Chapter Thirty-Nine
Haley
“What are you going to do?” I asked James.
“John and I have a plan.”
Unease settled on my shoulders, and I let out a long breath trying to grasp the words that were about to come out of my mouth. “If you do this, you can’t give up your badge, right?”
He turned to me, his dark eyes piercing my soul.
My James had returned, though his soul was more tainted than before.
Last night, he shaved off his scruff before he made love to me slowly, apologizing for the pain I'd endured.
This morning, he emerged from the bathroom dressed in his signature white button up and black slacks.
His hair was combed and styled to perfection, and his jaw seemed more defined—sharper.
Perhaps it was from the weight he had lost during my absence, but his body was still toned.
He went to the field office early this morning for a meeting with John Alex.
Yesterday, General Garner decided to make an appearance…
Yesterday. St. Louis field office.
“You fucking bastard!” I shouted as James and I entered his office.
His abuser stood by the windows, hands in his pockets as his eyes scanned over the city. My city. My home.
My feet began moving towards him as an anger I'd never known took hold of me. This man beat James as a child. What kind of father did that to his child?
James’ arm banded around my waist, his chest hitting my back. “Calm yourself,” he whispered sternly.
“At least you know how to keep your woman in line, son. You learned that from me,” his father mused, turning to face us, as his eyes trailed down the length of my body slowly. “Seems you have better taste than I did.”
In the next second, I was behind James, hearing the familiar sound of a gun being loaded. “Another word about her or my mother, I’ll put a bullet in your mouth,” my agent growled.
“I only came to offer an olive branch, son. Put the gun away, and let’s talk like men.”
“The last time we talked like men, you pushed me down a staircase and nearly killed me,” James deadpanned. I moved back to his side, glaring at this monster.
His father smiled and gestured to James’ desk. “Your career is impressive. You were a fine soldier, and from what I’ve heard, an amazing agent. You're serving your country well, James.”
“Buttering me up won’t get you anywhere near that list.”
The smile on the general’s face fell, morphing into a snarl. “You don’t want to go down this path, boy.”
“Because you're on it, Dad?” James sneered, stepping closer to him, his gun still raised.
What?
His father was on Casey’s list?
A lump of disgust formed in my throat. I looked at James, my heart aching for him as he snarled at his father.
“You made a mistake coming here, thinking I would strike a deal with you. Your king is dead. Your skin trade profits are being drained from your bank accounts as we speak. Oh, and your golf buddies? You know, the ones who like little girls?” James took another step forward, and I wanted to vomit.
“Their homes are being raided. Their campaign managers are being investigated, and their voters…” My lover chuckled darkly, lowering his gun.
“This will be on national news tomorrow morning.”
The general snapped. “You fuck—”
I stepped forward and yanked the gun from James’ grasp. I pointed it, and the man stopped, his forehead against the end of the barrel. “Touch one hair on James’ head, and I will shoot your dick off,” I hissed, dropping my aim and pointing it at his uniform covered crotch.
Present Day. St. Louis field office.
“Princess.”
I blinked and looked up to find dark eyes. “Hi,” I said weakly.
He stroked my cheek. “Disappeared on me for a second there,” he murmured, watching his finger trail my jaw and down my neck.
“Just thinking about yesterday.”
“I didn’t like that he saw you,” he admitted.
“Well, I didn’t like the fact that he thought —”
“He saw the one thing in my life he didn’t deserve to see, Haley.
You. That man shouldn’t have been able to see your beauty, experience your fearlessness, or witness your love for me.
You're too precious to be looked upon by scum like him,” he murmured, pulling me to his body and cupping my face.
My hands found his wrists as his forehead touched mine.
“You asked about my badge…” he started.
I stiffened in his hold. He promised he would be giving this up for me—for us.
“In order to make this work, you would have to stay on,” I finished for him.
He sighed, his minty breath skating across my lips. “You want my badge gone? It’s gone, princess. Just say the word.”
I sat back, my eyes meeting his, and my heart rate began to climb. “What—what are you saying to me right now?”
His thumbs stroked my cheeks. “I’m saying that I am willing to give you anything you want in this life, Haley Austen. My heart belongs to you. Whatever you want, you can have.”
I sobbed. “But at what cost, James?”
“The Bureau is willing to expend an offer to Collin Stevens—in full immunity if he holds up his end.”
I bit my lip, pulling it out between my teeth slowly as he watched. “The catch is you, isn’t it?”
His eyes closed briefly. “Yes, I would be the agent working with him. He'll need to help aid the Bureau in taking down the trafficking rings that Romano was in control of.”
“Will you be working any other cases?”
“That I don’t know, princess,” he answered softly.
“But Collin will remain out of prison?” I whispered, my thoughts going to Kay. Seeing her like that—broken—as she held Collin on the ground after he was shot…
“As long as he doesn’t fuck up or get caught in whatever else he plans on doing, yes, he will stay out of prison.”
“Can we live here?” I asked after a few moments. Kay and Collin deserved their happy ending. I wouldn’t be the one to stand in their way. James would keep his badge, and he would get to keep me as well. I wasn’t going anywhere.
His gazing warmed, and his pupils dilated slightly. “You want that?”
Nodding, I replied, “Yes. Our family is here. I don’t want to be apart from them.”
“Our family, huh?” he mused, arching a brow.
“I can’t wait to add to it,” I rasped, my cheeks heated.
Desire flashed in his eyes, and his jaw tightened. He backed me up until I was against his desk, and his hands weaved into my hair, pulling my head back. His lips found my ear. “You want to give me babies, Ms. Austen?”
“After you marry me, of course,” I said lightly. One of his hands dropped to my hip, squeezing it as he pulled back and smirked.
“Deal.”
I sighed, a laugh bubbling out of me at the end. “Promise me something?”
He remained silent, watching me. The sun was out today, making the tiny suns in his dark eyes more prominent in this light. My hand snaked up to his shoulders and into his hair. “Everyone gets their happy ending?”
James Garner, my tainted FBI agent, kissed me. “I promise,” he whispered against my lips as he lifted me onto his desk.
“James, what if—”
“Hush. I need to fill my sweet little cunt up before my meeting,” he growled as he spread my legs open. “Going to fuck you hard and fast, princess.”
He did.
And it was glorious.