Chapter 22 #2
Onboard, he’d finally been able to give Emma a proper medical examination.
There were layers of bruises, the cuts on her ankle were infected, but they’d removed the cuff and collar, and been able to properly treat them as well as start her on a course of antibiotics.
There was a bathroom on the plane, and Emma had spent so long in there that he’d gone to check on her and found her in a ball on the floor, crying silently.
He’d climbed in to join her without even bothering to remove his clothes, held her, then made love to her slower this time.
Once she was clean and dressed in one of his T-shirts and a pair of his pants that had been in his pack that swamped her much smaller frame, she’d curled up in his lap and in a halted voice that wavered more than once told him what she’d endured at the hands of Stephen Joesph.
If the man wasn't already dead, Nathan would have taken his time tearing him apart limb from limb, making him pay for the atrocities he’d committed.
But in the end, he was glad it was Emma who had taken out her abuser.
“I can't believe I'm going to see my family again,” she said as they walked through the lobby. “But I'm not looking forward to the next couple of hours.”
“Hey, I'm not going anywhere, okay? I'm going to be right by your side the entire time. If you need to take a break, just say so. Hell, if you need to take a hundred breaks, just say so. I guarantee you that everybody here at Prey cares about you, not just any intel you may or may not have. They’ve all been through horrific things, and Raven’s daughter was actually abducted and trafficked when she was three, missing for a decade before they got her back. So everyone here understands and cares about what you’ve been through.
They’re going to be as gentle as they can while they debrief you. ”
“Still going to suck,” she muttered, but she’d relaxed a little.
“If Falcon’s too rough on you, then you just let us know,” Lefty piped off from behind them, and Emma chuckled.
“I’ll do that. You guys didn't have to come all the way here with us, though,” she said.
“Wanted to make sure you got here safely,” Trigger told her.
Nathan didn't like thinking about it, but there was absolutely the possibility that Azure could go after Emma.
They didn't know his real name, or that he’d been working undercover, although they might suspect that he had, or just think he was too obsessed with Emma and decided he had to keep her for himself.
Whatever Azure believed, if they found out Emma had been rescued and was back home, they might retaliate, so she was going to stay under the radar for the time being, which meant not returning to her home, work, or visiting her family at their homes.
“I appreciate that,” Emma said softly. She was aware of the potential danger she was in, and hadn't complained about having to basically remain in hiding until Azure was taken care of.
“Hey.” Grover stepped closer, hooked a finger under her chin, and nudged until she craned her head back to look up at him. “This guy,” he jerked his head in Nathan’s direction, “causes you a single ounce of pain, you call us, and we’ll set him straight.”
Emma laughed, and he stared at her, captivated by the sound. She was so beautiful when she was free just to be herself.
“You're joking, but it’s sweet, and I’ll let you know if Nathan messes up.”
“Not joking, honey,” Grover said, and Emma’s smile wavered slightly as she tried to figure out how serious the Delta Force operator was.
“O-okay. Well, I don’t really think Nathan is going to hurt me, but if he does, you’ll be the first call I make,” she assured the big man.
The ten of them split at the elevators. The Delta Force team went to the third floor, where they’d write out their statements about what happened and debrief together as a team, while he and Emma headed to the floor where the Oswald siblings had their offices.
It had been a while since Nathan last met his boss there, but he knew which office was Falcon’s and headed straight for it, never releasing his hold on Emma’s hand.
As much as she dreaded having to relive her ordeal and answer question after question about it, she knew it was unavoidable, so she’d do her best to push aside her discomfort for the sake of the women still in Azure’s clutches.
It wasn't a burden he wanted her to carry because it wasn't hers, she wasn't responsible for bringing down the trafficking ring, even though he knew she would feel pressure to be helpful.
That responsibility had been on him, and he’d failed, although he couldn’t bring himself to regret it when Emma’s hand sat so perfectly in his. Still, the part of him that had spent a lifetime being driven to save others rebelled inside him, because he’d failed. Worse, he’d given up.
But he was trying his best to push against his obsession, recognizing that it was no longer healthy, and probably never had been.
It wasn't easy, but Nathan wanted to be his best version of himself for Emma’s sake, and that meant learning to control his compulsive need to save others. From here on out, his girl came first.
Which was why he had an announcement of his own for his boss.
“Nathan, Ms. Beaumont,” Falcon greeted them as they stepped into his office.
“You can call me Emma,” Emma said immediately.
Falcon nodded, rounding his desk to come and shake both their hands. “I'm Falcon, Nathan’s boss, and the head of Prey’s undercover team. I'm sorry that we couldn’t get you out before you were sold.”
“I'm just grateful that you and Nathan were prepared to break protocol and fake my death to get me out, even if it didn't work out, and that when I was sold, you didn't leave me behind.”
“I'm sorry that we have to do this,” Falcon said as he pulled out a chair for Emma, and she sat in it, while Nathan took the one beside her. “But we have to.”
“I understand. I don’t know if I know anything important, but I’ll tell you everything I can, just in case you can use something. And I have seeing my family to look forward to once we finish up.”
They’d decided this was the safest place for Emma to see her family, and he also knew that even though she’d spoken to them on the phone already, she needed to be able to see them, touch them, let them hold her.
“Before we start, Falcon, I have something I need to tell you.”
Sitting back down in his chair, Falcon arched a dark brow. “Sounds serious.”
“It is,” he agreed. “I know this isn’t the best time to be asking, considering that I already messed up on a job, but I’d like to take some time off.”
“You don’t need to do that on my account,” Emma piped up immediately.
“Done,” Falcon said at the same time.
“This is on both of our accounts,” he assured Emma. “That’s not all,” he added, turning back to his boss. “I’d like to not do any more deep undercover jobs. I'd prefer to take shorter-term assignments going forward. I understand if that means you want to terminate my employment—”
“Better not finish that sentence,” Falcon growled.
“Nathan, you can't give up your job because of me,” Emma said, grabbing his hands and holding them tight. “You love what you do. You told me yourself that saving people is part of who you are.”
Cupping her cheek in his hand, he stroked her temple.
“And you told me that I need some color in my life. Being around you, those urges I used to have are different. They’re still there, but now I have a stronger urge.
To protect you, to support you, to make sure you know that you're not alone. To be your soft place to fall, to be your strength on the days you think yours is missing. To make sure both of our lives always have color.”
Tears welled in the gorgeous blue eyes that had led to her being captured, tortured, and sold. “Nathan, that’s … the most beautiful thing anyone has ever said to me.”
“Done,” Falcon said, grabbing both their attention. “You're one of the best undercover agents I've ever seen, Nathan. Prey doesn’t want to lose you. Take a month off and tell me at the end of it if you're ready to come back, and we’ll have you working shorter assignments from there on out.”
“Just like that?” he asked. He’d walked in there prepared to be fired.
“You know Prey is a family, and we take care of our own,” Falcon said, a little reproachfully. “And that family just grew.”
“Yeah, it did,” he agreed, lifting the hands he still held and bringing them to his lips.
“Nathan, remember the storage closet?” Emma’s eyes sparkled with joy as she asked the question.
“I remember, blondie,” he said as he leaned in to capture her lips with his. It was no wonder a woman who had saved herself was his perfect match, she was everything he could ever want, or need, and for some reason he’d probably never understand, she wanted to be his.
With Emma in his life, it would never be just black and white again.