Chapter 9: Chapter 9: The Breach

EVA

The last couple of weeks have been a whirlwind, to say the least. Caden found Nate a great school and got him enrolled, and even though I offered to take him and pick him up with Frankie, he said no. He would do it himself.

Nate comes running in every day, talking about his day and how he has so much fun at the new school. He’s made a ton of new friends and absolutely loves his teacher.

After Caden picks him up, he has Frankie bring him upstairs while he goes back to work for a couple of hours. We have gotten into a great routine and have had a lot of fun in our new adventure.

I was so nervous because everything seems great, but it was great in the beginning with Scott also. Although, the way I see Caden look at Nate, it’s like he was always his.

We go back and forth between the apartment and the mansion. The ladies have explained to me what the procedures are with the kids and adults in case the alarms go off.

There will be voices that will come through overhead speakers announcing what’s going on. We even went through a simulation drill just in case, so I would hear what it sounds like.

They also showed me that on the elevator there’s a hidden button which leads to the basement. Once activated, that is the only place it stops.

We also have a hidden staircase, just in case, which requires a passcode. Once downstairs, we verify we have everyone in the basement. Then we notify the cars to stand by and wait for the signal telling us if we need to continue or not.

Every man has a keychain with a button, and once it’s activated, it disables the elevator and passcode and tells us and the getaway cars that we are on our way so no one can follow us.

The men have their own exit and will meet us at the vehicles and safe houses that are off the property.

Training has been nonstop, and I have even been issued my own guns and holsters to wear just in case. Everything has been pretty quiet, and today has been no exception.

The guys have decided to do a barbecue this evening and went out to get everything they need. I’m not allowed out because it’s too dangerous and, in all seriousness, Frankie follows me like a fucking shadow.

Even if I’m inside the house, you never know… Ortiz could be hiding in the cupboard. I mentally roll my eyes because it’s starting to get old. I know Frankie means well, but I just need some space.

The guys all show up with what seems like fifty bags of food. I wonder who and how many are they feeding? Then I see half of the bags are just meat… oh, that explains it. I chuckle to myself.

The other women and I are getting all the sides together as the men are starting to cook outside and bring stuff in. The kids are sitting with Nate and Nate’s lion around the table, waiting for food to be served, when we hear it.

Gunshots ring out and then silence. Everyone stops what they are doing and drops everything. All the meat is brought off the grills, and everything is quickly shut off.

We wait for what seems like minutes to pass by when we hear more gunshots ring out. Everyone freezes when the alarms start sounding. A voice comes over the inside speakers.

“Breach at the main gate! Ortiz’s men are inside the main gate!”

We toss everything aside and grab the kids while the men run over and type in the passcode to a door. It opens to a secret room filled with weapons. We hear more gunshots outside and shouting.

I grab Nate and run with the other women and children heading toward the stairs when we are grabbed and spun around by Caden. He quickly kisses us both and tells us to go now.

Nate is screaming and crying in my arms, reaching for Caden, and I can tell he’s being torn, but we have to go. My heart is breaking because I don’t want to leave him, but we have to.

God, please protect the guys and get us through this!

Half of us rush into the elevator, and the other half quickly go down the stairs when we hear more gunshots ring out. Every time, my body flinches in response, and Nate tenses up.

We continue to hear them while we head to the main holding room that’s in the basement. A staff member calls on a phone to the cars, letting them know that shots have been fired, and we are waiting for instructions.

That means all the men except one get into the SUVs with guns loaded and are ready for us to arrive.

The one left is to answer the phone just in case the men call asking if we have gotten out. The only person who can let the guys know we are okay is one of the men.

We are huddled downstairs while we continue to hear a rapid succession of gunshots and shouting from above. After about twenty minutes, it goes all silent.

We continue to wait for word from above telling us if we need to run as Nate cries in my arms. The elevator hasn’t been deactivated yet, so everyone is sitting on the edge.

We are still here waiting when we hear the elevator start to move and some footsteps slowly come down the stairs. The women all shove their kids and their parents into the corner and make a barrier in front of them.

We all look at each other, nodding, and pull out our guns, getting ready to shoot. The seconds slowly tick by, and when the elevator and the stair doors open, we hear Caden and Frankie shout to us.

“You guys, it’s okay. It’s all over! So if your weapons are up, you can put them down. It’s okay!”

The crying and sobbing from both women and children is deafening in this room. We quickly holster our guns and run to hug the kids. I grab Nate and hug him tightly to me.

“Everyone’s okay. Our guns are put away.”

Caden and Frankie come running in as other men come running down the stairs. Caden grabs me and Nate and just holds us while he jumps on the phone to the getaway cars.

“Hey, Stan, we are good here. Unload and relax. We were attacked, but the situation is over.”

We all walk back upstairs. Caden refuses to let us go when he pulls out his phone to make a quick call.

“Mike, man, I need you at the mansion. We had a breach and have a cleanup job. Okay, I’ll see you in a bit.”

After he hung up his phone, the women started getting the kids into the entertainment room and put on a movie so we could get them to calm down.

We start to try and relax when Caden’s phone starts ringing, which makes everyone stop and stare at him. He looks at the phone, but no info pops up on the screen.

