Page 199 of Deadfall

I murmured more reassurance and praise as I stepped out of the shower with her and G held out a towel. When he draped it across her shoulders, she lifted her head and sniffed. She took a deep breath and dropped her legs. My cock slid out and I bit back a moan at the loss. I wanted to stay inside her forever. I’d already decided.

Emersyn gripped the towel around her shoulders. “That was…” She shook her head and couldn’t finish her sentence. The tears were gone, and she looked more relaxed than I’d ever seen her.

“Yeah it was,” I agreed.

G handed me a towel, and we dried off in a companionable silence.

“Think we made the ten minutes?” I asked.

G scoffed, and Emersyn huffed a laugh.

I smirked. “Yeah, I don’t think we did either.”

95

EMERSYN

We were absolutely late to the sitrep. By a whopping thirty minutes. I couldn’t be the only one enjoying myself in this house, so I tried not to be embarrassed, but my cheeks still heated when I felt my father’s attention. So awkward. At least, until I looked up and saw him staring dangerously at Griffin and Seven instead. I watched them both look anywhere but at my father and had to force the amusement off my face.

“As I was saying,” my father said. “We move out tonight—” I straightened in my seat. “At 1800.”

He outlined a quick overview of what we’d already been talking about for the last week, and then listed off the teams and who would be doing what. A few other people presented and as the meeting wrapped up, my father stepped to the front once more.

“I have had to play nice with Mahoney for far too long. And, now, to discover he’s been playing us? Inhibiting me from being reunited with my daughter—for years.” He shook his head and his expression darkened. “That is certainly cause for a reckoning. I expect us to give him a good one.”

He looked around the room and nodded once. “Dismissed.”

I stayed where I was as the room emptied out. Griffin kissed my cheek and murmured to find him later. Seven squeezed my ass discretely and winked, before he ducked out of the room too.

Kaelin walked up as they left. “Your father is probably going to be terribly overbearing during all this, just fair warning.” She smiled softly. “He hasn’t shut up about wanting to lock you downstairs so you can’t go.”

“I’m going.” I frowned. “Even if I have to sneak over there myself.”

Kaelin’s lips twitched. “Yeah, that’s what I had to do. I don’t recommend it, although—” She leaned in, a sly gleam in her eyes. “It was kind of fun. Don’t tell your dad. Or Graham. I don’t know who was more pissed off.” When she saw my mood hadn’t lightened, she sighed. “I’m only partially kidding. Theron is going to be a menace though.” She studied me intently. “How are you feeling about going back?”

I shrugged. “I’m fine. How did you feel?”

Kaelin smiled, but it was strained. “I didn’t go back.”

“I thought you just said—”

“That was to go with the guys to grab Vetticus,” Kaelin clarified. “I didn’t go back to the Warren.”

My brow furrowed. “He didn’t let you?”

“I wouldn’t say that. I’d already been doing what I could to take it down, but your father and Graham took it the rest of the way to the front gates.”

“Do you regret it?”

She appeared thoughtful, and her gaze turned to the men across the room. I saw her attention linger on my father, and then Graham. When she turned back, she shook her head firmly.

“I was still healing.” She chuckled. “And despite my tech abilities and the fact that I was in self-defense classes, I was highly untrained at that time. I would have been a liability.” She shrugged. “I think I also knew it had to be Graham’s fight. He knew Cooper personally—the man in charge of the Warren.”

Kaelin fell into a thoughtful silence.

“But not going back myself didn’t make it any less satisfying,” Kaelin added.

I understood what she meant. After all, when my father had offered, I’d given Vetticus back to him knowing it was more his fight than mine.