Page 10 of Razor
He pulled onto the gravel road that led back to the safehouse, chancing a look over at Ella. She was awake and quietly watching him. “It’s not much, but we will be safe here,” he said. He parked in front of the house and cut the engine. “Come on, I’ll give you both a tour.”
He helped Ella out of his truck and found Violet standing next to her before he even got the door shut. “Do you come here a lot?” Ella asked, looking over the house.
“No,” he breathed. The last thing he wanted to do was explain the reason for his last visit—especially with Violet trailing them through the house for the not-so-grand tour. He also worried that once he told Ella about his involvement with the Devils,she might try to take off on him. He should have brought that entire fucking club down after they killed his wife, but he didn’t. Instead, he took his daughter and ran—like a coward, and when he finally got back home with Violet, it was too late. The Devils had all but forgotten about him and his undercover work. A part of him wondered if the same would be true for Ella. Would they get sick of looking for her and give up, or would they overturn every rock to find her?
“Violet and I stayed here when she was a baby for a bit, but I haven’t been here since. I don’t take too many cases that would warrant me having to stay in a safehouse and leave Violet alone for extended periods of time,” he said.
“But then, you met me,” she said, setting her bag down. “I’m sorry to make you both do this. If you want to just leave me here, I’m sure that I’ll be fine. I can usually manage on my own.” He bet that she could take care of herself. He hadn’t met too many women who seemed to be as capable as Ella was. He was sure that being an ER nurse had a bit to do with it, as she said, but there was more to her than that. She was tougher than she gave herself credit for, but he couldn’t leave her at the safehouse alone. She wasn’t just his pet project; she had become his case now. His Captain had assigned him to her as protection, and bringing Violet along was his choice. For better or worse, he was in this now, and there would be no going back home. Word had already gotten out that he was with Ella, and the Devils wouldn’t let that stand. They’d come after him and Violet if they went home, and he just couldn’t take that chance.
It took the remainder of the day to get settled, and when it was time for dinner, Spade called to let him know that there was going to be a food delivery any minute. His old partner had thought of everything, and he had to admit that having him along for the ride on this case was a relief. Spade took care of the inside details, keeping him updated on the case and orderingthem groceries—stuff like that. Which gave Razor time to handle the day-to-day security details that would keep the three of them safe. They had always worked well together, and he hoped that this new case would be no different.
He walked into the kitchen to find Ella standing at the refrigerator, both doors open, looking for something to eat. “We have no food,” she said. She sounded as though she were accusing him of some wrongdoing. It was cute, really. Hell, she was wearing cut-offs and a tank top that made her look a whole lot hotter than cute, but he needed to keep his mind in the game. She needed that from him. Violet did too. They were his responsibility, and he couldn’t put either of them at risk just because his libido seemed to kick into gear every time Ella walked into the room.
“It’s on the way,” he said. “Spade just called to let me know that we’re going to be getting a grocery order in about ten minutes.” He held up his cell phone, showing her the tracking information as if he didn’t think that she’d trust his word.
“Do you cook?” she asked, shutting the refrigerator doors and crossing the room to sit at the table.
He sat down next to her and nodded. “I do,” he admitted. “I had to learn how to do all that stuff after my wife died. You know—self-preservation and all that. Plus, Violet likes to eat, so I had to learn to make a mean peanut butter and jelly.” She giggled, and he thought that it sounded magical. “You really should do that more often,” he said.
“Do what?” she asked.
“Laugh,” he said.
“Well, as I said already, I haven’t had much to laugh about lately. I still don’t feel like myself, you know. Maybe I will never feel like the old me again. Being kept in a cage for six months really changed me.”
“Hell, it would change anyone, honey. You survived what so many women couldn’t. You fought for your freedom, not just once, but four times. You gave all those men hell, and for that, you should be damn proud of yourself.” He was proud of her, and he had no reason to be. She didn’t belong to him, yet every time he thought about everything that she had been through, he felt this immense pride that didn’t belong to him. And the fact that they had only known each other for part of a day had him feeling more confused about all of it than ever. For some crazy reason, he felt as though he had known Ella for years, not just hours, and if he had to guess, his daughter felt the same way about her.
