Chapter 14

CHAPTERFOURTEEN

Khloe’s head spun with how fast things were moving when it came to opening the emergency clinic. She honestly hadn’t expected to be arranging for the supplies she’d put in storage back in Norfolk to be delivered so soon.

Jason and Scott continued to be a pain in her ass, but in the couple of weeks since Whip and Raid had stood up to them, they’d been a little less confrontational. That didn’t mean she wasn’t still very aware they were lurking around. She had no idea how they were able to afford to stay in Fallport for so long. If they had jobs or where they were staying, but she refused to use too much of her brain power thinking about them.

Her life was going amazingly well and she didn’t want to think about anything messing with that. She wasn’t an idiot, she knew there would be bumps in the road, but at the moment, she just wanted to enjoy being with Raid.

She’d never dated a man as devoted and…present…as he was. Maybe it was because they both worked in the library and were together nearly every moment of every day. Whatever the reason, Khloe liked it. A lot. Things would change once she opened her practice, but for now she was soaking in his attention and affection.

Their nights were spent exploring each other, and Khloe enjoying the benefits of Raiden being obsessed with making sure she was always well satisfied and boneless before he took his own pleasure. From the outside, Raid might look like a typical nerd. Dungeons and Dragons, librarian, an introvert who wasn’t interested in sports or other so-called “manly” hobbies. But Khloe was finding that she’d take a nerd over any other kind of man, any day. Well, at least she’d take Raid over anyone else.

She’d never felt more loved. More worshiped. More seen than when she was with him. He was still snarky and never had a problem telling her when she’d screwed something up at work. That hadn’t changed with their new relationship status.

But the man was seriously insatiable and enjoyed taking charge in the bedroom. Khloe secretly loved it. She was independent and had been on her own for a long time, but there was something so freeing about being able to lay back and let Raid do what he wanted with her. Because everything he wanted to do made her feel really damn good.

For instance, the night before, he’d insisted on giving her a full-body massage. From head to toe then back up. But on the second pass, he did everything he could to arouse her. Pinching her nipples, “accidentally” slipping a finger inside her pussy as he rubbed her thighs. By the time he was done, she couldn’t say she was actually very relaxed, but after he gave her two monster orgasms in a row, she was a boneless mess.

The other thing Khloe found almost unbelievable was how Raid always seemed surprised when she wanted to reciprocate. Apparently he’d been with selfish women in the past who only wanted to take instead of give. One of her favorite memories so far was the night Khloe got on her hands and knees and told Raid to take what he wanted—how he wanted. It was obvious he’d never been given free rein like that in the past, no matter how alpha he was in the bedroom. Having him towering behind her, fucking her at a brutal pace, had been just as pleasurable for her as it was for him.

Yes, it was safe to say her sex life with Raid was better than she’d ever had. But there were also nights when they were content to simply hold each other. Khloe didn’t know which she liked better.

It was Monday evening, and she and Raiden had finished work and headed to the building she was renting next to Brock’s auto shop. Rocky was already there when they arrived, working on putting in walls to create rooms for her to meet with owners and their pets, as well as configuring the space she’d use for surgeries and the recovery room.

When Khloe had called Afton and asked if she’d be willing to apply as a vet tech, the other woman had let out a loud screech and agreed gratefully. She’d also recruited two of her friends from her vet-tech program. One already lived in Fallport and was still living with her parents, and the other would be moving from Richmond to join their team.

It was nerve-racking and almost overwhelming that she really was doing this, but Khloe was happy.

Jason and Scott had shown up at the under-construction clinic once, but someone had apparently alerted Whip—who was now being looked at in a different light by some of the townspeople. The second he’d pulled up, tires screeching, Jason and Scott had left in a hurry.

Khloe was cautiously optimistic that things in her life might work out after all.

She was watching Rocky measure out a space on the floor where she wanted him to erect the drywall for the exam rooms when Raid’s phone rang. She heard him answer the call.

“Tonka! Long time no hear. What’s up?”

Khloe glanced over at him. She couldn’t hear the other side of the conversation, but the longer Raid listened to him, the more he frowned and the harder his body got.

“How the fuck did that happen?” he suddenly barked.

