Page 12 of We Do


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I stalk to the window. This is the part I don’t do well. I hate stake outs. I hate waiting. I want to be in the middle of it,knocking heads. Someone is going to pay for this. For hurting her. Thirty minutes later I’m still prowling the room while Kade calmly sits at the computer working. I can’t stand it any longer. I press my ear to the door.

“I think she’s crying. You have to go to her. Make sure she’s okay.”

“You’re right there. You go.”

“I’m not good at that and you know it. You’ll be nice and know what to say.”

“And you’ll make her forget. Go.”

“We both go. Now.”

I stare him down until he nods, shuts the computer and joins me at the door. I knock twice. “Fancy we’re coming in. We want to check on you.”

Without waiting I turn the knob and push the door open, reassuring myself that if she cared she would have locked the door. She’s curled into a ball in the middle of the bed, head buried in the pillow as her shoulders shake with the force of her tears.

Kade climbs on the bed in front of her and wraps her in his embrace. I crawl in behind, cloaking her with my body. “Ah babe, don’t cry.”

“He was a good man. He didn’t deserve that.”

“We know sweetheart,” Kade whispers.

“We’ll make them pay, babe. I promise they’ll pay.

“Let us hold you while you sleep,” Kade says. Right now, you need to rest. You’ll feel better in the morning.”

Rolling to my side, I reach behind me and grab the box of tissues, holding it out to her. After she wipes her eyes and blows her nose Kade cuddles her to his chest, her face secure in the hollow of his neck.

I snuggle to her back, one hand on her hip. As her breathing levels out and she drifts to sleep, I feel something settle inmyself. She’s a fighter. She’ll get through this. We’re kindred spirits.

In some ways my background isn’t so different from hers. Left alone to my own devices as both parents struggled to make ends meet with six kids to feed. We lived in a small Portuguese neighborhood in Massachusetts. Everyone worked to benefit the family.

I was a surprise, shock really, the last of the litter. One of those rare freak occurrences since Mom was in menopause. By the time I came around the rest of the family was tired. Of course, me being stubborn as hell and a fighter by nature didn’t help.

When I was ten, I heard some asswipe trying to rape my sister. She clearly said no. I picked the lock on her bedroom door and broke his nose with my fist. At twelve, when my oldest and only brother died of an overdose, I went after the guy who sold him the drugs. I used my brother’s phone to record a dozen sales, then found a local narcotics officer who would hear my story. I volunteered to make a buy so they could arrest him. From then on, I was hooked. I knew exactly what I was going to do the rest of my life.

Four years in the army paid for my criminal justice degree. Once I got out of the service, I went straight to the DEA. Six months in I was assigned with Kade. We make a perfect team. His finesse, my ‘in your face’. We’ve been looking for the right woman to complete us for a while. Fate may have finally stepped in.

Fancy’s breathing has evened out. I glance over to Kade. As if reading my mind he nods. This is personal now. We’ll protect her from the bastards who hurt her mother and Phil.

Then if she’s willing, we’re gonna keep her.

CHAPTER 9

Kade

I see the resolve in Rico’s gaze. My brother in all ways but blood, as he claims.

I smile to myself. He’s made a decision. Once that happens, there is no backing down. He hasn’t even kissed her, but he’s decided Fancy is the one for us.

He came from a loud outspoken lower middle-class family. I was the obligatory offspring of two entitled rich kids, who never wanted to be bothered with a child.

Our friendship started out with being paired together on a case. The connection was instinctual. It’s like we’re two sides of the same coin. Intuitively we know how the other will operate. I have two years on him in the agency but from the first assignment we’ve synced. They tried to put me with other agents but never with the same success rate.

After the third time, Rico walked in when our supervisors were trying to assign yet someone else with me and said, “Do you want this operation to be successful? If so, quit the bullshit and just let Kade and I handle it. Done deal.”

And it has been ever since.

I meet his gaze over the top of her head and nod. I’m in. I close my eyes and let sleep claim me. He’ll get me when it’s my turn to take watch.