Chapter 27
BOONE
Itext Tessa and tell her to meet me at the Grizzly Creek Café. No explanation. No pleasantries. Just a time and a place. She shows up twenty minutes late.
Typical.
When she finally pushes through the door, shaking snow off her glossy black hair and scanning the room like she expects every head to turn and stare, the only thing that stuns me is that I ever put a ring on her finger.
Jesus. I must have been out of my goddamn mind back then.
She spots me in the booth and her lips curve into a familiar smile. She used to practice it in the mirror because she thought it made her look irresistible, but it just makes her look unhinged.
Eyes locked on mine, she sways over, her coat sliding off her shoulders so slowly it’s obvious she thinks I’m about to stand and help her. I don’t move.
“Boone,” she purrs as she slides in next to me. Her perfume hits instantly, a sweet, cloying, artificial scent that has always made my stomach curdle. “You look good, baby. Have you been working out?”
She reaches for my arm, and I lean back so her hand hits air. “Don’t touch me, Tessa. Go sit over there.”
I jerk my chin at the chair a normal person would take, across the table instead of next to me. Her smile flickers, but she does it, scooting across with just enough attitude to let me know she hates being told no.
“What’s going on?” she asks, folding her arms and leaning forward like a glimpse of her cleavage will seduce me into forgetting every horrible thing she’s ever done. “You texted out of nowhere—”
“You showed up at my home,” I cut in. “Twice. You harassed Roxie, so here’s what’s going to happen. You’re going to get right back up, walk out of here, pack your shit, and leave town. Tonight.”
Her eyebrows shoot up. “Excuse me?”
“You heard me.”
She huffs out a laugh, shaking her head, incredulity written all over her face. “Boone, come on. You can’t seriously be choosing some little city mouse.”
I stare at her. “You don’t belong in my life anymore. You never really did, and we both know it. I might not know what the fuck you’re doing here, but I’m not going to sit back and find out.”
She blinks rapidly, probably taken aback by the blunt rejection in my tone. She still thinks she has some kind of hold on me. Tessa is allergic to accepting that she can’t just snap her fingers and I’ll come running.
“Boone,” she tries again, gentler now, like she’s going for sympathy. “Look, I heard you were doing well, that you built something out here. And I know you. I know how lonely you get. I thought maybe—”
“No.” I bark the word sharp enough to make her flinch. “You don’t know me, Tessa. Once upon a time a very long fucking time ago you knew a young, immature version of me who was drunk on fame, fighting, and bad decisions. You don’t know the man I am now, and you’re not going to.”
Her lips curl. “So, you think this Roxie does? That she knows you better than I do?”
“Yes,” I say without hesitation. “It hasn’t even been that long, and she already knows me better than you ever did.”
I watch fury spark in her eyes a moment before she snaps, “She’s using you, Boone. All of you. God, you’re smarter than that.”
I lean in. “What I do with my life doesn’t concern you. All you need to know is that I’m telling you to stay the hell away from her, from us, and from my home.”
She mutters something under her breath, probably nasty, but I keep going. “And in case it wasn’t clear, the baby is ours. Roxie is my family now, and you know how protective I am of my family, so I strongly suggest you take my advice and fuck off.”
Her eyes go huge with outrage. “You can’t seriously think—”
“I’m not discussing it with you,” I say firmly, narrowing my eyes just a little.
She sits back, head shaking, lips tightening into a snarl. “You’re making a mistake. Boone, she’s not right for you.”
“You need to leave town,” I repeat calmly. “Now. If you don’t, we’ll make sure that when you do leave, it’s in handcuffs in the back of a van.”
Her face twists, but she grabs her purse, shoving out of the booth and standing there trembling with anger. “This isn’t over.”
“It is,” I say. “For you.”
She storms out, pushing through the café doors so hard they rattle. Snow blows in after her, swirling in the doorway before the doors fall shut. I watch her stalk across the street to that over-polished SUV of hers, but as she climbs in, I know she isn’t the real problem we’re facing.
If she knows Roxie is from New York, it’s because someone else told her. Tessa isn’t stupid, but she doesn’t know how to dig deep. With nothing but a face and maybe a name from that first visit to our house, there’s no way she could’ve tracked Roxie herself.
I leave the café with my jaw clenched so tight it aches. Snow comes down harder now, but Tessa’s SUV is still parked near the corner. And she isn’t alone.
A man stands a few yards from her, half-hidden behind a lamppost. Dark jacket. Beanie. Sunglasses, even though the sun hasn’t shown its face all day. He holds a professional-grade camera with a long lens, pointed directly at her.
At us, really.
My stomach drops. He isn’t paparazzi, well not here, not this time of year, and definitely not following a washed-up UFC fighter’s ex-wife.
No. This is surveillance.
I move slowly, pretending to adjust my coat collar while angling my body to see his car. The sedan behind him has snow gathering on the windshield, but the plate is clear enough to catch the first few digits before a passing truck sprays slush everywhere.
New York plates. Motherfucker.
I don’t hesitate. Pulling out my phone, I hit Chance’s number. He answers on the first ring.
“Talk to me.”
“Suspicious male in town,” I murmur, turning away so the guy won’t see my lips moving. “Dark jacket. Camera. New York plates. He’s photographing Tessa.”
“Tessa?” Chance growls. “What the hell?”
“Later,” I snap. “Get eyes on the security cams. I’ll be home soon. We need to lock it down.”
“On it.”
I don’t glance back. I already have what I need, and every instinct screaming through me says this isn’t a coincidence.
Caruso’s people are already here, and Tessa has just lit a neon sign over my front door. Merry fucking Christmas, Boone.
