CHAPTER 19 #2
Before I can come up with a retort regarding the dog, fish, and cat debate, Duncan is standing there with a serious expression on his face which is not a facade or a joke. It’s real. The hair on the back of my neck stands on end and my gut sinks.
When I glance over at Haven, she’s laughing at something and not paying attention. As much as I love to have her focus, I’m glad she’s distracted.
Whatever Duncan needs to talk to me about isn’t good. ‘Bad news incoming’ might as well be flashing in neon over the man’s head right now.
“Sorry,” Duncan’s voice drops an octave, “I know this isn’t the best time, but I just got some information you’ll be interested in.”
“Use Cole’s office,” Troy prompts, “he won’t mind if you want to keep this conversation private and away from little ears.” He looks down at his twins who are trying, and failing, to look like they’re not paying attention to what the adults closest to them are doing.
I glance back at Haven and wonder whether I should have her join us or not. The way Duncan shakes his head tells me he doesn’t think it’s a good idea. But the thought of keeping anything from her doesn’t sit right with me.
“I’ll meet you there,” I tell Duncan before heading toward my woman.
Duncan doesn’t have to think anything. I really don’t give a fuck. This is the right decision for us. And I’m not going to fuck up my chances at forever with my little storm by trying to be sneaky.
Haven’s eyes light up when she sees me coming and my heart sinks. As much as I hope this doesn’t ruin her night, I know this is the right thing to do. Even though I hate it.
When I’m close enough, I hook an arm around her waist and pull her flush against my chest. She doesn’t protest and melts against me. Her trust only twists my insides into a tighter ball.
“Everything okay?” Haven murmurs, “You’re so tense.”
“Can you come with me to Cole’s office?” When she looks up at me, her head tilted to the side like she’s trying to figure out where my question is coming from, I explain, “I asked Duncan to look into something for me, in the name of you and Wilde’s safety.
” She blanches and swallows hard before nodding slowly, probably knowing exactly what I’m talking about.
“He has some news and I’m not going to ever hide anything from you. ”
The way she sags against me, has me bracing and holding her steady. “Okay,” she murmurs, something broken and resigned in her voice.
I grip her tighter, trying to give her whatever she needs to stand strong and tall. “You’ve got this,” I vow. “We’ve got this,” my voice is fiercer this time and I can feel her take a deep breath before letting it out slowly.
“Okay,” her voice doesn’t wobble this time even if it is soft and a little scared.
I lead her away from the ladies she was making friends with while knowing they’ll keep an eye on Wilde. When I meet Amelia’s eyes as I pass her, she gives a nod, not needing the question to even be spoken. She’s got him and she’ll mama bear out if needed.
I would never expect anything less.
By the time we make it to Cole’s office, Duncan is already there along with Blake Higgins. I’m not surprised to see the big boss. Not only does he take the safety of the shelter seriously, but the man is nosey as fuck. He would say he likes knowing all the intel, but it’s just a cover.
The ladies in this family aren’t wrong when they tease the men for being gossips. And I can’t deny that I’ve been in the mix more than once when it comes to getting all the details.
“How are you liking the party, Haven?” Blake’s crystal blue eyes are soft as I lead my woman over to a chair. “I hope it’s not too overwhelming; this group can be a lot.”
The chuckle that comes out of Haven is a little lackadaisical, but it’s genuine. “I was definitely overwhelmed at first,” she admits, “and was wishing everyone wore color coded outfits for smaller family groups or name tags or something.”
Blake and Duncan chuckle while I tease, “I bet if you mentioned it to Amelia then she’d make something like that happen.”
“I was kidding,” Haven gasps and the look of horror on her face makes me grin.
After leaning over and kissing her softly, we turn toward Duncan who is wearing his super serious expression again which the man must have perfected in the military. Blake gives a nod when Duncan glances his way before all his focus is on my woman.
“I’m sorry it took me a little while to get the information we were looking for. I wanted to make sure it was accurate before I said anything and the holiday season slowed everything down. I had the guys at Sullivan Protection in New York investigate.”
Haven shoots me a questioning look, and I explain, “They’re another security firm, much like Higgins Security, in New York City. Sebastian used to work there before he came here to stay, which was for the best since he ended up falling for Trixie.”
My little storm’s lips tilt up into a soft smile. “After hearing all the stories about how everyone has fallen in love, I’m pretty sure this is a phenomenon needing to be studied like the Bermuda Triangle.”
“No lost planes or ships here though,” I tease her.
“Not yet,” Blake mutters with a grimace on his face, “but let’s not tempt fate, shall we?”
Duncan shakes his head and smirks at his boss before putting his attention back on Haven. “Right before Thanksgiving, it seems, a letter addressed to you from Trade Union Bank was sent to your former residence.”
Haven goes still and turns white as a fucking sheet. I wrap my arms around her to let her know I’m right here with her. The next thing I know she has climbed into my lap and buries her face in my neck.
