Chapter 18
A week later found Travis and me standing at the register of the high-end furniture store we’d spent the last few hours in. Project home-ify had been briefly put on hold, but I’d finally convinced Travis it was time to leave the house.
“Are you sure?” I asked worriedly, not for the first time.
He shook his head in exasperation. “Yes, babe. For the hundredth time.”
“It’s just going to be so expensive,” I fretted thinking of the kickass couches, coffee table, area rugs, mirrors, upholstered headboard, bedside tables, and armoire I’d picked out, with very little input from Travis. He’d simply nodded at all of my choices, offering a few grunts of agreement.
“I can afford it.” He shrugged, undeterred.
“But we still have to get linens and a few things to hang on the walls….” I trailed off.
“Linens aren’t going to break the bank, Em.” He chuckled, handing over his card to the woman who’d been helping us. I had a feeling we’d just made her month if she worked on commission.
“You have lovely taste,” the woman commended me.
“Expensive taste, apparently,” I muttered.
Travis threw an arm around me and kissed my temple. “Where to next?”
I sighed. “Linens, I guess. I thought for sure you’d be over this by now,” I added, my tone almost accusing.
He shrugged. “All I have to do is follow you around. Far from unpleasant.” He dipped lower, his mouth to my ear. “You know I love the view from behind.”
I blushed and swatted at him as he put his card back in his wallet. He took my hand and led us out into the sunshine.
After two more stops, even I couldn’t shop another minute. A lot of the items would be delivered later that day, with a few things arriving in the coming days. I couldn’t wait to see it all come together.
“We could have a housewarming party for you, five years late,” I suggested as he fired up his Jeep and we headed for headquarters. We’d left Able there that morning. He’d become a mascot of sorts, along with Trixie. They made quite the pair.
“I like that idea.” He nodded. “A party for us, welcoming you home.” He grinned over at me.
“Well, that wasn’t really what I was thinking,” I protested.
“It’s what I was thinking.” He grinned, enjoying the blush that covered my cheeks. I didn’t relish attention, and he knew it.
I let the subject drop for now. “I’m starving, can we stop and see Curtis on the way home?” I asked hopefully, my mouth watering at the thought.
He lifted a brow as we pulling into the Talon parking garage. “Curtis will see right through you. You don’t want to see him, you want a cheeseburger with the works,” he accused with a grin.
“Fine, you caught me,” I grumbled. “But seeing Curtis is an added perk,” I defended.
When we walked into the Talon reception area, still unoccupied since Travis hadn’t hired anyone, Able came to greet us both enthusiastically. Part of me thought the guys were being too picky. This Sarah girl seemed to be irreplaceable in more ways than one. No one could measure up, and yet, they desperately needed the help.
Just the other night Travis had missed an event because no one had written down the details.
Theo looked up at us when we walked in, eyeing Travis steadily.
“What?” Travis demanded.
Theo threw up his hands. “Just making sure you still have your balls after all that shopping.”
“Armstrong, my balls are none of your fucking concern,” Travis returned.
Sid chuckled from his seat.
“What are balls?” Hudson asked loudly as he appeared from the back of the building with Sam behind him.
Sam shot Sid a glare, who promptly threw up his hands. “It was Theo.”
“Of course it was,” Sam muttered, before she looked at Travis. “And you? Could you drop the f-bomb any louder?”
“I didn’t know he was here,” Travis defended. “What’s up, little dude,” he greeted his nephew.
“I was trying to climb the rope,” Hudson shared.
“Oh yeah? How’d you do?” Travis grinned.
“Good.” Hudson nodded proudly.
Sam stifled a smile but wrapped an arm around her boy. “He did. I’m gonna get this guy home for some dinner. Are you coming?” she asked Sid.
He scraped his chair back and grabbed his jacket. “Yep. I think Dec has some news for you,” he told Travis.
Travis nodded and looked down at me. “You all right for a few minutes?”
I raised a brow. “Yes, so long as I have your agreement that if that briefing has to do with me, you’ll come get me.”
He blew out a breath, clearly not happy with my request, but nodded anyway, kissing my temple.
“Good woman,” Sam whispered in my ear with a grin as Travis strode off. “See? You’re learning how to handle him a hell of a lot faster than I learned with Sid.”
“Well, I had someone to teach me the ropes.” I looked at her meaningfully.
