Wicked Ties (Steele Security Series) (24 page)

“Oh, that is so sweet,”
Ricardo said mockingly.  “But I will gladly relay your message just before I blow his fucking head off.”

“Say your goodbyes to me now, Chaise,” Ricardo said as he opened the large, sliding glass door behind Chaise.

“You say goodbye, asshole,” the deep booming voice came out of nowhere.  The distinct sound of the gun clicking, indicating it was ready to fire, immediately followed.  “Put that fucking gun down and face me like a real man,” Bull challenged.

Ricardo’s head jerked around and found his men on the floor, unconscious, and Bull had his gun leveled on his head.  He spun around, pulling Chaise with him and using her body as a shield from Bull’s aim. 

Bull kept advancing on Ricardo, his arm fully extended and his deadly aim still fixed on the spot between Ricardo’s eyes.  There was no way Bull would allow Ricardo to hurt Chaise or to walk away from the scene alive.  He knew Ricardo would never stop his cat and mouse game and there was no way in hell Bull would let him threaten Chaise ever again.

“Your choice, man.  You escaped from jail and the Feds have been looking for you.  They’re on their way now.  They can either take you away in handcuffs or in a fucking body bag.  My choice would be the latter,” Bull threatened.

“You won’t shoot me with your precious girlfriend in front of me.  You might miss and hit her.  We can’t have that now, can we?” Ricardo asked as he leaned his face into Chaise’s. 

His tongue darted out and licked the side of her face as
Bull watched in disgust.  “She’s so sweet.  No wonder you want her back so badly.  Maybe I should have some fun with her before I kill her.  I would let you watch, but I’m not into that.  I will let you live long enough to hear her screams, though.”

“Over
your
dead body,” Bull said menacingly, taking another step forward as he prepared for his next move.

“Chaise, baby,” Bull said soothingly, effectively getting her attention as he kept his eyes and gun trained on Ricardo.  “Remember what I told you I’d do to you if you hadn’t been so tired that day?  I need you to do that right now.”

Understanding dawned on her and she knew this was her best chance at escaping without risking Bull being shot or killed.  She jerked her body forward, bending at the waist with all the force she could muster. 

The sudden movement caught Ricardo off guard and he was momentarily dazed when she slipped out of his grip.  He was left exposed and Bull took the opportunity to end
their standoff immediately.  The bullets hit Ricardo in the chest before the sound of rapid gunfire registered in his brain.  The blunt force of the bullets sent Ricardo flying backward, out onto the balcony, and over the railing.

Bull lowered his weapon and rushed to Chaise.  He gathered her in his arms and held her tightly to him as she cried.  Her whole body shook with an overdose of
adrenaline and fear.  She grabbed him with all her might and held onto him as if he were her only lifeline on a sinking ship.

“Well, looks like our work is done here,”
Noah said, appearing out of nowhere.  “You did good, little sister.  Although, next time, don’t give up your gun so easily.”  He placed the .357 on the table beside Bull and Chaise before clapping Bull on the shoulder.

Rebel and Shadow were suddenly standing behind Bull, both with smiles splitting their faces in two.  They seemed to be laughing with each other over some private joke.

“What’s so funny, guys?” Noah asked.

“We’re just being stupid,
Reap.  We were laughing about how it sounds when you sing,
‘Chaise and Bull, sitting in a tree.  F-U-C-.”

The look on Reaper’s face stopped them cold for a split second and then they both doubled over with laughter.  “Shit man, I forgot she was your sister for a minute there.  Sorry, dude,” Rebel said between fits of laughter.

It was dark by the time they finished
with all the police questions and paperwork.  Bull led Chaise to his truck and drove her straight to his house.  He didn’t ask her first.  He didn’t give her an option of going anywhere else.

And he had no intentions of letting her leave again.  Ever.  He had claimed her as his own.

Bull helped her out of his truck and walked her inside, his hand in his possessive spot on her lower back.  Chaise expected him to lead her to the bedroom, as he normally did after an intense situation and he couldn’t express himself any other way.  But he surprised her by steering her toward the couch instead.

This is new
, she thought.

Bull sat down and pulled her down onto his lap.  She fit perfectly in the bend of this arm and the crook of his shoulder.  She inhaled his purely all-Bull, masculine and sandalwood scent.  She had recently associated that scent with love and safety.  It was Bull’s unique aroma that she wanted to bottle and keep all to herself.

“Chaise, baby, look at me,” he asked softly.  She raised her head and met his gaze.  The worry in his eyes melted her heart.  He was concerned about her and was being as gentle as Bull knew how to be.

“What you did in the condo was so brave.  I was amazed at your courage.  I am so proud of
you—you got Aura out of there and to safety.  You willingly took her place,” he continued.

All the intense feelings were building up inside her again.  She was thankful that a panic attack wasn’t one of those feelings.  They never happened when she was in Bull’s arms.  She had a sudden feeling of alarm, however, when he narrowed his eyes and firmly set his jaw before he continued.

