A Whole New Crowd

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

Everything happened in a blur after that. When we hit the water, we were grabbed and pulled aboard a boat. I went in one and Tray went in the other. Then they took off. I wasn’t paying attention—I didn’t want to see who would be torturing us—but when I was guided to a comfortable seat in the back and two large towels were placed on my lap, I looked up. My mouth fell open.
There were no guards with rifles strapped to their backs. The men wore black coats that had the words DEA on them. I was in a boat full of DEA agents. I rubbed at my eyes and saw the same thing again. One of the men caught my reaction and grinned. He leaned closer to me. “You weren’t expecting us?”
“How…” I had no idea what to ask. “A man just killed another man up there. What are you doing? Aren’t you going after him?”
He pressed something warm into my hand and patted my shoulder. “One thing at a time, kid. Everything is being handled and all your questions will be answered.” He nodded to me. A thread of respect was in his voice. “We got your friend. The one you went in for. He’s okay. He’s being treated by our doctors already.”
Thank god. I looked down, and a small laugh bubbled up.
He started to turn back, but gave me a quizzical look.
I held the thermos up to him. “You gave me hot chocolate.” He called me kid too.
He frowned.
Before I knew it, I felt a stupid smile stretch over my face. I couldn’t contain it or even dim it. I must’ve looked ridiculous. I didn’t care. For once, I didn’t feel any responsibility. Gray was alive. I was alive. Tray was alive. I didn’t have to save anyone or protect anyone, the cards would fall how they would fall. I turned to look for Tray and that relieved feeling plummeted.
He was in the other boat, sitting in the same seat I was, except the towels weren’t wrapped around him. He held them on his lap as if he didn’t realize they were there, and there was no hot chocolate given to him. As I watched now, an officer tried to hand him a thermos, but Tray didn’t acknowledge him.
He lost his father.
My responsibility was now Tray.
I watched him the entire time. He glanced at me once. The corners of his mouth lifted up in a brief smile and then he turned away again. As soon as the boats docked and we were allowed to leave, I broke through the crowd to get to him. People grabbed for me, but I evaded their hands. “Miss,” one called after me, “we need to question you.”
“Let her go.” I recognized that voice. Chance, Tray’s older brother, was there and he said further, “We’ll get their statements in a few hours. They’ve been through enough.”
I ducked around another officer and then was at Tray’s side. My hand slipped into his before I realized I was there and after a slight hesitation, he squeezed my hand and pulled me into his side. His arm wrapped around me, resting on my hip.
We were led to a black SUV and I sat next to Tray, scooting so close that my leg was pressed right next to his. Comforting someone wasn’t my thing. I didn’t like to be comforted and I felt awkward when I tried to comfort others. It was hard to search for words that would ease someone else’s pain and in this case, there were none. I only hoped my presence would help. When Tray rested his hand on my leg, rubbing it back and forth in an absent-minded motion, I knew he wasn’t going to push me away. I stuck to him like glue until the SUV came to a stop. As we got out, I paused.
Tray got out behind me, his hand came to rest on my hip again, and he turned to the side. “Your headquarters is my house?”
Chance flashed him a grin. His hand raised to the radio attached to his shoulder, and he pressed the side of it, saying, “We’ve arrived at home base.” He released the button and said to Tray, “Literally.”
Tray shook his head. “You’re still annoying.”
It was meant as a tease, but the hollow sound from him caught his brother’s attention. Chance frowned, studying his brother for a moment. Tray acted like he didn’t notice. A glazed look was in his eyes, and I knew he was remembering Galverson’s words from the tunnel. Then Chance caught my eye and raised an eyebrow in question. I looked away. It wasn’t my place to say anything.
“Well, okay then,” Chance mused. He pointed inside. “I had the guys stay out of Mom and Dad’s old room. I saw you two have been using it. Go ahead, shower, sleep, and eat. Do whatever you need to rest up.”
Tray nodded and started forward.
“Taryn,” Chance called me back.
Tray stopped and waited. I knew what his brother was going to ask so I waved him forward. “Go ahead. I’ll be right in.”
He nodded, but it was a half nod. As he left, his shoulders were still strong and straight, but there was a slight droop to them. No one noticed. His brother only caught it just now, but Tray was in pain, like the deep aching pain that buried deep inside a person and took root, never to leave. I understood because I felt it too. Mine was named Brian.
“What gives?” Chance interrupted my thoughts. He was frowning in the direction Tray had gone. “We have a lot of stuff to go over, but what happened up there?”
“The guy on the boat said you found Gray. He’s okay?” I was stalling. I wasn’t ashamed of that.
His frown deepened and he scratched his head. “You’re not going to tell me, are you?”
I hesitated and then said, “I would like an update on Gray.”
