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“Suits you.”
I raise a brow and he opens his arms, welcoming my offer to join me in my domestic...bliss.
“You got an axe?”
I laugh and fetch a knife and chopping board, placing a bag of vegetables in front of one of our resident Vikings. “Here you go. Nice and thin, please.”
Fury gets to work while I unpack the rest of the shopping and start preparing a feast. I try not to look at the wine longingly as I set it on the middle of the island. I catch Fury with a half-smile behind his wild beard, eyeing me in between slicing. “Stop grinning,” I mutter, collecting a pan and filling it with water, setting it on the stove. “I’ve been meaning to ask you.” I sound casual, as intended, though he still peeks up at me cautiously. “What are your names?”
“Tank and Fury.”
I turn, armed with my bag of pasta. “Your real names.”
“Tank and Fury.”
“Come on.”
“It’s Tank and Fury.” He doesn’t look up from his slicing.
“Right.” I sigh and give up, getting back to cooking, and the next hour passes by in a comfortable quiet, Fury chopping, me cooking. Or trying to. Damn, I really do miss Esther. I push the dish into the oven to bake for a half hour and turn back toward the kitchen.
And cringe.
“You cook like a man,” Fury says, laughing, casting his eye over the mess with me. I hear a car in the driveway.
“Shit.” Suddenly, the mess looks... messier. “You get the dishwasher, I’ll start clearing.” I push everything cluttering the island toward the dishwasher so Fury can load, and dash around like a madwoman, wiping down the countertops. In only a couple of minutes, we’re in far better shape. I dust off my hands.
“Want a clean one?” Fury asks, motioning down my front. There’s not a thread of material on the apron not splattered with oil, tomato, or grease. The state of me defies the now semi-gleaming kitchen. I quickly untie it and run to the laundry room, shoving it in the washer, and as I’m returning to the kitchen, I hear... Doc?
My heart naturally picks up pace and Fury is up out of his seat in a second, stalking to the entrance hall.
“Some help, please,” the old man yells, spotting Fury and gesturing him urgently to join him outside.
“What’s happened?” I ask, following them. I see Len opening the back door, and I see Beau on the back seat with Brad’s head on her lap. My hands cover my mouth. “Oh my God.”
“He’s taken a bullet to the shoulder,” Beau calls, inching her way out, holding Brad’s head as Fury stomps over, his face grave, and helps Len ease Brad out of the car. I catch sight of his shoulder. Blood.
Beau comes to me and instantly starts trying to reassure me, which only worries me more. “The men found where the Polish hold the women they ship in,” she says, looking so fucking sympathetic.
“Where?”
“Danny’s old boatyard.”
“What? Winstable?” My God. “He sold it to developers,” I say, watching Fury carrying Brad into the house, Doc following. “They were building a facility for underprivileged kids.” Danny will be seething. He’d only relinquished it for a noble cause. To know he was deceived? As if my husband needs any more excuses to go on a rampage. This will tip him over the edge.
Beau takes my hand and leads my stunned form back toward the house. “The men went in and got the women out.”
My body is instantly cold. “How many?” I ask quietly, trying not to allow any flashbacks to take hold.
“Ten,” she says, leading me up the stairs behind Fury, who’s carrying Brad like he’s a small child. Effortlessly. “They were all drugged.”
I swallow, walking on numb legs, my hand naturally falling on my belly, thinking how different my life could have been if I was never taken. No. I wouldn’t have Daniel. Danny wouldn’t have found me. I have to believe that every bit of hell I endured was worth the distress, heartache, and pain.
Focus on Brad.
I nod and disconnect my hand from Beau’s, picking up my pace and entering the bedroom Fury’s taken Brad into. “Can I help?” I ask Doc, who gets straight to work, hooking the half-empty bag of fluids onto the headboard.
“I need my IV stand,” Doc says. “In my room. In the fridge you’ll find various bags of blood. I need the one marked O positive.”
