Chapter 31
Roque
T hat night, we agreed to stay at Imogen’s.
It wasn’t just convenience, it was about protection. The house looked like any other tucked-away, older property on the edge of town, but it was a fortress under the skin. Imogen had an insane security system—better than the one I’d installed in my place. Facial recognition, reinforced locks, and motion detection tied into a system that didn’t just alert you—it anticipated threats.
And we weren’t alone. Kai, Judd, Keir, and Kapono were staying, too. Layered security, human and digital, was all focused on keeping Sayla and the kids safe.
Upstairs, we’d been given some spare bedrooms. Sayla and I were in one room, and the kids were just across the hall in another. We’d moved them after they fell asleep on the sofa—Kaida curled up like a kitten and Kairo still clinging to the edge of his brotherly mission. They didn’t even stir when I carried them.
Now, I was sitting on the edge of the bed, elbows on my knees, trying to make sense of the weight on my shoulders. We’d managed to get word to DB. He’d reached Sayla’s parents and told them the kids were alive, and Sayla was safe. Relief, at least, in the shadows.
But they’d been asked to keep pretending, to act like they didn’t know anything and like Sayla and the kids were still missing. It didn’t sit right with me, even though I knew it was the smartest play. The police in Piersville kept close to her parents, maintaining the illusion, and in the morning, we’d meet with Hurst and Ned.
Ned had resources, access, and connections we didn’t. If anyone could help us crack into the syndicate’s underbelly and tear it open, it was him.
The en suite door opened with a soft click, and I looked up. Sayla stepped back into the room wrapped in a towel, her skin still glistening from the shower. The light caught on the curve of her collarbone, the soft sheen along her arms and neck. Her hair was damp, tucked behind her ears, and her eyes looked clearer than they had since I’d pulled her out of that basement.
She caught me staring, and her mouth tugged into a tired, quiet smile.
“You okay?” she asked, her voice low.
I nodded, though I wasn’t sure that was entirely true. “Getting there.”
She crossed the room and sat beside me, close enough that our legs touched. I reached over without thinking, brushing water off her shoulder. She leaned into the touch like it anchored her.
There were things we still hadn’t said. There might be time for them if we made it through the next few days.
But for now, she was here, and that was enough.
Sayla leaned into me a little more, her damp hair brushing my arm. Her voice was quiet but not hesitant.
“Should we tell the FBI?”
I exhaled through my nose and shook my head slowly. “We can’t.”
Her brows knit slightly, and I turned to look at her fully. “Ned sent through a file just before you came out of the bathroom. There’s a guy we have a photo of at our house from the security cameras, and Ned identified him as Walter Grigg’s new security. He’s also former FBI, and so is his other security, which we’ve just found out. Same training and clearance, all buried behind nice, clean resumes.”
Her expression shifted, that sharp Intelligence behind her eyes clicking into place.
“We have no idea how deep this goes,” I added. “No way to know who’s still clean and who’s part of it. So, for now, we’re sticking with the people we trust. That’s us and the cops in Piersville.”
Sayla didn’t argue. She nodded slowly and thoughtfully, then looked up at me again.
I leaned in and kissed her, deep and certain, like I needed her to know just how close we’d come to losing this— losing her . My voice cracked when I pulled back despite trying to keep it level.
“I was so goddamn worried, Sayla. I didn’t know if I’d ever see you again.”
Her arms slid around me, pulling me in until I could feel the steady thump of her heart against my chest. She breathed me in like I was grounding her.
“I realized something while I was there,” she said softly. “When everything was stripped away, all the fear and noise, I realized how much I love you, Roque. And I love the kids more than I ever thought I could love anything.”
I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding and wrapped my arms tighter around her, burying my face against her shoulder.
“I love you, too,” I said into her skin. “So damn much.”
We stayed like that for a minute—no words were said because they were unnecessary. Just holding each other like we could shield the world out.
Then I pulled back slightly and murmured, “But you know Lynyrd, Skynyrd, and Dog won’t be happy if they’re left out of that love equation.”
She laughed softly, the sound like a spark in the dark. “They’re absolutely included. All three of those chaos gremlins.”
