Page 215 of The Defiant Curse

On.

It.

As she walked away, he watched her ass and grinned.

His bad.

Next time…

Yeah, he was going to have her join him.

When she headed into the bathroom, Ethan picked up his phone that had been off, and he sent a text.

It was time he checked in.

By now, the jig was up, and EVERYONE knew where he was. It was surprising that they didn’t wake up with the men standing on the doorstep.

Don’t get him wrong, he loved Callen, Chris, and Gene, but he needed this alone time with Elizabeth so they could both come back fighting.

There was no doubt the bullshit, jackassery, and tomfoolery was not going to stay at bay for long.

Hitting send, the text was off to Gene.

‘I’m safe, and I miss you. I’m in Scotland, but I’m betting that by now, Ivan has figured that out. Elizabeth is okay, but I’m going to be staying here for a while. She needs me, and I need to be here. I’ll be home when I can, so don’t forget I love you because I do. Both she and I need this to fix what we both broke. Miss you. Always. EJ.’

He’d been about to turn off his phone, since it was the middle of the night there. Only, he got a pleasant surprise. Someone was awake.

When he saw the number, he wasn’t surprised.

Gene was a light sleeper.

Answering, he heard a very familiar voice.

“Hey, handsome,” Gene stated. “I miss and love you too. Is our girl okay?” he asked, genuinely worried about her.

Ethan smiled.

The man he loved was a good person. He’d gone out with Elizabeth, doing their job for them, and making sure she had an ally.

He’d done a better job than they had.

That was for sure.

“Yeah, she’s better. She’s navigating this, and putting herself back together again, piece-by-piece. We’re going to be okay, but it’s going to take time to heal up and be ready to come back full force.”

Gene understood.

Honestly, they all wanted Elizabeth to take a break. Sometimes, you had to just call it a day and rest. This was definitely one of those times.

“How’s everyone?” Ethan asked.

His husband shared.

“Well, we were just getting ready for bed. Callen was up working on his book, and Chris and I were watching a movie. We’ve been thinking about both of you.”

He didn’t doubt that for a second.

Gene was curious.