Theirs to Keep

C H A P T E R E I G H T

“DAMN IT, DAD,” CADE EXCLAIMED as he reached to keep Elle from bolting from the room.

Charles Walker glanced between the three, his eyes narrowing suspiciously, but then his gaze settled on Elle and he frowned.

“You blew off work for a one-night stand?”

Merrick groaned. “For God’s sake, Charlie. Shut the fuck up for two seconds.”

Elle was standing, her arm outstretched where Cade had caught her wrist to keep her from bolting. She was staring at Cade’s dad like he was the antichrist. And, well, he couldn’t exactly fault her suspicion. Damn old man had no filter whatsoever. He said what he liked when he liked and didn’t much give a fuck what anyone thought.

“What the hell happened to her?” Charles demanded as he stared harder at her. It seemed to have finally sunk in that she was obviously injured and scared out of her mind.

Merrick stood and walked around the table to take Elle’s hand. He glanced back at Cade. “You deal with him. I’ll take Elle in the other room.”

Cade sighed as Merrick herded Elle out of the kitchen, and then he turned to his dad.

“What did I say?” Charles asked, raising his hands, palms up.

“Oh for fuck’s sake,” Cade muttered. “What do you ever not say?”

Charles slid into Merrick’s vacated chair. “What’s the story on the woman?”

Cade leveled a stare at his dad. “I’m only telling you if you keep quiet, and I mean you don’t say shit to anyone.”

Charles shrugged. “Whatever you say.”

“I’m serious, Dad. This is deep. I haven’t said much to Merrick about this aspect of it, but we have to keep this quiet because he can’t afford to fuck up his chance at a title shot. This could get twisted around and reflect badly on Merrick if we aren’t careful.”

His father’s expression became serious. “What’s the matter, son?”

Cade ran down the story from the time he and Merrick had responded to the breach in security to the present. By the time he was finished, Charles was wearing a scowl that rivaled Merrick’s worst.

“Son of a bitch,” Charles muttered.

“Yeah.”

“So you’re going to keep her?”

The incredulous tone to his dad’s words rubbed Cade the wrong way.

“What do you want me to do, Dad? Toss her out? She’s hurt. She’s been raped and God only knows what else. The son of a bitch shot her twice. It’s a miracle she’s alive. And she’s terrified of the police. So you tell me. What would you do with her?”

Charles sighed and rubbed a hand over his balding head.

“And you’re a damn liar if you tell me you’d toss her out, so don’t even try that shit with me, old man.”

“Think you know me so damn well,” Charles grumbled.

Cade cracked a grin. “I know you’re a grumpy-ass huge marshmallow.”

Charles flipped up his middle finger, and then he stared in the direction of the living room. “So seriously, Cade. What are you going to do with her? You and Merrick have enough on your plate between the business and his training and career. And the job doesn’t run itself. You know I’ll help in any way I can, but you’ve still got a huge problem on your hands.”

“She’s not a problem,” Cade said quietly. “She needs to rest and recover physically, and she needs a place where she feels safe in order to do that. That’s going to be with me and Merrick. When she’s able, we’ll take her into the office with us so she isn’t alone. We’ll figure it out.”

“I’m reading a lot more than just a white knight in action here,” his dad mused. “You’re interested, Cade. I’d swear that you and Merrick are both sniffing around the same female.”

Cade didn’t answer.

Charles sighed. “That’s never a good idea. This can’t end well. You have to know that. You and Merrick go way too far back to let a woman come between you now.”

“We’ll deal with it,” Cade said tightly. “Right now, all we’re concerned with is getting her well and back on her feet. She has an entire past she remembers nothing of.”

“That’s a hell of a lot of baggage she’s sporting, son.”

“Nothing so heavy I can’t help her carry it,” Cade said in a quiet voice.