“Everett. I need you meet me at warehouse at the port. Bring your equipment.” I knew it. I knew that once I was done with school and I moved home I’d be used for this. The family paid for my schooling, and I don’t have to violate my oath by taking someone’s life, so there’s that, I guess.
“I’ll be there in twenty minutes, Sean.”
“You’ll have to come faster than that. She won’t make it.”
“Alright. I’m leaving now.” I hang up and grab my car keys.
“What’s going on?” River asks, pulling her coat on.
“Sean needs my help,” I reply.
“Need a nurse?” she asks, winking at me.
“Sure,” I reply, deciding early on that I’d keep her with me when I do things for the family to keep her safe. In the car, I drive like a bat out of hell to get to the warehouse. My father and uncle used to use this place to torture people. It’s got a bad vibe. “Do you have your purse sage with you?”
“Always,” she says pulling it out.
“Light it up,” I say as I screech to a halt next to Sean’s Bentley. Grabbing my bag out of the backseat, we rush inside. River does a quick sage cleaning of the room that is pretty much nothing but metal tables that you’d find in a morgue and drain holes in the floor. On the table closet to the doors, I see a girl, at least I think it’s a girl. She’s beaten and bruised. She’s so bloody and swollen, I can’t make out her facial features.
“Everett, hurry the fuck up. Stop staring at her and fix her,” Sean demands, confirming my patient is a female.
“Who is this?” I ask, wondering what the hell he did.
“It-it doesn’t matter,” he stutters. The man hasn’t stuttered since we were little kids. This is bad. He’s always been awkward, but I have a bad feeling about this.
“Is this Danica?” I ask shakily, inquiring about my cousin, Sean’s sister.
“No, she’s in Maine.” I nod, remembering she was hired as the chief of staff at the hospital in some tiny ass town called Cupid’s Cove.
“What happened?” I ask, both concerned and curious.
“It’s a long story, but she’s been shot. You have to save her.”
“Alright. Step back and let me work. I need warm water and send someone to get the towels out of my trunk.”
“Let me help,” River says.
Slowly and carefully, we clean the girl up. Wiping away blood and dirt until I get to her skin. The bullet hole in her chest is prominent, but it’s not bleeding much.
“It’s a through and through,” I murmur to no one in particular. The wound on her head is what I’m more concerned about, but once I got the blood off of her, it was just a cut. She doesn’t seem to have a concussion, but I give Sean the instructions for one all the same.
After I get her stitched up and comfortable, I can tell that she’ll be okay. I let Sean know and he tells us the story of his girl. I can’t believe he had it in him. Danica and I were sure that he’d have a mutiny on his hands when he took over the family, instead he cleaned house. I’ll have to take on a more active role in the family. I’ll do anything to protect what River and I are building. Anything.
Back at home, we take a shower together and climb into bed. It’s things like this that make you glad to be alive and in love. River is the one person who sets my soul on fire, and I thank God every day that I walked into that couple’s tantric class and met her. Every day since then has been amazing and I know that the lifetime of days ahead is going to just the same. We’ll have our ups and downs, all couples do, but they won’t tear us a part. Nothing will.
She's the perfect fit for me. I dare anyone to try to come between us.
EPILOGUE
RIVER
FOURTEEN YEARS LATER
“Fuck,” I moan as I drop down on Everett’s cock. Over and over, I move up and down on him. I’m trying to be quiet, but I just can’t. Thankfully, we are the other side of the house, and the kids can’t hear us.
“Give it to me baby. Give me that sweet, sweet cunt. You’re still cherry tight. I have to fucking stretch you out each time. Ride my dick, River,” he groans, and I speed up. Giving in to him is never a hardship. He sees to that every day. There is nothing I would deny this man. Nothing. Any hole, every time. Whatever he wants, it’s his. “That’s it. That’s it. Good girl. I can’t help it, but when he praises me, I crave it. Pleasing my husband has always been important to me and I know I’ve done it well over the years. We’ve gotten into some crazy stuff over the years, but I’d follow Everett into the fiery depths of Hell just to be with him.