“Are you okay, Holly?” Trent scanned as much of her as he could see, which wasn’t much considering there wasn’t so much as a molecule of air between them.
“I think so.” Did she mean to brush her lips across his neck when she said that?
Trent swallowed a groan. She reached up and cupped his cheek, as if reassuring herself that he was real and that he was there. If he had his way, he’d never leave her alone again.
“She’s bleeding.” Lorenzo cursed in Portuguese.
Holly tried to reassure them it was nothing, but she sat a bit too still as Lorenzo fetched a paramedic, then hovered as the woman checked Holly before bandaging her bruised and cut wrists. Miraculously, it seemed that was the worst of her injuries. At least the physical ones.
Trent wished they could take her home right then and talk in private about any of the wounds that went deeper than her flesh, including ones he may have inflicted himself.
They sat there are she recounted being abducted to the authorities. When the officer asked her if she’d experienced any sexual assault, Owen bent in half as if someone had punched him in the gut.
“No, I’m fine. They must really have wanted Trent’s money.” Holly reached out and touched the cop’s hand lightly. “I’ve told you every detail I can remember several times. Please, may I go? I just want to rest and call my mom so she knows—”
Holly’s face blanched of what little color had returned to her cheeks. Lorenzo steadied her until Trent could put his arms around her and tuck her against his chest again.
“Oh shit. I’m the worst daughter ever.” A tear slid down Holly’s cheek then. “Trent, how is my mom?”
“She’s doing great.” He smiled wryly. “She might never forgive me for losing you, but…other than that, better than expected. The doctors sedated her because she was ready to come out here and kick some ass to get you back.”
Holly snorted at that. “You’re right. She sounds fine. Thank God. I can’t believe I didn’t ask you sooner.” She went limp in his hold.
Trent said, “She’s had enough.”
The policewoman looked up at him and nodded, then asked Jordan, the head of the security team, “You want to take them or should I get them a ride?”
“We’ll take them. We’re going to hang around a while.”
“I’ll hire you to protect her, at least until we can set up something long-term.” Trent was grateful for their help.
“No need. Westbrook, Armand, and King law firm already did.” Jordan grinned. “And they tip really well.”
“Just like that? We can walk out of here?” Holly asked.
“Where you go from here is up to you.” Jordan nodded, looking between the four of them. “I mean, I’d recommend you stay vigilant and don’t go anywhere alone. Other than that, just let me know where your home base is going to be and we’ll set up as many precautions as we can to keep you safe.”
“I want to see my mom.” Holly didn’t hesitate.
“Unfortunately, the sedation protocol also means no visitors so she can rest undisturbed. The nurse said it’s a twenty-four hour ban and that they’ll allow her to wake naturally in the morning,” Owen told her. “Until then, you should rest.”
“Oh, I…” Holly looked at Owen and Lorenzo, then to Trent. “Where should I go?”
“What do you want to happen from here?” he wondered. Had he ruined everything or would she give him another chance? He didn’t deserve it, but he’d grab it anyway if she offered.
“I want you to take me home.”
Lorenzo dropped his head and Owen balled his fists. Though Trent tried to hide his disappointment, it must have been obvious in his frown and the way his arms went slack around Holly. “Okay.”
“Toyourhouse, I mean,” she said quietly, sparking hope within him.
“Oh. Really?” He froze, afraid to so much as breathe lest she change her mind.
“Yeah. If that’s what you want too. Or are you still going to insist, like last night, that you don’t care about anything other than super-hot foursomes and finishing the work we started together.” Holly jabbed her finger into his chest and stood up. She flicked her gaze toward their new bodyguards. Though Jordan wisely acted like he hadn’t heard what she’d confessed, the slight tilt to his lips made it clear he had and that he didn’t disapprove. Of course, Trent, Lorenzo, and Owen had heard all about how he wasn’t exactly traditional when it came to his relationship, and he’d bragged about his own feisty wife and their lover more than once in the short time since they’d met him, but Holly didn’t know that.
And Trent hadn’t done much to convince her that what they had was everything to him.
That was bullshit. Time to own it and fix it.