Savage Scheme (16 page)

“Ashbrook,” Nate prompted.

“I hear you,” he confirmed. “What the fuck am I supposed to do with this?” he asked, looking around. “What information do we have on the drug? Has the first shipment been sent out yet?”

“No. We confirmed they were still working on finalizing the product, no units have left the compound.”

“How certain are we?”

“Confirmed by the good doctor,” Nate told him, nodding toward the cell.

“Good. We’ll destroy what’s left - of the drug and this hell hole. Let’s get the fuck out of here.” He didn’t wait for Nate to respond, turning on his heel and practically running out of the weighing stench of death.

Nate scrubbed his hand over his face, exhaustion wearing him down as Cole compiled his papers and stood to leave after their final debrief. It had been two weeks since they’d been home, two weeks of living in his own inferno. He hadn’t heard from Libby, not that he was expecting to, but there was a spark of hope that he couldn’t let go of. He couldn’t help but smile when small hands squeezed his shoulders.

“Go home, get some sleep.”

“I should be saying the same thing to you.”

“It’s been a long couple of weeks. You look like shit,” Cameron said, leaning down to wrap her arms around his neck hugging him from behind.

“Anything?” he asked her after a long moment.

“Nothing yet,” she admitted quietly. “I think you and I both know, it’s going to be very difficult to find her if she doesn’t want to be found.” Nate nodded, his heart sinking a little deeper. “I do have an update on the young girl, though.”

“Oh yeah?”

“They successfully moved her from the medical detox into a rehabilitation clinic. Her parents were located and they are on their way to see her.”

“That’s incredible. Who found them?” he asked.

“An unknown source,” she told him with a smile.

Libby.

The young girl was the only remaining victim of James West and they were all pulling for her to make a complete recovery. It was a miracle she was still alive, the others too weak to overcome the drug that had been constantly pumped through their veins for months. They’d learned in the two weeks that Libby, as the only living heir, signed over her father’s property to the small island who were turning the compound into a state of the art medical center, something they were in desperate need of. When asked further about the interaction, the director of the hospital told them the papers had come through via courier whose sole job was to deliver the documents without further information. Even with her heart in the right place she remained elusive, invisible - a ghost. He didn’t think his heart could swell and be shattered at the same time, yet here he was. For once in his life Nate was numb, wandering through a void of lost.

He found himself standing on the sidewalk staring at his father’s mechanic shop.

“Are you just going to admire its beauty or are you going to come inside?”

Nate couldn’t help but smile at his father who was leaning against the garage door waiting for him. Taking the wrench from his outstretched hand, Nate rolled up his sleeves and stuck his head under the hood of the car his father went back to working on. It was a habit, one he and his brothers had become accustomed to. Nate didn’t feel like drowning himself in the bottle, he’d done enough of that in the past two weeks, anything to get out of his own head. A Savage could always be found at their father’s garage at least one of them between missions or on leave. David Savage carried high expectations for all of his children and growing up in the garage, it became a second home. A place that kept them out of trouble as kids that followed them into adulthood. His father, military born and bred, was a strict parent, the hard to his mother’s soft. Since Nate was six, he couldn’t remember a time he didn’t have a wrench in his hand or grease staining his clothes. Something about working on the engine of a car stole a calmness over him that immediately took him back to his childhood and those moments that instead of bedtime stories, their father would read them engine manuals. Even his sisters knew how to take apart and put together a motor with a blindfold on.

“Want to talk about it?” his dad asked.

“Not really,” he told him. A long silence stretched between them, the only sounds, the clanging of tools banging against the metal body of the car. “I don’t know what to do, Dad. She doesn’t want to be found and all I want to do is find her. I have no idea what the hell she’s done to me,” he said, clenching his hand over his heart.

“She’s taken a hold of your heart, son. It’s something I’ve found only a few women have the power to do, but when they do, its utter bliss and complete torture all at the same time.”

“I don’t know where my bliss is Dad, all I feel is the torture.”

“It’ll come.” Another silence stretched between them, the comfortable quiet as they explored their own thoughts. “Can I be honest, son?”

“Of course Dad, always.”