He looks straight at me and Nate when he picks up the phone and places it on speakerphone.

“Hello?”

“Hey, Maxwell, did you have a little fun with some of my men?”

“Ortiz, you’re on speaker, and actually, I did! Would you like them wrapped up with a bow and sent back?”

“No, thanks, they aren’t useful to me anymore. You can keep them. I do know, however, who you can send my way.”

“Not fucking happening.”

“Well, since I’m on speakerphone, and I know she’s standing there…Eva, love, don’t worry, baby, I’ll have you here in no time! Then I can send Maxwell photos of me fucking your brains out.”

Before Caden can even respond, the call cuts off because Ortiz hangs up. Caden is beyond livid. He hands his phone off and walks past me straight to the training room.

I start to walk after him, but Frankie grabs my arm, shaking his head.

“Give him time to cool off. We lost a few guards out front in the fight. So he has a lot going through his head right now.”

I just nod my head, but my heart is breaking for him. I help the ladies finish the sides for dinner. I can hear punching and grunting from the training room, and I know he is needing time.

The men are finishing up the meat, and Tony and Niko come inside a short time later saying the outside is clean and workers are making repairs. Once the food is done, I get Nate some food to eat while I go search for Caden.

As I walk down the hall, the punching and grunting get louder. I stop in the doorway and see Caden punching as hard as he can. He’s stripped off his shirt and there is sweat glistening across his back and running down to his shorts.

Thinking about what I would give to be that bead of sweat.

While I have thoughts going through my head, I can see his punching getting harder as he starts to sob with every hit. He slows down and finally drops to the ground with his shoulders heaving up and down.

I start to make my way over and can see blood drops smeared around on the mat. I kneel down and see the source—his hands are bloody from punching.

I slowly put my hands on his face, tilting his head to face me, and I see his eyes are bloodshot from crying.

I move his legs so I can straddle his lap and lightly place my lips to his. I pull back, place my forehead against his, and slowly let out a sigh.

“Caden, please believe me that he won’t have me, ever. Do you hear me? If he gets me and I have to shoot him myself, I will! You are my rock, and you are my love, and you are my king. I love you and always will!”

“Eva, you are my goddess. You are my love, and you are my queen. I love you, too, baby, more than you fucking know. If we take out Ortiz and take his empire, we will be dealing with shit I never wanted to get into.

“You do know that, right? Your parents got out of this life to keep you and Frankie safe. If this happens, we will be back in it. I want you to know what we will be getting ourselves into.”

“We will do what we need to do. If that means taking out Ortiz and taking over his empire, so be it!”

Caden smirks at me, and I crash my lips onto his. I never would have expected to be in this kind of lifestyle. Is it dangerous? Yes, but we are protected as much as we can be.

“We will need to replace the guards we lost and hire more. If he takes me, we need to be prepared. I will wear both pieces of jewelry at all times. We will get through this!”

When we slowly stand up, I take him into the kitchen so I can dress his hands and bandage them up. Luckily, no stitches are needed but they are pretty swollen.

After bandaging him up, I have him sit down and make a plate for him to eat.

While he is eating, I see Nate come running in with his lion. He climbs into Caden’s lap, crying. I see Caden stop what he’s doing and hug Nate, burying his face in his shoulder.

I never could have imagined I would find a man like Caden, let alone a man that takes to Nate like he does. I can’t help but get turned on when I see how Caden is with Nate.

It makes me love him that much more. They have their own special bond, and I cannot imagine a better father figure.

I grab some food and go to sit down when I see Nate hugging his lion and still snuggling with Caden, and my heart just melts. Caden is eating and sitting back, relaxing with Nate as Nate slowly drifts off to sleep.

I offer to take him from Caden, and the moment I go to move him, his eyes pop open to protest what I’m doing. So we just let him be. It’s been a hectic and crazy evening, and everyone just wants to relax.

Caden asks Frankie for his phone and scrolls through the contacts. He shows Frankie and Fernando the contact, and they both nod in agreement.

“Make the call, Caden.”

“I agree with Frankie. It’s time to go.”

I watch Caden push the button and can hear it ringing as he waits for it to pick up.

“Caden, my man, is it time?”

“Terrance, it’s time! We need our empire.”

“You got it, brother! We will meet shortly.”

Caden hangs up then he looks at Fernando and Frankie. Nothing is said between them, but everyone just smirks at each other.

The weekend winds down tomorrow, and we will be headed back to the apartment. Caden wants to stay there for the next few months as it will be a little harder to get up twenty-nine floors without being detected.

Also, within the next few months, he will have appointments with lawyers and this Terrance guy.

When he finishes his food, I dump his plate in the sink, and I follow him upstairs as he carries Nate in his arms.

We get into the elevator and slowly ride up in silence. The doors open, and we walk hand in hand down the hall. I stop at Nate’s room and Caden shakes his head.

“He will just end up with us, so we will just go to our room with our son.”

I can’t wait till this is over. Then we can hopefully have a somewhat normal life. We enter his room, and he sets Nate down while we go to the shower and just hold each other for some time before getting out and heading to bed.

I watch Caden slowly climb into bed and get comfortable, pulling Nate into his arms, and I can’t imagine being anywhere else.