SecretM JL Dedication From Crystal: First, I would like to dedicate this book to my Nana, Viola Fetherman, who passed

d away at the end o last !pril" She told me many times how proud she was o me or pursuin# my dreams and Secret Maneu$ers was the book she was waitin# to read" I miss and lo$e you Nana" %hank you or bein# the wonder ul #randmother that you were" &ou'll always be with me in my heart" Secondly, this book is dedicated to all o the men and women who wear the uni orm and i#ht or our reedom" &ou're an inspiration and a daily reminder that reedom is not ree" It comes with he ty price ta#s that you all shoulder or the rest o us" %hank you" From Melissa: %o all o my amily members and close riends who ser$ed in the military and those I call my brothers currently o$erseas( this is or you" %)!N* &+,- %o all the men and women who ha$e ou#ht or our reedoms, your sacri ices are paramount and words alone cannot e.press our #ratitude to you" /ut we can try" %hank you rom the bottom o my heart" Acknowledgements

I'd like to start by thankin# my 0addy, Scott Fetherman" 1$en thou#h he likes to pick on me or writin# romance no$els, he's still pretty awesome about answerin# the #abillion 2uestions I ha$e about weapons and the military durin# the writin# process" So thank you 0addy, or 3ust bein# you" 4hich sometimes is a crotchety old man who still rocks out to 5eor#e %horo#ood's /ad to the /one on his air #uitar, but I wouldn't ha$e you any other way" I lo$e you tremendously" 6From Crystal7 %o my riend !imee 8ercy, who was part o the inspiration behind !nnabelle's character" %hank you woman- !nd I mean da#9#um- L+L 6!lso rom Crystal7 Ne.t we'd like to thank our two beta readers: Crystal at :eadin# /etween the 4ines and Laura at Little :ead :idin# )ood" &ou two ladies are ama;in#, and we simply adore you- %hank you or bein# such #reat riends to us" %o !li;on and *ristin at C<0 1ditin#, thank you or the hard work ladies" Lo$e you or what you do-

! bi# shout out to all o the re$iewers we work with- &ou all are a truly ama;in# bunch and we lo$e workin# with you- %hank you or the lo$e and support you'$e shown us this past year" Lastly, to our readers who support us by buyin# our books- %hank you bunches- &ou are ama;in#" 4e wouldn't be here without you" Secret Maneuvers Ex Ops Series: /ook= > 8ublished by Jessie Lane at Smashwords Copyri#ht ? @A>B by Jessie Lane First 1dition 1dited by C<0 1ditin# 8ublished: June >C, @A>B Co$er !rt by Jessie Lane IS/N: DEF9>BA>GC@ADC I you ha$e purchased a copy o this e/ook rom Smashwords or its o icial distributors, thank you" !lso, thank you or not sharin# your copy o this book" %his purchase allows you one le#al copy or your own personal readin# en3oyment on your personal computer or de$ice" &ou do not ha$e the ri#hts to resell, distribute, print, or trans er this book, in whole or in part, to anyone, in any ormat, $ia methods either currently known or yet to be in$ented, or upload to a ile sharin# peer to peer pro#ram" It may not be re9sold or #i$en away to other people" Such action is ille#al and in $iolation o the ,"S" Copyri#ht Law" I you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy or each recipient" I you are readin# this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased or your use only, then please return to Smashwords"com and purchase your own copy" I you no lon#er want this book, you may not #i$e your copy to someone else" 0elete it rom your computer" %hank you or respectin# the hard work o these authors Secret Maneuvers 1. +ps Series: /ook > Copyri#ht ? @A>B by Jessie Lane

!ll ri#hts reser$ed" No part o this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any orm or by any means, or stored in a database or retrie$al system, without the prior written permission o Jessie Lane, e.cept as permitted under the ,"S" Copyri#ht !ct o >DEH" !ll ri#hts reser$ed" 8ublished by Jessie Lane Co$er !rt by Jessie Lane First 1dition 1dited by C<0 1ditin#, 8ublished June >C, @A>B IS/N: DEF9>BA>GC@ADC Secret Maneu$ers is a work o iction" Names, characters, places, and incidents are the products o the author's ima#ination or are used ictitiously" !ny resemblance to actual e$ents, locales, or persons, li$in# or dead, is entirely coincidental" No part o this book can be reproduced in any orm by electronic or mechanical means, includin# stora#e or retrie$al systems, without the e.press permission in writin# rom the authors" %he only e.ception is by a re$iewer who may 2uote short e.cerpts in a re$iew"

Table of Contents Chapter +ne Chapter %wo Chapter %hree Chapter Four Chapter Fi$e Chapter Si. Chapter Se$en Chapter 1i#ht Chapter Nine Chapter %en Chapter 1le$en Chapter %wel$e Chapter %hirteen Chapter Fourteen Chapter Fi teen Chapter Si.teen

