Chapter 25
River
The last two days Roman has been at the house.
Alone. I only know that because both Nash and Holden have told me.
But have I gotten the chance to see him?
Fuck no. Torin managed to plant his ass up here before he got here both times, staying well after he left.
It didn’t give me the opportunity to hack into the system and spy.
I could’ve done it earlier, but I don’t want to risk the guys finding out what I’m doing. So it’s a play as we go type of spying.
“Hey, Buttercup.” Callux opens the door and calls for me.
“What’s up, Apple Pie?” I reply back to him, covering my snicker.
“Excuse me, Apple Pie? Please don’t make me hurl.” He grins widely, shutting the door behind him.
“You started it,” I remind him.
“Okay, how about we call a truce?” He holds his hand out for me to shake and I creep up to him, inspecting his hand thoroughly. Last time he called a truce, he shocked me when I shook his hand. I’m definitely not letting that happen again. Only when I’m sure he’s free of any tricks do I shake.
“So, are you my babysitter today?” I ask sarcastically as I turn and head to the kitchen, pouring a cup of coffee, then pulling another cup out of the cabinet for Callux.
“It’s not like that, River.”
“Then what is it? You told me to stay in the apartment while they were here working on the deck. I’m pretty good at understanding directions and following them, but yet Torin has shown up everyday before they are scheduled to get here and stays till they leave.
” I cock my hip out to the side, placing my hand on my hip as I slide his cup across the counter toward him. “What am I supposed to think?”
He blows out a breath of air as he sits down on the barstool. “We don’t want you to think we’re babysitting you or that you can’t follow directions. It’s just, we worry about you. And Torin didn’t want you to be up here alone. None of us do.”
“Then stop babysitting. I’m a big girl.”
“We know that.” He blows on his cup, the steam billowing up from the coffee, then takes a sip. “I came to tell you that Torin, Tav and I are going to be gone today working on a case. Josh will be here to make sure nothing happens. But I’ll tell him to stay in the house and not coddle you.”
My eyes tear up and I rush from behind the counter, wrapping my arms around his neck and hug him tightly. “Thank you,” I whisper into his ear.
“Just promise me that you’ll stay in the house, otherwise the guys will castrate me.”
“I promise.” Holding out my pinky finger he interlocks his with mine, and we each kiss them at the same time.
“Okay, and by the way, thanks for the coffee and muffin.” I move onto a barstool beside Callux and we sit there side by side enjoying our coffee and a blueberry muffin before he leaves.
A giddy ball of excitement erupts in me as Callux leaves. Today, I’m going to finally be able to hack into the system. I’m going to be able to watch and finally hear their voices. I’ll be able to find out more about them without them knowing.
I pour some more coffee into my cup, then move over to my desk and power on my laptop. Time to get to work. Blowing on the hot liquid before I take a sip, I clear my mind, pushing the nervous anxiety away.
“Time to find out why I’m drawn to these men.
” I blow out a breath as my fingers begin flying over the keyboard.
It’s not going to be hard to take control and have the feed from the cameras directed to me.
The guys have given me passcodes to everything.
The key is not letting them know I’m watching.
But I happen to be good at what I do. Torin trained me well, and I was a quick study.
It gave me something to do to keep my mind off cutting.
I get control of the cameras, placing them in a nice grid box on my screen giving me the perfect view of the entire backyard. Now I just have to wait.
“Popcorn,” I say with a giggle. “All good shows need popcorn.” I hurry and pop a bag, knowing that they are supposed to be here any minute.
I can’t help the excitement overtaking me.
Even if I’m not down there with them, this kinda makes me feel like I am.
Before I head back over to my desk I decide to grab a Pepsi as well.
Might as well be comfortable and have everything I need.
I place everything on my desk and then go and ensure that my front door is locked and turn the volume up on my laptop just enough to hear before sitting down.
And now I wait. Thirty minutes later I see them come into frame.
They’re wearing jeans, crew neck shirts with a logo on them, boots and hats.
The way the shirt hugs at their muscular frames has my mouth watering.
I click the volume up a little more as I pull my legs up in the chair, covering myself with a blanket.
“Roman, are you seriously going through with this fight?” Nash asks.
“Yeah. Saturday night,” he replies. “I want to shut his fucking mouth. This time I think I’ll break his jaw.”
