May’s cool fingers were on Rook’s burning face. He resisted the urge to tear his skin off.
“I’m sorry, baby,” she whispered. “I’m so sorry I had to hurt you.”
Rook still couldn’t speak or breathe.
He rolled toward a sudden noise coming from the front door.
“Shit!” shouted Atlas’s voice.
And then two pairs of heavy footsteps pounded through the house.
It was Sequence and Atlas. Rook was incapacitated, May was bleeding, Ricky was locked into a closet upstairs and hopefully Cyril was down for the count.
But nothing mattered as Rook lay curled in May’s lap. She was alive. Her hands were cool on his face and her voice was soft in his ear.
***
Rook would never forget Cedric and Elena’s wedding.
Well. He'd never forget listening to Cedric and Elena’s wedding. His eyes were still absolutely killing him from May’s pepper spray. He wore the darkest shades he could find and pretty much just kept his eyes closed.
“You’re scaring children, Dad,” Ricky whispered to him where she sat at his left. Apparently the bloodied bruises on his throat were not completely covered up by his buttoned collar and tie.
“What am I supposed to do?” he asked in a croaky, damaged voice.
“I don’t know,” she whispered back. “Smile?”
He followed her directions and she immediately burst out laughing.
“Oh my god, Dad. That is so freaking creepy. Stop smiling. Right now.”
“What are you two laughing about?”
As soon as he heard May’s voice, Rook’s hand shot out and dragged her into his lap. His nose trailed her neck, got buried in her hair. He couldn’t say much about her dress, besides the fact that it was blue and that it felt like sin under his fingertips.
“God, this is weird,” Ricky groaned.
“What is?” May asked.
“You two. All lovey dovey. Mom with an engagement ring on her finger. Dad with a dopey smile on his face.”
“You’ll get used to it,” Rook promised dryly. Because nothing was going to take away his happiness ever again. If that hadn’t been clear to him before last night, having Cyril damn near choke him to death had done the trick.
Geo had informed Rook while he’d been assessed at the hospital that apparently Cyril had broken the window and thrown the cat inside. It was a crazy man’s sleight of hand so that he could break into the other side of the house without being immediately tracked. He’d snuck up behind them, conked May on the head, tossing her into the kitchen, and then went after Rook.
May had been dazed and hurt, but luckily not even concussed. She had a lump under her hair that Rook, with no small amount of dismay, had discovered that morning.
But the bonk on the head hadn’t been enough to keep her down. She’d saved his life. She’d rescued him.
If he’d sent her upstairs with Ricky, there was every chance in the world that Rook would be strangled dead right that very second. His arms tightened around her waist.
“How’s everybody doing?” a familiar voice asked from Rook’s right.
“Still standing,” May said with a little bit of frost in her voice.
Wilkes pulled out a chair and sat down, sighing heavily. He pretty much hadn’t stopped apologizing since he’d burst into their house just moments after Atlas and Sequence had, Cedric and Geo just behind Wilkes. And the cops and ambulances moments after that.
Cyril had busted out of the VA hospital only an hour and a half before he’d shown up at the house. Which meant that he’d come directly there. The VA hadn’t notified Wilkes for an hour. Which had translated into him having to get all the way from the Bronx to deep Brooklyn in half an hour. A land speed record. He’d had cops en route as fast as possible, but even so, they’d just barely avoided disaster.
Last night had been a long night for everyone. Probably longest for Wilkes, who’d accompanied Cyril back to the hospital and booked him, personally guarding him through the night.
“Don’t beat yourself up over there,” Rook said, sympathy in his tone. “It wasn’t your fault, Wilkes.”
Wilkes grunted. “I know. But it could have been so bad.”
“It wasn’t bad. I was there and fixed everything just fine. So, problem solved.” May’s tone was crisp and bossy and made the boys laugh. “Here comes the bride!”
Moments later, Rook felt a cool hand on his arm. “How are you feeling?” Elena’s calm, quiet voice asked him.
“Peachy. How are you? Any regrets?” Rook asked with a smile on his face.
“It’s too late,” came Cedric’s voice. “She’s stuck with me now.”
“Hey, dude,” said Atlas. “When’s the food coming out? We’re starving and we’ll be forced to get embarrassingly drunk if you don’t bring out the munchies.”
“Atlas!” Bex groaned. “Tact, baby. Tact.”
“What?” he asked, oblivious as usual.
“Brookie the cookie!” Ricky shouted, and then Rook heard the toddler chatting in that almost-English she’d started up with.
“He gave it to you!” Naomi shouted, holding up May’s hand. Rook cracked his eyes just in time to see the amethyst flash before he slammed them closed again.
“Nice,” Sequence agreed. He popped Rook on the shoulder. “You finally popped the question… again?”
“Wait. A. Second,” Geo’s voice came from behind them. “Not only are you back together but you’re engaged? Holy crap! I blink for like two seconds and they’re all booed up!”
“Congratulations,” said Moreau, and Rook frowned through what he was certain was his best client kissing May on the cheek. “That is truly wonderful. You both deserve all the happiness in the world.”
“We weren’t going to mention anything until after the wedding,” May said, her voice reverberating through Rook’s palms as he held her. “We didn’t want to steal your thunder.”
“Oh, please,” Elena said. “Steal away. This is way too much thunder for me anyways. I can’t wait to go home and take a nap.”
The group laughed. Listening to the chorus of laughter, of contentment, Rook was suddenly hit with the knowledge that all of the people he loved the most in the world were there, surrounding him at that very moment.
His woman sat on his lap, his daughter at his side, his friends and colleagues surrounding him. While his eyes healed, his vision was going to be extremely limited. And in the past… the anxiety and vulnerability of that would have nearly killed him. But not here. Not now. He trusted these people with all his heart.
He employed them, cared for them, guided them, nurtured them. But also, he trusted all of them to do the same for him. That wasn’t something that came naturally to him. That was something that he’d learned from May. He’d had to learn it, or he’d have had to face losing her.
Opening his heart to May, becoming a better man for her, it had let all of these people into his life. And that, subsequently, had brought all of them together as well.
Each of the people in the circle, Cedric and Elena, Sequence and Naomi, Atlas and Bex, Geo and Moreau, Rook, May, Ricky, Wilkes, all of them owed the biggest loves in their lives to Rook Security. It was the gift they’d all given one another.
It was a gift, he knew, that they’d protect with all their hearts.
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