Khloe jumped. She’d never heard the kind of hatred in his tone as she did in that moment. Feeling a hand on her elbow, she looked up to see Rocky at her side, frowning at Raid.

“That’s bullshit! Don’t they know what he’s capable of?”

Khloe felt sick inside. She had no idea what was happening, but it wasn’t good, she knew that much.

“What are the odds he’ll stay put?” Raid asked the mysterious Tonka. “Yeah. I will. You too. If you find out anything more, let me know. Yeah, same. I hear you’re married now. You need to stay safe. If need be, I’ll take care of this. I know, and Khloe means the world to me, but no one is safe with him on the outside. Right. Yeah. Thanks for the heads-up. I’ll be in touch.”

Raid clicked off the phone but didn’t move. He simply stared off into space.

“Raid?” Khloe asked softly.

He jerked, as if he’d forgotten where he was and that she was even there. Then he turned without a word and left the building.

“What the heck?” Khloe muttered.

“Stay here, I’ll go talk to him,” Rocky told her.

“No. I’ll go.”

“I’m not sure that’s the best idea. Something’s wrong, and he might take it out on you,” Rocky said.

Khloe turned to him with her hands on her hips. “I can take his bad mood,” she told him. “I’m not some fragile flower who’ll wilt if he raises his voice. I handled him for a year before we started going out, I can handle him now.”

“All right, but if he says anything hurtful, don’t take it personally.”

“Who’s Tonka? Do you know?” she asked Rocky. She wanted to tell him there was no way Raid would hurt her, but she settled for asking him who was on the other end of that call.

“He was his partner in the Coast Guard before he got out. He’s never talked about what happened to make him want to leave, but I got the impression it was bad.”

Khloe swallowed hard and nodded.

“He needs you,” Rocky said as Khloe turned to follow Raid. “He’s got a lot bottled up inside. He hides it well, but he hasn’t had an easy life. He actually believes the stereotypes people have forced on him. That he’s some geeky weirdo, not as worthy as others.”

“Which is all bullshit. I love everything about him.”

“Good. Go. I’ll lock up here when I’m done. Take him home, get him to talk to you. See if you can pull him out of whatever pit his old friend’s call dropped him into.”

Khloe nodded and determination rose within her. Raid had done so much for her. Had supported her unconditionally. Hadn’t even blinked when he’d learned just how much she’d been hiding from him and all their other friends. He’d accepted her exactly how she was. It was her turn to be there for him. To be his rock just as he’d been hers.

It wouldn’t be easy. He’d spent a lifetime holding back his emotions. Showing the world only what he thought they wanted to see. And whatever had happened between him and Tonka, whatever his old friend had told him, had probably brought back bad memories.

Taking a deep breath, she headed out the door to see what she could do for the man who meant the world to her. Meant more than her career. More than her secrets.

* * *

“Get in.”

Raid turned to see Khloe gesturing to his Expedition with her head as she walked toward the driver’s side.

“I don’t think—” he started, but she didn’t let him finish.

“Good. Don’t think. Just get in. We’re going home.”

Raid’s head was swimming with the news Tonka had just told him. It was literally his worst nightmare come true.

He knew this day would come, but he expected it to be years in the future.

It was too soon. Way too soon. He and Khloe had barely begun…

And now he needed to break up with her. For her own good. Putting space between him and the people he loved was the only possible choice. They were all in danger. He knew it down to the marrow of his bones.

And not from the kind of petty bullshit the Mathers were indulging in.

Moving as if through thick molasses, Raid walked toward the passenger side of his car. Normally seeing Khloe pull the seat all the way forward so she could reach the pedals would make him chuckle, but he couldn’t feel anything right now. He felt numb.

Duke had jumped into the back seat after Khloe opened the door for him, and he could hear his dog still getting settled as Khloe pulled out of the parking lot. It didn’t take long for them to arrive back at his house. Woodenly, he got out and grabbed Duke’s leash and headed for the front door.

As soon as the door shut behind them, Raid turned to tell her that she should get her stuff and go, but Khloe spoke first.

“Take Duke outside. Let him do his business. Then come back inside and change. I’ll start something for dinner. We’ll eat, then sit on the couch, and you’ll talk to me.”

