Finally, they backed away, and Thorpe had to work to keep it together. Another stiff breath, a long pause, then he was finally able to carry on. “What’s next?”
“Let me catch you up on a few things. We’ve intentionally kept Callie in the spotlight so the mercenaries who tried to kill her will shy away from finishing the job. We can’t say it on the air, and it’s classified so don’t make me shoot you, but the FBI is running down the identities of those assholes. James Whitney is part of a homegrown separatist group, run by ex-military malcontents, calling themselves LOSS, or the League of Secessionist Soldiers. We’re trying to figure out who’s funding them. The NSA is getting involved. It seems they’ve been working this case from another angle. But Whitney and some of his counterparts have slipped into Mexico. They’ll be caught; it’s just a matter of time. The most important thing now is that Callie no longer appears to be a target.”
“That’s good news. I think we’d be wise to remain cautious.”
“Absolutely,” Sean confirmed. “The bureau has kept me on the case, so I’m up on the latest. I also have some answers to the questions I didn’t have when they first sent me to watch over her. According to my boss, the bureau knew about Aslanov’s genetic research and knew the later findings had disappeared. Eventually, they figured out that Daniel Howe probably had them, but before they could reach him, LOSS did. Though the Chicago PD botched things by labeling her a suspect early on, everyone in the loop here hoped Callie had important information, even if it was something she knew unconsciously. These genetic experiments are still going on, and Uncle Sam isn’t excited about the idea of an army of superior soldiers under the control of people who want to overthrow our government. Hence, all the secrecy. Since Callie had proven ridiculously slippery over the years to bring in, they sent me to her, hoping I could find out what she knew before she ran again. Of course, the bureau wishes Callie would have kept some of the details in her father’s notes to herself, and if my boss had given me more information about my mission, I might have been able to facilitate that, but mission accomplished. Everyone is happy.”
Well, almost. Thorpe nodded. “All the douche bags who’ve chased her over the years, who sent them?”
“The bureau is disavowing knowledge of any bounty hunters, but personally I think they’re full of shit. It might have been the NSA or some other player of Uncle Sam’s who hasn’t shown his cards yet. Who knows? Either way, now that the secret about the research and Daniel Howe’s murder is out, Callie knows nothing else of value to make anyone want to kill her. I’m guessing the assassins were sent by LOSS. We’re still running that down.” Sean shrugged. “There’s not much else on that front.”
“Well, then, we should talk about Callie. I’m making a huge assumption that she’ll actually have me back.” Thorpe held his breath.
If she wouldn’t, he had no one to blame but himself.
“I can’t speak for her, but I can say that she hasn’t been the same without you.”
“During her last interview, she looked . . . I don’t know, sad. Not quite complete.”
Sean nodded. “She was determined not to bother you if you didn’t want her, no matter how much it was hurting her.”
Thorpe grunted his disbelief. “I wish she had ‘bothered’ me. This is probably the only time I’ll ever be tempted to turn her over my knee for following my directions.”
“She’d like that.” Sean grinned.
“I would, too.” After he kissed her, held her tight, told her that he loved her and would never let her go. “This isn’t a fling for me. It’s the rest of my life.”
“It better be.”
“But . . . you know I’m getting old. Callie is still so young.”
“What, are you Old Yeller now? You think I should take you out back and shoot you? Stop. It’s going to work out if you let it. Don’t think about anything except that we love her and she loves us.”
“You’re damn smart, Mackenzie.” Thorpe shook his head wryly.
“I’ll remind you of that next time you think about calling me a dumbass.”
Despite the moment being cloaked with laughter, Thorpe knew that he and Sean had forged a friendship with respect.
“Where is she?” Thorpe asked. “I want to see her.” Desperately. Right now.
“At home. I didn’t want to bring her here or get her hopes up unless I knew that . . .”
“I’d pulled my head out of my ass?”
“Something like that,” Sean admitted. “For now, we’ve rented a quiet little house near Highland Park. She’s there now, probably in bed reading. She likes that.”
“She always has.” Thorpe smiled fondly. Then worry set in. “Where does she think you are?”
“Work. I rushed out the door after I got a few calls.”
“From Axel?”
“The first one came from Logan to ask if I’d come. Axel rang next with details. Luc called to ask what you like to eat. Jack called to ask me a series of questions that told me he’s a scary-smart bastard. You have some interesting friends.”
Thorpe smiled. He did. He’d have to thank them, too. Eating crow would suck, but they’d been right.
Now that he was determined to be with Callie, a vital question stomped across his brain. “I have to know, have you already put a ring on her finger?”
“No. It’s been a whirlwind for weeks, running from one interview to the next, dealing with her estate, moving into a new place. We’re finally home for a few days, so . . .” Sean shrugged.
Which meant that Sean intended to propose.
“What if . . . I married her?” When Sean opened his mouth, Thorpe’s stomach tightened. “Just hear me out.” He paced for a silent moment, then turned back. “You’ve already collared her. That’s sacred. I would never try to impede on that bond. But since you’ve got that claim on her, I have no other way to call her mine.”
Sean said nothing for a very long minute. “Are you thinking of not sharing in her submission?”
The idea was like a stab in the gut. He would take Callie however he got her, but he was a Dominant through and through. Never having her kneel or call him her Sir, not really having the authority to punish or praise her except in the most vanilla ways . . . “I want her submission more than anything.”
“That’s what I suspected. Have you ever thought about claiming her before?”
Sean was so unflinchingly honest and unafraid. Thorpe knew he had to be the same. “A little more than two years ago, before I knew who she really was, I was mad for her. Completely smitten. I bought this.”
He turned away to his bedroom, gesturing for Sean to follow. Inside his closet, he shoved clothes aside to reveal a safe. A few turns of the dial and he was holding a black velvet box. He handed it to Sean. “Open it.”
The lid opened in soft silence. Sean’s eyes fell to the contents and widened. “It’s beautiful. It suits her.”
“That’s why I bought it. I have a jeweler friend, and when I told her I’d been looking for the right something for Callie, she showed this to me. I couldn’t not buy it.” He sighed. “I realized Callie’s identity two weeks later and tried to tell myself it was for the best.”
“Why didn’t you return it?”
Thorpe had asked himself that question a million times. “I couldn’t bring myself to. In my head, it was made for her.”
“It had to have cost you a fortune.”
He laughed. “It did. And at the time, I just didn’t care. She was worth every penny.”
“I understand completely. If you want to see Callie now, bring that with you and be prepared to use it. I’ve got an idea.”