by M. Malone
Oblivious to my thoughts, Hailey took another noisy sip from her slushy drink. Something she’d never had before but I’d insisted was an important part of the movie experience.
“I’m starting to think this whole bodyguard thing is just a cover. You guys probably don’t do anything most of the time.”
I snickered. “Except that one time I got in the way of a bullet, right?”
Her eyes were twinkling when she raised one eyebrow. “Did you? I seem to remember you getting a scratch or something.” She squealed when my fingers dug into her sides.
“Okay, okay. I guess I have to give you that one. Especially since you scared the hell out of me. But I’m happy to see that your everyday life is pretty normal. It makes me feel a little better.”
Although she’d been pretty cool about the danger inherent in my job, I knew it bothered her. The truth had come through in some of the little things she’d said and the questions she’d asked. I got it. We were at the beginning of building something real, and I would be worried about her if the tables were turned. But after telling her about all of the training and precautions we took, she seemed okay with it.
It was going to take me a while before I completely adjusted to the idea of letting Hailey all the way in. But I had agreed to stop trying to shield her from the ugly parts of my past, and she had agreed to cut me some slack on my overprotective tendencies. It wasn’t perfect, but we were making it work.
I had to give her credit. She had adjusted to my life a lot better than I’d expected. Maybe I could relax a little now. As long as nothing crazy happened, she’d be okay. I was lucky that Rafe or Noah hadn’t gone on any of their intense side jobs lately. The last thing I needed was Hailey catching a peep at how beat up those fuckers looked after a rough night.
Hailey leaned over to reach for her wineglass but paused with her hand outstretched. Her eyes were caught on something across the room. Her mouth fell open. “Oh my god.”
I looked over to see what had caught her attention. Gemma stood in the doorway to the room with a black eye and a huge bruise on her arm. The black pants and shirt she wore were relatively unscathed except for the slight rip in one of the sleeves. I was scared to look at her shoes.
“Family movie night? Sweet.” She waved at everyone. “I’ll join in a few. I just need to clean up.”
Oh shit. This was exactly the kind of thing that Hailey had been worried about. She’d already told me that every time I left, she was scared I’d get hurt again. Now she was staring at a woman she was coming to know as a friend who looked like she’d been a victim of domestic violence.
I watched Hailey warily, unsure of how she’d react. It wasn’t as if she didn’t know that Gemma worked as a bodyguard also. Part of me wanted to list off the many deadly skills Gemma possessed, but before I could do that, Hailey took a deep breath.
“Do you need an ice pack? I can get one for you.”
Gemma smiled. “Thanks, but I’ve got it. I’ll ice down after I take a shower.” She turned to Ryan, who looked slightly green. “Good work tonight.”
Ryan blinked. “This shit is not normal.” The other man wasn’t nearly as roughed up as Gemma, but he had a long scratch on one cheek and looked like he’d just seen a ghost.
I understood how he felt. He hadn’t been on the job that long, and all of us had moments when things got a little too intense. This job was about being strong mentally as well as physically.
I patted Hailey on the arm. “I’ll be back in a minute. I just need to talk to Ryan.”
She nodded knowingly. “He looks like he could use a friend. And maybe some tequila.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.” As I was walking out, JJ passed by holding two large bowls of popcorn. “Save me some!”
She snorted. “You snooze you lose, big boy!”
Ryan was in the kitchen staring into the refrigerator like it held the secrets to the universe. Without turning around, he asked, “Are you here to give me a pep talk?”
“Nah. I’m not really the pep-talk type. This is more like advice that you should hang in there, because I know shit looks wild right now.”
“Wild doesn’t even begin to cover it. Gemma was… man, I would have never thought one small girl could move like that. She just …” He made a few karate moves. “Hell, I don’t know what she did, but she took out like three guys before I even knew what was happening. How is Matthias okay with his wife being in that kind of danger?”
“First, don’t let any of the women hear you say that shit. Are you trying to get all of our asses kicked?”
He sat at the counter. “I know Gemma was ORUS, but I don’t think I really understood what that meant before.”
“There are a lot of things in play you don’t understand yet. The people Noah, Rafe and Matthias used to work for aren’t the type you ask questions about. Trust me.”
Ryan shrugged. “Trust hasn’t worked out so well in the past. Trust gets you killed.”
“You trust Noah, right?”
“Yeah, I do.”
“Good. Because it’s all going to make sense eventually.”
When I turned, Noah was standing behind me. “Thanks, O, but I’ve got it from here. Come with me, Ryan. I have something to show you.”
I watched them go before going back into the family room. Ours was an unconventional family, but that’s exactly what we were, a family. If things went south, protecting Hailey was all I cared about. Having a literal band of former assassins on your side was pretty decent when it came right down to it. And I was grateful to have their support when it mattered most.
Hailey
I was laughing at something JJ had just said when Oskar came back in. Gemma had changed clothes and was curled up on the other couch with Matthias. JJ was sitting in her husband’s lap in the armchair. It was the weirdest collection of people I’d ever hung out with, but somehow it made sense. Everyone there respected everyone else. No one was made to feel different or like they weren’t good enough.
