Break, p.27
Break, page 27
“Please tell me her fucking ex is in jail. How the hell does someone hurt that woman? She’s like the nicest fucking person I’ve ever met. Like, she’s gross nice. Jesus. You all are keeping an eye out for her, right? Because I swear to God, Ethan. If I hear she got hurt on your watch, I’m going to fuck up every single one of your tattoos after I immobilize you with a quick jab to the nutsack.” She whisper shouts all of this, monitoring the door in case Mina walks out.
“He’s missing, but we got her. Won’t let anything happen. Promise.” It’s the best I can do without violating her privacy. Clearly, Mina shared some things with Gray, but I won’t.
She opens her mouth to argue, pointing her finger in my face, but snaps it shut when the door opens with Mina looking down as she adjusts her shirt. Gray whips her hand away just as Mina looks up with the happiest of smiles across her face. “Sorry, that took a little longer than it should have. I had to look at it again before I dressed.”
Gray forces a smile while holding her hands behind her back. “You could have taken all the time you wanted. I’m glad we were able to do this tonight. Make sure you come see me if you want more ink down the road.”
Mina is practically bouncing on her toes, absolutely elated. “Absolutely! I’d tell all my friends about you, but… well, these guys are my only friends at the moment, but if I get more, I’ll definitely tell them how amazing you are. I’ll probably need to wait a bit before I try again. Ethan told me they’re addictive, but I’m not feeling that need quite yet. Maybe when it stops hurting, then I’ll have to come up with something totally different.” She puts her hands on her cheeks to calm herself down. “Sorry, I’m just really so stinking happy right now. I don’t mean to let my mouth run away from me.”
She waves her hand like she should be disregarded, but I don’t like that. Grabbing her flailing hand, I lower it and hold it down by our hips and don’t let go. “It’s nice to see you this excited about something. Don’t apologize for being happy, darlin’. It looks good on you.”
Her breaths pick up slightly, affected by my words but unsure how to respond. That pretty blush is back when she looks at Gray. “Umm…” Her voice trails off, probably because my compliment pushed her to forget what she was saying. Her eyes widen, then she says louder than I expect, “Oh! I need to pay you!”
“It’s taken care of,” Max says as he steps into the back hallway with us, stopping Mina as she opens her mouth to argue. “You ready to head out of here?”
“I’m ready, and thank you for paying. You truly didn’t have to.”
“All of you need to get out of here so I can go home. Mina, come back anytime.” Gray waves us out. I pull Mina along behind me, still holding onto her hand. It’s almost become second nature to us at this point, both of us content with the contact.
The moment we’re outside, Mina stops me for just a moment and pulls on my shoulder to bring my face closer to hers. Pressing her lips on my cheek, she gives me a radiant smile, then says, “Thank you. This turned out exactly how I would have wanted it to!”
Smiling, I kiss her back quickly, mimicking the way she kissed me. “Anytime darlin’.”
We’re only parked two blocks down from Anarchy and Vice, and Max walked the path prior to coming back to get us. So, I’m surprised when Mina’s pace slows down and she begins to look around her, confusion furrowing her forehead.
Drawing her attention to me, I tug on her hand. “What’s going on, Mina?”
Max is walking ahead of us with Vincent, and they both look over their shoulders when they hear me question her.
“I… uhh… I don’t know? I just got a feeling, like where you feel uncomfortable in your own skin, you know? Like where it crawls with bugs or something.” Max and I hold gazes for a moment, silently communicating to get her ass to the car now.
Vincent is already gone, back the way we’ve come from, his cellphone to his ear as he swivels his head around to look in all directions at once. Max moves to the other side of Mina, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. With my hold on her, I pick up our pace without being obvious to other people, anxious to get her into the backseat and on the road.
“What’s going on?” She asks, fear seeping into her voice.
