by Maddie Wade
“Me what?”
“You’ve fucking fallen for her.”
“Don’t be ridiculous.”
“I may not know the first fucking thing about love, but I know my men, and you, my friend, are arse over tits for her.”
Reid said nothing because he had nothing to say, so he ignored Jack.
Chapter Eighteen
Waggs pulled the collar of his jacket closer around his neck as he and Blake stepped from the car they had hired. He turned to survey the area and found a brutal beauty in the bleak, cold landscape. The green of the fertile verdant green hills contrasted with the turbulent gun-metal blue of the water which surrounded the tiny town of Blönduós.
Blake slammed the door and met him at the front of the vehicle. “This place looks like time stood still.”
Waggs agreed and tipped his chin toward the front of the house where Gunner’s grandmother lived. “Looks quiet.”
Blake nodded. “Let’s go see what Mrs Eivinsdóttir has to say about her grandchildren.”
Waggs stayed slightly behind as Blake took the lead, knocking on the door to the small wood and corrugated metal home.
It took a little while, but eventually, the door opened a crack, and a tiny woman who looked to be somewhere in her seventies, peered back at them. The first thing Waggs noted was the fear in her eyes; the second was how much she resembled Gunner around the eyes.
“Mrs Eivinsdóttir, my name is Blake. I’m a friend of Gunner’s.” Blake spoke in the woman’s native tongue. Her eyes widened before she shook her head and tried to close the door.
Blake blocked it with his foot and wedged his shoulder in the space. “Please, we want to help him and Milla.”
At his words, the woman’s eyes moved from his foot to his face, and he saw the tiny flicker of hope. Blake must have seen it too because he pushed. “We can help you if you talk to us, I promise.”
Several beats passed as the older woman seemed to wage an internal struggle before she relented. With a nod, she pulled the door open and admitted the two of them. Waggs gave her a reassuring smile, not that he was sure it did a lot of good.
He scanned the walls of the home that was filled with pictures of family and saw several images of a girl in a motorised wheelchair with a smiling Elvira Eivinsdóttir behind her. In the photo, the woman looked robust and strong, not like the timid, shrunken woman in front of him now.
“Please sit.” She said in her own language. Waggs only knew a little of the language and was letting Blake lead this one.
The two men sat, on the dainty floral couches, dwarfing the small cosy living room.
“Mrs Eivinsdóttir, can you tell us a bit about Gunner?” Blake began gently.
The woman lifted her head an began to speak.
“In English, please,” Blake said gently.
The woman nodded before dropping her head to centre herself with a breath. The woman lifted watery, aged eyes to them before she started again. “He was a good boy, a kind boy. He wouldn’t hurt a fly. Always smiling and happy. He loved his Milla, and he followed her around like a puppy.”
Waggs smiled at her encouraging her to go on.
“Milla is his sister? Older or younger?” Blake asked.
Elvira, laid her worn, leathered hands in her lap, clenching and unclenching her fists with anxiety. “Older. Milla was seven years older. She and Gunner came to live with me when their parents died in a boating accident when he was three. Milla and Gunner were like twins, always together. They never fought, and she adored him as much as he did her. Then when Milla was sixteen, she had the accident.”
Waggs could almost feel the pain in the room it was so profound, and he braced for what came next.
Blake glanced at him, and he knew he was doing the same thing. “What happened?”
Elvira, took a shuddering breath, before slowly letting it out. “Gunner went out on to the ice. He was a little mischief maker and loved to be outside. He had been told not to, but he was a boy and did not listen. Milla found out and went after him.” Elvira looked at them with guilt. “I do not move as fast as wish, and she got to him before I did. The ice, it was cracking, but she got Gunner to safety, and then it gave way, and my Milla went under the water. Local fishermen got her out, only by then she had been deprived of oxygen for so long that her brain it was damaged in ways it could not be fixed.”
