Chapter 30

Nebraska had been quiet the last eighteen or so hours. Six of those spent in the hospital waiting room while her father was in surgery. Charlie took seven rounds. None of them meant to kill. Maddon was torturing him. He'd had Charlie two days and had started that torture by beating him to shit and giving him his first three bullet holes. Maddon patched him up to keep him breathing. Tossed him in the trunk of Wentworth's car and drove him out to the mansion.

We didn't have eyes in the house or garage so we didn't see them get Charlie out of the car or drag him into the living room, tie him to a chair, and tape his mouth shut.

Our fuckup—we didn't follow up with Dutch to see if Charlie had made contact. A fuckup that nearly cost Nebraska's father his life.

But that wasn't the only reason she'd been in her head and not giving much away. Lincoln and Zane had found Anna in the basement. Not a hostage, the crazy woman was there to save Charlie. To say her mother being there had fucked with her head was an understatement. To say she was pissed we'd changed our frequency so she couldn't hear Zane tell the rest of us the new play, a huge understatement.

Upon learning that, it was the only time since her father had been loaded up in an ambulance that she unleashed her attitude. She made her displeasure known by threatening to dismember Zane's favorite part of his body. She yelled at Cash for getting shot and using only alcohol, Neosporin, and some gauze to treat his wound. Truth be told, it was a graze. It would burn like a motherfucker but there was no need for medical attention. Then she turned on me and yelled some more, for depriving her of the kill shot. When she burned herself out, she dissolved into tears, pointed at Zane, called him a dick, and stormed out of the waiting room.

I'd followed her out, watched her pace the hallway until I'd had enough.

When I pulled her into my arms she nuzzled right in. I gave her a few more minutes then asked if she was ready to go back in. When she nodded I took her back to the team. We all sat there until the doctor came in to tell Nebraska Charlie had made it through surgery but couldn't have visitors until the next day.

Throughout our time at the hospital Anna was noticeably absent. I didn't see her at the house, but Zane told me she'd taken off as soon as Maddon was down and he gave her word Charlie was breathing. All Zane said about that was, "Pigeon does what Pigeon does."

This did not make me happy. Should the time come that Nebraska decided she wanted to have a relationship with the woman, having some flighty bitch who doesn't have staying power didn't fill me with glee.

Now we were back to see Charlie, and Nebraska was standing statue-still in the doorway.

Fuck.

Before we came, I'd warned her about the state her father was in. His face was a mess. Bullet holes in his thighs, shoulders, arms. I should've done a better job.

The guy had a long road to recovery. One that might lead his daughter up to Connecticut to take care of him.

Something else that didn't make me happy.

I never claimed I wasn't a selfish bastard.

When Nebraska didn't move, I pulled her back to my chest, and shifted her to the side.

Anna.

Christ.

The woman was sitting on the bed next to Charlie holding one of his hands in both of hers and she was silently crying. Charlie's eyes were opened, two slits that would make it difficult to focus, but the man was trying his hardest.

Anna's gaze moved to the door. Charlie's didn't stray from his woman. I didn't know if that was because the pain was so great he couldn't or if he was too afraid to take his eyes off Anna so she didn't disappear.

"Come in," Anna softly offered.

Nebraska didn't move.

Fuck.

This was a bad idea. Too soon. Too much.

"Baby, look at me."

She took her time dragging her attention from her parents then giving it to me.

Parents.

Charlie and Anna together in the same room.

I had no way of knowing Anna would show. From what Zane had said about the woman I'd thought she was long gone. But still, I should've checked the room first. The problem with that was, Nebraska might've been quiet and in her head for the last eighteen hours, but that didn't mean she'd turned docile. Evidence of that was we were standing in the doorway of her father's hospital room instead of still in my bed resting like I'd begged her to do. More evidence she hadn't turned meek and agreeable was this morning she'd flat out refused to let me make us breakfast. She stomped around my kitchen, opening and closing cupboards until she found what she needed while I sat at the bar sipping coffee watching her. Good news with that was, she made excellent omelets. Even if they were made while she bitched my fridge was empty and I needed to go to the grocery store. I didn't think it was smart to remind her I hadn't been home in over a week. All of that to say, I couldn't have talked her into waiting in the waiting room while I checked on Charlie first if I'd tried.

When Nebraska wanted something, she got it. The end.

"I'm okay," she whispered.

"You're not."

Blue eyes narrowed.

