55. Chapter 54
Chapter 54
AJ
T he guys cleaned the conference room after everyone finished eating, arguing it was the least we could do. Meg and Blake argued they hadn’t helped set up, so they should help clean.
“Max is helping,” Meg argued. Meg was always looking for ways to connect with Max. Max kept a professional distance, but Meg was determined to bring her into the family fold. So far, Max had declined offers to join the girls’ monthly craft and booze night, which included Meg, Mary, Beth, Emily and her mom, Anne, and sometimes Ashley. I hope Blake takes them up on their offer.
“Because I’m on the team,” Maxwell said.
“You both had terrible days, go relax for a few minutes,” Jack ordered.
Blake, following Meg’s lead, kissed me and said thank you before leaving.
I stared as Blake walked out the door, fighting the urge to follow her.
She’ll be safe downstairs . Sammie was still here, and the doors were locked, and the windows were bulletproof glass.
And we’d killed the men who’d threatened her.
What if there’s more? We killed a lot of men, but not the head of the organization. Would he come for her?
“Janerek, you okay?” John disrupted my thoughts.
I nodded without taking my eyes off the door.
“She’ll be okay,” Jack clapped my shoulder.
Reluctantly, I turned and got to work. We functioned like a well-oiled machine and got the job done in record time.
As we finished up, John asked, “Have you told Blake she can’t go home?”
“Not yet. I wanted to give her a breather before dumping more shit on her.”
“If she isn’t comfortable staying at your place, she’s welcome to stay with us,” Jack offered.
Doug laughed as I shot Jack a scathing look.
Which caused Jack to chuckle and add, “You both are.”
“Will you be able to leave her alone anytime soon?” Doug asked.
“Could you?” My question was the answer. We were a lot alike, not just Doug and I, all of us.
“No. I hovered so much I drove Beth crazy after we found Chase.”
“I was so damn scared of losing Emily that I slept outside her house for a week after the hospital released her,” Jamie laughed as he said it.
“I watched so many rom-coms while Meg was healing; I swear I could write one,” Jack admitted, causing us all to groan. Meg loved all things romance. Turns out, so did Emily, making Jack and Jamie grateful the two of them got along so well.
Jay rolled his eyes and made a whip cracking sound while mimicking the movement.
“Just you wait, Jay. Someday it’ll happen to you,” John said.
His ‘fuck no’ was so ice cold and filled with conviction I’d swear the temperature in the room dropped.
I wasn’t the only one who felt it.
Someone had hurt Jay. Bad.
“I’m taking the trash out.” Jay said, picking up the three bags and marching out of the room.
Maxwell stared at Jay as he walked out, her profiler gears spinning.
“Damn,” Jamie said.
“Yeah,” Jack agreed.
John didn’t have to say anything; his sad expression was enough.
Even I hadn’t had that level of anger or conviction when I swore off relationships.
Funny how one five-foot-two curvy blond with a whole lot of sass had changed everything for me. A stupid grin split my face. I needed to hold her like a fish needed water.
Now.
“I gotta go.” Ignoring their laughter, I raced out of the room and down the stairs.
As soon as I got downstairs, I hugged Blake before asking her to follow me to my office.
I closed the door and sat in one of our guest chairs before pulling her into my lap.
Thinking it’d be easier to tell her she couldn’t go home if she volunteered to stay with me first, I asked, “Blake, would you stay with me tonight?”
Asked? I practically begged. She couldn’t go home, but that didn’t mean she’d want to stay with me.
“I, um, I’m not sure. I should probably go home.”
I was afraid she’d say that.
“Unfortunately, that’s not an option. I’m sorry, but the police haven’t released the house, so you can’t go home yet.”
Her shoulders curled in as she closed her eyes and inhaled a shaky breath.
Rubbing small circles on her back, I offered what little comfort I could. “It’ll be over soon.”
“Will it?” Doubt and disappointment vied for top billing.
“Not everything, but they’ll be done with the house soon.”
I didn’t like the idea of her being anywhere but with me, but I had to let her make up her own mind. It felt like an eternity before she asked, “You’re sure you don’t mind?”
“Sure?” I laughed softly and brushed her bangs to the side. “Blake, I’d insist, and carry you home with me if I didn’t think it’d piss you off.”
She didn’t quite laugh, but she smiled as she said okay.
Tension fell from my shoulders as relief washed over me.
If she’d chosen a friend’s house or staying at her dorm, I would’ve gone crazy and pulled a play from Jamie’s playbook—and camped outside her door.
We talked for a few minutes before a soft knock interrupted us.
“Come in,” I called out, pulling Blake close when she tried to stand up. I should have released her, but my arms didn’t get the message.
“Sorry to interrupt,” Jack came in, carrying Blake’s backpack. “ I wanted to return these before you leave.”
This time, I let her get up.
“Thank you.” She immediately reached into her bag for her phone. When she turned it on, it chimed non-stop for what seemed like forever.
Jack asked quietly, “You good for tonight?”
Blake’s shoulders sagged as messages continued to chime in.
“She’s staying with me, but I don’t think it’ll be a good night,” I answered. Blake looked even more defeated as she started scrolling through her messages.
“Let me know if you need anything. The rest of the team said to tell you the same.”
“Thanks, man.” We shook hands before hugging it out with a solid clap on each other’s back.
After Jack left, I walked up behind Blake and wrapped my arms around her. “You don’t have to read them tonight.”
She turned in my arms. “Priscilla is blaming me because she’s locked out of the house,” she wept into my chest.
I pried her phone out of her shaking hands. “Why don’t you wait until tomorrow to read the rest?” She’d had enough stress and trauma for one day.
I felt her nod into my chest. “Can we go home?”
Home. Hearing her refer to leaving with me as going home was music to my ears.