He blinked in surprise. Had he ever heard her be quite so bossy before? Well, yes. Of course he had. “I think you should go, Khloe.”

“Well, yay for you for thinking that, but it’s not happening. Duke needs to shit, Raid. You know he only likes to poop in his own yard. Go let him out.”

Surprised at her resistance, and her nonreaction to his declaration that she should leave, Raid turned and headed for the back door with Duke.

Twenty minutes later, after the damn dog had managed to sniff every inch of the yard and find the perfect bush to squat over, Raid had regained a little of his senses. But with that came the pain he’d experienced all those years ago. Memories assailed him as he remembered the last time he’d seen Tonka.

He was even more determined to get Khloe to leave than before. Jason and Scott were nothing compared to the danger being with him could now bring to her doorstep.

“Go change,” Khloe ordered as he entered the living room.

Raid hesitated. He wanted to protest, but he needed a shower even more. Maybe that would wash off the cloying fear that seemed to be clinging to him.

When he finished showering, he was clean, but didn’t feel any better. He went into the living room and saw Duke lying on his back, paws in the air as he snored on his bed. Turning his attention to the kitchen, he saw Khloe dishing up one of his favorite meals ever. Spaghetti with hot dogs.

It was childish and kind of gross, but it was what his mom always made for him when he came home crying after being bullied at school for his red hair, his height, his ears. He might not be close with his parents these days, but he’d told Khloe that spaghetti and hot dogs was a comfort food that never failed to make him feel good.

And she’d remembered. And somehow knew it was just what he needed right now.

Of course, pasta and hot dogs wasn’t going to change what Tonka had told him.

He didn’t remember eating, but he obviously had because the next thing he knew, Khloe was taking his empty plate into the kitchen.

“Khloe…please stop. You really need to go. I’m sorry, but⁠—”

“I heard you the first time, Raid. And I’m still not going anywhere.”

“That phone call I got earlier…” He closed his eyes briefly. “Being with me puts you in danger now, and that doesn’t work for me. So we’re done. Nothing you say will change my mind,” he told her stiffly, as she put their dishes in the washer.

Khloe whipped around, and the look she shot him was so full of anger, Raid actually flinched.

“I know you got bad news today, and you’re still reeling from whatever you heard, but you’re starting to piss me off.”

It was weird that Raid was both scared out of his mind for her and proud of her at the same time.

When he didn’t respond, she shook her head. “Why don’t you go downstairs to your man cave and chill out for a while,” she told him in a disappointed voice.

The truth was, Raid didn’t want Khloe to leave, of course. So he turned and headed for the basement without a word.

The second the door closed behind him, he regretted walking away. He was being an ass. But it was for a good reason.

He didn’t know how long he’d been downstairs when he heard footsteps coming down the steps. Raid had been sitting on the couch, staring into space, lost in the past. He turned to see what Khloe wanted.

But it wasn’t Khloe, it was Rocky who appeared.

“Hey, buddy. Khloe called me.”

Of course she did. But surprisingly, Raid wasn’t upset about it. He needed to talk to someone, and he wasn’t quite ready to share this awful story with Khloe. She loved animals so much, he knew it would hurt her almost as much as it hurt him.

Rocky had been a SEAL. Raid had no doubt his friend had known his fair share of people who’d wanted revenge against him because of his job.

“Hey,” he said belatedly.

Rocky sat in the chair in front of his computer and leaned back, looking completely relaxed, as if this was nothing more than a social call. But they both knew differently.

After a long moment, he spoke. “Khloe said that call really affected you. Which I know, since I was there. She also said you’re now being a moody bitch, and you need a manly man to talk to about it.”

Raid couldn’t help but laugh. That sounded exactly like something Khloe would say. But then he sobered. “Being with me could put her in serious danger.”

“Why don’t you start from the beginning,” Rocky suggested.

So he did. Raid told his friend everything. He didn’t leave anything out.

When he was done, almost thirty minutes had gone by. Rocky hadn’t interrupted, had simply listened. When he didn’t immediately comment, Raid said, “So you understand why I need her to go. She’s in danger just being around me.”

“What I understand is that you and Khloe are so much alike, it’s not even funny,” Rocky said.

