I turned around and my face heated as I saw that he was staring at my ass.
He winked at me then returned to the couch and picked up Bruce. “Let’s get him in his bed.”
Bed? I followed him and saw that one of the rooms was a nursery with green frogs, blue fish, and orange cats with a white crib in the middle. “You had a crib delivered?”
He set some stuffed animals around my son and stepped back. “My team… my brother’s friends had children who had outgrown it, so it’s a loaner.”
I took a deep breath and swallowed. As we walked out, I said, “Good. I don’t want you to spend a crazy amount of money on me.”
He playfully bumped into my shoulder with a smile on his face. “It’s not a bother. I’m just happy you’re here.”
Across the room, a chandelier caught my eye. It probably cost more than the rent at my place. “Your house is super fancy.”
He pointed out the obvious. “It’s empty. Maybe while you’re here, you can tell me what to put where. I have things my mother sent in the garage, and I’ve never had time to figure out where to put what.”
At least I had a job here, then, and I wasn’t useless. I nodded. “Done.” I glanced at the white walls and peeked into his room. Even his bedroom only had a bed. I turned around and said, “I was my brother’s interior decorator when he moved into his place.” We went to the next room, the one closest to the beach, and I saw a desk facing the window. “Is this your office?”
He shrugged. “It’s where I fill out papers my lawyers send when I’m home.”
His wrapped his arms around me. My heart shifted, like I could breathe for the first time, but I pressed my hand on his muscular chest and said, “If you need to do something…”
He let me go, but his dimples were out in full force. “I need you to help me figure out what we’re ordering for dinner, especially for Bruce.”
I rushed out of the office. Honestly, I couldn’t stay still, and a mission sounded good. I went to his kitchen and said, “I’m sure your refrigerator…” So he had milk in his fridge that must have been delivered but otherwise nothing. I closed the door and said, “Hmm, what’s the closest restaurant?”
“Greek,” he said.
Restaurants cost more money, and he’d already spent a lot on us, but I shifted my weight and said, “I love kabobs.”
“Perfect,” he said then added, “You can help me fill my online cart, so we have groceries coming too.”
Right. I could handle this as it was temporary, and I would figure out how to repay him, somehow. Depending on someone wasn’t my specialty. Not anymore. Dependence was like addiction to me, but I inhaled and tried to ignore the thought. We were temporary.
Chapter Thirteen
Dwayne
Mary still seemed off. She’d lost her color and some of her shine that morning.
The car bomb was dramatic, and she could use sleep. Hopefully, that was all that was wrong, but my heart ticked, like there was something unsaid that needed to be.
I hoped I was wrong, but after we ordered our groceries and kabobs at my computer, she still seemed forlorn. So I kissed her cheek and hoped she would open up. “You are safe here,” I told her.
Her gaze went to my nose, but she sucked in her lips as if she would seal them shut. I waited as she blinked and finally glanced up at me. “I am worried I put you in danger.”
“Nothing to worry about.” I took her hand in mine, and our knees brushed together as I turned my chair toward her. “Arthur would have a death wish if he came here.”
She let out a snort. “There is no predicting.”
I traced her soft thighs that covered the sacred altar she’d let me taste. “Sweetheart, I was a SEAL. My security team, who delivered the crib, were also SEALs. His wife works for the CIA. My house is equipped with the best security system in the country, and I won’t let anything happen to you or Bruce.”
Her face turned a little pinker as she said, “You know how to make me feel safer.” Her eyelashes fluttered, and my lips tingled to kiss her. However, a jarring noise interrupted the moment, and she sat back. “But your phone is ringing.”
I glanced at it. Fucking Mark. I had waited all day. He had info we needed, so I stood up and said, “I need to take it. Get me when the delivery arrives so I can show you how to unlock the door.”
She stood up as well, but she tilted her head and asked, “Opening is complicated?”
