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“She did,” he grinned. “That could just be baby babble, or it could be her thinking I belong to her. I’m okay with it either way.” The little girl was cooing in her mother’s arms, chattering away. They both laughed, looking down at her. Moose tilted Erica’s chin upward, placing a soft kiss on her lips. It was unlike anything he’d ever experienced before. It wasn’t instantaneous fire and need. It was sweeter, longer lasting. Permanent.
Soft, pliable, sweet, plump. It was everything a first kiss should have been. And more. He wanted to continue, to explore, but not with a one-year-old between them.
“I like how you kiss me,” she said, staring at him.
“Me too, honey. What do you say we finally get some lunch? Together.” He wanted to add ‘as a family’ but thought it would be too fast for Erica.
“I think I could use some food,” she nodded. He unwrapped his arms from her, gripping the steering wheel, and froze. “What’s wrong?”
“You’re bleeding,” he said, staring at his hand. “Fuck! You’re bleeding!”
Someone tapped on his window, but they were both so lost in the moment they hadn’t noticed that the others were waiting for them, not moving for fear of someone coming back. Moose froze. He never froze, especially in high-pressure situations.
“Moose! Open the fuck up,” growled Cruz. Moose opened the door, his hand covered in Erica’s blood. “Where are you hit?”
“It’s not me. It’s her,” he said, pointing. He lifted Jennifer from her lap, watching as Cruz went to the other side of the ATV. Turning her, he raised her blouse, frowning.
“It’s okay. It’s a flesh wound, but it’s just bleeding a lot. Come on, we’ll get it fixed up at the office so you don’t have to go back toward the gates.” Moose just sat there, staring. “Moose! Get in the fucking ATV and get her to the office.”
“Right. Yes. Right.”
Kate and Ajei waited for them, knowing Cruz had it all under control. They took Jennifer to lunch, then back to the house to give her a bath and a nap. Moose stood over Cruz as he cleaned the flesh wound, dressing it for Erica. He’d walk away, then walk back, staring at him.
“If you don’t take a damn seat, I’m going to get Team Big in here to strap you down,” growled Cruz. “I know what I’m doing.”
“She’s bleeding,” Moose repeated over and over.
“Dude, it’s fine. She’s fine,” said Eric. He looked at her face, and she nodded, giving him a half-grin.
“I’m okay. It stings, but I didn’t notice it at first. I guess the adrenalin and shock of being shot at and you distracting me. I’m fine. I promise,” she said, reaching for his hand. His massive paw enveloped her tiny hand, giving it a gentle squeeze.
“You’re good to go,” said Cruz. “Go get some food and just relax. Kate and Ajei have Jennifer handled.”
Moose reached for her, wanting to lift her in his arms, but instead, carefully walking with her out of the office. Cruz stared at the other men, shaking his head.
“That’s a man in love, and he doesn’t even know how to show it,” he said. “Maybe we need to get Katherine to speak with them.”
“Them? I think it’s just him,” said Eric. Cruz looked at him, frowning.
“Then you don’t know shit about women. That girl is terrified, and not of him. She’s terrified to allow herself to be vulnerable, and that’s exactly what she needs to allow to happen if they’re going to have a shot at this.”
“What about the shooters?” asked Cam, turning to speak with Pigsty and Hiro.
“We lost them,” said Hiro. “We have the license plate, but it’s stolen. I’m looking through our footage to see if we can get an identity on the faces. I took her phone from her. It was pretty complex, but there was tracking software on it that had been installed remotely. It led them right to here. It’s off now, so hopefully, they’ll think she was at the café or one of the shops out front.”
“I think we’ve got to look into the fact that maybe our two North Korean assassins didn’t leave the area,” said Luke. The men nodded, still watching as Moose walked at a snail’s pace with Erica under his arm. They chuckled, shaking their heads. Hex sobered and turned to Hiro.
“Find Ece. Figure out what the fuck she’s up to and why she reached out to him. We need her to go away, and if I have to, I’ll make sure it’s permanent.”
CHAPTER SEVEN
Moose kissed the top of Jennifer’s sleeping head, pulling the blanket up around her chin. She’d crashed after dinner and after playing with her new playmates, the dogs. He closed the door halfway and walked out into the kitchen. Erica was putting dishes in the dishwasher then wiped down the countertops.
Moose shook his head. He had no clue that babies needed so much stuff. Bottles meant bottle cleaners, baby plates, spoons, bowls, and more. An entire cabinet was filled with baby food and snacks, most of which were disgusting. He was shocked the kid was eating at all.
He picked up her toys, placing them in the basket near the fireplace, then folded the three baby blankets that she seemed obsessed with pulling from the basket every time. Chuckling, he turned to see Erica smiling at him.
“I was worried all this mess might upset you,” she smiled.
