Defending Raven (Mountain Mercenaries #7)(77)

Zara reached out and grabbed Mags’s hand and squeezed. “From what Meat has told me, he’s been keeping them informed about what’s been going on here. That Dave found you and that you’re alive and well. He also told them about their grandson. They’re over-the-moon excited, but they’re nervous too. Just take it one day at a time. Okay?”

“They know about David?” Mags asked, shocked.

Zara nodded. “I gave Meat hell about that. It wasn’t his place to tell them. I’m sorry.”

“No, it’s okay. I mean, I’m surprised, but kinda relieved too. I wasn’t sure how they’d react . . . you know, because of the circumstances of his birth.”

“He’s a miracle,” Zara said quietly. “They know that, just as Dave does. I’m the worst person to talk to you about this, since I was a virgin when I met Meat, but I can pretty much guarantee no one thinks any less of you or your son because of how he was conceived. I’m in awe of you, Mags. You were there for me when I didn’t have anyone else. You’ve been my mom and my friend, and that’s all I think about when I see you. What you’ve been through just makes you a warrior woman, not someone to be pitied or looked down on. Anyone who thinks differently can fuck off.”

Mags got teary eyed as her friend spoke, but at her last comment, she chuckled. “Thanks, Zed,” she said softly, using the nickname Zara had used when she’d pretended to be a boy for her own safety in the barrio.

“Come on. You’ve only been in the motel about a week, but I think you have more stuff than I came with. We also need to make sure Daniela is good. The purchase of her new clinic is progressing quickly. Let’s get the suitcase the guys got you, and we’ll see how much we can fit.” She squeezed her hand and headed for the closet.

Mags nodded. Zara was right. They had a lot of stuff to do, and things would be very emotional when they left the other women. She would prefer to have Dave here with her, telling her everything would be fine, but he was busy protecting their son. So she had to pull up her big-girl panties and get on with things here.

Closing her eyes and saying a quick prayer for her family’s safety, Mags turned and followed Zara to the closet.



“Tell me another story, Papá?” David asked.

Dave had no idea how much time had passed, but it was still dark outside. David had slept for a while, and then he’d woken up and eaten another protein bar with as much enthusiasm as he had earlier. It was very warm under the tarp, even without the sun shining overhead yet, but Dave wasn’t going to risk leaving. Not until his team came to get him. He hadn’t heard del Rio or his soldiers recently, but that didn’t mean they weren’t out there waiting and watching.

“What kind of story?” Dave asked.

“The story of how you met Mamá,” David said without hesitation.

Surprised by the request, Dave wasn’t sure where to start.

Luckily, his son helped him out. “You bought a building, and Mamá came to look at it,” David hinted.

Chuckling, Dave realized that the little boy had already heard the story of their first meeting from Raven. Probably several times, if he wasn’t mistaken. “Right, your mom came out to make sure my new building was safe for people to be in it.”

“She was nervous because you were big enough to lift cars and beat up bad guys!” David added enthusiastically.

Dave nodded. “Yup. But the thing was, the second I saw your mom, I knew I wanted her to feel safe around me. I didn’t want to make her scared of me. She was wearing a pair of tan pants and a pretty dark-blue top that made her eyes even more blue. Her hair was blowing in the breeze, and she looked like a fairy princess to me.”

David’s eyes were huge in his face, and he was listening with bated breath to every word Dave said. The little boy had only heard Raven’s side of things for years, and Dave wanted to make sure he understood exactly how much Raven had bowled him over that day.

“She nervously bit her lip when she looked at me, and I could see her hands shaking. And I hated that. I don’t mind if some people are scared of my size, but the last person I wanted to scare was your mom. I made sure to keep my distance from her so as not to scare her even more. She had to walk around the building, and I forced myself to stay right by the door so she wouldn’t be nervous with me following her. I didn’t want to, though. I wanted to stay right by her side and make sure no one else could get near enough to hurt her. Not that there was anyone around that would, but I wanted to be sure.”

“She was glad,” David said. “She was scared of you.”

“I know, and that hurt me here,” Dave said, putting a hand over his heart. “I didn’t want her to be scared of me. I wanted her to like me as much as I liked her. When she was done looking at the outside of the building, she had to come inside and look at that too. She laughed at something I said, and I swear, champ, I fell in love with her right then and there.”

“Really?”

“Yes, really. Her blue eyes sparkled when she laughed, and I couldn’t help but want to see her smile every day for the rest of my life.”

“Mamá said you were funny,” David informed him.

“I don’t know about that. All I know is that at least an hour went by while we talked, and then she had to go. I asked her if she might want to go out to eat with me later.”