Chapter Se$enteen Chapter 1i#hteen Chapter Nineteen Chapter %wenty Chapter %wenty +ne Chapter %wenty %wo 1pilo#ue /i# /ad /ite 1.cerpt !bout the !uthor Prologue Annabelle %he 5eor#ia summer ni#ht air was hot and humid, but that didn't stop me rom cuddlin# as close as I could #et to the boy I lo$ed most in this world" %he sweet smell rom the a;alea blossom that /obby /aker had tucked behind my ear dri ted around me, creatin# a alse sense o security" My chin was settled on the back o my le t hand as I lay propped up on his chest" 4ith so much wei#hin# on my mind, I was distractedly starin# into obli$ion o$er his body in the #eneral direction o /obby's belo$ed >DHE Ford Mustan# Shelby 5%CAA" %he car's black paint blended with the ni#ht, but its white racin# stripes #lowed bri#htly down the center in the so t moonli#ht" /obby said the only thin# that he lo$ed more than that car was me" )owe$er, that lo$e wasn't stron# enou#h to stop him rom lea$in# me behind tomorrow" )e kept tellin# me that I was worryin# too much" %hat e$erythin# was #oin# to be alri#ht" No matter his reassurances, the massi$e lump o dread in the pit o my stomach wasn't #oin# away" %hat uneasy eelin# you #ot when somethin# terrible was about to happen was hauntin# my e$ery moment, and it was only a matter o time be ore whate$er it was would come to pass" %he 2uestion was, would I come out alri#ht on the other end o the impendin# catastropheI Sprawled on top o a blanket on the bank o the creek, my mind was mo$in# aster than the speed o li#ht at what lay ahead o us tomorrow" /obby was holdin# me ti#htly while he stared at the bri#ht stars abo$e us" %he amiliar sounds o the critters in the orest, accompanied with the crickets around us, did nothin# to ease the hea$y silence that /obby and I were tryin# so care ully to tip9toe around" 4hat elt like a thousand pounds o pressure on my chest e$entually became too much" I resi#ned mysel to broach the sub3ect he was tryin# so desperately to a$oid" J4hat time do you lea$e tomorrow, !ceIK /obby's hand ti#htened on my shoulder or a second be ore he started strokin# the bare skin abo$e my tank top" JI'$e #ot to be at the bus stop at se$en"K My chest sei;ed up and the ability to breathe suddenly elt impossible" Fi#htin# my instincts to sob uncontrollably was almost pain ul, but necessary, as I reminded mysel that toni#ht would be the last ni#ht we would ha$e to spend to#ether or months" %omorrow he was headed to Fort Leonard 4ood in 4aynes$ille, M+ or ten weeks o !rmy /asic %rainin#" ! ter that, it would be at least ourteen weeks that he would be #one durin# the ne.t phase o trainin#

or an In antryman position" 1$en lon#er i he was selected to attend :an#er school" Months and months be ore I could see, taste or touch him a#ain" I had to reassure mysel in the most basic ways that /obby /aker, one o the town's #olden boys, was really and truly all mine( that someone like him could, in act, lo$e a #irl like me( to ha$e the physical proo rom his hands and mouth as they touched me that I was not alone in this world" %hose were hard acts or me to accept when /obby was all I #enuinely had here" Sensin# the direction o my thou#hts he #rabbed my chin #ently and turned it so that I was lookin# at him" J0on't think about it toni#ht, /elle" %oni#ht is 3ust or us, rememberI Come here"K :ollin# to his side, /obby pulled me up the last ew inches so that we lay acin# each other while he stroked his in#ertips down the side o my ace" J0on't eel sad, baby" 4hat's our planIK )oldin# back the tears that threatened to escape rom my eyes, I placed one o my tremblin# hands o$er his heart" J&ou're #oin# to basic" 4hile you're #one, I'm supposed to stop by your momma's as o ten as possible, so e$eryone knows I'm okay" I 0addy #ets drunk or becomes trouble a#ain, I call your dad ri#ht away to come and #et me" %hen, when you're done with all o your school, you're #oin# to come back and #et me because I'll inally be ei#hteen" &ou'll take me ar, ar away rom this small town and we'll li$e happily e$er a ter"K Cockin# his de$astatin#, #ood ol' boy #rin, /obby nodded his head" J%hat's ri#ht, baby" 0on't or#et the plan" &ou'$e 3ust #ot to make it a little while without me" %hen irst chance I #et, I'll be back or you" &ou're the town tou#h #irl" &ou'll be 3ust ine" 8romise me, thou#h, that i you run out o ood a#ain, you'll #o see Mom"K My cheeks burned with embarrassment" I knew he was 3ust lookin# out or me, but who wanted to admit that they o ten went hun#ry because their ather would rather buy his boo;e and ci#arettes than pro$ide a warm meal or his child" %uckin# my chin to my chest I murmured, J8romise"K J4hen I #et back on lea$e, we'll ha$e our happily e$er a ter, /elle" &ou and me ore$er, with no one standin# in our way" I'll #et to wake you up in the mornin# with those slow kisses you lo$e so much" 8ut you to bed at ni#ht a ter I'$e touched e$ery inch o your sweet, little body with my hands"K My body #a$e an in$oluntary shi$er at his words" JCome here and #i$e me some hot memories to keep me warm on the lonely ni#hts to come, baby"K /obby's mouth co$ered mine" )is ton#ue caressed my own in sweet, smooth strokes that warmed me rom the inside out" )e kissed me senseless until I had to #asp or air" J0o you eel better nowIK )e wasn't talkin# about my emotional state o mind" I'd had a horrible case o strep throat that my dad had re used to take me to a doctor or" ! ter missin# a ew days o school because my e$er was o$er one hundred two de#rees, /obby inally talked me into #oin# to his house so his parents could try and help me" )is ather mi#ht be a armer, but his uncle was the small town's physician" ! ter one phone call, a home $isit rom 0r" /aker, and strict instructions or drinkin# as many luids as possible while takin# the medication, my e$er had inally broke" Now, a week and a hal later, I elt like my old sel a#ain" +r, at least, I would i my heart wasn't breakin# into a million pieces inside my chest" J&eah, !ce" !ll better" %he antibiotics cleared me ri#ht up"K J5ood,K he said so tly be ore #ently brushin# his lips a#ainst my own" I brou#ht my hand up to cradle the side o his ace, sweepin# my thumb o$er his cheekbone" My eyes tra$eled slowly o$er /obby's ace, memori;in# or the millionth time e$ery eature he had" Startin# with his thick, lush, chestnut hair with subtle blond hi#hli#hts, due to his lon# days spent in the sun" %hat hair curled around his ears and dropped down into his eyes since he'd or#one his usual

