Defending Raven (Mountain Mercenaries #7)(17)
Relaxing as best he could on the hard-packed dirt, Rex lay his head on his biceps and closed his eyes. He hadn’t slept well for the last ten years, only getting snatches of sleep here and there, and he wasn’t about to start now. If anyone walked by, or in any way threatened what was his, he’d wake up and deal with it.
He hadn’t found his beloved after all this time to lose her in some stupid random robbery. She was his to protect, his to love. And even if she didn’t return his feelings, even if he had to make her fall in love with him all over again, he wasn’t leaving her side.
It wasn’t too much later when Dave sensed he had company. He sat up quickly—
And saw Ball and Gray standing nearby.
He stood up and walked over to the men. “Go back to the motel,” he ordered.
“Fuck you,” Ball said with a shake of his head. “We all knew you were going to come back out here. There’s no way, after ten years, that you were going to let her out of your sight.”
Dave shrugged. “This isn’t your problem.”
“Not our problem?” Gray repeated, sounding way the hell pissed off. “Is that what you thought when Allye was taken by that asshole who wanted to keep her as some sort of sideshow freak? Or when Everly’s sister was kidnapped?”
Dave ground his teeth but shook his head.
“Right, so why would you think any different about this? We came down here to help. It’s obvious how much Raven means to you, so you sneaking out to put your ass on the line like this wasn’t only stupid, it was offensive as hell.”
Dave thought about his friend’s words, and knew he was right. After a long pause, he haltingly tried to explain his thought process. “Every night for the last ten years, I’ve slept beside an empty spot in my bed. I’ve worried about what my wife might be going through and if she’s in pain. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about her crying for help, wondering if I was looking for her or not. It’s been torture. Not physical torture, like you’ve both endured in the past, but mental. I simply can’t not be here. The thought of losing her again is unbearable.
“I know this isn’t that smart. But because she can’t stand to look me in the eyes for more than a few seconds at a time, and because she’s obviously scared to death of something . . . maybe me . . . I can’t hold her in my arms and reassure her that everything will be all right. Maybe it’ll never be all right for her—but there’s no way in hell I’m leaving her alone again.”
Gray sighed and Ball nodded.
“Fine, but at least let one of us stay out here with you,” Gray said in a much less pissed-off tone.
“I appreciate that, but no. I’m fine. No one is going to mess with me,” Dave said.
Ball shook his head again. “Sorry, but also no. You saw what happened to Black and Meat. In fact, it happened in this exact same alley. You lying here without any weapons is like waving a red flag at a bull. You’re bringing more attention and danger to Raven and the other women than if you weren’t here.”
Dave’s hands clenched into fists. He didn’t like what his friends were saying, but deep down, he knew they were right. “I’m trying to send a message to the assholes in this barrio that these women are off-limits. Besides . . . I can’t leave. I just can’t,” he said.
“Then neither are we,” Gray said.
“We won’t sit here with you, but we’ll watch from the shadows,” Ball assured him. “Gray and I will stay tonight, and we’ll work out a rotation with the rest of the team for as long as it’s needed.”
Dave swallowed hard. He hadn’t expected this. He’d felt alone in his quest to find his wife for so long. The cops and detectives had done their best, but it hadn’t been good enough, and when enough time had passed, and her case had gone cold, they’d simply had to move on to other cases.
“What are you doing?”
All three men turned at the question—and Dave saw Raven looking out of the hut he’d been sleeping in front of a few minutes ago.
He crossed his arms over his chest and said truthfully, “We’re hashing out a plan to make sure you and the others are safe at night.”
His wife rolled her eyes, and Dave’s knees almost buckled. He’d forgotten about her sassy side. How could he have forgotten? She used to do that all the time. Roll her eyes at him when he’d been too overprotective, or just to be silly. Seeing her do it now gave him a glimpse of the woman he used to know, and filled him with hope that she was still inside the battered outer shell she’d donned to deal with the nightmares she’d been through.
“We don’t need you bringing that kind of attention to us,” Raven said shortly. “Just leave.”
“Not happening,” Dave said, slowly walking toward her. He didn’t want to spook her, but he absolutely wanted her to know that he wasn’t going anywhere.
“Seriously, Dave, just go. You’re going to make Ruben and his friends wonder what the hell you’re guarding. They’ll become curious enough to break in again to steal what you and your friends brought today.”
“Again?” Dave asked in a low, furious tone.
Raven seemed to realize what she’d said and quickly dropped her gaze from his.
He did his best to control his anger. “I can’t leave,” he told her honestly. “I lost you once because I took my eyes off you. I learned my lesson, and I’m not going to do it again.”