Tori didn’t know where to look when Draegyn marched out of the dressing room wearing camouflage tactical gear. He gave off a serious vibe that silenced whatever she wanted to say.

This was Draegyn St. John the warrior. He looked older, harder, and fiercer. Her mouth went dry, and she swallowed with difficulty.

“You go to the Villa and I want you to stay there, Victoria. Trust the security detail. They know what they’re doing.”

She scrambled to keep up when he headed into Daniel’s bedroom. He went to his bed and stared down at their sleeping son.

“It’s okay, Draegyn,” she whispered. Stroking his arm, she threaded her fingers with his and squeezed. “The boys are fine. Don’t worry about us. I’ve got this.”

Pulling on her hand, he went into Ryder’s nursery and leaned over his crib. Like his older brother, he was conked out on his back, arms flung wide.

She half-expected that they’d have more time, but things were moving fast, and her husband played a central role. When he woke her before dawn after a night of passionate lovemaking, and announced he had to suit up, she got scared but was careful not to show it.

“I have to go,” he ground out after a long minute.

They embraced. He kissed her tenderly. She stroked his handsome face and smiled. “I knew you’d be a handful from the very first moment I laid eyes on you.”

“You are an extraordinary woman, Victoria St. John. And you’ve made me a better man. Better than I ever dreamed I would be.”

“Go do your thing, baby,” she told him in a voice raw with emotion. “The boys and I will be here, waiting for you.”

“Daddy will be home soon,” Cameron murmured to Lily. She was snuggled into his shoulder with her little thumb in her mouth.

He kissed her head and laid her carefully in the crib. Lacey watched his hands linger as he gently touched their daughter’s tiny feet.

“Where going, Daddy?” Dylan asked in a confident little boy voice.

She touched her son’s head. He was holding her leg. Cameron met the lad’s gaze and answered calmly after putting a finger to his lips for quiet and leading them from sleeping Lily’s room.

In the hallway, he took to one knee and put both hands on Dylan’s waist.

“Daddy has to help Uncle Alex.”

“Unca Alex worried?”

Worry was Dylan’s latest fascination. He kept tabs on their worry levels the same way Alex kept tabs in other ways.

“He’s worried about his sister.”

“Ohh,” Dylan responded eagerly. “Like Lily Ro?”

“Yes,” Cameron replied. “Exactly like that. So Daddy has to go help.”

“I stay Mommy.” He was nodding his little head. Dylan put his arms around his father’s neck and kissed him. “Daddy’s big boy.”

“Yes, you are,” Cameron said in a voice choked with emotion. He stood and initiated the father-son handshake they were working on. Right away, they messed up, and Dylan giggled.

“Walk me to the door.”

Lacey nodded. “Honey,” she said to Dyl, “go get a book and wait for me. After Daddy leaves, and I lock the door, we’ll read, okay?”

“Okay!”

Their energetic son dashed away as they watched and chuckled. He was a ball of nonstop energy.

She held her husband’s hand as they walked to the front door. There wasn’t a lot to say because this sort of thing had been inevitable. Threatening Family Justice was a very bad move.

Her super sexy husband took liberties with her ass while claiming Lacey’s mouth in the sort of kiss that usually led to naughty behavior.

She murmured against his mouth as they drew apart. “I’ll take the children and go the Villa. We’ll be there waiting for you.”

He grabbed a handful of her butt and squeezed. And then he was gone.

Rafe stared at Domineau. Even with her face nearly pulverized, she was still the most beautiful woman in the world to him.

She was quiet lying in the hospital bed with her arms placed at her sides on the white sheet covering her body. He touched the hand that wore his engagement ring. When the nurses tried to remove it to put it with the rest of her personal belongings, he’d intervened and spoken harshly to the attending doctor. Had he unfairly used his size to intimidate the man? Uh, yeah. But he wanted the doctor to take him seriously when he pointed out that Domineau needed to see and feel that ring every time she woke up. He won, and the ring stayed put.

It was early—not long after dawn—but he’d have to leave soon. Things were moving at an accelerated speed, and there was plenty to do in preparation. Ben personally took control of Molly after the call about Domineau came in, a favor that Rafe would repay when all this shit was over.

With his precious daughter in good hands and under the Major’s protection at the Marquez Villa, he shifted to business gear mode. All he had to do was briefly mention the hospital situation to Alex for security to be stationed outside each room. The presence of a Justice shitkicker plucked from a Secret Service detail standing guard outside Domineau’s door gave him some peace of mind.

A nurse displaying impressive stealth padded softly into the room. She was on top of Domineau before he realized her presence. Rafe mentally applauded the lady and looked forward to one day telling Smoke how smoky and slippery her attending nurse proved to be. It’d make a funny story along with some creative embellishment.

Domineau began to stir as the nurse took her vitals. Her pained groan nearly gutted him. She whimpered softly, and her head slowly turned. The eye that wasn’t swollen shut searched the room. She found him right away, and he wasn’t mistaken that her vulnerable expression flashed with relief.

