“Make sure our girl is taken care of. Wolfe, I already said this to Aleki, but we need to each spend some time alone with her. Take her on dates.”
“A date? What should I do with her?” Wolfe asked.
“Do something she’d like. Something you like. Whatever you want,” Aleki told him.
“Hmm, well, we already did something we both liked last night. Maybe we can do more of that,” Wolfe stated before walking out.
Aleki looked to Caleb. “What do you think he’s talking about?”
“I have no idea and I think it’s probably best not to ask.”
31
Caleb found her in the bedroom, lying back on the bed and staring up at the ceiling. She had Piggles tucked in against her chest. He was proud of her for expressing that she was upset with them. Sometimes he thought she held back out of fear of rocking the boat. Hadn’t her father and husband taught her to be perfect? To suppress her own needs?
Well, she didn’t have to do that anymore.
“Piggles, you have a cute little bottom. Piggles, I’m feeling slightly forgotten.”
He frowned. The last thing he wanted her to feel was unwanted or forgotten. That wasn’t why they’d kept her in the dark over some things.
It wasn’t the first time he’d heard her singing silly songs to Piggles or about him. She seemed to do it when she was nervous or needed reassurance.
God, he couldn’t believe that she was here. With him. With his brothers.
Mine.
Ours.
The way it should have been for all these years. But he shouldn’t think of lost time. They had her here now.
“Taking Wolfe’s suggestion, I see.” He walked over and plopped down next to her, staring up at the white ceiling.
“Hmm? What do you mean?”
“To take a nap.”
She snorted. She was even cute when she snorted. “That wasn’t exactly a suggestion.”
“With Wolfe it never is.” He rolled onto his side. After a few moments, she followed, rolling over to face him.
He tucked some hair behind her ear.
“You can’t keep things from me, Caleb.”
“You’re right.”
Surprise filled her face then she quickly wiped it clean. “Yes, I know.”
He had to grin. “You sound as arrogant as Wolfe.”
She narrowed her gaze suspiciously. “Is that an insult?”
“Hmm.” He pretended to think about it.
“Hey!” She whacked his chest lightly.
“Oomph. Got a punch on you. Those guns are tough.”
“Told you.” Her face grew serious. “But I need you to tell me stuff. I’m not helpless or dumb.”
“Nobody said you were either of those things. And if anyone does, I’ll kick their ass. Yours included.”
Her eyebrows rose in surprise.
“Okay, I’ll just spank it, not kick it.” He reached over her to whack her bottom. Hard.
“Ouch!”
“No putting yourself down.”
“I didn’t! I said what I think you guys think.”
“We don’t think that. But you’ve been through a lot and I’m an overprotective male who loves you. I’m bound to make mistakes. You just need to call me out. Call any of us out when we go too far. All right?”
She froze, staring up at him as he leaned up on one elbow, watching her.
“What?” he asked. “Are you okay?”
“You love me?”
Caleb thought over what he’d said. “Oh. I didn’t mean to say it like that.” He could feel himself growing red.
“Are you blushing?”
“Maybe. I’ve loved you since the moment we met. I freaking adore you. I think you’re smart and courageous and beautiful. I want to keep you safe so sometimes I do stupid things to achieve that. But as long as you stay with me, I’ll always put you first.”
She sniffed, a tear coursing down her cheek.
“That wasn’t meant to make you cry, baby.”
“Happy tears.”
“Don’t do that with Wolfe, he won’t understand,” he joked.
She tried to smile and he rolled over to grab some tissues, wiping her cheeks gently.
“I love you too. I love all of you.”
Leaning in, he kissed her. Hard. Consuming. “Good. Then you’ll forgive us for making mistakes sometimes in our need to protect you.”
She nodded. “I make mistakes all the time.”
“That’s how we learn.”
A grin crossed her face.
“What’s so funny?” he asked.
“Oh, nothing. Just Wolfe said a similar thing.”
“Humph, stealing my lines, is he?” He winked at her.
“I just don’t want anyone to think that because I’m a Little that I want to be kept in the dark and coddled twenty-four-seven.”
“I understand,” he agreed. “I still get to coddle twenty hours out of the day, though, right?”
She giggled. “All right.”
“There’re a few things we should have told you. Remember how you heard someone else when you were being shot at?”
She nodded. “Yes. Did you find out anything about him? Is he all right? Was he a reporter? Could he have been William’s friend?”
“Okay, I’ll answer those in order. Yes, we discovered who it was. No, he’s not all right.”
She blanched white. Christ. This is why they’d avoided telling her. He hated upsetting her. But he understood her need to know what was going on.
“He died. Two shots to the chest.”
“Oh God. I should have stayed. Should have helped him.”
He drew her in tight against him, hugging her. “No, if you’d stayed you would have died as well. And his injuries meant he died quickly.”
A small white lie wouldn’t hurt.
“But he wasn’t a reporter and as far as we can tell, he wasn’t connected to William. Unfortunately none of the inside cameras were working so we couldn’t get a visual of the shooting. Aleki hacked into the traffic cams outside the entrance but the only car matching your description had tinted windows and stolen license plates. No leads to follow up. Micah made some inquiries but it seems the cops are just as stumped. Nobody had mentioned you, though.”
She took in a shuddering breath. “Okay, what else?”
Caleb let out a deep breath. He didn’t want to tell her this next part, but she had a right to know. “The shooter likely picked up your handbag and the flash drive. Since nothing on the flash drive has been used against your father, we can guess the shooter worked for him.”
“So you think my own father sent someone to shoot me?”
He hated how lost she sounded. “It’s possible that it could have been the mystery man. Since we don’t know who he is, we’re not sure how he factors in.”
There were still so many unanswered questions. Who was the mystery man? How did he come into all of this?
“It seems your father is searching for you. But we expected that. So far, he hasn’t done anything suspicious, but we still have Micah watching him.”
“For how long?”