“Thank you for saying that,” Ella whispered.
The doorbell rang, and he stood. “Groceries are here,” he said. “You stay put while I make sure that everything is clear.”
“Is this the way that we’re going to be living now?” she asked. “Afraid to answer the door to get our groceries.”
“For now, yes,” he said, not bothering to turn back to look at her. He knew that all he would find staring back at him was Ella’s disappointment, and he didn’t have time to sift through all that with her. Right now, he was going to get everyone fed, and then, he’d find a way to put a better plan in place because she was right about one thing—they couldn’t live like this forever.
“It’s been four months,” Razor almost shouted into the phone. Spade and Mace had been calling them daily to give updates on what had been heard about the Devils in town. Razor had never felt so out of the loop, even with those updates, and from the look on Ella’s face, she felt the same way.
“Is there any word on whether they are still looking for me?” Ella asked. From the beginning, she had insisted on being included in their daily conversations. He agreed that it was a good idea since she was the one that the Devils were coming after. They were careful to call after Violet’s bedtime so that his daughter didn’t have to hear the sorted details being discussed, although she was bright for a four-year-old and had probably figured some of it out.
Razor’s biggest worry was how close the three of them seemed to be getting while being cooped up in the small house together. Violet had asked him a few times over the past weeks if Ella was going to be her new mommy. He’d always tell her no, but a part of him couldn’t stop thinking about the three of them actually becoming a family, even if he had no clue how Ella felt about them. She held her cards close to her vest, and feelings weren’t something that either of them was comfortable discussing.
“We found out this morning that the Devils are still looking for you. In fact, they have expanded their search outside of the city and have put a price on your head, Ella,” Mace admitted.
“Fuck,” Razor shouted. Ella gently put her hand on his forearm as though trying to soothe him, and he had to admit it helped. Every time she touched him or brushed by him, he felt the same thing—peace, calmness, and even something more. Something that he hadn’t let himself think about in a long time—love. But that was impossible because he was still in love with his dead wife. How could he love two women at once? He couldn’t, and doing so would only betray the memory of his wife. Sure, he had been with other women since she passed, but they were mostly quick hook-ups and were never introduced to his daughter. There was something about Ella that had him wanting more, and he needed to figure out what to do about that before he hurt her or his daughter.
“Are we still safe here?” she asked. Thank God she was able to keep her calm and ask the important questions that Razor’s anger seemed to haze over.
“For now, yes,” Spade said. “I’ve sent over a few guys to keep an eye on you all. They will be around, but you won’t see them. You know the drill, Razor.” He did. They would be lurking in the shadows and would only come out if they were needed. Hopefully, they wouldn’t ever be needed, but Razor felt better knowing that they were there if necessary.
“Thanks for the updates, man,” Razor said.
“I’m sorry that it’s not better news,” Mace sighed, “but we’re all doing everything that we can on this end to get you three home safely. I’m trying to secure a meeting with the head of the Devils, but you know that’s going to be nearly impossible since no one really knows who the leader is.” The guy had never shown his face. For all the cops knew, he was playing the part of an underling in the Devils just to stay out of the limelight. But sooner or later, he’d mess up and reveal himself. That was usually how things went, but waiting for that to happen was easier said than done.
“We won’t be able to check in tomorrow,” Spade said. “I’m working on another case and won’t be available. If anything big happens, Mace will be in touch. You can always reach out to the Blaine brothers, too.” They were the club’s security team, and he had to admit, they were damn good at their jobs. Two of the brothers were ex-military, and their talents were so much more intense than his or Spade’s when it came to helping people. They were the guys that the government called in when they didn’t want anyone to know about a mission.
“Thank you,” Ella said as they ended the call. She stood and paced the family room, and Razor couldn’t take watching her. He pulled her down to the sofa, and she crawled onto his lap.
“I’m okay,” she whispered. “I’ll be okay.” It sounded like she was telling herself that more than she was telling him.
