Chapter Eleven
Janet
Something about standing under a hot shower helped me to relax.
I stood with my face tilted up and my eyes closed for a long time, letting the water stream over me.
So much had happened in the past few weeks.
Thor was in danger. That much was very clear.
Riptide might have found me and brought back one of the kidnappers to question but I had no doubt they were just hired guns, doing the dirty work for someone who wanted Thor dead.
There was a good chance they didn’t even know who had hired them.
That was the part I had trouble understanding. Thor. My Thor. The Thor who played with Willow and teased the twins like they were his little sisters. He was the kindest, most gentle man I’d ever met. How could anyone possibly want him dead?
I knew he’d been in the SEALs and he’d probably done his share of things he’d rather not talk about. I was equally sure he had never deliberately harmed anyone unless under direct orders. Ever.
I gave my head a mental shake. All this thinking was giving me a headache and not doing anyone a lick of good. Ace and Beast and the rest of them would figure it out and make sure he was safe. I had to believe that.
What I needed to do was decide how to bring up the subject of my family.
Somehow, I couldn’t picture myself telling Thor I came from a super-rich family that had made their money by exploiting orphans and poor children in their factories.
Admittedly, it had been generations ago, but far from being ashamed of the fact, or trying to do good to make up for it, they’d used that money to finance other ventures, some almost as bad.
They attended church on Sundays, and had other people do their dirty work.
Now they wanted more. They wanted to enter the political arena, so they’d arranged to marry me off to a senator’s son.
My mother, all excited at the prospect, had pointed out that if I produced a son, we’d have a shot at putting him in the White House.
What a coup that would be! She truly did not understand why I wasn’t thrilled with the idea of being treated like breeding stock.
As if thinking of them summoned their attention, my new phone rang.
I glanced down and saw my mother’s name on call display.
I hesitated. How had she gotten my new number?
We hadn’t talked since I’d walked out, and I wasn’t sure I was up to sparring with her now.
The phone kept ringing, and I realized I hadn’t set up messaging on it yet, and I had no idea how long it would ring before it stopped.
Sitting on the edge of the bed, I took a deep breath and picked up the phone. I hit ACCEPT .
“Janet?” My mother sounded hesitant. Almost scared. Not at all like the self-confident mother I knew.
“Yes, it’s me.”
“We want you to come home.” She said it so fast I almost didn’t understand what she was saying, like she had to get it out before I hung up or interrupted her.
I felt calm, almost sad. Too much water under the bridge.
It was much too late. “Why? Why now? It’s been years since I left.
I’m not going to marry the person you want me to, and I’m not going to be part of the family business.
You know that. Nothing has changed. I’ve moved on.
” I hesitated to tell her I’d met someone and put him in the crosshairs.
That was assuming Montgomery had been right, and this hadn’t been my family’s doing all along.
My mother sighed. “We know.”
Of course they knew. They’d probably had me followed since the day I left. “Well then you know I’m happy. I’ve found someone that cares about me, and we’re going to move in together.”
“Thor. The biker. Yes, we know. And he sounds like an impressive young man.” She paused and her voice trembled just a bit. “We would like to meet him.”
“Why?” Not that I was paranoid or anything, but Thor wasn’t part of their world, and neither was I. Not anymore. I liked the life I’d built for myself. I didn’t want them to interfere.
“We know that he makes you happy. Your dad and I miss you and want you back in our lives. On your terms. However you’re willing to do that. And we understand that means this Thor gentleman will be part of it.”
“Mom, we haven’t talked in years. What’s changed?”
“Just things. You’re my daughter.”
“I was your daughter before today. It didn’t matter then.”
She let out a dramatic sigh. “Okay, here it is. I watched the news last night. About those kids that were murdered in the school shooting? They interviewed one girl’s mother.
She talked about all the things she’d never get to do with her daughter, and I realized unless I made the first move, I’d never get to do those things with you either.
I know we’ve never been close, but I want to change that.
Listening to her, I realized how much I’ve been missing. How much we’ve been missing.”
She’d always been dramatic, and I wasn’t sure what to make of this sudden about face. “What have we been missing? Because I’m happy now, and I’m not about to go back to being manipulated by you and Dad.”