“Nothing, darlin’. We’re just taking precautions and getting you home.” I unlock the SUV when we’re feet away, then toss the keys to Max, who’s making his way to the driver’s side. Wrenching the door open, I wrap my hands around her waist and pick her up, shoving her unceremoniously into the back. Then urge her across the seat so I can slide in next to her. Shutting the door behind me, I stare out the window to see if I can spot Danny.
Max is pulling away from the curb within moments, and Mina jumps up in her seat to look out the back window. “Wait! We forgot Vincent!”
“Mina, sit down and put your seatbelt on.” Max doesn’t yell at her, but he’s firm in his order. She scrambles off her knees and quickly obeys him. I’m still looking around, so when her fingers touch my hand, I jerk from the contact.
“Ethan? I don’t understand,” she whispers. She’s doing really well holding it together because I know with the way we’re acting, we’re scaring the shit out of her.
Scooting to the center of the seat, I wrap an arm around her and tuck her into my side. “Honestly, everything is okay. That feeling you described?”
She nods her head against my body, letting me know she’s listening.
“Sometimes people feel like that when they’re being watched. You may be more in tune with Danny’s presence since you lived with him for so long. Vincent stayed behind to look around and call into the station for backup. Just in case he was there, we wanted to get you in the car and gone as quickly as possible,” Max answers for me.
Adding in my own opinion to continue easing her worry. “He’s correct. It’s better to be safe and overly cautious.”
“So, you guys didn’t see him then, right?” Her voice is small when she asks.
Hugging her tighter, I reaffirm our actions. “We didn’t see him. Promise. We’re just being careful.”
She stays silent the rest of the drive back, and as we’re pulling into the driveway, Max’s phone rings. Answering the call, he puts it on speaker without addressing Vince. “You see anything?”
“I didn’t see him, but I stopped in the stores between Gray’s place and the car to show his picture and ask if anyone’s seen him recently. One of the ladies working register at that gift shop half a block from Gray’s said that there was a guy there only ten minutes before I arrived who looked like him.”
Max slams his palm on the steering wheel and I feel Mina jolt at the “FUCK!” he barks out.
“Let me let you go. I’m gonna stay down here for a while and see if we can’t pick him up somewhere. He’s got to have wheels, or someone helping him to get around so quickly. I’ll let you know if we get anything. Mina, sweetheart. Don’t stress about any of this. We’ve got the best of the best looking for him. I’ll see you all later tonight.” Vincent hangs up after that.
Slamming the car into park, Max shuts the car off and stares out the front window, attempting to control his anger.
Mina looks up at me, her eyes worried. “Let’s get inside. Max, why don’t you take a walk around and make sure everything looks good?”
He only nods, and although she hesitates before getting out of the car, she eventually leaves without saying anything. Once I get the door open and hold it for her to go inside, swapping places with Walter as he comes bumbling out and down the front steps. I look back to Max, where he’s still sitting in the car, watching us make it into the house.
Understanding passes between us. I’ve got her in the house. He’s going to protect her from out here until Vincent gets home. Danny needs to pull his head from his ass before one of us takes him out. I’d prefer it to be me blessed who’s with that opportunity.
Chapter 37
Must. Fucking. Sleep.
Vincent
Dragging my feet up the porch steps, I feel defeated. Then, I get pissed. Fuck Danny and fuck his entitlement to believe that he shouldn’t have to answer for what he’s done. We just wasted so many man-hours walking the city and driving along back roads, with nothing to show for it. Not one goddamn sign of him.
I’m surprised to see all three of them in the living room at this hour. Normally, Mina goes to bed early, but tonight she’s the only one awake. Max is laid out in the recliner with the remote resting on his chest. Ethan has his legs stretched out and head tilted back against the headrest of the couch, also passed out. He’s tucked into the corner, and it’s obvious Mina was leaning against him.
Now that she sees me, she’s sitting up straight with her legs crossed, wordlessly waiting. Her eyes are big, and her gaze is bouncing between my eyes, silently asking me all the questions.
I ache for her, and I wish I could give her some reassurance that we’re out of the woods, but I just can’t. She must read that from my lack of response, and her face drops in resignation.
