Rules of Bennett: The Complete Collection

by Ember Michaels

  “So…what, about three or four days?” I asked, disregarding what he just said.

  He shook his head. “Sir, your wife was shot. She’s in the best place for her to be in after what she’s gone through.”

  “The best place for her to be is at home where there are men that will die for her to protect her,” I said, turning to face him. “I will give you a week, only because I want to make sure she’ll be okay enough to come home.”

  “Mr. Moreno—”

  “That isn’t negotiable,” I stated firmly. “Now can I please have a few minutes alone with her, please?”

  He stared at me for a short moment before he sighed deeply, stalking out of the room. I walked over to Aurora and took her hand in mine, bringing it to my lips as I closed my eyes. Her skin was still warm, her chest softly rising and falling with each breath she took. I couldn’t help but to be overwhelmed with emotion as I kissed her knuckles.

  “You scared the shit out of me, woman,” I murmured with a light chuckle. “I thought I lost you.”

  I opened my eyes and took in her beautiful features. I couldn’t help but to think of how different this moment would’ve been if Savannah hadn’t been there. If that woman had timed her attack at a time that Savannah wasn’t nearby, I would’ve been standing over my wife’s dead body right now. So many things could’ve went wrong today, but I couldn’t help but to be grateful that she was still here.

  “I promise you they’ll pay for this, baby,” I murmured as I stroked the top of her hand. “Savannah’s death won’t be in vain.”

  I’d admit it; Alec hit me where he knew it would hurt. But he didn’t just hurt me; he also devastated my second in command, who was just as hungry for blood as I was. Now the ball was in my court. It was time for us to be strategic, to learn more about our opponent so that they felt the same pain and loss that we were currently dealing with.

  We were officially at war, and now the monster I’d tried so hard to keep away was back with a vengeance.

  And I was ready to burn anyone who was against me.

  AURORA

  The doctors said it was survivor’s guilt, but it all felt the same to me.

  I lay in bed with tears in my eyes, staring at the wall. It’d been a week since the shooting, the guilt overwhelming me with each passing day. Her lifeless eyes staring up at the ceiling haunted my dreams, Bruce’s roar of grief echoed in the corners of my mind, and the scent of blood—all the fucking blood—was burned into my senses. It was like I woke up in my own personal hell that I couldn’t escape from because it was now my reality. My best friend and maid of honor was dead and the Russians would keep coming after me until I suffered the same fate as well.

  A light knock on the doorframe sounded. I glanced over my shoulder to see Bennett entering the room with a bouquet of white roses, a small smile on his face. I winced as I rolled over onto my back, blinking away the tears that sat in my eyes.

  “Hey, gorgeous,” he murmured as he walked over to me, kissing me gently.

  “I’m pretty sure I’m not gorgeous right now, but I’ll take your word for it,” I said with a small smile.

  “Every day that you’re alive will keep you gorgeous in my eyes,” he said. “How are you feeling?”

  I shrugged, looking down at my hands. “The same as I’ve felt since everything happened,” I mumbled. “Full of guilt.”

  He put the flowers with the rest of the bouquets and balloons I’d received over the week on the other side of the room before coming back over to me, taking my hand into his. “I know it’s easy to feel responsible for what happened, but that wasn’t on you.”

  After being in the hospital for the past week, I’d had nothing but time to think about what’d happened. There were so many things I wish I’d done differently, wondering if it would’ve changed the outcome. But the bottom line was that neither Bennett or I were expecting a woman to try to take me out. There was nothing about the woman that’d stood out as someone to be fearful of. She was trying on dresses just as I was. She didn’t look out of place or suspicious, so much so that I hardly even remembered what she looked like. I’d only glanced her way when she’d commented on my dress, not even paying much attention to her to be able to identify her later. Besides, the only other outcome in that situation would’ve meant that I would’ve been dead instead, no one winning in the end.

