He nods and together we make our way back to the main house. Facing Sorina is going to be a pain in my ass. I’m sure she couldn’t be any more embarrassed or angry at this display of her mother’s temper.
The complications around this house just keep getting better and better.
†††
~Sorina~
How could she do that to me?
I’ve never been so embarrassed in my life. Samuel probably won’t come near me after this and I really like him. How is it, everyone else gets to be with who they want except me? I understand the legal part, but no one would’ve known.
Mom and Dad get to be together. Uncle Vlad and Aunt Sammi get to be together. Uncle Dresden and Aunt Shannon get to be together. No one says a thing about that. But me and Samuel, God forbid!
I jump at the click of my bedroom door opening. Samuel steps in and closes the door behind him. The muscles of his chest are lean and perfect. His side is bandaged with slight bruises peeking out around the edges.
In two strides, he’s flush against me, his mouth on mine. I wrap my hands around his neck and hug him tight. After a few minutes, I’m dizzy from his kiss and he leans his forehead against mine.
“You’re mom’s right, Sori.”
“What?”
I push away from him and stalk across the room, flopping down on the edge of the bed. Samuel sighs and tears trickle down my face. I knew this would happen. He kneels in front of me and rests his arms on my legs.
“I’m still yours, Sori. Your mom isn’t saying we can’t be together. She doesn’t want to see me get arrested. I don’t think you want that either.”
“Of course not.”
“She doesn’t want you to get hurt and neither do I.”
“So, now what?”
“We hold off on the physical part. Well, anything past me kissing you because there is no way I’m going to stop doing that.”
I glance up through my lashes. He’s got that little smirk on his face I love. The truth is plain enough though. He won’t stick around without the physical part. All men are like that. It’s the one thing a girl learns inside the rings that applies everywhere.
“Whatever.”
He cups the side of my face, tilting his head to the side. “Tell me what you’re thinking.”
“No guy will wait around forever, Sam. Even I know that.”
He sits back on his legs, his lips pressing into a firm line. That’s his “agent face”— all serious and agitated.
“So, you think because I can’t have sex with you right now, I won’t stick around.”
I nod, more tears forming in my eyes. “That’s how all men are.”
“Well, you’ve met all the wrong kind of men. I’m not like that and you should know that by now. Sorina, I love you. I’d spend my life with you even if I wasn’t ever allowed to have sex with you.”
Did he just say . . . oh, damn?
“You love me?”
He laughs, pushing off the floor and into my arms. We sink onto the bed and he holds me close, running his fingers through my hair and tucking strands of it behind my ear.
“Yes, I love you. You can be really blind sometimes, girl.”
“Shut up.”
He laughs harder and kisses me gently. “Well?”
“Well, what?” I cock my head to the side, gazing at him and fighting to keep the grin off my face.
“You know what and I’m not kissing you again until you say it.”
I lean up and try to press my lips to his, but he moves.
My fingertips skim through the beard he’s growing. “I love you, too.”
His smile is breathtaking and after kissing me again, he lays down next to me, cradling me in his arms. I’m going to have to face my mom at some point today, but it can wait until later. There’s nowhere I’d rather be than right here.
17
~Lily~
It’s been a solid week since the incident with Samuel and Sorina. So far, they’re both being respectful and sticking to the rules. Samuel and Rhett switched rooms, and the most they’ve done is kiss, which doesn’t bother me. Blake ripped me a new ass the night it happened, but he’s calmed down considerably since.
Today is training day. We’ve been back together for two months and it’s about time we put each other through the paces. Blake and his family have decided to watch, though I’m not sure how I feel about that.
“Two on two matches first,” Hyde says, standing off to the side.
He’s handling the organization for this, that way we get some real work in.
“Lily and Samuel against Dresden and Rhett. No weapons.”
Samuel joins me in the center of the training area, his body tense. It’s the first time he’s sparing with all of us.
“You worry about Rhett. I’ll take care of Dresden.”
“Any last minute tips?”
“If Rhett gets you on the ground, he won’t let you back up, so whatever you do, stay on your feet.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Dresden and Rhett join us, their smiles sinister but playful.
“Begin,” Hyde yells.
Several people on the side call out names, cheering us on, but they’re ignored.
Rhett and Dresden move together, aiming for the opposite of what I want. Grabbing Dresden’s wrist, I pull him toward me and kick Rhett in the side, pushing him toward Samuel. The kid’s got good reflexes and plants two punches in Rhett’s ribs before he can get his bearings.
Dresden tears his wrist from my hand and swings. I duck, his fist missing my face by an inch. The two of us sparing looks more like violent dancing, neither one staying in the same place for more than a second and the movements too quick to follow.
Fifteen minutes in, neither one of us has landed a punch. We’ve known each other for too long. Samuel grunts, pulling my attention away from Dresden. Rhett has him on his back, and it won’t be long before he’s got Samuel out of this.
Dresden’s fist connects with the area of my back that Maria stabbed. The pain is all-consuming. Dr. Monroe took the stitches out this morning, but it still hurts like a motherfucker if I bump it against anything. I go down on my knees, groaning.
“Lily!” Blake’s voice echoes from the other side of the area.
