Page 102 of Breaking Conviction
BlackStone was on the outskirts of town, nearly in the middle of nowhere. Wes was able to navigate the empty, crooked roads at breakneck speed until he arrived at the QuikTrip gas station. Those locations had the best video surveillance, hands down. In a pinch, with a faceless enemy, this was the safest place for him and Thea until everything got sorted.
“We made it,” he sighed, the words loud enough for Naomi to hear on the still open connection. “Thea and I are at the QT.”
“Okay, we’re almost there, too.”
“We?”
“Me and Nora.”
He paused before connecting dots. “How did you know we were in danger?”
Naomi huffed. “It’s a long story. Let’s just say Dean’s back in jail and I don’t think he’ll be getting out so easy this time.”
“How close are you—”
A horn honked and Naomi pulled into the parking space beside him. “We’re here.”
Wes checked all his mirrors and everything around him before gingerly stepping out of the car with Thea. The terrified child was hiccuping and crying, but at least she wasn’t screaming anymore.
Naomi tripped out of her Nissan and ran around the front of his Trackhawk, arms wide open. Wes readied himself to hand Thea off, expecting Naomi to take her from him, but to his surprise, she fell against them both. Her arms wrapped around them and Wes used his relatively uninjured hand to pull her close, whispering soothing words to calm Naomi’s hysterics.
They were collecting an audience, but Wes’s attention was drawn to Nora as she stepped outside of the passenger seat, a phone at eye level in her hand.
“I’ve got Hawk, Devil, and Jason on FaceTime. Everyone’s on their way.” She worried her teeth over the snake bite studs under her lip. “Phoenix isn’t answering.”
“Shit,” Wes swore, not sure what the next play should be. The sirens that brought him comfort before wailed in his ears as a stream of fire trucks, ambulances, and police units raced past the station. Wes kissed Naomi on the crown of her head before passing Thea off and retrieving his phone. He dialed dispatch and waited as they transferred him to the officer who was on the way to the facility.
“This is Officer Brown.” The man’s heavy Southern accent came over the phone and Wes released a heavy sigh.
“Henry, man, I’m so glad you’re the one on this.”
“Yeah, dude, what happened? I got the call and nearly freaked the fuck out.”
“BlackStone was bombed. I don’t know the details. The weapons room and war room were hit. Phoenix is still there.” He swallowed, hoping that was still true.
“Phoenix? Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.Fuck. Why the fuck is Phoenix there still? Did you fucking leave him?Fuck!”
Wes never in his wildest nightmares thought he’d leave a man behind and admitting that to Phoenix’s best friend made him nauseous.
Wes lowered his voice as he spoke. “Is this your private line?”
“Yes. What the hell happened, dude?”
“We still had Ascot,” Wes replied directly into the receiver. “We promised him we’d keep him alive, and Phoenix went to get him. The bomb opened straight up to the war room. He was at risk, but hopefully Phoenix got them out. There was… there was another explosion as I was leaving. I think the attackers fled.”
Almost as soon as the words left his mouth, Wes realized he wasn’t sure. It was mostly just a hope. He’d seen them drive away, no doubt setting off the bomb with the cord they’d used to trip the detonator. That’s how Draco taught them to do it anyway. It was an easy way to set one off and drive to safety. But had they actually left? Or were they actually behind the second explosion, too?
“Fuckin’ A, okay. I see the fence already, so I’ll call you when I know somethin’.”
Wes nodded, even though Henry couldn’t see him. “Yeah, keep me posted. The rest of the team should be there soon.”
Wes hung up and turned to Naomi. Tears filled her firelight eyes, but it wasn’t sadness or fear there anymore. The warmth and gratitude radiating from her entire body eased the tightness in his chest and the way she clutched his hand made him wonder if she felt the same way for him as he did for her.
“Thank you, Wes. You saved my baby,” she whispered. “I don’t think I could ever repay you. I don’t know what I’d do if I lost her...” she choked before swallowing. “Either of you.”
“Come here.” He pulled her into his arms, squeezing tight around both of the new loves in his life, and kissed their foreheads before pulling back.
Tears still trailed freely down Naomi’s cheek, and he attempted to swipe them away before realizing he was bleeding. He quickly pressed his injured palm to the hem of his black shirt, hiding it from her view, not wanting to alarm her any more than she already was. Instead, he used the thumb on his good hand to dry the moisture from her cheek before bending to meet her teary gaze.
