23. Rising from Ashes #2
I’m so close I can taste it, the pressure building to almost unbearable levels. Every thrust pushes me higher, closer to the edge of something massive.
“Come for me,” Zeke commands, his voice strained with his own approaching release. “Let go, Eve. Show me how good I make you feel.”
The orgasm hits me like a tidal wave, crashing over me with such force I scream his name. My whole body convulses as pleasure rockets through every nerve ending, made even more intense by the continued vibrations in my pussy and Zeke’s relentless thrusting in my ass.
He follows me over the edge with a roar, his hips jerking erratically as he empties himself inside me. The feeling of his hot release filling me combined with the relentless vibrations in my pussy triggers another smaller orgasm that leaves me trembling and gasping for air.
We collapse together onto the sweat-soaked sheets, both of us too wrung out to move for several long moments. Finally, Zeke carefully pulls out and removes the vibrator, tossing it aside before gathering me into his arms.
“I love you,” he whispers into my hair, his hands gentle now as they stroke over my heated skin. “So fucking much it terrifies me sometimes.”
I press closer to him, needing to feel his heartbeat against my cheek. “I love you too.”
We lie there in comfortable silence, letting our breathing return to normal as the sweat cools on our skin. Eventually, Zeke presses a kiss to my forehead.
“I’ll run us a bath.”
The water starts running, but I’m too boneless to move just yet. My body aches in the most delicious way, and despite everything else going on. A momentary reprieve from the mess that is my life.
Zeke returns a few minutes later, scooping me up once again to carry me to the bathroom. The huge soaking tub is full of steaming water and bubbles that smell like lavender.
He settles us both in the water with me leaning back against his chest, his strong arms wrapped around my waist. The hot water soothes my pleasantly sore muscles as he carefully washes every inch of me.
“We’ll find him,” he says quietly, pressing a kiss to my shoulder. “I promise you, Eve. We’ll bring Leo home.”
I close my eyes, letting his words and the warmth of the water wrap around me. “I know.”
And I do know. Because Ezekiel King is a man of his word, and he just promised to love me for the rest of his life. After what we just shared, I believe he’ll move heaven and earth to keep that promise.
Tomorrow we’ll face reality again. Tomorrow we’ll deal with mafia threats and missing nephews and all the complications of our strange, dangerous life.
But tonight? Tonight I let myself believe in love and happy endings, even if just for a little while.
Later, much later, we lie tangled in fresh sheets, my head pillowed on his chest while his fingers trace patterns on my bare back. The peace from earlier starts to fade as reality creeps back in.
“What are we going to do?” I whisper into the darkness.
His hand stills on my skin. “Whatever it takes. I meant what I said—I won’t go back to Nicolo’s world. But I won’t let him or Alessandro hurt our family either.”
Our family. The words send a shiver of something warm through my chest, even as worry tears me apart inside.
He pulls me back down against him. “Get some rest first. You’ll need your strength for what’s coming.”
The ominous note in his voice should probably worry me more than it does. But wrapped in his arms, still floating in the afterglow of multiple orgasms and his declaration of love, it eases some of the tension weighing me down.
“I love you,” I murmur, already drifting toward sleep.
His arms tighten around me. “I love you too. Always will.”
The last thing I register before sleep claims me is his voice, barely a whisper in the dark.
“And God help anyone who tries to take you or Leo from me again.”
My mind keeps drifting back to last night—to Zeke’s confession, to the way he touched me, to those three words I never thought he’d say.
I love you.
A smile tugs at my lips before I can stop it. Even now, hours later, the memory sends warmth spreading through my chest. After Ryan, after the divorce and the drinking and all the self-doubt, I never thought I’d feel this way again. Never thought I’d want to.
“Earth to Eve.” Rissa’s voice cuts through my thoughts. “You still with me?”
I blink, forcing myself to focus on the papers scattered across our shared desk. “Sorry. Just—”
“Thinking about your husband?” Her pale blue eyes sparkle with amusement behind her black-framed glasses. “Must have been some night.”
Heat creeps up my neck. “That obvious, huh?”
“Please.” She sorts through a stack of witness statements with practiced efficiency. “You’ve been grinning at that same page for twenty minutes. Either you’ve discovered some breakthrough in the Costa case that I’m not seeing, or…”
“Or my criminal husband finally admitted he loves me?” The words come out before I can stop them.
Rissa’s hands still. “He said it?”
I nod, unable to suppress my smile. “Last night. After New York.”
“And?” She leans forward, paperwork momentarily forgotten. “Details, woman. I’m living vicariously here.”
“And,” I bite my lip, remembering the intensity in his dark eyes, the way his hands shook as he touched me. “And it was perfect. He was perfect.”
God, I sound like a lovesick fool.
But maybe that’s exactly what I am. Maybe that’s not such a bad thing.
“You deserve it, you know.” Rissa’s voice softens. “After everything with Ryan, with James and Rose, you deserve to be happy.”
The mention of my sister and brother-in-law sends a familiar pang through my chest. Would Rose approve of Zeke? Of this complicated, messy life I’ve stumbled into?
Leo.
Guilt crashes over me like a wave. Here I am, mooning over Zeke while my nephew—my responsibility, my family —is still missing. What kind of aunt am I?
“Hey.” Rissa reaches across the desk to squeeze my hand. “I know that look. Stop it.”
“I should be focusing on finding Leo,” I whisper. “Not getting distracted by—”
“By what? By love?” She shakes her head. “Eve, you’re allowed to feel more than one thing at a time. Being happy about Zeke doesn’t mean you care any less about Leo.”
“Doesn’t it?” I pull my hand back, running it through my curls in frustration. “I spent last night letting him, you know, while Leo’s out there somewhere, scared and alone.”
