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BEFORE I COULD GET a word out, Nate reached around Shade to take my hand and pull me into his embrace. Happily, I wrapped my arms around him in return and let out a relieved sigh.
“Nate.” It had been too long since I’d seen or talked to my friend.
“I can’t believe you’re here!” He exclaimed, then pushed me back to look at me. “How are you? Are you okay?”
“I’m fine, Nate. Things have been kind of crazy since Shade picked me up, but I’m doing great,” I assured him.
Mostly, it was the truth.
“You two know each other?” Shade asked from behind me. And I was too happy from seeing my friend to care that he didn’t sound the least bit pleased.
“Yes!” I breathed, turning to grin up at him before turning back to Nate.
He pushed my hair off my shoulders, his eyes narrowing on my neck. His face turned red with anger and his gaze snapped to me, then to Shade. There must be bruises from where Shade attacked me earlier.
Nate pushed me to the side to step toe to toe with Shade.
“Care to explain that shit?” He growled, pointing to my neck.
Shade glared down at him. I was afraid that he might act rather than answer, so I interjected before a brawl broke out.
“It’s not what you think,” I told him, placing a hand on Nate’s shoulder, pulling him back.
“Oh?” He looked skeptical.
“Shade would never hurt me.” As far as I knew, it was the truth. He made his threats, but he never acted. That was a good sign, right?
Nate glared up at Shade for a moment longer, then I tugged on his shoulder harder until he let me pull him back. There were bigger things to talk about than Shade and his issues. I had questions and now I could ask them.
“What’s been going on, Nate?” I asked. “You’re not working for father anymore?”
Nate shook his head.
“When I couldn’t find you within the first year your father hired someone else to do it. I was able to keep them busy in the wrong direction for a while then this private investigator put the pieces together and figured out I was the one who helped you. He got that bit of information to your father before I could take him out.
Luckily, that was the only thing he found out. Once your father knew it was me, I went underground. It was too risky to try to warn you. When I heard your father sent Shade to collect you, I knew it wouldn’t be long before he found you. But I also knew Shade wouldn’t return you, so I reached out. I’m just so damn happy you’re okay.”
He reached out, taking my hand in his. I gave it a squeeze, and kept hold. It was nice to have someone familiar by my side. It made me feel a little safer knowing Nate is still at my back.
“What’s the information do you have?” Shade asked, interrupting our reunion.
Nate looked to me, then to Shade.
“Have you been in contact with Mr. Costello?” Nate asked.
“Yes,” Shade answered curtly.
“Have you told him that you have Ever?”
“No, but he thinks I’m close. In a week, I’ll tell him I’ve got her. That should be long enough to get everything in order to take him and his operation down.” Shade sounded so sure, but the news that I only had a week to prepare made me dizzy.
“What about Ever?” Nate asked, looking at me, then back to Shade. “What do you plan to do with her?”
“Use her as bait to take down as many as I can, then use her to gain access to Mr. Costello.” His blunt explanation had my stomach in knots.
The way he said it without emotion or concern for me made me want to puke. I hadn’t lied when I told Shade I would do whatever I had to do to take down my father, but that didn’t mean I wasn’t scared out of my mind.
“Like hell!” Nate roared, outraged. “That’s too risky. She could be injured or killed.”
“It’s a risk I’m willing to take,” I whispered, squeezing his hand again.
“Ever, you don’t understand,” he started, but I just shook my head.
“I know better than anyone,” I laughed, dryly. “I know what my father is capable of. What he will do to keep his business alive. It’s the very reason I have to do this.”
“There has to be another way,” he said, trying to reason with me but he knew as well as I did, there wasn’t another way.
“She’ll be fine,” Shade said to Nate.
I looked up at him, giving him a grateful smile. It was hard to tell if he meant it, but the sentiment was the same. He was doing what he could to ensure I could protect myself. I just hoped it was enough.
“Like you give a shit if she comes out alive. As long as you get in, do your job, and get paid, then you are all set. What does her life mean to you?” Nate snarled at Shade.
Faster than I thought possible, Shade grabbed the front of Nate’s shirt pulling him close until they were nose to nose.
“You have no idea what her life means to me.” Shade’s voice dripped with threat. Daring Nate to question him again but Nate didn’t back down.
“Don’t forget, we’re cut from the same cloth, you and I. I know just how far you would go to ensure this job is done correctly.”
“You don’t know shit!” Shade snarled, releasing Nate.
Nate staggered back, and I stepped between them, putting my hand to Shades chest.
“That’s enough,” I warned. “He’s my friend.”
Shade stared down at me, his chest heaving as he tried to calm down. His eyes kept flickering to my hand, but I didn’t remove it. It stayed firmly in place until his breathing returned to normal and he no longer looked at Nate like he wanted to rip his head off.
“So it’s like that,” Nate murmured.
“Like what?” I asked confused.
Nate opened his mouth to respond, but Shade spoke first.
“We gotta go, darlin’.” Shade wrapped a hand around my wrist, yanking me to his side.
The movement caused me to stumble, and I fell into his side.
“Hey!” I cried out. “That was rude. Besides, he didn’t tell us what we came all this way for.”