“True.” She winked. “But you would have done just fine on your own.”
I nodded thoughtfully. There wasn’t much that had come naturally to me in life. I’d had to work hard for almost everything. Travis and I wouldn’t be an exception—almost everything that mattered wasn’t. But there was something about being with him—about who I was with him—that came more naturally than anything ever had.
“Em!” Travis’s deep voice called from the conference room.
Looked like that briefing was about me after all.
“I’ll catch you later.” I gave Sam a brief hug in parting. “See you, little man,” I added, smiling at Hudson warmly.
“Don’t think you’re getting out of a housewarming party!” Sam called after me.
I merely rolled my eyes and walked into the conference room where Theo, Declan, and Travis sat around the table.
“What’s up?” I asked, trying to keep the wariness from my tone. I was the one who’d asked to be included, after all.
“Declan was just briefing us on Roy’s whereabouts,” Travis shared, looking frustrated, which I took to mean that we didn’t have good news.
“Trail’s cold,” Theo grumbled.
I took a seat at the head of the large glass table and looked at Declan steadily. “What does that mean, aside from the obvious?”
“It means we keep looking,” Theo replied simply.
“Aren’t the police looking for him too?” I asked, feeling guilty that Travis and his team were having to expend so much energy on this.
Travis shrugged. “Likely not much. From all our scouting, he doesn’t appear to be in the area, which puts him out of LAPD jurisdiction. This hasn’t become a state-wide focus. And plus, Morales was their big fish. They caught him.”
“Well, that sucks,” I grumbled, looking down at the table in frustration. “I don’t understand why Roy even had me kidnapped. I hadn’t talked to the police,” I added, the worry and frustration clear in my tone.
“You said he recognized you. He could hold a grudge at the connection you have with May. It’s hard to know.” Travis put in gently. “Hey,” he continued in the tone I only heard him use with me. It had a tenderness to it that always melted me a bit. “We’ve got this, baby. We can do more with four men than that entire department could do even if they were trying. And the man is obviously short of a full stack. Who knows what drove him to this. But we aren’t going to wait around to find out.”
“Damn straight,” Declan put in.
“I know you can handle this,” I assured them all. “I just feel badly that you have to do it at all. You must be passing up high-paying contracts to do this,” I fretted.
Theo shrugged. “This is way more important. Plus, I don’t mind the excuse to stay stateside for a while.”
“Me either,” Dec agreed.
“Thank you,” I replied, overcome by the lengths these men had gone to, would go to. For me.
“All right, final update,” Declan continued, looking at Travis. “Don’t forget you have that fundraising dinner for the mayor tomorrow night,” he reminded him.
“Fuck,” Travis muttered, running a hand over his hair.
“You forgot.” Declan chuckled. “Damn, we need someone to manage this shit for us.”
Travis looked over at me beseechingly. “Can you come with me tomorrow night?” he asked with a raised brow.
My palms were immediately clammy at the prospect, despite being happy he’d asked. “I don’t—well, I don’t have anything to wear,” I fretted.
“That’s easy.” Travis waved that concern off. “You don’t have a late class to teach?”
“I can probably find a sub,” I murmured as Dec and Theo rose from their seats and wandered back out to their desks. “I don’t have to go with you if it’s not convenient,” I continued. “It was important to me that I knew about these things, but you don’t need to feel obligated.”
He stood and moved into the seat beside mine. “I don’t want to go without you.” He shook his head. “Didn’t feel right the last time, and it definitely wouldn’t this time. I admit it’s not the most fun—at least not for me—but I want you on my arm, baby. You’ll make it bearable, and I want to show you off.”
How could I say no to that?
“All right,” I agreed. “I’ll try to find something to wear today.”
He smiled warmly. “No need. I have someone who can get you all fixed up.”
My brows rose. “Like a stylist. You have a stylist?”
I could swear he blushed. “I guess that’s what she is.” He shrugged. “I hate to shop, but I often need clothes for these things. This way I can get in and out in a few minutes with what I need. I’m sure she’ll enjoy dressing a woman for a change.” He grinned.
“Something tells me that she doesn’t mind dressing you,” I replied dryly.
“Jealous?” he challenged with a grin.
I made a grumbling noise in response.
He chuckled and leaned forward to kiss me softly. “You’re so damn cute.”
“Hey, I’m not the one with the stylist,” I quipped.