39. Sloane
39
SLOANE
I cannot keep my mind on what the doctor’s saying to me beyond that I’m okay. Jack is nodding, taking everything in for me. My head spins. From the moment I saw the look in his eyes, I knew Alistair followed through with his threats. And I’ve been lost to the intrusive thoughts ever since.
Even after the phone call, the news story, my life won’t seem safe again until I have Reese in my arms.
Commotion roils out in the hall, but no one has said a thing about where my daughter is. If they’ve gotten her back yet. If Alistair tried to pull some new move on them to make this harder.
Pressing back into my pillow, I try to take full, calming breaths but the bruising in my ribs refuses to give me even that. I’m beyond frustrated, angry, bereft. I just want my baby.
After everything, I just want to hold onto her.
When the doctor steps away, Jack’s big hand brushes my hair back from my forehead and he looks down at me with softness around his features. “Don’t fret. We’re getting her back.”
I suck in a shaky breath and nod. I believe him. Taking his hand in mine, I press our clasped fingers against my chest and close my eyes. We stay like that for a while before I hear a soft, “Mommy?”
Eyes flying open, I spot Reese in Rhett’s arms. His smug smile says it all, and I shoot upright with a hiss of pain. It doesn’t matter, my arms are out and waiting to be filled.
Rhett doesn’t make me wait. He swings her onto my lap, and my baby’s arms are around my neck.
Everything is right with the world. My relief is insurmountable. I can’t explain it. I feel whole.
I don’t realize I’m crying until Reese whispers, “It’s okay, Mommy. It’s okay.”
I laugh and hug her to me tighter. “Now, it is.”
The reporter lingering in my doorway can’t even put a damper on this.
After what feels like not long enough, I relax my grip and run my hands through Reese’s hair. Rhett waves the reporter in, chagrin coloring his cheeks with his half smile. “I promised her an exclusive.”
“You helped me get my baby back?” I ask.
The reporter nods, holding out her hand. “Becky Carlson. I’m glad it had a happy ending.”
I give her a shake. “Thank you. I hope this is going to work because I’m not letting go of this angel until I have to.”
“I completely understand. My little girl is only three.” Becky gives me a knowing smile, which I share with her.
“That’s a fun age.” Taking a deep breath, I let it go loudly. “Okay, you’re here for the whole story, right?”
“Right.” Becky’s smile is made for television.
So, I tell her about the odd paper trail that led us to the illegal arms deal, that most of my job was comparing numbers and checking inventory, but I couldn’t let it go when I discovered something was amiss. How I’d been threatened, about the break-in, about the attempted kidnapping, and finally, the full kidnapping.
I try to be as real as possible without giving details that will haunt my baby girl, like the very real threats Mikhal made or how Edmund was a part of it—not when he used to play matching games with Reese on slow days at the office during the summer.
“And how did you get out?” Becky prompts.
Offering a small smile, I share a look with Jack. He’s proud. The smirk is enough to confirm it for me. “Well, I had some help. See, this big guy got himself captured.”
He snuck in a very important tool, one that I used to pick the lock when a commotion started out in the hall. Jack disarmed the guard by our door easily and took his weapons.
It was slow going but so, so fast, moving through the winding maze of rooms and tunnels. I am no SEAL, no soldier, but I’ve taken advantage of the free lessons from my boss, the free training sessions that were open to all employees. I learned how to shoot.
My aim isn’t perfect, but I shot a lot of legs and feet, and that kept them from chasing after us. I’m not sure I can live with killing someone. Even bad guys.
And now, they have to live with the consequences of what they’ve done.
Halfway through the breakout, we reunited with Sterling and Rhett. Which, thank God, because I was on the verge of being sick from all the movement and the blood, the adrenaline.
The team was amazing, scooping me out of there before they’d had me too long. I wouldn’t have made it out of there without them. As hard as I would have tried on my own.
They’re heroes.
I just wanted to stay alive and get home to my daughter. I don’t say anything about the pregnancy, the new baby. I want to save telling Reese about it until we can have a moment to ourselves. The way I’ve always told her important things.
Becky asks a few more questions before she bids us a good afternoon, and I’m so exhausted, I nap with Reese in my arms until dinner time.
They finally take us back to Sterling’s house. Reese takes a bath, and we talk as I scrub her hair.
“So, does that mean we can all stay a family?” Her knees are curled up, and she leans her head back, trusting me to keep the soap from her eyes.
“You happy having all three of them? That’s a lot of authority in one house.”
“Yeah. They’re a lot more fun. I like how they look at you.”
I can’t help but grin, but still, tears blur my vision. “How do they look at me?”
“Hmm.” Her head tips back and forth as she decides. “Like how I look at chicken nuggets.”
I laugh. “Like you want to devour them?”
“Like they’re the best thing in the world.”
My heart skips a little at that, and I rinse out her hair.
“Do you think Sterling will let us stay here? I like this house.”
“I don’t know, you little house goblin. You’d better ask him. Use those big eyes on him. They’re your best secret weapon.”
Reese giggles and snorts through the rest of the shower as she tells me stories about the guys. Things she’s noticed about them. Like how Jack cheats at games, but he makes them fun. How Sterling likes to sit quietly and doesn’t make her uncomfortable. How he knows how to brush her hair. How Rhett can always take things apart and fix them and isn’t afraid to show her what he’s doing.
God, all of them are going to make the best dads.
My happiness scares me, though. I’m afraid of letting my guard down in case it all evaporates on me.
I get Reese into bed, and the guys join me, making it a very chaotic bedtime, but she’s asleep before we all exit. It’s been a rough couple of days.
With the door closed behind us, I barely notice how they all move to subtly herd me into the master bath.
“You’re a part of this unit now. And it’s time for us to take care of you.” I’m not sure who says it, my mind finally shutting down from the overload of the last few days.
Surrounded, I’m stroked and caressed as my clothes slowly peel away from my body. Someone’s turned on the shower, and the hot water hits my skin with a pleasurable pain. I moan as I’m held up under the spray.
Slick muscles behind me, soft hair between my shoulder blades, rough fingers smooth across my skin. Smiling, I tip back to peer up at Sterling.
He kisses the side of my head. “Thought you might need help getting clean.”
“Mmm. You thought right. I’m tuckered.” But with the way his touch slides over me, I might not be quite so tired to not enjoy this.
The shower head descends, soaking my hair like I’d just done for my daughter. Cleaning me methodically is exactly what I need, and everything has been scrubbed with soap and a loofah—surprise, surprise, these guys supplied me with one.
When I think he’s done and ready to turn the water off, Sterling slides his hands between my thighs. I make a soft noise as pleasure burns.
Yes, I want this, too.
His strokes grow firm and steady. Arousal takes me over, wiggling me between his hard body and his strong hand. The stiff length of him grows between my cheeks, only adding to his end goal.
He’s going to make me come. And it’s so easy right now that maybe I should be a little ashamed of myself, but I’m not.
I seek it because in the worst-case scenario, I’ll relax and fall asleep as soon as I’m dry. Best-case scenario, the three of them will twist me up and exhaust me more fully.
My small cry has him groaning in my ear. “So beautiful.”
The shower shuts off, and a new set of hands envelops me in a towel, drying me off. Another set dries my hair, and Sterling gives me a smug little smile.
Rhett brushes his thumb across my mouth as my eyes finally focus.
I’m carried to the bedroom on a cloud, and each of them worships me with their hands, on their knees, surrounding me completely before I drift off to sleep.