monthly haircuts" )is e.traordinary baby blue eyes with lecks o white and #ray reminded me o sunny days spent la;in# about in a hammock, cuddled ne.t to him in the /akers' backyard" %hey were the most beauti ul eyes I'd e$er seen" )is prominent cheekbones, strai#ht nose, and stron# 3aw completed a handsome ace o a boy that was on the $er#e o becomin# a man" %he kind o #ood looks that you knew would only #et better with a#e" )e was attracti$e now, but when he was older, I 3ust knew he was #oin# to be the kind o stunnin# that women became mesmeri;ed with" I elt that amiliar, o$erwhelmin# awe ill me or what had to be the millionth time in the past two years" I didn't know i I would e$er be able to accept that the popular, hometown boy had taken a chance on the bad #irl rom the wron# side o the trailer park" )e was the ootball star" I was the an#ry #irl with a massi$e chip on her shoulder and my middle in#er stuck up in the air at the world" /obby made e.cellent #rades, so all the teachers lo$ed him" For the most part, my teachers i#nored me as lon# as I had a passin# #rade in their class" )ea$en orbid any o them actually took a chance to #et to know me" %o see that there was a core o #oodness tucked away underneath the rebel attitude" /obby was a #ood ol' boy who went huntin# and ishin# with his daddy as well as their riends" )e ne$er #ot in a lick o trouble and seemed to e.cel at e$erythin#" %hat's why I'd nicknamed him !ce" )e was always Lacin#' anythin# he tried to the point it 3ust about made you sick that he was always so talented" No matter the di iculty le$el o the task you put be ore him, he would complete it with 2uiet e iciency as i he was born to do it" )e was per ect" I, howe$er, was as ar rom per ect as you could #et" /obby somehow mana#ed to see the best in me" )e lo$ed me in spite o my laws" 4e were rom two di erent worlds" %he town may not think much o me, but none o that mattered because /obby /aker had decided to chase me down, dra# me home to his parents, and then do his best to show me that I could ha$e a amily that lo$ed me" %hat I didn't ha$e to resi#n my li e to 3ust a drunken, abusi$e ather, who beat my mother into the #round until it killed her" %o open paths o possibilities or me, instead o the run down li e I thou#ht I was doomed to" /obby /aker was my world" My heart" My soul" %he reason I woke up e$ery day with the desire to #et out o bed and ace a world that seemed like its a$orite hobby was to ind ways to kick me when I was already down" /obby made puttin# up with all o that heartache possible" )ell, he was my hero" 4ithout him, I doubted I could sur$i$e in this cra;y world we li$ed in" Luckily he was always promisin# that I would ne$er ha$e to worry about a world where there wasn't some part o him that would always be with me" I prayed e$ery ni#ht that he was ri#ht about that" +bli$ious to my inner turmoil, I watched as he used his ree hand to smooth the hair back rom my ace( runnin# his callused in#ers throu#h the strands as he leaned down o$er me until our aces were only an inch apart" JLo$e you, /elle"K /obby crushed his lips o$er mine a#ain, stealin# the breath rom me as he mo$ed his body o$er mine" 8roppin# himsel up on one elbow, he used his other hand to pull my tank top o$er my head, lyin# it on the #rass somewhere ne.t to the blanket" )is hands roamed my body until I was burnin# or this boy who meant e$erythin# to me" 4hen it elt as i I mi#ht e.plode rom his torturous play, he sat up to strip o his shirt" %hen he shucked o his shorts and bo.ers so that he stood proudly naked abo$e me wearin# nothin# e.cept that easy, cocky #rin o his and what 5od #raciously #a$e him( a trim body that was li#htly muscled rom days playin# ootball and hard work on his parents' arm" Chest, arms and le#s were deeply tanned in stark contrast to his rich chestnut brown hair and remarkable

