Caleb

Chapter Thirty Nine

"Take off that armor and let us protect you." Axel added.

Unsure if it was the precious words of affirmation and encouragement or the overwhelming emotions from her father's funeral, but Lainey could barely contain the tears that had started to well in her eyes as her chest heaved with heavy breaths.

"I love you Lainey...you don't have to be brave right now...I've got you." Caleb whispered in her ear as he wrapped his arms around her, giving her a place to find refuge beneath his muscular arms.

And with those little words, Lainey came apart in Caleb's arms.

She sobbed into his chest and took in fistfuls of the back of his suit jacket, clinging to him like he was the only thing holding her up. She slowly started to feel hands on her head and shoulders as each one of Caleb's teammates gave her a physical show of support, comforting her and allowing her to draw off of their strength.

I have lost family and gained family so quickly that I don't know how to feel. I'm equal parts devastated and ecstatic all wrapped into one and the only way my body knows how to handle this level of emotional high is to cry.

Lainey had never cried like that in front of other people or in public, but Caleb and his team had made her feel safe enough to be that vulnerable and it felt good to get the poison out and to let go of the toxic emotions she'd been holding for so long. She felt like she was leaving all of the resentment and hatred there at the gravesite. Like she was ridding herself of the hardened heartless version of herself that she had been forced to become in order to survive in her father's corrupt world.

Once her sobs softened into light whimpers and sniffles, Caleb lifted her head toward his and wiped the trail of tears that had streaked her cheeks with his thumbs.

"You Lainey, are a fucking warrior...you're my fucking warrior and we are damn proud of you." Caleb said with a smile, reminding her that vulnerability wasn't weakness.

*****

A few hours later Caleb, Lainey, James and the rest of Caleb's teammates were on a plane to California. She was sitting in between Caleb and Marcus, drifting in and out of sleep on Caleb's shoulder, letting his scent wrap around her as she snuggled against him. Lainey had curled herself into a little ball in the seat, leaning most of her body against Caleb while Marcus draped an arm over her legs as if she were a human armrest.

Her tired eyes fought against her as sleep came and went throughout the long flight, but James' voice slowly pulled her from her sleepy state, making her more alert with every word he spoke as she eavesdropped.

He was talking in a low voice with Declan and Hunter in the seats directly behind her.

"Exactly that could be my in and once they view me as one of their own I could hand them over to you one by one." James said.

"It's fucking risky and you'd be putting a huge target on your back. I'm not crazy about it, but we can keep it on the table for discussion." Hunter replied.

Keep what on the table for discussion? What exactly were they discussing?

Caleb cleared his throat loudly, indicating to James and his teammates that Lainey was eavesdropping.

How did he even know I was awake?

The row of seats behind her quickly went silent, causing every part of Lainey's curiosity to want to speak up and demand to know what they had been talking about, but the bottom line was, she was exhausted. Unable to make the head space to process James' conversation with Declan and Hunter, Lainey resigned to the fact that Declan and Hunter were highly trained and would be the last ones to put James in danger or make irresponsible decisions.