Page 36 of Recklessly In Love With A Ruthless Savage

"And he’s not just dangerous. He's connected. If we hit him wrong, we’ll look like the aggressors." Black said looking at the connection he and his parents had.

"I don’t care about optics. I care about outcomes. That mutherfucka and his fucked up family not only threatened my wife but tried to take my daughter. I need to know who’s on his payroll, what back doors he’s using, and how close he is to this city."

"I agree. Which is why I’m bringing in backup,” he said.

"I already got a team…" I started.

"Not like this. Two of my best men, ex-navy seals, will be on Nova and Timberly’s personal detail until we find out what we're up against and how they're coming.”

“I appreciate the support. I can feel a war is coming my way behind my family and I can never have too many soldiers on my side,” I told the twins.

"I already called them. They’ll be posted on your property within the hour. Go home to your family. The team will cleanthis up. Blue’s setting up an encrypted data spider through all Harris’s shell companies now. We should have everything we need to know soon,” Black said.

CHAPTER 17

Nova

It was late and I was starting to wonder where Crew was and if he was safe. Dinner was eventful with Timberly recanting her story about how Stephanie tried to grab her. And how her and Tati knocked her out and had her pinned to the floor when Crew and the other guys arrived. To say I was scared out of my mind was an understatement. After watching a movie in the family room, we headed up to bed. I showered and washed my hair but still wasn’t able to get some sleep. So I decided to read for a bit until I got tired. I had been trying to finish Crucible by BB. Reid but life had been kicking me in the ass lately.

I woke up to Timberly sneaking into my bed and curling up against my body. I smoothed her hair back from her forehead.

"What’s wrong, baby? Did you have a bad dream?"

She nodded against my chest. I held her close to me and just held her safe in my arms.

"You know," she mumbled against my nightshirt, "We don’t have to be scared anymore, Mommy."

I blinked, my throat burning. Understanding what she was talking about.

“Why do you say that, baby?”

"Crew-Dad said nobody’s ever gonna take us away."

I squeezed her tighter and swallowed the lump forming in my throat.

"You’re right, baby," I whispered. "We’re safe now."

And for the first time...I almost believed it too.

I was sprawled out on the lounger in the sunroom, Timberly was playing with the doll house Crew had gotten her, and Crew sat playing chess with Pops. Crew had come in late last night and kissed Timberly and I goodnight before going to his office, where he stayed for the rest of the night. I could tell from the set of his jaw and the tension in his shoulder that something was wrong. He hadn’t spoken to me about what happened to Stephanie but from the calls I had received from my staff no one had seen her today and she hadn’t called in, which wasn’t like her.

Laughter echoed through the room as I felt nauseous out of nowhere. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, soaking in the cool air, letting the feeling of vomiting flow out of me. I was just about to feel relief until it came again with a severity that made a layer of sweat pop up over my body. I leapt up and hurtled toward the bathroom, barely making it as I emptied the contents of my stomach into the toilet. I hadn’t had this feeling for 8 years, so I knew what was wrong.

Two pink lines.

I stared at the pregnancy test in my hand, sitting in our master bathroom with my heart thudding so hard it hurt. Pregnant. I was pregnant. Before I could even process it, I heard Crew's voice in the hall low, urgent, and angry. I rushed to the door and saw Janelle was holding a phone out to him.

"Crew, you need to hear this."

Crew snatched the phone and listened. His jaw tightened then his whole body went still. When he looked up at me, something in his eyes made my blood run cold.

"What is it?" I whispered.

He didn’t speak. Because behind him, Janelle’s voice cracked the world open:

"Kyle Harris hired a team to retrieve his family. They know where you and Timberly are and who you’re with."

He knew where we were and found us again. Why couldn’t he leave us alone? After all these years we still couldn’t find peace. Crew stood a few feet away, silent, a phone pressed to his ear, voice low as he ordered more security, more cameras, more bodies. He had increased our security twice already. Both Timberly and I had our own personal guards with us whenever we left the property. But it would never be enough. Not when Kyle and his family would use every ounce of their power to get us back.

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