Chapter 20
It was four-thirty in the morning before Alaska and Drake were able to crawl into bed in their cabin.
Drake hadn’t been wrong. The second they’d arrived back at the camp, they’d been busy.
She’d learned all of Chen’s evil plans from listening to Tiny talk to the sheriff.
Drake knew, but he hadn’t told her any of it when they’d been out in the woods and in the bunker.
He’d been trying to protect her, as always.
It hit home how close of a call she’d had.
It was hard to wrap her brain around the fact that there were men and women in the world who thought nothing about selling human beings.
Not only selling them, but doing so with the knowledge of the horrific things that would befall them. It boggled her mind.
It might’ve sent her into a deep depression if it hadn’t been for the seven men at The Refuge.
They’d spent a large portion of their lives fighting for good.
To do everything in their power to keep the evil forces from winning.
And now, even after their own traumas, they were trying to help others move on with their lives. And they did help. A lot.
After Drake’s arm had been looked at by a paramedic, Alaska found herself alone with Henley. There was no doubt in her mind that Drake had somehow arranged it. He couldn’t seem to take his eyes off her, and it made her feel warm and fuzzy that he was so worried.
She couldn’t blame him. For a while, she’d thought she was going to lose it.
She’d gone so far as to open the lid to that metal box, but then, just as she’d told him, she realized that she wasn’t locked in.
She wasn’t a prisoner. She could leave anytime she wanted.
That was enough for her to get control over her emotions, push past the trauma that was attempting to overwhelm her, and wait for Drake to come back.
Henley had wanted to talk about what happened. To make sure she was all right. But Alaska realized she didn’t need to talk about it. At least not with the therapist. She might at some point, but for now, all she needed was Drake.
The guests all seemed to be on edge, but were handling the situation remarkably well. They’d been happy to report to the sheriff what they’d seen…including Chen lurking around the cabins right before the gunshots went off and the fireworks sounded.
When they’d finally gotten back to their own cabin, Mutt had immediately collapsed with exhaustion on his dog bed in the living area. He’d stuck right by Alaska’s side throughout the night, refusing to budge, no matter what.
She’d helped Drake shower so his arm wouldn’t get wet and now they were finally in bed together. Neither had dressed after drying off, and the feel of his hot, hard body against her own was as much a balm to her soul as anything else.
“I’m sorry I had to leave you,” Drake said softly.
“I’m not,” she told him. “I mean, here’s the deal.
It’s impossible for you to be by my side every second of every day.
I needed that. To know that I could deal with the situation on my own.
Not that I wouldn’t have preferred for you to be there with me, but knowing that I could do it on my own was…
a relief. I don’t want to be a burden to you, Drake.
Ever. If that time comes, I expect you to let me go. ”
“I’m never letting you go,” Drake told her fiercely. “And you could never be a burden to me. I have no doubt you can do anything you want to do…you don’t need me. It’s a gift to be by your side. Your love is a gift I’m still pinching myself that I’ve been given.”
“Drake,” Alaska said softly, on the verge of tears.
“No crying,” he ordered gently. “We’re having a happy moment here,” he told her with a smile.
“Sorry,” she said, wiping her cheek on his shoulder.
Drake’s hand eased into her hair, holding her against him even as the fingers on his other hand gently caressed her arm, which was thrown across his body.
“You were right before—I deserve you, Alaska. After all I’ve said and done and been through, you’re my reason for living through that explosion.
I’ll spend the rest of my days proving that my life being spared wasn’t wasted.
For Vader, Monster, Bones, Rain, and Mad Dog, and for myself. ”
“And I deserve you,” Alaska told him. “We deserve each other.”
“Yes, we do,” he agreed. “Now, on a slightly different topic…I’m gonna need to call my mom tomorrow.
Let her know what’s up,” Drake said. “I wouldn’t put it past her to find out somehow about the shit that went on here through her many connections.
I want to be the one to tell her so she doesn’t worry.
But I’m guessing she’ll want to come and see for herself that we’re both okay. ”
“Oh, wow. I haven’t seen your mom since graduation day.”
“I know. That’s why I wanted to warn you. And you haven’t tried to get in touch with your own mom. You want to do that?”