Through gritted teeth, he said, “
Don’t.  Ever.  Fucking.  Do.  That.  Again.
  I thought I was going to lose you, Chaise.  I thought he was going to shoot you before I could get you away from him.”

He crushed her to him as both of his muscled arms wrapped around her.  Chaise could barely breathe under the weight of his embrace.  But, she wouldn’t complain about it even if she were able to speak. 
She thought to herself,
This is home.
 
This is where I belong
.  She had already decided she would wait for Bull to love her in return.  It was better to be with him and be the object of his desire and affections than to keep living without him at all.

“Promise me. 
Swear to me
that you’ll never do that again,” Bull demanded.  “I watched my mom lose my dad.  I watched Reaper lose Brianna.  It killed them both. Even though they kept going, the spark that gave them life died when they lost their true love.  I don’t know if I’m as strong as they are.  I don’t know if I could stand losing you and I never want to find out.

“I heard what you said to
–Ricardo—your message to me.  You have no idea how fucking hard that was to stand there and listen to you say your goodbyes.  Your final words would’ve been confessing your love for me, Chaise.  I still can’t believe that.  You didn’t ask for anything else,” he said sincerely.

“I didn’t want anything else, Colton.  I knew he wouldn’t let me go.  I knew Noah had followed me but I didn’t see him anywhere, so I thought he would get there too late.  I just needed you to know how I felt,” she explained.

“How do you feel, Chaise?” he asked purposefully.

“I love you, Colton.  I know it’s soon but I meant what I said.  I don’t need more time to know there’s no one else for me.”

“I love you, too, baby,” he whispered, his mouth hovering just above hers. 

His lips lightly brushed against hers as he spoke, sending cold chills down her spine and an intense tingling feeling in other more important regions.  His words finally caught up with her senses.

“You love me?” she asked hopefully.

“I love you,” Bull answered resolutely.  “I have never said those words to anyone outside my family before you.  I will never say them to another woman.  You’re it for me, too, Chaise.  I’m yours just as much as you are mine.”

“Wait a minute.  Noah said you were off on an assignment.  Where have you been?  How did you know I was even there?” Chaise asked, narrowing her eyes at him.

Bull cleared his throat before smiling mischievously at her.  “Well, I was on assignment, but
you
were my assignment,” he confessed.  “We knew Ricardo had escaped from federal custody and it was only a matter of time before he came after you. I was right in thinking that something was wrong with that condo.  They had security cameras hidden inside so they could watch everything that happened there.  Brad happened to come across the –feed—while he was surfing the internet,” Bull smiled as he lied, “so we were able to keep an eye on the place.

“When we received word that Aura was missing, we knew there was no way you wouldn’t help her.  So, we arranged to be there with you.”

Chaise leaned into him, grabbed his face in her hands, and thoroughly kissed him.  Straddling him, she moved her mouth to his jaw line and then on to his neck.  She worked her way up to his ear and whispered seductively to him, “Remember what you said you’d do if I wasn’t so tired?”

She felt his hands tighten on her back in anticipation of what she’d say next.  The very thought of him being revved up over her gave her the courage she needed.

“What if it wasn’t bending me over the bed?  What if it was bending me over the couch instead?  There’s a mirror right there,” she cooed.

Chaise screamed, as she was suddenly airborne while Bull hopped over the back of the couch with her in tow.  “That is one thing you’ll never have to ask me twice, my love.”

Within seconds, Bull had them both stripped naked and the standing mirror positioned exactly where he wanted it.  He stepped into her, pressing his front to her back, as he moved her hair to the side.  “I will go slower next time, but right now, I just want to feel you.”

“You’re taking too long, Colton.  We really need to talk about your lack of focus,” Chaise playfully chided him.

His hand went to the center of her back and he pushed her head down and over the couch.  “Now I can see you
r face.  You know what I want to hear, Chaise.”

“Your name, screamed from the rooftop for all the neighbors to hear,” she replied.

“Damn straight,” he answered before he pushed into her without warning.  She screamed with delight at the full sensation he created in her.  “I don’t think the neighbors at the end of the street heard you.  I better up my game.”

Before she could respond with something equally smartass, he made good on his promise.  And so did she.

****************

Four weeks later, the whole gang was at Noah and Brianna’s house for a cookout.  Brianna’s tiny baby bump had grown into a more noticeable protrusion and Noah couldn’t keep his hands off of her stomach. 

“Noah, if you don’t let me walk without you being attached to my stomach, I’m going to scream,” Brianna laughed.

“You are walking close to dangerous weapons.  What if you hurt my baby?” Noah replied sincerely.

“It’s called a spatula, Noah, and it’s not a dangerous weapon!” Brianna bent at the waist from laughter. 

“
Hmph,” was Noah’s only response.

Chaise watched the two of them together and tried to reconcile the story Bull had told her about Brianna’s disappearance.  She couldn’t imagine
those two not being together for three years—they were so obviously made for each other. 

