“Better?” he asked.
She hesitated, then nodded. “Yeah.” She closed her eyes. “You?”
“Oh yeah.”
He waited, but she didn’t let go of his hand. She shifted closer, so their shoulders touched, then nestled in against his chest, her nose pressed to his collarbone. She was asleep in under a minute, her breathing deep and even.
He stayed awake for a while, staring at the ceiling, listening to the sounds of the taverna below, the distant laughter, the clink of glasses, the occasional burst of music. Life going on, uncaring, while all their world was coming apart.
He didn’t know how they were going to save Sabin. He didn’t know what Praetorian would do when they found out the job was a bust. He didn’t know how to fix any of it.
But he knew he’d go through hell for the woman asleep in his arms if it meant keeping her safe.
He tightened his arms around Vivi and pulled her closer, letting himself finally surrender to exhaustion.
twenty
The soundof thunder woke Dom from a dead sleep, and he was aware of several things at once: pale morning light cutting through the thin curtain, Vivi’s hair against his throat, her hand fisted loosely in his shirt, the warm weight of her pressed against his side.
For about three seconds, the world was very simple and very good.
Then he registered the sound again. Not thunder. Boots on the stairs outside their door. Lots of them.
Fuck.
The door banged open with enough force to rattle the cheap prints on the wall. Dom was on his feet in an instant, hand reaching for his non-existent weapon, before his brain caught up with his eyes.
Not a threat.
Family.
His family.
Griffin stood in the doorway, taking up most of it with his broad shoulders, while Davey pushed past him into the cramped room. Behind them came the others—Elliot, Liam, Bridger,Weston, and Tessa—a flood of familiar faces that made Dom’s chest tighten in a way he hadn’t expected.
“Took you fuckers long enough,” he said, voice rough with relief.
“Says the asshole who went and got himself kidnapped.” Griffin crossed the room in two strides and pulled Dom into a bone-crushing hug, slapping his back hard enough to hurt. “First Elliot in Antarctica and now this? How many more times
When Griff released him, Weston all but tackled him.
Elliot rolled his eyes, but then also pulled Dom into a hard hug when Weston let go. “Scared us, bro.”
Bridger’s calm nod couldn’t hide the smile tugging at his mouth. Even Liam, who rarely touched anyone, bumped his fist against Dom’s in silent greeting.
“Seriously, cuz,” Weston said, his grin not quite covering the worry in his eyes. “A little warning next time you decide to get kidnapped by an international paramilitary organization.”
“I’ll pencil it into my calendar,” Dom replied, the weight on his shoulders lightening with each second they were there. He hadn’t realized until this moment how much he’d needed them—the sight and sound and smell of them filling the too-small space with warmth and safety.
Vivi stood at the edge of the bed, arms crossed over her chest, watching the reunion with eyes that gave nothing away. She’d changed into jeans and a simple black top, hair pulled back in a loose knot at the nape of her neck. No makeup. No artifice. Just Vivi, tense and beautiful and distinctly separate from the chaos around her.
Elliot spotted her first. He crossed to her side and slung an arm around her shoulders, pulling her into the circle with the casual ease of someone who either didn’t notice or didn’t care about her barriers.
“Good to see you, Vivi,” he said, giving her shoulders a quick squeeze. “Don’t worry, the cavalry’s idiotic, but effective.”
A small, reluctant smile tugged at her mouth. “I’m counting on it.”
“We all want Sabin back,” Weston added. “He’s one of us, and now, so are you.”