Waggs didn’t need to ask why Gunner had never mentioned Milla to them, because now he knew—guilt.
“I lost both my grandchildren that day. My Milla was broken beyond repair. A beautiful future wiped away.” Her voice cracked a little before she went on. “Gunner was never the same. He lost his best friend, his sister, and the guilt he bore was too much for anyone to bear. It was not his to take, it was mine, but he never forgave himself for what happened. As soon as he was able, he left and joined the Forces.”
“And do you still see him?”
Elvira nodded slowly as if the weight of it all was too much to bear. “He visits twice a year and always stops in to see Milla at the facility.” Again, she looked at them with guilt and sorrow in her pale blue eyes. “I couldn’t cope with all the care after my heart attack and had to put Milla in the facility. Gunner pays for all of it, even though I tell him not too.”
“When did Milla go missing and why wasn’t it reported?” Blake inquired softly.
“About six months ago, I had three men arrive here. I knew right away they were not nice men. They had guns, and were rude to me.” She sounded affronted, and he saw the hint of spirit in the woman.
“They said they were taking Milla elsewhere and that if I reported it or contacted the authorities, then not only would they kill Milla, but they would kill Gunner too. I was frightened, but I agreed, and they left.”
“What did you do then?”
“I called Gunner, and he came straight away. When he got here, I knew it was bad. He looked awful, so full of pain. He asked me to trust him, and I have. My boy is capable, and he is good to his core. He would never let anyone hurt Milla, so I trust him to do what he needs to keep her safe.”
Elvira looked at them with defiance as if daring them to say differently.
“Can you tell us what the men looked like? What their nationality was?”
“Three white British men. They were all tall and had muscles like you two.”
Blake twisted to look at him and lifted his chin. They had all they could get for now. Blake and Waggs rose, and so did Elvira. Blake offered her a card with just a telephone number on it that would go straight through to Lopez. “If you hear from Gunner, will you call us? He may not think he needs help, but he does, and we want to help him get his sister back.”
Elvira hesitated before she nodded. “I will do this.”
She walked them to the door, and Waggs realised the sun had started to set while they’d been inside the house. His instincts told him nobody was watching, but he remained cautious as they approached the car. Once inside, he waited for Blake to get them back on the road towards real civilisation before he spoke.
“You mean what you said about us helping him?”
Blake glanced across the car to him, and Waggs caught the uncertainty in his friend. “I hope I do, but honestly, I don’t know how to feel. This entire thing has fucked me up a little.”
Waggs nodded in agreement. “I think it’s shaken us all more than we want to admit. But he put Pax at risk and she got hurt, so I can understand you not feeling very forgiving.”
“It isn’t just about forgiving him, if that’s even an option. It’s about trust. He broke the bonds we share by doing what he did.” Blake sighed audibly, and Waggs watched as the sky darkened further and hoped they’d get a flight back to the UK tonight. “But, and it’s a very big but, would I have done whatever it took to protect my sisters?” Blake shrugged. “The answer is yes, I’d do whatever it took. So how can I sit in judgement on that?”
“Except we can’t forget the huge question of why he never came
to us with this. We’re brothers, he knows damn well we would’ve had his back and helped him.”
Blake shook his head. “That I don’t know, but as soon as we find him, I’ll be asking.”
“Me too, brother, me too.”
Waggs lifted his phone and found he had a signal, and called Jack, updating him on the situation.
“I’ll have Lopez look into it now and see if we can get CCTV from the facility and anything from the airports.” Jack sounded like he was in a hurry.
“It wouldn’t be easy to move someone with complex needs like that so she’d probably have needed a nurse or carer.” Waggs thought it over in his head. “We should also see if we can access her medical records and find out exactly what her needs are. We might be able to use that to trace any equipment required for her care.”
“You think they’re looking after her then?” Jack was silent as he waited for Waggs to answer.
