Chapter 19 – BODHI
BODHI
Chase and Beau are waiting in the loading bay when I pull up, which means they got my message. What they weren’t expecting, judging by the looks on their faces, is for me to climb out and pop the boot.
Slowly, reluctantly, they round the car and stand on either side of me, both with arms folded and peering inside as I lift it, revealing two man-sized lumps wrapped in tarps.
Beau exhales a curse and closes his eyes.
Chase stares down at the bodies. “Please tell me they’re not dead.”
He can hear their heartbeats and their shallow breathing; he’s just making a point.
“They’re not dead. Or dying.” I grab the first one and haul him out, slinging him over my shoulder. “They’re cops. I need you to hold them until Friday.”
Beau narrows his eyes at the second man, at his swollen and bruised face, then up at me, his expression caught somewhere between horror and amusement.
“You brought us cops? Injured cops.”
“I brought you two men who would be dead if I’d left them with Kozlov.
And they weren’t working as cops when they broke into Kozlov’s, looking to cash in on a reward.
” I dump the first one onto the concrete floor, not particularly gently either, and go back for the second.
“It went sideways. They got caught. I have to make it look like I disposed of them.”
Chase runs a hand through his hair and blinks hard, looking at the beaten men and then back to me, trying very hard not to lose his temper.
“And you brought them here. To my facility. Where I run a legitimate security business.” He glances around, making sure there’s no other staff around to witness this delivery.
“You have holding cells. You have medical facilities. And you have Beau, who can figure out what to do with them. With his girlfriend’s help.” I drop the second man beside the first and straighten before rolling my shoulders. “I didn’t have a lot of options.”
Beau mutters something about her not being his fucking girlfriend, but I ignore him. Now is not the time.
“You could have actually disposed of them,” Beau says. “As in, dropped them home. Or to a hospital.”
I frown, looking at him in stunned disbelief. “So, they can go back to whoever hired them and tell them she’s definitely there? No thanks. We need the auction to go ahead so we can get everyone out at the same time.”
Chase stands, arms folded again, and watches as the two men struggle to move inside the tarps, attempting to roll onto their knees and push up on their elbows. One topples, catching his chin on the ground, but nobody moves to help him.
These people might not be enemies, but they’re not good men either.
“They’re just idiots who got in over their heads. Aren’t you?” I crouch down and stare into the first man’s face.
He’s squinting, his sore eyelids swollen shut, but his breathing is steady.
“One of them has a contact named Natasha who’s already in witness protection. Apparently, the real cops are building a case.”
Chase and Beau exchange a look.
“Lisa isn’t going to like this,” Beau mutters. “No fucking way am I telling her.”
“Lisa can’t know yet.” I stand and face my brother and Chase, not asking but telling them what needs to happen. “After the auction, you can hand them over, tell whatever story you want. But until then, they stay here. Away from Kozlov.”
Chase’s jaw tightens. “So, what information have you got?”
I take a breath, steadying myself. “Kozlov’s moving Emma and the other woman to an off-site location on Friday evening. The secret venue is revealed the day before the auction by a Mr. Black. He’s put me in charge of Emma’s security for the transport.”
Four raised eyebrows stare back at me. They weren’t expecting that.
“It’s happening under the cover of an illegal boxing fight. There will be lots of people, lots of very rich people, all with their own private security.”
“That’s our window,” Beau says, catching on immediately.
Ordinarily, I’d suggest Chase and Beau stay away. They couldn’t look more clean-cut military law enforcement if they tried, but if they can pretend to be private security for one of the wealthy bidders, they might just be able to sneak inside.
“That’s our only window. Kozlov’s fortifying security around both women after tonight.
There’s no way to get them out of that house without a bloodbath.
But during transport, or when they’re leaving the venue, when they’re moving the women after and things are chaotic.
..” I trail off, letting them fill in the blanks.
Chase is quiet for a long moment, studying me with those sharp eyes that always manage to see more than anyone else.
“After? Seems risky.” Beau voices the same concern I have.
That one of the women might be spirited away before we can even get to them.
But before, they’ll be guarded too closely.
Plus, I want to gather evidence, proof of what these sick men were trying to do, so they’re held accountable and not allowed to just slope away or plead down to some solicitation charge.
“This is getting too dangerous,” Chase says finally. “You’ve been in there for days with no backup, and no extraction plan. If Kozlov suspects anything…”
I cut him off more aggressively than I meant to.
“He doesn’t.”
Beau turns to face me, my angry tone attracting his attention.
“If he does.” Chase presses, remaining calm in the face of my rising temper. “You’re dead. And so is she.”
The words hit me hard. I’m already uncomfortable being this far from her, and I don’t need Chase twisting the knife, even if he doesn’t mean to. My bear surges forward, snarling at the mere suggestion, and I have to clench my fists to keep him contained.
“I’m not leaving her there.” My words are barely more than a growl, and the men on the ground squirm, the power of my alpha aura like a physical weight as I lose control of it.
Chase looks at Beau, concerned, trying to manage me.