eyes" *neelin# ne.t to me, he 2uickly pulled my cut o denim shorts and panties down my le#s" Co$erin# my body with his, he resumed to make me breathless with scorchin# kisses while his in#ers trailed slowly down my body" J&ou ready or me, babyIK My back arched to the buildin# sensation below" JMake lo$e to me, !ce" I'm about to come and I wanna eel you inside me when I do"K JFirst, tell me who lo$es you"K J&ou do, /obby"K J%hat's ri#ht, sweet baby" :emember that"K For the ne.t hour, two sweat9slicked, teena#e bodies tan#led to#ether in passion" 1$ery thrust became a little more desperate than the last" 1$ery moan a little louder" 1ach o us determined to show the other without words how much they elt with their hands, mouths and other parts" )ow deeply we cared" )ow consumin# our commitment was" Cementin# the unbreakable bond that had been in place or so lon# now, it elt as thou#h we were a part o each other, e$en when we were in separate houses" In moments such as this, I elt as i I couldn't tell where I be#an and /obby ended" )e had promised me that this was what it would eel like till we were old and #ray" 4hen it was o$er, we laid on the blanket #raspin# each other ti#htly" 0ra##in# ra##ed breaths in, I whispered, JI lo$e you, !ce" Fore$er"K 0roppin# his orehead to mine, he said, JI lo$e you, too, /elle" Fore$er, baby"K MMM Thirteen weeks later 8ullin# my dad's rust bucket o a pickup truck into the /akers' ront yard, I was a step away rom hyper $entilatin#" %his was it" I had to be# the /akers' to let me mo$e in with them because thin#s had #one rom su#ar to shit at my house" I didn't ha$e much time to con$ince them" I the drunken, old coot came to rom the nice little nap I'd caused by knockin# him o$er the head with his own whiskey bottle to see that I'd taken his truck, he'd probably beat me worse than he'd already tried to this a ternoon" ! ter today, I ob$iously could not stay with the inebriated ass that called himsel my ather anymore" Lord, I was up shit's creek without a paddle" I'd knocked that mean ol' shit the hell out and the only reason I wasn't ha$in# a ner$ous breakdown was because I'd checked his pulse be ore lea$in# the trailer" It was a sad, sad thou#ht that as relie$ed as I was to eel his heartbeat still beatin# and knowin# that I wouldn't be #oin# to 3ail or killin# my old man, I was e2ually disappointed that he was still ali$e" )e'd made my li e a li$in# hell and I couldn't care less whether he li$ed or died" I 3ust didn't want to end up behind steel bars or bein# the one that caused his e$il ass to stop breathin#" Since /obby had le t or the !rmy, I'd been so stressed out that it had caused me to be physically sick" I'd lost a #ood i teen pounds that I didn't ha$e to lose in the irst place" My clothes had #one rom loose to allin# o " %he act that I hadn't heard rom /obby in almost two months didn't help my ner$es, either" I mi#ht not ha$e elt so lost i my best riend, %ea#an, hadn't le t or the Marine Corps 3ust weeks be ore /obby had le t or the !rmy" 4ith her and /obby both #one, thou#h, my li e elt like a ship tossin# at sea with no land in si#ht" %he worst had to ha$e been spendin# my ei#hteenth birthday alone" My ather had tied

one on the ni#ht be oreNno surprise thereNand then passed out at one o his women's houses, or#ettin# all about it" Not that I e.pected him to care anyways" So I should probably consider his absence a blessin#" )owe$er, it didn't stop the little #irl in me rom eelin# de3ected" I'd recei$ed a i$e minute phone call rom %ea#an, which bri#htened my day, but not a word rom /obby" %hat had hurt the most" %he rest o the e$enin# a ter %ea#an's phone call was spent bent o$er the toilet" It was ar rom the birthday o my dreams" Lookin# in the rear $iew mirror, I tried my best to lu my blond hair around my ace" !s lon# as the wind didn't blow it around too much, then the unruly wa$es should co$er most o the purpled bruise that was le t behind on the back o my 3aw" I couldn't take his crap anymore" I he so much as tried to lay a hand on me a#ain, I was #oin# to end up bein# arrested or homicide" +r, at least, attempted homicide" It was time to #et out while I still could be ore I ended up like my mother" /eaten to death" %echnically, Momma had died rom a heart attack, but that heart attack had been caused by too much stress rom her husband pummelin# her bloody, on top o an already weak heart" I didn't think I had my mother's weak heart and I will be damned i I let that bastard beat me to death anyways" Mrs" /aker walked out onto the porch holdin# somethin# in her hand" ! somber e.pression on her ace" Scrubbin# my hands o$er my ace, I orced mysel out o the car until I stood at the bottom o the porch steps in ront o her" J)i, Mrs" /aker, how are youIK JFine, /elle" I'm #lad you stopped by( you'$e #ot a letter rom /obby here" 4hy don't you sit down on the swin# to read it, honey"K )oldin# out her hand to me, I saw the en$elope e.tended in my direction" 4alkin# up the steps, I took the small en$elope rom her and stared at it" ! sense o dread eased up my spine rom a combination o her care ul tone and what elt like an en$elope that was way too thin" Somethin# didn't eel ri#ht" 4ouldn't /obby ha$e written me a nice lon# letter to let me know how much he lo$ed and missed meI I e.pected lots o pa#es rom him so that he could tell me about e$erythin# he had done and seen so ar" Not this little en$elope that only looked bi# enou#h or a ew sentences" I could write a book about how much I lo$ed and missed him, surely he wrote me more than one pa#eI Sittin# down on the swin#, my hands started to shake a little as I opened the en$elope and pulled the short, one pa#e letter out" Dear Belle, Sorry it has taken me so long to write you back. i!e has been kin" o! hectic since # reache" my new base !or my $"%ance" #n"i%i"ual Training. Some "ays it !eels like my worl" has been !lippe" upsi"e "own an" it&s cause" me to "o a lot o! thinking. #&%e seen some cool things that woul" blow your min". 'et some interesting people, too. (uys my age an" ol"er guys who ha%e le!t their !amilies behin" so they can start a military career. $ll these new experiences an" people ha%e gi%en me a lot to think about. istening to their backgroun"s an" stories make me reali)e how sheltere" our li!e has been up until now. #&ll be honest, Belle, #&m not sure #&m rea"y !or !ore%er !or us. #&m not sure that we shoul" run o!! an" get marrie" right now. *e&re so young. There are so many things we&%e yet to see an" "o in li!e. +ou&%e ne%er set !oot outsi"e o! Syl%ania, an" # "on&t want us to "o anything now that we may regret "own the roa". 'aybe we shoul" take things slower. Take some time apart to make sure that this is what we actually want in li!e be!ore we make such a big ,ump. # lo%e you, Belle. #&ll always lo%e you. +ou were the !irst girl who touche" my heart. *ho ma"e me !eel emotions outsi"e o! the ones # !eel !or my !amily. #&m sorry i! this is coming out o! le!t !iel" !or you an" # hope you un"erstan". o%e $lways,

