Chapter 30

Ian held his breath while Jac talked to Reid on the phone. It had been over two hours since they’d left and his patience had run out in the first half hour. Jac had tried to keep him busy. They’d gone and gotten some wrapped sandwiches and canned drinks that now sat on the table like a beacon to him, reminding him that they hadn’t come back. She’d suggested they do some digging and try to find people that were closely associated with the names on the list, maybe stumble on a few more angles to help them. He’d kept busy as she planned, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t losing his mind in the meantime.

When she finally set her phone down, he was ready to scream.

“They’re on the way back.”

He tossed the papers onto the desk and got up. “Did they get Travini?”

She nodded. “Yes, but he didn’t go easily. A few from his organization are on the way to the hospital.”

Ian didn’t need to ask if Alec had been in on any of those injuries. In the pit of his stomach, he already knew the answer. He swallowed. “Is everyone else all right?”

“As far as I know.” She smirked. “I could hear Alec swearing in the background if that helps.”

He sighed and sat back down. “Yeah, actually it does.” Rubbing a hand over his face, he gave her a solemn look. “I don’t know how you and Felicity do it.”

Going over, she spread out the sandwiches on the table. “Felicity and I have witnessed some pretty horrible things in our lives, maybe that helps us understand a little more.”

Ian shrugged. “I suppose. I’ve purposely avoided anything too heavy to cope with for as long as I can remember.” Glancing at the clock, for the ten thousandth time, he got to his feet again. “I’m going to go grab some coffee.” Not that he needed any more caffeine; he just had to keep moving to keep from thinking about the seconds until they got back.

Reid came in the door first looking like he’d been rolling in the dust with a small gash along his jaw. Jac tsked at him and made him sit down to see how bad it was.

Brent was right behind him, as dirty and rumpled as his partner. He had a slight limp, but Ian couldn’t see any visible marks or evidence of blood.

Alec came in and the first thing he saw was the reddish-purple mark running along her cheek. The side of her mouth was also swollen. Someone had hit her. Worse yet, his heart accelerated, she’d been close enough for someone to hit her. Then he noticed the gauze wrapped around her arm, spots of blood showing through. Before he could move or say a word, Jac noticed and Reid’s tender attention was drawn to a halt.

“Alec” —Jac rushed toward her— “what did you do?”

Alec shrugged and looked at her arm. “I didn’t really do it. The bastard pulled a knife.”

Jac looked like she wanted to fuss with it as she had with Reid, but she hesitated in touching her. Ian wanted to do a hell of a lot more than fuss over her injuries, he wanted to carry her out of here and lock her somewhere safe.

He cleared his throat. “How bad is it?” His voice sounded much coarser than he’d have liked, but he was trying to keep it toned down knowing it wouldn’t get him any closer to Alec if he acted like a caveman, even though he felt like one at the moment.

She gave him a wary look, the set of her jaw letting him know he was dangerously close to pissing her off. “The medics taped it up. No stitches required.”

Brent placed himself in Ian’s line of vision and gave him a tone-it-down warning look. “Nope, the stitches went to the guy dumb enough to pull a knife on her.” He busied himself with undoing his vest. “But we got Travini and three of his stooges,” He huffed out a breath, “that one guy was like a damn giant.”

Alec snorted and brushed past Brent, heading to the table with the sandwiches. “I caught the last part where it took both of you to wrestle him down.” She grinned. “I’m starving.” She picked up one, without even looking at it, and unwrapped it. “I want to get back and see what they get out of Travini.” Taking a bite, she turned to Reid.

Reid nodded and got up. “I’d like to get Ian close to him.” He motioned to him. “If you’re game.”

Ian briefly glanced at him and then let his eyes do a slow once over on Alec. He crossed his arms and looked back at Reid. “I’m game.”

Jac walked over to him, giving him an understanding smile that no one else could see. She got it. She knew he was climbing out of his skin to go all possessed alpha on Alec for putting herself in danger. With a soft sigh, she reached out and patted his arm. Her face sobered and she dropped her hand away from his bare skin quickly and grabbed her head.