“No,” she said immediately. “I have no idea where I’d even start…
and if she hasn’t cared where I am or what’s going on in my life for the last two decades, she’s not going to start now.
Besides, if I do manage to find her, I’m guessing all she’ll do is try to get money out of me.
That’s what happened last time I found her. ”
Drake sighed. “That’s what I figured, but I had to ask.”
“It’s okay, Drake,” Alaska told him. “I came to terms with our relationship a long time ago. I’m better off without her in my life. I promise.”
“All right. But if you ever change your mind, all you have to do is say the word and I’ll get Elizabeth on finding her.”
“She’s pretty amazing,” Alaska said. “I’m impressed she was able to find out all that info on Chen. What’s her story?”
“She works with Tex…who I’m sure you’ll meet one of these days.
Anyway, she was a kidnapping victim herself.
A serial killer nabbed her and another woman.
He physically tortured Elizabeth while mentally torturing the other woman.
That was in California. She moved to Texas to try to deal with everything that happened, became agoraphobic, then a firebug…
and eventually married a firefighter. She’s the best hacker, IT person, computer genius, whatever you want to call it, I’ve ever worked with… except maybe for Tex.”
“Wow. Okay,” Alaska said. “I was kind of expecting you to tell me she was just a chick who worked with the police or something.”
“Or something,” Drake agreed.
“We owe her a lot,” Alaska told him.
“Yup. She’s already got an open invitation to come to The Refuge anytime she wants.”
“Good. Drake?”
“Yeah, Al?”
“I’m happy.”
He chuckled. “Only you could say that after the day—or night, morning, whatever—you’ve had.”
“I’m alive. I’m naked with the man I love. I didn’t completely lose it when confronted with my worst nightmare, and I get to see your mom again soon…I’ve always admired and liked her. What’s not to be happy about?”
“One of these days, I’m gonna ask you to marry me,” Drake said.
Alaska lifted her head to stare at him. “What?”
His hand tightened in her hair, and he gently pressed her head back down against his shoulder. “Not right now. Not tomorrow. But it’s gonna happen. I’m just warning you so you can get used to the idea.”
“Yes!” she blurted.
It was Drake’s turn to lift his head. “What?”
“Yes,” she said with a small smile. “When you ask me, that’ll be my answer. Just so you know, so you can get used to the idea.”
Drake chuckled. “Right. Good to know.”
Alaska opened her mouth to say something else, but a huge yawn came out instead.
“Sleep, Al.”
“We’ve got stuff to do in the morning. Don’t let us sleep too long,” she mumbled.
“Okay.”
She sighed. “You’re totally gonna let us sleep until noon, aren’t you?”
“Yup,” Drake said without apology. “It’s been a long fucking night, Al.
It’s nearly dawn already. We’re both exhausted.
All I want to do is sleep with you in my arms and not think about all the shit we have to do for a while.
When we wake up, I want to make love to the woman I adore and admire more than anyone in the world.
Then we’ll shower, eat, and then we’ll wander over to the lodge to check out what’s happening. ”
Alaska sighed in contentment. “Okay.”
“Okay,” Drake agreed. “And for the record…I’m happy too.”
His words meant the world to Alaska. Because she knew for a long time, he hadn’t been happy.
He’d been devastated about losing his friends, and then he’d been too busy battling his demons, and getting The Refuge up and running, to even think about his own wants and desires.
Knowing he was happy, with her, plain ol’ Alaska, was a feeling she couldn’t even begin to put into words.
“Good night. Thanks for being you,” she whispered.
Drake’s lips brushed across her forehead. “Thanks for being you,” he echoed.
To her surprise, Drake fell asleep almost immediately. It took her a bit longer, as the events of the evening replayed through her head. But eventually, she relaxed further into Drake and felt herself drifting off.
If someone had told her four years ago—hell, twenty-five years ago—that this was where she’d be today, she never would’ve believed them.
She’d held Drake on a pedestal in her mind for so long, had seen him as completely unattainable.
But time had a way of changing perspective, and Alaska knew without a doubt that the man in her arms needed her just as badly as she needed him.
Henley McClure took a deep breath and forced herself to turn back toward the barn. It had been a long night for everyone, and she’d done her best to be there for the guests who’d suffered flashbacks after the incidents of the evening.