That made me smile, and I leaned in again, kissing her with a slow, lingering tenderness that quickly turned into something deeper. She met me halfway, her fingers slipping into my shirt, and I let myself press her back toward the bed, the mattress dipping beneath us as we found each other in the quiet hush of the night.
It could’ve gone further. It would’ve, if?—
Knock knock.
“Roque!” Judd’s voice was rough and apologetic. “Sorry, man. Need you for a minute.”
Sayla let her head fall back on the pillow with a groan. I closed my eyes, forehead dropping to hers as I exhaled the world’s longest sigh.
“I swear he has the worst timing.”
Sayla grinned, brushing a kiss to the corner of my mouth. “You better go. We’ll finish this later.”
I stood reluctantly, threw one last look at her draped on the bed in the low light, like peace finally had a place to land, and then turned toward the door.
Judd better have adamngood reason for this interruption
I closed the door behind me and followed Judd down the hall, still smoothing my T-shirt and trying to blink away the moment I’d just walked out.
“This better be urgent,” I muttered.
“It is.” Judd was all business. His face was tight, meaning something was about to break open or already had.
He led me down to the living room, where the lights were lower but still bright enough to catch the tension in the air. Kai was pacing, and Keir had his arms crossed. Imogen sat at the dining table with her tablet, her expression unreadable.
Kapono was there, too, staring at his phone like it had just delivered a threat.
“What is it?” I asked, stepping into the room.
Judd didn’t look at me right away. “DB got back in touch. He dug into the information from Ned and found something.”
Kapono turned his phone so I could see the screen—a still image of a man standing at a street corner, partially obscured by shadow.
“That’s the one calling himself Russo,” he explained, his tone flat. “Only this photo was taken two months ago at a secure facility in Virginia thatonly federal contractorshave access to.”
My stomach tightened.
“He’s not just some washed-out former agent,” Keir added. “He’sactive. Somewhere in the grey zones, off the books but still connected.”
“And here’s the kicker,” Judd said grimly. “He’s not just using that name—he has real credentials and current clearance. Either someone gave them to him, or the Bureau’s compromised.”
I stared at the photo, my heart thudding in a slow, deliberate rhythm. This wasn’t just a cover identity, he was a sanctioned ghost.
“So, either the Bureau’s been infiltrated,” I hedged, the weight of it setting in, “or someone on the inside’senablingthis.”
Kai looked up, his pacing slowing. “Which means this whole thing—Sayla, the kids, Briggs, Titian—it’s all part of something bigger than we thought.”
Keir nodded, looking rattled. “Much bigger.”
I turned my head, eyes drifting toward the stairs. Sayla and the kids were just feet above us, safe for now, but only just. We were sitting on top of something massive, and we still didn’t know how deep it went.
“Okay, so what’s the play?”
Imogen answered without hesitation. “We get to Piersville in the morning and put everything in front of Hurst and Ned. We go full exposure. No shadows. No filters.”
Judd nodded. “Time to drag this into the light.”
I looked around the room at my people. The ones I trusted to hold the line. The ones who’d bled for the truth before and would again if we had to.
“Then let’s do it,” I shrugged. I just hoped we weren’t already too late.
I closed the bedroom door quietly behind me, careful not to make a sound in case Sayla had fallen asleep. The second the latch clicked into place, I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding.
The relief that she and the kids were safe was unlike anything I’d ever felt. The whole time they’d been gone, it was like breathing through smoke, like my skin was on fire and the world had lost all its structure. But now that they were here, I could see them with my own eyes and hear her voice in the quiet of the night, I could finally breathe.Reallybreathe.
The soft glow of the bedside lamp cast a pool of golden light across the room, and there she was, tucked beneath the covers, her eyes already on me. That small, familiar smile tugged at her lips.
“I’m still awake,” she assured, her voice low and warm.
I crossed the room slowly, pulling my T-shirt over my head as I went, her gaze following every move like it was tethered to me. “I can see that. I was going to jump in the shower really quick. You think you can stay up a bit longer?”
She tilted her head, eyes glinting. “You’re giving me inspiration enough to make that happen.”
I chuckled, heat already stirring beneath my skin, and disappeared into the en suite.