“I forgot,” she said softly as Reid rushed over to her. “That’s so weird.” Lowering her hand from her forehead, she motioned Reid to give her space. With a look that bled compassion, close to pity, she looked up at Ian. “How do you function with all of that going on inside your head?”

Ian gave her a wide-eyed look. “You got all that with a half-second touch?”

Jac nodded and blew out a breath. “My god, you must be close to going insane at times.”

Tucking his hands in his pockets, he shrugged one shoulder. “You get used to it. Most of the time I don’t even notice now unless I’m tired, then I can’t keep them quiet.”

Alec came toward him waving the sandwich. “You have people in your head all the time?” Her voice was filled with concern.

“Not always. It’s like background noise. I can focus in on some of it or one particular path or just block it out.” Now that she was closer, he couldn’t ignore how her face looked. Clenching his jaw, he reached out and ran his thumb lightly over the bruised flesh on her cheek. A vulnerable soft look appeared in her eyes as he dropped his hand away. Had no one ever cared for this woman? Ian let his eyes caress her face once more before he looked back at Reid. “Whenever you’re ready.”

***

Alec stood by the door and watched Brent help Ian sit on the couch. With a brief look around the hotel room, she decided they weren’t going to contract any diseases from it. It wasn’t the Ritz, but it was clean and roomy enough they wouldn’t be falling over each other. Setting Ian’s bag on the end of the bed, she went over and looked down at him. “Why did you overdo it?”

With a smirk, he opened his eyes and gave her a ‘how does it feel’ glare. “Time’s running out. I hoped to find a whisper of where Veritas and Kimberley were, but if anyone knows they’re not giving it away.”

Brent sat on the arm of the faded striped chair. “You got enough that the rest of the team will be bringing in three more we didn’t know about.”

Alec noticed even Brent looked wiped out. “They’re picking up Vance Shaw in the morning.” She grinned down at Ian. “And then Bill.”

“Which should only leave Theresa Graham, Cardiel, and Harris,” Ian said in almost a whisper.

“Where is Reid with the food?” Alec looked at the clock sitting beside the bed. “He needs to eat something.”

Brent gave her a startled look. “It’s only been three minutes, Alec.”

She let out an exasperated sigh and sat on the end of the bed. What she really wanted to do was pace back and forth and hope Reid brought the food faster. She studied Ian as he sprawled back on the couch, resting his head against it. “I grabbed your tablet when I ran in to get you some clothes.”

Opening his eyes, he looked over at her and made a slight movement with his head. “Thanks.” Letting out a deep breath, Ian glanced at Brent and then back to her. “I’m going to send a message to my broker to get to Harris’s wife. I think she should be aware of what’s going on and get clear of it.”

“Suggest that she contact Agent Bastion,” she offered.

Ian nodded. “Yeah, that’s what I was going to do.”

Brent stood up when someone knocked on the door. “I’ll give Bastion a heads up that she’s probably coming in.”

Alec closed the door behind Brent and Reid and locked it. Turning back, she watched Ian lean over the table and eat the soup. “Soup and sandwich going to be enough?”

Ian swallowed and smiled at her. “Yeah, it should do the trick.” He looked at the food on the other side of the table. “Why don’t you grab a bite, you have to be as tired as I am.”

Pulling the elastic out of her hair, she shook it out and sighed. “It’s been a hell of a day.” Going over, she dropped down into the chair across from him and opened the container of soup. It smelled edible enough. “So,” she took a small sip of it off the spoon to see how hot it was, “you’re really going to blow off all that money Harris’s wife offered you to bring this out in the open?”

Pushing the empty bowl away, he lifted the bread and looked inside the sandwich. “I don’t feel right taking it, not for something like this.” He took a small bite and chewed it slowly as she took a few spoonful’s of her soup. “This goes way beyond the usual scope of what I do.”

“You really do what you said, don’t you?” He gave her a confused look. “You help the underdog have a chance in the business world.”

