Chapter Fifty Seraphina
Chapter Fifty
Seraphina
“Ever heard of the whole a-watched-pot-never-boils thing?”
At Alex’s question, I stopped pacing and looked up from my watch and over at him. He was sitting upright in his bed, and the color had returned to his face since we’d last visited him.
“Shouldn’t they have made contact by now?” My insides weren’t twisted up; they were obliterated into a mangled mess with every passing minute we waited to hear from Ryder.
I’d muted the soap opera I had on about five minutes ago because the actors’ voices were grating on my nerves. My own was, too, though. The only words I wanted to hear were from Ryder letting me know everyone was fine and they had mission success.
“Something probably came up.”
I morphed into my mom right then, unsure if I could pull off the “look” as well as her, but I gave it my best shot.
At Alex’s twitch of the lips and hand in the air, I assumed I’d mastered her Are you kidding?
expression. “You make it sound like they got held up in traffic on their way, or the battery died in their phone and they don’t have a charger. ”
“Distract yourself. Eat my Jell-O. God knows I’m not.
” He lifted the bowl, and the red cube wobbled.
Realizing I wasn’t backing down from acting like a nervous mother, he set aside the food, which needed to be outlawed in every country.
“Trust me, sitting in this bed instead of being on that op with them is hell. I’m anxious as fuck myself. ”
I frowned. “You don’t look it.”
He rubbed his chest. “They’ve got me doped up. Just not enough. Heart still hurts.”
Shit. I started for the door.
“Where are you going?”
I spun around. “To get the doctor.”
“No, no. I didn’t mean that literally.” He flicked his wrist to come back over. “Thanks for caring, though.”
My shoulders fell, and now my heart was hurting, too. For him. “I can’t imagine what you must be going through.”
He flicked the bowl of Jell-O farther away, keeping his eyes on the little red block.
“I’m just upset with myself for ...” He cleared his throat, smoothing the heel of his hand in small circles over his heart.
“She was with Ezra, and still, uh, showing up at my door from time to time in the last year, so I’d like to use this spork here”—he lifted the plastic utensil—“and cut out my eyes so I can unsee the past and make it go away.”
Ohhh. My stomach dropped, and I scooched a chair closer to the bed and sat. Memories of the time my brother had struggled to get over his high school sweetheart, who was neither sweet nor had the best heart, flooded my mind. What’d I say to him during that situation?
I guess Ezra wasn’t enough for Beth, even though she was insanely jealous (which wound up saving me).
“Your problem—which isn’t actually a problem at all—is you clearly have a huge heart. You see the best in people,” I finally said all that came to mind. “Maybe too forgiving?”
“I heard the question mark there at the end.” He set down the spork. “I’m not forgiving of criminals. Zero tolerance for bad guys. That’s what she is now. It’s who she became. There’s no saving or forgiving.”
Amen to that.
“I’ll be fine. Just need to beat myself up about my poor decisions for a few more days.” He closed one eye. “Or weeks. I’ll soldier on”—he gave me a lopsided smile—“and never date again. Too late to become a priest? You think they’ll hold my kill count against me?”
“Oh my God.” The man had me laughing, but it was a welcome distraction from—
Ryder. Ryder’s here. I jumped from the seat at the sight of him leaning in the doorway.
“What’s so funny?” A slow, lazy smile cut across his lips, nearly nailing me to the floor in my pursuit of getting to him. Because, you know, smiles were positive. Optimistic. No one died on missions if you came back smiling.
“You’re here. Even took time to change.” I threw my arms over his shoulders and crushed myself against him.
“I figured showing up looking like an operator and strapped might turn a few heads with the staff. Prefer to blend in.” That raspy, deep voice was silk to my skin and music to my ears. The only sounds I’d wanted to hear were happening now and in real time.
When I lifted my head, still hanging on to this man like a lifeline, I spied Reed in the hallway also appearing as intact as the man I was clutching.
“Sorry I didn’t call. I was so anxious to get to you—”
“That I had to see him in his skivvies on the ride over here as he changed.” Reed’s drawl, coupled with his smile, had me over-the-moon relieved.
If the quiet, broody one was grinning, then yeah, we were better than good.
“I had to see you half naked, too, ya asshole,” Ryder joked, letting go of me so we could all head into Alex’s room.
Reed quickly dismissed a nurse complaining about the visiting rules, and he offered her a few broken Spanish phrases that were almost comical coming from his mouth.
“Tell me everything,” Alex said the second we were together.
Reed rounded the bed, and Ryder pushed the chair away so we could stand next to Alex.
“Is everyone okay?” I blurted before anyone could answer Alex.
“The good guys, yes. I’m bruised as fuck, but that’s because of Reed here shoving me to the ground and throwing himself on top of me.” Ryder scowled at Reed. “Don’t do that shit again. Trying to sacrifice yourself for me.”
Reed rolled his eyes as his response.
“Wait, what happened?” I wrapped my arm around Ryder’s, trying not to be too panicky or alarmed since he was clearly okay and not bleeding.
“There was a pressure plate. A room was rigged to blow.” Ryder motioned to Reed. “This asshole tackled me, used himself as a human shield—but crazy enough, the thing didn’t go off. Faulty wiring.”
I covered my mouth with my free hand, trying to wrap my head around the what if s that could’ve gone wrong. “Told you my dad had your six,” I whispered, my arm diving to my side as pressure built up into my chest, threatening to come out in the form of tears.
Ryder kissed the top of my head. “You’re right about that, beautiful.”
“So, everyone’s really okay? Mission success?” There was definitely something else Alex wanted to know besides that.
