Timber (Hades, #4)

by Tate James

This time when the blackness of drugged sleep reeled me back in, I went willingly. Anything was better than reliving the pain of Zed's lie. With just one flippant comment from Jeanette—Agent De Rosa—he'd achieved the one thing Chase had failed at for so many years. He'd broken me.

Piece by piece, I took all the recent torture and abuse—no matter how patchy the memories—and tucked them into a box. Then I locked the box, wrapped it in chains, and dipped it in molten steel. Crack that, motherfucker.

"Watched? You ate about three bowls of soup and six slices of bread just to test it."

Because despite how much he'd hurt me, despite his betrayal and everything it had caused, I still fucking loved him with my whole sullied soul.

"If you decide to kill him, make sure he cooks dinner first," Cass suggested. "I don't want you going hungry if I get delayed." I snorted a laugh, but knew damn well he was serious. He hovered near but not touching as I climbed back into bed. Lucas had already checked all my dressings and lined up my medication beside the bed, so I was all sorted. "If you do decide to kill him," Lucas added, not bothering to keep his voice down. If Zed really was just outside the door, he'd be able to hear us discussing his death. Good. He fucking deserved

it. "Then I hope you will listen to his side of everything first. I'm not saying it will justify anything—far fucking from it—but for your own peace of mind, you should have the full story." That rendered me speechless, and Cass glared at Lucas like he'd just grown six heads and a fucking tail. "Screw that," Cass muttered. "Just make it hurt. I'll clean up the blood when I get back. You shouldn't be inhaling peroxide right now."

"Hayden," he murmured. "Words quite literally can't express how much I love you. There is no doubt in my mind: You're it for me. You don't just own my heart, babe, you are my heart. Without you, nothing matters. Every minute of the twelve days, four hours, and fifteen minutes you were gone, I was dead inside."

"I should go before Daddy Cass comes to drag me out of here." A sob caught in my throat, and I sputtered. "Never call him that again, please." Lucas grinned wide, proud he’d stopped my tears with humor. "Why not? He's old, for starters, and he oozes dom energy. Daddy Cass just fits."

"I was thinking I want you to shut the fuck up!" I shouted back, still wincing as I cradled my arm to my chest. "Get out, Zed. I owe

you nothing. I definitely don't owe you the chance to explain. Get. The. Fuck. Out. You're dead to me." Every word out of my mouth tore shreds off my heart, but I couldn't hold it back. I wanted him to hurt like he'd hurt me. His jaw clenched, and he gave a small nod. "You're wrong about that," he murmured, his eyes blazing with determination. I scoffed. "Oh, am I?" He nodded again, retreating to the door once more. "If I were dead to you, you'd have thrown the knife, not the remote." With a pointed look, he closed my door behind himself and left me to my crappy TV.

"Don't pretend like you care, Agent De Rosa."

A storm had rolled in while I was stretching, and I hobbled over to the window to pull the curtains open properly. There was something so soothing about the sound of pouring rain, so I opened one of the windows to hear it better.

Except logic and trauma occupy two totally separate areas of the brain, and no, they don’t talk.

"We're Hades and Zed. Dynamic Duo." I offered a sly grin. "Same as always, Zeddy Bear. We're the tightest team in crime since Bonnie and Clyde." A slow smile spread over his face, and relief sagged his shoulders. "Without their tragic ending, please." "Agreed." I gave a small laugh.

"Boss," Zed murmured as I stopped in front of him. "You're back." I shot him a smirk. "Damn right, I am."

"You know why. I'm not a young man anymore, Hades, and I've got my boys to think of. Only an idiot doesn't seek shelter in a storm, and girl, you're the storm. What safer place than in the eye of it?"

"If you or your brothers lay a single finger on my little sister... if you even look at her the wrong way... I will personally take a knife to your balls and turn them into a Christmas ornament. Then I'll cut your chest open, reach into the cavity, and rip your heart right out to play tennis with." I flashed another toothy grin. "Clear?"

