Forget about me

Chapter twenty-four

Shade

A series of thumps echo across the sea as our boots hit the deck. My eyes instantly find her. As if there's a beacon in my heart that seeks her out at all times. She's leaning against the railing outside of the control room. The white bikini seems to glow in the dark. The deck is lit up enough for me to see the gun dangling from her hand and the bloody freckles painting her bare skin. My cock jumps to attention at the sight. Images of her pressed against the glass, her legs wrapped around my hips as I slam-

"Check the cargo, we'll go see what this gift is." Ryder orders Dylan and the other guys we brought with us snapping me out of my thoughts. Our most trusted group of betas head off with Dylan at the rear guns out just in case.

Jem and I stalk after Ryder who takes the stairs two steps at a time. Hunter follows behind unhurriedly doing a damn good job of seeming as if he doesn't care if Lexie's okay or not. I see it, though. The tension around his eyes, the tic in his jaw and the way he glances over at her every other second as if to make sure she's still standing up there. He's worried, we all are. These last couple of hours have been hell. Ryder's snapped at anyone and anything pacing back and forth. A pup was supposed to come with us but when he said something about how this is shark infested water and we'd never find her body if they tossed her bleeding into the water Ry knocked him out cold. Me and Jem have tried to stay focused and level headed but it hasn't been easy. We've mostly been sitting in silence, fiddling with the radio and checking over our guns fifteen thousand times.

Lexie scowls as Ryder pulls her into his arms. His hands roam over her back checking for wounds. When he steps back to check her front Jem knocks him aside and sweeps her into his arms. It turns into a tug of war as Ryder tries to check her head and front for injuries while Jeremy just wants to hold her. She growls in frustration and twists away from both of them stepping right into me.

"You did good, darling." I bring a hand to her cheek swiping my thumb over it. Lexie surprises me by giving me a small smile before throwing her arms over my shoulders.

"Remember to breathe and don't kill him to fast, okay?" she murmurs in my ear before pulling back. She watches me intently until I nod thoroughly confused. "Good. Come with me." She cocks her head toward the control room and steps around Hunter to open the door. Ryder's and Jem's glares burn into the back of my head as we follow her.

I do a quick scan of the room on instinct. Taking in any possible threats or anything that might be useful. My entire body locks up as my gaze lands on an older tied up dark-haired man.

Lexie lifts her hands toward him. "Surprise!" complete and utter silence follow. The man's gaze meets mine and he smiles darkly as my fists clench. They ache to break bones and paint the walls with blood.

"Ah, there he is." He drawls turning those eyes, my eyes, on Lexie. He looks back at me. "What? Got nothing to say to your old man?"

His head whips to the side as Lexie's fist connects with his face. She leans in close to his face and I force myself not to grab her and put her as far away from him as possible. She'd make me pay for undermining her like that.

"You don't get to speak to him." She snarls and my heart rams into my ribcage trying to escape my chest and reach her. "You speak to me."

His gaze drops to her chest. The white triangles containing her breast do a poor job of concealing them when she's bent over like that. I stalk forward ready to put a bullet between his eyes for looking at her like that. Lexie's small warm hand on my chest stops me. Her fingers splay over my heart and for a moment I wonder if she can feel it. If she knows that every beat is for her and only her. Our eyes meet and the world fades away. All I can feel is the warmth radiating from her skin. All I can see is those light blue irises. Hope rises in me as those normally ice-cold circles melt slightly. She sees right through me. Through the anger and hate and disgust. Sees past the grown man who would love to murder the bastard who abandon his pregnant girlfriend only to return years later to drink away all her money and beat her senseless. Her gaze burrows deeper than that, straight down to the little boy who wanted a father. Who was so happy when he showed up. The young boy who was eager to make his father proud. Who couldn't defend his mother and was torn between longing for his father's love and hating him. That boy would forever hate himself for ending the life of the man who played ball with him in the backyard. Who took him out for burgers and let him drive the car in an abandon parking lot. Who ruffled his hair and did everything a father should do. Until he didn't.