Raid’s brow furrowed.

He continued. “She wanted to leave the second she realized the Mather brothers had found her…right?”

“Yeah,” Raid said with a shrug.

“So what makes this any different from that? You found out about this possible threat—no one has any proof that there even is a threat at this point—and you’re ready to break up with her, kick her out of your life, and go back to being the hermit you were a couple months ago…just in case.”

Raid stared at his friend. He was technically right. There was no way to know a threat was imminent, yet his instinctive reaction was to push Khloe away for her own good. He’d even contemplated giving Duke to one of the guys on the team and leaving Fallport altogether. “It’s not exactly the same,” he protested. “She’s not being hunted by a psycho killer.”

“Neither are you. First off, you don’t know if he’s going to come after you at all,” Rocky said. “But putting that aside…Alan Mather tried to kill her. Ran her down with a fucking truck, and it was mostly luck that kept him from crushing her skull. If that’s not psycho, I don’t know what is. And it seems to me she has every reason to think his brothers might attempt to finish what he failed to accomplish.”

Raid pressed his lips together. Damn. Rocky was right.

“I need to talk to her,” he said after a moment.

“Yup,” his friend agreed.

“I wanted to shield her from all of this, Rocky,” Raid muttered.

“And I’m sure that’s why she kept her secrets for so long, as well. She wanted to protect her new friends. You.” Rocky stood. “I’ll send her down and lock up on my way out.”

“Thanks.” Raid had the best friends. He was sure Rocky had better things to do tonight than come over here. And yet, he was equally sure he hadn’t hesitated when Khloe called him.

She must’ve been waiting anxiously upstairs because almost as soon as Raid heard the basement door close after Rocky, he heard Duke’s paws on the stairs and Khloe following close behind.

“Is it safe to come down?” she asked as she appeared at the bottom of the stairs.

Duke padded right over to Raid and put his head in his lap for a moment, before going to his dog bed in the corner and lying down with a sigh.

“Thank you for calling Rocky,” Raid told her. It was obvious that she was anxious, because instead of sitting next to him on the couch, she took the seat Rocky had recently vacated.

“I understand the need for secrets,” Khloe said seriously, not acknowledging his thanks. “I’m the last person who would get mad at anyone for having them. But I thought we were building something together, Raid. I don’t need you to be happy and carefree every second of every day. You’ve been through some shit…shit I know nothing about, and that’s okay. But it’s a part of who you are. It’s made you into the man you are today. The man I’m falling for.

“I even understand you trying to push me away to protect me. Hell, I did the same thing for months to you and everyone else in this town. But you made me see that I’m stronger with people by my side. Having my back. Does it mean my troubles went away? No. Am I completely safe from Jason, Scott, and Alan? Again, no. But I don’t want them to control my life anymore. I want to do what I love—help animals—and I never would’ve been able to come as far as I have without your support.

“I’m still worried. I still get scared. But I’m not willing to let them control my life anymore. If I run, if I give up everything here, they’ve won. And I don’t want that to happen.”

Raid stared at Khloe. She was smart. So damn smart.

She went on. “You had a shock today. I get it. I’ve been there. The fight-or-flight response kicks in and it’s so much easier to run than to stay. But I’m here. As are your friends and teammates. We’ll fight by your side if that’s what it takes. But what I’m not going to do is let you push me away. I’m tougher than you think, Raid. I can handle whatever it is that’s got you so freaked out. Let me stay by your side. Let me have your back. I might not be a badass SEAL or a Coastie, but I’m pretty scrappy.”

“Come here,” Raid ordered, holding out his hand. He held his breath as he waited to see what she’d do. She had every right to roll her eyes and tell him no, but to his immense relief, she stood up immediately and walked toward him.

She sat in the circle of his arm and snuggled in, putting one arm around his stomach and forcing the other between his back and the couch. Her cheek rested on his chest and she sighed, as if she’d been worried what her reception would be.

And Raid hated that. She’d done everything right. Had given him space, had ignored him when he’d half-heartedly tried to break up with her, had called Rocky.

