Rough Edges

by Shannon K. Butcher

  Human.

  She realized then that she’d held him to a higher standard. She’d expected him to be perfect. Infallible. Now, seeing him lying there, a broken man, she knew she was just as imperfect. Maybe worse.

  She believed him when he said that he’d gotten involved with the Threshold Project in order to make the world a better place. Making kids faster, stronger, smarter . . . those were all good things. She could see how someone like Stynger could convince others that science was a magic bullet curing all the world’s ills. Someone like Payton could take children from sad, desperate lives and give them a fighting chance.

  She knew that everything he’d done since abandoning the project had been done with the aim of fixing his mistakes, as well as those of others. But there were too many to fix. The ripples of their actions were far greater than one man could ever hope to calm. It was unfair of her to think he could work magic, just because he’d always seemed like such a magician to her. He’d swooped in and fixed all of her problems, saving her from a life behind bars for murder, giving her a career and a thriving business.

  Bella took his hand in hers. “You did the best you could. That’s all any of us can do.”

  And just like that, she forgave him for what he’d done to her all those years ago, just as she forgave Lila for the things she did in order to save her son.

  With those burdens gone, Bella felt light. Strong. Ready to clean up the mess Stynger had left behind and start restoring broken lives.

  If anyone knew how to make that happen, it was Bella.

  “We have to move you now, sir,” said one of the medics.

  “Victor first,” Payton croaked.

  “He’s already gone, sir, just like you said. The next chopper is yours.”

  Payton had insisted that Victor leave first? That was one more debt of gratitude she had to pay.

  “Let’s get you out of here and all sewed up,” she said. “You and I have a lot of work to do to clean up the mess Stynger left behind.”

  “I promised you my resignation.”

  “You can shove that up your ass, mister. You’re too young to retire and leave me to do all the work. I need you.”

  Payton squeezed her hand and nodded. “Yes, ma’am.”

  Chapter Forty-eight

  Mother was dead.

  Jordyn should have felt some kind of grief or loss at the news, but all she could find inside herself was a kind of numb sense of relief. There would be no more experiments. No more suffering. No more White Room.

  Jordyn had never been a free woman before. She had no clue what to do first. The only thing she knew was she needed to see Gage and thank him for helping her escape.

  He was sitting up in his hospital bed, looking far healthier than the last time she’d seen him. There was color to his complexion, and a brightness in his eyes that hadn’t been there before.

  He saw her hovering in the doorway and welcomed her in with a twitch of his fingers. “You’re okay?” he asked.

  “You’re the one who got hurt. Not me. How are you?”

  “Recovering.” His eyes slid over her frame, resting for a second on her stomach. “You?”

  “I’m healthy.” She paused, uncertain of how to proceed. “We both are.”

  He nodded slowly. Some of the tension riding along his shoulders sloughed off. “What now?”

  “I guess I’m going to find an apartment. Get a job. I’ve never had those things before. I’m not entirely sure if I have the proper credentials to do much of anything. Mother taught me everything I know, which makes it suspect.”

  “What do you want to do?”

  “Help the people Mother hurt. I know her work. With the right facilities and supplies, I think I could develop a protocol to undo the damage she did.”

  “A cure?”

  “It won’t be as simple as a pill or anything, but yes. I think I can help cure them.”

  “That gives you clout.”

  She laughed at the thought of having any kind of power. “I’ve already had several offers of help from various authorities, and while I’m inclined to listen to their advice, I really don’t want a bunch of people telling me what do to. I’ve had enough of that to last a lifetime.”

  “I understand.” He sounded sad, almost dejected.

  “You want me to get involved with them?” she asked, genuinely confused.

  “Not them. Me.”

  She paused, trying to make sense of his words. It sounded like he wanted some kind of relationship with her, but that couldn’t possibly be true. Not after what Mother did to him—basically raping him. “What do you mean?”

  His mouth tightened for a second. His eyes closed. He looked like he was revving himself up for something, but she had no idea what it might be.

  “I want to be there for you. And the baby. If you’re keeping it.”

  She’d spent all of ten seconds considering her options, and there was only one possible path for her. “I am. But that in no way obligates you. I know this wasn’t your idea. You didn’t even get to have any fun making the child. I have no expectations around your involvement.”

  “Then you should start. Because I’m going to be involved.”

  She nodded, accepting his decision. A huge sense of relief fell over her, weakening her knees. “I don’t know how to be a good mother,” she admitted. “It’ll be helpful for our child to have at least one parent who knows what he’s doing.”

  “You could come live with me. Let me take care of you two.”

  The idea of being with this man thrilled her, but she knew better than to give in. “I need some time to live on my own. To be independent.”

  “Will you see me?” he asked.

  “I don’t know where you live or if my apartment will be close enough to see you.”

  He grinned. “No. Will you spend time with me? Date me?”

  A thrill fluttered through her. “Oh. Yes. But just because I’m pregnant with your offspring doesn’t mean we have to become romantically involved.”

  “You don’t want that?” he asked, sounding hurt.

  Jordyn didn’t understand relationships with men beyond work. She knew that women sometimes played games and were secretive and coy, but she had no idea how to manage those things, so she settled for the truth. “I want that more than just about anything.”

  “Then it’s settled. We’ll date. See how it goes.”

  “What if you hate me?”

  “I won’t.”

  “What if I hate you?”

  “I’ll try harder. For our kid. He deserves two parents.” He held out his hand to her.

