Page 24 of Crush & Byte (Grim Road MC #9)

Byte

We stayed at the little cabin for two more days before I called in our ride home.

None of us had been particularly ready, but we were running out of clean clothes and I didn’t really relish the idea of handwashing anything.

River called her job and resigned. She hated not giving notice, but since the schedule was late coming out -- so there were no shifts she was committed to -- and she usually gave her boss the days she could work and hadn’t since the schedule wasn’t ready yet, there really hadn’t been a point in giving two weeks.

Now, the jet touched down with a gentle bump, a stark contrast to the thundering in my chest as I glanced at River sandwiched between me and Crush in the plush leather seats. Yeah, El Diablo had been less than impressed when he’d figured out we’d commandeered his Gulf Stream, but he’d get over it.

Home. We were bringing River home to Grim Road, to our world.

Our chosen family. Neither of us had ever brought a woman back to the compound before and from the tight set of Crush’s jaw, I knew he was just as keyed up as I was.

Likely because we were bringing River back as a woman we were sharing.

The guys in our group weren’t nearly as judgmental as they had been in the days before Lemon got there so I was pretty confident no one would hurt River’s feelings.

Less than a week, we’d left as two brothers on a mission to humor our grandmother. Now we were returning as a family with our woman at our side, bound together in ways I still tried to wrap my head around.

“You okay?” I asked River, watching her fingers nervously tap against her thigh.

She nodded, flashing me that smile that hit me like a physical force every damn time. “Just a little nervous.”

Crush reached over, covering her hand with his. “They’re going to love you. Or they’ll answer to us.”

El Diablo’s pilot had gotten us back to Florida in record time.

The guy never asked questions, which made it worth hijacking his schedule occasionally.

It wasn’t like El Diablo was going to kill us or anything.

I mean, he could, but I didn’t think Lemon would let him.

OK, so she would if there was a good enough reason, but not because we took his jet to go get our girl.

Even if she wasn’t our girl at the time.

Knox, the road captain for Grim Road, met us at the airport in an SUV to take us back to the compound.

“Welcome home.” Knox grinned and took my hand in a firm grip before doing the same to Crush.

His gaze went to River, and he smiled. “Mission accomplished, looks like.” He offered his hand to her.

“I’m Knox. My woman, Evelyn, is anxious to meet you. ”

“She is?” River looked so shocked I had to smile.

“Yep. Said she’s looking forward to meeting the woman crazy enough to take on these two.”

River looked from me to Crush uncertainly. “Is the two of them being with me together going to be awkward for anyone?”

“Nobody gives a fuck,” Knox said, his mien hardening, his brows drawing together. “And if they do, you come tell me and I’ll tell them to fuck all the way off. After I kick their ass.”

“Wow.” She blinked and ducked her head. “That’s really violent.” We all laughed, and I caught River grinning despite how uncertain she’d looked only moments before.

Crush put his arm around her and leaned in to speak next to her ear. “No one’s going to make you uncomfortable. When you meet Lemon, you’ll understand why.”

The drive to the compound passed in comfortable silence.

Knox didn’t chat, letting us have as much privacy as he could in the confines of the Explorer.

River sat between us in the backseat. Her thigh was warm against mine; her scent like sunshine and something sweet I couldn’t name, filled my head with memories of her body arching beneath me just hours earlier.

We turned onto the unmarked dirt road that led through the nature reserve our compound called home. Crush caught my eye over River’s head, the corner of his mouth lifting in a subtle smile that told me he was thinking the same thing I was. She was ours now, and we were bringing her home.

We rounded the final bend, and the compound came into view.

River’s eyes widened, taking in the sprawling collection of buildings nestled among the trees.

From the outside, it looked like weathered wood siding deliberately left unstained to blend with the surrounding forest, metal roofs dulled by time and the elements.

The enormous oak and cypress trees created a natural canopy, filtering the harsh Florida sun into dappled shadows across the grounds.

“It’s beautiful,” River murmured, leaning forward to see better through the windshield. “Like it grew right out of the forest.”

“That’s the idea,” Crush said, pride evident in his voice. “Invisible unless you know where to look.”