“Focus, Lily,” Dresden growls. “People die when you don’t focus.”
He stalks forward and I jump up planting two hits to his face before sweeping his legs out from under him. He hits the ground and I run full force at Rhett, tackling him to the ground.
“Get up, Tiger!”
Rhett and I roll, finally stopping with me on top of him. He pulls his knee up and launches me over his head, flipping me in the air. I land on my back with a thud, my head bouncing off the grass. The sky blurs for a second, the shouts of the onlookers echoing before I regain composure.
Kicking my body up, I land on my feet in time to move out of Dresden’s way. He turns and throws punches faster than normal it seems.
“Enough!” Hyde’s voice booms, commanding the space.
I double over, putting my hands on my knees, fighting to take a breath. Dresden rubs my back, trying to catch his breath too.
“Sorry about the hit to your back.”
“No worries. I’m good. I think the slam to the ground hurt worse.”
“Lily, you okay?” Rhett’s voice is panicked as he jogs over, stopping in front of me.
“I’m good. Just winded.”
“Here,” Samuel says, holding out a bottle of water.
I straighten up and chug half the bottle. Together, we join the others to a round of applause.
“We’ll be here all week,” Samuel says laughing.
Blake looks pissed. Handing Samuel the water back, I plop down in Blake’s lap, kissing his forehead. “Hey, baby.”
“I think I need to not watch the sparing anymore,” he says, snaking his arms around my waist.
“You okay?”
He shakes his head, nuzzling my
side. Pushing the issue won’t help, so I lean against him and kiss his head again. Samuel sits next to Sorina, who twists his head back and forth, checking his face for marks. She’s just like her father, that’s for damn sure.
For the next two hours, we take turns sparing. The best show is Sammi and Vlad. I’ve never seen her spar, but she’s good and gives Vlad a run for his money. She can take a punch too. Vlad hits like a train and she hardly winces when he lands two jabs to her ribs. She returns with a closed backhand, busting his lips open.
His eyes widen like saucers as he wipes the blood from his face, and all Sammi does is grin. By the time they finish, she has a bruised cheek and he’s got a bloody nose to match his lip. All I can do is laugh as they rejoin us.
“Who knew Boa could kick ass. Vlad’s of all people.”
Vlad growls at the same time she laughs.
“Oh, you ain’t going to be a cunt about it are ya, mate? The women on this team are constantly underestimated,” Sammi says, her accent showing.
I cringe at the casual use of the word cunt, but it’s an Australian thing.
We make our way inside as the sun dips below the horizon. Jameson’s on duty tonight, but he needs to eat first and so do the rest of us. Spending the day getting an ass whooping tends to make us all hungry.
†††
Teresa cooks steak like a pro. The woman is worth her weight in gold, I swear.
“Lily, you ready for bed, babe? I’m beat,” Blake says setting our plates in the sink.
“Nice choice of words,” I quip, giving him a sly grin.
“Very funny.”
“You said it.”
A burst of pops resounds from outside, silencing the house. Without hesitation, Vlad ushers everyone into the living room. I snatch my shotgun from under the sofa and bolt out the door, Dresden and Samuel on my heels.
Rounding the house, two shadows bolt for the tree line. Dresden raises his rifle, firing several shots. One of the shadows falls to the ground as the other disappears into the trees. A low gurgling pulls my attention to the convulsing form about ten feet from us.
I take off, my bare feet digging into the dirt.
Blood oozes from the corners of Jameson’s mouth, running in thick lines down his face, dripping from behind his ears. His chest is covered in sticky redness as he fights to breathe through shutters and heaves.
“No, no, no. Stay with me, Jameson. Stay with me,” I say frantically.
My heart pounds in my ears as Dresden and Samuel rip off their shirts and press them against Jameson’s chest.
“I thought he was supposed to stay on the fucking porch,” Dresden growls. “Patrol stays on the porch. And where the fuck is his vest?”
I look down into my friend's eyes as his mouth opens and closes. “I don’t know, Dres. Fuck. We need to get him inside.”
A distant round of clicking draws our attention. From the tree line, the moon catches off several weapons, glittering like stars as a line of shadows moves toward us.
Oh, fuck.
“Get him in the house, now,” I growl taking Dresden’s rifle. “Go!”
He and Samuel hoist Jameson up and move as the muzzle flashes light from the line of fire. Ducking bullets and moving as fast as we can, I return fire, trying to block the boys. We make it to the edge of the porch and Samuel falls forward, slamming face down on the porch.
“Go, Dresden!”
He drags Jameson inside. I kneel beside Samuel and roll him over. His eyes are open, staring lifelessly at the sky, a single bullet hole in his head.
“Fuck!”
Bullets ricochet off the house, the muzzle flashes getting brighter the closer they get. My insides run cold. Using all my strength, I wedge my arms under Samuel’s upper body and drag him to the front door. Opening it, Dresden is at my side helping me.
“Shit,” he hisses.
“Lock the fucking door.”
I gently lay Samuel on the floor inside the door.
“Mom, what happened?” Sorina’s voice makes me cringe.
“Blake, get her out of here, now.”
