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God, it feels good to laugh.
“C’mon, let’s go find the others,” I said, taking one side while Ripper took the other, until she was standing on her own two feet.
As we walked through the dressing room, I grabbed a towel and handed it to Alani. She wiped her face, then threw it around her shoulders and hugged it to herself.
“I’m never wearing a white dress again,” she said as we passed the rows and rows of dresses.
“I hear that,” I replied, thinking white was going to be completely deleted from my wardrobe forever.
When we made it back to the auction room, the men were getting their suits dirty as they knelt on the floor with their hands behind their backs. Everywhere I looked I saw leather vests and Coast Guard uniforms, but no Cade.
I searched the room, then my eyes landed on Chris and Jun, who were in the room that held Hannah, and I sighed with relief that she was safe in their hands.
“Darlin’,” I heard from behind me and spun on my heel.
There he was. His tone was strong and comforting, but his face betrayed the hell he’d been through over the last few hours.
“Cade,” I half sobbed, just before launching myself at him.
His arms came around me, strong and sure, and I burrowed into his neck as deeply as I could. I was vaguely aware of the pain from the bruises where our bodies were touching, but you wouldn’t have been able to tear me from his arms if I was hanging on by my last breath.
The stress and worry poured out of me as I sobbed in his arms, not caring that we were in a room full of drug dealers, kingpins, and pedophiles, and the brave men who were hauling them out of the room.
Cade’s lips hit the side of my head and his large hand stroked my hair, making all of the little pieces of me that had shattered over what was the new worst day of my life fuse together bit by bit.
“Hey,” he whispered gruffly. “You’re okay.”
“Alani, Hannah,” I cried softly, finally allowing the terror of what could have been to process in my mind.
“They’re okay, too, Lila,” he assured me. “You all did great.”
I leaned back and peered up at him.
“I should have stayed put,” I argued, mentally chastising myself for running off halfcocked like I always did.
“Hey, if you hadn’t gone off and found Alani, then went to the docks, I wouldn’t have gotten the call from Alani telling me where you were, and these assholes might have gotten away with Hannah and all these other girls.”
I let that penetrate for a moment, then I looked up him with the best smirk I could muster, given the situation, and said, “So then, I was right.”
Cade grinned down at me and said, “There’s my girl,” as he lowered his head and kissed me softly on the lips. He crushed me to him briefly and murmured, “I love you so fucking much,” then let me down.
“I love you too,” I replied softly, turning to see Ripper and Alani behind us.
Cade opened his arms and Alani rushed in, crumbling just as instantly as I had in the safety of her brother’s arms. I turned to give them space and asked Ripper, “Hannah?”
“Chris and Jun got her,” Ripper replied. “She’s still pretty hopped up on Molly, but it’s not affecting her the same way it did, Alani.”
I turned to where he was looking and saw Chris and Jun both struggling to keep the pretty blonde’s hands off their bodies. She was smiling and laughing every time they moved her hands back, then she’d dart out again and try to grab anything she could get her hands on. Their hair, arms, stomach, and at one point, she brushed her hand down the front of Chris’s suit pants.
“Hey,” he cried, jumping back, likely thinking the last thing he wanted was to go to jail with the rest of the creeps in the room. His eyes caught mine wildly and he asked, “A little help here?”
Chuckling softly, I went to save the big bad bar owner from the hopped-up teen.
Cade wanted to carry me off the ship, but I didn’t want to look like a wuss in front of the guys, the Coasties, or anyone else, even though the thought of being in Cade’s arms and being able to shut down sounded perfect, so I waved him off like he was crazy. He smiled knowingly at me, not at all fooled by my gruff attitude.
I’d let him coddle me later…
When we finally docked and debarked the ship, I was happy I’d made the decision to walk out on my own two feet, because the last thing I need broadcasted on the news was me being carried around like a fair maiden.
