Quinn collapsed to the side, but didn’t stop being involved in the action. As Elijah sent her into the heavens, Quinn kissed her, passionate and loving, taking every noise she made and muffling it with his lips.
Then stars entered her vision as she couldn’t hold on anymore and they sent her to another place. A place where she was blissful. Elijah didn’t stop as she rode out the orgasm. He didn’t even slow down. Right as hers ended, he slammed into her once more, groaning as he spilled inside her.
The moment he was soft and slid out of her, she fell off him, landing between her men. Quinn wrapped his arms around her waist, curled around her back. Elijah wedged an arm under both their heads as she nuzzled into his chest.
And she knew she couldn’t let Axel take this away from her.
But sleep didn’t hurt either. She could get back to work tomorrow.
6
Sawyer
They loaded up the next day, feeling just a little bit lighter than they had in days. It was a fraction of how they once were, but Sawyer was glad to see that all of them seemed even just a tiny bit closer to normal.
And it felt right that it would be on a trip to their new normal. This new home James had left them. She would be shocked, but James had made it clear he’d cared so much for the team. The guys. They meant everything to him. This felt right.
And it was his old team house. That was something. She was curious because of it.
She knew the guys were shocked. They covered it well, but this man had left them everything. The only things Thompson got were sentimental items between the both of them, but everything else, all of James’ assets, went to the guys. She couldn’t even feel neglected by not receiving anything. She had no claim there, she thought. She and James had that awkward history, but they were never close. It was something she always reminded herself of.
She hurt because the guys lost someone important to them.
But today, everyone was a little lighter.
“I want the room closest to Sawyer’s, whatever she picks,” Zander said loudly in the back. She sighed, keeping her eyes on the road. She’d become chauffeur for the group, but they didn’t all fit into the SUV this time. Quinn and Elijah were following her with the wolves.
“We’ll see,” Vincent mumbled back from the passenger’s seat. She glanced at him, daring to take her eyes off the road for only a second. He was reading a book and ignoring all of them effectively.
With another sigh, she pulled off the freeway, careful of the ice and snow on the side, and went out into the sticks of New York. This was going to be their new home, their new area. She needed to get used to it.
The driveway was long and gated. The house, while not a classic plantation house, was absolutely a mansion that would fit them. She didn’t like the red brick, or the dark windows. She missed the pretty white historic home down south.
But this was going to be home now. Thanks to everything that had happened, she didn’t have a choice but to settle in this new place.
She parked and silently waited for the guys to get out. Sombra jumped out as well, but, unlike her men, didn’t wander off to go look at things. She waited for Sawyer on the perfect concrete driveway.
“Yeah, I’m coming,” she muttered when impatience began to flow through the bond. She cut the engine and slid out, looking around. They were secluded and far from the city, but still within a day’s drive. It made sense, since who knew when they would need the airport.
She walked in last, the guys having already disappeared inside. She looked around, able to see a large living room with a huge TV on the wall and other furniture. It looked like James had kept the place up to date and cleaned. She could see the entryway to the kitchen and dining room. She walked deeper in, careful and hesitant of the new location. She could hear footsteps upstairs. It was big, but it didn’t feel like it, unlike the plantation house.
“Sawyer, come pick a room!” Zander called. She sighed and found the stairs, walking up. The moment he saw her, he gave her the brightest smile she had seen in days. “There’s not enough bedrooms up here for all of us, but there are a couple downstairs too. Quinn and Elijah are going to take those. Me, you, Jasper, and Vincent are up here. There’s space in the attic for the gym.”
“And offices?” she asked, considering what they once had.
“Two other rooms on the first floor. Like we used to have. Me and Jasper, Vincent and Elijah. Quinn doesn’t need one, not here in the house anyway.” He wrapped an arm around her waist. “Come choose a room. I think I know which one you should get. There’s a master suite.”
“Of course,” she mumbled, letting him lead her. Sure enough, while most rooms were a standard bedroom, ten by twelve or similar, the master suite wasn’t. It had a private bathroom and was twice the size of the other bedrooms. “Cool. I get the biggest bedroom and my own place to bathe, away from your balls.”
He just stared at her for that comment. She couldn’t resist a smirk. Yeah, if they wanted her to have the big room, she wouldn’t deny them. It made some sense. She wanted a place to bathe and was always fighting with the guys. She also had the most company.
“We’re going to get you a huge bed,” he murmured. “To fill up the room.”
“Let’s not. A king would be fine.” She did miss having a semi-large and expansive bed.
“Fine,” he huffed, still smiling. She kissed him gently, enjoying that he was enjoying this. She was happy that this was making them feel better about James. And once this was all over, they had so much work to do.
“So what’s next?” she asked, holding on to him.
“All of our things are being transported from Georgia. That includes your stuff. They’ll finish moving it all by the end of the week. We can get some renovations done if it’s needed, but James took care of this place, since we’re the third team to be living in it.”
