I followed after Thatch.
“Lucas.” Thatch paused before I was sure he planned to help himself to Lucas’s stash. “Are we good to go shopping?”
Lucas gave a small nod to the room of weapons. “You break it; you pay for it.” He threw me a wink, and I forced myself to regulate my breathing. We all had this.
“Bill me,” Thatch called over his shoulder as we entered the room, making Lucas chuckle, and I appreciated the attempted break from the fear raging through me.
It didn’t take long before we were on a helipad four blocks away, courtesy of Kent being a certifiable magician. Headsets on, we sat, thighs deliberately touching. I needed the contact. I would have been surprised by how damn dependent I’d been of late, but this whole case was a shitshow that completely screwed with me. It was taking too long. And despite the connection between Thatch and me, and the perfect distraction he offered—not that he wasn’t more than that—the loss of my sister, the need for revenge, and the concern for my niece were never far away.
I could bullshit with the rest of them, holding all three bubbling emotions hostage while I navigated the case and the relationship Thatch and I had eased into almost effortlessly.
Thatch’s strong hand landed on my knee. I glanced at it, brows lifting when I realised I’d been bouncing it up and down. “I feel like we’re getting close,” I said through the mic as I peered over at him.
He nodded. “I know this development is not one that we wanted as it involves Lucinda, but I agree, everything’s coming together. We’ll get it settled and shut this down once and for all.”
The certainty behind his words eased through me, comforting me more than the heat from his hand.
“I need you to focus on Lucinda when we’re there,” Thatch instructed. I opened my mouth, planning to argue that I needed to find the bastards who were coming for her, but I didn’t get the chance as Thatch continued speaking. “You need to make sure she’s safe. Your focus will be shit unless you’ve got her.”
Ignoring the likelihood he was right, I bristled, eyes narrowing. “I won’t lose my focus.”
For a moment, I thought he would roll his eyes at me, but I knew better. Instead, his jaw set into hard angles, and he leaned forward, despite me listening through the headset. “Let me make one thing clear. If you can’t follow my orders on this, you can stay on the chopper.”
The need to argue was on the tip of my tongue, but with the edge to his voice and the steel in his eyes, I knew he wasn’t messing around. Not to get me wrong, he would have a damn fight on his hands if he tried to ground me, but it was time I couldn’t waste wrestling for dominance.
I looked away first, not quite caring what he read that response to be. Thatch could be crazy intense and so fucking demanding. It was what made him so good at his job. The war between wanting to kiss him and make promises to him while telling him he could screw himself was savage. My heart, my gut, my mind were a mess. It was that reality right there that pulled me short. Control was essential for me to get this job done. It meant I had to suck up my pride and roll with it.
A deep exhale was the precursor for me finally saying, “I trust you.”
The tension evaporated, and I glanced at Thatch to see his shoulder relaxed, yet his gaze remained on me. His eyes had softened. The firm grip he had on my thigh remained, and he squeezed. He didn’t speak. He didn’t have to.
Me though? Yeah, I had trouble keeping my mouth shut. “One day soon we’ll be wrestling it out, you know.” I didn’t smile. There was jest in my words, but I spoke the truth and needed him to know it.
After the barest of glances at the pilot, Thatch’s mouth descended on mine. It was clumsy and rushed. The heat and pressure made it hard to restrain myself and remember where we were. Fortunately, Thatch did that for us as he pulled back. He tugged the headset from my right ear, and his lips touched the shell of my ear when he said, “You tell me when and I’m there.” The softest of kisses on my lobe followed. “I’m in this as much as you are.” He then pulled back, and I had no idea how he had the restraint.
My cock hard, my need heady, I couldn’t wait for the nightmare of the past few months to be over.
“We’re almost there.” Thatch nodded towards the window, and I saw a forest in the distance. It was vast and dense, and I had a moment of envy to wonder what life would be like out of the city with this as my playground.
I took the time to check my bag. I’d be carrying it when I shifted, so double-checked the weight distribution and everything was in order. Thatch started doing the same as the pilot signalled the two-minute ETA. Zipping my bag, I glanced at the flat greenery we were approaching. A vehicle was parked off to the side; Laketon, I assumed, since Thatch had touched base with him earlier in the flight.
As we descended, a large figure emerged from the SUV. The guy was greying and looked fit and strong if the bulk beneath his plaid shirt was anything to go by.
“Sure he’s not a bear?”
Thatch shook his head, but I saw the twitch of his lips. “Just behave and try not to piss him off.”
“Me?” I acted offended, knowing riling people up was something of a superpower of mine.
Thatch didn’t bother responding as he hauled his bag, thanked the pilot, and jumped out of the chopper, head ducked as he strode towards Laketon. I followed suit
