Chapter 9
9
BEAR
B ear moved fast. He had barely ended the call with Fitz before he was on his feet, pulling Meri up with him. She swayed slightly on the edge of the bed, still dazed from what had happened between them moments ago, but he didn’t have time to ease her back into reality. Reality was about to kick their goddamn door down.
“They’re coming,” he said, already grabbing his jeans and pulling them on. “Get dressed, little one.”
Meri blinked at him, shaking off the fog of afterglow as she sat up. “Now?”
“Now.” His tone left no room for argument.
Meri slid off the bed, reaching for the first piece of clothing she could grab—his shirt. It swallowed her up, hanging just past her thighs, but she didn’t hesitate as she grabbed a pair of leggings from the floor and pulled them on.
Bear was already moving through the loft, checking every lock, every entry point. He had built his loft for security, but that didn’t mean he was taking any chances. Fitz was approaching and would use the tunnels under the old brewery to access the building, but getting Meri out safely was only half the battle.
DeLuca had made his move.
Now Bear was going to end him.
Meri followed him into the living space, still barefoot, her hair a mess of tangled waves from where he’d fisted it earlier. He wanted nothing more than to throw her back into bed, to keep her locked up where no one could touch her, but that wasn’t an option.
“I need you to listen,” he said, pulling a small, black handgun from the safe embedded in the wall. He checked the chamber, then handed it to her. Bear watched her as she took the gun without hesitation.
“I’m ready,” she said. Her voice was firm, controlled, but her pulse was hammering at her throat. Not with fear, but with adrenaline. She was ready. He just needed to make sure she didn’t do something reckless.
“Stay close to me,” he ordered. “You don’t run ahead, you don’t play hero. You don’t try to exact revenge. You do exactly what I tell you.”
Her eyes flashed with something defiant, but she nodded. “Got it.”
Bear cupped the back of her neck, fingers pressing just enough to make her focus on him. “Say it.”
She swallowed. “I do what you say.”
“Good girl.” He brushed his lips over her forehead before releasing her. “Shoes. Now.”
She moved without argument this time, grabbing her boots from the corner as Bear double-checked the security system—ensuring the cameras and motion detectors were functioning properly, and locking down every entry point tighter than a vault. No one was getting in without his say-so.
The doors slid open, revealing Fitz and Archer stepping into the foyer, both armed, both carrying the kind of energy that meant trouble was already at their backs. Bear unlocked the doors leading in from the foyer, relocking them the minute they were inside.
As he turned to face them, before he could say a word, Archer swung.
The punch landed hard, right across the bridge of Bear’s nose. He barely grunted, rocking back a step as the impact reverberated through his skull. Blood rushed, but he didn’t move to retaliate.
Meri gasped. “Archer…”
Fitz chuckled, leaning against the doorframe. “You should have seen that coming.”
Bear wiped the blood from his nose, blinking as he straightened. “That make you feel better?”
Archer shook out his fist, his jaw tight. “Not really.” His eyes flicked past Bear to where Meri stood behind him, gripping the hem of his shirt. His expression hardened.
Bear stepped between them. “Don’t.”
Archer’s nostrils flared. “Don’t what? Don’t be pissed that my sister has been wrapped up in this while you…”
“I’m not going to stand here and justify what’s between us,” Bear cut in, his voice low, measured. “You know me. You know exactly what I am. And you know she’s safer with me than anyone else on the goddamn planet.”
Archer exhaled through his nose, his body vibrating with barely contained emotion. But he didn’t argue. Because Bear was right.
Fitz clapped his hands once, pushing off the doorframe. “Alright, now that the obligatory ‘big brother punch’ is out of the way, can we get to the part where we kill DeLuca?”
Bear nodded, wiping the last of the blood from his nose. “What do we know?”
Archer locked eyes with Meri, assessing her before finally stepping further into the loft. “He’s moving faster than we thought. We got word that he’s pulling out of Chicago, moving his operation.”
Meri’s breath hitched. “Where?”
“Somewhere outside of the city,” Archer answered, voice clipped. “We don’t have the exact location yet, but we will soon.”
Bear narrowed his eyes. “We don’t wait for him to come to us.”
“No, we don’t,” Fitz agreed. “We take the fight to him.”
Meri shifted. “How?”
Bear turned to her, gripping her chin between his fingers. “We need to make DeLuca think if he delays, he still has a chance to take you back.”
Meri’s lips parted, realization dawning in her wide eyes. “You want to use me as bait.”
“No,” Bear corrected. “I want him to think he’s got an opening.” He brushed his thumb over her bottom lip, his voice dark with promise. “I’d never put you in real danger. But we know how bad he wants you. I suspect the buyer he promised you to will kill him if he fails to deliver. We make it look authentic enough that he takes the bait.”
Archer muttered a curse, rubbing a hand over his jaw. “This is a bad idea.”
Fitz grinned. “All the best ones are.”
Bear’s grip tightened just enough to make sure Meri was still with him. “This is your choice, little one. You in?”
She hesitated, just for a second. Then she squared her shoulders. “I trust you.”
