Page 63 of Lesson In Forgiveness

“It’s okay to be sick, Tabitha. This afternoon has been a trial by fire. I’ve pushed and strained your limits, reawakened memories and emotions that weren’t pleasant for you. Fear and stress have a negative impact on the body; yours reacted by physically purging.” He gave her an easy smile, hoping to see it reflected in those perfect blue eyes. “It beats stomach ulcers, right?”

She looked horribly young and fragile in that moment. The manic arrogance, her trademark crazy façade, was nowhere to be seen. Instead, it seemed like one wrong word might shatter her into unrecognizable pieces. “Do you mind if I close my eyes for a while? I’m… tired.”

She was retreating. “Do you mind if I keep holding you?”

Her throat worked as though she’d forgotten how to use her vocal cords. He caught the subtle wobble of her lower lip, the almost imperceptible glimmer of tears sheening her eyes. When she finally spoke, she was damn near hoarse. “I’d like that.”

Cradling the side of her head, Grit urged her to lay her cheek against his shirt. Running his fingers through her hair in soothing strokes, he felt her begin to relax despite her inner turmoil.

“Is she asleep?” Elias murmured a few minutes later.

Lifting his head, Grit blinked at him. He’d been lost in studying her face, watching the delicate muscles shift with her thoughts, then smooth out as she drifted away. She was heavier, her body succumbing to exhaustion that was the culmination of today and every day for the last twenty-odd years. “Yeah.”

“Good. I have a proposition for you.”

“You personally or you as a team?”

Evander grinned. “I’m just the wallet. I buy, I build. Elias is the organizer.”

“And I’m the princess!” Callie tossed in for good measure.

“The princess needs to be quiet,” Eli admonished gently, giving her a quick pinch on the thigh. “Otherwise she won’t be talking her Daddies into ordering pizza for dinner.”

She smacked her lips together, miming a zipping motion across them.

“The house we’re building for us at Serenity is semi-complete. The main areas we need to live there are done. With everything that’s been going on,” Eli continued, shooting a pointed look at Tabitha, “and will no doubt carry on until the primary threat is eliminated, we’ve decided to get out of the city. Living in a construction zone won’t be easy, but Evander and I agree it will be safer.”

“Possibly. It’s incredibly secluded, very open. Snipers would have an advantage.” Grit cocked his head. “Security will be a bitch to set up. Tabitha’s already proven how easy it is for an imposter to insinuate themselves onto your crews.”

“Yes, we realize there are several issues we need to tackle first. They’ll be dealt with over the next few weeks—hopefully with your input.”

Intrigued, Grit raised an eyebrow. “Oh?”

“Our intention is for Serenity to be one of the safest resorts for the BDSM community in terms of privacy. We don’t want six-foot-high fences and canine teams stalking the perimeters. We’re going to need someone to manage the security aspects of the club; personally, we’d like someone who isn’t just skilled in that side of things, but who also has a vested interest in what the club stands for.” Elias rubbed his chin thoughtfully on the top of Callie’s head. “Someone who’d be open to becoming a Master once we open for business.”

“I see. You want me to reach out to my contacts?”

Evander snorted. “Avalon isn’t just a kink community, Grit. It’s a family affair. That’s what I’m striving for with Serenity. We want unity, friendship, that familial bond that doesn’t come through the blood but through connection. The kind of connection that we three,” he said, leaning forward to lay his hand on Callie’s thigh, “feel with you.”

Grit rocked back, honestly surprised by the revelation. “Whoa, just hang on a minute. I know I’ve been undercover on the site for some time now, but this is the longest time we’ve spent together in a non-work capacity. Isn’t that a bit soon to be making business decisions?”

Dark eyes gleamed with humor. “I made one of my biggest life decisions after spending three hours with Callie. One night of roulette and there was no doubt in my mind that she was my everything. Look where we are now. Right, Eli?”

The Brit simply smiled. “I do believe it took me less than three hours to come to that conclusion.”

“Well, shit.” Shaking his head, Grit blew out a breath. “I don’t know what to say.”

“We know you’re happy working for Atticus, and we don’t want to rock the boat by stealing you away from him if you’re not one hundred percent on board. You have a life in Phoenix, one ultimately more exciting given your travel opportunities and the nature of your job.” Elias spread his hands, rolling his eyes when Callie took that as a cue to twist around and cuddle into his chest. “Should you decide to retire for whatever reason or you just fancy a change of direction, we wanted to offer you an alternative.”

He was happy with his job, Grit thought. He loved the thrill of the hunt, and maybe some part of him liked wet work—although not as much as Tabitha did. But he was reaching the point in his career where age began to influence his choices.

Atticus was continually selecting and training new recruits for the firm. That was a necessity. Mercs got injured—both temporarily and permanently. They occasionally died doing their jobs, sacrificing themselves for the greater good. He knew for a fact there was a high percentage of trainees who didn’t make the grade, and a few more usually quit after the first mission or two.

While Grit had invaluable skills, it might only be a few years before the younger generations were in more demand.

Besides that, he now had to take Tabitha into consideration. She wasn’t just a project to be conquered quickly and cast aside. There were… strings involved, he thought, resisting the urge to rub his hand over his heart. Entanglements, emotions, a nagging desire to reel her in close to his side and ensure she stayed there by whatever means necessary.

What would it hurt to hear Eli and Evander out?

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