Ash remained close to her but recognized that the women who cared about her needed to see with their own eyes that she was safe and whole.
When Opal spotted Ellory’s hands, the crease deepened between her eyes.
Archer stood slightly apart from Ellory, taking it all in, from the women to the warmth of the reunion. It was a lot to try to make sense of.
He’d be okay. Not tonight, but eventually.
As soon as they entered base, Ash took Ellory straight to her room and helped her shower and dress. Once she was warm in cozy sweats, he allowed himself a moment to let his guard relax.
“Christ, Ellory. Thank god we found you.”
She tipped her lips up to his, and he claimed them in a caress that formed a lump of emotion in his throat.
When they pulled apart, they were both unsteady.
He searched her face. “Four five nine.”
A smile ghosted at the edge of her lips. “Four five nine two.”
For a long beat, he struggled with what he knew he wanted to do and what he knew he had to.
He slanted a look at the bed. “As much as I’d love to curl up with you in my arms, I’m going to make sure you eat something first. Then…”
She grew even more serious. “Debrief.”
He compressed his lips and nodded. The meal was thrown together quickly. Before they took their seats, he drew Archer aside.
“I don’t want to overstep here, but I don’t know how long it’s been since you had a meal. We have a doctor on his way to check you and Ellory both out, and until then—”
The man’s stare settled on Ash, the same blue as his sister’s but full of shadows. “I’ll go easy on the food. This isn’t my first rodeo.”
Ash stared at him for a moment, then nodded. Ellory ate a little while favoring her thumbs.
As soon as Archer stood, so did Ellory. After pushing away from the table, Ash sent a pointed look at Izzy. She circled the table to his side.
“I need to join the team. Can you make sure she and her brother are seen by the doctor? Come get me if either of them needs to go to the hospital.”
Her warm brown eyes gleamed with concern. “Of course. I’ll take care of them, Ash.”
They all took their seats in the war room. No one immediately spoke as the magnitude of what they did tonight washed through them.
Con cleared his throat with a guttural noise that sounded like he was trying to dislodge some emotion from his throat.
Everyone looked at him.
“Cipher is dead.” The simple words struck all of them. Ash bowed his head and gave thanks that they’d made it out safe.
“The threat is over,” Con continued. “And even though there will always be another on the horizon, we made it through this one together. We had our share of trials…and we picked up a few extras along the way.”
A ripple of amusement threaded through the group.
He met Ash’s stare. “Ellory’s all right?”
“The doctor’s seeing her and Archer now.”
He gave a nod. “She’s strong. They both are. Before we debrief, I’d like to address Archer. He looks like he’s endured a lot. There’s a ranch in Wyoming, operated by Denver and his family.”
“The Black Heart Ranch,” Mason murmured.