“I’ll need your fingerprint, but no, it’s not. I’ll also need a body scan for the first time.”
She tapped the desk and sashayed to the door. “Get your call.”
Maybe she didn’t sway her ass on purpose, since it seemed like her normal walk, but the way her cheeks bounced always caught my eye. I called out as she neared the door, “Be right out.”
She closed it, and I pressed the button and checked the door was fully closed. “Mark, what did you find out?”
His gruff cough made my skin crawl. “Couple things. Are you sitting down?”
“I can be.” I followed directions. “Okay, what’s going on?”
Mark kept his words slow but clear. “Arthur Waterstone went missing.”
I leaned back in my chair. The police should have acted faster. “And Wanda?”
“Left after a meeting with the board.”
My body tensed up. This made no sense. I rubbed my forehead, like that might help me process what I’d been told, but nothing did. My mom had tried to counsel Wanda and would take her call. I swallowed. “Is Wanda directly involved with the sales?” I asked.
“Yes. The computer you hacked for us confirms.”
“Fuck,” I said and stood up to glance out my window. The beach always calmed me down. “Where is she now?”
“Unknown.”
The lapping waves weren’t helping. My gut was twisted like I had betrayed my family.
“Her illegal contracts have helped her amass a small fortune, so she could charter a flight anywhere,” Mark continued.
Shutting her down now meant I retooled the entire company that followed all the laws. I glanced at the door and asked the more important question: “So they are both missing?”
Mark then said, “Arthur’s confirmed as her front man these days. She hired him because of some of his prison contacts. And his police record is full, including felony murder.”
“Well, that’s fucking awesome,” I said through gritted teeth.
Wanda worked with criminals who knew how to kill. I’d been lucky I smelled the residue, or Mary and Bruce would have been torn from me.
Mark had no idea the storm inside my brain.
“I’ll email you everything now so you can hand it over to your lawyers,” he said.
I turned and saw the mail pop up on my screen as I said, “Thanks.”
“Cheer up, Thunder Thighs. Your girl is safe in your home.”
Fair point. I let out a sigh and almost smiled as I said, “Yeah, she’s here.”
“Well, fuck it, when everything is done, you get to run your own company, but for now, you keep her there and sign off on the papers.”
“Okay,” I said. I had no argument with the plan. I’d been assigned to stop the sales. Taking control was the only answer, but when I hung up, I closed my eyes.
My brother’s ghost had been hovering over me since the day he died, but right now, he seemed more human and like he had made a horrible mistake when he almost married the wrong woman.
So much so my stomach even cringed a little, but I picked up my phone and decided I needed to make another call. “Mom, hi.”
She gave a small laugh then said, “It’s the middle of the day. What’s going on?”
I went still as I said, “Look, if Wanda calls you or comes to see you, don’t answer her.”
I put her on speaker and texted Mark, asking for protection for my mother’s house in San Francisco.
“Why?” Mom asked.
Mark texted a thumbs-up. I nodded and said, “I’ll e
xplain later. But there is no redemption for what she did. I’m taking full control.”
“I’m on your side.”
“Thanks, Mom. You always were.” I said, massaging the back of my head. I’d been oblivious, too, and even now, I wanted to see the best in others. I’d taken Bruce to my meeting with her.
I finished my conversation and slammed my phone down. I was done, though I quickly read the email. I signed electronically and then stormed out of my office.
I headed toward the kitchen, and the sight of Mary’s back while she was on her phone relaxed me. She turned around, and her eyes widened. “Dwayne?” She then said into her phone. “I’ll check in later, Joseph. Bye.”
Her brother. Good. I kissed her, and her light touch sent my heart skipping.
I deepened the kiss and held her sexy body next to mine.
Damn, she still set me off. When the kiss ended, she smiled and asked, “What was that for?”
“Because you’re safe, and we’re going to be fine.”
She left my embrace and wiggled her hips as she headed to the door and pointed to my cameras. “Well, how does this security system work?”
