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WORM

W orm looks at the woman he loves more than life itself. Despite her split lip and bruising on her face, she’s still the most gorgeous woman he’s ever seen. He knows he has a long road ahead to get back in her good graces, but she’s worth every second of his time and effort. He’ll do whatever it takes to get her to forgive him, but if she can’t ever find it in her heart to do so, he’ll make sure she and his child have everything they need, financially and emotionally.

“Tex, the man I told you about when we met in Denver?” he waits for Allison to nod, indicating she remembers the man. “He helped us track you,” Worm begins his confession. He knows what he’s about to disclose will likely make her angry, might even be a deal breaker where he is concerned, but he will bite the bullet and do the right thing. God knows he’s done nothing, but fuck shit up with Allison from the moment he met her.

Allison’s brow wrinkles as she takes in his words, looking a bit confused. He needs to just rip the band-aid off. “The jewelry I gave you in Denver,” he says, reaching up to touch the necklace. “It has a GPS tracker inside. We were able to follow you in real time with his software.” Allison’s eyes widen in shock. Her full mouth dropping open.

“I’m sorry, sugar,” Worm continues. “I should have told you when I gave them to you, but, being the idiot I am, I was afraid you’d think I was trying to control you, to stalk you, or something, and you’d refuse to wear them. I swear I haven’t used the technology until we knew that you’d been taken from the airport.” Allison just stares at him, not saying a word.

“I’m sorry I wasn’t completely honest with you, but I’m not sorry that I gave them to you,” Worm plows ahead, determined to get her to understand his reasoning. “We wouldn’t have been able to find you without them and Tex’s hacking skills. We couldn’t risk forcing the limo off the road. You or the baby could have been injured.”

“How do you know about the baby?” Allison asks, her voice hard, angry even. “Did Charlotte tell you?”

“No, she didn’t,” Worm answers, not hiding his anger or frustration either. “I’m still pissed at her for keeping it from me. I understand why she did, but I’m not happy about it.” Allison bites her lower lip, wincing when she breaks open the wound on it. Worm reaches out to catch the drop of blood that wells up. He rises and heads into the en suite bathroom for some tissues. While he is in there, he wets a cloth with cold water, wringing out the excess so it doesn’t drip on her.

He walks back to the bed, dabbing her bleeding lip with the tissue, then places the cold cloth against her swollen lip. “Thanks,” Allison murmurs, softly. Worm sits back down next to her.

“Tex told me about the baby, when we were following behind the limo.” Allison tenses and tilts her head, looking at him with curiosity. “He’d been going through your internet searches,” Worm hurries to explain. “He was trying to figure out who might want to hurt you based on your stories.” Allison relaxes a bit. “He came across those searches and found the file you’d saved of your lab tests done at the clinic. He told me about the support groups and the questions you’d asked.”

Allison’s face flushes a deep red. He isn’t sure if it’s from embarrassment or anger at her privacy being violated. “I’m sorry sugar, that I made you feel like you’d have to raise our baby alone. I’m sorry that Tex violated your privacy, but it was necessary to find out who posed a threat to you. If it hadn’t been for him, we wouldn’t have known you’d left the airport or that you hadn’t left willingly.”

“I need time to think about all this,” Allison says softly when he pauses. “Where are we?” Her eyes dart around the beautifully decorated room.

“This is the home of a Senator who works with Claymore.” Allison’s body becomes stiff and Worm realizes he’s scared her. “Not in his side business. Senator Mingham had no idea what Claymore was into, until Tex had his contact at Homeland get in touch with her. She agreed to allow Claymore to enter her property so we could subdue him and get you free.”

“Why would she be willing to risk her home and her own safety?”

“Tex has been combing through your investigation long before you came to Jacksonville,” Worm informs her, knowing he has more to disclose. “I’d asked him to look into things the night you’d called me after being released from your kidnappers.”

“You did?” Allison is looking at him like he’s grown an extra head or something. “Why?”

“Yeah,” Worm shrugs his shoulders. “I’ve always wanted the best for you, sugar. Even when I didn’t think I could have you for keeps.” Allison's eyes fill with tears. “Don’t cry, baby. I don’t like seeing you upset or hurting.” Her tears spill over, leaving a trail down her face in their wake. He slips an arm around her shoulders, pulling her toward him. She rests her head on his chest. He doesn’t know what to say to help so he just continues to tell her about what has been going on without her knowledge.

“Tex found the files you’d sent to Claymore when he’d forced you to give up your research. Tex took what you had and using the dark web, gathered more evidence. He sent everything he found to a contact of his at the FBI, who helped bring in the man from Homeland Security. The FBI has been working the ring for a few years, and had a man on the inside, but hadn’t been able get a lock on who was the ringleader. You managed to uncover things from people on the street the FBI hadn’t been able to. Tex, the FBI, and Homeland worked together putting what each one had on the missing children’s cases, until they managed to tie things to Claymore who appeared to be running the operation. It just so happened, their inside man had traveled with Claymore to Jacksonville.”