By the time I make it home, the guys are already in the office, the house sealed like a fortress.
Dillon has three monitors going, his fingers flying across his keyboard, his shoulders rigid in that way he only gets when shit is really bad.
Chance stands at the window with his arms crossed, his eyes flicking from one side of the yard to the other, the Marine who still lives inside him fully switched on.
“What do we know?” I ask.
Dillon doesn’t look away from the screen. “I got a partial off the plate you gave us. I ran it through everything I can access without raising any flags.”
“And?”
He blows out a breath. “The car belongs to a rental company out of LaGuardia. It was rented three days ago under the name Michael Rossi.”
Chance straightens. “Rossi? Seriously?”
“Yeah.” Dillon nods grimly. “The same Rossi who got popped for assault in Queens. Two years later, attempted murder charges, but the case falls apart because witnesses go missing.”
Caruso’s guy. A fixer. A hunter. Cold slides down my spine, sharp as ice. “So he’s here. Watching Tessa, of all fucking people.”
“And the house,” Chance adds. “If he’s following her, if she meets someone she shouldn’t have, or if she talks…” His mouth pulls tight. “We don’t know how much they know.”
Dillon curses. “She lead him straight here. Either Tessa is working with them, or she’s too damn stupid to realize she just handed them our location.”
I sit down heavily, the weight of it all settling in my chest. “We can’t take chances.”
“Agreed,” Chance says. His whole body is wired, ready to fight, ready to kill if needed. “We need to act fast. Decisively.”
I look toward the stairs, where Roxie is resting in her bedroom. Our girl. Our babies. My throat tightens.
“We need to tell her, but we also need to keep her calm,” I say. “Carrying multiples is already no joke, and it’s only the first trimester. Too much stress is downright dangerous right now.”
Chance nods. “I’ll bring her up.”
She must hear us, because a moment later she appears in the doorway, her hand on the frame, her eyes wide and questioning. “Bring me up for what?”
I stand and go to her, taking her hand. “Come, sit.”
She takes one look at our faces and goes pale, but she doesn’t cry or panic. She just sits down between Dillon and me. Chance moves in behind her, his hands on her shoulders like he’s guarding her with his whole damn body.
I keep my voice as steady as I can while I explain. “There’s a man in town, and he’s taking pictures of Tessa. Dillon ran the plate, and it’s someone connected to Caruso.”
She sucks in a sharp breath but keeps herself together otherwise. “They found me.”
“They found her,” Dillon corrects gently. “We don’t know if they know about you yet.”
“But we’re assuming the worst,” Chance adds. “We’re going to protect you, Rox. You and the babies. No matter what.”
“We’re prepared,” I say, squeezing her hand. “We planned for this. You’re safe.”
“Yeah. Yeah, I know. We’ve done everything we can.” She swallows hard. “Just promise me you won’t take risks. Not for me.”
All three of us speak at once.
“Too late.”
“Not happening.”
“Never going to promise that.”
She lets out a husky laugh, and I lean over, taking her cheek in my palm. Fierce love rises in my chest like a damn tidal wave as my eyes lock on hers. “We’re going to get through this, Rox. All of us together. As a family.”
“Okay,” she whispers.
She leans in and presses a kiss to my lips that I desperately want to deepen, then stands. “I just need a minute, but I’ll be in my room if there’s anything else, okay?”
“Okay.” Chance drops a kiss on her forehead when she stops in front of him. “We’re just going to go over the boring stuff now anyway. Logistics and whatnot. Stay away from the windows, all right?”
“Trust me, I will.” She smiles up at him and leaves.
Dillon keeps watching me with that quiet, steady stare he’s perfected over the years. I feel it more than see it. Finally, I sigh and turn toward him. “All right. Just say it. You’ve been staring holes into me long enough. What did I do to get your panties in a twist?”
He doesn’t deny it. “Are you sure you’re not letting old patterns blind you here?”
I scrub a hand down my face. “I know what you’re thinking. I do. I messed up with Tessa. I put you through hell with that marriage, but it’s a lifetime ago. My eyes are wide open now.”
Chance opens his mouth, but I’m not done.
“I don’t even know why I married her. Well, actually, I do. I was lonely, horny, stupid, trying so damn hard to be normal that I tried to make a family out of someone who never wanted one.” My throat tightens. “I want what we have now. I’ve always wanted it. Both of you know that.”
Dillon’s stare eases. Chance tilts his head. “We hear you. It’s just that if Tessa gets mixed up with Caruso, it might come down to a choice. If push comes to shove, who do you protect?”
“What the fuck kind of question is that?” I snap. “You. Roxie. Obviously.”
Dillon lifts his hands. “We’re not questioning you. We just need to be sure she’s not in your head again.”
“Roxie is everything I never thought I’d have,” I say. “And those babies are a miracle. I’m not choosing Tessa. Ever.”
Chance claps my shoulder as Dillon nods and turns back to his computer.
We work late into the night, setting up shifts, watching the monitors.
By three a.m., the snow quiets and the house sleeps. I’m still awake when my mattress dips and I open my eyes to find Roxie watching me.
“Boone?” she whispers.
“Yeah, sweetheart?” I pull her close without thinking.
“I’m sorry I woke you.”
“I wasn’t sleeping.”
She hesitates. “Do you really want this?”
I tip her chin up. “More than anything. You’re my family. Don’t let her poison win.”
She burrows into my chest, and I hold her until her breathing evens out.
We fall asleep tangled together, but the feeling in my gut doesn’t fade.
Danger isn’t just a possibility.
It’s already here.