Page 27 of Gone (Gray Wolf Security #23)

Nine sat on the edge of the bed, watching as Erin walked around their room, dressing and brushing her hair as if she hadn’t just been inches from death. Gripping her hand, he pulled her toward him.

“Nine, I’m okay. Trak was there. All of you were there.”

“You were saying goodbye,” he whispered against her belly.

“No. I was just telling you that I love you, and I trust you. I wasn’t scared, Nine. After spending so much time being afraid, I wasn’t afraid. My girls had my back,” she grinned, looking down at him. He frowned, staring up at her.

“Don’t look so shocked. They all came back because I forgot that stupid jacket.

All of them. Don’t you see, Nine? You’ve all taught us how to watch out for one another, how to protect one another.

Lena was doing her thing to save Peter, Sara, Lauren, Tory, and the others were protecting her and me.

We all did just what you taught us to do. ”

“It was too close,” he growled.

“Nine, did you forget that you also gave us all weapons?” He stared at her, raising his brows, then lowering them.

“We all had our weapons, but it was too risky to pull them at that time. Even if Frank had taken me, I had my gun and my knife from Trak. He was injured, weak, and wouldn’t have been able to fight me.

The others had them as well. Sara and Tory are more than capable of handling one man.

At some point, you all have to stop worrying so much about us. ”

“Never. As long as I’m alive, I’m going to worry about you.”

“Same.”

“What?” he asked with surprise.

“We will always worry about all of you as long as we’re alive. Every time you walk out the door. Every time you take a case. Every time you tell us it’s just routine. We worry, we’re scared, and we don’t breathe easy until you walk back in the door.”

“Every time?” he whispered.

“Every. Damn. Time,” she said definitively.

“Nine, we’ve been over this for decades now.

We understand that it’s who you all are, but it doesn’t make it any easier for us.

You were out there, chasing two armed men with the threat of floods, torrential rain, and freezing temperatures closing in.

Yet we agreed and said, ‘go get them.’ We know it’s who you are. ”

It was as if realization slapped Nine in the face. This feeling he was having, not for the first time, was the same feeling that the women had to go through every damn time they left the property.

“We’ve been so fucking selfish,” he said.

“No. No, you haven’t. You’re the complete opposite of selfish.

You worry about everyone other than yourselves.

It’s who you are. You are all willing to risk your lives for strangers, people who may never see your faces.

It’s why we married you.” She laughed, but Nine’s stoic face said he wasn’t amused.

“Honey, it’s okay. I’m okay, the girls are okay, you’re all okay. We’re fine.”

“I’m not sure I am,” he said, shaking his head. “We’re not kids any longer, Erin. If the magic of Belle Fleur holds, we may have another twenty years together. That’s not enough fucking time in my book. Not nearly enough. I want eternity.”

“Babe, you know that will happen. In its own way. Come on, the others are going to be waiting downstairs.”

He nodded, following her out of the room. But their conversation was sticking in his throat like a popcorn kernel that wouldn’t go away. He entered the restaurant as Erin headed to the women, hugging and laughing. They’d become immune to it all.

“We’re selfish fucking pigs,” said Ghost. Nine stared at his friend.

“Funny, that’s exactly what I just said to Erin. She said we’re just being us. That doesn’t make me feel any better.”

“Why is this one hitting different?” asked Ian. “We’ve been in this situation before. We’ve been in more dangerous situations. Why is this one so hard for us?”

“We’re older. More vulnerable,” said Gaspar. “When we get back. I think we need to meet. The entire Gray Wolf team and the VG boys.”

“Agreed,” said Trak as they all jumped, gripping their chests. He smirked at them, raising a mischievous brow.

“God, you’re an asshole sometimes,” said Ian.

“All the time. But they’re too precious to lose. Seeing baby sis held today nearly broke me. I was worried about throwing that knife.”

Nine whipped his head around, staring at his old friend. Never in his life would he have dreamed that Trak would worry about hitting his target.

“Trak?” frowned Ghost.

“I knew I’d hit him. But I was distracted by it being Erin, and for a brief minute, I was second-guessing myself. Nothing I ever do. But it was because it was her. It was Erin. She’s family. They’re all family.”

“Shit,” muttered Gaspar. And in perfect pitch, the others followed.

“Shit.”

“Shit.”

“Shit.”

“Shit.”

“Shit.”

“Shit.”