“You okay, man?” Ben asked. He looked past tired, with dark circles under his eyes and a deep slump to his shoulders.
He felt for the box in his pocket. It was there. Julian had worked a bit of magic, getting someone to open the store so early in the morning. Wolf had explained what he wanted, and one of Julian’s employees had picked it up.
The right gift. He had it this time. Now he just had to hope that she would accept it.
“I’m fine. How’s Chase?”
“Already home. He’s tough. Don’t worry about him. I think he’s already going through those files trying to find the one Holder was after. He was also able to identify a couple of the men who took him. They got into The Club with a man named Mitchell Cross. He’s a US senator who was visiting tonight. He’s either connected to Holder or Holder used him to gain access. Chase is determined to find out.”
He turned to Ben, whose flat monotone let Wolf know that Ben still hadn’t really processed. “Man, are you okay? You killed the man who murdered your woman.”
A look of pain crossed his face. “She wasn’t mine. She was never mine, but I’m glad she has a little justice. Are you going after Shelley?”
Wolf nodded.
“Have you ever had a long-term ménage before?”
Wolf shook his head. “No. I’ve played around, but I’ve avoided it as a relationship. Where I come from, it’s a viable option, but I didn’t want a partner besides my brother.” He laughed a little. “There’s actually a woman I dated back in Bliss who I told flat out I didn’t do the ménage thing. Yeah, she’s going to have a laugh when I invite her to my wedding.”
It would happen. He wasn’t going to take no for an answer.
“You move fast, man. I don’t think I’ll ever find the right woman,” Ben admitted. “I loved Ada, but there’s no way she could have handled Chase. The two women we’ve had longer-term relationships with weren’t really serious. Chase didn’t want to marry one, and the other laughed when we asked her. Be careful. Shelley seems like a sweetheart, but not a lot of women want a ménage on a permanent basis.”
The door dinged open, and Wolf looked at the long hallway that led to the condo. Ben stepped out.
“No way to know until you try, man,” Ben said. He gave Wolf a tired salute and walked to the condo he shared with his brother.
Wolf walked down the hall. He could still see the moment that asshole had stuck a needle into her neck. It was right there, floating in his brain like a nightmare he couldn’t shut off. He’d realized in that moment that she really could die, and his life would be over, too. He’d known he cared about her, but that one moment had proven how much she’d taken over his soul. When she’d wrapped her arms around Leo, he’d realized how brutally he’d fucked up.
And how much it would hurt if he couldn’t fix it.
Leo had been able to go to the hospital with her. Leo had been able to hold her and assure himself that she was fine. All Wolf had had for the long hours of the night were short text updates.
He stood outside the condo. Fuck. He didn’t even have a keycard yet. That was ironic. The love of his life was behind the door and he had to knock, had to beg to be let in. He had to hope they were even awake.
He took a deep breath and tapped on the door.
It opened almost immediately, his brother slamming it wide.
“Why the fuck didn’t you call me? Do you understand we’ve been waiting up all damn night? We didn’t know if you’d been tossed in jail or god knew what.” Leo barked at him, making Wolf feel like he was a teenager slinking in after a stolen night.
“I thought Finn would tell you what was happening.”
“I didn’t want to hear it from Finn. I wanted to hear it from you. We need to talk about this whole partnership thing. If this is your idea of communication, it sucks, brother.” Leo moved back from the door, revealing Shelley, who was lying on the couch, a blanket around her. Even from here he could see the bruise on her neck.
Wolf pushed past Leo and got to his knees in front of her. “You told me she was fine.”
Shelley’s eyes came open. “You’re home.”
He pushed her hair back, uncovering the vicious-looking bruise on her neck. Asshole. God, he wanted to get his hands around Holder’s neck. It was wrong he’d gone down so quickly. He should have suffered. “You should still be in the hospital.”
“She’s fine, Wolf,” Leo said, calming down. “Though she might not be for long if you keep manhandling her. Maybe now she’ll follow her Master’s orders and get into bed. She refused. She wanted to go to the police station.”
“I was anxious to tear off a piece of your hide, Wolf Meyer,” she said with a yawn. “Now, I think I’ll skip that part.” She sat up. “I don’t want you to leave me, Wolf. I should have just said that. I should have just been open. I love you. I don’t know what idiot idea you have in your head, but I love you, and I want a family with you and Leo.”
He felt his whole body sag in relief. “Baby, I’m so sorry.”
His brother made a gagging sound. “Here comes the groveling.”
“You stay out of it, Leo Meyer,” Shelley said, her hand coming up to smooth back Wolf’s hair. She pressed him to her breast. He snuggled in, the anxious feeling in the pit of his stomach dissolving.
“You little brat, I’m keeping track of every time you turn that bossy mouth on me. When you’re physically able, we’re going to have some punishment.” Leo frowned down at her.
Wolf could hear the smile in Shelley’s voice. She winked Leo’s way. “I’m sure you will, you sadistic bastard. But until then, I think I would prefer something more pleasurable. After all, I did almost die. Shouldn’t someone kiss me?”
Wolf pulled away and looked at her. “Just like that, baby?”
He wanted to believe her, but it seemed too easy.
She smiled that little enigmatic smile that made his heart race. “Would you rather fight for a long time? I’m spent, Wolf. I could yell and scream and act like the brat I am, but I would rather just say it. I love you.” Tears pricked at her eyes, pooling there. “This isn’t the first time I thought I would die. My husband put me in a horrible position, and Leo is under the mistaken impression that I handled it beautifully.”
“You did, sweetheart,” Leo said, frowning. “You show no signs of having long-term emotional problems with it. Am I wrong?”
“I didn’t care, Leo. That’s what I never told you. That man held a gun to my head. He killed my husband right in front of me, and all I was worried about was whether Beth and Bo survived because I didn’t care about me. I felt dead inside. I didn’t care if he killed me because I didn’t have anything to live for. I was almost disappointed when Trev saved me. There was a part of me that wanted it to be over. I’d lost my mom and dad. I’d married a monster, and I thought I maybe deserved it all.”
“Shelley.” Wolf’s heart was breaking. He reached for her hand.
She shook her head, but her fingers threaded through his, accepting his comfort. Tears rolled down her face. “It wasn’t the same this time. Leo’s going to have to deal with some serious nightmares because I didn’t want to die. I couldn’t die, not when I just figured out what the whole love thing meant. Leo, I’m so sorry. I should have trusted in what I felt. I keep trying to sacrifice myself because I think it’s the only way to fix things, but I know now that I’m not alone in this. We’re all together. We can’t make decisions alone anymore. Holder put that needle in my neck, and I didn’t want to die. I wanted to do anything I could to live.”
“You told me to let him push the plunger,” Leo said, his voice hard. “Don’t think I haven’t forgotten that.”