“Yes. She’s no use to them if she dies. If they’re using her to control Gunner, he’ll want regular updates to ensure her safety and wellbeing. He’s no fool.”
“Agreed. I’ll have Lopez do all that. You just get back here.”
“Copy that.”
Waggs hung up and glanced at Blake. “Let’s get back to Hereford.”
It had been an adjustment moving from the US for this job, but he’d needed a fresh start, and it came at a time when he’d needed it more than he’d known. Eidolon had saved his life in more ways than one, and he would die for these men. It made it that much harder to swallow Gunner’s betrayal. Although with what they had uncovered today, he wondered if perhaps redemption would one day be possible for Gunner. That is, if they all survived to tell the tale.
Chapter Nineteen
Callie cuddled into Reid’s side as they lay in bed after making love for the second time that morning. He was stroking circles into the skin of her shoulder in a lazy caress.
“What’s the plan for today?”
It had been a week since they’d arrived in Hereford and she liked it here, she felt safe. She’d spent time with her new friends at the gallery, gotten to know a few more of the Zenobi girls and even met another of Reid’s friends, Drew and his fiancée Mara, as well as Will Granger who was not the nerd she’d been expecting.
Reid rolled suddenly, pinning her beneath his hard, sexy body and she laughed as she gazed up at him. She felt some of his weight on her and loved how protected she felt. Since they’d decided to make a go of this, he’d been the perfect boyfriend. Attentive, sweet, caring, and so damn sexy he made her mouth water with just a look.
His eyes focused on her lips, and she swiped the bottom one teasingly with her tongue. His body responded with a growing hardness at her belly.
“You’re a temptress.”
His voice was low when he spoke, husky and raspy, and she shuddered it was so delicious. “Is that so?”
“It is, and as much as I’d love to spend the day in bed with you doing delectable things to this body, I have things I need to do and can’t ignore.”
Disappointment hit Callie, immediately followed by guilt. Reid had spent every spare second with her in between searching for her stalker. “Is there any news on the stalker?” She should’ve asked before, but it was easier to block it from her mind and just enjoy being with Reid.
He stroked his fingertips over her jaw, and she arched her neck to follow the caress. “You’re so fucking beautiful.”
Callie looked at him and frowned. “And you’re changing the subject.”
His lips quirked. “I might be changing the subject, but my brain was fully engaged with admiring your flawless skin.”
Callie’s tummy squirmed in response to his words. He was always saying things that made her feel special, not like she was just a body or a face like her fans and photographers did but like he really meant every single word.
“You’re one hundred per cent a wonderful man, Kirk Reid.”
He snorted at that. “Not sure that’s true but you make me want to be.”
Callie felt emotion clog her throat, the words in her heart on the tip of her tongue. Instead, she changed the subject, terrified he wouldn’t reciprocate them. “Should I stay here or come with you today?”
“The things I have planned are at the office so you can either use the gym there or sit with Lopez and annoy him. I should be done around two. We can go for lunch in town after if you want?”
“I wouldn’t mind getting in the gym. My tummy will soon be flabby at the rate I’m eating junk food.”
A frown appeared on Reid’s face, and she lifted her hand to smooth it. “You’re fucking perfect, and I won’t have you starving yourself for some middle-aged photographer who thinks he knows what perfection is. You’re perfect exactly how you are, no matter how many burgers you eat or what you fucking weigh.”
Callie was surprised at the intensity in his voice. “It’s part of the job, baby.”
Callie watched as the anger left his face at her words, and his eyes seemed to gentle. “I like you calling me baby.”
“Hmm, shame we don’t have time for you to show me how much you like it.”
Reid grinned and kissed her neck before kissing his way down her belly. “I can always find time to show you that, sunshine.”
Then without saying another word, his lips touched her in the most intimate of places, and she lost the ability to think. His mouth still on her pussy, she screamed her release.