“Third?” She frowned. James and Thompson. Her and the guys. Who…
“His first team. The ones…”
Zander realized the implication at the same time she did.
The men who lived here after James, and before them, were dead because they played a game with her and Axel.
“It’s fine,” she whispered. “I’m fine. This place is nice and we’ll make it our team’s home now.”
“Okay.” He seemed uncomfortable now. He was looking around the room, considering it. “One of them was married, but they had no kids.”
Hence a master suite. So he and his wife had an apartment together, in a sense. Of course.
“We’ll renovate the house so it’s ours. Someone was going to live here eventually.” She didn’t want his mood to sour.
He nodded, kissed her cheek again, then pulled away. “I’m going to tell them to remodel this room right now.”
She let him leave, watching him walk out and find one of the contractors roaming around.
Of all the things that James could leave them.
She left the room when she felt a bit better. She wanted to get out of the beautiful home. She went out the back, knowing this would be something she did often. The woods were closer to the house than they were in Georgia, and she saw Quinn standing at the edge of them, staring into the deep, dense forest.
“It’s pretty out here and the boys like how cold it is,” he told her as she stopped beside him. “We can have some fun games out there.”
She saw his eyes twinkle a little. She knew what games he wanted to play. Their Halloween this year had included a very fun game out in the woods back in Georgia.
“How much land?” she asked.
“Two-thirds of what we had in Georgia, but enough for me and the boys. It’s better than a yard and I don’t need miles and miles of space like the Druids do.”
“So you like this place?”
“I really do. I’m honored he left it for us. That he kept it so long, thinking to give it to us.”
She was glad. This was healing, in a way. She missed the plantation house but she w
as happy they were already finding things they wanted in this new home. It was just like moving. It happened in life. Plus, their old home wasn’t safe anymore and she didn’t know if she could sleep in the bedroom where an assassin tried to stab her in her sleep.
That’s what she would get out of this new place. A new piece of security, privacy.
With that, she kissed him and let him go wandering in the woods with his wolves. She knew Sombra was hanging out inside, exploring the warm interior and not wanting to go out in the chill. The cat sent her flashes of where she’d seen the guys. Elijah and Zander were now in the attic where they wanted to put the gym. Jasper was just wandering around aimlessly, ducking his head in rooms. Vincent was standing in a room she didn’t recognize.
She had a guess, so when she walked back in, she stayed on the first floor and found the bedrooms. Four on the first floor and she knew two would be turned into offices.
She got it on the first try. In the middle of the room, Vincent was just taking in the space, seemingly lost in thought.
“Vincent,” she said quietly, stepping closer as she closed the door behind her.
He turned to her, those dark olive-green eyes haunted. “Sawyer.”
“I love you.” The words came easy and she finally had a chance to say them again.
“I love you too,” he responded gently, a small smile forming on his lips. Lips she hadn’t kissed in what felt like an eternity.
“I would ask you if you were okay, but I already know the answer.” She didn’t beat around the bush.
“I know.” He looked away at that, turning to the window. “I’m trying.”
“I know,” she promised, repeating what he’d said. She slowly walked closer and wrapped her arms around his waist from behind. He didn’t move to touch her back, but he didn’t pull away either. She leaned so her head was resting on the back of his, pressing her entire body to his. It was the sort of touch that had nothing sexual about it. She just wanted to hold him for a moment. Hold this man that knew everything she was covering up.
“I used to be better at hiding it. Not letting anyone know just how…”
“It’s okay,” she whispered. He used to be better at dissembling his emotions and putting them away. Somewhere, he’d lost the ability to do it so well and she’d grown better at it.
“Don’t be mad, but I’m desperate to know what Missy said.” There was something humorous and joking in the way he said it.
She nearly chuckled. Of course. It reminded her of what Missy had said specifically about him and Axel.
“You once knew her. Apparently, she was in Axel’s life for a long time. Yours too. Anyone you think that might be?”
“That’s insane,” he mumbled, shaking his head. “No, I have no idea who Missy was, if she wasn’t lying.”
“Vincent, you need to understand that Missy is psychotic and obsessive. She loves Axel with everything in her.” With a deep breath, she finished it. “But she’s not a liar.”
He turned around, and they stood chest to chest now. “I’ll remember that. I’m sure there’s a few options from my childhood and teen years that she might fit.”
“She would have been closer to Axel, always. She said she could ‘always see his potential.’” It sounded disturbing in hindsight. This Magi, who might not always be a woman, was grooming Axel, following him, even when he was a boy. Missy was certifiable. “Remember, she could have also been playing a male friend. Axel was always weirdly uncomfortable when she tried to be loving with him. I never knew if it was because of just the idea that she could become a man or if they had any history before me.”
Vincent nodded slowly, his expression thoughtful. “Thank you for dealing with that. Seeing her, and handling what we know until…”
“Yeah, it’s fine. Plus, this should be done quickly and…” She had a small thought. One she wasn’t sure would even work.
“And?”
“An idea, but one I can do without you. Keep focusing on this. It’s nothing.” She kissed his cheek.
