“Heard y’all needed a pick-up,” she says, grinning.
The older kid’s eyes land on the little girl and widen, tears forming instantly. “Bella?” he asks, his voice warbling.
“Esteban!” she squeaks, popping up and racing to the steps, where she practically flies into his arms.
He finds Levy. “Where did you find my sister?”
Levy points to me. “He found her with one of the kidnappers.”
Still holding his sister, Esteban wraps an arm around me, sobbing into my chest, “Gracias, gracias, gracias.”
I look into Levy’s eyes, wordless, as I cup the back of this young man’s head. He taps his heart with two fingers. That’s two kids we saved together.
Still, we don’t have the luxury of time, and Esteban quickly shifts to helping us get the rest of the kids onto the bus. Just as the last kid is in place, a large SUV pulls up, and six operatives pile out. Hedy takes off, and Ant pulls his gun, quietly dispatching three operatives before they can react. Anders and Hopper fight over the other three and watching them work is a little too satisfying. I might need to talk to Hedy about that.
When they’re done, Hopper and Anders stand over Ant, shaking their heads.
“One of these days, we’re going to show you how to have fun with this, kid.”
“Oh, that was fun,” he says, smiling broadly.
“But you look so serious.”
He gestures a thumb in my direction. “It bothers those three if I look like I’m enjoying myself.”
I look behind me. Erik and Levy are standing there with their arms crossed.
Ant shrugs. “Gotta be careful with their delicate sensibilities.”
Grinning, I pull Levy to me and kiss his temple. “How are you doing? Was the blood too much?”
“Maybe it’s the company I’m keeping, but making bad guys bleed isn’t so bad. As long as I don’t think about it too much.”
Now that the coast is clear, we call Hedy back so Levy and Nacho can go with her and the kids to the retrofitted hospital. Hedy asks Esteban about his and Bella’s parents, who may still be local. She sends a quick notice to Wimberley, and they start looking into it.
I stand guard as the rest of the team picks through the bodies, looking for clues, grabbing cell phones and anything else that looks like it could be worth something. By the time we’re done, Charlie, who’s looked better, can walk on his own. We meet Hedy at the airstrip an hour later and quickly load up on the plane, ready to go back home.
Levy rests his head on my shoulder and his hand on my chest as we take off. In contrast with his excitement on the way down, Ant sits quietly in his seat, cross-legged with his hands resting on his knees, meditating. The slight tension that constantly runs under his skin is gone, and left in its place is peace.
Erik sits across from him, baldly staring at him, confusion marring his handsome features.
As we circle for the landing, Hedy’s voice comes over the PA, announcing that Esteban and Bella have already been reunited with their parents, who never left the area. Levy plants a huge kiss on my lips, and Ant acts like he’s going to throw up, but his eyes are far too happy for me to believe any of that. I don’t know Hedy that well, but I have a feeling that all the reunited families are about to get a major life upgrade.
Less important to those on the plane, she also announces that Parker calculates we’ve cost the semiconductor plant over a million dollars with this one operation alone. It’s not much for a multibillion-dollar company, but it’s a solid start.
25
LEVY
It’s close to three in the morning by the time we drop Erik and Ant at the bunkhouse and Nacho at his and Bram’s house. Bram is waiting on the front porch.
When Nacho reaches him, Bram grabs his chin, examining his face. Whatever Anders used was incredibly effective in putting Nacho’s face back together, but not perfect. Nacho stands a little straighter, and Bram kisses his face before pulling him inside the house.
My heart aches with the domesticity of it all.
Javier and I shower under the stars, at first exhausted but then unable to keep our hands off each other. We take advantage of the bench, and as I straddle his hips and sink down on his impressive cock, I can’t help but thank him for his foresight. The addition of shower lube was an especially thoughtful touch.
Moonlight illuminates and casts shadows on us as I slowly rise and fall, rolling my hips, cupping his sharp jaw, memorizing every line and strand of hair on his face. His hands mold themselves to my hips, his long fingers spread across my ass, our connection solid. Unshakable.