“I loved being in the Coast Guard,” he said. It wasn’t a hard decision to tell her about that last mission. But she needed a little background first. “I worked my ass off to be accepted to the dog handler program. Very few people are and it’s extremely rigorous. I wasn’t the best candidate because of my height. But I refused to give up. I went through training with a guy named Finn Matlick. His nickname is Tonka, because he’s built like a truck. Anyway, we clicked immediately and we became friends.

“His Belgian Malinois was named Steel, and mine was Dagger. They were awesome. Did everything we asked them to without hesitation. They trusted us completely, as we did them. We were a well-oiled machine, and together, the four of us made a ton of drug busts.” Raid took a deep breath. He didn’t like thinking about that last awful day, but Khloe deserved to know what happened. What the phone call today was about.

She didn’t interrupt him. Didn’t give meaningless platitudes. Simply squeezed him tighter, letting him know she was listening.

“We were doing a search of a suspicious vessel. It was pretty routine, so instead of waiting for backup—which was so stupid—we were cocky enough to assume we could handle it. It was a fairly small speedboat. We could only see one person onboard when we pulled up next to it. We boarded the boat…and almost immediately, I was knocked unconscious. Someone came up behind me and did their best to crack my skull open. Then they shot me to make sure I wasn’t going to wake up and ruin their fun.”

“Shit!” Khloe muttered.

“Yeah. I was out like a light. I wasn’t aware of anything that was happening around me. They could’ve just tossed me overboard.”

When he didn’t say anything for a full minute, Khloe asked, “What happened?”

Raid swallowed hard. “Hell happened. We didn’t know the driver of the boat was Pablo Garcia. One of the most notorious and ruthless drug lords in South America. One of his men had been hiding behind some crates onboard, and he was the one to bash me over the head. Tonka wasn’t so lucky. When Pablo threatened to shoot me a second time, he surrendered and was tied up. Then for fun…Pablo started torturing Dagger and Steel.”

Khloe inhaled sharply and lifted her head. “What?”

“Yeah. They tied the dogs up, zip-tied their legs together, and proceeded to torture them. I’ll spare you the details…but Tonka had to witness every second of it. Had to look into Steel’s pleading eyes, unable to do anything to help him. You have to understand, those dogs were our partners in every sense. We would’ve done anything for them, and they’d do the same in return. Watching them suffer…it broke something inside Tonka.

“When Pablo and his men got sick of their games, they threw both Steel and Dagger overboard, but not until they’d weighed them down with some stuff they’d had onboard.”

Khloe gasped. “Alive?”

Raid nodded.

“Oh my God, that’s horrible!”

It was. It was more than horrible. And Raid had to live with the fact that he’d been unconscious during Dagger’s last moments in this world. That the dog had probably looked to his master for help, not getting even the smallest shred of comfort since Raid had been out cold.

“Apparently Garcia’s intentions were to do the same to us. Torture us and throw us overboard while we were still alive, but our backup finally arrived. There was a shootout, and Tonka was hit a few times by stray rounds, but miraculously he wasn’t killed.”

“Thank God,” Khloe breathed.

“He wasn’t the same afterward,” Raid said sadly. “The man I knew and loved like a brother was gone. Watching his faithful companion suffer like he did…” Raid’s words tapered off, and he had to clear his throat before he could talk again. “And my guilt was so intense, I knew I’d never be able to continue in the Coast Guard. We both quit and went our separate ways.”

“Is he okay?” Khloe asked.

“Amazingly, yes. Now. He’s living in New Mexico. He and some men he met started a resort of sorts for people suffering from PTSD. He lives in the woods surrounded by animals big and small. Cows, goats, dogs, cats, even some chickens, from what I understand. Not only that, but he’s married, with a teenage stepdaughter and a baby now too.”

“Good,” Khloe breathed. “I’m happy for him.”

“Me too,” Raid said. And he was. The man had been through hell and deserved to finally be happy. Content. And from what he saw from The Refuge’s website, his old friend was doing very well for himself.

“So what was the call today about?” Khloe asked.

Raid sighed. “Pablo Garcia was released from prison due to overcrowding and supposed good behavior.”

She shot upward, staring at him with wide eyes. “What?”