“Okay. Fine. Your friend was taken to a government medical facility. He was mainly dehydrated. He’ll stay there to recuperate. When he’s cleared by the doctors, he’s free to go.”
As those words left him, a sense of finality filled me. It really was over now. “Thank you.” I started to go again.
“Taryn.”
I didn’t look at him, but I paused.
“You two will have to undergo an intense debriefing with myself and other officers. You will tell me what happened up there.”
I half-turned to him. My heart was upstairs, wherever Tray was. “You will get all the information, but what you’re asking about is personal, and it isn’t for me to tell you.” With that said, I left.
Different members of the DEA were in every room. Laptops, printers, fax machines, and other machines were placed on the kitchen table. I knew people were sitting there and working. Others were in the living room. A few were coming down the hallway. All of them paused as they saw me, but I ignored every single one of them. I only had one place and one person I needed to be with. When I got to the master bedroom, the shower was on. I didn’t pause. After locking the door, I went to the bathroom. Tray was inside, a hand braced against the wall, and his head was bent forward. The water was streaming down on him.
He turned, saw me there, and leaned against the far wall of the shower. He was still in his pants and shirt. The water pelted down on him, making his clothes cling to him.
He was beautiful. And I couldn’t move for a moment. God, I loved him.
“What?”
I was damned lucky. Stepping inside, I barely felt the water. He was in my life. Reaching out, I took hold of his shirt and moved closer. Glancing down, my forehead rested against his chest. His hands went to my hips and he pulled me against him. I felt him drop a tender kiss to my neck. My hands fisted around his shirt and I struggled to choke out, “Thank you.”
He swept my hair to the side, cupped the back of my neck, and tilted my chin so I looked up. Our gazes met. He asked, “For what?”
“You never left.”
A corner of his lip lifted in a slight smile. A fierce expression was in his eyes. I couldn’t look away. As his thumb rubbed over my cheek, he said, “I never will.”
“See.” I tapped his chin, grinning. “Lines like that. How did I get you?”
The other side of his mouth lifted into a full grin. His free hand moved down and cupped my bottom. “With this.” He jiggled it, but it didn’t move. “A fine ass is all a guy looks for.” He moved so he could look at it, then he pulled back with that same wolfish grin. “Although yours is too toned. You should stop working out so much.”
Laughing, I pressed a fist to his chest. “It’s all your fault. All those training sessions and nights with the punching bag. I never did throw a knife at someone, you know.”
His eyebrows lifted. “And you’re asking to rectify that? I love you, Taryn, but you’re not throwing one at me.”
I chuckled, but I caught the pain flare up over him again. Lifting a hand up, I cupped the side of his face. His eyes closed. He moved into my palm and a soft sigh left him.
“Sometimes I don’t know what to say.” My hand cupped the other side of his face. I turned his face and his eyes opened again. An inch separated us. “I never knew my parents, but I know loss. I know what it feels like to love someone, become attached to them, and have them ripped from you in a day. It happened to me all the time when I left foster homes. I stopped getting close early on, but there was never any words that helped me. The only thing that helped was someone’s presence.” My finger began moving back and forth again. I wanted him to feel my love. “I don’t know what it’s like to have parents, but I know what it’s like to not have them.” I felt tears on my cheek, but my god, I ignored them. The haunted look in Tray’s eyes pushed all my demons away. Everything was about him now. “The only thing I can think of to say is that I’m sorry. I am. I am so goddamn sorry.” He started to step back, but I held him firm. “I will never leave. I won’t. I promise.”
He glanced down, while I held his face and then his lips touched the top of my head. His arms moved so he was holding me tight. He bent over me and his lips grazed the top of my shoulder. He murmured against my skin, “I’m trying to tell myself that I shouldn’t care. I knew I was never going to see him again, but man, hearing it spoken like that. It’s final. He’s dead and I’m supposed to be too. I hate Jace, but I’m grateful to him at the same time. I hate feeling both of those things. Not about that guy, not with everything he’s done.”
My hand lifted to cradle the back of his head and I rested mine against his. “You can feel however you want to feel. Being grateful that you’re alive is never wrong to feel.”
“I hate him too.”
“That’s fine too.”
He lifted his head, staring down at me for a moment, then another, and another. “I love you.”
I opened my mouth, but I couldn’t talk. Giving him a shaky smile, I managed to get out, “I love you too.” Another nod. “I do.”
His eyes darkened. Then he bent, lifted me under my legs, and braced me against the shower wall. As he did, I leaned back, now gazing down on him. My legs automatically wrapped around his waist. His hand moved to my shirt, slipped underneath and began pushing it up.