The water was hot, almost scalding, and it felt like washing off the last remnants of fear, dirt, and the hours spent fighting shadows. I let the spray pound against the back of my neck until the tension faded, then turned off the water and grabbed a towel.
I returned to the room a few minutes later, drying my hair with the towel as I walked. Sayla was still awake, still watching me, but now she was sitting up against the headboard, the blanket slipping low around her hips. Her hair fell around her shoulders in soft waves, and the look in her eyes wasn’t just desire. It was something deeper.
The silence between us felt electric.
I dropped the towel aside and slid beside her. My hand found her waist, fingers brushing her warm skin as I leaned in to kiss her—slow, lingering, reverent. She tasted like a breath held too long and finally released.
“I was going crazy without you,” I murmured against her lips. “Every hour you were gone…”
“I know,” she whispered, her hands sliding up my chest, anchoring me to her. “I felt it, too. But we’re here now.”
She pulled me in, wrapping her arms around me, and holding me like she never wanted to let go. I let myself sink into her, into the way her body curved against mine, into the certainty of her heartbeat under my hand.
We held each other, wrapped up in the stillness of that moment like we had all the time in the world. But then something shifted—some shared spark between us that flared at the same time—a sudden, unspoken urgency.
It wasn’t just desire, it was need—a need to feel, confirm, and anchor ourselves in something real after everything that had been taken and threatened.
She turned her head at the same time I did, and when our lips met again, it was nothing like the last kiss. This one was hungry, desperate, alive.
I shifted on top of her, cupping the side of her face as my mouth opened against hers, tongue sliding deep to taste her. Sayla moaned softly, arching into me, and spread her legs wide to cradle me between them, our bodies pressing together in perfect alignment.
“I need you,” she whispered, only breaking the kiss to speak the words before returning her lips to mine like she couldn’t bear the distance.
One hand moved over her hip, the other tugging at the blanket as I pushed it lower, baring her inch by inch. She kicked it away without hesitation, leaving only the oversized T-shirt Imogen had loaned her between us.
My palm smoothed up her thigh, slow and reverent, until I found the hem. I dragged it upward, skimming her skin with my knuckles as I went. By the time I had it bunched around her ribs, she lifted her arms, and I helped her pull it over her head and toss it aside.
I dipped my head to her chest, mouth finding her nipple and drawing it in, slowly and deeply. Sayla gasped and threaded her fingers into my hair, her back arching in silent encouragement. I took my time, let my tongue circle and tease while my hand trailed lower, drawn to the warmth of her center.
But as I reached her, she pressed her hands to my shoulders, halting me.
I looked up, breath caught. “Baby, what?—?”
She didn’t answer. Not with words.
She pushed me gently but firmly until I was on my back. Then she straddled me, eyes locked to mine as she kissed her way down my chest, each one a promise, a claim. Her mouth was warm, slow, and purposeful.
“Sayla—” My voice broke as her mouth passed my navel. “If you put your mouth on me, I won’t last. And Ineed to be inside you.”
She lifted her head just long enough to meet my eyes, a wicked glint in her smile. “I’ll make sureboththings happen.”
Jesus.
Her mouth was on me a second later, and I lost all coherent thought.
She took me in slowly, her tongue flicking along the underside of my cock before she sucked the tip into her mouth, warm and wet and so damn perfect. My hips jerked involuntarily, and I reached down, threading my fingers through her hair, gripping just enough to ground myself. I had to bite down on the inside of my cheek to keep from groaning loud enough to wake the entire house.
The world was falling apart outside this room, filled with enemies, corruption, and uncertainty. But right now, with Sayla’s mouth on me and her eyes full of nothing but love and fire, I felt safe, like we could rebuild everything from this one moment. Like maybe, just maybe, we could take back everything that had been stolen.
And I was going to make damn sure we had the chance.
Sayla’s mouth moved lower on my cock, taking me in deeper with every slow, steady inch. Her lips sealed around me, and when she sucked me down as far as she could, the heat and pressure made my brain short-circuit.
“Shit—” I muttered, my head falling back against the pillows. The sensation was almost too much—her mouth tight and wet, her tongue dragging along the underside just right. It wasn’t just the physical pull of it, it was her . Sayla, here with me and alive, choosing to love me like this after everything we’d just survived.