Pool-blue eyes that at first sight had me intrigued, then they'd held me captive, now I was ensnared. So totally captivated I would've thought I was insane if I didn't know she was it for me. She was the one I'd give up everything for. I got it now why men left the military, why they cut their time at the Agency short—all the deployments, workups, time away from your family. I never got it. I'd thought those men just didn't have it in them to stick, or they'd caved to their women bitching. I'd been wrong. If I'd had Nebraska way back when I was still in the Navy, I would've finished my contract and been out. If I'd been with her while I was with the Agency, I would've left. The woman she was, she wouldn't have bitched but I would've quit to be home with her.

I'd never have to make that choice and that was only a small part of what made her perfect for me. Nebraska Michaels was my equal in every way. But still, if she wanted me to quit, stay home and be a house husband raising our kids so she could continue doing the job, I'd give her just that.

Her hand lifted, cupped the side of my neck, then she engaged her finger and I knew she was tracing the vertical tattoo that started behind my ear and ended right about my shoulder blade. She'd never done that before. Once I'd felt her kiss it, but never had she gently glided her fingertip over it.

"Loyalty." A soft, sweet, whispered word. "Taking care of me."

"Always."

"I'm okay because I know even if I'm not you'll be there later to make sure I am."

Damn fucking right I would be.

I didn't say that.

She dropped her hand and turned back to her parents and walked into the room.

As Nebraska.

No Dove in sight.

"Hey," she called out when she got closer. "Has the doctor been in yet?"

I stood next to Nebraska at her father's bedside holding her hand while Anna ran down Charlie's injuries. I was right; he had a long row to hoe until he was fully covered.

"I'm going back to Connecticut with Charlie," Anna announced.

Nebraska's hand flexed.

"I'll be there at least a couple of months while he recovers," she went on.

At that Nebraska's hand squeezed.

"With Maddon… gone and Dmitri no longer a problem I'm free… we're all free. I'm not hiding anymore."

The tightness of Nebraska's grasp became bone crushing.

"I'm not asking. I don't have the right. But if the time comes and you want to call me, I hope you will."

"I'll call."

Anna didn't miss the gift Nebraska gave her, nor did she squander it or push.

All she did was smile.

It was real and it changed everything about her.

Like her daughter, Anna could say a thousand words, none of them voiced, all of them conveyed with their eyes.

She'd missed her daughter. She wanted to heal the breach, and if Nebraska gave the barest hint she was open to connecting she'd be all over making that happen.

I hoped Anna had it in her to do that in a way that was healthy for Nebraska. Though as jacked as the situation had been, as fucked as it was that Anna had left her, the lies and secrets that came after all fucked-up in their own way. Anna loved her daughter. Loved her enough to leave her to protect her. So, bottom line with that was she was a good mother and I didn't have anything to worry about.

"Sweetheart." Charlie's brittle voice drew Nebraska's gaze to him.

The guy sounded like hell, and not only because he was hopped up on pain meds and had tubes and wires coming out from under his hospital gown.

"I'm sorry," he croaked. "So damn sorry."

Nebraska untangled her hand from mine, stepped closer to the bed, and reached out to gently touch his forearm. The forearm touch was out of necessity—with Anna holding his hand, the other having an IV sticking out of it, there was nowhere else to touch the man that wasn't bandaged or bruised.

"We'll talk later," she gently returned, injecting enough emotion into her statement to let Charlie know she meant that.

"Sweet—"

"Dad, you were right. There was never a right time to tell me. If you would've, I wouldn't have been able to stop myself from finding her. If I'd known about Zenith, I would've put us all in danger by watching him. You were right, with all of it. I get it now. Family protects family even if what they're protecting you from is yourself."

"I lied to you."

"Dad—"

"I lied and didn't do right by you, so caught up in my grief of losing your mother. I lied about everything. I never wanted you to feel the sorrow of losing what I'd lost so I told you lies. I made you believe love was weak. I told you…" Charlie trailed off, his words slurring more and more but fighting it to make amends with his daughter.

He loved her, too. He was just shit at showing it the way she'd needed.

"Sleep, Dad."

"Love's not…"

"I know, Easton showed me. But before him, you did. I just didn't know how strong love made you until recently."

I'm falling for you.

Christ.

I know, Easton showed me.

Christ almighty, that felt good. So fucking good her words heated my skin, penetrated my flesh, and dug so deep I'd never in my whole fucking life forget the feel of it.

I was pulled back into the room when I heard Nebraska say, "We'll be back later to check on him."

I glanced at Charlie—his head lolled to the side, totally knocked out—to Anna who was smiling not at her daughter, at me. This one soft and sweet, the kind I got from Nebraska first thing in the morning.

