Page 79 of Coming Home

To console her I carried her back to the bedroom, the furthest point away from the smoke. Three hours later we’d successfully christened all the main rooms of the house and were late for Christmas brunch at Maddie and Liam’s. When we walked in and Maddie asked if everything was okay, I couldn’t wipe the grin off my face.

“Gross,” Maddie said, rolling her eyes.

“I didn’t say a word,” I insisted.

“You don’t have to. You two reek of sex, and burnt cinnamon,” Liam whispered. Shelby’s face turned several shades of red. “You sure you don’t want to bail on this?”

I laughed. “We’re sure. I could use the break anyway before she wears me out,” I said, waggling my eyebrows up and down at Shelby. She smacked me across my stomach and went to help Maddie in the kitchen. I refrained from issuing a warning against that.

“If we had had more notice, I would have at least gotten some basics in. Did you sleep on the floor last night?”

“Nah, we stopped for the priorities. You know, air mattress, coffee pot, and the ugliest Christmas tree ever.”

Liam laughed. “You definitely have your priorities, I see.”

Christmas day was nice. Liam gave me a couple of camp chairs to take back with us and Maddie sent us home with enough food for a few days. Then later in the evening, it felt like each person in Westin pack stopped in to say hello and Merry Christmas. Every single one of them brought food for us, too. It was a nice gesture and truly made us feel welcome to the territory.

I looked in our now over stuffed refrigerator and laughed. “I’m not sure we’re going to need to shop for food for a month.”

“It’s been an interesting day, that’s for sure,” Shelby said as she hugged me.

Yet another knock on the door interrupted our first moment of quiet together.

Shelby groaned before planting a smile on her face and going to answer the door. “It’s Patrick,” she yelled back a few seconds later.

“I’m diving into a pie. You want a slice?” I hollered back.

Shelby walked into the kitchen with more than just Patrick. Elise was with him as was a large, menacing looking man I had never met before.

“Oops, sorry. I thought it was just Patrick. Hi, Benjamin Shay,” I said, setting the pie aside and offering the guy my hand.

“Silas Granger.”

Of course I recognized the name. “Oh, I didn’t think we’d be meeting for a few days still,” I said honestly.

“We have a situation that requires immediate attention. Our team is leaving first thing in the morning. I’m aware we haven’t even begun onboarding yet, but I’m also aware this is only a trial. If you’d like to tag along, the invite stands. I know you and your mate just arrived, so if you need the next few days to settle in, that’s okay too,” he said.

Something about the way he emphasized “mate” told me he was not at all thrilled about me having attachments. I could appreciate that, but also knew I’d have to work that much harder to prove myself to him.

My eyes darted to Shelby, who nodded subtly.

“What time do we leave?” I asked.

Silas smirked. “Zero four hundred.”

“I’ll be ready,” I assured him.

“Great,” Patrick said. “Now, how about that pie.”

Ben

Chapter 25

I felt bad leaving Shelby so soon after our arrival, but there was no way I could turn down the job. I knew that I was being scrutinized every second I was with the team.

They hadn’t given me any information about the mission or where we were meeting. Patrick had not given me a tour of the place yet, but he had told me enough that I had recognized the lodge they operated out of on our drive in. So, at three-thirty the next morning, I pulled up to the lodge and investigated for signs of movement.

It didn’t take long for me to find what I was looking for. Two jeeps at the back of the property were being loaded and Silas was easy to spot amongst them.

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