Bull had said that their spark had died when they were apart and that reference just clicked as she watched her big brother with his pregnant wife.  Anyone could see that Brianna was Noah’s greatest strength and biggest weakness.  And Noah was Brianna’s as well.  One didn’t exist without the other.

Bull got up to get them both another drink and Noah sat down beside Chaise.  “What are you thinking about, little sister?”

“About you and Brianna.  Colton told me about what happened with you two.  The three years apart,” Chaise’s voice trailed off when she saw the shadow cross his face at the memory.  The spark was extinguished for that split second.

“I was gone from your life much longer than that, little sister,” he said apologetically. 

His voice held so much regret and remorse that Chaise’s heart broke for him.  She’d been so young when he left and she had only focused on how hard it had been on her.  That line of thinking had continued her whole
life—she’d never even considered that he might not have wanted to be separated from her.

“I have you back now.  That’s what matters, Noah.  I’m never letting you leave me again, though.  Losing you was hard enough the first time.  I can’t do it again,” she told him.

“Ditto.”

“You and Brianna are perfect together.  I love her, too,” Chaise said as she watched Brianna playfully teasing Bull.

“We were meant to be.  I firmly believe that,” Noah said.  “But, it seems that you and Bull are pretty firm in your relationship, too.”

“Yeah, I think we are.  I love him.  I can’t imagine my life without
him—as cliché as that sounds,” Chaise laughed.

“It’s not cliché if it’s true.  It is for me and I had to live my life without her for three years.  It was the worst three years of my life,” Noah said as he looked at Brianna.  It was as if Brianna could feel Noah’s eyes on her because she looked over at him at the same time.  Brianna smiled warmly and mouthed
I love you
to him from across the deck.

“He says he loves me.  He shows it, too.  I’ve never felt more at home than I do with him.  He protects me, makes me feel safe and loved,” Chaise said as she watched Bull with adoring eyes. 

“You love him,” Noah stated.

“I do, Noah.  I love him very much,” Chaise admitted.

“That’s all I need to know,” Noah said as he stood.  “Better get back to cooking.  My pregnant wife needs to feed my baby.”

“I heard that,” Brianna called from across the deck, causing Noah to laugh in response.

Chaise laughed and as she looked over at Brianna, her eyes met Bull’s.  The heated look he always had for her held something more that night.  She couldn’t quite put her finger on it but she knew something was on his mind.  She had already tried to get him to talk, but Fort Lanier was closed up tight.

Noah turned the outside speakers on and soft music filtered through the air.  The sun was setting and the sparkling rays bounced off the rippling water of their expansive pool.  Noah had strung small, white lights around the deck and the pool so that as the sun disappeared, the lights twinkled like stars and created a romantic atmosphere.

They talked and laughed as they ate, making up funny names for the baby much to Noah’s chagrin.  At one point, he declared his baby as off limits for any conversation because they refused to keep their comments within his guidelines.

“Don’t listen to them, baby.  Daddy will kick their
asses for you,” Noah said to Brianna’s stomach before cutting his eyes to the others.  Laughter erupted all around and Chaise watched them, longing for her own family one day.

Bull reached over and took Chaise’s hand in his.  She looked at him when she felt his lips on the back of her hand.  She could feel the love radiating from his intense stare.  It was more than the sexual, take-charge Bull that she knew and loved.  It was the man behind the mask looking at her
at that moment.

It had taken them a while to get to
that point.  She’d had to endure several bouts of insecurity with him and their new love.  But, that moment, the way he was looking at her, the way he was literally loving her with his eyes, and that he was doing it in front of others made it all worth the wait.

She knew without a doubt that they were destined to be together.  There were too many links, too many ties that bound them together
, for it to be any other way.  While she was musing over their destined fate, Bull leaned in and kissed her lips so sweetly.

“Stop over
thinking it, Chaise.  I love you, baby.  I’m not going anywhere.  Ever,” he promised.

“I believe you.  Because you keep your promises,” she replied.  “I love you, too.  More than anything.”

Chaise went inside to help Brianna clean their dinner dishes while the men stayed outside to clean up around the grill.  She sincerely enjoyed spending time with Brianna, getting to know her, and finding out new things about her brother.  And about Colton.

Brianna told Chaise about their time in the Middle East and how she got to know Bull, Rebel, Shadow and, of course, Reaper.  Chaise wasn’t surprised to hear about how Bull acted when Brianna showed up after being dead for three years.  She imagined Bull felt very betrayed and abandoned all over again.  The fact that he forgave Brianna and still called her his sister was a miracle in itself. 

“He’s crazy about you, ya know?” Brianna said to Chaise.  “That man loves you so much.  I’ve never seen him like this in all the years I’ve known him.”

“I am crazy about him, too.  Maybe it seems too fast?  But it just feels right.  I know there’s no one else for me,” Chaise explained.