Page 114 of Coup De Grâce
“Crystal.”
“Good. Now, wash your hair and get out of the shower. We have work to do.”
“I—”
She turned back to me, her eyes waiting expectantly for what I had to say. She wanted to smack the shit out of me, and I had to get her back on my good side, so I played up the injured spouse card to my advantage.
I rolled my eyes, sighing heavily as I looked away from her. “I…don’t think I can lift my arms.”
“Christ, Cash,” she muttered, snatching the shampoo off the shelf. “Turn around.”
As I did, I bit back my grin at having won her over. Within seconds, she was gently washing my hair, her fingers working deftly through my strands, but also massaging my scalp. By the time she was done, she was rubbing my neck as well, working out the kinks I didn’t even know were there. Fuck, she was good at this.
“Thanks, kitten,” I mumbled, grateful for such a giving wife.
“You know, next time you want me to do something, you don’t have to play the injured man card. I would have done it for you if you’d just asked.”
I spun and snagged her around the waist, drawing her in closer. “I know you would have, but I like this side of you so much better.”
“And what side is that?” she asked, her breath catching as I nipped at her neck.
“The side where you act as if I’m about to break. I love being strong for you, but I would be a fool to turn away the opportunity to have your hands on me like they just were.”
She rolled her eyes, but there was no missing the way her cheeks stained red.
My thumb brushed across the apple of her cheek as I cupped her face. God, this woman was so fucking perfect, and I was a fool for ever thinking I was protecting her by leaving. “I love you, Eva. And I’m sorry for what I did to you. For all of it,” I choked out as shame filled my voice.
“Hey, we’re going to be okay. We’re going to figure this out and walk away even stronger.”
“But at what cost?” I asked, the worries rushing back in full force. “Who will pay the price for us fighting back?”
“Hopefully, no one but them,” she answered the only way she could. “We have each other, and we have to trust that we’re all strong enough to do what needs to be done, and we’ll come out on top for it.”
It was wishful thinking, but maybe I needed some of that right now. After all, going it alone hadn’t been working out really great as of late.
“Come on. Let’s get you dressed and play catch-up. A package arrived for you while you were out of it.”
“A package?” I asked, my hackles rising instantly. “No one knows where we are. Right?”
“It’s from your father. Apparently, he always knows where you are.”
34
CASH
Freshly showered and dressed,I headed out to the kitchen where everyone was waiting. The package was a thick envelope with my name scrawled across it. Postage showed that it was couriered overnight to me.
An ominous feeling washed over me as I picked it up and held it in my hand. Why was he sending me mail? And did I even want to trust whatever was inside?
“What do you think it is?” Thumper asked.
I shook my head slightly. “I’m not sure we can trust him. After what happened…”
“You can’t not open it,” IRIS scoffed. “It’s a package. We have to know what’s in it. He sent this to you for you to open, not stare at.”
I was well aware of that, but once I opened it, I would possibly know if he was on the good side of things or the bad side. And I wasn’t sure I was ready for that.
“This means he knows where we are,” I pointed out. “If he knows, that means the others know.”