“Don’t let him find us,” she whimpers and my heart fucking breaks.
When I look up into Blake’s eyes, the ferocity I see there has my heartbeat calming and the rage retreating enough to listen. He won’t let anything happen to her. Or to Wilde.
As much as I would love to believe I can keep them safe, I’m not former military and I’ve never been trained with the skills I would need to have. Blake and his guys, though? They’re more than capable.
“He tried to take it to the cops, but they wouldn’t listen to him. They said it was just further proof that you had left willingly which is what they told him when he first went to them and tried to file a missing person’s report on you and Wilde.”
“What about Wilde? Do they think I kidnapped my son?” Haven’s voice cracks, but she manages to get the question out and I’m so damn proud of her.
“No,” Duncan assures her, “since he was unable to produce any documentation proving Wilde is his son, there wasn’t much they could do beyond taking down the information.”
Haven nods and swallows hard. Her eyes go vacant as she stares off into nothing.
Well, maybe not nothing, maybe she’s looking back into her past. “He never knew about my account at Trade Union. I made it for the jobs I did online and some of my pay from the diner. He wasn’t tech savvy enough to check the history on the laptop, and I erased it all anyway.
I needed a way to get out, so I opened the account, but they shouldn’t have ever sent any notices to that address. ”
“Mistakes happen all the time,” Blake’s voice is gentle and Haven nods.
“Does he know where I am?” My woman’s eyes, filled with a mixture of fear, determination, and resolve, look at Duncan. “Is he coming for me?”
Duncan takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly.
“He ended up hiring someone to try and track you down. They were able to follow some of your movements, at least to Seattle.” Haven starts to shake in my lap.
“He bought a plane ticket to go there and look for you, but he never made it on the plane.”
Haven blinks a few times and shakes her head slowly. “I don’t understand.”
“I don’t either,” I mutter and glare at Duncan.
He needs to work on his bedside manner. It’s time to rip the bandage off, even if it hurts.
“He was involved in a multi-car accident which resulted in the death of four people, him included.”
Duncan’s voice rings out in the quiet of the office, reverberating and coming back again and again like an echo without end. I look at Haven to find her eyes wide and filled with shock. She’s not breathing and for a moment, I’m concerned.
When she sucks in a breath, the sound is a mix of pain and relief, I reach for her and rejoice when she allows me to hold her a little tighter. The thought of her pulling away from me is rooted in fear; a fear which feels all too real at the moment.
“He doesn’t know where I am,” she murmurs, her eyes locked on Duncan.
Duncan shakes his head slowly, his words measured and slow, “He never knew where you really were. He might have been coming to look, but he never had the chance. He will never hurt you or Wilde again.”
Haven deflates, her body slumping against me like she’s no longer strong enough to hold herself up or together. Words of reassurance start to fall from my lips. I’m not even aware of what I’m saying beyond them being a mantra of strength and hope.
I think I praised her.
I think I reassured her.
I think I reminded her of exactly how strong she is and has always been.
Duncan clears his throat and shoots me a look full of apology. “There is one more thing,” he begins, “you’re the beneficiary on his life insurance policy.”
“What?” Haven gasps while shaking her head, “No way. Why? We weren’t married or anything.”
“He still listed you as the beneficiary,” Duncan reiterates, his voice gentle.
“I don’t want his money,” Haven snarls. Duncan and Blake share a look as the fight leaves my woman just as quickly as it came. “I’ll distribute it to the shelters who have helped me over the last year. At least then something good will come of it all.”
I nod and cradle her against my chest while the guys look on with pride written all over their features. My woman’s eyes get a faraway look in them as if she’s reliving everything she went through when she was with her ex.
She’s told me little things here and there, but not much. Maybe one day she’ll be ready to let me in on that part of her life, maybe she won’t. It’s up to her to decide. She has the power when it comes to the scars she bears.
“I’m,” she starts before swallowing hard and trying again, “I’m free. He’s dead and will never come after me. He’ll never be able to find me. I’m,” her voice cracks, “we’re free.”
“You’re free, my little storm. Free to live your life however you want,” I tell her honestly.
Her blue eyes, bright with tears I hope have nothing to do with regret or grief, stare straight into my soul. “Free to love,” she whispers.
The clicking of the door closing behind us has us both looking around to find Blake and Duncan nowhere to be found.
If they thought this was going to end up with us naked and sweaty, they chose to make a hasty retreat.
I can’t really blame them, but I know my woman, and she needs time to process before we lay our feelings out in the open and I help her forget with orgasms.
Many, many orgasms.
We sit in the stillness of Cole Howard’s office for a while, the only sound us breathing and the beating of our hearts. When she’s ready to rejoin the party, that’s exactly what we do, the few tear tracks on her cheeks wiped away and the echo of true freedom surrounding us.