“Good. She’s a great person. Gabe is a lucky man.”
He brushed his thumb over the crest of her cheek.And I’m lucky as hell too.
“God, you’re so beautiful.”
A fresh pink blush bloomed under his thumb. She settled her hand over his where it lay along her cheek.
“You’re not so bad either.”
They shared a grin that left him with no doubt she was thinking about being in his bed. Before he could do anything remotely like ripping off her clothes and wrecking the straight lines they spent so much time mapping out in the dirt, Felicity appeared at the edge of the garden.
Fern immediately stepped out of his arms, and he let her go, squeezing her hand once. When she tossed a look back at him, her eyes were shining with that same joy he’d seen when she looked at the garden.
He watched her bounce over to Felicity, already chatting about the garden plan.
He watched her for a beat, trying to force back the feelings rising inside him, as thick and disorienting as fog. Connecting with a woman hadn’t been on his radar, and he wanted to shirk all his other obligations—to his sister, his friends and even the Black Heart Security team—to spend more time with her. But that wasn’t an option while she was still being threatened.
Each step he took toward the security office, his mind shifted away from tender looks and passionate touches…to all-out war.
By the time he entered the conference room, his hands were balled into fists at his sides.
Some of the Malones were out of the office on various security details, but Gray, Theo and Colt were here, along with Decker, a former vet from the program and a man Crew called friend.
Decker’s hand was planted on the table, and he leaned over his wife, Willow. She looked up at Crew’s entrance, and the energy instantly grew charged.
Gray nodded toward the chairs, but Crew was too keyed up to sit. He gripped the back of the chair at the foot of the table.“We should get the police to pay a visit to Fern’s ex,” he said without preamble.
His announcement was met with a throb of silence. Then Theo grunted. “Great minds, man. I already made the call.”
His chest inflated. “And?”
“They’re on their way now. In about…” he glanced at his watch, “ten minutes, we’re going to know if he is at home or in Willowbrook stalking Fern.”
It took more effort to breathe than it should. Crew had felt a lot of things in his life—devastation, grief and guilt being a few. But he’d never felt this all-consuming rage scorching through his entire body.
“If it is her ex, you need to know I’m going to put a stop to it any way I see fit.” His jaw popped from gnashing out the words.
Willow exchanged a look with Decker, her brow furrowed.
Decker pulled out a chair, the legs scraping on the hardwood, and dropped into it. “You should sit too, Crew.”
He considered the request for a beat before he huffed out a breath and sank into a chair. Bracing his forearms on the table, he leaned forward. “While we’re waiting for the cops to reach Fern’s ex, let’s talk about me working with the team.”
Another silence crashed over the group, this time louder and thicker than before.
Gray eyed him. “You deserve to be here, Crew. But are you sure you’re ready for it? You get in the trenches, you gotta be prepared to fight.”
“I’m ready.” Until now, being here was all about feeling normal. But protecting Fern couldn’t feel more right. He wasn’t sure if his decision would be worthy of the veterans board, but it felt like the right step for him.
He met Gray’s stare, bearing his scrutiny for a solid minute.
Finally, as though he’d come to some conclusion based on what he saw in Crew’s expression, Gray nodded. “He’s good.”
Colt’s brow ratcheted up. “You sure, Crew? There’s no shame in letting us take the reins. We’re trained—”
“I’m trained too, dammit. I want in. I want to know if the ex even farts.”
Gray’s lips twitched. Theo chuckled outright. Colt sat back, a smile on his face and respect in his eyes. And Decker and Willow traded a grin.
