Bodie by Nyssa Kathryn

Chapter 19

Bodie left the bedroom with a smile on his face. Maya was his. She hadn’t said those exact words, but she may as well have. Everything that had happened last night confirmed it.

It had taken them a while to get back to packing up the bar, but once it was all done, they’d returned to Bodie’s place, where she’d slept in his arms. It had been the first decent chunk of sleep he’d gotten in almost a week.

God, he could get used to mornings like this. Waking up with her beside him. Listening to her heart beating…incredible. And better yet, today was Monday, and they both had the day off.

There was a fair at Keystone Lake this week. Maya had said she wanted to go ice skating, so this would be the perfect opportunity.

Not that Bodie was any good at ice skating. He’d probably fall on his ass a dozen times, but if it made Maya smile, he didn’t care.

Moving into the kitchen, he started on breakfast while Maya got ready.

He needed to broach the topic of her moving to Marble Falls again. Every day that passed with him not being there made him nervous. His team was strongest together.

Just before he’d left, the team had blocked Hylar from getting his hands on some drugs. Drugs he needed to create more DNA-altered soldiers. The team expected backlash. So far, there hadn’t been a peep from the guy. That wasn’t to say nothing was coming, though.

That was the main reason Bodie was so keen to get back to his team. But also, because Maya being in Marble Falls would be an extra layer of protection. An extra seven layers.

Bodie couldn’t help but be excited to introduce Maya to his team. He’d meant what he said last night. He couldn’t see himself leaving Maya. Ever. The guys would understand; they knew how much he wanted what they had.

He paused while cutting bread when shuffling noises sounded from the hall. The shuffling was accompanied by three heartbeats. The sounds stopped right outside his apartment door.

He tensed, adrenaline rushing through his body. He wasn’t expecting company.

Bodie opened a drawer and dug under the tea towels for his gun. Moving silently to the door, he took a quiet breath, then looked through the peephole.

The tension immediately released from his body, and he quickly tugged the door open.

In front of him stood three familiar faces. All smiling.

Actually, no, Wyatt and Oliver were smiling. Quinn was looking at the gun in surprise.

Bodie frowned. “What the hell?”

Quinn’s jaw dropped. “You’re saying what the hell to us? You just waltz out here with a gun in hand.” She looked up at Wyatt. “And you’re smiling?”

Wyatt dropped an arm around Quinn’s shoulders, pressing a kiss to her head. The smile on his face remained. “He’s got reflexes as good as me, Quinn. He wouldn’t have shot you.”

She didn’t look so convinced, but Wyatt’s words seemed to soothe her somewhat.

Shaking his head, Bodie returned to the kitchen, stashing the gun while everyone came inside. “What are you guys doing here?” Not that Bodie was complaining. Seeing his friends was like bringing a part of home to Keystone. His anxious ass could have used a little warning though.

Oliver dropped onto the couch. “We’re here to drag you home. You and Maya. We need to be together.”

Exactly what Bodie had just been thinking.

“And to see if you need help,” Wyatt added.

Bodie lifted a brow. “Please don’t take this the wrong way, but I’m not sure Quinn will be much help against Hylar.”

Quinn opened her mouth, clearly about to give him a piece of her mind, when Wyatt jumped in. “Quinn felt up to traveling and—”

“My brother finally let me out of his sight,” she finished, rolling her eyes. “I would have been here earlier had Mr. Protective not been around.”

Oliver scoffed from his place on the couch. “She basically refused to stay home any longer.”

Quinn nodded, clearly satisfied with that answer.

Bodie ran a hand through his hair. “You couldn’t have called?” It would have saved him from almost pulling a gun on his friends.

“We could have,” Oliver said, now lounging back on the couch with his feet on the coffee table. “We decided it was more fun this way.”

“It was a last-minute decision,” Wyatt added. “We spoke to Eagle and he agreed you needed help.”

That was not the message Bodie had been trying to convey during their last phone conversation.

From the other room, he heard the shower turn off.

“She should be out in a sec,” Bodie said, more for Quinn’s benefit because she couldn’t hear what they could. “She’s been through a lot, so go gently with her.”

Maya wasn’t made of glass, Bodie knew that, but with all she’d been through and her heart health, he wanted to make things as smooth as possible for her from this point on.

