Page 105 of Thaddeus

“No. You’re not going to Connecticut tonight. We’re getting married tomorrow,” Emerson protested.

“That’s—”

“No!” she shouted and unwrapped her body from around mine. Her hands went to her hips and her pretty green eyes were shooting fire. “You’re not going. Even I know you do not go into a mission half-cocked and full of rage—that’s suicide. We’re getting married tomorrow.”

“Emerson—”

“You promised,” she whispered. “You promised me you’d give me the future we always dreamed of. All I had to do was believe. I believed, Thaddeus. If you leave now with your stomach full of vengeance you won’t be safe. Your head will be full of hate and wrath, and that’s too dangerous. You won’t come home to me. I know it. I know you’ll be blinded by the need to eliminate the threat and you’ll be on a collision course with death.”

Watching the panic in Emerson’s gaze overtake her entire body snapped me back to reality. I wasn’t alone anymore. My decisions had repercussions, ones that could greatly impact her life. There were chances I would no longer take, because she would be waiting for me to come home. The children we’d have would be depending on my safe return.

Fuck.

We needed to regroup.

“Em—”

She cut me off again and cut me deep. “You promised. You said you weren’t gonna let me go. You said you almost lost me. Now you’re gonna make me go through losing you?”

“No, Emmy, I’m not. Come here.”

“No, Thaddeus. You need to—”

“Agápi mou, you’re right. I’m not going anywhere. Now, come here.”

Emerson didn’t move but her shoulders did sag in relief. Damn. I’d done that to her. After everything she’d gone through tonight, I’d upset her.

I didn’t wait for her to come to me. I scooped her up, kissed her sweet lips, and sat back down.

Declan picked his phone up off the table and made the call I knew he was dreading.

Zane Lewis.

He had a flair for drama and devastation. When he could combine those two and get creative, he was scary as fuck. And a direct threat against his wife would be the ultimate kick to his balls. I didn’t have to wait for the conversion to know he was about to go thermonuclear and the Omni Group would be a wasteland when he was done.

Declan quickly gave him a verbal, after-action report of Emerson’s rescue, including that Autumn had been there as well. Then with his tone flat, trying his best to keep his own reaction to the note from Zane, Declan read the warning.

When he was done, the air in the room went electric. Zane didn’t need to be present for the rest of us to feel the vibrating anger rolling off of him.

Then Zane spoke, and when he did, I’d never heard a man so full of icy malice.

“Careful precision,” he said with great acrimony. “Surgical op.”

He paused and I figured it was to gather himself. Then he started again with a promise I knew he’d fulfill even if it took him the rest of his days. “They. Are. Done. We pull back. Reorganize our efforts. I’m pulling Red Team in. This has now become a companywide operation. We’ll hit them all at the same time. Full frontal assault. Overwhelmingly and forcibly remove them from power. We’re not fucking around dismantling them piece by piece anymore. In the meantime, we stand down. The next time we hit them, they crumble. Every last motherfucking one of them will burn.”

He fell quiet again. Then with some of the harshness out of his voice he said, “Glad you’re safe, Emerson. It won’t happen tonight, it won’t happen tomorrow, but I promise you the men who took you will not be breathing when we’re done.”

“Okay,” Emerson whispered.

“Brooks?” Zane called.

“Yeah.”

“Stand down.”

“I heard you, Zane.”

“I know you’re feeling it. Not the same way Thad is, but you are. Tatiana was mentioned and she was there. I need to know you’re straight.”