“You have to stop being so selfish. All you’re thinking about is what you don’t have. You need to think about what Libby needs. That girl, from what little I know, has had a life no one deserves. She’s hurting and she is doing the only thing she knows to protect herself. Be patient. When she realizes what she wants, if what she wants is what the two of you share, she’ll come back. But you have to let her come to that on her own. Forcing her into feelings she isn’t ready to accept is only going to push her away. Trust me, son.”

“You sound like you’re speaking from experience.”

“I am. And I was exactly where you are twenty something years ago,” he admitted. “I know you love her son, that much is clear. But let her love you back, her own way.” Nate nodded his head. David Savage, for all his confident quiet, was a man who amazed him with his infinite wisdom sometimes.

“Whose car is this anyways?” he asked, lightly changing the subject.

“It’s mine.”

Nate stopped what he was doing, his blood running cold at the distant familiarity of the feminine voice. Stepping away from the car, he stood to stare at his father who looked genuinely confused.

“She wasn’t the one who dropped off the car,” he told him under his breath. He believed him. Turning, he faced the woman of his past.

“You’re a very hard man to get a hold of. I’ve been trying to contact you for over a month.”

“And I’ve been trying to avoid you for over a month. What do you want Angela?”

“I want to talk to you. Can we do that?” Nate stood stunned by her quiet pleading, a side of her he’d never seen. He looked back at his dad who nodded his head, mouthing the word
closure.
Letting out a deep breath he conceded.

“Yea, we can do that.”

“Somewhere not here?” she asked. Nodding his head, he walked toward her then past her, assuming she would follow. He had no idea what to expect and the last thing he wanted to be doing was talking to the woman who stole three years of his life with a one-sided relationship. He walked to the small park down the street, sitting at the first available picnic table.

“What is it that you want Angela?”

“Why didn’t you return my calls?”

“Honestly, because I didn’t want to talk to you.”

“Ouch. I guess I deserve that though.” He looked at her incredulously, she guessed she deserved that? Staring at her now he wondered what he ever saw in her. She didn’t have raven hair he wanted to run his fingers through or matching doe eyes that stared at him with untamed passion. The woman sitting across from him was cold, down to her core. There wasn’t any warmth when he saw her, there was no urge to touch or kiss, hell, he couldn’t remember a time when he and Angela were together that he wanted to ravish her. In the short time he’d had with Libby it was so real, so raw. It was right. Angela was a pastime, a part of his history that he would be grateful for because without it he wouldn’t know the perfection of the woman who stole his heart. “I just... I wanted to apologise to you Nate. You were good to me, most of the time. And me, well I stomped all over it. I know that. I guess I was looking to be someone’s first priority because I knew I wasn’t yours.” Her words hung heavily between them. He’d never thought about what she’d been feeling, his own hurt overshadowing anything else. He left her statement unanswered, knowing it was the truth. For as long as Nate could remember he’d lost himself in his job. He’d never wanted to put anything before it. Until Libby. “I miss you Nate,” she whispered, reaching across the table to grab his hand. He squeezed her fingers before pulling away. He didn’t want the anger between them anymore, he was tired of hanging on to it. He wanted to be free of Angela, of the dark hurt he felt at the sound of her name. He realized he wanted to give her closure too. To move on with well wishes.

“No, you don’t Angela. You miss the idea of me, and we both know it was a fantasy that I could never live up to.”

“Nate...”

“Anglea, I’m sorry if I made you feel anything less than special. I didn’t realize, or, I guess I just... I don’t know. We had some good times that I will never forget.”

“I sense a
but
coming on.”

“But it’s time to let it go.”

“You sound like you already have,” she stated quietly. Nate nodded his head in agreement. “You don’t think there is any way we could try again?”

“Angela, I’m in love with someone else.” Just the image of Libby made him smile. It was the first time he’d said those words out loud. They didn’t feel heavy or uncomfortable. He loved her, every part of her and saying it felt right. He watched the woman across from him lose some of her colour.

“You... you are?” she asked, swallowing her disbelief.

“I am,” he confirmed. He watched as she allowed what he’d just told her to sink in, her eyes turning glassy. The last thing he wanted to do was upset her. He truly believed one of the worst things in the world was seeing a woman cry, especially when he was the source of her tears. “I’m happy for you Nate. Truly.”

“Thank you.” He stood from the bench at the same time Angela did. He moved around the table and opened his arms, allowing her to step into them. He hugged her briefly, nothing inside of him affected by her touch. “Are you going to be able to get home okay?” he asked her.