"Because when you were lying there in my bed, naked and so fucking serene... I knew that you were my whole reason for existing. My whole damn reason. Then I started thinking about all your enemies, all the threats to your empire, and the bastards who would constantly be challenging the woman in criminal power. I sat there for hours, letting the worst scenarios play out in my mind, and I just..." He trailed off with a frustrated head shake. "I had to do something to keep you safe. Even if you didn't know about it."

"I'd burn the whole fucking world down for you, Angel."

Besides, little Gumdrop seems to enjoy throwing some big dick energy around." I snickered. "If anyone can back that up..."

"Nah, we had to do about sixteen rounds of rock paper scissors. Handled it like men, beautiful."

"I know. I never thought I'd find myself thanking another man for making my girl come, but... there it is. I know you asked Lucas and Cass to push you, but I want you to know I won't. I'll wait, as long as it takes, until you're ready."

Cass pushed the unconscious weight of his opponent off him, then tilted his chin as he looked up at our balcony again. This time, there was no mistaking his smirk—or the deliberately blown kiss. Sarcastic fuck.

"You can't do this," she spat back. "I'm FBI; you can't just—" "I can," I cut her off, "and I will do worse if you don't heed my warning. I survived Chase Lockhart; I can promise you, Rebecca, I will crush you like a bug under my heel if you cross me again. Stay the fuck away from Zed. Move states. I never want to see your face in my territory again."

"She's twenty minutes away," he informed me. "Best we wait so no one else stumbles over our crime scene." I laughed, then hissed as he tugged my hair again. "Oh yeah? What do you want to do to kill the time?" As if I didn't already have a fair idea. The corners of his lips lifted, and he stroked a hand over my throat and down my front. "I want to bring my Angel back," he

Goddamn, did he know how hot that was? Rolled-up shirtsleeves with strongly muscled forearms are to women what great cleavage is to men. Or, they were to me.

"Don't even fucking think about it," I growled, my eyes narrowed in warning. "Last time I let you finger fuck me in this car, I ended up getting arrested with no panties on."

Shelby. Now I remembered. Stupid Rex had named his three boys after cars: Ford, Lincoln, and Shelby. The man was obsessed.

Diana was perched on the counter and sent me a sly smile. "He had it coming, Hades. We swear."

“Sometimes true love comes along and makes you realize how shallow and meaningless all your past relationships were,” I commented like I was just musing on the nature of love. “Like any previous engagements were just trash.”

“How’d I do?” The woman asked, breathless with excitement. I gave her a proud smile. “Flawless. Welcome to the Timberwolves, Bethany.”

“Because a small part of me still thinks you’re going to choose. Eventually, you’ll only keep one of us... and it’ll be Zed. Because it’s always been Zed.”

“Yup. We need to plot three more executions, and I promised Diana I’d kill her parents for her.” Lucas gave me a lopsided smile. “Some might find that an odd thing to promise an eight-year-old, but from you to her? Cutest fucking thing ever.”

“My opinion of marriage hasn’t changed, Zed,” I told him sternly. “Especially now.” I tipped my head toward the other two vital ingredients in our recipe.

“I’m not late for my dick appointment, you fucking child. I came early to that one. Several times, if I remember correctly.” I yawned, emphasizing my point. “Leave me alone; I’m napping.”

Zed shot me a hard look, then pinned me to the wall and kissed me hard enough to spill my coffee.

“Your fault,” I teased, sipping what was left of my coffee. Zed smirked. “Worth it.”

“First you smoke weed in Zed’s car; now you wanna fuck in the backseat?” I laughed. “Lucas, you’re choosing violence today, and I’m here for it.”

“Dare...” she groaned, throwing herself forward to hug me again. “No, not away from you. I love you; you’re my big sister and the only person who has ever loved me enough to turn into a total psychopath just to keep me safe.” She paused, pulling back with a grin. “Zed doesn’t count; he did it for you.”

I’d end up shooting some bitch at a PTA meeting or something.