Exhaustion is deadening my limbs, so the only thing I can think to do is to stumble my way toward her. Resting my knee on the opposite side of her, I crawl my way onto the soft cushions, feeling them give way under my weight. I know I’m moving slowly, but my body is quickly shutting down. Must. Fucking. Sleep.
I should probably have asked first, but my brain is misfiring as I ease my body down and lay my head in her lap, facing her stomach. My nose is near her belly button, and I breathe in deeply. Cuddling closer, I feel myself being sucked into the darkness of slumber, but not before her fingers settle on my head and tangle with the strands of my hair.
It’s so goddamn soothing that I don’t remember when I wrapped my arms around her, and I certainly don’t remember pulling her down to lie beside me. What I do remember as my consciousness fades away is the feeling of her snuggling into my chest, and I know I’ve found a haven in her arms.
The next thing I know, I’m waking up to the sound of Max’s deep voice. He’s on the phone, speaking in hushed tones, but I can hear the frustration laced in his words. Sitting up slowly, I blink my eyes a few times to clear the sleep from my vision, then look down at an entirely breathtaking different kind of vision.
Mina is still asleep beside me, tucked in between me and the back of the couch, her chest rising and falling steadily. I can feel the warmth from her body seeping into mine, and for a moment, I lay back down, content to just stay here and hold her. I swear to God; the woman fucking purrs in her sleep as she nuzzles closer into my chest, and I just can’t stop looking at her.
I’m grateful as fuck that she’s here as well. Not just here on this couch, but in Max’s home with all of us.
The sound of Max’s voice pulls her from sleep as it grows louder, her brows furrowing as she fights to wake up. I wait until she blinks her eyes open and then looks up at me, unfocused and confused.
“Max is on the phone,” I whisper, running my hand along her waist.
“Is everyth-” She immediately stops talking and covers her mouth, eyes widening in horror. Mumbling under her hand, she continues mumbling, “I’m so sorry.”
Snickering at her, I pull her hand away. “The hell are you sorry for?”
Mina tries to talk by moving her lips as little as possible. “It’s the morning. I need to brush.”
Scooting down the couch, I bring my face level with hers, both of our heads only laying inches away from each other. Then I bump my nose against hers and smile when her nose crinkles as she tries to distance her face from mine. “You’re all good. But I’ll let you up if you’d like, for a toll.” Winking, I let her know I’m just teasing.
I hold my hand up between us and hold my thumb and index finger about an inch apart. “Just a teensy little good morning kiss, and I’ll haul my ass off this couch and let you be on your way.” I wouldn’t actually force her to do it, but each time I play with her, she seems to gain more confidence around me.
She studies me, trying to figure out if I’m serious. It’s obvious the moment she comes to a decision because her eyes brighten with laughter. A mischievous little smile flickers across her lips before she pecks the tip of my nose. “There, a teensy little good morning kiss for the toll. Now move so I can go brush my teeth!”
Chuckling to myself, I roll off the couch and let Mina scramble up. She makes her way to the bathroom quickly, and I turn my attention to Max, who’s still on the phone. I can hear snippets of his conversation, but I don’t want to interrupt him. I’ll find out what’s going on when he’s finished.
When Mina returns to the living room, Max notices, so he pivots his body away from her, no doubt trying to keep the conversation private. I get annoyed with him as I watch her face fall when she notices. I know Max well enough that he wasn’t trying to hurt her, so I do my best to ease the sting she felt at his apparent rejection.
Grabbing her hand, I pull her towards me, cupping her face. “You look beautiful, sweetpea. Now that your teeth are all brushed and your face is clean,” Kissing her nose, I grin and add, “you should let me do something about this bedhead.” I give her wild braid a tug.
Gasping, she pulls back and lightly smacks my arm. “I couldn’t find my hairbrush. I think I left it in the bathroom by mistake, but Ethan was in the shower, so I couldn’t grab it.”