The nurse touched Domineau’s shoulder. Rafe was moved by the gentleness and concern she showed.

“Doing great, Miss Rivera,” she quietly told her patient. “How’s your pain level?”

“Ugh,” Domineau grunted. Through bloody, swollen lips, she mumbled, “Everything hurts.”

“Okay. Let’s get you comfortable,” the nurse said with an assuring smile. She fiddled with the IV lines and watched Domineau carefully.

A few moments passed, and Domineau took a long, deep breath. “Better.”

Patting her forearm and taking her pulse once more, the nurse told Domineau to rest and said the doctor would be in later. She gave Rafe a surreptitious thumbs-up gesture on her way out.

When they were alone, Domineau lifted her hand an inch or two. He recognized the silent plea and wrapped her limp fingers in his big hand. He lifted it to his mouth and kissed the ring that declared her to be his.

There wasn’t a lot of time, so he spoke direct and slow. She needed to know what to expect.

“Remington is coming to stay with you. Her forcefully voiced suggestion. She says you two are bonfire bonded, whatever the hell that means. There’s an armed guard outside this room who will stay round the clock until you can be moved to the Villa.”

Her brows bumped in confusion. The movement made her wince.

“Alex has thrown open the doors of his home. Safety in numbers. Everyone is headed there for the duration.”

“Duration?” she croaked.

There was no need to blow sunshine or bullshit up her hospital gown. She wouldn’t appreciate it, and he wasn’t interested in keeping anything from her.

“Acting on your hunch, Sawyer hit pay dirt. It all makes sense now. He has to be put down. There’s no other way because he’s too powerful. We can’t win by following the rules. It’s an old story. Starts with little bits of corruption here and there. Eventually, the corruption turns to criminal activities to feed the power grabs. Cutting off the gooey criminal center of the shit-coated candy bar is our best move.”

“Where?”

“South America. Probably Colombia. Spin the cartel dial, pick one, and then a dozen upstart wannabes show their hand. That’s where we’re headed. Taking out his little drug smuggling enterprise and doing it with enough chutzpah to send a step back message to the local guys is the plan that got the most votes.”

She chuckled at his funny.

“Domineau Rivera, I love the fuck out of you. When this thing is laid to rest, I’m coming back here, and we’re gonna stop dicking around. We’re a family already—me, you, and Molly—but while I’m gone, I want you to start planning how we’re gonna make it official. Whatever you want, babe. Big showy wedding or sneaking off to Vegas or anything between. Almost losing you and Angie just reminds us all what’s at stake. This is our life, Domineau. Let’s grab this sucker by the short hairs and enjoy the ride.”

“Love you.” A single tear ran from her good eye and rolled down her cheek.

He grinned. “Any last words before I have to leave?”

She nodded with difficulty. He leaned close so she didn’t have to speak up. “Make them pay.”

He snarled. Couldn’t help it. They touched his woman, and you’d better believe someone, someplace, some way was going to pay dearly.

As he straightened, she gave a swollen, crooked smile.

“What?” He chuckled.

“Big wedding,” Domineau mumbled. “Big. Huge. Bridezilla.”

“Whatever, babe. Fuck”—he chortled and pointed at his head—“I’ll even let my hair grow in if that’s what you want.”

Kissing her goodbye was hard. He couldn’t gauge how painful her mouth was, so he stroked a section of her face that wasn’t bruised and feathered gentle kisses on her lips.

He left her with four words. “Take care of Molly.”

She nodded, and he looked at her one last time. And then he was gone. In the hallway, he made it abundantly clear to the security presence standing beside her door what he could be counted on to personally do should Miss Rivera be left unattended for even one second.

A car and driver were waiting for him at the hospital entrance. He climbed in and started shifting into warrior mode.

When Alex called before daylight and told Brody they were on the move, she barely had time to think.

Apparently, Paddy O’Brien was keeping a close eye on a private East Coast airport. In the hours after the botched attempts on Angie and Domineau, the man at the center of this nightmare jetted out of the country. Brody surmised that he must have known the butcher’s bill had come due, and like all rats, he ran away to hide as the sinking ship he captained slowly sank.

With no time for non-essential things, they had a serious conversation about Bella and Pops and some things he wanted her to remember if he didn’t make it back.

After that horrible moment of bald truth, they made plans for what would happen next. She, Bella, and Georgie were to pack some things and go to the Villa. Meghan was readying every available room to house the entire extended family. Cristián Marquez was in charge, but Meghan would need Heather’s help to handle having her home turned into a hotel.

It was all very matter-of-fact and scary. When Bella got up early as she so often did, Brody took over. She knew he just wanted to have a regular daddy moment with his only child.

His only child.

She touched her stomach and forced the fear to recede. Was she pregnant? Was that what the moodiness and dizzy spells were about? Could the onset of nausea be a sign?