It was strange to finally find acceptance amongst a group that I’d known for such a short time, but I’d never felt this comfortable around anyone but Priya. Definitely not with the private school crowd that I’d been with from grade school until graduation. In our circles, appearances were everything. Who you were friends with, what designers you wore, and what car you drove were all more important than whether you were smart or kind or compassionate.
But here, everyone was so different but respected nonetheless. There were so many different personality types represented but they all had their place. And I had my place.
With Oskar.
It felt like we were settling in. Maybe if Oskar hadn’t been forced to leave three years ago, this is where we would have been all along. The thought made me smile. It was almost like time restoring things back to where they should have been.
Ever since I was a little girl, I’d always hated the concept of fate. It made me feel like nothing I did really mattered since things would go where they wanted to anyway. But now, I had a different perspective. It wasn’t that my actions didn’t matter but rather that my mistakes wouldn’t derail what was meant to be. Oskar and I were meant to be.
And now we were together once more. Nothing that had happened three years ago had changed our destination. It was comforting to think that nothing going forward would ever really pull us apart either. We’d always find our way back to each other somehow. Like magnets.
“You’ve been quiet,” Oskar commented when he sat back down next to me.
JJ glanced over. “She’s probably not used to all these people blabbing at once. You’ll get used to it. That one never shuts up.” She pointed at Oskar.
“Jonas, can you muzzle your girl?”
We all laughed as JJ threw a handful of popcorn at him.
“Okay let’s get this movie started before these two kill each other.” Jonas picked up the remote and started the movie, some superhero film I hadn’t even heard about.
Oskar bent low. “We don’t have to stay. I know this isn’t your thing.”
“It’s not that. I’ve just been thinking. You know, about what happens after this. After all the danger has passed and things go back to normal.”
His smile was gentler than I’d ever seen on him before. “What happens is we do normal things. Go out for pizza. Make out in movie theaters. I love you every day. And you love me right back.”
Even though my heart was busy melting at his sweet words, my brain refused to turn off. I had seen what happened when couples got together quickly. Often their relationship couldn’t hold up under everyday stress. All of the decisions that were part of making a life together were easy to ignore at first but then practicality would rear its ugly head.
Clearly, we wouldn’t live here in the Blake Security headquarters forever. Would it be strange to have Oskar move into my penthouse? Or would that offend him and make him feel like a ‘kept man’? Maybe he’d rather we live somewhere that was chosen and paid for by both of us. But that seemed silly when I had so much wealth. It was a touchy subject, but we couldn’t ignore the differences in our financial status. Would Oskar feel demeaned if I paid for certain things?
It was a lot to think about.
When I looked over at him, his eyes softened. “Your brain never takes a night off, does it? I know it’s hard, but I don’t want you to worry. It’s all going to work out.”
I wanted to believe him. So much. But there were so many things that we hadn’t learned about each other yet and all of them had the potential to torpedo our marriage. It started off wrong but that didn’t mean I wasn’t completely committed. Oskar was my husband and I wanted to do whatever was necessary to make it work.
“We’re in this together. Forever.”
Maybe there was something to that whole fake it ‘til you make it thing. Because just saying the words really did make me feel better.
16
Oskar
The rest of the night, I focused on relaxing with Hailey and enjoying some rare time off. She enjoyed pointing out all of the inconsistencies in the film, and I enjoyed trying to feel her up under the throw blanket.
It hadn’t slipped my mind that there was one huge thing hanging over us. Evan. I still hadn’t told her about her brother’s attempt to kidnap her years ago. Matthias’s new intel about Mr. X had become the focus of the investigation, but that didn’t mean that we could afford to ignore Evan’s history. Even though he wasn’t responsible for the shooting at the gala, it didn’t mean that he was completely innocent.
If I’d learned anything over the course of my life, it was that you couldn’t afford to ignore any potential enemies. Evan might not have tried to hurt Hailey this time, but he was still a liability to our future. She deserved to know what the men in her life had kept from her. I shook my head. Elijah Livingston played the part of a concerned father well, but his actions betrayed that there was a lot more going on under the surface, and I didn’t trust him either.
Hailey squeezed my hand, pulling me out of my thoughts.
“You look so deep in thought. Are you still mad about me asking why Superman couldn’t be in this movie?”
I chuckled. “At this point, I’m pretty sure you’re just trolling me.”
“What? I don’t get it. Superman would have saved the day from the beginning.”
Matthias walked by, not bothering to conceal his smirk. “Good luck with the DC vs. Marvel conversation, mate.”
When I turned back to Hailey and saw her grin, I laughed. “Okay, you are trolling. I refuse to listen to any more of this blasphemy.”
Hailey followed me back to our room. “Are you sure? I was thinking we could have a little role-play. You can be Thor and I’ll be Black Widow.”
I grabbed her hand and pulled her inside, shutting the door behind us.
Hailey backed up to the bed slowly, teasingly lifting the edge of her shirt. “I figured that would get your attention.”
