Tied Bond (Holly Woods Files, #4) (35 page)

“Okay.” My lips try to form a smile, but I’m too cold, too tired, too drained to force them to do anything more than the barest twitch. “That sounds good.”

His eyes, full of concern and shaded with fear, study me. “Yeah. You need to sleep,
bella.
You’re far too agreeable. Let’s go.”

And, for once, I don’t object as he all but carries me to his truck, puts me inside, and drives me home. I’m still cold when we get there, so I don’t argue when he picks me out of the cab and, this time, literally carries me into my house and up the stairs.

His phone rings once he’s deposited me on the bed, and he answers it. “What? … No, Trent, she’s not talking to you tonight... No, she’s in shock. It’ll have to wait—hang on.” He looks down at me. “What?”

“Tell him to check his voicemail in his office.”

“Why?”

“Because I called it, and when it rolled to his voicemail, I obtained a full confession from Carlos. It’ll be recorded there.” I bite my lower lip and peer at him through my eyelashes.

Drake stares at me, his lips twitching for a moment before he gives in, and a low chuckle leaves him. He relays the message to Trent, laughs, and hangs up. He puts his phone on the nightstand. “He said you’re a fucking genius, but I can’t tell you that because you might take him seriously.”

“Oh, totally. I’m taking that to the damn bank.” I kick my shoes off and stand. My knees wobble, but I manage to tug my yoga pants over my butt before I drop back down.

Drake rolls his eyes and bends to fully pull them off for me. I take my shirt off over my head and dump it on the floor before crawling under my sheets, sighing at the warmth of them against my skin, and cocooning myself into them.

“Drake? Will you come cuddle me?” I ask softly. I’m almost afraid of his answer. It’s usually him forcing me into cuddles after I’ve had a party with a killer.

“Right after I’ve actually shut the front door.” His laugh echoes in the room as he leaves to go downstairs.

I smile, tucking farther under the covers, and yawn. I always forget how tiring shock is… And also how tiring dealing with murderers is. I really do have to stop getting up in their faces like this.. Although, this time, I suppose he got up in my face.

Drake comes back upstairs and removes all of his clothes. I watch unashamedly—because not even another scuffle with a killer could spoil this view—and roll over to face him when he climbs into bed and yanks me against him. His body is hard and hot, and I curl into his side as he wraps his arms around me.

“I shit myself when I saw your car there,” he whispers, kissing my forehead.

“You should probably change those boxers,” I tease back.

“No. I’m not letting you go. Ever.”

“That’s a long time.”

“What do you expect? You keep getting up close and personal with vile killers.”

“True. This time, there is a silver lining though.” I tilt my head back to meet his eyes.

“I’m not sure we can have a silver lining in this situation,
bella
.”

“I didn’t come face-to-face with a gun. Just a knife. And, honestly, it was kind of a refreshing change.”

Drake takes a deep breath, closes his eyes, and mouths counting from one to five. “Noelle, sweetheart, close your eyes, please.”

“I wanted to watch some Netflix.”

“No. No more
Forensic Files
for you. That’s it. It’s banned. Never again. Do you understand that?”

I smile, still holding his gaze. “We’ll see,” I say softly, snuggling back into him.

He feels like he wants to say something else, but instead, he shudders out a long breath and tightens his arms around me. “I love you, you crazy bitch.”

I kiss his chest, my smile widening. “I love you, too.”

“I
can-a not-a believe you did-a not-a take me.”

I roll my eyes. “Nonna, it was a stakeout, not a freakin’ grocery store trip.”

“She shouldn’t have even been there in the first place,” Drake mutters at my side.

“Personally,” Dad starts, “I’m just thankful she did something other than shoot someone with her gun. I was considering rehabilitation.”

“You’d need to revoke her license to carry,” Dev points out. “Rehab would do nothing for her.”

“Who says revoking her license would make a difference?” Brody snorts. “She’d just bribe us and bug the shit out of us until one of us had it issued again.”