Satisfaction settled deep in Bear’s gut.
“Good,” he murmured. “Because by the time I’m done, DeLuca won’t be a problem anymore.”
Meri’s pulse fluttered against his fingers, but she didn’t argue. She knew.
Bear turned to Fitz and Archer. “Get the team together. We end this.”
Fitz nodded, already pulling out his phone. Archer hesitated for half a second before stepping past Bear, grabbing Meri in a quick, fierce hug.
“You good?” he asked against her hair.
She let out a shaky breath. “Working on it.”
Archer held on a second longer, then released her, stepping back with a nod. “Let’s get this bastard.”
Bear watched Meri as she processed what was happening, the way her hands clenched at her sides, the way her chin lifted slightly. She wasn’t running. She wasn’t breaking. She was ready.
As for him? He was going to make damn sure this was the last night DeLuca ever breathed.
Bear sat at the head of the long wooden table, the air in the loft thick with the gravity of what they were about to do. Fitz was at one end, idly spinning a wicked-looking knife between his fingers, while Archer stood with his arms crossed, his jaw tight as he stared Bear down.
There were maps spread across the table, showing the blueprints of DeLuca’s compound with every entry and exit point marked, security placements noted. They’d been tracking his movements, and the bastard had finally made a mistake—getting comfortable, thinking he had time to strike… he didn’t.
Bear leaned forward, pressing his palms flat against the table. “We end it tomorrow. We hit the compound at midnight. Silent entry, no fuck-ups. In and out before they know what’s coming.”
Fitz hummed in approval. “About damn time.”
Archer didn’t react. He kept his gaze locked on Bear, as if he was still deciding whether to punch him again. “And Meri?”
Bear’s spine straightened. He already knew where this was going.
“She stays here,” he said. “Locked down, with a team outside the door. She doesn’t leave, doesn’t move until we come back.”
The sound of a chair scraping against the floor cut through the conversation like a gunshot.
Meri stood, her eyes flashing, her hands planted firmly against the tabletop as she glared at him. “No.”
Bear’s entire body tensed, but she didn’t back down. Didn’t shrink under his gaze. She held her ground, her shoulders squared, her pulse steady. She had known, he realized. Known before he even said the words that he would try to keep her out of it.
“This isn’t your fight,” he said, his voice firm.
“If it’s anyone’s, it’s mine.”
Archer muttered something under his breath, but Meri didn’t even look at him. Her focus was entirely on Bear.
“I know how this works,” she said. “You take me out of the equation. You put me in a safe place, and you go off to finish this without me. But I’m not sitting here, waiting to be told I’m free when I haven’t fought for it myself.”
“Meri.” Archer said, his tone was low, comforting.
She ignored him, focusing her attention on Bear. “You didn’t save me to keep me locked away.”
Bear’s hands curled into fists. Every instinct in his body screamed at him to keep her out of this. To shelter her, protect her, wrap her up in something soft and ensure she was untouchable. But that wasn’t what she needed.
She needed this. She needed to fight. To stand. To reclaim what they had stolen from her.
Bear forced himself to look at her—not just to see her, but to look past the surface to see what she needed.
This wasn’t the woman he had pulled from that hellhole. This wasn’t the woman who had flinched when he touched her, who had woken in the middle of the night gasping for air, haunted by things she wouldn’t speak of. This was Meri—his Meri—her spine straight, her mouth set in a determined line, her fire burning so brightly it nearly stole his breath.
She wasn’t fragile anymore… not broken… not lost. She was fierce, and she was his.
Bear slowly pushed back from the table, his chair making the same scraping noise as he rose to his full height. He stalked toward her, slow, deliberate, watching as she held her ground, refusing to back down. When he was close enough, he reached out, sliding his fingers around the back of her neck, holding her steady as he tilted her face up to his.
“You want this?” he asked, his voice low. “You want to be part of this?”
Her throat bobbed as she swallowed, but she didn’t hesitate. “Yes.”
Bear dragged his thumb over the soft skin of her throat, feeling the steady rhythm of her pulse.
“Then you follow my lead. You listen when I tell you to move, when I tell you to stop. You don’t run off, you don’t take risks, and you don’t put yourself between me and a bullet. You fight, but you fight smart. You obey me. And if I fall, you obey Archer.”
Her breath hitched.
His grip on her tightened. “Say it.”
“I obey you.”
“All of it,” he commanded.
Her pupils dilated, her chest rising with every breath she took. “I obey you, Daddy, and if they get you, I listen to my brother.”
Bear pulled her flush against him, crushing his mouth against hers in a kiss that was more than possession, more than dominance. It was acknowledgment. Acceptance. A promise of what came next.
When he finally pulled back, he pressed his forehead to hers, his voice a low rumble against her lips. “You’re mine, little one.”
Meri shivered. “And you’re mine.”
Bear let out a slow breath, forcing himself to step back, to pull himself together.
Archer cleared his throat. “I swear to god, if you two start fucking in front of me, I’m going to throw up all over that very nice, very expensive carpet.”