“Claymore wasn’t really in charge,” Allison startles him when she speaks. She’d been so quiet, he wasn’t sure she was still awake, but he hadn’t wanted to lose his hold on her. Allison glances up at him, but keeps her head resting on his chest. “Bruno, the Uber driver in San Diego, indicated he was the real mastermind. He used Claymore’s and others’ desires as a way to control them and get them to do what he wanted; which was to make him wealthy. I think he felt powerful because he was using these other people who were supposed to be untouchable, but he had things on them that would ruin them.”

“Uh, didn’t see that coming,” Worm comments.

“Yeah, he was really crazy,” Allison mutters, shivering all over.

“Are you cold, sugar?” Worm wraps both arms around her, hoping to warm her up.

“No.” She shakes her head. “I was just remembering him in the limo, after he’d been shot.” She curls in tighter to Worm’s body. He holds her tightly, wanting to take her bad memories away. She’s too good, too precious to have been touched by that evil.

“I’m sorry you had to see that, sugar. I hate you went through all of this,” Worm pulls away a little to make eye contact with her. Her expressive eyes stare up at him. “But you did an amazing job of investigating those missing kids. Your work will make all the difference in shutting the ring down. Tex told us the FBI is in the process of raiding the places where the kids are being held and they are combing through records showing who had purchased kids and where they might have been taken. It’s going to take time, but eventually they hope to bring many if not all of the missing home.”

Allison’s body relaxes significantly as he speaks which helps Worm to calm down a little himself. Worm’s phone buzzes with an incoming message. He checks it, seeing Hawk has sent him the all clear. “I should take you down where everyone else has gathered,” Worm tells Allison, wishing things were different. Wishing she wasn’t angry with him. Wishing he had the right to hold her, kiss her, make love to her, and tell her everything he is thinking and feeling.

“Russell?”

“Yeah, sugar?”

“What happens now?” He stops moving, breathing, everything. He isn’t sure his heart is even beating. He hadn’t thought about anything, but getting her safe. Now that she is?

“What do you want to happen?” Worm pulls back, turning to face her as best he can when they are sitting side by side. He keeps one arm around her lower back, not yet ready to lose contact with her.

“I…I don’t know,” Allison lets out a huge sigh, staring toward the bedroom door. “I’m scared, Russell. I have so much I want to say, but not sure that I should. I don’t know how to feel about everything that’s happened with Bruno and Claymore…between us.

“I have a person growing inside me. One that you and I created. One that I hadn’t planned on, but now, I can’t imagine not having this little person. I wanted to tell you, but you’d already made it clear you didn’t want anything more than sex and I can’t see myself in a relationship like that for long. I want to raise my child in a traditional home like I was raised in, just without all the judgmental bullshit.

“I want a house with a yard, my child playing in the sandbox, to have Emma come over to visit. But more than anything I just want to be safe, happy, and loved, Russell. Is that too much to ask for?” Allison lifts her eyes to his.

“No,” Worm replies, blinking back his emotions. “It’s not, sugar. I understand how you feel. I know I hurt you and I’m scared, too. I’m afraid you won’t be able to forgive me. I know it’s going to take time to gain your trust, for you to believe me when I tell you that I want all of that, too.

“I love you, Allison. I never considered falling in love while I was still active duty. I figured when my enlistment ended, I’d allow myself to meet someone, but that was just a distant dream of the future, until you stepped into my life. Suddenly, I could picture myself in love, with a wife, children, and a little house with a white picket fence, but I didn’t think I could have it…could have you and still do my duty to my team, my family, and my country.

“It took me a while to figure it out, but I know now that my fears of failing you, the team, my mom and sisters were all just that, fears. I can have it all. Is it always going to be easy? No, I’m sure it won’t be; but if Hawk, Straw, Tank, and all the others can have it all, then we can, too. That is, if you can find it in yourself to forgive me.”

Allison throws her arms around Worm’s neck. “Oh, Russell!” He hugs her back, pulling her into his lap. She’s sobbing, soaking his shirt with her tears. Worm’s eyes burn and his nose tingles. He blinks and swallows a couple of times.

A throat clears, drawing his attention. Hawk, Wallace, and Mercury are waiting in the doorway with huge grins on their faces. It seems they’ve been eavesdropping. “Is she hurt?” Wallace asks, concern replacing his smile. Allison sits up shifting toward the men, but not getting up from his lap.

“I’m fine, Curtis. Thank you all for helping Russell find me. I need to thank this Tex guy, too. It seems he was a big help.” The men all chuckle while nodding.

“You don’t need to thank me, sweetheart,” a male voice says from Hawk’s phone which he was holding out so they could all hear. “I’m just glad you are safe. Don’t be too hard on Worm. He’s only a man after all. Sometimes we men can’t see the forest for the trees. It takes a good woman to show it to him. I think you’re just the woman for the job.”

Allison turns to Worm, studying him hard. “Did you put him up to that?” Worm bursts out in a deep belly laugh. His sugar is going to be okay. She has a long road of recovery after everything she’s been through, but he knows she’ll come out the other side of it. She’s already getting her snark back.

“I love you, sugar.” Worm kisses his woman and ignores the cat calls from the doorway when she kisses him back. Yeah, they’re going to be okay. He’s still going to grovel and give her everything she wants and more, but he knows with her by his side? He can conquer the world.