In the kitchen, she heard Bella and Brody discussing Daddy’s sudden out of town trip. He told her that she was getting a special holiday at the Villa and that he wanted her to keep Mommy company until he got back.

Until he got back.

When she heard those words, she knew what she had to do. Leaving the Jensen duo to head upstairs to her part of the bathroom, she searched in a deep drawer until she found a home pregnancy test shoved under a pile of hair styling tools.

Out of sight, out of mind.

Heather’s hands were shaking so badly as she went through the steps that she had trouble gripping the plastic stick.

In the mirror’s reflection, her eyes looked a little crazy, but she wasn’t surprised. With everything going on, it was a wonder she had any grip on sanity at all. She was driven to act before he walked out the door. If her suspicion was right, she hoped to give him something to hold on to. In case he needed a reminder of their life together.

The timer on her phone buzzed. She shut her eyes and tried to swallow. This was it.

With a grimace, she cracked open one eye and squinted at the white stick. The little window she focused on was blurry, so she opened her other eye and focused.

She felt a distinct jolt as her head tilted to one side. Her hand held the stick up right in front of her face.

Wait.

What?

She shook the stick like a thermometer and looked again.

Nah, come on. This isn’t funny. She shook the stick again and stared at the window.

PREGNANT

Her face went numb. She was dimly aware that her mouth was hanging open. A sharp tingling in her nose signaled an onslaught of tears.

Brody Jensen saved her with his big strong arms. She’d been sliding into hell when he brought her back to life. Then he gave her a dog. And a group of friends who she loved and trusted. Because that wasn’t enough, then he gave her a daughter to cherish as her own. And now he’d given her a baby.

Tears rolled down her face as she staggered on numb feet from the bathroom. Waving the white stick like a magic wand, she stumbled out of their bedroom, and with a firm grip on the railing, she managed to get down the steps without falling.

She heard Brody and Bella at the kitchen island and moved toward their voices. When she came around the corner, Brody looked up. He had a big smile on his face.

“Hey, babe. We were just talking about you.”

Bella swiveled on the island stool. “Mom! Guess what!”

Heather halted and locked eyes with Brody. She felt funny. Like maybe she was going to pass out. Waving the stick, she tried croaking words.

Brody’s concerned voice cut through her fog. “Honey?”

Her heart was beating so hard she had trouble getting enough oxygen to make words. “I’m, um, pregnant?”

“What?” Brody’s whole body jerked to ramrod straight attention.

She held the stick up. “We’re having a baby.”

Bella shrieked with joy. Brody’s eyes welled with tears. He hurried across the space between them and pulled her into his arms.

“Heather, I love you so much. I can’t believe how brave you are.”

“What do you mean?”

He grinned. “Taking that test by yourself, woman? Shame on you.”

“I didn’t want you to be disappointed.”

“I already knew.”

Frowning, she searched his face. “What do you mean? How did you know?”

He pulled her closer and whispered so Bella didn’t hear. “A furnace deep in your pussy has been scorching my cock for weeks. The heat is sexy and incredible. Something told me you were pregnant, and I’ve been waiting for you to figure it out.”

“Why didn’t you say anything?”

He rocked back a bit and smiled into her eyes. “With everything you’ve been through, I didn’t want to rob you of the joy of figuring out for yourself.”

“We’re having a baby!” Bella hollered over and over as she marched around the island with high-stepping glee while Georgie yipped and danced alongside.

“I didn’t want you to leave without knowing,” she confessed.

Brody touched her stomach and looked at her with wonder-filled eyes. “We made a baby.”

She put her hand on top of his.

Bella hurried toward them and wrapped their legs in a big hug. “Can I name the baby?”

Brody chuckled happily and picked her up. He swung her around while she laughed with glee.

“Mom and I will decide, but we can all think about a list of possibilities. How’s that, Bella Mia?”

“Sure! And know what? I’ll learn to make tea. The way you like it, Mommy.”

Oh, my god. She loved this girl so much.

Heather knelt, gathered her eldest child in her arms, and squeezed. “You’re going to be a wonderful big sister, and I’m so glad you’re here to take care of me. I need you, baby Bella.”

The child beamed with love, and Heather was reminded that even in the midst of darkness, the smile of a child was a beacon of hope.

When it was time for Brody to leave, he kissed Bella and left her on the sofa watching Nick Jr.

They clung and kissed by the front door. He made her promise to see a doctor immediately. She asked him to keep his family close in his heart and to come home safe.

“Is the baby news a secret?” he asked.

“Now is not the time for secrets,” she answered. “Bella certainly won’t keep quiet and neither should we. We’re having a baby, and bright and early on New Year’s Day, we’re getting married. So do what you have to do and then get your butt back here. We have plans to make.”

Watching him leave was the hardest thing she’d ever done, but Heather smiled, waved, and touched her belly. A car and driver sat at the curb. Something about the big, dark SUV and the obvious bodyguard holding the back seat door open made her groan with worry.

“Please God. Keep him safe. Keep all of them safe.”