Fitz snorted. “Like you weren’t the one who punched him in the face when we got here. Let the man have his moment.”
Bear shot them both a glare before turning back to Meri.
“You’re in,” he said. “But you follow my rules.”
She nodded. “I will.”
His gaze darkened. “Then let’s end this.”
Bear didn’t let her decision sit as words alone. If Meri wanted to fight, she had to prove she was ready. No hesitation. No second-guessing. No looking for an exit when things got real.
He stepped back, scanning her with an assessing gaze, measuring the fire in her eyes against the reality of what she was about to walk into. This wasn’t some controlled training exercise. This wasn’t just pulling a trigger at a stationary target or throwing a punch at a willing partner.
This was war—without warning, Bear lunged.
Meri reacted instantly. She twisted to the side, her arms coming up defensively, her stance shifting to brace for impact. Good. She hadn’t frozen. But Bear wasn’t going easy. He feinted left before sweeping her legs out from under her, forcing her to recover fast.
She hit the floor hard, a grunt escaping her lips, but instead of staying down, she rolled. Agile. Smart. Not a second wasted.
Bear caught her wrist as she went for a strike, flipping her, pinning her to the floor with his weight pressed into her back.
“You’re not fighting me,” he warned, his voice dark, demanding. “You’re fighting a man who wants to take you. Hurt you. Who won’t care if you beg.”
Meri snarled, twisting under him, her elbow jabbing toward his ribs. He caught it, but it was a close thing.
“You talk a big game, little one,” he murmured, lips at her ear. “But words mean nothing when you’re pinned.”
She bucked, using her lower body to try to push him off. Not bad. But not good enough.
Bear let her fight. He wanted her to. Needed to see if she’d panic. If the weight of a larger body holding her down would send her into that dark place again. But Meri didn’t shut down. She didn’t freeze. She gritted her teeth and fought.
She slammed her head back, aiming for his face. If she’d been a little sharper, she might have landed the hit, but he saw it coming and dodged just in time. Still, her reaction was fast, instinctive, and deadly.
Bear flipped her onto her back, pinning her wrists above her head, his legs straddling her waist.
“Better,” he murmured. “But still not good enough.”
Meri glared up at him, her chest heaving. “You’re cheating.”
He chuckled. “This isn’t a fair fight, little one. You think DeLuca’s men are going to give you an opening? You think they’ll let you stand up and compose yourself?”
Her jaw clenched. “No.”
“Then stop acting like you need it.”
She twisted her wrists, testing his hold. “You weigh twice what I do.”
“You’re quick, but you’re hesitating,” Bear countered.
“I’m thinking.”
“Thinking gets you killed.”
Meri’s nostrils flared. She hated being told what she was doing wrong. But she wasn’t shutting down. She was listening.
Bear lifted one hand from her wrist, only to let his fingers brush over her throat—not squeezing, just a reminder that he could. “What now?” he murmured.
She didn’t even blink. She lifted her legs, hooking them around his torso, and twisted.
Bear grunted as she flipped them, her weight shifting perfectly, catching him off guard enough that she ended up straddling him this time, her hand fisting in his shirt, yanking his face close.
Something hot and possessive curled in his gut. Meri’s breath came in sharp, controlled gasps. She knew what she’d just done. She’d bested him—if only for a second.
His lips curled. “Now that’s what I was looking for.”
Meri’s fingers tightened on his shirt. “Did I pass?”
Bear reached up, gripping her jaw, forcing her to meet his eyes. “You tell me. You still afraid?”
She swallowed, and he felt it against his palm. Then her chin lifted. “No.”
Good girl.
He sat up, still holding her face, making sure she felt his approval. “Again.”
Her eyes flashed. “Again?”
Bear nodded. “You think one fight means you’re ready? That one brief moment where you got the upper hand makes you untouchable?” His thumb stroked over her bottom lip, soft, taunting. “No, little one. You fight until I say you’re ready.”
Meri’s thighs clenched around him, her nails biting into his chest. The stubborn set of her jaw told him she wanted to argue, but deep down, she knew he was right. He threw her off him, making her hit the floor with a grunt. She barely took a second before launching back at him.
That was what he needed to see.
For nearly an hour, he tested her, pushing her limits, demanding more, making sure she wasn’t just reacting in controlled chaos but could actually handle herself when things got messy.
By the time he called it, she was dripping in sweat, her muscles shaking, but her eyes bright.
Fitz whistled from the sidelines. “Well, damn. She fights like Archer.”
Archer huffed. “Of course she does. Who do you think taught her?”
Bear ran a hand down Meri’s back, grounding her as he murmured, “You’re coming.”
She tensed, as if waiting for another challenge.
Bear grabbed her chin, forcing her to focus. “But you listen to me, little one.” His voice darkened, his dominance curling around every word. “You obey.”
Her breath shuddered, her body softening under his grip. “I will, Daddy,” she said with a wicked grin as Archer groaned.
“Well then,” said Fitz, clapping his hands together, “let’s go shut this bastard down… permanently.”