Breaking Conviction by Greer Rivers
Chapter Forty-Three
“She’s asleep,” Naomi whispered, pulling the cedar door shut behind her. It’d taken several hours of consoling and clinging to Naomi the entire drive from Ashland to BlackStone’s hidden cabin on Mount Ash, but Thea had finally passed out.
Wes’s face was a mix of emotions with his furrowed brow and soft smile. “Good. Hopefully, she’ll sleep through the night.”
Naomi leaned against the door, closing her eyes. “Hell, I hope I do, too. But I think she will. She’s a heavy sleeper already. Plus, it’s been a long ass day for everyone.”
“No fucking kidding,” Wes huffed, analyzing the bandage Devil had used on his hand. Having the glass splinter removed had to hurt like hell, but he never complained. Thankfully, his other injuries were superficial, although he was still clearly exhausted.
“Aren’t we a pair,” she half joked with a grimace, pointing to the wrap and then to the lightening bruises on her own arm. “I’m sure mine hurts much less than yours does.”
His lips tightened into a grim line before he spoke. “The fact that you were ever injured at all hurts me more than my hand does, I can promise you that.”
Her heart stuttered as she caught his striking blue gaze. “I know what you mean.”
His eyes softened with an emotion she wasn’t quite ready to admit to herself, so when he spoke again, she was both grateful for the reprieve and disappointed in her hesitance.
“Speaking of everyone, it looks like it’s just us tonight. Hawk’s still with the authorities. He said the facility’s black box is still intact, so he’ll be bringing it tomorrow morning.”
“Black box?” Naomi asked.
“It’s basically BlackStone’s hard drive. We still don’t know for certain why we were attacked. We think it was because of Ascot, especially since all evidence points to him being taken from BlackStone during the attack. But if it was for what we know in the trafficking case or for anything else, they miscalculated. I wired the place so I could have it nearby in my own apartment at all times.”
“Shoot, that’s good, I guess.” She didn’t fully understand what he meant, but the relief relaxing his shoulders guided her reaction.
“It’s very good. That box has the security tapes downloaded on it and will help us figure out what happened to Phoenix. There’s no sign he was hurt during the attack, but that means we have no idea where he is. It kills me that I can’t do anything to help find him right now. I’m injured and basically useless without that camera footage.”
“Hawk practically ordered you to rest up too. You’ll do no one any good if you don’t take care of yourself. Oxygen mask, remember?”
His grin was small, but it was still a smile, so she’d take it. She couldn’t stand seeing him so defeated, and ever since they found out Phoenix was missing, he’d been destroying himself with guilt.
“Well, as soon as Hawk brings me that black box early tomorrow morning, I’ll be back in action, injuries and exhaustion be damned. I have to ID who was behind the bombing and make sure Phoenix is okay. Hopefully, he got out before the second bomb.”
A shadow crossed his face again and Naomi cringed at the pain there. There was no way she was going to let him feel bad for putting her daughter first and she refused to feel guilty for being grateful for that fact. She wrapped her arms under his and hugged him close to her, trying to embed those feelings past fabric and skin into his heart.
“It’s not your fault, Wes. You had to get Thea outta there.”
His sigh fluttered the hair on the crown of her head. “I know... I’ve just never left a man behind before. The guy’s an asshole, but he’s our asshole and our teammate, potentially in enemy territory. We’re going to make finding him priority one as soon as I have that damn hard drive.”
Wes pulled back and used his thumb and forefinger to massage his nose, but stopped himself from doing the same to his closed eyelids. His glasses broke during the explosion, so he probably didn’t want to damage the only pair of contacts he’d squirreled away at the cabin.
Instead, Wes smoothed back his freshly washed midnight blue hair. The tattoos on the back of his hand rolled with the gesture. The artwork was so dense, she could hardly make out the skin underneath, but ink always did it for her. She swallowed and resisted the urge to beg him to touch her again. The need to feel his skin on hers was nearly overwhelming, but now wasn’t the time to get horny. Right?
Right. Not the time. He nearly died today, saving Thea.
Of course, that reasoning didn’t help get her mind off wanting him. Nothing like a hero crush.
But it’s so much more than that.
Naomi mentally shook the truth away while outwardly nodding. “What about everyone else? Where are they?”
“Jason and Jules are staying back in Ashland. The hospital admitted Jules about an hour ago for observation. They think she’s having contractions, but they’re not sure if it’s actually time to have the baby or stress. She’s only days away from her due date anyhow, so they’re keeping an eye on her and the baby. And Jason too, if I’m honest. The man sounded like a nervous wreck on the phone. With BlackStone blowing up, Phoenix missing, and his already helicopter tendencies, he probably won’t let her leave the hospital until she’s given birth.”
Naomi snorted. “I get that. I was terrified when I had Thea, but even without that stress, Jason seems a little… erm… emotional. At least from what I’ve heard of him from Jules and Nora, and what I’ve seen at the BlackStone meetings.”
“That’s a way of putting it.” Wes laughed and casually put his arm around her shoulder, leading her to his room.
The entire cabin was something out of Southern Living, and their room matched with bear and plaid decor and cedar walls. It was exactly what they all three needed after what they’d been through. Naomi had relaxed as soon as they’d stepped through the front door to the homey scent of citrus-cedar.
Like Wes.
A king-size bed with a forest green quilt took up the center of the room. Black bears traveled the hem, matching the curtains drawn over the window. Which was bulletproof, apparently, according to Wes’s assurances. And the best part was Thea was able to be just next door.