Knox hadn’t even put the truck in park when the main clubhouse door flew open and a blonde whirlwind came tearing across the yard toward us.

“Incoming,” I warned River with a grin. “Hurricane Lemon.”

River barely had time to step out of the truck before Lemon was on her, wrapping her in a big hug.

“Holy shit, you’re actually real!” Lemon laughed, pushing away from River but holding her at arm’s length. “When these two cavemen set out to find a woman who could stand both their brooding asses, I thought they were smoking something.”

River laughed, the sound breaking through her nervousness. “They’re not that bad. Sometimes they even use full sentences.”

“Oh, I like you already.” Lemon’s grin was fierce as she linked her arm through River’s. “You need a break from these knuckleheads?”

River shook her head. “No. I really don’t think I do.”

That caused both women to giggle. “I have a feeling I’m never going to understand women,” I muttered to myself.

Rocket appeared at our side, his arms crossed over his chest as he watched his woman welcome ours.

“Best you don’t even try. Welcome to Grim Road, River,” he said, his voice gravelly but warm.

His eyes swept over her, assessing but not unkind.

“About time these two found someone to keep them in line.”

River took his hand, her grip firm. “Thank you for letting me come here with them. I know it’s not a small thing.”

Rocket lifted his chin at River. “They explain things to you?”

“The important bits, I think. I understand this place has to stay hidden.” And she did. We’d explained how Grim Road worked and that everyone here had at one time or another done some kind of work for the CIA. Spooks. We were all spooks.

Other members started drifting over from the garage and workshop, Bear nodding silently, a few of the younger guys introducing themselves with eager handshakes. River handled it all with surprising ease, her initial nervousness giving way to genuine warmth as she met each person.

I moved closer to her, my hand finding the small of her back, a gentle reminder of my presence. Crush mirrored me on her other side, his stance slightly wider, shoulders squared. The message was clear to everyone watching. River was ours.

A hush fell over the group, and I looked up to see Maggie standing in the clubhouse doorway.

She’d traded her usual assisted-living facility clothing for jeans and a simple black top, her silver hair gleaming in the filtered sunlight.

She moved with the fluid grace that had made her legendary in her CIA days.

“There she is,” Maggie said, her voice carrying across the yard. “My girl.”

River stiffened beside me, her eyes widening in recognition. “Mrs. Walsh?”

Maggie’s smile was the cat-who-got-the-canary grin I’d known my whole life. “I told you to call me Maggie, dear.”

“You’re their grandmother,” River said slowly, the pieces clicking together in her head. “The nursing home… all those conversations… you were sizing me up.”

“Smart girl,” Maggie replied, moving closer.

“I knew you were perfect for my boys the moment I met you. That spark in your eye, kindness that can’t be faked.

But I needed to be sure you were strong enough to handle them both.

” She touched River’s cheek with gentle fingers.

“I may have nudged things along, but what happened between you three? That was all you. Besides, I knew those boys wouldn’t keep you in the dark about what I’d done.

They laid it all out for you and let you make the decision. Didn’t they?”

River nodded. “You knew they’d do that?”

“Of course, dear. The whole rigamarole was simply to get you on board. I knew you’d never turn down a chance to see new places and have your own adventure.”

River shook her head, but I could see the smile tugging at her lips. “I should be furious with you.”

“But you’re not,” Maggie said confidently. “Because you’re exactly where you want to be.”

The truth of those words settled over us, and I felt River relax against me. She reached out, taking both my hand and Crush’s, linking us together. “Yeah. I really am.”

She was home. We all were. And home was each other.

The gathering turned into a party. We stayed for a while, introducing River to everyone.

I was anxious to get back to our rooms and let River get settled.

Besides, I wanted River to ourselves. The sounds of laughter and conversation faded as Crush and I led River to the main clubhouse where our office doubled as our apartment.

“Where are we going?” River asked, her fingers intertwined with mine as Crush walked on her other side, his hand resting possessively at the small of her back.

“Our place.” I flashed her a grin. “Doubles as our office, but we’ve got plenty of room and both our bedrooms have king-size beds.”

“Oh.” River nodded her head and picked up the pace slightly. “Sounds like the very place to be right now.”

Crush snorted a laugh. “I couldn’t agree more.”