Page 43 of Wine & Whiskey: Everything for You
Nick leans against the door frame, watching Oscar squirm. The bodyguard’s on the defense, his body stiff, his head shaking from the warning Max issues. He opens his mouth to argue the point, but purses his lips together when Nick steps into the room. His eyes sweep over Nick, probably searching for a weapon or the subtle signal giving Max approval to draw his before his gaze drops back to the carpet of Shae’s guest room.
Oscar should be grateful for Nick’s good mood. Well, that, and Shae’s request for mercy on him. Otherwise, his ego would not be the only thing shattered this morning.
After Max dismisses him, Oscar nods at Nick and walks out of the temporary office they’ve set up until she’s ready to go home. Once the door closes, Max turns to him and shakes his head. “If I didn’t have Juan, Spencer, and all the bodies from Juan’s house to take care of, I’d fucking kill his stupid ass too.”
Nick laughs before dropping into one of the white club chairs by the patio door. Rarely flustered, Max seems even more irritated at Oscar than he is. “You trained him.”
Rolling his shoulders, Max blows out a deep breath. “I know. That’s what fucking pisses me off the most.”
“Anyway, what did you get from your guy at the ATF?”
“The preliminary report’s going to show an initial suspicion of the explosion to be natural gas. Then, they’ll go through the motions of an investigation to confirm it’s the cause. All written off as an undiscovered leak ignited by one of the funeral home employees sneaking a cigarette in the bathroom.”
Another one of Max’s accomplishments to get the bureau director and lead agents on his payroll. They deliver exactly what was promised, and he’ll reward them with hefty bonuses once everything is complete. “Good. And Shae?”
“Everyone who saw her is either dead or works for you now, so there’s no chance of any bad publicity for her.”
Exhausted more from the tension gripping his body for the last twenty-four hours than lack of sleep, Nick rubs his hands across his face. Somehow, he’s survived, without destroying her love for him and getting back what he thought they lost. “We did it. We fucking pulled it off.”
“Yeah, she’s safe, and you’re the most powerful man on the west coast, and now a large part of Mexico too. Thanks to Juan’s death and Enrique becoming your second in command. I have to admit that was a genius move on your part.” Max massages the back of his neck, yet his fatigue doesn’t hide his mutual satisfaction of their success. Beyond just loyal, Max treats the business like his own, doing everything necessary to protect it as well as them. The only person he truly trusts besides Shae.
“It’s still yours if you want it. I can always move him to another position, if you ever change your mind.”
“Nah, I like what I do. You know, nothing like a few bloody corpses to make my day complete.”
His humor fades as Max takes a deep breath, as if preparing to tell him something his friend knows he won’t like.
“I talked to Gina again. She said Spencer lured her to Juan’s house to take care of Shae by telling her Enrique was hurt in the explosion.”
Heat blazes through him at the mention of that motherfucker’s name again. The image of Spencer lying on top of Shae’s motionless body resurrects his only true fear in life. None of this would matter without her. “That doesn’t make any sense. Why would he want Gina to take care of her if he was trying to…?” He chokes on the bile in his throat as he spits out the words. “Kill her?”
“He wasn’t.” Low and rumbling, Max’s voice reflects Nick’s own fury. “He drugged her so he could take her to one of Juan’s compounds. He thought you would never find her.”
The guilt of embedding a tracking device in her ring evaporates. They got to her just in time to save her from a bastard who was stupid enough to believe Nick would ever stop searching for her. That he would ever give up before Shae was safe and Spencer was dead. “If Shae hadn’t been there, he would have understood how much he underestimated me.”
“From what I saw, I think he got it.”
“What else did Gina say? Is she okay?”
Max’s jaw clenches as he nods, his anger still boiling for the other woman Spencer hurt. “Yeah, she’s got a bruise on her cheek from where he slapped her and rope burns from where he tied her and the housekeeper up. But she’s tough. She was more pissed than anything.”
Another reason to be glad this motherfucker is dead. Nothing lower than a man who lays his hands on a woman or uses her as a pawn in their war. That tactic ends now. “Let all of the new guys know, regardless of what they did for their old bosses, women and children are off limits no matter what the circumstance. That’s a direct order from me.”
“It’s done.” Max swipes his phone and presses it to his ear as he walks out of the room. “Pull your teams together. I’ve got a message from the boss…”
Nick stretches his legs out in front of him. Sunlight streams through the blinds, making checkerboard patterns across the fabric. Small puddles dot the deck, the only reminders of the earlier storm. Now, peace fills their world again, and he indulges himself for a minute, letting the thoughts he never allowed before to drift into his mind.
Of their little boy sitting on the beach with his shovel and pail, pink and orange streaking the sky behind him. Or maybe a daughter, her face lit up with a huge smile as pudgy fingers smash into her birthday cake. And Shae, with her endless patience, laughing as she helps him scoop sand into the bucket. Or guiding their baby girl’s fingers from the icing to her own mouth so she can share in the sweetness. Always smiling. Always happy. Giving all of herself to them, to him. The perfect life will be theirs soon.
“I thought you could use this.”
Nathan’s voice pulls Nick out of his thoughts. He hands him a small tumbler of whiskey, his other hand gripping a long neck. Nick glances at his watch, a few minutes after noon. Not like Nathan to drink so early, but it has been a long night.
“Thanks.” The brown liquid dulls his headache, but not his surprise at the offering of the olive branch. “I appreciate it.”
Nathan takes a long drink before setting the bottle on the dresser. He picks at the label, his usual confident demeanor missing. Maybe he won’t launch into a lecture this time. “Whatever you’re planning for Evan, I want you to call if off.”
The pounding in Nick’s head returns full force. No wonder Nathan fucking tiptoed in here, trying to butter him up. He should have stuck with the fucking lecture. After attempting to hide his fury from Shae, he can’t hold back the rage surging through him. “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me. That motherfucker said he loved her, and look what he fucking did to her. You saw the hell he put her through. So, don’t you ever fucking come to me and try to defend him.”