Something about him taking control, the slight bit of violence, appeals to me. It’s my new life. The one I was forced to live in and now it’s what feels like home. I need to warn him about this Hancock guy. What he’s planning to do.
Tonight I’ll send him a message. He doesn’t need to know who it’s from just to be aware of what’s planned.
I keep watching, moving the camera and zooming in so that I get to spy on a little bit of each of them. It doesn’t escape my notice that Nash keeps staring up at my window. Holden must see it as well.
“What are you looking for?” he asks, turning his head to gaze in the same direction as Nash.
“I was looking to see if I could get a glimpse of that girl again,” Nash replies, using the back of his hand to wipe some sweat from his forehead. I feel this compulsion to make each of them something cold to drink and take it to them, but I don’t.
“What girl?” Holden questions, shaking his head when he sees nothing. He won’t. My curtains are pulled so there’s not even a sliver of light invading my apartment.
“The one I told you I saw the last time we were here. She was hidden in the curtains, but I saw her. She was watching us.” He pauses, glances back up at the window, then speaks again as he takes off his hat and runs his fingers through his brown hair.
“I swear I saw her. I was just hoping to catch another glimpse of her. Maybe talk to her.”
“You heard what Tav said that day. She’s of no concern to us. We don’t need any trouble, so forget about her.” Roman steps over, his voice rising. “We’re here to work, not to flirt. So get back to it.”
They both salute him as if they were soldiers and speak in unison. “Yes, Sir.”
Nash reaches behind him, gripping his shirt and pulling it over his head until he’s standing there on the screen, baring his magnificent chest to me. My heart beats faster, thudding against my ribcage as my core pulsates. Holy fucking hell!
I watch them work over the next few hours, never once leaving my seat.
My bladder is begging for relief, but still I sit staring at the screen.
Not wanting to miss anything. Finally the sun begins to fade, and they call it a day.
Roman heads up to the house and knocks on the door.
Josh appears just a couple of minutes later, and they speak briefly.
The three of them move around the yard with a kind of ease that comes from long hours of work together.
They don’t need to speak; they know exactly what needs to be done.
Boards are stacked, tools gathered, laughter in low rumbles carries through the warm evening air.
Sweat clings to their bodies, as my eyes trace every hard line of their arms and shoulders as they lift, bend, and reach. I am in literal heaven.
My breath becomes slower, heavier, full of something I never thought I’d feel again. My heart flutters against my ribs. I shouldn’t be doing this, but yet it’s all I want.
I exhale long and slow. It shouldn’t make me nervous, just watching them work, but something about their quiet confidence makes the moment feel alive, humming with possibility beneath the sinking sun.
Once they’ve cleaned up the area, they pack up their tools and head out of frame.
My eyes linger on Nash’s shirt still lying on the deck chair.
I bite my lip nervously. My fingers quickly tap on the wooden desk top.
He’s left it. I can sneak down there claiming the article of clothing as mine.
I can already imagine getting the first whiff of his scent.
Will it be something fruity, smoky, or would it be more woodsy?
Just when I’m about to rise from my chair, I see him rush back over, pick it up and put it on.
Dammit! He looks around the yard, almost as though he’s checking to make sure he hasn’t left anything else, before taking one final look at my window.
My fingers reach out toward the image of him on my screen, tracing along the outline of his face, stopping on his full lips.
I wonder what they feel like in person. Are they soft or cracked?
Is he a passionate kisser or more sensual?
Finally he leaves. And I’m left alone again. No longer pulled in by their presence, I'm able to disconnect from the surveillance cameras.
I don’t know how long I sit there building up the nerve to message Roman. But he needs to know.
Me: You don’t know me, but I have information you’d be interested in. About a recent fight you won and a bitter loser. He has plans for revenge.
I leave it at that. He has the opportunity to message me back. And if he doesn’t, I’ll still tell him what he needs to know.
I’ve barely placed the burner phone back in the drawer when a message comes in on my personal one. Only the guys and Storm and his pack have the number. They must be letting me know they’re on their way back home.
But it’s not them. Or Storm.
Unknown: You’re a hard person to find. But we have.
My heart races and I start to panic.
“Breathe, River.”
I open my phone and begin tracing the number that the message came from. Something about it is familiar. Then it hits me.
It’s the same as the number messaging the missing omega I’ve been trying to locate.