Page 48 of His Wild Storm
Bridger just watched me, and I tried to ignore him. His words felt like a punch to the solar plexus when he deadpanned, “You’re sure. She’s your woman.”
His words got everyone’s attention. While they looked a little worried as I told them about the evening, without mentioning making out with her, they’ve all been encouraging and more than willing to listen to my ramblings.
Tenley came in all fired up the next morning demanding all the details from me since, according to her, Wyatt couldn’t answer all her questions. She wanted to head right over to Safe Home and introduce herself to Haven and befriend her. She was fierce and adorable.
I’m still not sure how I talked her down off the proverbial ledge, but by the time she left, I had promised her she’d get her chance to be friends with Haven; in return she assured me she wouldn’t storm the secret women’s shelter location. Yeah, when I put it like that, she wasn’t ignorant of the issues she could present.
With today being the day that I’m finally bringing my family together, I have one phone call I need to make. I’ve been putting it off, but I’m going to offer Haven a chance to get out of Safe Home very soon. If I manage to make it through today without blurting out my idea, I’ll be surprised.
With more than an hour before I’m supposed to be picking up Haven and Wilde, I sit on the edge of my bed and call Duncan. It only takes a few rings before he answers.
He sounds a little unsure and half asleep, “Knox? Is everything okay?”
“I’m sorry I woke you up.” I wince even though he can’t see me. “I can talk to you later, if it’s better for you.”
I can hear him take a deep breath before there’s movement and, maybe, the sound of fabric rustling. It takes him a moment, but he does come back with, “It’s all good, man. Do you need help? Are you in some kind of trouble?”
I swallow down my chuckle. “I’m okay,” I assure him. “It’s nothing like that.”
“Then why are you waking me up?” There’s an edge to his voice after finding out everything is okay.
“Today I’m picking up my woman and her son. We’re spending the day with the Vibrant crew at the art museum,” I inform him.
“I wasn’t aware you have a woman who happens to have a son,” his voice is curious with a huge heaping side of skeptical.
It’s a fair retort. The last time I saw the man, I did not have any such news to report.
“Things change quickly around here,” I inform him.
There’s a pause and then he asks, his voice thoughtful, “Didn’t you just start volunteering at Safe Home?”
“I did,” I confirm. His silence speaks volumes and I’m not even a little bit ashamed of being about to crack. Like a pinata, but without candy. “Haven and her son, Wilde, are residents of Safe Home. For now. Haven has been talking about finding a place of her own and how she’s ready to move on from the shelter while staying in Denver.”
“I’ve run extensive checks on everyone at Safe Home while making sure to keep it under the radar.” Even though he can’t see me, I nod. “I’m not going to tell you anything about her or her past,” his voice is hard and unyielding.
“I’m not asking you to,” I promise. “I just wanted to know if you had any information on her ex. She hasn’t told me what happened yet. I need to earn her trust for her to open up to me about whatever went down. What I need to know is if her ex is looking for her, has any idea where she is, or is going to be a problem,” I growl the last few words, the thought of someonehurting my little storm making me feel like I’m about to lose control.
I won’t let anyone hurt her. Not again. I’ll do whatever I need to in order to prevent her pain.
Duncan is quiet for a moment too long, but then he assures me, “I’ll look into it and see what I can find out. I’ll let you know.”
“Thanks, man,” my words are filled with relief. It’s not a definitive answer, but I’ll take what I can get. For now.
After promising to do my best to get Haven and Wilde to the Banks family holiday party between Christmas and New Years, we say goodbye. Duncan won’t stop until he finds out everything he can about my woman’s ex. He’s the right man for the job without a doubt.
He’s a little off his rocker which probably helps. Once you find out his love story with Savannah, you can understand why he’s overprotective as hell. He fell in love with a woman who was pregnant with her ex-husband’s baby, after meeting her at a bar because her friends insisted she had to go out and celebrate. Her ex didn’t want to let her go, not easily, but Duncan was determined to keep her safe.
Was he obsessed with tracking her? Yeah, he definitely was. I think he still is. If tracking her wasn’t enough, he got her a trained protection dog. It was all for the best because the ex was unhinged.
By the time I get ready, grab something to eat, and head over to Safe Home, I’m excited to see my two favorite people and looking forward to seeing the art through Wilde’s eyes. Pulling up to the house that is a secret sanctuary to women who really need one, I have to stop myself from jogging up to the front door.
Instead, I walk the distance and force myself to knock like I’m calm and not a giddy fool. The door swings open to reveal Wilde jumping up and down while Laura stands there smiling and Haven rushes down the stairs.
“Wilde,” she admonishes her son, “I told you to wait until Laura can open the door.”
“Mommy,” he pouts, “but I knew who it was.”
I crouch down to get on his level and smile gently. “You know I’m always excited to see you, but safety comes first. If there are rules here about who can and can’t open the door, you have to follow them. It’s not just for you, but for everyone here,” I remind him.
