Unexpected Redemption (Redleg Security #7)

1. Summa cum sumthin’

Chapter 1

Summa cum sumthin’

TOMER

I t’s taken a while, but I’ve finally identified the fluttery sensation under my chest. When I wake in the morning, it’s there. And when my eyelids drift closed, it remains. An almost constant companion, leaving me warm and satisfied. Since it’s arrived, it’s easier to smile or laugh and harder to lose my cool. And it’s nearly impossible to feel lonely. Because this emotion persists.

It’s . . . happiness.

Not the simplistic version of the emotion. This is more than someone telling me a nice story or something good happening to me. This is a bone-deep contentment that permeates my every thought.

Every breath. Every moment.

As cliché as it may sound, I’m becoming a whole new man. All thanks to the woman humming to herself beside me.

Sitting cross-legged, Lettie spins her chair in circles. “What do the cops say about all this?”

I stop typing, craning my neck to look at her. “All of what?”

My hungry eyes eat up the sight of her hair fluttering as she twirls freely with her head hanging over the chair’s back. Only three days at Redleg, and she’s entirely at ease. Possibly a bit bored, hence the chair spinning, but comfortable.

And I fucking love it.

Not having to hide her from my Redleg life or conceal any part of myself from her is so damn freeing. Hell, I could probably levitate down the hall as if I were filled with helium.

Klein and Mia left about an hour ago. There are a handful of people working at HQ at this hour. But it’s relatively quiet. Lettie came in here a little while ago to hang out with me while I wrap up today’s work items.

It’s a nice change to have her with me while I’m working. For the most part, she’s spent the last few days getting to know people at Redleg, keeping busy with odd tasks and helping where she can. She also spends quiet time in our bunk room when she needs it and takes her daily therapy video calls to keep up with her trauma healing.

Lettie puts a foot down to halt her spinning, gesturing to the project board along the wall. “Do they know you’re digging up evidence and doing their jobs?”

Chewing on the inside of my cheek, I push away from my desk and stretch over my head. “It’s complicated.” To give us a little privacy, I close the office door then return to my seat.

“And you don’t think I’m smart enough to understand?”

Glowering facetiously, I shake my head at her. “That’s not what I meant.”

“You sure? Is it the accent?” She lays her twang on thick. “Just ‘cause I sound dumb as a doornail, don’t mean I is. I know things. I is smart.”

Chuckling, I pat my lap. “Come here, sugar bear.”

She leans forward, angling her neck to feign peeking into the hall. “What if Boss Dad comes in? He might send us to bed without supper.”

“I’ll keep it office appropriate. I need you closer.”

“Shouldn’t you be working?”

I glance at the monitors. “I just finished making some enhancements to the program I’m running. I need a break and want my girl.”

The moment her bratty side springs to life, it dances behind her eyes like wildfire. My dick’s instantly on notice.

She stands, drawing her palms along her hips to highlight her curves. Those fucking jeans are almost as lethal as her sundresses. “Closer, huh?”

Attempting to add some heat to my tone, I make a show of being irritated. “Lettie, get the fuck over here. Now.”

She takes a big step backward.“So not this way, right?”

Cricking my index finger at her, I stifle a growl. The urge to chase her comes out of nowhere. Odd. Never had a primal kink. Wonder if we should try that.

Perhaps another time.

Responding to my wordless command, she saunters two steps closer. Unfortunately, she’s still out of my grasp.

“Violet, get over here, or there will be consequences.”

Sensually pinching her lower lip between her teeth, she inhales a shaky breath. “Oh no. Not that.”

Fucking irresistible woman.

Holding my stare, she darts one leg out, tapping her toes on the carpet in front of her. When I don’t react, she sets her foot down, completing the slowest step forward in the history of mankind. My head falls back in frustration, which only encourages her.

She repeats the drawn-out step with the other foot. “Is this better?”

“One more.” At this point, I could grab her, but I want her to comply willingly.

I think.

“Was that one more step forward or backward?”

“Fuck this.”

Lunging partially from my chair, I surround her waist with my arms. A squeak escapes her, followed by her sexy as fuck giggles. Instead of pulling her onto my lap so she’s upright, I bend her over my knees, face down.

“I may have made a grave error,” she sputters, her voice strained.

Better ensure she’s not in pain. “Are you okay, sugar?”

She nods eagerly. “Yes, babe.”