  “I know that, but I just can’t seem to get my mind to accept that,” I whispered as tears burned my eyes. Those bullets were meant for me. They would’ve killed me had she not acted when she did. I could still feel the way she stiffened against me when she noticed the danger we were in. The way she screamed in warning still played on repeat in my nightmares.

  “Hey, look at me,” Bennett murmured, cupping my face in his hands. “You didn’t kill her; Alec did. I know it’s hard, but I’m not sorry that you’re still here. I don’t know what I would’ve done if I would’ve lost you, babe.”

  “I just…”

  “It’s not your fault, baby,” he whispered, kissing the trails my tears left behind. “It’s not your fault.”

  “I know. I miss her. It shouldn’t have been her,” I said, more so to myself.

  “I know you do, but we’ll get through this. Shit like this happens in this life. It fucking sucks, but it comes with the job. Alec will pay for this, but my main concern is getting you better.” He kissed my forehead. “The doctor has cleared you to come home to finish your recovery. We already have a room and medical staff ready for you in the bunker.”

  Movement near the door caught my eye, Bruce walking past the door opening. I hadn’t been able to bring myself to talk to him. He was now the new member of the “lost loves” club that was once only occupied by Bennett and Saint. Even though I hadn’t said anything to him, he hadn’t said anything to me either—to anyone, really, according to Bennett.

  “I bet he hates me,” I whispered.

  Bennett looked over his shoulder, frowning when he didn’t see anyone. “Who?”

  “Bruce.” I sighed. “It’s like he’s been avoiding me. He hasn’t come in the room all week.”

  Bennett shook his head. “He’s just grieving, babe. He’s angry and hurt in general, not angry with you.”

  I looked out of the doorway. I knew I needed to talk to him. We both loved Savannah, and I needed him to know that he didn’t have to deal with the grief of losing her alone. “Can you ask him to come here please?” I finally asked.

  Bennett nodded and stepped away, going out into the hallway. After a few moments, he and Bruce stepped into the room. I used to think that Bruce was the polar opposite of Bennett, both of them together making them an unstoppable force. It was why he was perfect for being Bennett’s second-in-command. Whereas Bennett was quick to anger and impulsive, Bruce was the calm, logical one. He was the gentle giant until he needed to be the muscle, always respectful of women and children. I couldn’t remember a time where I’d seen Bruce angry outside of work situations, so it was daunting to be able to see the anger radiating off of him as he stared at me.

  I swallowed the lump forming in my throat, wondering if I was making the right decision of talking to him now. Bennett moved back over to my side and kissed my forehead, grounding me in the presence.

  “You needed something, Boss Lady?” Bruce asked, his voice tight.

  I looked up at Bennett and gave him a small smile. “Can you give us a moment, please?”

  “You sure?” he asked with a raised brow, and I nodded. He looked at me for a short moment before he sighed. “All right. I’ll go check on your discharge progress.”

  I waited until he’d walked out and closed the door behind him before turning my attention back to Bruce. He looked at me without a word, his stance tense as he stood at the foot of my bed. A scowl had made a permanent place on his face, his eyes hard as he waited for me to speak.

  “I won’t ask stupid questions and ask how you are, because I’m sure you’re not okay,” I started. “I just…I’m
sorry.”

  His frowned deepened. “For what? You didn’t kill her,” he said, his voice clipped.

  “I didn’t, but she’s dead because she took bullets that were meant for me,” I said, my voice thick with regret.

  He ran a hand down his face and sighed. “Second to Bennett, you’re the most important part of this organization. Whether it was her or one of us, we vowed to protect you with our lives. She did what she was supposed to do, especially as your best friend. Her death isn’t on you; it’s on the Russians. And every day we don’t go after those fucks is putting me more and more on edge.”

  He rolled his shoulders as he blew out a breath, trying to contain the anger bubbling within him. Even though Bennett wanted to focus on my recovery, I wanted revenge. I wanted Alec to hurt as much as we were hurting. He needed to know the pain that came with snatching away innocence. This attack was highly personal. I knew the life I signed up for when I became a member of La Fedeltá, but Savannah didn’t sign up for this. In fact, she didn’t sign up for any of this shit, ending up here because she’d tried to protect me.