He nodded. “The call was Tonka letting me know that Garcia was free. He was deported, but we both know that means nothing. Before he was hauled off that boat from hell, he vowed to finish what he’d started. To end us both. I have no doubt somehow, someway, he’ll find us eventually.”

Instead of looking scared or worried, a determined look crossed Khloe’s face. “I’d like to see him try,” she spat. “Asshole, dog-killing fucker.”

To his surprise, Raid found himself trying not to smile. Not at Khloe, never at her, but she wasn’t generally a swearer. And to hear her cussing up a storm was so out of character, and it told him exactly how upset she was on his behalf. But then he sobered. “That’s why I think it’s better if you and I took a break for a while. At least until Tonka and I can figure out where he is and what he might have planned.”

“No.”

Raid frowned and waited for her to say more, but she didn’t.

“Khloe—” he started, but she shook her head against him.

“No. I’m not afraid of him, and I’m not going to leave you alone to deal with this.”

“You should be afraid of him,” Raid returned.

“Well, I’m not. I don’t know why. If he is stupid enough to come here to kill you, he’ll be totally out of his element. This isn’t a boat in the middle of the ocean. He can’t just waltz into Fallport and think he can kill you and leave. We can do what we did for me. Let people know what’s going on, and to be on the lookout for a stranger who might be more than a little interested in you.”

“No way,” Raiden said with a firm shake of his head.

Khloe sat up, and he immediately missed her warmth against him. “Why?” she asked.

“Because I don’t want people up in my business,” he told her.

“So it’s okay to have people up in my business, but not yours?” she asked, annoyingly reasonable.

“It’s not the same,” he protested.

“Look, I know you have guilt about what happened, but it wasn’t your fault, Raid. You were knocked unconscious. Shot! If you’d been awake, you would’ve suffered just as badly as your friend. And in a lot of ways, it was worse for you because you had no idea what was happening and you didn’t get to say goodbye to Dagger. But you didn’t do anything wrong. Nothing. Who’s to say this Garcia guy wouldn’t have done worse things to you or Tonka if you were conscious? Maybe he would’ve started in on your friend instead of the dogs, just to torture you. It sucks, Raid. There’s no doubt. But you have nothing to be ashamed of.”

He wasn’t completely convinced she was right, but she wasn’t the first person to tell him that. Hell, the last time they’d talked about that day, Tonka had even flat-out said he was glad he’d been unconscious the entire time. That Raid hadn’t seen what he had.

“Besides, we don’t have to spread all the details about what happened. Just that someone you busted while in the Coast Guard has it out for you and might come to town to settle a score. You know that will be enough for people to be reporting every single stranger they see to poor Simon and the rest of his deputies. If I’ve learned anything during the last month, it’s that the people who live here will do whatever it takes to protect one of their own. There’s been enough trauma lately to last a lifetime. Besides…you’re a hero here. How many lost people have you and Duke found?”

“I don’t know,” Raid said with a shrug.

“Well, it’s a lot. And once people hear you and Duke might be in danger, they’ll step up.”

“If you get hurt because of me…” His voice trailed off.

Khloe straddled his waist and took his face in her hands. “Now you know exactly how I feel,” she said softly.

Raid’s hands went to her waist and he held on tightly as she kept speaking.

“I can’t promise nothing will happen to you because of the Mathers, just as you can’t promise nothing will happen to me because of your troubles. All we can do is stay aware and communicate with each other. We’re already being careful, we’ll just be more careful. But despite the Mathers, I’ve been happier these last few weeks than I’ve ever been in years, and that’s because of you. Don’t let me go, Raiden. Please.”

His hands tightened and he pulled her into him, burying his face in her neck. It took him a few moments to gather his composure, but when he did, he pulled back. “You’ll do everything I tell you, without argument,” he ordered.

Khloe nodded.

“You won’t take any chances. You won’t confront anyone. You won’t do anything that will allow Garcia to get his hands on you if he comes.”

“I won’t,” she agreed. “Just as you won’t do anything crazy either. You won’t go off the deep end. You won’t push me or the rest of your friends away.”

Raid couldn’t help but smile at that. “I won’t,” he told her.

“Good. We’re a team, Raid. You, me, and Duke.”