“Yeah, I think I’m going to take a bit of a walk.”

“Okay. It was great seeing you again Angela.” He moved to walk away and she called after his retreating back.

“Nate.” Turning to face her, he watched as she struggled with what she was trying to say. “Thanks. For talking to me.”

“Thanks for forcing me to.” She smiled and with a small wave, she turned and walked away. There was something inside of him that suddenly felt at ease, lighter.

He’d admitted out loud, to his ex nonetheless, that he was in love with Libby. Now he had to admit it to her. He just didn’t know when he was going to be able to do that. When he was with her, he’d let his fears from the past stop him from telling her what he wanted. And what he wanted was her. For better or for worse. He wanted to tell her how he was a complete idiot and how he would make it up to her for the rest of their lives. Because he should have never let her go. He wanted to tell her that he’d lost his mind. He shouldn’t have made her a target but part of his team. He wanted to remind her of how it was between them because nothing about that was a lie.

As much as he wanted to believe in what his father had told him, he had a hard time ignoring his fears. And what his fears were telling him was that he’d lost her. He’d lost his girl.

Two Months Later...

Cameron looked up from her computer. “Uh, guys - we have a problem.”

“What?” Aiden asked concerned, moving to stand behind her. Looking at her computer screen, she felt his fingers squeeze her shoulder.

“How the hell did she get past his security?”

“Awe shit. This girl is like a god damn ghost,” Logan cursed. “Where is he, where’s Nate?”

“Pulling in now.” The three of them watched in anticipation as Libby heard the sound of Nate’s truck, aiming her gun at the door.

“She’s gonna kill him.”

“She won’t kill him. Shoot him, probably, but not kill him,” Cameron told them.

“We have to go. Aiden, you’re with me.”

Cameron shook her head, staring at the woman on her screen who had no idea how to handle her current tirade of emotions. She noticed Libby’s hands shaking and the clench of her jaw, the first time she had seen her undone, unsure. God, she really hoped her brother got his head out of his ass and cleaned up the mess he’d created. Not wanting to intrude any further, she closed the security footage and continued to research their next mission.

“What’s that grin about?”

Cameron looked up to see Marlea placing a steaming cup of coffee in front of her.

She wasn’t sure about the original idea of hiring an assistant around the office, but the woman really was a godsend. Her and Marlea had become close over the past few months, with Cameron stuck at the office Marlea was usually there to keep her company. She’d found out they actually had a lot in common and with her sisters being called on more and more missions, Marlea was quickly becoming one of Cameron’s closest friends.

“Just received some interesting information about a possible mission,” she told her.    

“Do tell,” she urged. It was the same conversation they had every time. Cameron knew it was in good fun and Marlea knew missions were a need to know basis. According to Logan, Marlea didn’t need to know anything other than keeping the Barn in order. When Marlea started, Cameron almost felt bad for the girl and the amount of NDA contracts her brothers had Marlea sign. At the time she had no idea why she accepted the position with the intensity of her brothers and what were ultimately threats if she didn’t comply with the contracts she signed. But whatever it was, and she did have a good idea, she was grateful she was strong enough to bear the storm. “Hey, how about you close that laptop for once and you and I go out for a drink?”

Cameron looked up and pursed her lips, taking in her friends daring green eyes and wild red curls before closing her laptop and pushing away from the table. Marlea let out a loud, excited whoop and grabbed her hand, dragging Cameron quickly behind her.

***

Libby tried to hold her gun steady, waiting for the front door to open. She’d been waiting for Nate for almost an hour, going over what she was going to say, what she was going to do. And still, she remained completely lost. She’d never been so affected by anyone in her life. She missed everything about him. His voice, his smell, the dreams he made her believe. She missed the memories they didn’t get a chance to make together. She was so afraid she was losing the memory of him. She thought she’d let it free, him, her heart. She didn’t know what she would do if it came back to her, but she realized, sitting in his home after two long months of wandering, she never let it go. Nate had found her right when she didn’t know she needed him. And without him, her life had turned into nights spent staring through a scope, meaningless, looking for a ghost that was no longer there. Her heart was torn. She wanted the anger, she needed something to hold on to other than her own sadness. Because he’d found her for his own selfish reasons. He needed to complete a mission and she was the stepping stone for his success. As much as she wanted to hate him, she couldn’t stop thinking about him. Hell, she didn’t even know where she was going until she ended up back in Vancouver. Letting out a slow, steady breath, she watched the door handle turn and the man who’d taken up every spare second of her thoughts walk through, blissfully unaware of her presence. It was obvious he’d just come from grocery shopping, the plastic bags hanging from his fingers. She didn’t know why but just the sight of him instilled a fierce emotional rage within her. Just as he turned and caught sight of her, she aimed her gun and fired, splitting the bag open. Sickly satisfied, she watched the oranges and eggs tumble and break around his feet.

