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“Aww.” I moaned. “Perfect. Has anyone checked on Darby and fed him?”
“I did,Phi.” Beam replied.
“Good.” I sighed.
When the house was finally quiet, Storm crawled into bed with me. I hadn’t managed to fall asleep because my brain wouldn’t shut up. He pulled me against his chest, kissed my forehead then wrapped his arms around me.
Sighing, I snuggled into his warmth as I listened to the air conditioning humming to cool the air that moved about the space.
“This will be over soon.” Storm assured me. “One way or the other, we end this.”
“I don’t know what I’ll do with Darby when it is.” I admitted.
“And you know something? You don’t have to make that decision this very moment.” Storm told me, easing back to look into my eyes. “Tonight, I want you to focus on me and turn off that brain.”
Exhausted, I nodded and closed my eyes.
Rain fell the night before—all night I was awake battling the demons storms brought to my mind. I tried my best not to wake Storm. He’d been working hard to help me get my life back.
But each time a nightmare got its hooks into me, and I jerked awake, Storm was there, holding me tighter, kissing my brows.
The next day we all sat and came up with a plan. None of us was okay with it, but we didn’t have any other alternatives. Tex had gone digging but we couldn’t find any known associates for the Frogs after us. Then again, they were an elite team that was brought down by their stupidity and not by some rogue terrorist cell.
They were badass on their own—just dumb as shit.
I was banking on that stupidity.
I was hoping on them underestimating Beam and Storm, and that they thought my vagina still made me weak.
“Can I go on record as to say this is a bad idea,Phi.” Beam asked for the millionth time. “You can’t just walk into Arturo Fernanda’s clutches, without being armed.”
“Walking in there with a gun is like declaring war.” I explained.
“And?” Beam pressed. “P’Storm, tell her she can’t do this.”
Storm smiled and patted Beam’s shoulder.
“She won’t be alone.” He assured the young cop. “We’ll be there, Tex will be on-call and Lizard will be on stand-by.”
“I don’t like it,Phi.”
After patting his cheek affectionately, I picked up my bottle of water, drank what was left and placed the empty bottle back on the table. Lizard left to arrive at our destination and find a place to set up, and I followed Beam from the house and to the jeep.
Storm stopped me and drew me into his arms.
“You call for help if you need us to come breaking in there.” He told me, his voice serious, hard. “I mean it, Taz. No heroics. The mafia is notoriously unpredictable and I’m not risking your safety.”
“Understood,Nong.”
He grunted and released me.
I thought for sure he was angry at the honourific but he smiled, kissed me and opened my door for me. Thanking him with a kiss, I climbed in and after he closed my door, Storm paused to take a breath. I watched his shoulders rise and fall as I wondered what I’d done in my miserable life to deserve him.
He hadn’t told me he loved me—not once.
But every time he touched my cheek tenderly, or stared into my eyes, or kissed me—I knew.
And while I had some very—very—strong feelings for Anurak Kasemchai, I was terrified to name them.