Soon, I would have her again. Something about Mary made me hunger in a way no other woman had. For now, I showed her a panel, typed in a code, and then held out my arm to direct her fingers. “Put your hand here.”
“Okay.”
The system gave me a green light, so then I typed in a little more, and I told her, “Now, don’t move for your scan.”
She went rigid. “What’s the scan for?”
The green light appeared just when the doorbell rang. I quickly explained, “It’s measuring your shape and body to match your fingerprint.”
She hugged her waist like she was nervous, but then she pressed her fingers on the plate, and the door clicked open for her. “Okay, next time you can open the door much faster.”
We both headed out the front door as our groceries also appeared. I tapped her back and said, “Grab the kabobs so I can get the bags.”
We headed in and the doors locked behind us and we both headed to the kitchen. She held up the kabobs and said, “This smells good.”
I motioned to the plastic plates I’d unloaded, though I was sure my mom had sent better ones. “Let’s put the groceries away first.”
She helped me with the vegetables, but halfway through, her son cried. She said, “Bruce is awake.”
I nodded and continued putting the food away. “Good timing. He can join us for dinner.”
She let out a small sigh and said, “Right. Everything is fine.”
My skin prickled. Again, I thought there was something else. I didn’t ask, but she headed to the bedroom, and I said, “We’ll just sit tight and ignore the rest of the world until we’re safe.”
I finished with the food and set up our dinners. A nice evening alone together was just what we both needed, or at least I did. Unlike my brother, it seemed I had picked a good woman—if she would have me.
I thought I was falling harder for her than she was for me, so she needed time.
Chapter Fourteen
Mary
My son in my arms was the only reason I could breathe. If I didn’t have him, I would have never stepped on the plane.
We finished our dinners at the kitchen counter. I sat on a stool, and Dwayne had found his office chair, which was too short for the counter, but he sat across from us anyway.
I put my fork down and hugged my son in my lap. The next day, I would see what he had in the garage and direct the setup.
It was the least I could do. The real truth was that if he hadn’t shown up in my life, I would be dead. Arthur had dismantled everything I thought about myself, and the girl I was beside him wasn’t anyone I was proud to be.
If not for Dwayne, my son would be dead too.
I’d thought the past year of being on my own, with Bruce, was me learning to be strong, but now, that seemed to be another lie I’d told myself.
Dependence ate at my skin like I had a bee sting that I needed to soothe, fast. I put my son down so he could play with some of the toys and took our empty plates to wash. As I passed Dwayne, his phone rang again. I handed it to him. “Dwayne, your phone.”
“Thanks.” He took it from me and mouthed, “Security.”
I used the dish soap and cleaned up, which was easy for takeout, as Dwayne jumped out of his chair and asked, “What the fuck? Can I talk to him?”
He paced, and his eyes were wide when he stared at me and asked into his phone, “He’s where?”
I had goose bumps, but I finished the dishes and turned off the water.
“What the… fine. I’ll tell Mary.”
My stomach twisted as he hung up the phone. I gripped the edge of the counter like that might hold me, and I prayed this wouldn’t be bad as I asked, “What happened?”
Dwayne brushed my arm and shoulder. “Your brother is in the hospital.”
Tears streamed down my face, and I shook. Dwayne hugged me closer and said, “Wanda and Arthur—“
“This is my fault.” I shook my head. “I need to talk to Joseph.”
Dwayne backed up, and I grabbed my phone from my back pocket. I opened my contacts and he was at the top, but I accidentally hit the video call.
My heart raced and I wanted to scream. But I held still because Bruce laughed at a mirror he held like it was the funniest thing he’d ever seen, and I never wanted his childhood to resemble my own.
My brother answered, and his face was bruised and black and his lip swollen. “Mary.”
Dwayne glanced over my shoulder, and for a second, I closed my eyes. He looked like I had after giving birth. I absolutely didn’t deserve Dwayne now, but I focused on my brother and said, “You look bad.”
