41. Elena
41
ELENA
“ Y ou brought my daughter home, you found her, I can’t believe you found her,” Sergei says, wrapping me in his arms and hugging me as his tears flow freely. “She is home, home!” Emotions well in my eyes at Sergei’s thanks.
“I told you I would find her.”
Anna comes over and hugs me as if I haven’t just been ignoring her for the past twenty-four hours. “Thank you for bringing me home.” I give her a smile, pretending everything is okay. I don’t know why I feel like this, I should be happy, years I have waited to bring my best friend home, and now that she is … I’m having mixed emotions about it.
“You’re home,” Elizabeth Clark cries as she pulls me into her arms and hugs me tightly. “I’ve been so worried about you. Zoe told me I didn’t need to worry but I will always worry about my girls.” I hug her tightly because the love that Zoe’s mom is giving me is something I’ve never felt before. “You saved Pearl and those girls. You saved them.” She cries as she continues to hug me.
“Sweetheart, you’re strangling her,” Frank Clark tells his wife.
“Oh, sweetie, I’m sorry,” she says, wiping the tears from her eyes as she takes a step back. “I’m just happy you are home. Can you believe she brought Sergei his daughter home, too? I’m so proud of you.”
“Thanks,” I answer quietly. I don’t think my own parents have ever told me they were proud of me.
“Oh, and who is this?” Elizabeth asks, looking over my shoulder. I don’t have to turn to know it’s Nash, his strong presence at my back is all I need to know it’s him.
“This is Nash Madden, he helped me bring Pearl home. He’s one of Brooks’ old military friends.”
“Oh, really nice to meet you, son,” Frank says, holding out his hand to Nash who shakes it.
“Thanks for having me, sir,” he says.
“Brooks has offered him a job because I basically blew up his life in Mexico. He can’t go back,” I explain.
Elizabeth’s brows pull together. “Well, we are more than happy to have you here. Thank you for helping save those girls, sorry that it was at the expense of your life there.”
Nash shakes his head. “It’s all good, ma’am, I would do it again in a heartbeat, especially as it brought me Elena.”
Elizabeth and Frank still at the use of my real name and the fact that Nash used it.
“Oh, yeah, I may have come back with more than just the girls,” I say, biting my bottom lip.
“You two …” Elizabeth looks between us.
“I don’t deserve her, I know that, but I’m going to make sure she knows that she’s deserved,” Nash states. Elizabeth melts at Nash’s kind words.
“That’s rather unexpected, but I guess as long as you treat Ellie right then you and I won’t have a problem,” Frank tells him, instantly turning into papa mode which I appreciate.
“Understood, sir,” Nash says.
“You know, she can kill you in your sleep,” Elizabeth adds in warning.
Oh my gosh, is this what it’s like bringing home a boy to your parents, and they interrogate him? This is so embarrassing.
“I know. That’s why I sleep with one eye open.” Nash chuckles.
“Don’t tell me you’re getting the third degree from our parents,” Mackenzie says, bouncing over.
“Just making sure he’s worthy of our Ellie,” Elizabeth tells her.
“You know your mother.” Frank smirks at his daughter, who chuckles back.
“Hey, I wasn’t the only one that gave him a speech, your father did as well,” she says, throwing Frank under the bus.
“Like I would any of my daughters,” he grumbles, which makes me smile.
“Come on, my love, let’s help Sophie and Grace settle these terrified girls into their new home,” Elizabeth says, grabbing hold of Frank’s arm and walking away with him.
“Guess I really am part of the family now.” I smile at Mackenzie.
“Told you, you’re stuck with us now.” She smiles back. “I’ll let you guys go and get settled into your cottage, and whenever you’re ready, come up to the main house.” Mackenzie gives us a wave and follows where her parents walked off to.
“Sorry about all that, I didn’t realize they would care,” I tell Nash.
“It’s nice. They seem like great people.”
“The Clark family really are the best. With the amount of craziness this world has brought into their lives they have adapted well. I would do anything for this family.”
“You would do anything for your family,” Nash corrects me.
“Guess they are.”
“Think they made that clear today.” He grins as he wraps his arm around my shoulder and pulls me into his side. “Let’s grab our bags and you can show me your cottage.” He wriggles his brow at me.
“This is your cottage. It’s amazing,” Nash says as we step into Mateo’s old studio.
“I’m very grateful for them allowing me to stay at such short notice. But I do feel bad taking Mateo’s painting studio. Not that he has had a lot of time to paint and will probably have even less when Zoe has the baby …”
“But it’s not home,” Nash finishes the sentence.
I shake my head. “Plus, who knows if the agency is going to want me to keep working for them.”
Nash stills. “Do you think they are going to send you back out? Aren’t you compromised?”
I shrug. “Yes, but I am still their weapon to do with what they want.” Silence falls between us. What can he say to that? It’s the truth. The uncertainty hits me walking back into the cottage, the same one I walked into after rising from the dead.
“Don’t worry about that, we will deal with it, if the time comes,” Nash says, reassuring me as he rubs my arms with his hands.
“Thank you,” I say softly.
“Come, let’s have a shower, it’s been a long day. Let me relax you,” Nash states.
“Does your method of relaxing include your dick?”
“Yes, and my mouth, tongue, and fingers, too.” He grins.
“Sounds like exactly what I need.” I giggle as he picks me up and throws me over his shoulder fireman-style and carries me to the bathroom.
“Where’s Zoe?” I ask Mackenzie as Nash and I join the others in the main home.
“She’s still in Barcelona where Mateo is filming. She should be back in a couple of weeks. She sends her regards,” Mackenzie explains.
“I got her text, thanks.”
“You and Nash settled in okay?” she asks, looking over to where Nash, Brooks, Sophie, and Damon are talking.
“It’s only been a couple of hours.”
“Still in the honeymoon phase then.” She giggles.
“How are things with Damon? Any more luck there?”
Mackenzie shakes her head. “No. It’s like I don’t even exist anymore.” The door opens, and in walks Anna with Sergei by her side. She’s changed into a designer outfit, which is a bright red wrap dress that is cut low, high heels, and her neck is dripping in the diamonds she made me hide in the Birkin bag. She seems a little overdressed for the occasion, but it is hard to break out of a character she has been playing all these years. Also, it probably feels safe to her to keep playing Annika Dominguez, a bit like a security blanket. We watch as Anna makes a beeline to where Sophie and the guys are standing, Brooks introduces Damon to her, and the next thing we hear is giggling. Damon’s cheeks are bright pink as Anna flirts with him. Nash turns around and gives me a ‘what the fuck’ look as he listens to their conversation.
“Wow, that’s unexpected,” Mackenzie says.
“That’s just her, she flirts with everything, it’s what we are trained to do,” I explain to Mackenzie because I can see she is hurt over the exchange between Anna and Damon.
“You don’t have to spare me feelings, Ellie, he was never interested in me,” Mackenzie says stoically.
Her feelings are hurt seeing Damon give Anna more attention than I’ve ever seen him give her. “You deserve better than him, there are plenty of men who would die to date you. You’re a fricken catch,” I tell her.
“I am, but I don’t think I’m going to find one on the Clark compound though,” she says, letting out a sigh, “but it’s not about me and my lack of a love life it’s about saving those girls from hell.”
“It’s not an either-or situation, Kenzie. You can save these girls while looking for love, too,” I reassure her.
“Maybe,” she says sadly while continuing to watch Anna and Damon flirt.