Page 12 of Sor

“You love me?” he whispered. Nell let out a slow breath, relaxing her arms.

“Yes, Sor. I love you so much it hurts. It hurts in a good way,” she smiled up at him. He pulled her in close, kissing the top of her head, inhaling her fragrance.

“Brother. Get the woman back to Belle Fleur. She’s exposed out here, and so are you,” said Luke. Sor nodded, taking her hand and sliding into the backseat of the SUV. Garr and Cowboy drove them back to Belle Fleur, but Sor never let go of Nell.

When they got out of the vehicle, Ajei, Sophia Ann, Gwen, Kate, and Claudette were all waiting for her.

“Are you hurt?” asked Ajei.

“No. A little shaken, but I’m not hurt,” she said.

“Come on, honey. Let me just take a look at you,” she said, pulling her toward the massive front porch of the big house. She shivered from the cool breeze, and Sor removed his jacket, draping it around her shoulders.

“Don’t leave me,” she said, looking up at him.

“I’m not going anywhere, honey. I’ll be on the porch with you.”

“That’s not what I meant, Sor. Please. Don’t leave me. Don’t leave me alone. We’ve come too far together. I know all of that probably scared you and made you want to run from me but please don’t. We can get through this together.”

“Fuck,” he muttered, pulling her in again. “I was being stupid, honey. You’re right, it scared the shit out of me. I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if you were hurt. I couldn’t leave you any more than I could stop breathing the air around me. You are the air around me. I’m not going anywhere.”

“Good. Because neither am I.”

CHAPTER SEVEN

“Five bodies. Four dead by our hands. One dead from a long-range rifle with scope. The shooter was at the entrance to the property, hiding behind the gates, out of view of the cameras,” said Hiro. “There were no shells or fragments found.”

“Footprints,” said Joseph. “Size ten-and-a-half, work or combat boot. He was light. Maybe one-seventy-five.”

“And the others?” asked Hex.

“We’re still working on IDs. No fingerprints. I think Sor and his team, or at least him and two others, were involved in something in the last few months that led to this. We need to find out what was written on the wall of his teammate’s apartment.”

“I’ll go,” said Garr.

“Take someone with you,” said Luke. “I’ll call ahead and make sure base command gives us some grace.”

“And if they don’t?” smirked Garr.

“Then I won’t ask so nicely.” Garr nodded at Cowboy, and the two men took off to head toward base. It would be a short drive and easier to have their own vehicle with them.

“I’m just glad that Sor’s cabin was not far from our property, and we could cut through,” said Cam. “That could have ended very differently. They wanted her to get to him. Someone has something or knows something that those men wanted.”

“They were trained,” said Joseph. “They had military issue weapons and knives. They were searching the property using protocol. If they weren’t former military, they were security for someone.”

“You make a good point,” nodded Hex. “We need to speak with Sor. Where is he?”

“He’s getting Nell settled at the cottage. I’ll go get him,” said Joseph.

“She’s fine, Sor. Her vitals are all back to normal. She’s just a little shaken up, and rightfully so,” said Ajei. “Just be easy with her, okay? And Sor. Don’t do anything stupid, like try to send her away. Understand?”

Sor looked at Ajei and smiled, nodding at her. Then he had big tears in his eyes, shaking his head. Claudette pulled him down to her shorter body for a hug.

“It’s okay, baby. It’s okay. You got there in time, and she’s okay because you were there. Now, she’s safe here, and we’re all going to watch over her. You just do what you do. Find them men and make sure they know we don’t tolerate such foolishness down here.” She hugged him tighter, then kissed both his cheeks.

Ajei, Kate, Sophia Ann, and Gwen stared at Claudette, wondering if she were her mother in doppelganger form. She sounded like her, she acted like her, and lately, she was saying things exactly as Mama Irene would.

“Y’all get settled and come to dinner. No one is leavin’ this property without a plan and backup.”

---