Joseph had a hospital gown on and sat up in his room. “I’ll be fine. They fucked up my launch, but everything will work out. Stay safe, sis.”
This was on me. I had caused this because I believed the wrong guy. My skin crawled. “I’m sorry.”
“You didn’t do anything wrong, and this is not your fault.”
Once again, he was trying to make me feel better. I ignored how my chest caved in. “If I—”
“No. Stop. Protect Bruce and don’t blame yourself. This is on me.”
Damn, he knew me, but like when we were little, he took the blame for me so he would be the one punched. Nothing had changed. I sniffled and said, “It is not. You never picked the wrong girl…”
“Let me talk to Dwayne,” he said.
I wiped my eyes and handed him the phone. I rocked on my feet and wished I was steady and smarter. I heard my brother say, “Dwayne, make sure she’s safe. I didn’t tell anyone where she went, but I trusted you with my sister. Don’t make me hate you.”
“She and Bruce are safe,” Dwayne said and pressed his hand to the small of my back.
Yet if I stayed there, I would put him in danger. If I left, I would put Bruce in danger. My heart felt like it was punctured and bleeding out, so I said goodbye to let Joseph get better. Then I let Dwayne hug me.
His strong arms around me made me feel safe and wanted. I pulled back and blinked back tears when I said, “This is my fault.”
“No, it’s not.”
I was weaker near him, and if I was depending on him, then I hadn’t learned anything I preached about. I turned away from him. “I shouldn’t have dragged you into my mess.”
“Mary, it’s my mess. My brother started the company Arthur works at, and he and my almost-sister-in-law are selling illegal weapons.”
I turned back to face him and backed away.
“I went to Pittsburgh to discover who Wanda hired,” he went on. “I even knew you were involved with him and intended to talk to you before we ever met.”
“What?”
“From the first conversation, I knew you were innocent and not part of anything illegal, which is why I need to wrestle control of my company out of Wanda’s hands.”
Fuck. If I would have kept my hands to myself, then maybe he would have stopped all this faster. “So I distracted you, then, from your mission.”
He didn’t budge at all. “Arthur was gunning for you, even without me there.”
He was right. “Maybe you could have stopped him before he blew up my car if we…”
I broke and couldn’t see. I collapsed on the couch. I had invited a monster into my life, and all of this was because I made bad choices.
Maybe I was doomed to repeat that, though I’d tried for my son’s sake to be better.
Dwayne’s strong hand massaged my back. “Mary, Bruce sees you’re crying.”
I sat up fast and tried to smile so my son could see me. “I’m scared.”
Dwayne was on his knees next to me. “It’s okay to be scared. I was scared on every mission I ever went on as a SEAL.”
I raised my eyebrow and asked, “Yeah?”
He nodded. “My brother died on one of his. I could have easily shared the same fate.”
I rocked in my seat and hoped he would understand me when I asked, “Then why did you do it?”
He shrugged like his actions didn’t matter, but we both knew they did. “Because I was there for my team, and I signed up to serve.”
Brothers were important. I’d not be this strong without having family even though my father had done a number on Joseph and myself. “Why did you sign up, though? Your brother had died. I don’t understand that decision of yours.”
He took my hand and said, “I was eighteen, and I had always looked up to Devon. He was the best, and then he… failed. He left me his company shares and warned my mom and me about Wanda. I was the one who didn’t listen when I had the chance.”
My eyes narrowed, and I squeezed his hand. “He didn’t fail. He died.”
He let out a small sigh like he lived in a memory and then said, “I was eighteen and cocksure of myself and thought he’d failed. He’d always fixed my messes when he could, and at the time, I thought I could make up for his mistakes. If I hadn’t trusted Wanda to stay in touch with my mom, Arthur wouldn’t have a job or a means of hurting you.”
Treasured Page 9