Same. So much same. Were Beth and Ezra alive and kicking? The Moraleses?
“Everyone on our side is good. But you know the saying about the witch being dead, well ...” Reed immediately lifted his hand at Alex’s wide eyes flying his way. “Kidding on that second part. Unfortunately.”
“Beth’s alive?” Alex’s forehead scrunched, and to be honest, I wasn’t sure I wanted to hear the answer to this myself. “Also, since when is this guy funny? You’re supposed to be the know-it-all without a sense of humor.” He pointed at Reed, eyes on Ryder to answer him.
“She’s alive, yes,” Ryder said in a low, uncomfortable voice as if displeased by that reality. “And you need to hurry up and get better, because Reed attempting to take your place as the comedian on the team is not funny.”
Alex shifted back to the main issue at hand. “Tell me what happened.”
“When Ezra was cut loose so the Moraleses could take him out, he went after Beth. Managed to pull a knife off one of ángel’s men,” Reed explained.
“Karma’s a motherfucking bitch, I swear.
He stabbed her in the side, and ángel had no choice but to put the man down to, you know, save her.
He, uh, probably could’ve taken him out before he managed to cut her, but I think he was okay with letting Ezra get one swipe at her first.”
“Talk about a twist I didn’t see coming.” I gulped. “So Ezra’s dead?” Relief swelled heavy, hard, and deep. “Where’s Beth now?”
Ryder untangled our arms so he could draw his behind my back and haul me tight to his side.
“We left his corpse there to keep with the plan we were never there. Then we did a quick patch-up job of Beth’s wound and handed her over to Bravo to let them deal with her.
They’ll be taking her to DC for her punishment.
” He faced Alex next. “To spend the rest of her life powerless and in a jumpsuit.”
“You okay?” I asked Alex. Maybe that’s what Alex had wanted to happen, and Ryder kept her alive knowing that. Easier for Alex to truly move on if he had zero guilt about the death of that woman, even if, in my opinion, she deserved it.
“Beth didn’t deserve a star on the wall at the Agency commemorating her service, which would’ve happened if she died, because Potus can’t tell anyone the truth,” Alex said plainly, no emotion there. “So I’m good,” he added, eyes on me. “Are you?”
She and Ezra were responsible for stealing my family from me, so yeah, I was okay with the outcome. Death would be too easy for that woman. “I’m great because you’re all safe.” And that was what truly mattered.
“The Moraleses are done, too.” With his free hand, Ryder reached into his pocket and showed me a text from Martín, letting me know he was successful as well.
“They’re all gone. He came through for us in Mexico, and there’s a surveillance clip we pulled from the op tonight that we’ll ensure makes the rounds showing ángel killing Ezra.
That jibes with the story we planned on selling that he sought retribution for the Moraleses, so he has protection in that regard. ”
“How is he?” I asked. “I mean, they were still his family.”
“I’m good.” At ángel’s voice, I turned to see him in the doorway, resting his hand against the frame. “I came to say goodbye, and I truly hope I never see you again.”
“Same,” Ryder said with a smile.
“Thank you for everything.” I pulled myself away from Ryder to hug ángel goodbye, and he reluctantly hugged me back, probably careful under my overprotector’s watchful gaze. “Good luck back home.”
“Luck is no longer needed.” ángel let me go, then tipped his chin toward Ryder. “I’ll send you everything I have to help your friends.”
Ryder shook his hand and thanked him. “Be in touch.”
ángel gave me one last look, smiled, then took off.
“What stuff is he sending you?” I asked him.
“Everything he’s ever collected on the cartels over the years. I’m going to pass the intel over to Hudson so he can ensure no one can start up shit again—but if they do, he’ll be waiting to stop them.”
“Does that mean Hudson and his friends were successful in Miami? And what about Carter and the other teams?” I looked over at Reed, then back at Ryder.
“Hudson had mission success, and Carter and the president’s other teams are still at work taking down the suppliers, but I’m confident they’ll be done within a few hours.” More good news from my guy, thank God.
I faced him as if we were alone, setting my hand on his chest, finding his heart racing beneath my palm.
I was still struggling to absorb the truth that my hell had come to an end.
That I had my life back. A new, better one.
It’d probably take some getting used to.
I had to let the shock wear off. “So, what do we do now?”
“I take you home.” He held on to my hips, pulling me closer while leaning in.
“Your home?” I arched my brow.
“I don’t have one.”
“Neither do I.” Well, my parents had a home I’d yet to sell, but I hadn’t lived there since I was eighteen, and too many memories crowded that place for me to comfortably move forward if I were to live there. “So where do we go?”
“You could start with a hotel room,” Reed said, and we both turned and looked at him. “Or just do it here. I mean, I’ve already seen more of one of you than I ever wanted to.”
“You’ve been holding out on us, brother.” Alex threw his bowl of Jell-O at him, laughing. “You are a funny fucker. All this time, we never knew.”
Reed flicked the block of Jello-O that’d clung to his shirt to the floor. “Don’t get too excited. The second you’re back operating again, I promise you I’ll morph—”
“Into a Power Ranger?” Alex tipped his head back, his laugh deepening.
“How much morphine did they give you?” Reed shook his head. “You see what I have to put up with?”
“Typical of families, and you all are clearly one.” My shoulders relaxed, taking it all in yet again that everyone was okay, and also, well ... “Mind if I join?”
“Like as in, operating with us?” Ryder asked in alarm.
“No, silly.” I lifted one shoulder. “As your girl. And by extension, their family. Like a sister.”
“I can live with that.” He brought his nose against mine, a soft breath floating from his mouth that touched my lips. “Hell, I can’t live without that.”