Bobby %he words blurred to#ether as small, wet spots started to appear on the pa#e" In a matter o 3ust i$e minutes, my world had o icially allen apart" %he paper trembled in my hands as my mind worked o$ertime and I be#an the process o turnin# my heart to solid steel in my chest( cuttin# o my emotions" ! trick that had been in daily use e$ery day o my li e be ore /obby /aker had e$er stepped oot in it" I couldn't break down here in ront o Mrs" /aker" No one #ot to see !nnabelle Smith cry" Nobody" No matter how much it hurt" It wouldn't be the irst time someone had tried to break me, but it would damn well be the last" I should ha$e listened to my instincts that had blared bi#, honkin# alarms the moment /obby /aker had sat at my table in the hi#h school ca eteria and said hello" Nobody as #ood and pure as !ce would e$er want to settle or a #irl who li$ed o o clearance cans o tuna ish and dressed in thri t store clothes" It was stupid to think anyone, other than %ea#an, who had placed hersel in ront o my ather's ists to protect me, was okay to let close to my heart" She'd bou#ht that loyalty rom me with bruises and blood" Lookin# back now, I reali;ed /obby hadn't bou#ht my loyalty with his lo$e" )e'd bou#ht my body with alse promises and kisses" )adn't I li$ed a $aluable lesson watchin# my mother take beatin#s rom the man she lo$edI Lo$e was a 3oke" ! airytale that mother's told their dau#hters while tuckin# them into bed at ni#ht 3ust be ore the man they swore was their 8rince Charmin# knocked the li$in# shit out o them because supper was cold" It was a scam that conned stupid people into lettin# their #uard down so that some 3erk could di# their way inside the deepest part o them, place a tickin# bomb ne.t to their soul, and then blow it to smithereens" I would ne$er be stupid enou#h to let my emotional walls down a#ain" Ouickly wipin# the lone tear rom my ace that had escaped despite my e orts, I stood and aced Mrs" /aker" ! sli#ht mo$ement in the corner o my eye cau#ht my attention" Lookin# o$er, I saw Mr" /aker was standin# behind the screen door with his head hun# almost to his chest, studyin# his boots in the uncom ortable silence" J%hank you or #i$in# me the letter, Mrs" /aker" I'll 3ust be on my way home now"K Side steppin# her outreached hand I rushed to the truck and sped rom the /akers' home, kickin# up dirt in my screechin# tires' wake" I willed mysel to keep it to#ether lon# enou#h until I could #o somewhere by mysel to be alone" Somewhere, where I could all apart be ore i#urin# out what the hell I was #oin# to do ne.t" It elt like the world had inally turned its back on me" 4ith my shitty luck in li e, I should ha$e e.pected this sooner or later" 4ho would want to settle down with the town's trailer trashI Certainly not a respectable boy like /obby /aker" I was well and truly on my own" Nowhere to #o, no one to care, and more 2uestions than answers about what was #oin# to happen ne.t" !s the $iew in ront o me became one blurry piece o landscape that no lon#er seemed to make any sense, I pulled the truck o$er on the side o the country road and parked" 0roppin# my head to the steerin# wheel, my body imploded with pain as I elt my heart shatter in my chest" 4hat in the hell was I #oin# to do nowI Chapter One -i!teen years later Bobb