“Libby.” She watched his Adams apple bob as he swallowed nervously, staring from her gun to her eyes. Before coming to see Nate, she’d made sure her hair and her eye colour were natural, covering that hideous box dye her father had forced on her. It was a look that had seemed foreign to her for so long. Letting the rest of the bags fall, he took a daring step toward her. “Put the gun down Lib, and we’ll talk.”

“I’m not putting anything down,” she warned him. She could see him calculating his next move, trying to figure out her state of mind if he could disarm her of her weapon.

Not a chance in hell.

She felt a small part of her break apart, knowing he wanted to take away her only security. She didn’t think she had anything left to shatter, but she felt it, deep in her bones. Before he could make his move she lunged forward, kicking out his legs. Pouncing on top of him, she straddled his chest, her knees pinning down his arms, rendering him vulnerable. She pressed the barrel of her gun against the middle of his forehead. She hated that he didn’t look surprised. He didn’t even try to fight back. Clenching her jaw against the wave of emotion threatening her control, she pressed her gun harder against his skin.

“It’s okay, baby.” She hated the understanding in his voice.

Feeling her eyes fill with tears, she desperately tried to hang onto the anger that kept her together. It was the
only
thing keeping her together. “You lied to me,” she ground out, watching the first tear land on his cheek.

“I know. And I’m sorry Libby. I’m so goddamn sorry.” She didn’t believe him. He was just another liar in a life full of them. But she couldn’t shut up that part of her, that something that told her she should. He’d broken her heart, in ways she never thought anyone could. He was the only man she allowed into her life, into her emotions and he’d taken advantaged of every part of it. He’d used her to gain ground in his mission and he’d kept her in the dark.

“The funny thing is Nate,” she started. “If you were just honest with me from the beginning, told me what you wanted, that you were after my father, I would have helped you,” she admitted in a pained whisper. Suddenly the front door burst open and Nate’s brothers charged in. Immediately with her free hand she reached behind her, her fingers gripping the second gun she had tucked at the small of her back. Aiming it between the two Savage brothers, they immediately retaliated, pulling their own.

“Nate?” Logan called.

“Its fine,” he resigned. With her attention distracted he’d managed to free one of his arms. “Look at me,” he urged her. “Look at me, Libby.” It took everything inside of her to go against her training and look at Nate. His beautiful face was blurred from the tears flooding her eyes, but it was then she saw the dark circles under his eyes and the gaunt shadows against his cheeks. He looked like hell. “Go back to the Barn. We’ll meet you there later,” he then called to his brothers, holding her gaze.

“To put into place what we discussed,” Logan finished.

“Yes,” Nate replied. She could see in her peripheral his brothers lowering their weapons before leaving them alone in the house, the click of the door echoing in the silence. “Did you come alone?” he asked, his words barely penetrating the tension between them.

“I always work alone. But you already knew that,” she sneered.

“I did,” he admitted. He released a slow breath, daring to brush the ends of her ponytail over her shoulder. Just the small touch sent a shiver down her spine. “I’ll tell you everything. Anything you want, Libby.”

“I already know everything I need to.”

“No, you don’t.” She winced at the solidity of his words, briefly turning away as bottled emotion burned the back of her throat. She felt his hand cup her jaw and her betraying body couldn’t help but lean into his warmth.

“What else do I need to know,” she asked then, failing to pull her resolve around her.