“No, Mom, what happened? Where’s Sam?”
I stand and her eyes dart around me, widening and filling with tears as she takes in Samuel’s body. I move for her, but she screams and darts to him, falling to the floor and covering his chest with hers, sobbing.
“Sori—”
“Let her be, Shannon. Nothing will help. Just let her get it out.”
The house is deadly quiet except for the bullets bouncing off the exterior and Sorina’s sobs.
“Here,” Vlad says holding out a piece of paper smeared with blood. “I don’t know the language.”
I scan the paper, my gut heaving. Something isn’t right. The bullets outside have stopped, but my head hurts so badly I barely notice.
“Where’s Jameson?”
“He didn’t make it, Viper.”
His words hit me like ice water. “I still want to see him.”
Vlad leads me around the corner with Sammi following us. Jameson is lying there, his eyes closed, blood pooling around him on the floor. I kneel next to him and run my fingers through his hair, tears slipping down my face. This is my fault. I’m the one who scheduled the patrols and because of it, we’ve lost two amazing agents . . . and friends, tonight.
“Lily, this isn’t your fault,” Hyde says from behind me.
“He knew better than to go off the porch,” I say quietly as someone lays there hand on my shoulder. I look up, my eyes meeting Sammi’s. “Why would he do something that stupid without coming in and getting back-up first?”
“I don’t know, mate. This doesn’t make sense.” She shakes her head with tears in her eyes.
“Contact Samuel’s family. I’ll call Jameson’s mother in the morning.”
Standing, I return to the living room to find Sorina sobbing in Blake’s arms on the floor of the kitchen. He rocks her back and forth, whispering in her ear.
“Dresden, move Samuel in with Jameson, please.”
He and Rhett move him as Sammi comes in to stand next to me. All eyes are on us, but I keep my mouth closed until Dresden and Rhett have returned.
“I need you to find every file on Jax, and every contact he had for the rings, Sammi.”
“Jax? Lily, you can’t be serious?”
“Those gunmen are Nigerian. This note is in a language called Hausa.”
“You know Hausa,” Dresden asks.
“Yes. Jax taught me. It’s his native language.”
Pain, anger, confusion, and guilt swim through my mind and I can’t tell where one emotion stops, and one begins. I’m covered in the blood of two men who should still be alive.
Sinking to the floor, putting my head between my knees and squeezing my hands on either temple, the numbness takes over . . . and I let it.
18
~Lily~
I stand in the basement of the funeral home, my eyes aching from the nonstop tears. Bates and Monroe argued with me for two days about escorting Samuel and Jameson home, but in the end, I won. Samuel was first, and his parents are due to be here to identify and claim his body at any moment.
It will have to be a closed casket no matter what. No mortician in the world is going to fix a sniper shot. At least Samuel didn’t suffer. I’d thought about that a lot on the plane ride here. The door opens and the funeral director steps in followed by a short, blonde woman clutching a tissue to her chest.
She stumbles to the table Samuel lays on and strokes the side of his face, silent tears streaming down hers. I swipe the moisture from my own eyes, trying to keep my composure. Kissing his head, she turns toward me, her heels clicking loudly against the concrete floor.
“You must be Agent Williams,” she says in a hoarse voice.
I swallow the lump in my throat, keeping my eyes downcast. “Yes, ma’am.”
“My son had been set on working for Interpol since he was twelve.” She sucks in a ragged breath and dabs the corner of
her eye with a tissue. “He wanted to change lives and make a difference.”
Images of Samuel and Sorina walking by the woods, laughing on the sofa, and goofing off at dinner, flash through my head.
“He made more of a difference for some people than he ever knew.”
“Would you come speak with me? I’d like to know about his time with you. He was never allowed to say much.” She gestures to the door.
We sit in an empty viewing room on the ground floor. Hyde spoke to Hayato’s family after Sammi killed him last year, and before him, we’d never lost a team member. She sits her purse on the floor and twists to face me.
“Ma’am, you realize anything I say has to be confidential?”
“Yes, Agent Williams. I just want to know whatever you can tell me. I hadn’t seen my son in over a year. This weekend we’ll bury him, and if you don’t tell me about that time, I’ll never know.”
“Your son was an agent with the Human Trafficking Taskforce, which at the moment is under the Witness Protection Program, protecting a family.”
She smiles sadly, fresh tears pooling in her eyes, and my stomach heaves.
“Was he a good agent?”
“Yes, ma’am. Levelheaded, strong, fast, and efficient in everything he did. He was a quick learner and saved my life only a few weeks ago.”
Her eyes widen in surprise. “How?”
“Another member of our team had a psychological breakdown which resulted in her stabbing me in the back. She ruptured my kidney and would’ve continued to stab me, possibly ending my life, had your son not stepped in.”
She laughs. “Samuel had a soft spot for helping women in distress. His father walked out on me when he was little, and he instantly started doing everything he could to help me. I wish he’d found a nice girl to make him smile though. He never dated. Always too worried about school, work, and helping his old momma.”
Samuel had never . . . been with anyone.
“Uh . . . he sort of did, I guess.”
“Excuse me?”
The Gallows at Midnight Page 12