J)ey, /aker-K :iley Sulli$an, ellow member o the 1P +ps team bellowed rom the end o the hall in ront o me" J&ou're late or the meetin#- 5et your ass in here be ore the Commander has a hissy it and abandons you to some tropical shit9hole as punishment"K I turned on my cat9who9ate9the9canary #rin and continued my la;y saunter down the hall towards the room" !bandoned to a 3un#leI /een there, done that" 5ot the stinkin# t9shirt to pro$e it, too" /y stinkin# t9shirt, I meant the shirt I'd had to take o in the middle o the 3un#le and throw away because a monkey had thrown rotten ruit at me" +nly the #uys swore the brown stu lun# at me was not rotten ruit" %he second that mission was o$er, I'd taken a shower so hot it could ha$e boiled my ass ali$e i I'd stayed in there too lon#" )owe$er, i Ja.on, my stick9 up9the9ass Commander, wanted to send me on a 3un#le $acation, I sure as shit wasn't #oin# to complain" !ll I had to do was make sure to pack my weapons, ammunition, bu# spray and plenty o resh shirts" ! machete mi#ht come in handy, too" I'd be happy to pro$e that I could take anythin# Ja.on threw my way, monkey shit and all" It was better than sittin# in my house, starin# at blank walls" Steppin# throu#h the door, I peered around the room at the unit be ore makin# my way to the back o the room to take the last a$ailable seat at the table" It was your standard con erence room, e2uipped with dull, white walls and cheap, commercial #rade, #ray carpet" No windows were allowed so that whate$er sensiti$e data bein# passed around in the room could be kept protected by those ew select souls who were pri$ile#ed enou#h to recei$e it" %he room was lit by bri#ht, halo#en bulbs rom the ceilin#( li#hts that reminded me too much o the ceilin# i.tures I'd had to stare at while I'd been laid up in a hospital bed years a#o, immobile, with a bullet in my knee" %he only decorations were a #iant, dry9erase board that was centered on the ront wall, and o$ersi;ed, ramed 2uotes rom heroes like 8atton, JNo bastard e$er won a war by dyin# or his country" )e won it by makin# the other poor, dumb bastard die or his country"K My personal a$orite, 1isenhower's 2uote, hun# se$eral eet down rom 8atton's, J4hat counts is not necessarily the si;e o the do# in the i#htNit's the si;e o the i#ht in the do#"K +n the opposite wall hun# 8atrick )enry, J%he battle, sir, is not to the stron# alone( it is to the $i#ilant, the acti$e, the bra$e"""K %he ourth rame stated, JIn war there is no substitute or $ictory,K rom Mac!rthur" %hese were the e.tent o Commander Ja.on's attempts to keep his unit moti$ated" I thou#ht that was cra;y because we had the ultimate orm o moti$ation whene$er we were on a mission" &ou either stay ocused or you #ot dead" SeeI Moti$ation" !nytime we were out doin# what we were paid to do, we were on our own" %hose ramed 2uotes e.isted in the real world a whole hell o a lot more than the 1P +ps team did" + the record, we were super$ised by the 0irector o the CI! in con3unction with the 0epartment + 0e ense, and the men in this unit were mainly comprised o e.9military" 4e had one e.ception on the team because he'd been recruited rom the CI!" Most o my teammates had been acti$ely recruited while they were still in ser$ice or whate$er branch they worked or( Na$y, !rmy, Marine Corps, and e$en one rom the !ir Force" !pparently, paperwork was nothin# to those who ran 1P +ps behind the scenes" Still in your our year contract with the !rmyI Not a problem" Suddenly you're miraculously and honorably dischar#ed" !lready submitted your paperwork to re9up or another si. years in the Marine CorpsI No bi##ie" 4ouldn't you know there was a paperwork mi.9upI &ou actually decided to #o ci$ilian instead o stayin# in the military" Lookie there, no more obli#ations to hold you back

