Remmi
Falcon and the others are hanging back at my cottage when Wire and I make it back there. Wire holds my hand the whole way, with Wolfie bouncing happily around us. The two police cars outside my front window hold the culprits in the back seat, with two officers watching them. Officer Evans and Samuels are waiting for us as we walk in, and they are ready to take our statements.
Wire grabs me a glass of iced tea and offers the same to the police officers. “Remmi, just tell them what you know and be as detailed as possible,” he says.
I start from the moment Wolfie alerted me to a problem. I explain how I stayed hidden, and what I heard and saw from beginning to end. The officers ask questions, and I answer as best I can. Officer Evans is patient, and Officer Samuels takes down everything I’m saying and continues to let me know how well I’m doing throughout the process.
When I’m done, Wire helps me out of my chair. “Go pack a bag. Bring enough for a few days, at least. A week would be better. Once I’m done, we’ll head over to my place. If you can grab Wolfie’s things, it would be a big help, beautiful.”
I look at him curiously. “I won’t freak out, you know.”
“It’s not about that.”
“Honest?”
“I said it before, but I’ll repeat myself. You’re stronger than you know, and I believe in you. I want to get this done, take you home, and get us settled. We have more to talk about, and not just about what happened here today. It has to do with my work and the next project we’re taking on. If I thought you were weak, I wouldn’t even consider telling you. We’re partners, and I’m not going to hide shit from you,” Wire says.
I kiss his cheek and murmur in his ear, “Thank you, honey.” I leave him to speak with Officers Evans and Samuels while I collect what I need. When I look at the stuffed bag and another tote full of toiletries, it seems that I needed more than I thought. I’m wondering what to do about the commitment to the shops I supply. I have enough stock to fill this month’s orders, but I’ll be way behind if I have to be away for a week. I open my laptop and scan the emails. The more I read, the more overwhelmed I feel. I’ve got to keep working to meet the orders.
“Ready, babe?”
I look over the laptop to see Wire standing in the doorway. “Will you have time to drop me off in the morning? I could call an Uber if you don’t. Can I bring Wolfie with me?” I ask, my mind whirling a mile a minute.
“What for?” Wire steps closer, concerned.
“I promised to get these orders to my customers. I have obligations. I should be staying back and packing up what I have and getting the deliveries out for this month.” I’m rambling, but I always do when I’m coming up with a plan. “It’ll take me a couple of hours to pack and label my orders for the month. If I get right back to the wheel, I should be able to make three or four more pieces, and that will finish off the Reitmans’ order. I’ll pop them in the kiln, and?—”
“Remmi, you’re getting wound up again,” Wire says gently.
“This is my business. If you piss off your customers, they don’t come back.”
“True, but you don’t have to do it alone.”
“I’m a one-woman operation. There’s no one else.” I give a little shrug. “Maybe one day I could hire an assistant, but it won’t be for a while.”
“Maya is off for the summer. She can come with you tomorrow, and if you show her how, I bet she could get your shipping orders done for you. That’ll free up your time up to do more of your pottery. In a day or two, I’m going to have a wheel and a kiln installed at my house. That way, it won’t matter where we are. You can work when you need to,” he says with a smile.
“You’re getting a wheel and a kiln? For me?”
“Yeah, babe. I want you with me as much as possible. I like your place, but I love my place. I think you’ll like it too, and it’s safer. We’ll come up with a plan that works for the short term, but if all goes well, I want you to stay with me, and that includes all the things you love coming with you too.”
I leap off the edge of the bed and jump right into his arms. Wire’s quick and catches me as I wrap my legs around his waist and my arms around his neck, and I press my lips to his for a hard, demanding, urgent kiss that has our tongues dueling. Our bodies press so tightly together that the heat from our connection could start a raging fire.
When he tears his mouth from mine, he stares into my eyes, and I lose myself in his smoky gray ones. “Christ, baby! That mouth of yours was made for me.”
A warm, gushy feeling spreads through my belly. He likes the way I kiss, and I love everything about Wire.
Wire
There’s nothing I’d rather do more than lower Remmi onto the bed and give us both what we want, but nothing comes before her well-being, and that means getting her to my house and keeping her safe. The security at Remmi’s place has been breached, and it’ll take me a couple of days to replace the door and get more cameras set up.
Remmi hasn’t kept her feelings for me a secret, and it’s one of the things I love about her. I made the decision earlier that, once we’re back at my house, I’m going to tell her about the next job Storm is going to do. It’s not that I want or need her approval, but I’ve noticed that Rebel, Phoenix, and Bull are open with their women about our missions. Of course, anything that’s classified or what Falcon considers confidential or could be a potential leak is kept within the team.
Falcon texted to let me know that the team decided that Maria and Franco need us. He’s also advised us to keep their names quiet. As far as the women in our lives know, we’re rescuing a mother and son from a potentially dangerous situation.
I’m looking forward to what will happen after my conversation with Remmi. She’s been giving me all the signs that she’s ready for more in our relationship, and I’m going to take us there. I’ll tread carefully and let her set the pace, but if that kiss is anything to go by, I’m going to be buried deep inside her tonight.
I grab our bags and drop them in the back of the truck. Wolfie hops in first, with Remmi beside him. He barks excitedly when it’s time to go for a ride and has been like that since he was a pup. Remmi laughs as Wolfie crowds her next to the door, wanting to stick his head out the window.
