I watched as Wells debated, his teeth grinding back and forth, his face set. Finally, he glanced at me, and something on my face must’ve soothed him because he let out a breath. “I’m still sore but improving. I plan to work on low-impact exercises to build my endurance and regain some of the momentum I lost. I promise not to overdo it. I know my body and my capabilities.”
“Very well. You can return to training, but this will be a different conversation if I find you’re minimizing your injuries.”
I knew where Atticus was coming from, and I respected him for saying something, but I knew Wells would struggle with someone telling him what he could and couldn’t do. I would need to talk with them both, so this wouldn’t become an issue.
Monroe had a few cases he was working on, but was going to take a leave of absence once they were closed so he could be more available to the family. Cami was watching over Malek as he healed and was returning to Climax tonight. She seemed okay, but I was worried she might be jumping back into normality a little too soon, but I’d trust her judgment.
Pixel was working on the security with Nicco and had given Sax the dosage for Brian. It was now up to us to determine when and where to unleash him. I knew Atticus had a plan, and I trusted him. I didn’t care at this point as long as he was dealt with. I was tired of thinking about Brian.
The teens were petitioning to return to school. I hadn’t realized Atticus had pulled them out and wanted them tutored here for the rest of the semester.
“Attie, you said it yourself the school was secure. Give us a guard, and we’ll be fine. I think it’s safer to go to school, honestly,” Immy pleaded, her hands begging him.
Atticus started to protest, and I could see a fight on the horizon. Imogen didn’t want to budge on this.
“What are your concerns?” I asked, asking my husband and not the mafia boss. He turned his eyes on me, and I could tell most of it was fear. He was worried they’d be retaken, and I knew he didn’t want to deal with that.
I clasped his hand under the table, squeezing. “Imogen, let’s give it a week. Let things settle down with your father, and then we can revisit it,” I said. She started to protest, but I watched as Jude nudged her, stopping her. She sighed, agreeing to wait one more week. I felt Atticus squeeze my hand, thanking me for not making him the bad guy.
It was then I realized I did have a purpose as part of this family. I just needed to figure out how to use it. I was a bridge between the two worlds.
Nat called in with Beau and gave an update on how their undercover mission was going. Once everyone had given their plans, the meeting was dismissed, and they all hurried off to do their tasks.
Nicco grabbed my hand, pulling me down a corridor. I let him lead me, trusting he knew where he was going. When we came upon Wells a few feet later, I realized he must’ve been following him.
“Crash, feel like trying out a new room that might help your training?” Nicco raised his eyebrows, leaving it up to the surly man to decide.
He turned, the denial on the tip of his tongue when he spotted me and stopped. “Kitten, are you part of this deal?”
I shrugged, looking between them. Something had changed, and I didn’t know if it was more concentrated sexual tension or angst. But the air between them almost crackled with it.
“I guess you’ll have to take a chance,” I said, smiling. I could see the indecision on Wells’ face, and the moment he decided to give in.
“Fine,” he gritted out, and I felt Nicco’s body almost vibrate at the response.
“Follow me then, if you dare.” Nicco was practically bouncing on his toes at the excitement.
He took us to the floor with the gym on it, but instead of turning toward it, he headed in the opposite direction. I hadn’t ever been this way and was even more curious now. Perhaps I should get a tour of the place and everything held in it if I was going to be living here? Yeah, that might be helpful.
He stopped in front of a door and took my hand, holding it in front of a touchpad. “Mas had this room programmed with all the adults’ fingerprints as part of the new measures with Pixel. It’s not that this room is secretive, but,” he paused, smirking, and pressed my thumb down on the scanner. The door beeped and swung open. Inside wasn’t what I was expecting, as humid air and chemicals assaulted our noses.
“Holy shit, you guys have a pool!” I looked at Nicco, my mouth hanging open as I took in the gleaming waters. He smiled wider, liking that he was getting to surprise us. Even Wells had changed the surly frown into an expression of awe.
“That’s not all,” Nicco said, pulling me and reaching back to grab Wells with his other hand.
I smiled when Wells was too stunned to notice, not dropping Nicco’s hand. I caught the tilt of Nicco’s lips and wondered what his plan was. The more I got to know Nicco, the more I realized how much he enjoyed teasing others and pulling them into things that scared them. He’d done it for me, and I could see him doing it for Wells. It only made me realize how beautiful it would be when Wells let go of whatever he held onto so firmly.
“There’s also a hot tub and this European bath that’s basically like a giant Epsom salt bath with healing abilities. I thought you could both benefit from it.”
It really was a sweet gesture, and despite whatever naughtiness he had in store, it had come from a place of caring.
“So, why is this room locked so heavily?” I asked, scanning it as I looked for anything that might seem top secret.
“Mas didn’t want any of the young kids to stumble in here and not be supervised in case they fell into the water.”
I stopped, turning to stare at him. “Wow. I didn’t even think about that. Even if he doesn’t know it, Mas really is a great father.” I sat down on one of the benches, processing everything. “So, do we just get in naked?”
Nicco laughed, moving closer, and I saw Wells look at me, heat in his eyes. “That’s always an option, Beautiful, but there are suits in the locker room. You two get changed, and I’ll be back in a few minutes. I need to check on something first.”