  And she protected me to the very end.

  “We’ll deal with them. I’ll personally see to that,” I said, strength lacing my words. And I would. Savannah had my back from the very beginning, putting herself in danger on my behalf. I could never repay her for the things she’d done for me, even before we’d come here. She’d been in my life for so long that it was hard to imagine a life without her. She was my very first friend I’d made when I reached South Carolina all those years ago, stripped of my identity and without my parents. She was there for all the high and low moments, being the supportive, comforting light that she was.

  I still couldn’t believe she was gone.

  “I miss the hell out of her,” Bruce murmured. I looked over at him, my chest tightening as tears brimmed his eyes. “I can’t even sleep in my room because I feel her everywhere, smell her everywhere. And every time I walk past the kitchen, I keep waiting for her to pop out of nowhere for me to try some new concoction she made but…she’s gone.”

  Tears rolled down my cheeks as I listened to the grief that spilled from his lips. He swiped away a tear that managed to fall and cleared his throat. “She loved you so much,” I said with a sad smile. Bruce was all Savannah could talk about sometimes. I remembered when she first told me that she’d planned on staying if I were to leave, wanting to be with Bruce. In the many years I’d known her, I’d never seen her as happy as she was when she was with him. I always knew she was in good hands with him, and seeing how much her loss affected him broke my heart into a million pieces.

  “I know. I loved her just as much.” His lips tipped up in a small smile. “I’d planned on asking you after that dress appointment for permission to propose to her after the wedding. I’d even wanted to get your opinion of the ring I’d picked for her.”

  “Oh Bruce,” I cried, pain radiating across my stomach as I sobbed. It just wasn’t fucking fair. As if I didn’t have enough guilt, knowing what he’d planned to do drove the knife in deeper. Bennett rushed into the room, his eyes wide as he looked at me and Bruce.

  “Baby, what’s wrong?” he asked as he quickly came to my side, taking my hands into his. I couldn’t even get the words out, unable to stop crying once the tears started. He looked to Bruce. “What the fuck happened?”

  “We were talking about Savannah,” Bruce answered. “I wasn’t trying to upset her.”

  Bennett sighed deeply before turning his attention back to me. “I need you to calm down before you hurt yourself, gorgeous.”

  “I’m so sorry, Bruce,” I sobbed, clutching Bennett’s arm as he hugged me. Bruce looked at me with sympathetic eyes.

  “It’s not your fault, Aurora. Alec will get what he deserves,” he said.

  “He will,” Bennett agreed with a nod, kissing my forehead. “But I need you to relax, babe. I don’t need you hurting yourself right before we go home.”

  A nurse entered the room with the doctor on her heels. “Everything okay in here? Her heart rate spiked on the monitor,” the nurse said as she came over to check on the leads on Aurora’s chest.

  The doctor watched the monitor for a moment before looking to Bennett. “I’m still not certain if sending her home right now is the best idea—”

  “No,” I said in between breaths. “I need to go home. Now.” I looked to Bennett. “We deal with him now. He doesn’t get to walk around untouched while we’re hurting.”

  Bennett frowned. “We need to get you better first—”

  “Fuck that!” I screamed. “This is personal now, Bennett. So personal that I’m going to be orchestrating the plan myself.”

  I’d expected an argument, some kind of pushback from him with some bullshit about me needing to focus on my recovery. Ever since I woke up, he’d always dismiss my questions when I asked about his plans for Alec, claiming that he wanted me to get better first so that he’d have “one less thing to worry about.” But instead, a small grin pulled at his lips as he nodded.

  “I can respect that, gorgeous.”

  “I need you to understand that, Bennett. I’m not just talking out of my ass here. This is my situation that I’m dealing with fully. Mine,” I stated firmly, hot tears rolling down my cheeks.

  “And I support that 100%. We will do whatever you deem fit,” he said, nodding again. “Just…calm down. I can’t get you home if you hurt yourself.”

