* * *

We’d tried to talk the others into staying back on the island just in case shit got dicey, but none of them would budge.

Lyon had no qualms about pulling the trigger if it came to that and Mancini, well, who knows what his deal is. But it was Justice and Law I was more worried about.

Both of them still had one foot in the military. But they too insisted on coming along. “Do you know how I knew my girl was in trouble Devon?”

“Law’s woman told him because one of her girls told her and he called me. Had it not been for that phone call I don’t know what would’ve happened to her.”

“This is what we do, we stick together. And those women, we lucked the fuck out there too. So if we have to do this to make their lives safer, then it’s on all of us. Not just you.”

“I appreciate it Creed.” I guess the ball was in my court now since they’d all decided that she was mine regardless of what I say.

Ty the ass had seen us on the beach together and earlier this evening when we’d met to go over the plan one last time he had to open his big damn mouth.

My life was the subject of interest the whole damn evening and then again at dinner the assholes had watched me like we were in high school with Quinn kicking me under the table every few seconds.

He only stopped when I tried to stab him with my fork and then I was able to eat in peace. I had enough on my mind without them breathing down my neck, but at least they were better than the women, more subtle.

After dinner Dani and Gaby had cornered me and just stared for five minutes until I growled at them to cut it the hell out.

Of course they wanted all the details that didn’t exist and refused to take no for an answer until I got their men to call them off.

Once I escaped their nosy asses, I took her out on the cliffs alone looking out at the water; where she tried to give me a heart attack by getting too close to the edge. Daredevil.

“Ariel, come sit here with me baby.” I held out my hand for her to join me, pulling her down next to me. “Are you cold sweetie?”

She shook her head no and rubbed her nose in my shirt before settling her head on my shoulder like a kitten and gazing up at the stars.

Why does she do this to me? Just one touch, one whiff of her scent and my dick gets hard while my heart becomes a puddle in my chest.

I swallowed hard when she pulled my arm around her and satisfied myself with burying my nose in her hair for the briefest of moments before pulling back.

I’d brought her out here away from the others for a reason. She’d had a full day to get settled and I could see she was more relaxed so was in no fear of spooking her.

“Comfortable?”

“Uh-huh.”

“What did your dad tell you before I came and got you?” She took a few minutes and when I looked down at her face I could see the sheen of tears in her eyes in the moonlight.

“He said I was going to learn why he’d hidden me away all these years.” Her voice was soft and sad but I didn’t say anything, as it was obvious that she had more to say.

“I knew from a very young age that I was adopted. When I was four or five Track was born and it was then that I realized something was different.”

“I never went outside but I didn’t know there was anything wrong until Track was allowed to do things I couldn’t as he grew older.”

“At first I was hurt. I’d scream and throw a tantrum each time he went out somewhere and I had to stay home.”

“Then when he got to go to school and I couldn’t my heart was broken. Dad tried explaining things but to a nine year old who’d never had a normal childhood his words meant nothing.”

“I loved my dad but nothing he said or did could ever make me understand why I couldn’t do the same things my brother did.”

“As we got older we’d ask but dad never told us and it use to make Track so mad. Once when I was about fourteen and he was about nine, he snuck me out of the house.” She had a wan smile on her face.

“Before that day I’d never been farther than the closed in backyard of the house in California. We didn’t get far, not even beyond the driveway.”

The sadness was back and my heart was hurting for the little girl whose life had been fucked up because of a madman.

“All of a sudden these men came out of nowhere and took us back to the house. Dad was so mad at us, especially Track.”

“He still didn’t explain but we learned never to try that again. After that Track became obsessed. He always promised that he was going to find out why I was being held prisoner. His words.”

“I’d never looked at it that way before, I just always thought daddy was protecting me from something or someone, after I stopped thinking he loved my brother more than me because I wasn’t really his.” Well fuck!

“Then when Track met his girlfriend he became even more insistent on finding out what the story was. He said it was because he needed to make sure that I was okay before he could move on with his life.”

“He started doing stuff, he never told me what, but I knew he was trying to get answers and that the stuff he was doing could get him in trouble.”

“I’d hear him and dad arguing about it late at night. And then my brother started going away for long periods of time but won’t tell me where.”

That must be all those times he was at the DOD. But something didn’t make sense. For all her innocence she was intelligent, graceful and well mannered. And I didn’t hear her mention a mom in all this.

“But how did you learn to read and write? Did you go to school?”

“No, I did everything at home online or dad taught me.”

“The only people I ever saw were Track and dad after mom passed away. Oh and my uncle.”

“Your uncle?” Could she be talking about the commander? “What uncle?”

“Uncle Robert. He’s the only one I ever saw except for Track and dad.”

“Where is this uncle now?” She shrugged her shoulders and didn’t say anything else, just stayed there with her little head on my shoulder as if lost in thought.

“You were very sad weren’t you baby?”

“Sometimes.” She said it so simply, without any real inflection, and that made it all-the-more-sad.

I kissed her hair and held her closer and decided not to ask her any more questions for now. I’ll wait until things were more secure and contact the man she knew as her father.

I did get what I was after though, he hadn’t told her who she was. I replayed her words in my head and one thing stuck out for me.

She’s never known anyone but her dad and her brother and this uncle Robert. Does that mean she’s… a virgin?

Of course it does. The thought sent a shot of fear down my center to my nuts. I stared out over the water as I let that shit marinate in my head.

Not for nothing but I’m not a small man. She’s already about half my size so I know she’s probably small down there as well. I’d fucking kill her.

No way Dev, for her sake you have to stop taking these little mind trips into the forbidden. She’s not for you for too many reasons.

So why does the thought of never having her make me nuts? Once again that question I had earlier came back again. What’s going to happen when the truth is revealed?

And once again I shut it out of my mind. I was afraid I already knew the answer to that and I didn’t like it.

How could someone you didn’t know, had only just met, cause so much disruption in your well- organized life?

I’m not that guy. I’ve always known my mind; always known which direction my life was going in. Now one look at her pretty little face and a few minutes of her sweet innocence and everything is turned upside down.

I let myself sit there in silence, taking in the cool night breeze, enjoying the moon’s reflection on the water with her under my arm and her head on my shoulder, and it felt so right.

It was as if she’d found a way around my defenses. No walls had been smashed, there’s been no fanfare; she took me down without a damn fight.

“Devon?”

“Yes baby?”

“What’s going to happen to me now? Who’s going to take care of me?” Oh fuck!

I pulled her onto my lap and wrapped my arms around her tight enough to crack a rib. “I am baby I am.” I could almost hear the others saying ‘that wasn’t so hard now was it?’

And the way she relaxed against me as if a weight had been lifted from her shoulders made something inside me ease.

“Have you been worried about this all day baby?” She nodded her head against my chest and I kissed her hair again.

“Why didn’t you tell me that this was bothering you? I don’t want you keeping things from me okay, next time tell me.” Shit, I could swear I’ve heard Con or Lo say that exact same thing to one of my sisters.

“Okay I will.” She patted my chest and snuggled in even closer. Could she be any sweeter? Funnily enough it wasn’t her sweetness that I was thinking of now though, but how long it was going to take the others to turn her into them.