“I know,” she whispered back.

My hand clutched hers and new tears stung my eyes and nose. “I can’t lose him.”

“I know, honey.”

“His boys can’t lose him.”

“I know.”

“His family –”

“Shh, Tess.”

I sucked in a broken breath.

Then I stated a trembling, “I hate Damian.”

Her arm gave me a squeeze and her hand twisted to hold mine.

“I do too.”

I fell quiet. So did Martha.

Then I sucked in another broken breath and told her, “There’s a chicken in the oven.”

“I know, I sorted it,” she told me. “Are you hungry? Do you want me to get you something?”

“No, but Brock –”

“He’s a big boy, honey, he can take care of himself.”

“I know, but –”

“Tess, honey, trust me,” she said while squeezing my hand. “Right now, he’s not hungry.

Right now that man out there is concentrating on making a statement to his colleagues and trying not to rip your living room apart. He pulls his shit together; I don’t think the first thing on his mind is going to be dinner.”

I nodded then said, “I should go to him.”

“No,” she held me closer. “He wants you here and safe with me while he deals with that shit. Let him have that. You do what he needs you to do and get your shit together.”

She was right.

Therefore I nodded again and settled.

She held me for a long time. The voices in the living room silenced. Brock didn’t come in.

Then she sensed I’d gotten my shit together (and she was right), I knew this because she gave me a squeeze and said, “The chicken is burnt so I’m gonna go rustle up dinner. Time you two ate.”

She pulled away and I rolled to my back to look at her.

She hadn’t even taken off her coat.

She came right to me and didn’t take off her coat.


Fresh tears hit my eyes but I beat them back and started to suggest, “Maybe you shouldn’t

–”

“I’m not going to cook, Tess. Riviera.”

Well that was a relief.

“Chile rellenos,” I ordered and she grinned.

That was to say she grinned before she muttered, “Like I don’t know that,” as she rolled off the bed, rounded it, shot me another grin then she disappeared.

She would know I liked the Riviera’s chile rellenos considering I’d eaten approximately seven hundred and twenty-two plates filled with them while sitting across from her.

I gave it awhile before I got up, went to the bathroom, took my contacts out, washed my face and then went back to the bedroom to grab my glasses.

Then I moved out to the living room to see Brock standing just inside the front door talking to Levi and Lenore.

This was interesting.

Quick update: Lenore had not gone away. Lenore was around for Christmas lunch and New Year’s dinner with the Lucas clan. When I quizzed Brock about this, he told me he had no clue and when I pressed him to get the dirt, he told me had no intention of giving his brother the third degree about his love life. He said this firmly therefore I let it go reluctantly.

But I was thinking good thoughts.

“Hey, Tess,” Levi called, his hazel eyes gentle on me in a way that was sweetly familiar mostly because his brother often looked at me the same way.

“Hey, Levi,” my eyes went to Lenore, “hey, Lenore.”

“Hey, honey,” she said softly.

I got close and Brock claimed me, arm around the shoulders, tucking my front to his side.

I tipped my head back to look up at him and he informed me, “They went and got your car. It’s all good.”

It wasn’t all good. It wouldn’t be all good for awhile.

But at least it was somewhat good for now.

I looked to Levi and Lenore. “Thanks guys.”

“Not a problem,” Levi rumbled.

“Are you staying for Mexican?” I asked.

“No, we already ate, Tess, and we gotta go. But thanks,” Levi answered.

I nodded.

Lenore smiled at me.

Levi looked to his brother and gave him a chin lift.

“I’ll walk you out,” Brock muttered then looked down at me. “Stay here, babe, yeah?”

I nodded, gave out cheek kisses, hugs and more words of gratitude and Brock walked out behind his brother and his brother’s girl.

I closed the door behind them but stared out the little window, exhausted from my terror-filled, adrenalin-surge, tantrum-throwing, crying-jag evening but not so exhausted I couldn’t be nosy about Lenore and Levi.

And I saw that I was right to think good thoughts. As they walked down my walk, Levi slid his arm around her shoulders and Lenore slid hers around his waist. Bonus was when they stopped at Levi’s SUV to talk with Brock, Levi kept her close and Lenore rested the side of her head on his shoulder and when she did, it appeared Levi held her even closer.

