Chapter Twenty-Six
Waverly
Everyone finally agrees to work together and the men get busy going over all the intel Fennec brought with him. Personally, I’m trying to put the picture of the man that tried to kill me out of my head and forget I ever saw him. We’ve been catching up too.
The first thing I wanted to ask Neve is if she was alright with me and her brother being…together. The follow-up question is for myself. What is this? Is it lust? Is it deeper than that? It seems deeper to me. It feels stupidly close to love.
The second question we both had for her was how close has she gotten to Fennec Simon, since the man is sending her hot looks across the room that would make a nun blush. On that point, she is a little more evasive.
“Have you slept with him yet?”
“Sadie!” Both of us say her name in shock.
“Have you slept with my brother yet?”
Sadie's cheeks go a deep shade of maroon that is answer enough.
“Sadie?” I start to grin when Neve’s green eyes move to mine. “Have you slept with my brother, Waverly?”
“No," I answer truthfully, "I haven’t slept with Boston.”
They both push me, laughing at my answer.
“That’s not the brother I’m asking about, and you know it.”
I’m sure my cheeks are the same color as Sadie’s now.
“You little sluts,” Neve jokes, “banging my brothers while my life is in danger.”
“Okay, rabbit.” I remind Neve of the nickname Fennec called her.
“Oh my God! Does he call you that because you kind of look like Jessica Rabbit with your hair and eyes and stuff?”
Neve opens her mouth but closes it again. “Yeah, Jessica Rabbit.”
I shoulder bump Sadie, “He calls her rabbit because foxes like to eat rabbits, girl.”
“Oh shit!” All three of us break down laughing as we finish making dinner. Then the alarms go off again.
“Room.”
Memphis doesn’t even have to say it loudly before I am leading the girls to the war room while the boys take up places to better protect us.
My heart thumps against my rib cage and my mind is swirling with all sorts of worst-case scenarios that can happen.
I’m not even worried about me anymore. Now, my thoughts are just filled with Memphis and whether or not he’s safe.
I’m working myself up to a real panic when the door opens and I see Memphis. I run to him without thought, without concern for who might be looking or who cares, without hesitation. He wraps me in his arms, and I can’t stop myself from clinging to him.
“It’s okay, baby.” He pulls back enough so I can look into his eyes. “You know I wouldn’t let anything hurt you. You don’t have to be afraid.”
“I’m not afraid for me, silly. I was afraid for you.”
His eyes change as he cups the back of my head.
“You were worried about me?”
I nod and look right at him, unafraid to show him the unshed tears gathering in my eyes.
“Oh, baby.” His mouth lands on mine, and I sink into his kiss before a throat clears.
I raise my head and come face to face with the same green eyes I have.
Oh my God! My brother is here.
“What the hell…?”
“What the hell to you too, sis. You gonna introduce us or you gonna keep eating his face?”
“Danny!” This cannot be happening. “What are you doing here?”
“Rachel told me about what happened to your apartment. Well, she told her sister and her sister told me.” He scoots over to let a small blonde woman come to stand beside him. "This is Ari, by the way."
“Hi. How ya doing?”
Her voice sounds oddly familiar.
“Hi.” It’s weak at best, but I’m a little unsteady…and still in Memphis’s arms.
“You sound just like her. Rachel, your sister.”
Wait! Does Memphis know this girl? How exactly?
"Lots of people say that." She gives him a big smile, but her eyes go back to my brother.
I turn Memphis’s face back to my own but before I can ask any questions, he’s answering me, “Rachel’s with dispatch. She’s the one who took the call about your apartment and the shootings. This must be her younger sister. She talks about you all the time.”
"Aww." Her eyes go soft and you can just tell that having her big sister talk about her makes this girl happy.
“Shootings? Babe, you didn’t tell me about any shootings.”
“I didn't know. All she told me about was the break-in and she only told me because she knew me and you are dating. Technically she isn't supposed to say anything about it at all, so if anyone asks…”
"I’m Memphis by the way.” Memphis gives my brother’s hand a shake without letting me go. “How did you find us?”
He says it so causally, but I can almost feel him vibrating under me.
“Oh, I go to school with your cousin.” Like that should clear it all fucking up.
“Danny!” I give him the same tone I would when he was only telling me half-truths or lying about doing his homework.
“Yeah,” he starts to explain. The voice always works.
“I told Ari I was worried about you since you hadn’t checked on us in a couple of days, and she told me about the break-in her sister told her about, so she called her, who then told her you took her somewhere safe.
I went to ask your cousin where you might have gotten off too since I couldn’t get in touch with you.
I told him we had a bet going and I owed you money.
He told me to go ask the Chief’s son, who told me about this place. ”
“Well…,” Memphis relaxes again, totally speechless, which is a state a lot of people find themselves in when Danny is involved.
“Can we stay for dinner, sis? Getting up that mountain was hell, and I kind of don’t want to do it in the dark.” He's only had his driver's license for a year and a half.
I look up at Memphis and wait for him to answer.
“Sure, buddy. You guys can stay up at the big cabin with my sister and her …assassin.”
“Memphis!”
Multiple people say it at the same time, causing my man to start chuckling which in turn makes me laugh. He picks me up and I wrap my legs around him. If there is one thing Memphis understands better than anyone I’ve ever met… it’s family. The good, the bad, and the brothers.