27. Theo

27

THEO

E lla and I are taking up one of the bunks in the back, and my brothers are leaving us be. There's something to be said about seeing a woman break down in the fire station. They don't want to get involved. Which is fine. I've more than got Ella. She can cry on me any time she needs to.

Her head leans against my shoulder, our feet hanging off the side of the mattress with our backs to the wall. It makes me feel like a teenager again, especially with how we're simply holding hands here in the dark.

"Don't they need you out there?" Ella asks, blinking up at me with her thick, dark lashes.

I squeeze her fingers with mine. "No. The bell will ring if there's an emergency." We have been here a while, but at least most of my duties are already done. My thumb draws circles over the back of her hand.

"You know, my sister and I used to sit on my bed like this when we were young. When she was being bullied in class but wouldn't let me step in for her. Because I would have popped that buck- toothed Billy right in his mouth for some of the foul things she confessed he'd called her. Oh, did my blood boil." Her voice went gritty and hot.

I like it. "That must have been hard for you."

"Oh, it was. But she wanted to be able to best him herself. So although I wanted to teach her a few moves—how to throw a punch or a kick—she wanted to practice comebacks. That's what we ended up doing, and with that practice, she was able to shut Billy down the next day. And the one after that. And the one after that. I was so proud of her." Ella grins, and it shines in the low light.

The way she talks about her sister makes me think of my oldest sister, Sophia. She's fiercely protective, even now that it's my job. Literally. But she reminds me every month at our family dinner that I am the baby and she is the eldest, so she will always be my second mother.

"My sisters never had trouble telling a bully off. They did, however, struggle with the way I followed the daredevil older kids around. I never got bullied into doing anything stupid. One of them just had to try it first, and I would follow without hesitation." I would have done anything for a thrill back then. It bled into my adult life, and now, I work hard to keep a rein on my instincts.

"I bet you broke a lot of bones," Ella says, reaching up to ruffle through the hair around my ear. It's not long enough to tuck behind my ear, but her gesture is similar.

She's become so real to me. More than physical tension and pleasure. More than easy laughs and fun. Tonight, her vulnerability clarifies her for me.

"I did. I broke a lot of bones. Got a lot of scars."

Her laugh is soft. "Yeah. I know. I've seen."

I grin at her. She's so different from my ex, so open and herself. Even though Ella keeps bits of herself private now, I only need to stick around to gain access to those parts of her. To show her I mean to stay long enough to earn that trust, I share how the last month has changed my perspective on things, like love and the direction of my life.

"You know, when we first met, I was dating my ex, Tiffany. I know you never met her, which is for the better, seeing as she isn't the greatest person. But I remember thinking that I was in love with her. The feeling was so shallow. It doesn't even compare?—"

Ella lifts to her knees, turning toward me. The look on her face silences me immediately.

My hands find her waist as she slides her thighs around my hips and sinks into me. Our noses brush, and a frenzy builds in my chest. I love this woman. Every little detail of her.

Fuck, she's perfect.

Her mouth teases mine. I soak in her playful nature with me. She's always so sweet and playful with me even when we wink into the dirtiest situations I've ever experienced. But this moment promises me so much. I let Ella take the lead.

And she does, pressing her lips over mine, coaxing them open with gentle pressure until our tongues are dancing. Every small move winds me up, twists that knot in my chest that makes me know Ella is the one. Nothing has ever felt like this before.

Tension builds between us, her knees squeezing my hips and hands tugging at my shirt. I groan into her mouth and lean back to let her yank my tee over my head. Her fingernails scrape down my chest as she leans in to kiss me again.

It doesn't take me much to get riled up. Not for her. I lift my hips to thrust against her, my grip twisting in her jeans. It only takes another minute of teasing before I swing her up and around to plant her back on the thin mattress. Cradling the back of her head, I press another gentle kiss to her lips before I nibble down her jaw and throat.

But her gripping hands shift to pushing me back. I rear up to find her face ashen, slightly green. Rolling to the side, I help her up, and she sprints to the small bathroom around the corner. I follow, knocking softly on the closed door.

"Ella?" I hear her heaving on the other side. "Ella? How can I help?"

