perhaps I should’ve let you and Zoey speak with her first. I don’t want to frighten her.”
“You won’t.” Addy stroked his jaw. “She’s here because of you. She’s safe and happy.”
She would’ve been happier if his father hadn’t sold her into slavery and imprisoned the man she loved. What if she didn’t want to see Olaf? Worry quickened his heartbeat.
Addy kissed his throat and wrapped her arms around him. “I probably shouldn’t share this with you, but I don’t want secrets between us. She and the others refused to be separated when they were rescued. They’d banded together and formed their own little cause. We’re helping them train and learn what they need.”
“What cause?” His voice was soft as the worry increased. He didn’t want Stacia or any of the others in harm’s way. They’d suffered enough.
“They help rescue women like them, but they work with the children more. Remember those kids we found at the auction where we rescued Jade?”
“I remember.” He growled the words as rage burned away the worry. “Packed in a shipping container like animals. Dirty. Hungry. Sick.”
“They’re all here.” Addy rested her head on his shoulder. “A few are about to be adopted into families—Russian immigrants within Zoey’s network. They’ll have new homes, new lives. But Stacia and the others help them acclimate to their new life first so they’re ready.”
Emotion clogged his throat. He’d had no idea how extensive and in-depth the hummingbird’s network was. The work she did…
“I want to help,” he said. “I know I don’t deserve the chance, but I want to help. Their cause. Hummingbird’s network.”
“You really should stop calling Zoey that,” Addy said, amusement lilting within her words. “And don’t ever say you don’t deserve the chance. You did everything you could to help Stacia and many others like her. You took a lot of risks to keep them safe.”
“It wasn’t enough.”
“No, but it was more than they would’ve had without you.
” Addy gripped his hand tighter. “Zoey wants to add an International arm of the network, one that’d help before they hit the States.”
That was brilliant. “I have contacts, resources. Gavriil does as well. He’ll want to help as well.”
“Then we’ll sit down and brainstorm plans,” Addy said. “After we have Stacia and Olaf reunited.”
“And if she doesn’t want to see him? He may be nothing more than a painful reminder of what she suffered and lost.” He ran his hands through Addy’s hair. “She deserves happiness, but I fear losing her would destroy what little remains of Olaf.”
“We’ll get them both through this. They aren’t alone.”
And neither was he.
Love swarmed within him. The admission poised on his tongue, but he held it back. Today wasn’t about him and what he felt for Addy.
Motion in his peripheral vision dragged his attention back to the house. Addy stepped back as Zoey descended the stairs. A young blonde woman walked beside her. Two more bracketed them, their gazes narrowed with suspicion.
Stacia.
Her long, blonde hair framed her angelic face. Tears shimmered in her blue gaze as she quickened her steps toward him. One of the women grabbed her arm, but Stacia jerked back from the contact and ran.
He shifted backward two steps from the impact. Arms wrapped around her, he took a deep breath and battled his own tears as she cried softly into his shoulder. No words came even though they rolled through his mind.
It’d been too many years since they’d seen one another, too many hardships and pains. How could he undo the damage his father had done?
“Brother of my heart,” she whispered in Russian.
Tears escaped his eyes. “Sister of my soul.”
She remembered. They’d always teased one another that they’d been born into the wrong families. Her marriage to Olaf would’ve bonded them, but they’d already been the family neither one of them had. Stacia, Gavriil, Olaf, and Kristof. The four lost souls.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered. “I will carry the shame of what he did for eternity.”