Chapter 24
BUTCH
I’ve gone from wanting to bury Becca under my skin so she’ll never be away from me again, to wanting to rage at her, to needing to feel her skin against mine, to vowing to put her over my knee, and now I’ve circled back to figuring out how to make her a part of me.
Every bit of it’s fucked up, but this whole situation is, so I figure it’s warranted.
I can’t fucking believe she took a risk like that. She was supposed to stay right beside Owen. And the first opportunity she got, she—
Fucking did exactly what I expected she would do.
I’m pissed about it, but not genuinely surprised. Annoyed and angry, but fuck if her behavior isn’t exactly the reason I love her.
Love her? Is it even possible for me to love Becca in such a short period of time?
Yeah. I think it is. I’m a fully fucking grown man who knows what he likes and what he doesn’t. I know who I am and who I’m not.
And I know that those seconds when Owen didn’t have his eyes on her were the longest years of my God damn life.
So yeah. It seems like I’ve had plenty of time to love her.
Becca and Raven sit along one side of the van, flanking the group of girls we rescued from the event like feral bookends.
The three of them sit silently, arms across their middles, heads dropped forward, curled in on themselves.
Like they’re afraid of what’s coming next.
I get it. As far as they know, they’ve been thrown out of the frying pan into the fire.
Becca and Raven are trying to reassure them, but I’ve seen shit like this more times than I can count.
These girls are shut down. They aren’t hearing a fucking thing.
The best we can do is get them somewhere safe, try to make them eat, and let them go to sleep.
And hope tomorrow morning they’re recovered enough we can ask them some questions.
Luca’s driving the van with Owen in the front seat beside him.
Quinn and I are in the back, sitting across from the girls, and it’s killing me not to be able to grab Becca and pull her against me.
I was already on edge knowing she was in there with Owen beside her, but seeing him try to pick her up after successfully knocking her out of the way as the van took out the doors, has me ready to knock heads together.
I know Owen did the right thing. I know he put himself in harm’s way to get Becca out of it. Picking her up to get her into the van as fast as possible was the right move.
I still didn’t fucking like it.
We can’t get back to the rental fast enough, and once we’re there it feels like it takes fucking forever to get the trio of teenagers fed, find them acceptable pajamas to wear, and cycled through the shower before being tucked into bed.
Becca and Raven handle the whole thing while the rest of us sit in the office serving as a miniature headquarters, giving them space.
I’ve been waiting an hour for Becca to be accessible when Pierce finally hangs up his phone after spending the whole time doing damage control. His eyes come straight for me. “Did you have to drive the van into the side of the building?”
I don’t even have to think about it. “Yes.”
Between Owen and Luca losing sight of Becca, and her inability to open the door, I wasn’t fucking holding back. I wasn’t wasting time. I wasn’t risking her safety. At any cost.
“I’ll pay for the damages.” It’s a concession I wouldn’t normally make, but I feel like the results warranted the means. And am willing to put my money where my mouth is.
“No need. I just wanted to be sure you still stood by your decision.” Pierce tucks one hand into the pocket of the suit he’s wearing. “Making decisions is one thing. Retaining confidence in them is another. I want you to always make decisions you will remain confident in.”
“Pretty sure that’s how I got here.” I stand up, feeling antsy.
I’ve faced the letdown that comes after the high of situations like the one we dealt with tonight. Usually, I crash and burn, picking apart everyone else’s actions, trying to see how they did or didn’t align with mine.
But that’s not what’s happening tonight, and it’s strange.
Am I annoyed that Owen and Luca let Becca slip away from them? Yes. But I can see how it could happen. Especially given her current partner in crime. Do I wish I could have been the one to go in with Becca? Also yes. But I can’t guarantee the outcome would’ve been any different.
And that says a lot. Because I don’t know many men who would drive a van into the side of the building, but I think Owen might have if that was what it took to get us out of there safely.
As much as I hate to admit it, the guy is fucking growing on me.
They all are.
“I think they’re as comfortable as they’re going to get.
” Becca appears in the doorway of the office.
Her dark hair is matted from the wig she took off on the way here, and mascara is spreading beneath her eyes in a way that makes her look more tired than she really is.
