Crave (Talon Security #1) (18 page)

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

T
he 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.

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.

“Well, now that we got that out of the way, I have some good news.”

I looked at him questioningly.

“They accepted our offer.”

“Oh, my God!” I squealed in excitement, wrapping my arms around his neck. “Holy shit!”

He chuckled at my exuberance and wrapped his arms around me. “The buyers wanted an expedited escrow. We close in fifteen days. I’ll need a few days to install security, but we should be able to move in less than three weeks. Which means you really have to talk to Brad. I want to move into our new place, start our lives there.”

I grinned. “Me too. I’ll call him again,” I promised, biting my lip as I looked toward Trixie.

“What is it?” he asked gently.

“I just didn’t expect to get so attached to her. I want him to commit to a date when he’s coming back, but I’m not looking forward to leaving her,” I murmured.

“I know, sweetheart. I’ll miss her too. We can get a dog if you want,” he offered. “Though maybe something a bit bigger, so I feel better about leaving you.”

I looked back at him. “You mean you don’t think Trixie makes a good guard dog?” I demanded in mock surprise.

He chuckled.

“Maybe.” I shrugged. “It wouldn’t be the same, though. I’m still not sure I’m a dog person. I think I’m just a Trixie person.”

“I get that.” He grinned, sweeping a hand through my hair. “I like the purple. I never got a chance to tell you.”

“Thanks.” I smiled. “You can pick the next one,” I promised.

“What if I pick neon green?” He grinned mischievously.

I shrugged. “You have to look at it more than I do.”

“Fair enough.” He chuckled, his eyes on his fingers as they toyed with my dyed strands. “It’ll be good to get out of town, I think,” he mused.

“Yeah,” I agreed passionately. “I’m so relieved,” I admitted. “I would have had a really hard time missing their wedding. Plus, I just miss her.”

“Yeah,” he agreed gently.

“Well,” I announced, standing up, “better get packing, since we’re leaving day after tomorrow. Oh, and pack your bass, since we’re performing!” I called over my shoulder.

“Wait, what?” his confused voice called as I left the room.

I peeked back into the room with an innocent expression. “Did I not mention that part? She asked Red Tape to do a little reunion performance. Should be fun,” I sang as I left him with wide surprised eyes.

“I’m rusty!” he hollered.

“You’re perfect!” I hollered back.

He really was.

****

“We’re not stopping again,” Sid growled from his place at the wheel as I sat at his side in the passenger seat with Trixie in my lap.

“But I’m hungry,” Caden whined.

“You’re always hungry.” Danika rolled her eyes. “I don’t know where the hell you put it. If I ate like you, I’d be big as a house.”

“I’d still love you.” Cade grinned, throwing an arm around her.

We were about halfway through our road trip and Cade had already made us stop twice. The Suburban was huge, so we all had plenty of space—much like Caden’s belly, apparently.

“So tell me more about these people we’ll be meeting,” Danny prodded curiously. “I’ve heard a bit about Piper, but I don’t know the others.”

I turned my body toward the backseat. “Yeah, Pipe and I have known each other since college. She’s from Hawthorne. She and Ryker were childhood sweethearts, but she left thinking he needed to sow his wild oats or something.” I rolled my eyes at her thinking. “She moved back when her mom died to take care of her dad, and she and Ry got back together after some… negotiation.”

Sid chuckled at my wording; he knew the story well.

“Ry’s part of a Motorcycle Club, the Knights. They pretty much run the town. They’re a great group, very protective of each other,” I explained. “I’ve never seen her so happy.”

“Where are they getting married?” Danny asked.

I grinned. “In their backyard. It’s a gorgeous space and that house is near and dear to both of them.”

“Sounds great,” she agreed, just as Caden’s stomach grumbled.

“Dude, remind me not to get deployed with you anywhere,” Declan groused. “You wouldn’t survive a day.”

“Good thing I’m rarely five feet from a fridge and have no plans to change that,” Caden retorted.

“Good thing,” Dec agreed.

Sid and I shared a quick grin at their exchange before his eyes shot toward the radio.

“Everybody, shut the fuck up,” he ordered, turning the dial up.

“What…?” I was about to ask him what he was doing but my ears perked to the sound of Autumn’s voice floating over the air waves. My entire body went solid as I listened intently. “Holy shit, that’s my song,” I breathed. “That’s my song!” I squealed.

Caden whooped from the backseat as Danny hooted.

Sid looked over at me, his grin wider than I’d ever seen. “Shit, baby, that’s awesome. Did you have any idea?”

“She texted me a little while ago saying they were recording but I had no idea it would get air play at all, much less this soon,” I marveled. “This is surreal.”

The Suburban that had been full of boisterous sound for the last three hours fell silent as we all listened intently to the song. She’d done something different than I would have, adding inflection where I hadn’t imagined it, carrying notes I hadn’t pictured. It just made it all the more beautiful.