She groans and retches again. Worry worms between my lungs as I press my luck and try the knob. It's unlocked, a good sign. I crack the door. "Hey."

Ella's heavy breathing greets me, and she audibly swallows twice. "Can—can you call me a ride home?"

I pause in the doorway, warring with the want to hold her hair, rub her back, get her something to drink—anything to comfort her instead of sending her away. But it's what she's asking me for, so it's what I give her. "Okay."

Back in the bunk room, I grab my phone off the bed. Only, it's not my phone. It's Ella's, and it's unlocked. A quick swipe shows her open gallery. She has so many pictures of bars and clubs and the streets outside, but right in the center is the profile of someone I know intimately.

Tiffany. With me. The last night we were together at Harvey's. The night I got a package of information about my ex's cheating ways. How I was her lover, not her boyfriend. Because she is married.

And there's more pictures— not of Tiffany, but other men and women in compromising situations. It's almost as if Ella has a vendetta against them, given the meticulousness with which she's gathered intel. Screenshots, receipts, it's all there.

Dread sinks low under my ribs, sending a riptide through my gut.

Why would Ella have these? If she was there that night, why not come by and say hi? Why take these pictures of us together?

The last one of Tiffany is the one of the two of us together. The first one with my face full showing. Okay, I need to get to the bottom of this, but now isn't the time. I take my phone out and take a few pictures of my own.

Once I'm done, I set her phone back on the bed and bring up the local cab company with a few swipes on my phone. They'll be there to pick Ella up in ten. Plenty of time to settle her stomach and get her outside.

I grab a pack of Ritz and a juice box from the snack cupboard and meet Ella in the bathroom. She's leaned over the sink, wrists running under cold water. She jumps a little when my hand smooths up her back. "Hey. You all right?"

"Yeah." She shakes her head and laughs weakly. "Yeah. Just my stomach. It was upset earlier this evening, but I thought it went away."

"Think some crackers might help?" I hold out my offerings, and that small smile cracks wider.

The emotion whirling inside me wants to take care of her, make her feel better, but I know there's not much I can do for food poisoning or a bug. Other than to get her tucked someplace warm and quiet for her to rest and recover.

"I called a cab. He'll be here soon. Let's start the slow walk outside. Yeah?" I help her upright, and she nods.

"Yeah. Slow is probably better. Thanks." Ella takes my arm, dropping her temple against my shoulder as we step carefully through the bay. Once we're out front, she seems to breathe easier and relax against my side.

When the cab pulls up, I hand over her phone and help her slide in the back. Her thankful smile glitters in her eyes, and I know she means it.

How many people have taken care of her lately, before she fell into my and my brothers' lives? I kiss her forehead and whisper a soft you're welcome into her hair before I close the door and watch her ride off toward home.

Once the brake lights disappear around a corner, I pull up Marcus's number and call. He picks up on the second ring. "Hey. What's wrong? You're on shift, right?"

"Yeah. Yeah. Nothing's wrong at the station, but I just sent Ella back to your place in a cab." A pregnant pause hangs over the line. "I think we all need to gather and talk. Something is up."

Cap clears his throat. "Yeah, I've noticed. I'll get everyone here by the time you're off."

I let loose a heavy breath. "Okay. Good. Thanks."

After I hang up, I dive into my work for the rest of the night, and it's morning before my shift is over. We all meet at Ethan's house, and the weary faces all around confirm my intuition.

Ethan is the first to say something. "Ella's acting weird and hiding something."

Will nods thoughtfully. "I can't put my finger on anything specific, but sometimes, I get this feeling like something's wrong, and she won't talk about it."

Marcus wipes a hand down his face as he looks at us all. "She was sick this evening before she ran off on some errands ."

"Shit. She was sick at the station, too, when she came to visit." I run a hand through my hair. "It's shifty, isn't it?"

Ethan and Will nod.

"It is," Will offers. "And we've all been burned before."

"But now, there's a child in the mix." Ethan frowns as he meets Marcus's gaze.

"What do we do?" I ask.

Cap straightens up and squares his shoulders. "We keep an eye on her and hope she trusts us enough to come clean."