The bloodhound, hearing his name, groaned and rolled over, coming to his feet. He climbed up onto the couch and pushed his head between Khloe and Raid.

Raid let go of Khloe with one hand to pet the slobbery hound.

“You feel better?” Khloe asked him.

“Yeah.”

“Good. Don’t ever do that again, Raid,” she said in a pissed-off tone.

It was such a change from the loving woman he held in his arms, Raid could only nod, feeling guilty.

“I mean it. If you ever try to break up with me ‘for my own good’ again…I won’t be so nice the next time.”

He smiled. “Noted.”

And Khloe being Khloe, she nodded and let it go. “Can we go upstairs now? I’m thinking you need another shower.”

“I do, huh?” Raid asked.

“Yup. Because I’m sure you need assistance with those hard-to-reach places on your back.”

“And you’ll help me with those?”

“If I must,” she said with an exaggerated sigh. Then she took his face in her hands again and leaned in. “It’s going to be fine. Everything’s going to work out,” she told him.

“I hope so.”

“I know so,” she said firmly. “I couldn’t have just found the man I can see myself growing old with, only to lose him now.”

Contentment spread through Raid’s veins. “Same,” he said gently.

“Right, before we melt into a pile of goo right here on the couch, get your butt upstairs and into the shower, mister.”

She let out a screech when Raid scooted forward on the couch with her still in his lap and stood.

“Raiden!” she exclaimed as she threw her arms around his shoulders to hold on. “Don’t drop me!”

“Never,” he told her with complete confidence. “One good thing about being as big and strong as I am…I can carry you easily.” He could feel her relaxing in his arms.

“Yeah? Maybe I should have you carry me everywhere then. My leg and all, you know.”

He chuckled. “You’re too headstrong and independent for me to carry you all the time,” he told her.

“True. You know me well.”

“I do,” he returned with a small nod. “Just like you knew it was best to give me some time and to call Rocky to come over and talk me off the ledge. And I didn’t thank you for the awesome dinner.”

She wrinkled her nose and stared at him as he neared the top of the stairs. “For the record…spaghetti and hot dogs is just gross.”

He chuckled. “Noted.”

“But if it makes you feel better, I’ll fix it every day if necessary.”

Raid stopped in the hallway at the top of the stairs and stared at her. How he’d gotten so lucky to have Khloe with him now, he had no idea. “I’m not going to screw this up. But if I do something to piss you off in the future, like I did today, please call me on it.”

“Oh, I will,” she said with a smile. “And the same goes for you. I kind of like when we pick on each other, but if I ever go too far, or say or do anything that crosses a line, please let me know.”

“You know me better than anyone,” he said. “Before today, I’ve never talked about that mission and what happened. And now you and Rocky know. There’s nothing you can say or do that’ll make me want to give you up. Unless you truly want to leave and aren’t doing so just to be noble.”

“Same,” she whispered. “I need you, Raid. Please.”

And just like that, his cock twitched. “I like when you beg,” he teased as he began to walk down the hall once more.

“I know you do,” she quipped.

Later, much later, when Raid held an exhausted, sleeping Khloe, he thought back over everything that happened that day.

The fear that he’d felt when he’d learned Garcia had been released, fear not for himself but for Khloe and all his friends, had morphed into something different.

Anger.

Pablo Garcia was a dangerous murderer. And whoever made the decision to let him free had made a huge mistake. But it was done, and the only thing to do now was move forward. Prepare in case the man made good on his promise to make him and Tonka pay for his arrest. The guy wouldn’t take him by surprise again. Raid knew what kind of man he was—and he would be ready for him.

Not only that, but the harassment Jason and Scott Mather were heaping on Khloe needed to stop—now.

Raid needed to make those phone calls. Talk to some of the contacts he’d made over the years that he’d considered calling the second he’d heard about Alan Mather.

He loved Khloe. There was no doubt about it, even if they hadn’t shared the words. No one would take her from him. They deserved to live a happy, uneventful life and grow old and gray together.

Raid didn’t know what the immediate future held, but he was more determined than ever to fight for what he wanted. And that was Khloe. And Fallport. And his friends.

And for neither him nor Khloe having to look over their shoulders for the rest of their lives. He’d do whatever it took to make that happen.