I gave her another moment, my hand tightening in her hair, savoring the sight of her mouth stretched around me. But it didn’t take long before the need swelled too sharp to ignore.
“Baby,” I rasped, my voice barely recognizable to my ears. “I need you. Now. ”
She let me slip from her mouth with a soft pop and licked the corner of her lips, eyes dark and knowing. Then she moved —slow and smooth as silk—climbing back up until she was straddling me, her knees bracketing my hips.
My hands found her waist, fingers digging in just slightly, grounding myself in the warmth of her skin. She didn’t rush as she looked down at me, locking our eyes, and reached between us, guiding me with careful intent.
She notched the head of my cock at her entrance and thenpressed down slowly, letting just the tip squeeze inside her.
The tight heat that wrapped around me made my jaw clench, and I groaned, hands gripping harder. She was so wet, so tight it bordered on painful. It was perfection.
Sayla lifted her hips and lowered them again, taking me in deeper this time. Her body clenched around me, fluttering with every inch she gave me. I couldn’t take my eyes off her—her flushed chest, parted lips, and how she looked down at me like I was hers and hers alone.
When I was fully inside her, she paused, both of us panting like we’d run a mile. Her hand moved between her legs, fingers circling her clit in slow, practiced motions, and she began to rock—short, purposeful strokes that had us both gasping.
She felt it as urgently as I did, maybe more.
“Jesus, Sayla,” I whispered, watching the way her body moved above mine, how her hips rolled, and her muscles clenched tighter with every pass. I sat up enough to capture her mouth, pulling her down into a deep, raw kiss. Her moan slipped into my mouth, her rhythm never faltering.
She was getting close—I could feel it in the way she tensed, the little tremors in her thighs, and the way her breath came faster against my lips. And I was right there with her, holding myself back by a thread just to watch her fall apart first.
Her body gripped me like a vice, every part of her locked in motion and urgency like this wasn’t just about sex. it was a claiming, a promise.
And, God help me, I was about to give her everything.
Sayla’s movements grew more urgent, the rhythm of her hips stuttering as pleasure built inside her. Her breath hitched against my mouth, and I pulled back just enough to see her face—her eyes heavy, lips parted, skin flushed.
She was beautiful like this—wild and real and mine .
Her fingers circled tighter and faster, and I felt her walls begin to flutter around me. “That’s it,” I whispered, voice thick. “Let go for me, baby.”
Her body shuddered, and a gasp broke free from her throat, and she clung to me as her orgasm hit hard and unrelenting. I held her through it, hands firm on her hips, guiding and grounding her as she trembled. The sight of her falling apart on top of me—because of me—shattered what little control I had left.
I surged up into her, hips rising to meet her as the tension I’d been holding finally snapped. My release tore through me, deep and consuming. I buried my face in her neck, groaning her name as I spilled inside her, holding her so tightly I half worried I’d never be able to let go.
We stayed like that for a long moment—tangled, breathless, sweat-slicked, and silent but for the sound of our hearts calming together.
Sayla rested her forehead against mine, her blonde hair falling like a curtain around us. Her hands smoothed over my back in slow, aimless circles, like she needed the connection just as much as I did.
Neither of us spoke. We didn’t need to. The words had already been said—the important ones, anyway. I love you . I need you . You’re here .
Eventually, she shifted slightly, wincing a little as she pulled off of me. I caught her waist and helped her lie beside me, curling her into my chest and tucking the blankets back around her shoulders. She let out a soft sigh and burrowed close, her leg hooking over mine, her body still humming with the aftermath of us.
“I’m sorry we didn’t get to finish earlier,” I murmured, brushing a strand of damp hair away from her cheek.
Her lips curved into a small smile. “We just did.”
I chuckled, pressing a kiss to her forehead. “Fair point.”
For a long while, we just lay there, wrapped around each other, letting the silence settle like a soft blanket over the chaos we’d left behind. I knew we’d be getting up soon for the meeting in Piersville with Ned and Hurst. There were important plans to be made and lines to be drawn.
But right now, all I could think about was the woman in my arms.