Jabber cut him off. “I can see the boys not wantin’ the women to see dead shit, blood, and body parts, but I don’t got a problem with that, so at least can I get outta this fuckin’ room?”

“Me too,” Chen put in.

“Fine,” Caleb agreed shortly, stepping aside to let them pass. Both men moved quickly to the door.

“So the men can leave, but the women can’t?” Leah asked, and Caleb turned his eyes to her.

“Callum ordered you all stay here. So you all stay here,” Caleb returned.

“I’m not fond of blood and body parts, therefore, I’ll stay and have another cup of tea,” Jian-Li murmured as she sat in the armchair that Chen vacated, leaning forward to the teapot and cups that were on the coffee table in front of her.

“I’ll ask them to come down as soon as they can,” Caleb said and wasted no time backing out and closing the door.

Leah flopped on the couch, grumbling, “Maybe I will do tequila shots. It’ll serve Lucien right for sticking me in a bunker and leaving me here.”

I sat next to her and asked, “Do you want to see blood and body parts?”

I asked this because I really didn’t. I could be a tough cookie, but I was okay with not seeing that, just as long as Abel showed (and soon).

She looked to me. “I want to see my husband.”

Obviously, I got that and nodded, then pointed out, “Sorry to say, there’s no tequila. Just coffee and tea. I probably shouldn’t have mentioned it. We’ll be certain that they equip our bunker better next time.”

She huffed out a breath but said no more.

Jian-Li lifted the pot my way in a nonverbal offer of tea. I shook my head. So did Sonia and Leah when Jian-Li offered it to them. Regan accepted.

The waiting before seemed to take back-to-back eternities.

The waiting right then thankfully didn’t last that long.

The door opened and the men walked in.

Lucien whisked Leah out in a whoosh. Callum went directly to Sonia.

Abel came to me as Wei and Xun went to Jian-Li.

He looked fine. Tired but fine. Both Wei and Xun looked the same (though, Xun had a bandaged hand).

When Abel got close, he lifted both hands to cup my jaw, dipped in, ran his temple along mine, caught my eyes, and whispered, “It’s all good.”

I nodded, clutching his tee at its sides, staring into his eyes, and believing him.

It was all good. Everyone was alive, breathing, and fine.

Thank God, it was all good.

For now.

And this was great at the same time it sucked, because I knew as for tomorrow being good, we would have to wait and see.

Chapter Nineteen

At All Costs

Abel