Her workout hadn’t been what she’d expected, but it had been so much fun. Her thirty minutes on the epilator had ended with Liam as her self-appointed trainer. He’d introduced her to the battle ropes which initially looked like torture but were lots of fun, even if they were exhausting. She’d done several reps of the double arm wave, followed by two reps on the hip toss, which involved tossing the rope in an arc from hip to hip like a rainbow.
After adding some light sparing into the mix, and a few self-defence moves, her legs and arms felt like jelly. Mentally, she felt great, her mind energised from the endorphin rush.
Liam wiped the sweat from his face and neck with a black hand towel as he watched her do the same. “Feels good, right?”
“It does, although I’m not sure I can walk to the showers. My legs feel like noodles.”
Liam laughed, and she saw the handsome man he was when relaxed and let someone in. “Thank you for helping me.”
Liam sobered at her words and looked directly at her. “Reid is like a brother to me, a fucking annoying one, but still family. By extension, that makes you family whether you want it or not.”
She could hear the tiniest bit of vulnerability in his voice as he said the words. “I’m honoured to be considered family. I’ve never met a group like this. In my industry we have friends and colleagues, but nothing like you guys have here.”
“I’d die for these men, and I know they’d die for me.”
“That’s a special thing to be part of.”
“Yeah, it is.”
Liam seemed to snap out of the moment when a door slammed somewhere in the building, and he drew the walls back into place. “You need to eat some protein.”
Callie nodded. “Reid and I are going for lunch in town after. Come with us?” Liam hesitated. “Please, you can dish on Reid while we eat,” Callie begged hoping he’d come with hem.
“I don’t want to crash a romantic date.”
“It’s not a date, its lunch. See if Lopez and Waggs want to come too?”
Liam smiled. “I’ll ask them.”
Callie grinned pleased he might join them. She wanted to see Reid with his friends and not monopolise him. “Good.”
She trudged toward the showers with a smile, feeling happier than she should, given the circumstances, and then guilt hit her. Here she was enjoying herself when Tina was dead. She shoved the horrible thoughts away so she wasn’t pulled down a rabbit hole of depression.
After showering and dressing in dark blue skinny jeans, a white tee, and black leath
er jacket, with white converse trainers on her feet, she pulled her hair into a ponytail. She slicked on the tiniest bit of mascara and blush, but left her face bare. She considered lip gloss but knew Reid would have it kissed off her within seconds of seeing him so didn’t bother. She smiled giddily at the thought, and she wondered if everyone felt this ridiculous desire to smile all the time when they found the person who made their heart sing.
She had no clue when she’d fallen in love with this man, or when the realisation came, but now it seemed she’d always felt this way for him. Perhaps it was when he’d dropped everything and come to her rescue, or perhaps when he’d protected her body and soul from a stalker. Or maybe it was just that he was hers and always had been, they just hadn’t known it until they met.
Whatever it was, she loved him with everything in her and the thought of not being with him all the time filled her with dread. This stalker had brought them together, but would it also be the thing that ripped them apart? She couldn’t allow herself to think that or she’d go mad. She just had to trust in fate and the universe and not let fear ruin it.
Reid was waiting with Liam, Lopez, and Waggs when she emerged, and he instantly focused on her. His eyes heated as they wandered over her from her feet to her face before stopping. Then he pushed off the wall and stepped closer, his arm shooting out so he could pull her against him. His hand was on her hip as he looked down at her, she felt small and dainty. She loved that he was so tall. She could wear heels, and he was still a head above her.
“You sure you’re okay with these idiots hanging with us?”
“Yes, of course. They’re your friends, and I want to get to know them better.” She took his hand and turned to the others. “Plus, Liam promised to dish the dirt on everyone.” Callie winked at Liam as Reid groaned.
“Let’s get this ordeal over with.” Reid kept his hand in hers as they strode toward the cars. Liam and Lopez climbed in the back as Reid drove.
“Wagamama?” he asked as he looked in the rear view mirror.