Running my palm over her plump ass, I give her the softest swat. “I’m not spanking you now. This isn’t the place. But remember this position because later you’re going to be in it for a while.”

“I’ll remember, babe.”

The breathy tone of her voice and wiggle of her hips tells me all I need to know about her headspace. I’ll check in with her later, but I suspect she’s getting tired of vanilla. We agreed to go home tonight instead of staying in the bunk room. I’ve got extra protection arranged, compliments of CPD. Maybe it’s time to have some fun.

I wrap one arm under her chest to help her up. “Now, get on my lap the right way so I can answer your question.”

As she settles onto my lap, her arms fall to my shoulders. Drinking up the beauty of her flushed cheeks, I trail my gaze over the delicate lines of her face, memorizing every last bit of her perfection.

Our eyes lock, and my heart stops. The way she looks at me is enough to send me to my grave happy.

Her tongue sneaks out, moistening her lips. “Confession time. I don’t recall what question I asked.”

“Does being a brat make you forgetful?”

“The squirrel in my head does. Plus, your touch tends to wipe my mind. Like a jolt of electricity to my frontal cortex.”

If that’s the case, how have I ever managed to have a coherent thought around her? Everything about her presence electrifies me.

“I’ll refresh your memory, sweetness.” I join our lips for a peck, then another, because why have one Lettie kiss when you can have two? “You asked about the situation with law enforcement.”

“Oh yeah. Well?”

“Boss,” pausing, I shake my head and amend, “your father has a good relationship with the police chief. He’s getting to know the sheriff too. Although, that’s been a harder partnership to crack for some reason.”

“And?”

“He essentially worked out an arrangement where we help them with some of their cold cases. Technical shit like I’m doing now with all this Lenkov research.”

“Like consultants?”

“Exactly. And in exchange, they’re much more cooperative on matters that pertain to our clients. Or, in this case, Redleg family.”

Her eyes widen. “They let you do whatever you want?”

“No. Not at all. We’re still expected to follow the law. They share information with us that they used to keep guarded. If we need help or back-up, they’re usually on the scene faster. For example, if I tell them I need a SWAT team, they’re already rallying it before they ask me for details. It allows us to protect our people better. And it’s nice to have friends with badges in case we fuck up.”

“I see. And about this Lenkov stuff specifically? What’s the deal?”

“We’re pulling together evidence and helping locate the ones in hiding. When we have something they can use for prosecution, we feed it to them. If they find something of note, they share it with us. It’s working well. Especially with the new liaison they assigned to us. She’s incredible.”

Her forehead bunches.

Answering her unspoken question, I explain, “The woman who interviewed you. Detective Salgado. She’s working with Patterson now that our partnership has expanded.”

“I see.” The subtle bobs of her head grow more flamboyant. “That’s good.” The tone of her voice isn’t very convincing.

“Something wrong?”

A weighted sigh escapes her. “The reason I asked was to ensure you’re not doing anything that’ll get you thrown in jail. As much as I want justice, I need you with me more.”

“I’ll do everything in my power to give you both, sugar bear. Justice and me by your side.”

She traces the outline of my lower lip with her thumb. “Do you promise?”

“Yes. I absolutely promise.” I rub my nose across hers. “Give me a kiss.”

Her face brightens instantly, and she tenderly slants her lips over mine.

After withdrawing, I ask, “Remember the night I left you with Stella and Freya at my house? With Kri and Marley?”

“When you burned down the nightmare shack and brought back Waffle House?”

She’s so damn cute. Before continuing, I kiss her again. I can’t keep my lips off her.

“Yes. That night. You brought me into the kitchen before I left. Remember that?”

She nods.

“Do you recall what you said?”

“Lord only knows, and he ain’t telling.”

Wearing an ever-widening smile, I scoop her hair back to reveal every inch of her face to my greedy gaze. “You told me to come back to you the same man you fell in love with. The other day at the women’s shelter, you said something similar. It’s stuck with me.” I tap my chest. “I carry it around in here. Every time vengeance starts to blind me, I hear your voice. It’s kept me from crossing that line. In fact...”

“Yes?” she prods, adding a pulse of her hands on my nape.

“The night I found Skidmark, I almost killed him. I could have. Then I heard your voice and remembered I wanted to be someone you could love. We weren’t even together at that point, and I was still determined to be better for you.”

Her eyes gleam, and her throat ripples with a forced swallow. “Really?”

With my lips pressed tightly together, I can only nod and soak up her loving expression while trying to decipher it.