As hard as it was to put the brakes on when she was about to fulfill one of my favorite fantasies, I held up a hand.
“Wait, Hailey there is something that I need to tell you. I meant to earlier, but then I got pulled into a meeting with Matthias.”
Hearing the intensity of my voice, she dropped her shirt. “And I thought we’d gotten past all the bad news.”
“Not quite.”
She sighed and sat on the edge of the bed. I wasn’t sure if that was an invitation for me to join her or if she’d prefer space, so I remained standing.
“I went with Jonas to question one of Evan’s bookies.”
Her head snapped up at that. She crossed and uncrossed her arms before dropping her head into her hands. “Okay, wow. I mean, I know you guys said he had a gambling problem, but it’s just really hitting me that Evan was out there making deals with shady people. It doesn’t seem real.”
“Unfortunately, it’s very real. He was in pretty deep to some scary people.”
She shook her head. “What the hell is wrong with him? He could have gotten himself killed!”
Unable to stand being across the room from her any longer, I walked over and knelt at her feet. “He could have gotten you killed, actually. The guy we talked to said Evan has gotten in trouble before. That time, he attempted to have someone kidnap you thinking he could extort ransom money from your father.”
All the color drained from her face, and I regretted my blunt words. Telling her all at once had seemed kinder, like ripping off a bandage, but Hailey just looked so betrayed.
“I’m so sorry, butterfly. But I thought you had a right to know.”
Her fingers tightened on the covers, twisting the fabric. She nodded quickly but wouldn’t look at me. I put a finger under her chin and lifted until she met my gaze. Tears glimmered in her eyes.
“Am I really so disposable to everyone in my life?” she whispered.
I pulled her into my arms and she collapsed against my chest, her shoulders shaking with silent sobs. From her perspective, I could see how it would seem everyone in her world had betrayed her at some point. She’d spent her life trying to gain her mother’s approval only to learn the woman wasn’t her mother and had been forced to accept her. Her father cared mainly about his business and Hailey’s talents that could make him money. Her brother resented her and considered her a block to gaining his inheritance and a bargaining chip with his debtors.
Who could blame her for feeling lost and alone? Everyone that she’d trusted had let her down at some point, including me. I had let her down, too. Which was something I’d have to live with forever.
But that was never happening again. I vowed that from that moment on, Hailey would know she had one person in her corner who would always put her first and fight to the death to keep her safe. Her husband.
Me.
“I’m sorry, butterfly, but he’s never going to hurt you again. I‘ll make sure of that. I know this is a lot to take in, and I shouldn’t have just dropped that on you.”
Hailey wiped her eyes as she sat back. I didn’t really want to let her go yet, but in this I would follow her lead. She’d had enough of her choices taken away by people who were supposed to love her.
“It’s not your fault. Does it really matter how you say it? Finding out your own brother once tried to have you kidnapped isn’t the kind of thing that you can sugarcoat.”
“Maybe not, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy to hear either. And that’s not even the whole story.”
She waves her hand. “Wait, there’s something worse? What could be worse than being almost kidnapped by your own brother?”
Fuck my mouth. In that moment I hated every instinct I’d had to be honest. Seriously, I could have been playing hide the hammer right now but oh no, I’d wanted to tell her the whole truth. Having scruples was pretty damn inconvenient sometimes.
“It’s about your father, Hailey.”
Hailey
Oskar was watching me like he thought I’d brea
k down again at any moment. Not that I blamed him. The poor guy was just the messenger and kept having the unfortunate task of telling me about my dumpster fire of a family.
I sighed. “You might as well just tell me.”
The arm around my shoulders tightened. Oskar looked like he’d rather be anywhere than sitting on a bed with me delivering bad news. I had to give the guy a break. He’d actually been willing to turn down sexy time in order to tell me the truth. There had to be a gold star in his future just for that.
“Your father knew about Evan’s plans. His security team at the time got wind of the threat before it happened.”
I shrugged. “Okay, so he protected me. He figured out that I was in danger and kept me safe. That sounds like something he would do.” Some of the tension that had gathered in my stomach settled slightly. Oskar had made me think it was something really bad. But it made total sense that my father had taken care of a threat behind the scenes without letting me know. But when I saw Oskar’s face, I realized that wasn’t what he’d meant at all.
“That’s not what you meant, was it?”
“No. Actually… I meant that he knew it was Evan. He found out that your brother was behind it and… he covered it all up.”
“Right. Of course. What else could you have meant? It’s not like you’d expect normal decency out of anyone in my family.”
He squeezed my hand. “I just thought that you deserved to have all of the information. I’d want to know.”
I thought about it. Maybe I wasn’t that evolved because there was a part of me that didn’t want to know about any of this stuff. For years, I’d lived blissfully unaware. How did it help me to drudge all this stuff up now? I could have gone to my grave never knowing how weak and opportunistic my father and brother really were.
“I don’t want to talk about this anymore.”
Oskar nodded quickly and looked around the room as if it would give him a clue about what to do next. “Sure. Let’s talk about something else. Anything else.”