“We gotta go.” His voice was lower now and from the look in his eyes, I knew there would be no arguing with him. We were leaving.
I took a step toward Nate, wrapping my free arm around his neck. Shade’s grip stayed locked around me as I hugged my friend awkwardly.
“I’m so happy to see you,” I murmured into his chest. “Once this is all over, I hope to see you again.”
“You can count on it,” Nate said, holding me close.
With a sigh, I released him and Shade pulled me back into his side.
“I’ll see you around.” I tried to smile, but the emotions that swept over me made my lip tremble.
“See you around, Ev.” Without another look, I pulled out of Shades hold and hurried out the door.
If I stayed a moment longer, I wouldn’t be able to leave. Nate was my best friend. I didn’t want to leave him again.
Back inside the car, I didn’t bother with the music. I leaned my head against the cool window and closed my eyes. With each steady breath I took, the less I felt like I was going to burst into tears. I couldn’t break down now. Not over Nate. He would be so pissed. And probably yell at me and tell me I was stronger than that.
My mind went to the things that were left unsaid. We had driven all this way to get intel from Nate and Shade wouldn’t stick around for a moment longer to get it. Not to mention what Nate had said. What did he mean “So it’s like that”? Was he talking about Shade and me?
“Ever?” Shade called from beside me.
He still sounded agitated.
“Yeah?” I answered but didn’t move to look at him.
“You gonna sit there all night?” When I turned to look at him, he nodded out the windshield.
Following his nod, I discovered that we were at the motel, parked right in front of our room. I had been so lost in thought over seeing Nate again I hadn’t even realized we had stopped.
Without answering Shade, I climbed from the SUV and met him at our room door. He slid the key in and with a turn of the knob the door swung open. I could feel the anger rolling off him in waves. I knew once we were inside he was going to let me have it. I just couldn’t figure out what he was so mad about.
He let me step inside first and I didn't waste any time in moving deeper into the room toward the bed. I might as well be comfortable for whatever he was about to say. I’m sure it was going to be a real doozy.
As soon as the door clicked shut, Shade spoke.
“Why the fuck didn’t you tell me you knew who Nate was?”
“I wasn’t sure how Nate would react to seeing me. I wanted to wait to see him before I decided what to do.” I climbed onto the bed, propping myself up in the middle.
Shade was pacing the floor in front of me.
“You should have told me,” he snapped.
“Why? What difference would it have made?”
“It would have been nice to know that not only did you know him, but he was your lover too,” he said stiffly.
“Nate was not my lover.” I tried to say it with a straight face, but a giggle escaped, betraying me.
“No? The way the two of you were all over each other tonight says different.” That sobered me up. He couldn’t be serious right now.
I sat up straighter, narrowing my eyes at him. “You don’t know anything. Nate saved my life. He helped me learn to defend myself, then when the time came he helped me disappear. He was the reason I stayed hidden for so long. I owe him everything! He’s my best friend. Actually, he’s my only friend.” I wasn’t sure why I was explaining it to him. What did I care if he thought Nate was my lover?
“They way he looked at you says there was more,” he said, cooly.
“Why do you care?”
“I don’t,” he snapped, walking over to sit on the edge of the other bed.
“Right,” I snorted, scooting down the bed and rolling onto my side, tucking my hands under my head.
The long boring stay in the motel room combined with the emotional rollercoaster I had been on not to mention the late hour had me beat. I was tired of fighting to keep my eyes open and I desperately needed a few mins of rest.
“Wake me when it’s time to leave,” I mumbled, just as my eyes fluttered closed.
* * *
“YOU’RE SUCH A COVER hog,” I murmured, gripping the edge of the comforter and tugging with all my might. It was no use. Shade was the absolute worst when it came to bed sharing.
My eyes blinked open and the motel room came into view. I looked over to the bed beside me to find it empty and still made.
Lifting my head, I expected to find Shade sitting in a nearby chair sipping a mug of coffee, but he wasn’t. When I turned my head to look at the spot beside me, I found a half naked Shade sprawled on his belly fast asleep. The covers were completely twisted around him.
What the hell?
He was practically teetering on the edge, so I pushed my feet out giving him a little shove. I smiled in satisfaction as his big body hit the floor with a thud.
As he jumped to his feet, I grabbed the gun off the bedside table and aimed it at him.
“What the fuck, Ever?” He looked like a poked beast.
“What the fuck are you doing in my bed?” I asked, my aim not wavering.
“What?” He asked, looking confused.
“There are two beds in this dank room. You could have slept in the empty one but imagine my surprise when I woke up to find you knocked out beside me hogging all the damn covers.”
He relaxed his stance and stretched, then yawned.
My eyes took him in and even though I’d seen him naked or half naked a few times before, I still couldn’t help but look. His body was pure male perfection. All the scars seemed to add to his incredible physique. There were a few that I was sure were bullet wounds, but I was too afraid to ask. The one that stuck out the most was the one that went from underneath his arm around his belly button. It was jagged and looked like it hurt like a bitch. I couldn’t even fathom what would have caused such a mark.
