Page 8 of The Hero's Bride
Sully cast him a look of concern when she didn’t respond, instead worrying her lip with her teeth as her gaze continued to dart around the house.
“Thalia.” He stepped closer, keeping his voice low and steady. She jolted when he gently touched her shoulder. Shit, he shouldn’t have touched her. She’d been through hell today. “You get first shower. Yeah?”
“Yes. I’m sorry. I just…” Thalia trailed off. “I’m overwhelmed by everything that’s happened. I have so many questions that I don’t think you can answer. I don’t know if anyone can answer them, except maybe the Day family.”
“Hey.” Going with this gut he extended his hand, and she immediately took it. Her trust felt good. Too good. “You’re holding up incredibly well. I’d be concerned if you weren’t overwhelmed, but we’re in this together. We have your back.”
“But who will have yours when the cartel comes for me?” Her hand trembled, but her voice held strength. Sully raised a brow in his direction. He’d yet to fill his teammate in on the involvement of the man named Mateo Estrada. “It would be safer for us to part ways,” she continued. “I never imagined someone would come to my rescue. You’ve both helped me tremendously, but if a man killed my own father to get to me, you’re putting yourselves in danger every second you stay.”
“It’s going to take more than the cartel to get rid of us.” Sully shot her an easy smile. “And it’s a risk we’re happy to take.”
Her shoulders slumped with defeat, as though she was truly expecting them to agree and leave.
“Come on.” He squeezed her hand. “I’ll show you where the shower is.” Not that she couldn’t easily find it in the small house, but he wasn’t ready to let go of her hand. Together they walked down the hallway. When they reached the bathroom, he stepped inside along with her, careful not to crowd her. “Sully’s right. We are happy to take any risk to get you to safety, but Thalia, for me it’s more than that.”
He stared into her eyes, captivated by their depth and color. “It’s an honor. No matter what happens, we will get you out of here. We will protect you. I will protect you.” He ran his thumb over the back of her hand before releasing her. Her cheeks pinkened as the air grew heavy in the space between them, the way nature held its breath before lightning streaked across the sky. What he’d give to know the thought that made the blush spread over her skin. After several seconds, he turned and opened the closet, drawing out a towel and fluffy robe. Benito had stocked the place with everything they might need before they started the next leg of their journey.
“Throw your clothes into the hall, and I’ll get them in the wash. I’m going to fill Sully in on everything that happened at the boatyard. I’ll also get in touch with my friend Iron so he can let Vivienne know you’ve been located. There’s another man, Jude, our former teammate, who is helping us with logistics from the United States.”
She nodded. “I can’t thank you enough for what you’re doing. What you have already done.”
“I don’t want your gratitude, sweetheart.” He wasn’t sure what had the endearment slipping past his lips.
“What do you want?” Her question was neither suggestive nor suspicious, and although he wasn’t entirely sure of his response, he decided on honesty.
“I want you safe, both for the small girl who helped me and for the beautiful woman standing in front of me now. I want you to live a life of your choosing instead of one that’s dictated by someone else. And I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want to spend more time with you. Get to know you better. I don’t believe in coincidences. What are the odds that you helped me all those years ago and now I have the opportunity to do the same?”
Nothing about Thalia’s expression changed except for her eyes, as the light in them dimmed. “I would be lying if I agreed that those nice things you just said could happen.”
The pang in his chest caught him off guard. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that to sound… I wasn’t… Shit.” He rarely apologized for his words or feelings, but the woman staring back at him tied his tongue. She probably thought he was hitting on her. Trying to get into her pants.
Her soft sigh, followed by a laugh relaxed his shoulder muscles.
“I’m not saying I wouldn’t want to get to know you, Mason, but your life is in America. I’m not sure if I’m even a citizen. I certainly never took a test or went through a naturalization ceremony. Chances are I’ll have to stay in Mexico when you go back to the United States.”
“Unless that’s what you want, there’s no way I’m crossing the border without you. Our mission is to bring you home.”
She shook her head, and he wished he could remove the sadness from her eyes. “Home. I’m not sure where that is. Mexico doesn’t hold many good memories, except the time spent with my father, but even those times were shadowed by the stress of our environment. Of being hungry many nights.”
“Thalia…” He wanted to open his arms. Envelop her in his embrace. Instead, he reached out and took her hand, giving it a squeeze. “I’m so sorry about your father. Not only for his passing, but the way you found out. The way he died.”
Her eyes glazed with tears, but she glanced away, and when she returned his gaze, they were clear. He had a feeling Thalia’s circumstances had caused her to hide many of her emotions. To build walls to protect herself. “He told me with the cough he’d developed, he didn’t expect to live long. That I had a chance at a better life, and he wouldn’t tolerate me not taking it. I didn’t understand how much he was protecting me. Now I feel terrible for being angry that he sent me away. He must’ve known they would kill him. Defying the cartel is a death sentence.”
“He loved you. Watching you get taken by a drug lord would have been worse than death. He gave his life willingly. Gladly. I’m sure of that.”
“Thank you,” she murmured.
“I’ll leave. Take your time in the shower.”
“I’m not going to hog the hot water.” The way her nose scrunched, like she was incredulous at the idea, was cute as hell.
“You use as much as you want.” He stepped outside the bathroom and closed the door gently behind him. He walked down the hall and waited until she set her clothes, or what was left of them, outside the door. After tossing them into the washer, he joined Sully in the living room.
“She okay?”
“As good as she can be, given the circumstances.” For the next ten minutes, he filled Sully in on what happened at the boatyard, the police force searching for Thalia on behalf of a high-ranking cartel member who’d wanted her for his own when she was a mere teenager, and how her father had died.
“Shit, man.” Sully rubbed the back of his neck. “We need to get this to Jude. He’s already determined she’s not a citizen, no record of her at all, and is working the problem.”
