“Then it’s your assignment to make us invisible. No footprint. And no hotdogging either.” Chase was good at being a leader, although we were definitely all alpha personalities.
“I can handle that.” Maverick studied me as he’d done since I got here.
“What?” I grilled.
“The question remains. What do you want to do with the Undertaker?”
I had two choices. I could either use the reprehensible thoughts that had lingered in my mind as a weapon, more powerful than holding cold, hard steel in my hand. Or I could take the high road, the one I’d taken an oath to protect and serve. The one my father had instilled in me through his harsh discipline, carried forward by orders received and followed in the Marines.
The choice shouldn’t be difficult.
But it was.
I headed toward the bar for a single refresh. It wasn’t that I needed courage or convincing. I’d surprised myself over the last thirty-six hours in how far I was willing to go to protect Valentina and her daughter. “One last time. We believe in the system.”
But God help the man and all those who provided assistance for any and all acts of crime.
If the system failed once again.
There would be hell to pay.
CHAPTER 19
Valentina
Doing nothing wasn’t like me at all.
My energy level was too high to just sit around. Plus, I was a nervous wreck, wringing my hands constantly.
The thought of losing Bella hadn’t been far from my mind.
Neither had Hudson’s possessiveness.
That had kept my nerves frayed and my hands shaking while I’d flitted around the house like a crack addict.
My love of keeping busy only had some to do with working two jobs and being a single mom. My parents had taught me the value of things as a young girl, which meant I’d worked very hard for every accomplishment. I’d had my first job as a babysitter when I was nine years old. At seventeen, I’d lied about my age to work at a bar to make ends meet.
While getting straight A’s in school and being on the track team. I’d also always had a love of books so when I had free time, Iwas usually curled up under a tree finishing a book every few days. Thank God for libraries as there would have been no way to afford my voracious appetite.
That’s why being inside Hudson’s house with only my sweet daughter as company kept me on edge. I didn’t belong here. As amazing as being with the generous man had been so far, our lives had collided for the wrong reason.
I’d managed to clean the kitchen so much you could eat off the floor and I’d vacuumed every inch of the house. That had taken me all of two hours, shockingly short and surprising. Hudson was extremely neat and organized. Just like he’d been in court.
While I hated to admit it, I’d spent time in his bedroom. Not snooping. Not exactly. Just being near him. I hadn’t wanted to admit it to the powerful man before he’d left early that morning, but after what had occurred the night before, I was frightened.
Accepting the reality of how I felt was also infuriating. I’d been through a hell of a lot, but I couldn’t lose sight that I’d done the right thing. At least with Tim remaining dutifully outside, I’d be able to breathe a little easier.
However, the longer Hudson was gone, the more my stomach churned from apprehension.
And my heart fluttered with need.
Even with the horror of facing a new nightmare, he’d managed to awaken the woman deep inside. She’d been searching for a hero. She’d found one.
The bedroom was filled with his rich, musky scent and as silly as it seemed, especially now, the smell comforted me. He’d left me explicit instructions, reminding me not to go outside, includingto the gorgeous beach. Of course, that had been the first thing my baby girl had asked to do, fulfilling that need all by herself. She was just like her mother. Stubborn.
Her tiny wish had reminded me that she’d been to the beach for fun only once in her life.
Once.