“Bodhi, I’m going to give Jake the money. He’s going to try to…”
Jake? This is all his fault. There’s nothing he can do that’s going to fix this.
“I said no.” The growl that escapes my chest isn’t entirely human, and I watch Chase’s expression shift from concern to something else.
Recognition. “I’m not pulling out. I’m not leaving her behind.
Kozlov is going to kill Jake even if he appears with the cash.
Because he’s got offers of over half a million for her.
He couldn’t give a fuck about whatever shitty debt Jake owes him. ”
Beau and Chase stare at me wide-eyed. They weren’t expecting that.
“And you should see these sick fuckers that came to see her. No. No fucking way am I allowing anyone else to mess this up.” I’m practically shouting now, aware that I’m acting like the unstable, feral bear they feared would lose control on day one.
I force myself to take a deep breath. “Whatever it takes, whatever I have to do, I’m getting her out of there. End of discussion.”
Silence falls over the loading bay. I rub the back of my shoulder absently, the raised skin a reminder of what’s at stake.
“Okay. I get it,” Chase says quietly, hands on hips and staring at the ground. “Fuck.”
Beau looks between us, his eyes widening slowly as understanding dawns.
“Oh, shit.” He breathes. “Shit, shit, shit. She’s your mate.”
I don’t answer. I don’t have to.
When Chase looks back up, his frustration has faded, replaced by something softer. Something that looks almost like sympathy.
“How long have you known?” This should be joyous news, but instead, it sounds like he’s asking me when I got the terminal diagnosis. Which maybe he is.
Because if anything happens to her, I won’t survive it.
“For sure? Since the club. The night we met.” I swallow hard, the admission costing me more than I expected.
Beau spins away, hands on his head now. I know he’s pissed that I didn’t tell them sooner, but tough shit. Until he finds his mate and has to endure her being in danger, he doesn’t get an opinion.
“The moment I saw her, I knew. And every second I spend in that house, watching Kozlov parade her around like property, knowing what he’s planning to do to her...” My voice roughens. “It’s killing me, Chase. My bear is going insane. But I know I can get her out safely. I know it.”
Chase steps forward and grips my shoulder, squeezing hard.
“We’ll get her out. We’ll figure it out.” His voice is firm. Certain. “Friday, we’ll get the location. The auction is Saturday. We’ll be ready. Just get us the location as soon as you have it, and we’ll handle the rest.”
Nodding, I can’t speak for a second with the swell of emotion building inside me. They’ve got my back. I want to believe him. I need to believe him. I trust them to do everything they can.
“The other women too,” I remind him, even though it’s tempting to be selfish and focus solely on Emma. “There will be others at that auction. We can’t leave them behind.”
I’d never forgive myself if any of them ended up in the clutches of a man like Ashworth.
“We won’t.” Beau moves to stand beside Chase, looking more serious than I’ve ever seen him. “Be careful.”
I nod, feeling some of the tension in my chest ease. This is why I came to Chase. This is why I trust him with my life, and now, with Emma’s.
“Congratulations, by the way,” Chase adds, his mouth quirking into a half-smile that doesn’t quite reach his eyes. “Finding your mate. It’s... it’s a big deal.” He laughs. “Natalie is going to lose her shit when she finds out. Be prepared for one hell of a welcome home party.”
Chase is going to have a hard time keeping Natalie away from this operation once she finds out who Emma is to me. But that’s his problem to solve.
“Yeah.” I scrub a hand over my face. “I need to get back.”
Something twists in my chest. Not pain, exactly. A pull. Like a string is being tugged, drawing me back toward the city, toward the mansion. Toward Emma.
“Now. I have to go now.” I’m already moving toward the car, my heart hammering.
“What’s wrong?” Beau calls after me.
“I don’t know. Something.” I wrench open the car door, then pause, forcing myself to think. She’s fine. She has to be fine. But the bond is pulling at me, insistent. I need to see her.
“Go,” Chase says. “We’ve got this handled. Keep us updated.”
I nod, sliding into the driver’s seat. Before I start the engine, I pull out my phone. Just a quick check.
The feed loads.
Emma is on the bed. The silk robe I watched her put on yesterday is slipping off one shoulder, and she’s looking directly at the camera with a slow, knowing smile playing on her full lips.
“I hope you’re watching,” she murmurs.
My bear goes absolutely still.
Then she starts talking. Telling me, telling the camera, what she’s been thinking about all morning. What she felt last night. What she wishes I’d done. Her voice is low and honeyed, and her fingers are tracing patterns on her collarbone, drifting lower with every word.
I can’t breathe.
She’s not in danger. She’s putting on a show.
“Bodhi?” Beau’s voice comes from somewhere outside the car. “You good?”
I don’t answer. I can’t. Because Emma’s hand has just disappeared beneath the covers, and she’s telling me exactly what she’s imagining.
Beau peers through the window, frowning. “What? Is she okay?”
I angle the phone away from him. “She’s fine.”
The engine roars to life.
I’m going to show her why teasing me is a bad idea. Right after I finish what she started.