“You kept whimpering and crying in your sleep,” he told me, bringing me back.
“What?”
“You wouldn’t wake up either, but as long as I stayed beside you, you stopped. I lay down beside you and must have fallen asleep.” He shrugged like it was no big deal.
“Oh,” I said, letting the hand holding the gun drop to my lap.
I wasn’t sure what to say to that. I couldn’t recall having bad dreams or any dreams at all and I wasn’t sure how I felt about his act of kindness. He could have left me in my fitful sleep but had been kind enough to stay with me until I stopped.
It was so unexpected. I had no idea what to say.
“We leave in twenty,” Shade grunted, heading for the bathroom.
“Then I call the shower first!” I hurried off the bed after him.
Twenty minutes later, we were in the truck.
“So, what are we doing for breakfast?” We had just pulled away from the motel after a long argument about who was going to take the first shower.
An argument he won of course.
I had beaten him in the bathroom and was just climbing in the shower when he strolled in butt naked claiming he’d be damned if he would wait for me to finish when he had clearly been headed here first.
Screeching like a banshee, I wrapped a towel around me and stalked out the door, cursing him the whole way.
The man really had no shame.
Now as we headed out of town, my stomach was making its demands known and I knew he had to be hungry. The man never missed breakfast.
He didn’t bother answering, and I didn’t press him further. I knew we would stop somewhere I just hoped it was somewhere good. I wanted to indulge before we headed back to the middle of nowhere and was subjected to an obscene amount of bacon and eggs.
I could have kissed him when he pulled into an IHOP.
“I’ll have the strawberry stuffed french toast with a side of ham,” I ordered after we were seated.
“I’ll have the same,” Shade said, taking me by surprise.
I almost choked on my orange juice.
“What? No bacon or eggs?” He just grunted, picking up his coffee and taking a sip. “Well at least you’re drinking coffee. Not all has changed. So, we’re headed back to the shack. What’s the plan once we arrive there? More training?” I couldn’t quite keep the excitement out of my voice.
I wasn’t sure how I felt about that fact that I was actually happy we were returning there. It just seemed like everything was simpler and less stressful at the shack. It was our own little universe just the two of us.
“We’re not going back,” he said.
The smile dropped from my face. “What? Why not?”
“We’re staying here for a few more days.”
“That doesn’t make sense. Why did we check out of our motel if we aren’t going home?”
“Because we’ll be staying somewhere else.”
“Another dirty motel I’m sure, but you didn’t tell me why. Is it because you didn’t get your info from Nate? Are we staying so you can talk to him again?” We had driven all this way only for him to not get the information. It would make sense that we would stay to get it.
“No,” he said, sitting down his coffee to cross his arms and look up at me. “No, I met with Nate after you crashed out last night. He told me everything I needed.”
The way his mouth lifted had me on edge.
“What did you do?” I demanded, narrowing my eyes. “You had better not have hurt him.”
“He’s a hitman, darlin’. It would take a lot more than a little knocking around to hurt him,” he snickered.
The waitress arrived with our food saving Shade from my wrath. He couldn’t be serious. Why on Earth would he meet with Nate just to knock him around for information that he had already agreed to give him in the first place? It made little sense. I was beginning to think nothing about Shade did.
“He’s my friend,” I said, my voice low, my eyes on my plate. “Why would you knock him around?” I looked up from my plate to stare, wide eyed at Shade.
He looked up from his food to raise an eyebrow at me.
“I didn’t like the way he insinuated that I didn’t care what happened to you. That he clearly thought I would hurt you on purpose,” he grumbled, looking back to his food.
“But you have hurt me on purpose,” I reminded him. I could think of several times at the shack where he had knocked me senseless. Sure most of it was part of training, but it was still on purpose.
“Not in the sense he was implying,” he pointed out.
I guess that was true.
“Do you really care what happens to me?” I asked, curious.
We had been through this already, but I still didn’t believe that he did. Something tells me that if it came between me and his mission, then the mission would win. Considering what his mission was, I couldn’t blame him. I wouldn’t choose me either.
His fork dropped to his empty plate with a clatter and hard eyes met mine.
“I told you once already. If I didn’t give a shit about what happens to you, then why would I be wasting my time teaching you to protect yourself? Why would I care if you could protect yourself if I was planning on letting you die? Making sure you make it out in one piece is part of the plan. I’m not as heartless as you might think.” His voice was hard. He almost sounded offended.
I immediately felt ashamed for assuming that he really didn’t care. His eyes never left mine as he pulled out a couple bills and tossed them on the table, then left. I watched him go without another word. He obviously needed space and I wouldn’t stand in his way.
There was just something about Shade that made it impossible for me to not like him, and I didn’t want to like him. He was a complete jerk eighty percent of the time, but that other twenty percent... well, it was pretty amazing.
I’ve found that Shade could be thoughtful and kind. He obviously listened when I spoke my concerns. I mean, the man went on a midnight snack run when I told him that I needed something other than bacon and eggs to eat and bought me clothes that fit perfectly. Then, slept with me when I had nightmares. There was just something about Shade. I wasn’t sure if I would ever be able to figure him out.