rom 3oinin# us now" I'd 3ust been medically dischar#ed due to a bullet to the knee when I was approached" !pparently, the !rmy thinks you can't be a ully unctionin#, bad ass :an#er i your knee cap is replaced with a ew metal bits" 4hich makes them entirely cracked in my opinion" It's not like I was the tin man and they had to keep me loaded up with body oil" So a ter a year o physical therapy, ener#i;ed by nothin# more than my do##ed determination to still be all that I could beNdespite what the !rmy thou#htNI was out o my soldier's career" 4alkin# around in ci$ilian li e with nothin# un to do and too much time to think about shit I didn't need to think about" Like her" Ne.t thin# I know I'm approached by a couple o #uys that make spies workin# or the CI! look like 3ackass amateurs" 4ith one 2uestion, they had my ull attention, J4ould you like to ser$e your country in ways you'$e ne$er dreamed were possibleIK 0oes a monkey like to lin# shitI In other words, J)ell yes,K but I want to know a ew thin#s irst" 4ith a ew well9placed 2uestions likeN J4ho the hell are youIK and J4hat's in it or meIK Nne.t thin# I know, I'm si#nin# the dotted line to hand my li e o$er to ,ncle Sam in ways the !rmy ne$er owned it" I'm not talkin# about ,ncle Sam on the !rmy recruitment poster, either" No, I'm talkin# about my new boss, codename L,ncle Sam"' No one knows what his real name is" I was in ormed durin# my orientation that all I needed to know was that 1. +ps was secretly owned by the ,nited States #o$ernment with directi$es handed down by the 8resident, sometimes at the behest o the 0+0, and issued to us throu#h our CI! handler, L,ncle Sam'" Fin#erprintsI 4ho needs thoseI Let's wipe the records o those suckers o the ace o the earth so they're not an issue or later" Fake I0s needed or underco$er 3obsI No problem" 4eapons and ammunitionI Step o$er to what we like to call %oys L:' ,s or #rown men" 8ick a weapon, any weapon" 4atch out or that lame thrower, thou#h" It #oes a lot arther than you think it does" 4hat are the catchesI 4ell, now that you askedQwe own you" !s in, you don't take a crap without our sanctionin# it irst" Mi#ht as well #o ahead and accept that" &ou ha$e an initial si. year contract you ha$e to ul ill, with the option to renew a ter it's completed" No way out o it e.cept #oin# si. eet under#round, or where$er else your body may be dumped" !lso, ne$er, e$er, talk about the team" 4e don't care i you're bein# tortured with bamboo under your in#ernails or doin# the dirty with your #irl in the sack" In ormation about your ,nit ne$er lea$es your mouth" +n paper, you are a pri$ately unded Special +perations %eam hired out or hosta#e rescue, hi#h tar#et body#uards, and security specialists" &es, you will take the occasional side 3ob to help keep up this public opinion" + paper, you are the ,"S" #o$ernment's #o9to #uy" In other words, i we can't le#ally send someone in to do the 3ob, we'll send you instead" %hat way, i you screw up, there's no blow9back on us" ,ncle Sam decided they wanted a #roup o the best combined into a hi#hly classi ied strike orce or the most delicate situations the #reat ,"S" o !" had to handle" +kay, so maybe we weren't 3ust the best" Some o us also mi#ht be considered brokenNsuch as mysel Nproblem children who didn't ollow orders well, or were lat out wild to the bone, but we all held skills other men ailed to e.cel at" Not to mention, these were missions that were in places that ,ncle Sam had no le#al #round to send in military teams, like the Na$y Seals or the 5reen /erets" So, lucky #uys like me were approached and recruited to 3oin 1P +ps because we seemed like the most unlikely characters that the #o$ernment would use" %hen, ,ncle Sam could send us o on

missions we mi#ht not return rom without losin# sleep at ni#ht" )a$e I mentioned that I lo$e my 3ob, yetI For three years now, I'd been workin# with a #roup o ei#ht men that made :ambo look like a 3ackass" I trusted each and e$ery one o them implicitly to watch my back and work side by side with me on our missions" %hey weren't 3ust my brothers in bullets and blood, they were also men I was ortunate enou#h to call my riends" 4e were as close as a bunch o #uys who blew shit up and rescued sni$elin# politicians on a re#ular basis could #et" %hat didn't stop me rom snortin# in dis#ust at the bri#ht oran#e paper on the dry erase board that cau#ht my eye as I parked my ass in a chair" 4ritten on it in black marker, it read, LI lo$e the smell o napalm in the mornin#-' Shakin# my head in disbelie , I looked o$er to the only idiot who would possibly tape that up there" %he dumbass I #rud#in#ly called my best riend anytime our asses were drunk at a bar and bein# rowdy" 0eclan Sulli$an" J&ou re3ect" &ou'$e been ha$in# one o your military mo$ie marathons a#ain, ha$en't youIK )is cheesy smile was all the answer I needed" Shakin# my head in disbelie I continued, JI knew I should ha$e dra##ed your ass out o the house this weekend" Now you're #oin# to try and do impersonations a#ain until someone threatens to disembowel you with their *!9/!:" Fuckin' #reat"K ! #rowl o annoyance cut throu#h any urther response I would ha$e made" JNow that :an#er /oy has decided to #race us with his shinin# presence, we ha$e a ew minutes to #o o$er some acts be ore our #uests arri$e to brie us on the mission,K Commander Ja.on barked" J5entlemen, ,ncle Sam has become aware o a situation in$ol$in# the !%F" %he /ureau o !lcohol, %obacco and Firearms has been conductin# an in$esti#ation in re#ards to black market irearms and ammunition buys rom all o$er %e.as" %hese supplies are bein# sold and then smu##led to a dru# cartel in Me.ico" )owe$er, recently they ha$e recei$ed some intel rom contacts that the Cartel is now in the process o a deal that would in$ol$e a bulk buy and shipment o irearms rom an undisclosed location here in the ,"S"K J%he 8resident o Me.ico has been in contact with our 8resident and the 0irector o the CI!" )e has asked or our assistance in stoppin# any more buys rom occurrin# and any more shipments that may take place" +ur mission is to assist the !%F a#ents assi#ned to this in$esti#ation so that they can unco$er the source o the the ts and sales, as well as a possible raid o the buyers in Me.ico"K ! shrill beep cut throu#h the silence o the room, and the ei#ht men sittin# around the table in their $arious orms o ci$ilian clothes watched Commander Ja.on 4all, a ormer Na$y Seal, answer his secure S!% phone" ! ter a ew tense seconds, he #a$e a #ru , Jshow them in,K be ore closin# the phone to ace his men a#ain" %he sounds o booted steps echoed closer to our con erence room until the door was opened by the escort, allowin# a man who looked to be in his late thirties into the room" )e had short, brown hair with ha;el eyes and sported a slim, well9built body encased by khaki's and a black polo embroidered with the !%F lo#o on the chest" %he man was nothin# noteworthy, 3ust your a$era#e lookin# Joe" 4hat made my breath catch was the woman who walked in behind him" 0irty blond hair, streaked with natural white9 blond hi#hli#hts was pulled back into a braid that ell hal way down her back" She wore low rise 3eans that showed o a lat tummy and well9rounded ass" )er bad#e was belted to her waist with her #un in its holster on the opposite side" ! it, black, short9slee$e poloNalso embroidered with an !%F emblemNdid nothin# to hide her more than ample breasts( the kind that o$er illed a man's hands" 1$en lar#e hands like mine" Moss #reen eyes scanned the room, roamin# ri#ht o$er me" !s i she didn't e$en know