Holding up my hands, I feign innocence. “Alright, alright. I’ll back off for now. Come sit down and let me play with it for a bit. If you’re cool with that?”
We both hear Max snap at whomever he is speaking with, and Mina takes a step toward him. Grabbing her elbow gently, I shake my head. “I’m certain it’s a work call and has nothing to do with Danny. He’ll fill us in if he can when he’s done. Come sit with me and I’ll fix this mess.” I wave at her head, and she gives me an easy smile.
“So, Vincent. Tell me. What did you do after you graduated and left home? How did you end up in law enforcement?” she asks as she settles on the floor between my legs.
Tugging out the hair band wrapped around the ends, I start to pick apart the braid from the bottom, working out the tangles I encounter without causing her any pain. “Hmm… Well, I’m not sure if you remember, but I played football in high school. I was decent, so I was offered a scholarship to play for college. I chose to major in Criminal Justice, thinking that it would be something I could fall back on if the whole football thing didn’t pan out. My second year in, I tore my ACL in my left knee.” I pat my knee to show her and continue. “The doctors didn’t think it required surgery to fix, but an injury like that is pretty much career-ending, especially so early in college. It took about half a year before I could walk comfortably with no pain.”
Turning, she frowns as she looks up at me. “I’m really sorry that happened to you. You must have been incredibly disappointed that your plans didn’t pan out the way you intended.”
Placing my hands on her head, I turn her to face forward again, enjoying the sound of her light giggle at my antics. “It all worked out for the best. Playing at that level is completely different from high school. Here, I was the best of the best, but there? I was just as talented as most of the other guys. There were a few standouts, and those are the ones that would have been picked up to play professionally. If I had wanted to go down that route, I doubt a team would have picked me up. I would have had to try out as a walk on and it’s rare for team members who join like that to become anyone known. I would have been lucky to even make second string.”
I’ve got her hair completely undone now, and I’m just running my fingers through it when Max joins us in the living room, now off the phone. He seems lost in his head, so I keep our conversation going to prevent drawing attention to him.
“Anyway, after I finished up my second year there and I was, for the most part, recovered, I decided to drop out and try my hand at the police academy. It’s eighteen weeks of rigorous training and classroom work, but I got through and was offered a job shortly after graduating a few towns over. I got some experience under my belt for a few years and then applied here so I could move back home. My parents are still here. I’m sure they’d love to see you again. They’re pretty badass.”
She hums softly at my suggestion. “I’d like that. They were always super friendly when we all were together.” She gently leans back against my knees, keeping her weight more on my right one, and I smile at her sweet consideration.
Shifting her to lean equally on both, I lean down and speak against her ear. “It doesn’t hurt anymore. It’s been years and I’m fully recovered. Besides, you weigh practically nothing.”
Shaking her head, she leans back fully and turns to Max. “Is everything okay with your phone call? You seem upset.”
He offers her a forced smile, but I know it’s not because he’s irritated with her question. “It’s fine. One of my guys misunderstood his assignment overnight, so one of our clients was without a guard for the evening. Everyone was okay, but she had a scare in the middle of the night and couldn’t reach anyone for backup. It ended up being someone at the wrong apartment, but she was pretty freaked by the whole thing. It’s all handled now.”
“Who was it?” Ethan asks as he walks into the room, freshly showered after his early morning run. How he gets up even after shitty sleep on a couch is mind-boggling. I prefer evening workouts so I can sleep in as long as possible.
Grunting in annoyance, Max scrubs his face and leans back into his chair. “New guy. It’s handled.”
Nodding, Ethan looks at Mina sitting between my legs and using me as a backrest. His face softens for her. “You look cozy. I’m going to run out and grab the mail. You need anything before I come back?”
“No, thank you. I’m going to head up and get ready for the day, I think.” She moves to stand up, so I assist her by gripping her waist and helping her stand. Patting my hands where they rest on her body in a silent thank you, she makes her way upstairs.