  I released a deep breath, the pain now pushing to the forefront as I tried to relax into the bed. I squeezed my eyes and forced myself to take deep breaths, the pain increasing with each breath I took. “Fuck,” I hissed.

  “What’s your pain level from zero to ten, Mrs. Moreno?” the nurse asked.

  “Twenty,” I ground out.

  “I’ll grab your pain medicine for you. It’s a little overdue anyway,” she said before slipping out of the room.

  “Well, if she insists on going home, then I’ll discharge her to your care with a list of instructions,” the doctor said to Bennett with a sigh. “I’ll also be sending these instructions to the home health team that’ll be taking over her care in the interim.”

  I tuned their conversation out as I bit my lip, trying not to cry out from the pain. I needed to get home. My mind raced with different ways to get back at Alec, but all it did was make me realize that we hardly knew anything about this man. He seemed to know Bennett’s weaknesses, which we were paying for dearly. When I was younger, my father used to tell me that emotions were a weakness in his line of business because the enemy could easily exploit it. Someone like Alec had to have people he cared about; everyone did.

  “Okay, here we are, ma’am,” the nurse said when she returned, working quickly to draw the medicine from two small vials before connecting the syringe to my IV line. “This is morphine again.”

  I’ll figure out who holds your heart before I rip it out, I mentally promised, just as the morphine washed through my system and took me under with it.

  Being home was harder than I thought it would be.

  It was hard being in the house knowing that Savannah wasn’t here anymore. She was always the first person to greet me whenever I’d come back home, the house feeling eerily cold with her absence. Her body had been cremated while I was in the hospital, the guys waiting until I returned home to have a memorial service for her. We were all gathered in the living room, each of us holding lit candles in silence. Bennett pushed my wheelchair to the front of the room and parked me beside the table that Savannah’s urn sat on. Fresh tears burned my eyes as I gazed at it, both angry and sad about how things ended for her.

  “Savannah was the anchor that kept me grounded in life,” I started, clearing my throat. “When I was forced to start a new life across the country, she was one of the very first people I met. She was there for me during so many monumental moments—my first heartbreak, my first engagement, making my first million dollars, having my first kid, and even when I got kidnapped by that ps
ycho.”

  Bennett smirked at me as everyone else chuckled. I sighed and looked back at the urn. “She was fiercely loyal and always so protective of her friends. I don’t know what I did to deserve such an amazing friend, but I’m so grateful to have had her in my life while I did.” I pressed my fingers to my lips before placing them on the urn. “I love you, Savannah. I’ll carry you with me always.”

  More people—mostly the women who worked with her—came up and spoke a few words. Tears filled my eyes as I listened to some women telling us how Savannah gave them hope of something better, how she made them laugh, and how she taught them how to make the best of their situation. Bennett put a comforting hand on my shoulder and squeezed as silent tears slipped down my cheek. She’d touched so many lives in the amount of time she’d been here, making something beautiful of an unfortunate situation.

  Bennett looked over to Bruce. “Want to say a few words, man?”

  “Not anything that I want to say in front of a room full of people,” he mumbled.

  Bennett nodded. “I understand,” he said. “Well, I didn’t get a chance to know her as well as everyone else did, but she meant a lot to my wife, which means that she was an important part of this organization. It’s tragic that we lost her, but Aurora and I will make sure that her death isn’t in vain. Long live Savannah.”

  “Long live Savannah,” echoed around the room before everyone slowly begin going back to their tasks, carrying on life as usual even though Savannah couldn’t. I remained next to the urn, taking in the beautiful floral designs that covered it.

  “Need a minute?” Bennett murmured.

  “Yes, please.”

  “Do you want to hold the meeting afterwards or do you need some time to unwind?”

  I continued staring at the urn. I wouldn’t let Alec get away with this. I didn’t want to spend another day knowing that Alec’s life was continuing on as usual, not a care or worry because he didn’t think he was in immediate danger.