His thumb rested on my stomach, pausing for my permission. My legs tightened around him in response and then I leaned down. My lips were caught by his, but it was mutual. A fevered frenzy took over me and I wanted him. I needed him. My hands grappled with his jeans, undoing them, and then I shoved them down as he peeled my shirt off. My bra was taken off and he cupped my breast, his thumb rubbing over my nipple. Falling back against the wall, I arched up for him. He held me, caressed me, trailed kisses down my throat until he was bent over me, and his mouth hovered over my breast, I let go. I wasn’t innocent, but he was making me feel new sensations again. It would be my first time with him. Knowing that I loved him, and he loved me, made everything right.
It was perfect.
His eyes were lidded and thick with desire. I cradled the side of his face and as I did, he turned to press a small kiss to my palm. Then he tightened his hold on my legs and stood from the wall. As he took me into the bedroom and lowered me down, I pulled him so he was on top of me the whole time.
I didn’t want to part from him. And later, as he slid inside me, our hands were clasped together, I had a feeling I wouldn’t have to worry about that again. I had found my soul mate.
*

A discreet knock woke us. Tray’s hand tightened on mine and I lifted my head from his chest. The clock said it was three in the morning. We shared a confused look, but the knock sounded again and we both rolled out of bed. As he went to answer it, I grabbed some shorts and then pulled on a loose shirt. He waited. I gave him a nod, and as he opened it, I ran my fingers through my hair. I must’ve looked like a mess. Hearing his brother’s voice, I forgot about my hair. Going to Tray’s side, I hugged myself. “I thought you said we could have our time to rest.”
Tray shifted back so I could join the conversation.
Chance’s lips were pressed in a flat line. He waited a beat to answer and as he did, his hand lifted to rub at one of his temples. “Uh, Taryn.”
“What?”
Tray leaned forward to peer over his brother’s shoulder. As he did, his eyes got big and he stiffened.
Chance saw his reaction and shot up a hand. “Stop, Tray. There are reasons he’s here.”
He jerked forward, but Chance blocked him. Tray brought up his arm and shoved his brother out of the way. He stalked forward. I still didn’t see who it was. When Chance saw I was going to follow, he held a hand up. “Wait.” He turned. “TRAY. Wait! This is truth time.”
He did and pivoted around him. A fierce scowl was on his face. “You better start spilling. Now.”
“I will.” Chance gentled his tone, and his hands lowered, slowly. “Give me time, and I will explain everything.”
“Waiting. Go now.”
He swallowed and his Adam’s apple bobbed up and down. “Okay, but just you and me. We’ll go in Dad’s library downstairs.”
At the mention of their father, Tray’s eyes went to slits and his hands fisted again. Danger emanated from him. He was close to becoming violent. When I started to move again, to see the reason for his anger, Chance shifted at the same time. His hand lifted once more and it held there, his finger extended in my direction. “Taryn,” he started.
Then, whoever it was, made a decision. He stood. I could see the top of his head. My eyes followed his dark blonde hair until he stood, clear as day, and five yards from me.
Jace.
He was dressed in a black shirt and black pants. I couldn’t comprehend it. My eyes dropped to his side where a gun was holstered. Glancing at Tray, he was waiting for my reaction, but I had none. Why didn’t I?
I pressed my fingers to my forehead. “This doesn’t make sense.”
“Taryn,” Jace spoke.
My fingers whisked out, silencing him. “Shut up.”
“I have been undercover. I’ve been working to take down Sal Galverson’s entire drug ring.”
I shook my head. I didn’t want to hear it. Turning my hand, I gave him the middle finger. “I said shut the f*ck up.” I moved towards Tray. “What do I do?”
Some of the danger had faded from him. His shoulders were still tense, but his hands had loosened. “You do what you want to do.”
A million questions flew through my mind, but they all faded, as one was the only one important to me then. “Is Brian really dead?”
Regret and a darkness flashed in his eyes. “Yes.”
I stepped back. It was like finding it out all over again.
Jace said softly, “I’d like to tell you everything.”
I was still looking at Tray. He would do what I wanted, but I shook my head. “Not alone. I want Tray with me. That’s the only way I’ll be in the same room as you again.”
“Fair enough.”
Chance spoke, “The library is downstairs, in the basement.”
One by one, we trailed down there. As we got to the main floor, I saw there were still DEA agents everywhere. When I walked past them earlier, their conversations had quieted, but they still continued talking. But now, everything stopped. Fingers froze on their keyboards. No one said a word and all their heads turned our way.
I frowned, noticing they weren’t watching me or Tray. Their eyes were trained on Jace. As he walked past them, for those who were sitting, one by one stood. It was a sign of respect. When we went down the other flight of stairs and entered the library, my hand reached for Tray’s. Inside, Jace turned to us, and Chance closed the door behind him. For some reason I wasn’t scared. I wasn’t hurt. I wasn’t angry. I was calm. We were going to hear a new story, but mine was done.
My hand tightened over Tray’s.