“Not one of them said a single word though, and I’m worried they won’t want to talk to us. ”
I go to her, finally pulling her against me. “Give them time. I think you’ll be surprised at how much they want to punish the people who did this to them.”
Becca nods, her head rocking against my chest, leaving a sparkly brown smear on my shirt. “I hope so.” She pulls in a deep breath, looking down at her current state. “I think I’m going to go take a shower. Get the rest of this glitter off of me.”
“I’ll help.” I know she’s in a costume. I know it served an important purpose. But I’m ready to have the real Becca back.
Leading her upstairs, I urge her toward our bedroom.
It’s tucked into one corner of the second floor, far away from where the girls are sleeping.
But I still keep my steps quiet as we pass their space.
Not wanting to disturb them or cause any sort of painful reactions that will likely linger for years from this ordeal.
Once we’re inside, I close the door and lock it, taking Becca directly to the bathroom where I go to work peeling away her clothes.
Removing the sequined gown Pierce’s wife will likely have to trash thanks to the damages sustained when Owen knocked Becca to the floor.
I look over her arms and legs, checking for bruises or scrapes as I work off the fitted undergarment stretching from her thighs to her shoulders. “Did you get hurt tonight?”
She shakes her head. “I don’t think so.”
Once I’ve finally got her naked, I help her under the water, quickly peeling away my clothes before getting in behind her.
I’m not usually a tender sort of guy, but she did so fucking good tonight—even though she went against direct orders—and I want to take care of her.
She’s also likely disappointed we weren’t able to find Amanda, and I want to be as gentle with her as I can.
But I know my sweetness has a limit, and I want her to remember these moments when it runs out and I get a little more…
Territorial.
I start pulling the weird metal pin things out of her hair, tossing them over the top of the shower curtain. Once her hair is totally loose, I make sure it’s saturated then wash out the product Raven used to keep it flat to her head.
“You did good tonight, B. Those girls are safe because of you.” I rinse away the shampoo and add some conditioner on her ends before pouring out a pile of body wash and beginning to scrub her skin. “I’m proud of you.”
Becca’s wide eyes stare up at me. “Thank you for rescuing me. I started to freak out a little when I couldn’t get those doors open.”
“I know.” I could hear it in her voice, and I saw red. Thank God all I had to do was crash a van into a building to save her, because I’m not sure there’s any limit to what I would’ve done to get to her in that moment. “We make a good team.”
She smiles up at me. “I think so too.”
“Well if you think it, that means it must be right, because you’re the smartest person I know.”
Once I have her all clean, I give myself a quick lather then switch off the water. Reaching out to grab a towel, everything else I heard though my earpiece tonight begins to crawl over my skin. “It seems like you enjoy champagne much more than scotch.”
Becca holds still while I dry her off. “It didn’t make me want to die. If that’s what you mean by enjoying it more, then yes, I like it more.”
“I should kick Owen’s ass for giving it to you.” Once she’s all dry, I wrap the towel around her shoulders and fling back the curtain, getting us out. I grab a second towel and toss it over one shoulder, giving my wet skin a half-assed swipe as I do. “What else did he do while you were in there?”
Becca shrugs. “It was weird having him call me sweetheart.”
My hand flexes where it’s pressed against her back as I move her from the bathroom to the bed. “He called you sweetheart?” I try to keep my tone even, but it’s difficult through clenched teeth. “What else?”
“Not really anything.” Becca’s blasé tone should make me feel a little better, but I don’t know that anything would smooth the hard edge cutting into my skin at the thought of another man pretending she’s his.
“He had to hold my hand for a minute because I freaked out a little bit when we first got there. It was so loud and crowded and overwhelming.”
He fucking held her hand? “Which one?”
What is it with Becca and her hands being on other men? I swear to God I’m gonna lose my shit if she accidentally touched his dick.
Becca looks down at her palms, eyes moving from one to the other for a few seconds before she lifts up the right one. “This hand.”
I grab it, stretching her fingers out before licking up the center of her palm. I follow a path down her middle and ring fingers, flicking against the tips of them before pulling away.
“If I also tell you that he held my vulva will you kill him, or will you do that to it?”