“Hello? I am here, you know.” I wave my hand, but no one pays me any attention.

“Y’all are givin’ me a headache with this talk of Noelle and guns.” Drake rubs his fingers across his forehead. “It’s not even exclusive anymore, as you all know, so can we talk about something else?”

I smile and lean into his side. Ah, alpha, protective Drake. This side is growing on me. Mostly because, after he got into bed with me last night, every time I woke up, his arms were wrapped around me, holding me against him.

I know I tease him about it a lot, but it really is one of my favorite things about him. The strong, protective side of him that roars out any time I come within a sniffing distance of danger is one of the parts I love about him most... Especially since he hasn’t yelled at me yet. It could totally change when we get back to my place, because I can practically feel the anger buzzing inside him, but you know.

For now, I like that side of him.

I’ll probably like it even later today. He only does it because he cares, and I’m starting to think he has more and more of a point about me and my dangerous situations. I do tend to find myself in them more often than not—and every murder case this year. Four out of four solved murders would be far more impressive if I hadn’t almost gotten myself killed in the process of doing the solving.

“I just can’t believe you did it again, Noelle,” Mom says, sitting down with her coffee mug. “Has it never occurred to you that perhaps settling down and having a—”

“No, and it isn’t going to occur to me any time soon,” I interrupt her. “Honestly, Mom. Nonna’s been yabbering on about marriage for at least six years. Do you really think I’m going to agree to babies?”

Drake chokes next to me, and with a grin, I smack his back.

“Thank you,” he rasps, his eyes watering.

“You really should get that gag reflex under control,” I warn him.

He knows what my family is like.

“Ironic, coming from a woman,” Brody muses.

“Brody Bond, you watch your dirty mouth,” Mom scolds him.

Nonna cackles from her chair in the corner. Funny. I thought she’d tuned of the conversation out because of her annoyance.

“I was just sayin’, Mom.”

“Then don’t,” she responds tightly. “You’re still young enough to go over my knee, young man.”

Dad shakes his head. “Kellie, give the boy a break.”

“I’m twenty-seven,” Brody points out. “I’m not a kid. I’m a detective. Not a boy.”

“Pointing it out makes you sound like a kid,” I say to him. “Not gonna lie, Brodes.”

“Aren’t you the one under fire here? Because you almost got yourself killed?”

“But I also caught a murderer and made his arrest easy, so it’s a fifty-fifty situation on the anger scale.”

“You knocked him out,” Dev replies dryly. “Right out cold, sis. He had to go to hospital and be treated for a concussion before he could be brought in this morning.”

“Then he shouldn’t go around brandishing knives and trying to kill people, should he? Karma will get him.”

“And let me guess,” Drake drawls. “You’re karma this time.”

“Precisely.” I pat his knee. “He messed with the wrong woman. His mistake was dragging me into the darkness.”

“Because it-a is-a dark-a enough inside-a your head,” Nonna offers with a sly grin.

“Thank you, Nonna. Coming from you, that’s quite the compliment.”

She grasps the handle of her stick and shuffles her butt forward. “Why-a you—”

“And that’s my cue to take you somewhere else.” Drake stands up and holds his hand out for mine.

I roll my eyes but place mine inside his and let him pull me up. I throw a wave over my shoulder at my family as he leads me outside and puts me into the truck.

There’s been a lot of that in the last twenty-four hours.

Maybe alpha-Drake isn’t so nice after all. There’s such a thing as overkill, and we’re gonna have to talk about this.

“Go ahead,” I say as he starts the engine. “I know you’re dying to do it.”

“You were stupid,” he says, backing off the driveway. “Going there alone, and Bek doesn’t count as backup, was stupid.”

“I know.”

“You were irresponsible and careless, and as much as I respect the fact that you were trying to help Mom, it doesn’t excuse the fact that you did something totally fucking dumb and probably didn’t think it through at all.”

“I didn’t.”