Is it pride shining back at me? Nah .

Blinking away my musings, I tell her, “With my sugar bear’s words in my ear, I called Detective Patterson to come get him and spared that fucker’s pathetic life.”

Playfulness dusts her features as she lowers her chin to look at me from under her lashes. “Did you at least hurt him a little?”

Surprised by her abrupt one-eighty, I cough out a laugh. “I fucking love you.”

“I love you too, but you didn’t answer my question.”

“You want honesty?”

“Always.”

“Yes. We hurt him.” I hold up my index finger and thumb, a centimeter separating them. “Just a tad.”

“Good.”

“If I was able to hold back when we were broken up, imagine what I can do knowing you’re at home waiting for me.”

“Like pregnant and barefoot in the kitchen?”

The mental image she gave me sends a surge of blood to my dick. “If that’s what you want,” I rasp, unable to quash my budding lust.

She notices, a lascivious smirk eating up her expression. “I was only playin’ about that. Does it make you hot or somethin’?”

“It makes me a lot of things, aroused being one of them.”

“Apparently so.” She squirms, dragging her lush ass over my hardening cock. “You got a breedin’ kink you never mentioned?”

Lowering my head a couple of inches, I brush my lips over hers. “Nah. I have a Lettie kink. Especially when you turn on your accent and wriggle this sweet ass around on my dick.”

My mouth finds hers as if guided by sonar. The tiniest whimper flutters past her lips when I angle her head to deepen the kiss. Her grip on the roots of my hair tightens. Dammit . We’re crossing the point of no return.

I cannot have sex with her in the lair.

Someone should tell that to my dick.

Breaking the kiss, I pull back with twenty tons of reluctance. “Not here, sugar.”

“Downstairs? A little quickie?”

“Maybe we should go home. I can’t promise quick or quiet.”

Her posture shifts, and she swings her gaze around the office. “Shoot. I’m a bad influence.” After scurrying off my lap, she straightens her frame and pats her hair down. “I’ll walk the halls and listen to music so you can focus.”

Despite her valiant effort to leave the lair, I catch her just before she gets to the door and wrap my arms around her from behind. “Easy, sweetness.” I kiss the curve of her neck, breathing my words across her silky flesh. “My team accomplished a lot today, and I’m at a decent stopping point. We can go home. No guilt.”

Twisting in my arms, she scrutinizes me with an almost doubtful glare. “Are you sure? I can find something to keep me busy. The work you’re doing is important.”

My hand explores her face, the back of my knuckles gliding over her smooth cheek. “Spending time with you is too. We’ve been cooped up here for three days. Let’s cut out early tonight. Have some dinner. Watch a movie. Just be with each other. This will be here when we get back.” I glance over my shoulder at my primary monitor. “Besides, my program is running, and I’ll get a notification if it finds anyone from the list.”

Deep in thought, she nibbles the corner of her mouth, then swipes her tongue over the same spot.

“Lettie, what’s that look for?”

She hesitates for only a second before explaining. “For a year, I’ve been second fiddle to your job. And now...” Unable to finish her sentence, she shifts her eye line to the floor and releases a wobbly sigh.

Placing my fingers under her chin, I tilt her face to look into her eyes. “This is one of those times where I have no idea what I’ve done wrong. Don’t you want to spend the evening at home?”

“It’s not that,” she insists.

“Then what?”

Rolling out her shoulders, she huffs. “ Gah . I’m wondering why you worked around the clock when it was on cases for other people, but now you’re totally casual about this one. This case . As if you have all the time in the world. Tomer, there are more girls out there in danger. What about them?”

Oh shit. Now I get it.

True to form, her annoyance is based on her concern for someone else.

Grabbing her hand, I lead her over to the whiteboard. Until now, I haven’t explained the detailed plan, and she hasn’t asked. I suspect she needs to see this to ease her survivor’s guilt.

“We’re confident all Lenkov’s trafficking activities are stalled. All the names with lines through them are arrests. We’ve gutted their entire ring.”

She freezes, her jaw slack and eyes bulging. “ Wow. How?”

“Savin and Tasha offered valuable information to the Feds upon their entry into WITSEC, which led to four other prep houses being raided before Lenkov had the chance to relocate them. We believe he was in the process of doing that, but we caught him in time. We also helped facilitate a bust of a house that was essentially a brothel.”