She hadn’t wanted to let her daughter out of her sight, but the poor girl was exhausted and Naomi was still keyed up. Instead of tossing and turning beside Thea, possibly waking her, she decided to stay up with Wes. Now she was wondering how soft his bed was, and how good it’d feel to lie in it beside him.
Wes pulled his phone from his pocket and typed until a flame erupted in the gas fireplace, completing the comfy ambiance. They both collapsed on either side of the bed together without a word. A comfortable silence rested between them as they both watched the flames lick at the ceramic logs. The orange glow was mesmerizing, and before Naomi knew it, she was leaning against Wes’s arm, her eyes half closed with sleep.
It was perfect. She felt more at home in this cabin after a few hours than she had... anywhere, really.
“Devil and Ellie are at Sasha Saves,” Wes continued. Despite his low murmur, Naomi’s eyes flashed open at the gentle disturbance. She’d almost forgotten she’d asked about everyone else’s whereabouts. “Devil didn’t want Ellie anywhere near BlackStone, but Ellie refused to sit around and insisted they at least help at the clinic. The place is tricked out with the best security we could provide. Not that that means anything anymore.”
She raised her head from his shoulder and held his uninjured hand, a reflex for comfort that she’d developed with Thea. “You can’t beat yourself up. Whoever did this was obviously gunnin’ for y’all. There’s no way they weren’t professionals. Especially, since Dean was involved.” She shuddered.
“Shit, no. Stop that. We can’t both feel guilty, love.” He squeezed her hand and before she could think, she squeezed back three times.
It was a ritual only she and Thea had. She’d never wanted to hold Dean’s hand, couldn’t bear to reach out to the hands that hurt so easily. Come to think of it, she’d never seen Thea hold his hand either. But for both of them, it’d seemed, it came second nature with Wes.
He stilled before clearing his throat. “You have nothing to feel guilt over, Naomi. Just know that.”
“Yeah, how ‘bout neither of us do? At least right now. We can beat ourselves up tomorrow when Hawk gets here and we can actually do something to help. But let’s give ourselves grace tonight.”
Another gentle smile lifted up the corners of his lips. “I like that. We could all use a little more grace. Anyway, Nora is at the hospital, too. She’s close to Sasha Saves, and she said that Jules might need backup. If Jason freaks out more than he already is, Nora didn’t want to be too far away from the hospital.”
And Drake.
The thought whispered across her mind, but she didn’t want to out her friend. Nora hadn’t said anything, but Naomi knew that the nurse’s words weighed heavy on her.
Naomi leaned against the bed. “So it’s just us, huh?”
“Just us.”
The need to comfort and be comforted reflected in the faint worry lines beside his eyes, the cautious grin blooming on his face, and the way his hands flexed as if he was itching to hold her. She desperately wanted to have him do just that and leaned forward, but was stopped gently when Wes threaded his fingers through her hair and kissed the top of her head. Every time he did that, she soaked in the warm feeling that started in her heart and flowed throughout her body. She felt so safe, secure. So loved.
“Hey, I’m going to draw a bath,” he whispered against her hair.
She felt her nose scrunch in confusion. “But you already took a shower?”
His chest rose and fell with his chuckle. “You’re right, but it’s not for me. So what do ya say?”
Naomi’s small gasp at his gesture ended in a moan. “Good Lord, I hadn’t even thought about that but now that you’ve said it I don’t want anything else.”
His low voice went straight to her core. “Anything?”
“I guess it depends on how good that bath is.” She pulled back and gave him a wink. He laughed outright and pulled her in for a hard kiss against her lips that ended all too quickly.
“Challenge accepted, my queen.” He hopped out of the bed to the en suite bath and closed the door. She crossed her arms, trying to keep herself from going after him and ravishing him, bath or not. Instead, she decided to go check on Thea one more time.
The cabin’s layout was a huge open concept, with two floors, the top having what she assumed were other bedrooms overlooking the living room. She tiptoed across the wood floors to Thea’s room next door. Naomi leaned in to listen, not hearing anything, before she cracked the door and peeked in.
Her daughter’s red curls were strewn on the huge king-size pillow, and her thumb was in her mouth. Naomi ventured in and wrapped a curl around her finger, twirling it lightly. Naomi’s heart ached in her chest.
Dean had almost hurt their daughter. Again. It didn’t matter to Naomi if he went to therapy—something she was now sure he’d never intended to do—and came out a whole new person. Naomi was done. She was putting her oxygen mask on first. The man was toxic. Hell, more than toxic. He was fucking dangerous. There was no way she was subjecting herself or her daughter to that maniac ever again. She’d told Wes she was going to prosecute this time and she meant it. Dean had lied before and told her he was going to get help. Hopefully now a court wouldn’t give him a choice.
Naomi pulled the door closed and made her way through the dim light back to Wes’s bedroom. Just as she entered, Wes exited the bathroom in a cloud of steam, only wearing a pair of sweatpants. Her eyes ran the length of his muscles, damn near salivating at his tattooed pecs where a beautiful, colorful snake was twisted around his chest, taking a bite from his heart. Without thinking, she reached for it and traced it.
“Gorgeous.”
“Funny.” Wes smirked. “I was about to say the same about you.”
Naomi rolled her eyes, but Wes wrapped his hand around the one still on his chest and pulled her against him. He leaned low, his voice coming out in a breath against her ear, causing shivers down her back and making her core clench.
“Are you ready to be treated like the queen you are?”
