~Chapter 21~
I ’m sitting on the bed, waiting for Danny to get out of the shower. My hands are bunched in my hair and my elbows are resting on my knees. Fuck.
Beatrice is everything I hoped she was, thought she was, and so fucking much more. In fact, she did nothing but cement how perfect she was for me, for us.
Damn, I really hope she’s still serious about us dating her because, honestly, I need her. We all do.
Danny steps out of the bathroom, a light blue henley stretching across the lean muscle bunching underneath the fabric. The bastard gives me a smug grin, likely having caught me checking him out. But, hey, he’s mine. I can look all I want.
“Ready?” He asks almost morosely. With a nod, I take in a deep breath, closing my eyes, and releasing it. Once I open my eyes again, I find his hand near my face, offered out to me as a sign. Whatever happens, we’ll deal with it like we do everything else; together.
With our hands linked, I let him pull me up and lead me out of the room, down the stairs, and to the living room.
Charlie’s sitting in his favorite recliner. Stu’s spread out across his; his left side propped up against the arm of the recliner and his legs hanging over the right side. I swear the guy has no clue how to relax like a normal person.
Danny and I take up our spots on the couch and turn to face Charlie. “Boss,” I prompt.
Charlie meets each of our gazes for a brief moment before beginning.
“So, it took some finagling, but HQ ran Bea’s info.” I feel my brows hit my hairline, not expecting them to have done a full damn check in such a short amount of time. Especially if all we’re doing is letting her know how dangerous Franco is.
“HQ wants Beatrice on file.”
Danny jumps up with a roar of disbelief, “What!? Are you insane?”
Charlie leans back, nonplussed by Danny’s outburst, and flops his head to the side; signaling for Danny to get it all out now.
“She’s been through enough! And now you want to bring her on the team, put her front and center as a target? She’s been through enough pain in her life. And, what? We’re just going to set her up for more?”
Danny’s pacing behind the couch. His breathing is coming out in harsh pants.
I’m just about to intervene when Charlie barks, “Enough!”
Danny freezes, his eyes widen to the size of saucers, and he angrily stares down Charlie. “By all means, oh wise one, do enlighten us.” Sassy fuck.
Charlie groans and rolls his eyes before shifting his body forward, resting his elbows on his knees, and clasping his hands together tightly. “If she decides to join Vidar, she will automatically be placed on our team, not anyone else’s. Additionally, they will allow her to skip normal training due to her, um, extra-curricular activities. However, she has to agree to work as a team, and, she can’t go outside the lines.”
He pauses long enough to give Stu a long look. “That means no more side projects.” Stu nods solemnly and lets his head fall between his shoulders as he stares at the ceiling.
Eventually, Stu lifts his head and gazes at Charlie. “So, what now, Boss Man?”
“Now,” Charlie sighs heavily, running a meaty hand along his jaw. “Now, we present it to her. If she doesn’t agree, well, we can still…pursue her. However, we’ll have to keep our professional lives, and any information about our jobs, completely private.”
A heavy silence blankets the room. I mean, we know the score. We can’t go around telling people what we do, but how do we show her how serious we are if we can’t come home and share things with her? How do we utilize our dungeon downstairs without being able to tell her why?
That, and about twenty other questions filter through my mind. I’m assuming the others are thinking the same as we all sit in silence, with nothing more than our breathing to fill the space.