“Welcome to our life.” Damien winks at him before pressing our lips together. He kisses me softly, trying to pull me back into our moment. One of his hands drifts down to my stomach, and he presses his palm into my skin to feel our daughter’s movements. His face is more relaxed when he pulls away. “Now, you’re going to sit and feed my little girl while I tell you the plan. Then, we’ll go upstairs, just the two of us, and watch a movie while we eat some of the ridiculous amount of ice cream in our freezer.” I can’t help but giggle a little. “Then I’m going to hold you as we fall asleep, and then all day long, until it’s time for me to go. Okay?”
I give him a small smile, already feeling my eyes sting another time, but I hold it together as he steals one of the plates of foodand leads me to the dining table. Everyone else follows suit, gathering around the table to listen to the details. Victoria’s eyes stay locked on Damien, taking in every word like it’s gospel.
It’s a solid plan…and is shockingly quiet. They didn’t base it off of their normal ‘go ape shit’ tactics, and plan on using a stealthy approach. Zeke doesn’t seem to be too comfortable with the idea of all of them going out of town, but I feel safe with John here. Even if anything were to happen, I know he would give his life to protect us. Plus, Victoria is staying here, and while we don’t necessarily stand on the same hill, she’s a feisty little thing. Whoever is stupid enough to enter this house uninvited will pay the price, and I know we’re all capable of delivering it.
Twenty-four hours. We can do this. One more day. We waited for what felt like a lifetime for each other, and then we had to wait again. It’s just one more day. We can get through it. I know if he can complete this, it’ll open his mind up again. He needs this as much as Victoria does.Thisis how we begin to move forward. I just need to be strong, and knowing that he’ll always fight to be with me will give me that power. We’ll lean on each other, just like we should’ve done from the beginning. I trust he’ll make it back, just like he’ll put his trust in me to stay safe.
I just hope we don’t regret it.
Chapter 20
Damien
The Next Day
The moment the plane door opens, I can breathe again. Flying has never bothered me before now, but my nerves are in full throttle, reminding me of what I have to lose. It was a good day. I did exactly what I said and held my wife until Ihadto pull away. Well, apart from her having to pee so often, but I found it endearing—no matter how annoyed she got with herself.
I took every moment and made the most of it, studying her features like it was the first time. There are only so many freckles and eyelashes to count, and I’ve admired every inch of her facial structure a thousand times, but it’s never enough. I even ran the pad of my index finger over the bridge of her nose, just so I would get the curve right when I think of her. There isn’t a singlepart of her that I don’t adore, and I miss her the moment I avert my eyes. Being this far away is already driving me insane.
We went over the plan a few times, making sure she understood where I would be and what I would be doing. I tried to give her as close to a timeline as I could, but we both know that it won’t be exact. She settled for steps instead, more like a checklist, as a way for us both to cope. The first objective was getting here, and I texted her the moment we landed. So, we can cross that off, but there was one thing I forgot to add.
Seeing my cousin again.
“Oh, my God! Damien!” Danielle runs up to the boarding stairs, not even allowing me to step on the ground before she throws her arms around me. “I’m so happy to see you!”
“Yeah. You too, Dani.” I hug her back, squeezing just a little before pulling away and walking with her to the car. “I really appreciate you being here. I’m sorry it took me so long to get back to business.”
She just shrugs and flicks my arm, messing with me.
“Oh, it’s been fine. I just took it as a little vacation. Are you doing okay?” she asks not-so-subtly. Her elbow nudges mine, like she can’t resist touching me in some way, and I can already feel the annoyance coursing through my veins.
“Better.” I keep it vague, not wanting to worry the cousin with the loudest mouth. The rest of the family would be in my inbox in a matter of minutes if she knew the truth, and I’m not ready to open that chaotic door yet. I almost forgot how talkative she is, and while I have missed her, I’m trying to keep my eyes on the mission.
“What about Ashia? I’ve texted her a few times, but she didn’t answer. How is she doing? You know, me, Lauren, Mel, and Sarah were all trying to plan a shower for you both, but we weren’t sure if Ser—”
“Dani.” I turn sharply and hold her shoulders in my hands, barely able to stop myself from snapping. “I love you, but I need to focus right now. We can talk about it on the plane ride home.”
“Oh. Oh, yeah. Got it.” She smiles a little too wide and then hops into the SUV’s driver seat. I get in the back with Zeke and Alex, hiding my face behind tinted windows while Carter starts up his laptop. It’s crucial that he cuts the security at just the right time, giving us the ability to get in without alerting them to our presence. That’s if he can get into it, of course.
“How long is the ride from our location to the mansion?” Alex asks, already looking out of the windows like they’re watching us.
“Thirty minutes with the route we need to take. It’s only twenty if you want main roads, but I figured you guys wanted to stay away from that,” Dani answers and pulls off. “You’re driving back, right? Just in case?” She glances at Alex and he nods.
“Yeah, Dani. I’m on it.”
“It’s a good thing we’re doing this tonight,” Carter interjects, sounding shocked. “Guess who just booked a flight from D.C. to Seattle for tomorrow?”
“By that tone, I’m going to assume the Senator?” Zeke doesn’t bother to mask his attitude.
“Yep.”
“So, they were planning on taking her early, anyway,” I point out.
“If they haven’t already,” Carter interjects. “They could’ve grabbed her and that’s why he’s coming back?”
“She was still there before I came to pick you all up,” Dani points out.
“Plus, if Avery really was there when he gave Victoria up, I’m assuming he would need to be there to do the same to Elizabeth.” Alex crosses his arms and leans back against the seat, clearly deep in thought. “Maybe we should wait him out.”