  She took it, letting him tug her close to the bed.

  “Not close enough,” he said, pulling harder on her hand until she had no choice but to climb up beside him.

  He slid his arm around her and held her close against his side. The warmth of his body sank into her, easing some of the fear she hadn’t even realized she’d been carrying. Her whole life was ahead of her—this bright, shiny, terrifying new world. And it thrilled her.

  His fingers stroked her arm, soothing her as if he knew how much she needed his touch. “Everything will be fine,” he promised.

  “How do you know?”

  “Because we’ll make it that way. Together.”

  That was the moment when Jordyn knew that he was right. Everything was going to be fine. There was no doubt in her mind that she could grow to love a man like Gage. She had no delusions that their road would be smooth or straight, but they were inextricably bound now, and while it wasn’t her choice, she was glad that if she was bound to anyone, it was a man as honorable and good as Gage.

  She had a family now—a real one. Maybe it didn’t look like a normal one, but she, Gage and their child would make this bright, shiny, terrifying new world their own.


  She squeezed his hand. “If you keep saying things like that, I’m going to fall in love with you.”

  He grinned and kissed the top of her head. “Good.”

  Chapter Forty-nine

  Bella had been scared before, but never had the stakes been so high.

  Victor’s surgery had saved his life, but the bullets he’d taken for her had done a lot of damage. If not for his body armor, he would have been dead. She’d been wearing none, which meant that he’d saved her life yet again.

  He’d been under anesthesia for hours, and had slipped into a coma shortly after they’d closed him up. He’d lost too much blood on the way to the hospital. If Payton hadn’t given up his seat on the chopper, Victor wouldn’t have made it this far.

  It was one more debt she owed Payton.

  The hospital staff had tried to shoo her away, but she refused to budge. She’d gone as far as showering and changing her bloody clothes, but those were all the concessions they had. She wasn’t leaving until he was awake and asked her to leave.

  His parents had rushed here, flying home early from a European vacation. They had stayed by his side for more than a day before leaving to find a hotel room so they could get a nap.

  A flood of people called until she finally shut her phone off completely. More people sent flowers and cards. A few tried to stop by, but there was a contingent of Edge employees stationed outside the doors that kept them and their germs away.

  Bella wasn’t taking any more risks with Victor’s life. He was far too precious for that.

  She held his limp hand, wondering how she’d ever gotten by without him. She couldn’t even picture her life without him now. When she tried, it was a bleak, desolate place where nothing made any sense. He was the first thing she thought about in the morning and the last thing she thought about when she closed her eyes. Her dreams were filled with him in between.

  “It’s time to wake up now,” she told him for the hundredth time. “We have a mission to complete. All of Stynger’s files were there in the lab. We know the names of everyone she’s ever hurt. We have to find them now. Help them.”

  As usual, he lay still and unresponsive.

  “She’s dead, Victor. She’s never going to hurt anyone ever again.” She stroked his hand. “Everyone is really worried about you. They need you to wake up now.” She felt her eyes sting with tears and had to bite her lip to fight them off. “I need you to wake up. What we had . . . it was more than just sex. More than being good partners at work. I think we’d make good partners, period.” She stroked his hair away from his face. “I need you in my life. I want you there. No more fighting it. I love you, Victor.”

  His eyelids fluttered. His fingers tightened around hers.

  Excitement rolled through her, driving her from her chair. “Victor? Can you hear me?”

  He nodded, and moved his mouth like he was trying to speak. Nothing came out, so she poured him some water and lifted it to his lips.

  He drank a few sips before letting his head fall back to the pillow.

  “About damn time,” he whispered.

  “Time for what?”

  “That you admit you love me.” He pinned her with a clear blue gaze, and she could see her love returned. He loved her too. “Say it again.”

  “I love you,” she admitted, letting the power of those words strengthen her resolve. She’d been afraid of those words for far too long. Saying them now set her free. They made her whole again.

  “In that case, I quit,” he said.

  She eased back, hurt trickling in. “What? Why does everyone suddenly want to quit?”

  “Your strict no-fraternization policy is a problem. So I quit. Because I plan on fraternizing with you a lot. As often as possible. For as long as you’ll have me.”

  She grinned. “You’re on. Once the stitches are out, we’ll fraternize like bunnies. But I reject your resignation outright.”

  “What about your policy?”

  “I’m changing it. Everyone breaks the fucking rule anyway. Might as well give up and do what all the cool kids are doing.”

  He pulled her down to sit on the edge of the bed. “My parents are going to hate you,” he said with a grin.

  “I’ve already met them. And for the record, they love me.”

  “Do they know you’re always armed?”

  “I already promised to show your dad my gun collection. He’s going to be so jealous. Your mom said I could teach her how to shoot.”

  “You’re lying,” he said in disbelief.

  “I am not. They’ll be back in a few minutes and you can ask them yourself.”

  He let out a small laugh, shaking his head. “Of course you won them over. You win at everything you do.”

  “I do. And my sights are turned on you, Temple. I love you and plan to keep you, so get used to the idea.”

  “I’ll consider myself warned. And for the record, I loved you first.”

  Bella laughed and snuggled up beside him, being careful of his wounds. She was sure now that he would recover fully. He was far too strong a man to do anything else. Especially with her taking care of him.

  She didn’t know where they were going from here or how they’d get there, but she knew without a doubt that they’d do it together. Forever.

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