He smirked. “That’s one way to say it, but yeah that’s pretty much what I do.” He looked down at his plate. “Anytime I come across something or someone corrupt, I don’t play into it,” he sat back and ran a hand through his hair, “if anything I make sure they get what’s coming to them and move on my merry way.”

“What about the money.” Setting the spoon down, she sat back away from the table and studied him. “It’s a lot of money you were offered.”

Ian grinned at her, making her want to smile back. “I don’t need the money, Alec.” He lifted his arms, motioning down his body. “What you see is what you get. I don’t live lavishly. I invest.” He folded his hands over his stomach and looked at her. “I could live on my investments for a long time if I had to.”

“Oh.” She felt her cheek flush slightly. “I guess I hadn’t thought about how you lived.”

His eyes held hers. “No, you were too busy trying to find something bad enough about me that you could push me away and walk without a moment’s hesitation.”

She hated that he was right, she really did. “I’ve had too many,” she bit her bottom lip trying to find the best way to explain it, “bumps in my life to overcome.”

“That doesn’t mean you have to hide for the rest of it.”

Frowning, she folded her hands on the table and looked down at them. “I’m not hiding...”

“No, you’re avoiding.”

Alec looked up at him expecting a harsh expression in his eyes but only found a soft understanding look. She wanted so much to trust someone, to trust him. Taking a deep breath, she blurted it out before she could change her mind. “My brother was taken when he was a kid.” Without waiting to see if he grasped her words, she continued. “It was my fault; I was supposed to be watching him.” Picking up the napkin, she twisted it with her fingers. “I was fifteen. I got distracted...and... he was just gone.” Swallowing past the lump in her throat, she chanced a quick look up to see him sitting there patiently. “They found remains five years later. It was ninety percent positive that it was him. He had been...” Words flew around in her mind, but she couldn’t find the ones to speak. Her heart was pumping so fast in her chest as she stared at the napkin, she just kept twisting her fingers, tighter and tighter. Ian’s hand closed over the top of hers, stopping the movement.

He grasped both her hands firmly and gave a gentle tug on them. With stiff movement, she got up and went toward him as he continued to coax her. Pushing his chair back, he pulled her until her legs hit his. Lifting her eyes, she finally connected with his. She’d been afraid there would be pity or judgment looking back at her, but there wasn’t. In his eyes, she saw pain and understanding. It almost brought her to her knees. Moving without thought, she straddled his legs and collapsed on his chest as his arms closed around her.

The years of self-blame and pain broke free of her carefully constructed cage and the tears began to flow. She didn’t hear the soft words he spoke, only felt them through his touch as she fell apart in his arms leaving her open and vulnerable. His strong arms and gentle touches soothed her and destroyed her at the same time. He didn’t rush her, placate her or try to stop her, he just let her be how she had to be at that moment and supported her with a strength that astound her.

Minutes that could have been hours went by as her chest ached from the sobs and her eyes burned from the never-ending tears. It took her several tries to calm down enough to speak again. Holding her face into his shoulder she took a deep hiccupped breath. “I’ve slobbered all over your shirt.”

She felt more than heard his chuckle.

“It will wash, babe.” In a single motion, he stood up, taking her wrapped around him like a vine, and started to walk toward the bathroom.

Alec clung to him, afraid to let go, terrified to release him and stand or break the contact.

Going into the bathroom, he sat on the edge of the tub, still cooing to her softly in a calming tone. She heard the water begin to fill the tub and continued to hold onto him like he was her air for the moment.

When he stood again, he set her on the counter and with a gentle touch moved her arms from around his neck. In a daze, she watched as his eyes never left hers and he worked her t-shirt up over her head. She was numb when he stood her up and worked the boots from her feet and jeans down over her hips.

While he undressed, he still continued to touch her, and talk softly to her. Picking her up, he climbed into the tub of hot water and lowered their bodies into it. She didn’t know how big the tub was or even what the bathroom looked like, but she didn’t care right now, none of it mattered. He cradled her against his chest, pushing her head to rest against his warm skin. She inhaled the smell of him and closed her eyes letting all the tension drain away.