Excellent.

After playing busybody, I walked to the kitchen. I had two cold ones popped open by the time Brock got back and I was taking a huge freaking swallow from mine.

Brock walked right to me and I had to jerk my arms to the side because when he walked to me, he didn’t stop. He folded his arms around me and pulled me deep.


Then, against the top of my hair, he asked, “You good?”

“I think that was cathartic,” I said to his chest, my arms snaking around him.

“Good,” he muttered into my hair.

“I still feel the need to get drunk,” I went on and he chuckled. “Blotto,” I changed my mind as to the state of drunkenness I aimed to achieve and Brock kept chuckling. Then I changed my mind again, “No, shitfaced. Totally.”

His arms gave me a squeeze before one of them released me and my head went back just as his hand wrapped around my neck, his thumb stroking my jaw.

“Have at it, sweetness,” he said quietly.

I sucked in breath.

Then I asked, “Are you okay?”

“Yeah,” he answered immediately.

“Brock –” I started warningly but stopped when he shook his head, his thumb stopped stroking and his fingers grew tight.

“I could be wrong, babe, but you got through. I don’t know if he was behind the shit that went down in front of your house tonight but if he was, it won’t happen again. You wounded him. No, you crushed him. Whatever fucked up shit that’s in his head that makes him tick, it unscrambled and he focused long enough for your message to get through. Even if I miss my guess and he still intends to dick with you, I suspect his father will move mountains to try and make him stop.”

“Well, that’s good news,” and it was, “but I was talking about you getting shot at.”

At that, I felt and saw his casual shrug before, “Not my favorite pastime, baby, not even in the top hundred and fifty but it’s happened and you deal.”

Okay, well…

Yikes!

I’d pulled my shit together but frankly I’d dealt with enough that night and enough the last however many years. I would deal with the fact my man was a man who got shot at later.

Like, in my next life.

Moving on.

“You said if that was Damian, do you not think it is?”

“He’d be my prime suspect. Or he was until I saw him with you. Probably not his brightest move to admit to calling a hit on a cop ever but definitely not right in front of the cop he called the hit on but when you were shoutin’ at him, he seemed genuinely surprised and started to deny it though he didn’t get to finish considering you were still shoutin’.”

“I had things to get off my chest,” I told him quietly and he grinned as his hand at my neck as well as his arm around my back gave me a squeeze.

Then he dipped his head, touched his mouth to mine and then lifted it away before he whispered, “Yeah, and I’m fuckin’ glad you did. You were magnificent, sweetness. Fuckin’

phenomenal. ”

It was nice he thought that and all.

But…

“I lost it again,” I whispered, pressing in closer.

“No, you’re finding it,” he contradicted.

“What?”

“Babe, he took your power. Tonight, you took it back. And it…” his arm gave me a squeeze, “was,” his hand gave me a squeeze, “fuckin’,” his forehead dropped to rest on mine,

“beautiful. ”

I closed my eyes and pulled in a deep breath.

Then I opened them and said, “You had my back.”

“I always have your back.”


Warm gushiness flooded through me, one of my hands slid from around his back, up his chest, his neck to cup his cheek.

“Thank you,” I whispered.

“You’re welcome, Tess,” he whispered back.

He lifted his forehead and his thumb swept my jaw as my fingers slid from his cheek into his hair.

Then he declared, “Shit that went down tonight, get it outta your head.”

I blinked.

Then I asked, “Sorry?”

“It happened, it’s reported, the phone call prior is bein’ looked into. You live your life.

You bake your cakes. You spend time with your friends. You already tell me where you are and where you’re goin’, you intensify that. I’ll send someone to look at the security at your bakery and also look into setting something up here.”

“Brock –”

“Vance is good at that shit, stellar. I’ll talk to him.”

“Brock –”

“Units are gonna drive by regular, keep a look out. And your bakery is now on radar.”

“Hon –”

“They got shell casings. Those might have prints. Guy was wearin’ a ski mask but I got his build, make and model on the car, a partial plate and he wasn’t wearin’ gloves so we know he’s white.”

“Can I –?”

His thumb stopped stroking and his fingers gave me a squeeze.