He looked distant for a second, his eyes unfocused. When they found her face again, she knew he was back. “I told the guys to come back down. By now, they should know what they want and where. We can do major renovating later on, but we need to move in quickly.”
“Where are we meeting them?” she asked as he wrapped an arm over her shoulders.
“Outside. Let’s get back to the condo. You and Jasper can work on the Dark Web stuff like you promised me.”
“Yeah, we really need to get that moving,” she agreed. “And what will you do?”
“Keep reading my favorites. It’s taking my mind off it for a moment.”
It was better than nothing.
They loaded back into their rides and Sawyer felt like they were a little lighter as she drove away from the house. It wouldn’t last, but it was something.
7
Zander
Zander settled in behind the desk with Jasper, looking at what Sawyer wanted from them. She left them a list of more than a dozen secret addresses, all hidden from general searches on the web. These were places where someone had to tell you they existed. You needed a backdoor to get into them. They were exclusive.
And they were the places where criminals talked online. Where gossip spread and bounced around. They had caught her in one or two of them during her time with the team.
“This should be interesting,” Jasper mumbled, opening his laptop.
Zander could only nod, opening his own. He wished for a minute he was the meathead he let everyone think he was, so that he wouldn’t need to help with this tedious shit. He and Jasper were the best two with computers on the entire team. Together, they could get something working for this case.
“Axel,” he sighed out. “I can’t believe we’re doing this.”
This time, Jasper could only nod. They had a program based on the same principles of the IMPO’s facial recognition software they used on Sawyer. It had a search parameter, like names and locations, and would ping and collect all of those references, wherever they were made. It was a ghost program. Nearly undetectable, since it wasn’t actively infecting places. It just monitored from the outside, waiting for things to pop up.
He frowned. “Are we running the facial recognition software at headquarters with Axel’s picture? Or Felix, that one Sawyer let walk since she had bigger shit to deal with?”
“Felix, yes. Not for Axel. It wouldn’t recognize him based on photos of him without scars and he is definitely scarred, but we don’t know how bad. The program likes exact matches and we wouldn’t be able to get that. We’d have to loosen up the parameters.”
“And then we would end up with ten thousand false ones.” Zander saw the issue.
He tried not to be angry about what had happened. He remembered his blow up in the Council Chamber. He’d nearly jumped the Councilman that passed the order to Sawyer. He’d wanted to explode. He’d wanted to hurt people for it.
How could they do this to her? How could they do this to the team? It was their fault he was out and yet, she was being punished. They kept finding ways to punish her.
Even over a week later, he was dealing with the anger and the grief. James, Axel, Sawyer, Vincent. Their lives were a mess. He felt like a child for breaking down the way he did after the funeral. He’d never thought he was weak.
“Zander, get started,” Jasper ordered. Zander blinked and saw that Jasper had already begun on his laptop.
“Sorry, was thinking.” About how weak he’d been. He needed to be strong for Vincent and Sawyer. He hated Axel, but they were his victims. They were the people nearly broken by the man. He couldn’t let this all destroy him when he needed to help them.
“About? We’ll talk while we work.”
“I need to be strong for Sawyer and Vincent. I can’t lose my temper like I did with the WMC or break down like I did after the funeral. They don’t need to deal with that. They don’t need me weak and childish. They need me to
buck up and deal with shit.”
Jasper sighed and kept typing. Zander started on his half of the list, hoping to fill the silence he received from Jasper.
They were nearly halfway done when Jasper looked at him again.
“Me too.”
“What?” Zander frowned deeper.
“I want to be able to help them. Everyone on this team needs help and to help each other. But just because you want to help them doesn’t mean you don’t also deserve help.” Jasper elbowed him. “I lost my patience after the funeral, and for that, I’m sorry. You should have been able to talk to me. Sawyer shouldn’t have needed to come in and deal with me, or you, or anyone else. She deserves her chance to get her head around this too.”
“I think her head is around it,” he mumbled, typing in the next address. “She’s so…focused, Jasper.”
“I’ve noticed.”
They all had. The night before, they had all noticed that she locked herself away in that office and never came out. He was glad to hear her well past midnight with Quinn and Elijah, since that at least meant someone had the balls to convince her to sleep. Like how she’d stepped in and forced Vincent to stop and rest.
It all made what he was doing more important. This was them trying to focus on the case without letting it consume them and stop them from having real lives. It could be years before they caught Axel again. They couldn’t let it paralyze them. It never had before. They had worked on it between cases, any time he was seen moving, shaking hands, or anything like that.
This was just another case. This was what they always did.
And Sawyer knew all of that, she had to. She knew how to make sure to have a life while doing all of these things. She knew how to hunt and to live. She knew how to balance everything.
“She’s a great agent.” Zander said it randomly as he finished.
“She’s a great assassin. Being an agent is probably easier,” his best friend corrected softly.
A Night of Redemption (The Redemption Saga Book 5) Page 7