“You spent last night finding a moment of peace in the middle of chaos.” Rissa’s tone brooks no argument. “That’s not weakness, Eve. That’s survival.”
Before I can respond, her phone buzzes with an incoming text. She glances at the screen, her expression shifting from concerned friend to focused detective in an instant.
“What is it?” I straighten in my chair, recognizing that look.
“Anonymous tip.” She turns the phone so I can see. “Meeting tomorrow at the old warehouse district to discuss the Zeke problem. All the major players supposed to be there—Marcus Barone, Alessandro Costa, the whole crew.”
My heart rate kicks up. “Could be a trap.”
“Could be our best shot at finding Leo.” She starts gathering files, her movements quick and precise. “Think about it—if they’re all gathering in one place, they must be planning something big. Maybe coordinating the next phase of whatever game they’re playing.”
She’s right. This could be exactly what we need—a chance to get ahead of them, to find out what they’re really after.
“I need to tell Zeke,” I say, already reaching for my phone.
Rissa pauses. “You sure that’s wise? If we bring vigilantes into this—”
“We agreed to work together on anything involving Leo.” I meet her gaze. “I’m not going behind his back on this, Rissa. Not when he’s finally starting to trust me.”
She studies me for a long moment before nodding. “Okay. But we need a plan first. Something concrete to bring to him.”
“Agreed.” I pull out a fresh notepad, forcing myself to think like a detective rather than a worried aunt. “So what are our options?”
“I see two main plays.” She starts pacing, the way she always does when working through a problem. “One—we go in hard. Full tactical team, element of surprise. Take them all down at once and sort through the pieces afterward.”
“Risky.” I tap my pen against the pad. “If any of them slip through the net, Leo could pay the price.”
“Option two—” She stops pacing, turning to face me. “We play it subtle. Request an invite through back channels, position ourselves as potential allies or negotiators.”
“You mean go undercover?” I frown. “After what happened last time?”
“Not you.” She gestures to herself. “Me. I’m still an unknown quantity to them. They might bite if we play it right.”
“I don’t like it.” I shake my head. The thought of sending Rissa in alone makes my stomach clench. “That’s even riskier than a raid. They’ve been watching me for weeks. I’m sure that also includes you.”
“Maybe.” She perches on the edge of my desk. “But it could give us a better chance of finding Leo alive. These guys aren’t going to talk if we come in guns blazing.”
She’s right, and we both know it. But after everything that’s happened—Gio’s death, Seb getting shot, Leo’s kidnapping—the thought of putting anyone else I care about in danger makes me ill.
“Let me call Zeke,” I say finally. “See what intel he has on these guys, what angles we might be missing.”
Rissa nods, but there’s something hesitant in her expression. “Eve—”
“What?”
“Just … be careful, okay?” She fidgets with her glasses. “I know you love him, and I know he said he loves you. But he’s still connected to all of this somehow. Still has his own agenda.”
“I trust him.” The words come out sharper than I intend.
“I know you do.” Her voice is gentle. “But maybe that’s exactly why you need someone watching your blind spots right now.”
The truth in her words stings, but I push it aside. “I’ll call him.”
She squeezes my shoulder as she stands. “I’ll start pulling surveillance photos of the warehouse district, see what we’re working with. Let me know what he says.”
I wait until she’s back at her own desk before pulling out my phone. My finger hovers over Zeke’s number for a moment as last night’s memories wash over me again.
Focus, Landry.
I hit dial before I can second-guess myself. He picks up on the second ring.
“Everything okay?” His voice sends a shiver down my spine, even through the phone.
“We got a tip.” I keep my voice low, conscious of the busy precinct around me. “Meeting tomorrow in the warehouse district. All the major players supposed to be there.”
There’s a beat of silence before he speaks. “You think it’s legitimate?”
“Came through one of Rissa’s CI’s. Seems solid.”
“And what’s your play?”
I outline both options, trying to keep my tone professional despite the way my body reacts to the low rumble of his voice. When I finish, he’s quiet for so long I worry the call dropped.
“Zeke?”
“How sure is your partner about going under?” His words are carefully measured. “These aren’t street thugs we’re dealing with. If they make her—”
“I know.” I close my eyes, trying not to picture all the ways this could go wrong. “But she’s right—a full tactical assault could get Leo killed.”
“Or going in half-cocked could get all of you killed.” There’s an edge to his voice now, it appears any time he’s worried about my safety. “Give me an hour. Let me make some calls, see what my people can find out about this meeting.”
“Okay, but—”
“No arguments.” His tone leaves no room for discussion. “I’m not losing either of you. Not to them, not to anyone.”
“I love you,” I whisper, not caring who might overhear.
“I know.” I can hear his smile. “That’s why you’re going to trust me on this.”
The line goes dead before I can respond. I stare at my phone for a long moment, torn between frustration at his high-handedness and relief that I don’t have to handle this alone anymore.
“Well?” Rissa appears at my desk, arms full of surveillance photos. “What did Mr. Tall, Dark, and Criminal say?”
I run a hand through my hair. “Says he needs to make some calls. Asked us to wait an hour before deciding anything.”
She studies me for a moment. “And you trust him?”
“I trust that he’ll do whatever it takes to keep Leo safe.” I meet her gaze. “Just like I trust you to have my back no matter what goes down tomorrow.”
She nods slowly. “Always.”
“I say we make our plan too. Just in case,” I say. “Maybe a mix of the two options you described.”
Her smile grows. “That’s what I want to hear. What have you got in mind?”
Rissa and I spend the rest of the day working out every detail. I trust Zeke to do what’s necessary, but I can’t risk sitting back hoping things go his way.
Let’s call my plan a contingency.