A shot of pride quivers under my ribs when I tell her the rest. “Sugar, more than eighty girls were saved. Eighty. Some of them had been in captivity for years.” I point toward the list lower down the board. “These are all the men who were bringing in new girls. My team found them all. Redleg either apprehended them ourselves or sent law enforcement to get them. There’s only one fuckface left standing from that group. For now.” The tendons on the sides of my neck tighten as I draw my eyes away from his name.

“Holy shit, babe. This is amazing.”

“Best we can tell, Lenkov isn’t hurting any more girls. Certainly not on the scale he was. He has no one to hunt them and no places to hold them. Nearly all his minions involved in the trafficking activities in West Florida have been captured.” Air struggles to free itself from my chest. “And once we get the leadership, they’ll never be able to hurt another woman again.”

“I had no idea.” She wraps me in a side hug. “I’m so proud of you.”

“As you can see, we’ve earned an early night.” I glance up at the clock. “It’s not even that early. It’s already 1930.”

Her lashes flutter, and her voice heats. “It’s sexy when you talk military to me.”

I pull her close. “Before you get me hard again, there’s something else I want to say.”

“How about I get you hard while you talk?” She rises to her tiptoes and runs her lips along my neck. “I can multitask. It’s one of my ADHD superpowers.”

“That’s a bald-faced lie.” I barely get my words out through a brewing laugh. “You can hardly pay attention to one thing at a time, let alone two.”

She gasps and goes rigid in my arms. For a second, I wonder if my joke went too far.

“Excuse me? How dare you? I have never been so insulted in my life.” She throws a palm to her chest. “I hold a master’s degree in Paying Attention from Concentration College , where I graduated summa cum sumthin’ or other. And they’re one of the top ten private colleges in the US, thank you very much. So you better watch your mouth or risk insulting my entire alma mater.”

My shoulders rise and fall with amusement as a dusting of relief settles over me. “My apologies. I take it back. You’re excellent at paying attention. Never met anyone as gifted in that regard. Surprised it’s not a PhD, to be honest.”

Closing the space she put between us with her humorous antics, she bobbles her head like it’s on a spring and purses her lips. “Just for that, I’m gonna sit on your face for an extra-long time tonight. Maybe I’ll make you sleep like that.”

“Don’t threaten me with a good time, sugar.”

As soon as she’s within reaching distance, I pull her close and kiss the fuck out of her. All her snark, sass, and teasing dies on her tongue from my possessive grip on her neck and unforgiving lips. She melts instantly.

This woman is the embodiment of joy.

Breaking away, I lick my lips to savor the taste of her sweet kisses. She does that adorable thing where she keeps her eyes shut for a few seconds.

I wonder if she’ll do that when I kiss her after we’re pronounced husband and wife?

Shaking off the random thought, I finish my earlier point. “Back to what I was saying earlier.”

“Yes?”

“I made mistakes over the year we were together, and I’ll do my best not to repeat them.”

She massages my forearms and biceps in seductive strokes, making it nearly impossible to concentrate.“Like what?”

“I worked too much. Should’ve spent more time with you. Spoiled you with more dates. Been there for you more. Taken you out to lunch for no reason other than to be together. Stuff like that.”

“Aw,” she coos, rolling her lip out in a subtle pout.

Remorse scrapes at the inside of my chest. I suck in a huge swell of air to fight it off. “Although what we’re doing is important, living my life is important too. And you’re the best part of my life. Being with you ranks so far above everything else. I should’ve figured that out sooner. This place won’t crumble if I’m not here twenty hours a day. Even with this case. Besides, I have a night crew plugging away at that mammoth list on the wall. What we’re doing is working. We’ll take those fuckers down. In the meantime, I don’t want to stop living. If everyone else has managed to find a way to balance work and family, I can too.”

This time, when she rises, she brushes her lips over mine, offering me a petal soft kiss. Her sweet scent surrounds me.

“Take me home, Tomer.”

The soothing warmth of nostalgia pounds through my bones as her words send me spiraling back in time. To the night I came to the club for her after that month apart. When I couldn’t stay away anymore. She said, “Take me home, James.”

Despite the fake name, it was powerful to hear the confidence she had in her decision to be with me.

But now? Fuck .

Words can’t describe the sensation flowing through every cell of my body. So instead of trying to articulate how she’s made me feel, I kiss her slowly.

Then I take her home. To our home.

Even if we haven’t moved her in yet, it’s still ours. What’s mine is hers. Wherever we are is our home.