She hesitated. “That’s not going to happen. Are you married to the gentleman?”
So they didn’t know everything. Interesting. And rather amusing that she referred to him as a gentleman. Maybe their influence didn’t extend to this area of society. “Not yet, but it’s likely in the near future.” Of course, he’d have to ask me first.
“I’m sure your father would like to walk you down the aisle when the day comes. And I could help plan a beautiful wedding.”
My head throbbed. On top of the day I’d had, this about-face on their part was just too much to comprehend.
“Mom, I’ve had a tough day, and I’m really tired.
This call is completely out of the blue.
How about you give me a few days, and I’ll call you back?
Maybe meet for coffee or something.” Despite everything that had happened, she was my mother and a part of me missed her, missed the relationship we could have had. Should have had.
“You promise you’ll call?”
“I promise.” I hesitated. “I miss you too.” I almost whispered the last bit as I disconnected the call.
“Who was that?” Thor strode into the room and sat beside me.
“My mother.” I guess now was the time to have that talk. “It’s been years since we last talked.”
He pulled me over to sit on his lap. “You don’t have to tell me anything if you don’t want to.”
“But I do.” I tried to sort the words out in my head. “When you were knifed, my first thought was to wonder if they had anything to do with it.” I explained my family as best I could, and the hardest part was admitting I still loved them and wished we could have some kind of relationship.
Thor held me close. “Of course you do. They’re your family, and that’s important. Trust me. I don’t have a family, and I envy everyone who does. If they’re holding out an olive branch, take it. Maybe they’ve had a change of heart.”
I turned to face him. “You are the wisest man on the face of the earth. I love you. You know that, right?”
He grinned. “Does that mean I can finally put my cut on you?”
I lowered my head to capture his lips in a passionate kiss. When we finally came up for air, I traced a finger across his rugged jawline. “Yeah. I guess it does.”
He looked shocked. “Are you sure?”
“Yes, I’m sure.”
He reached past me to slide open a drawer on the bedside table. Reaching inside, he pulled out a leather vest and held it up for me to read the back. On the rocker panels surrounding the Riptide logo, it said Property of Thor . I stood up and let him put it on me.
“How long have you had that hiding in there?” I straightened the vest.
“Too long. You are one hard-to-pin-down woman.”
I grinned, turning so I could admire my reflection in the mirror on the back of the door. “I’m going to have to wear this when we go meet my parents.”
Thor raised a brow. “We’re going to meet your parents?”
“Eventually.” I wrinkled my nose. “I’m going to make them work for it, though.”
Thor pulled me back into his arms. “That’s my girl -- play hard to get.” He lifted my hair and nibbled at my neck. “I want to fuck you in nothing but your cut. And maybe those boots. They’re sexy as sin.”
I laughed. “You are bad!”
“Bad to the bone!” He grinned. “Wanna see my boner?”
“Damn right.”
I completely forgot to ask him if they’d figured out who wanted him dead and why.
* * *
Thor
I leaned down to brush a stray lock of hair off Janet’s face.
She’d fallen asleep snuggled up against me after we made love.
We’d had a fucking hell of a time lately and exhaustion had finally caught up with her.
I liked to think it was because she felt safe surrounded by the Riptide family.
She looked adorable, curled up against me with her new cut still on.
I’d pulled off her boots while we were making love.
They were sexy as hell to look at but kind of tough on my hide.
My phone chirped, and I glanced over at the screen. Shadow .
The kidnapper we’d brought back for questioning hadn’t known much. Basically a gun for hire, he’d followed orders and had no idea who was paying him. He didn’t care as long as he got paid.
Too bad for him, that wasn’t going to happen. Beast made sure he’d never hurt anyone again. No one fucks with our women and walks away.
His phone had proven a whole lot more helpful.
It unlocked with facial recognition and luckily Beast hadn’t worked his face over so bad that the phone didn’t recognize him.
Shadow found a whole string of text messages between the asshole and the guy who’d hired him.
Went by the name of “Joe Smith” according to his text handle. It might as well have screamed alias .
Asshole was supposed to send “Joe Smith” a picture to prove I was dead and then he’d be paid by cash drop in a storage locker on the far side of town.