58. Kingston
CHAPTER FIFTY-EIGHT
KINGSTON
NOW
“What do you mean you’re no closer to finding out who’s hunting us?” I snap.
The team at Hawk Security are highly trained, and you could never accuse them of being bad at their jobs, but it’s never been Chloe who’s been in danger before, and that makes this a whole lot more personal than any case we’ve ever taken on.
“The guys you killed at the house? Ghosts. Their fingerprints weren’t in the system, their faces didn’t match any government ID issued anywhere in the world, and by the time we picked them up, their devices had been wiped,” Corbin tells me.
I don’t need to see him to know he’s running his hand through his curly brown hair right now.
He may be a ruthless killer, but he’s one of the shyest men I’ve ever met, and as much as he loves being out in the field with his brothers, he prefers being behind the computer screen making sure they can do their jobs safely.
The guys came to work for me a few years ago when they decided dealing with their own contracts was too much of a hassle, and I like to think working for Hawk has given them more direction than when they were out on their own.
I pinch the bridge of my nose and glance toward the house. Between the little show the three of them put on last night and the fact she was in the shower when I left my room this morning, I’m more frustrated than normal, and I shouldn’t take that out on Corbin.
“What about traffic cameras? Did they catch anything?”
“Negative. The men arrived in two unmarked vans, no windows, and the drivers were wearing masks. I had the guys look for the vehicles during cleanup, but they were gone.”
“Someone came to get them,” I provide.
“That’s how it looks.”
Whoever is after us is highly organized, which narrows down the possibilities significantly. There are few people on this planet that can pull off an operation like this so seamlessly.
The problem is, narrowing it down any further is going to be next to impossible because they, like the men we killed, are ghosts.
“We’re working around the clock to get answers, boss. Are you sure you don’t want me to send a team to guard you?”
“No, that’s not necessary. Between us, we have enough reinforcements to protect the cabin. Any Lombardi movement?”
“No one has left the compound since Damon a few days ago. I can’t see any reason for it, but it looks like they’re on lockdown.”
I glance toward the house with furrowed brows.
Damon isn’t here of his own free will. He’s made that obvious at every single opportunity presented to him, but he has no place else to go. He either makes nice with us or he gets sent back to his father, who will kill him for his betrayal.
But I still can’t quite shake the feeling that he’s up to something. He hasn’t done anything suspicious since he’s been with us, but I haven’t survived as long as I have by ignoring my gut.
“Keep me updated, Corbin. And send me a report of the cases we’ve taken over the last twelve months. I want to check some things.”
“You got it.”
He ends the call, and I take a few minutes to breathe in the fresh morning air.
It’s been a long time since I’ve been forced to slow down, even working straight through having my appendix out last year. It’s not in my nature to relax. I barely know what a weekend is, and the only vacation I’ve ever taken was when Chloe needed me ten years ago.
I’ve spent all these years building a business that can sustain itself without my constant supervision because I wanted to be able to give her my full attention, and now she’s right inside, and I’m out here alone?
Sharing Chloe was never part of the plan. From the moment I carried her out of that gas station, bloody and broken, she was mine, and I did everything in my power to prepare my life for her.
But I didn’t prepare myself for the possibility that she would fall for someone else.
Or multiple someone else’s, I guess.
Stealing her away again will only make her hate me, and even if with time I’m able to win her love, she’ll always miss them.
I want to give her everything, so why wouldn’t I want to give her the love of multiple men? After all she’s lived through, everything she’s survived, she deserves everything in this world, and I refuse to be the one that stands in the way of that.
Shoving my phone back in my pocket, I stride toward the house and step inside, the warmth from the fresh fire a stark contrast from the cold morning outside.
It’s quiet inside the cabin, but it’s not until I glance at the couch that concern washes over me.
Chloe’s on top of Ryker, her eyes closed and brows pinched with pain, while Ronan sits beside them, gently rubbing her back.
But that’s not the most perplexing part of the scene.
It’s Damon sitting in the same armchair I watched from last night with eyes locked on the three of them.
His expression is unreadable, but he doesn’t so much as glance up when the cool breeze fills the living area.
“Is she okay?” I ask, moving toward the couch.
Ronan looks up and nods. “Just a flare. We gave her some acetaminophen, but it doesn’t seem to be helping, and the hot water bottle made her overheat, so we settled with Ryker as a human electric blanket.”
Without hesitating, I move to the couch and crouch beside them, brushing my fingers through her soft hair.
“Not feeling well, Mama?” I murmur.
She shakes her head, tears glistening in her eyes.
“When was the last time you saw your specialist?”
“A while,” she admits, glancing at Ronan. “It wasn’t the same going by myself, and it was just another reminder of everything I lost.”
He sucks in a breath as he presses his eyes closed, but the soft drag of his fingers down her back never falters.
“Once this is all over, we’ll get you in to the best doctor we can find, okay?” I brush my thumb over her cheek.
“It’s okay. I can go by myself. I’m just being a baby.”
“No, you’re not, Sparrow,” Ronan says firmly. “King will get you an appointment, and I’ll be there by your side, like I should have been all along.”
A tear slips down her cheek as she nods. “Thank you.”
“No need to thank us, baby girl. It’s our job and privilege to take care of you.” I press a kiss to her temple for pushing myself to my feet, ignoring the smug smirk on Ryker’s lips. “Why don’t you choose a movie while I make you some peppermint tea?”
Chloe’s bottom lip wobbles, and I catch a tear as it falls.
“We’ll take care of everything, Mama. You just rest.”
It’s not until I’m standing in the kitchen looking at the four of them that I realize this is what it means to have a family. It’s been so long since I’ve considered myself part of one that I almost didn’t recognize it.
Because the thing about family is you don’t always get along. In fact, you spend most of the time irritated by one another, but you’d still throw yourself in front of a bullet for them.
And maybe it’s time I let myself accept that.