“If you’re saying this to placate me, Noelle Bond, I swear to God...”

“I’m not. I’m just giving the most sheepish answer I can think of while you rant.”

“Okay. Good.” He rolls his shoulders. “You were stupid and irresponsible and careless. You were thoughtless and ridiculous, and you put yourself in real danger yet again. Do you know how scared I was when I realized that you were, again, in the presence of a killer? I didn’t know that you definitely had your gun. I didn’t know if you’d be able to arm yourself against him. Goddamn it, Noelle. One day, you’re gonna do this and you’re not gonna come out alive, and I can’t cope with that!” He slams his hand against the steering wheel, accidentally honking the horn.

“I know.” I look down at my hands. “I’m sorry I made you feel that way again.”

“I know you are. And that’s why I’m moving into your house and putting mine on the market.”

“Okay.”

He jerks his head toward me, his gaze smacking into mine. “You—okay?”

“Okay.” I shrug a shoulder. “I’m not selling my house. It’s bigger than yours, and there’s no way you’re going to get my clothes in your closet, never mind my shoes. I can probably make room for yours, and if not, you’re gonna have to build me shoe space in the spare bedroom so you can use that space for your clothing.”

“Okay?” he repeats. “You’re not going to argue?”

I smile. “Why would I? You’re going to move in regardless, and besides, you were right the other day. We are always together. It doesn’t make any sense for us to live apart when we spend every night together. All we’re doing is doubling our outgoings when it’s pointless. Plus, I’m never getting rid of you, and it’ll be nice to have someone to put up my shelves.”

Laughing, he reaches over and cups the back of my neck. His thumb strokes the side of it, teasing the curve of my shoulder, and the grin that’s spreading across his face gives me a major case of the warm-fuzzies.

Ugh, that grin. The only thing that could give me a better warm-fuzzy is lying on the floor while being licked by a dozen puppies, and even then, Drake’s really happy grin may just win out.

“Is your mom at my house yet?”

“You know you’re gonna have to start calling that ‘our’ house soon.”

“I know. But, until you’re moved in, it’s mine. Give me something, here.” I cringe as he tickles my neck.

“Yeah, yeah. Whatever. But yes, she should be. She said she would be anyway. I guess she’s finally ready to come clean about her big old secret.”

“I’m kind of scared.” I look at him. “Aren’t you? It must be something really important to her for her to keep it so quiet, even through the investigation.”

“Mmhmm.” He turns onto my street.

Instantly, I see Gianna’s car in my driveway. She’s sitting on my porch steps, and she looks anything but relaxed.

An odd state for a woman who’s just been un-arrested for murder.

Drake pulls up behind my car, next to hers, and kills the engine. We both get out of the truck and head for the house.

“Hey, Mom,” Drake says.

“Hey, son. Can we all talk?”

“I’d love to talk.” Drake puts the key in the front door and unlocks it.

Then I follow him in. Wow. Feels strange following him into my own house. It’s going to take a while to get used to it not just being mine anymore.

We all take seats around the kitchen table, and it feels an awful lot like something serious is about to go down. Like shots will be fired—figuratively, not literally—and people are gonna get pissed off.

Oh, please, no more anger.

I’m so done with anger today. I’ve had it from all angles.

“I’m going to deal with you later,” Gianna says to me, a stern look in her eye.

“Yes, ma’am,” I mutter, shrinking back.

“Great. What’s your secret, Mom? Because I know that’s why you’re here, and call it a gut feeling, but I know I’m not gonna like it.” Drake rests forward on the table on his forearms.

Gianna takes a deep breath. “You’re not.”

“So come on. Tell me now.”

She pushes her bangs from her eyes, and with trepidation in her gaze, she looks up at him. “Six weeks ago, when I went to Austin, I ran into your father.”

Drake’s whole body tenses. From his legs to his arms to his jaw. I know him well enough to know that every part of him will, and does, resemble a granite statue right now, so I reach beneath the table and rest my hand on his thigh.