* * *

Maya rubbeda hand over her chest as she glanced at her reflection in the bathroom mirror. Even though she’d woken ridiculously happy about her relationship with Bodie, she’d also woken feeling short of breath. She wanted to curse out the hole in her heart. Usually, after a solid night’s sleep, she felt okay.

She’d been so close. If the damn lab break-in hadn’t happened, she would have already had the surgery she needed. Unfortunately, the procedure had been scheduled for one week after the break-in.

She’d had no choice but to miss it. If she hadn’t run, if she hadn’t disappeared, she doubted she would have lived long enough for the surgery anyway.

Now, every day that passed was another that extra blood was being pumped to her lungs. The extra blood meant that her heart and lungs needed to work harder, which in turn increased her risk for a whole lot of not-so-great stuff. Things like stroke and heart failure and pulmonary hypertension were just a few of them.

Maya had saved herself from being caught and killed, but by running, she’d lost her job with the pharmaceutical company, and with it her health insurance. That meant she no longer had the means to pay for the procedure.

So, in saving her life, she’d effectively also thrown it into question.

Maya hadn’t told Bodie about the extent of her heart problem.

Today. She needed to do so today.

She also needed to tell him something else. About the faceless man she was running from. At first, she’d hidden that small detail to protect him. Then, since telling her about his abilities, her mind had been filled with…everything.

Now that she’d decided to trust him again, Maya wanted there to be no secrets between them. The sooner she told him, the better.

Moving back into the bedroom, Maya had just pulled a sweater over her shirt when she heard voices from the living room. Unfamiliar male voices. Frowning, she drew closer to the door.

When a woman’s voice sounded, she paused. It was a voice she remembered.

Quinn. The reporter for The New York Times.

Opening the bedroom door, Maya stepped into the room. Bodie stood in the living room with Quinn, who had a man close beside her. Another man sat on the couch. Both guys were all muscles. Just like Bodie.

Everyone in the room went quiet and looked at Maya. The sudden attention almost made her nervous. Then she glanced at Bodie. Saw the smile stretching his lips before he moved to her side and placed an arm around her waist. She instantly calmed.

“Maya, these are some of my friends from Marble Falls. This is Wyatt.” Bodie pointed to the man who was standing. “We call him Jobs, because he’s a whiz with IT. This is Oliver—Ax, to the guys.” Maya glanced at the green-eyed man who was studying her from the couch. “And you’ve met Quinn.”

Maya shifted her gaze to Quinn. The woman looked exactly the same as when she’d met her in the diner months ago. The only difference was that maybe she looked a bit more relaxed. Happier.

Before Maya could say a word, Quinn walked forward and wrapped her arms around her. The hug wasn’t tentative or shy. It was firm and warm and friendly. Like Quinn was greeting an old friend she hadn’t seen in a while.

It took Maya a moment to snap out of her surprise and return the hug.

“I am so glad that you’re okay,” Quinn said softly. “I was so worried.”

“You were worried about me?” She still wasn’t completely used to people being worried about her.

“Of course! I told you I’d help you. No, I swore that I would. So when I went to the address you gave me but you weren’t there…” She put her hand to her chest. “You have no idea the fear and guilt I’ve been going through.”

“You barely know me.”

“Not true. We emailed back and forth for a while. I felt like I got to know you at least a little bit. Plus, you came to meet me even though it put you in danger. You trusted me to save more people.” Quinn sighed. “I’m just so glad Bodie found you. That you’re safe.”

Warmth filtered through Maya’s chest. If it hadn’t been for Quinn, Bodie never would have known she existed. So Maya felt like she should be thanking the other woman.

“Thank you, Quinn. For helping someone you barely knew.”

She smiled. “I intend to get to know you a lot better. You and I are going to be great friends.”

Oliver chuckled from the couch. “Whether you want to be or not.”

Quinn leaned closer. “Ignore him. I usually do.”

Maya couldn’t help but laugh. Unfortunately, the laugh was followed by a cough from her tight chest.

Bodie put his hand to her shoulder. “You okay?”

She forced a smile. “I’m okay.” By the look on Bodie’s face, he didn’t believe her one bit. “Should we make breakfast for everyone?”

Distraction seemed the best idea. Maya had things she needed to tell Bodie, but now, when his friends had just arrived, was not the time.

Thankfully, everyone headed to the kitchen. Bodie’s concerned look lasted another beat before he slid his arm around her waist and tugged her in the same direction.