I dipped my chin, slid an arm around Nebraska's shoulders, pressed a kiss at her temple, and didn't move back when I asked, "Ready?"

Obviously she wasn't ready when she asked, "Do you want us to bring you lunch?"

Anna didn't bother attempting to hide her shock or her gratitude when she answered, "I'd love that."

"Any requests?"

"I eat anything. Just no—"

"Onions or pickles, I remember," Nebraska finished for her.

Anna returned her daughter's earlier gift. Anna's was in the form of tears, unchecked, nothing hidden, nothing but wide-open honesty.

In that moment she was nearly as beautiful as her daughter, giving my woman what she needed to start healing.

"I thought I suspended you," Zane said as he rounded the corner in time to watch us step out of the elevator. "Without pay."

He'd done no such thing, but that didn't stop him from making shit up to push buttons.

Unfortunately for my boss, he'd underestimated Nebraska.

Her play was brilliant.

I wished I'd known what she was going to do before she did it so I could've pulled my phone out and recorded it.

The stomping Zane's direction was a good diversion. He didn't see her hug coming. That meant he was shocked stupid and had no ready defense when she rolled up on her toes and kissed his check.

"Thank you." She further shocked him by saying. "And don't worry, your secret's safe with me."

"What secret? I have no more secrets since your shit outted my only one."

Jesus, the man was a pain in the ass.

"All those stories. Fabled tales of the big, bad, scary Viper King. Lies. You're a marshmallow."

"A what?"

"Admittedly, the marshmallow you are is charred on the outside but that only makes the inside gooey. Who knew if you could stomach the burnt bits, when you got to the middle it was soft and warm? I see you, Zane Lewis. You. Not Viper. Not Dimples. Not Big Boss Daddy large and in charge of his kingdom. The man you really are. The man all of us need you to be."

"You're fired," he grunted.

"Thank you," she whispered. "Thank you for showing me the truth. Without that lesson I would've lived behind my walls. I would've closed myself off more. I would've run and missed out on the best thing that ever happened to me."

"Working for me?" He smirked.

"Easton."

I absorbed her silken blow, the second of the day, wondering if there'd ever come a time when I wouldn't feel the hit of her sweetness. I didn't have to wonder for long. I vowed there would never come a time when I didn't feel the beauty she gave me. There'd never come a time I didn't stop and let it seep in and feed my soul.

Zane remained silent when he kissed her forehead. But when he pulled back he couldn't stop the "Zane" from spewing out.

"You ever call me gooey again, I'm docking your pay and donating it to the prophylactic fund. That shit's running low. Good thing your shit didn't dip in or there'd be nothing left for Smith, Jonas, and Cash. And I have a bad feeling Cash is going to run that shit dry."

"What's the prophylactic fund?" she asked but didn't wait for an answer. "Oh wait, Kira told me you generously supply birth control to your men. Smart. The testosterone in this building is off the charts. No telling how many mini commandos you'd have running around. But just to say they're all big boys—"

"Big boys who think with their—"

"Daddy!" Eric squealed and ran full speed across the office.

"You were saying?" Nebraska drawled.

"I was saying you were fired, but you just won't leave."

"Nope. You're stuck with me now."

She was killing me with this new, open Nebraska.

I fucking loved it. But if she didn't put a lid on it I'd have to spend half my day in the office I was sharing with her to show her just how much I fucking loved it.

Not that I'd mind spending time in my office if it meant I had my woman bent over my desk.

Speaking of…

"We have work to do," I declared, and reclaimed my woman by hooking her around the waist.

"I bet you do." Zane chuckled as he swung his son up into his arms.

We were nearing the door when she said, "For someone who's allergic to paperwork and doesn't like being in his office, you sure are in a hurry."

I shuffled Nebraska in, shut the door, spun her around, and pulled her to my chest.

"We're not doing paperwork."

Her eyes flashed with understanding.

"They'll hear."

"They won't."

"Baby, they won't."

"Easton—"

"Trust. Me."

Her body melted closer, her hands shoved under my tee, and her nails skimmed up my back. I didn't delay showing my woman what her love and trust meant to me. I did it with her bent over our desk, her jeans and red lacy panties around her ankles. With one hand up her shirt playing with her nipple, the other between her legs toying with her clit. When her climax was hovering, I released her nipple, fisted her hair, bent in deeper so I could take her mouth. I swallowed her moans.

She returned the favor and muffled mine.