“That these last few weeks without you have been the worst of my life. That I dream of you every night and when I wake up and you’re not beside me, it makes me sick knowing I’m the one who made you run, that I created my own hell. That I can’t eat, hell I can’t do fucking anything because I am constantly wondering where you are, if you are okay, what the fuck you ate for breakfast. But most of all these last two months have been the worst of my life because I’ve been wondering if I would ever get the chance to tell you that I’m in love with you.” She turned back to look at him, her chin quivering as her breath hitched. No one had ever said those words to her. She dropped her head as she moved her arms, her hands still tightly holding her weapons, to her sides. Nate had manoeuvred himself so he was now sitting, his arm hooking around her waist anchoring her so her legs straddled his. His thumb swiped at her damp cheek then over her bottom lip.

“Why’d you come back, Lib?” he murmured.

“To shoot you,” she said over a sob.

“Why’d you really come back?” He bent his head, forcing her to look at him.

She clenched her jaw a few times, contemplating her answer. “Because I missed you,” she whispered finally.

Nate leaned in, kissing her jaw, her cheeks. “Baby, I missed you so much. So much.” He rested his forehead against hers. “No more running. I can’t take it Lib. God, I’ve been in hell. I’ve never been more worried about anything in my life than wondering if you’re okay. Please, love, no more running. Whatever it is, we’ll get through it, fight it. Together.”

“Nate...”

“I know. I know it’s going to be hard, hard for you to trust me, but I promise baby. I promise I will never...”

“Nate...”

“No, I promise...”

“Nate.” He stopped, shaking his head in confusion. “I need you to kiss me,” she said, almost pleading. His breath of relief was almost palpable. Pressing his lips softly, tentatively against hers, it wasn’t enough. She placed her guns on the ground beside her before wrapping her arms around his neck, pulling him impossibly closer. She needed to feel him, all of him. Almost as if sensing her needs, his kiss became more aggressive, possessive as he continued to lay claim. Pulling back, she opened her eyes and stared at the man who owned her, body, soul and fractured heart. “I love you too,” she murmured against his lips.

“Good.” His smile was infectious and she ducked her head, pressing her face into his neck. She felt his thumb caress the still healing scar on her chest and the heat of his touch against her neck before he pushed her back so he could lean forward and press a kiss against the phantom wound just below her collarbone. She closed her eyes and felt the residual pain, both physical and emotional, that she’d been carrying from that night slowly disappear.

“Feel like taking a walk?” he asked after a long moment.

“Where?”

“To the Barn. Everyone is there, waiting.”

“Waiting on what?” she asked, pulling back to look at him.

“You. And to hear your answer.” She frowned, not understanding what the question was. He leaned in with a chaste kiss before explaining. “We have an offer for you.”

“Which is,” she urged, curious.

“I want you by my side Libby. In work, in play, in life.”

“What exactly are you offering Nate.”

“I’m offering you a position with Savage Security.” She reared back, shocked and surprised at his statement. His telling smirk told her she wasn’t doing a very good job at hiding her reaction. “You’re the best baby, and we need you.
I
need you, having my back and kicking ass beside me.”    

***

Nate walked in with Libby on his arm, his smile unstoppable as he looked over to her again making sure it wasn’t a dream. She was here, she was finally here. Hell, she’d shown up to shoot his ass but he figured he deserved it. That was twice now she’d shot at him. He wondered how many more in their lifetime he’d have to endure. He realized with a chuckle, it didn’t matter, as long as she wasn’t running from him he would be her target practice all she wanted.

“What are you laughing about,” she murmured as they walked through the front door of the Barn.

“Nothing,” told her, leaning over to lay his lips across her cheek. “Ready?”

“As I’ll ever be, I guess.”

“Finally,” Logan greeted as they walked into the meeting room. “Well, you’re not dead,” he pointed out to Nate.

“I wouldn’t have killed him, just maimed him,” she admitted, looking up to Nate with a cheeky grin. He pulled her closer, pressing a kiss to the top of her head, laughing into her hair. It felt so good to laugh, he felt like he hadn’t in so long.

"So, do we have a new team member?" Logan asked.

Nate looked down as Libby looked up at him and he saw an emotion shining in her eyes he'd never seen before - acceptance. 

"I guess I can try and fit it into my schedule," she teased with a dramatic sigh. Max let out an excited holler, scooping her up in a bear hug. Nate couldn't help but smile, seeing Libby tense unsure of what to do with the affection. She'd been so alone, so sheltered from love her whole life it was obvious she didn't know how to respond when presented with genuine affection. Sensing her discomfort, he pulled her away from his enthusiastic brother.