Page 29 of Rescuing Erin

I pocketed my phone and took a moment to gather my thoughts. I could remember a time in the not so distant past when it was just Jasmin, Zane, Jaxon, Leo, Drew, Eric, and me. Then Drew retired and Linc replaced him. Thankfully, he and Jasmin sorted their shit and everyone could finally tell Jasmin the truth about what happened to her in Russia after she’d been captured. Lying to her had gone against everything in me, but it had been necessary.

Then Olivia had come along and brought Leo to his knees. I’d never seen a man fall for a woman so quickly. Not long after that, Violet barged into Jaxon’s life, bringing her twin brother, Declan, with her. Then Eric died. A moment in time that will haunt me forever. He selflessly gave his life to save the team. I still missed him every fucking day. Now Zane had Ivy. And somehow, she’d done the impossible and rounded his jagged and sharp pieces. He was still a ruthless son of a bitch, but with her, he was a different man. He showed her a side of himself he’d never shown us.

Was it possible Erin could be that for me? The woman who could take all the broken and splintered fragments of my soul and puzzle them back together.

“That bad, huh?” Erin’s voice pulled me from my thoughts.

I opened my eyes to find her sitting on the stairs with nothing but a towel wrapped around her body. Good Christ, she was beautiful. Even with the worry lines on her forehead and puffy, red eyes, she was prettier than any woman I’d ever seen. I hated that she’d obviously waited until she’d been alone to cry. I didn’t want her to hide anything from me. Not anymore. I wanted her to seek me out when she needed comfort and reassurance. She’d been alone for far too long.

“I’ve been in worse situations.”

“Someone really wants to kill me?”

Her whispered words gutted me. I was serious when I told Zane he only had a few days left. There were places I could stash her where no one would find her and I could go in search of this Shultz guy by myself. I didn’t care what it took, or what happened to me as long as, in the end, she was safe.

“No, sunshine. There’s nothing pointing to that.”

“So, just take me then.”

“What are you doing down here?” I asked, not wanting to answer.

“I don’t have clean clothes. My bag’s in the car.”

“Damn. I’m sorry. Give me a second.”

I jogged out to the car and retrieved both packs as quickly as I could. I took a few deep, cleansing breaths and tried to rein in my anger at the situation. I also needed the time to get my libido in check. We may’ve been in the middle of an uncomfortable conversation, but I was still a man. And she was a sexy woman, with only a towel wrapped around what I knew was a terrific body. I’d have to be dead for my cock not to jump and take notice.

When I got back into the house she was still sitting in the same spot. “Come on. Let’s get you dressed before you get cold.”

She nodded but didn’t speak when she stood and went up the stairs. I tried my hardest to keep my eyes off her ass, but it was damn near impossible. The sexy sway of her hips called to me. With each step the towel gathered, revealing more skin. Toned, tanned flesh I wished I could sink my teeth into.

“Thanks.” I hated the fear I could hear.

I set the bags down on the bed and pulled her close. “I’m gonna keep you safe.”

“I’d rather die than let them take me.”

“What?”

“I know what they’d do to me. It’ll make what happened to Olivia look like a walk in the park. If someone wants me it’s so they can torture my father. I can’t . . . I couldn’t . . . I wouldn’t survive that.”

“I promise you, I’ll do everything in my power to stop that from happening or die trying,” I vowed.

“What did Zane say?”

“Can we get you dressed and fed first? Then I’ll tell you what I know.”

“Promise?”

“Promise.”

She dipped her chin and gave me a nod before she dropped the towel and turned to open her bag. My hands shook with need, and I shoved them in my pockets before I could reach out to touch her. My feet were cemented in place as I watched her dress. When she finally pulled a shirt over her head, covering the last of her exposed skin, I reached a hand out and waited for her to take it.

“Let’s go make something for dinner.”

She let me lead her back downstairs and into the kitchen. With very little conversation we made dinner together. By the time we’d sat down to eat, and I’d filled her in on what the team had found, she’d pulled further into herself. When I suggested we call it a night, she agreed without argument. I didn’t like her easy acquiescence, I fucking hated that she looked and sounded defeated. I wanted her full of snark and humor. Confident and at peace.

I helped Erin into bed and didn’t bother to leave the room when I changed into a pair of sweats. She stared blankly at the ceiling, and I silently vowed to take out every person who was responsible for her retreat.