who the hell I was- It mi#ht ha$e been i teen years, but I damn sure knew who she was, despite the chan#es in her appearance" )er body had chan#ed a lot o$er the years" She'd been considered stick skinny back in those days because her shithead o a dad couldn't ha$e cared less about whether there had been ood in the house as lon# as he'd had a bottle o whisky to drink and ci#arettes to pu on like a chimney" Now her belly was sli#htly rounded out instead o de$astatin#ly ca$ed in, her hips were lush, and her damn chest looked as i it were at least two si;es lar#er than what I'd lo$in#ly held in my hands lon# a#o" She'd illed out in ways I'd dreamed about when we were kids and all I could think about was ha$in# my #irl sa e under my own roo , eedin# her re#ular meals, and makin# her happy" )er hair was way lon#er, but I bet that once it was out o that ti#ht, con inin# braid that it was still the same mass o loose curls I had run my in#ers throu#h a thousand times be ore" ,nbelie$able" Fi teen years later, and !nnabelle Smith was standin# in my unit's meetin# room as a reakin# !%F a#ent a ter disappearin# rom our small hometown o Syl$ania, 5eor#ia" My irst lo$eNthe one who I'd oolishly let #et awayNstood ri#ht in ront o me, lookin# better than any o my $i$id memories could e$er do 3ustice" My /elle" I clenched my ists on top o my thi#hs to stop the ur#e o rushin# up to #rab her and dra# her home with me" &ears o lookin#, pri$ate in$esti#ators who #a$e me nothin# e.cept broken dreams, and she 3ust walt;ed in here like she didn't ha$e a care in the world" I did my best to calm the heart racin# in my chest like it was 3acked up on meth" J5entlemen, these are !#ents /oyd and :oberts"K I elt my ace morph into a mask o con usion" :obertsI /elle's last name wasn't :oberts" %hat was her best riend, %ea#an's, last name" 4hat the hell was #oin# on hereI Ja.on continued speakin#, J%hey're the two a#ents in char#e o this in$esti#ation" 4e're on a short time table to #et these two back to %e.as, so let's #et started with a brie introduction"K %urnin# to ace /elle and her partner he pointed to himsel and said, JI'm Commander 4all" %he men seated in ront o you are :iley Sulli$an, 0eclan Sulli$an, Lo#an 8rice, /obby /aker, 4yatt /rooks, !rturo Cha$e;, Chase !nderson, and Lucas &oun#" Now with that out o the way, would you please in orm us o your operation as it stands ri#ht nowIK My con usion was 2uickly morphin# into an#er" /elle's eyes had passed ri#ht o$er me as i she didn't e$en know who I was- I knew better, thou#h" She knew e.actly who I was and when this meetin# was o$er I was damn well #oin# to #et some answers rom her" /elle handed !#ent /oyd a ba# be ore she stepped orward, while crossin# her arms o$er her chest to ace us" J5ood a ternoon, #entlemen" %owards the end o @A>A, +peration Fast and Furious ended shortly a ter the shootin# death o a border patrol a#ent" Found with the border patrol a#ent's body were two !*9GE's" It was later disco$ered that these two weapons, alon# with o$er two thousand others, were sold to Me.ican criminals under 8ro3ect Fast and Furious in an attempt to trace their paths and #et a lar#er picture o where #uns like these were bein# used in the #un smu##lin# rin#" J!#ent /oyd and I are here today because we ha$e a contact inside the :i$era Cartel based outside o Monterrey, Me.ico that in ormed us that they ha$e been buyin# irearms and ammunition rom a source here in the ,"S" %hey ha$e mana#ed to con irm se$eral indi$iduals that the !%F already knew, or suspected, dealt with black market irearms sales" 4e'$e loosely connected a ew o these indi$iduals to +peration Fast and Furious" %here's not enou#h e$idence to stick on anyone ri#ht now, thou#h" Just leads and suspicions"

JSo ar, we ha$e been unable to track down the indi$iduals behind these sales to the :i$era Cartel" %o compound this problem, our source now tells us that the Cartel is in ne#otiations or a massi$e purchase o irearms rom this same source" 4e're not sure where the #uns are or where they're comin# rom, but we need to i#ure it out, and 2uickly"K She pauses or a second and #estures towards her partner" J4hat !#ent /oyd is passin# out to you is your own dossiers on the in ormation we ha$e o the past sales that the :i$era Cartel has obtained" &ou'll also ind what in ormation we ha$e on the suspects we belie$e are in$ol$ed in the sales, includin# the Cartel's leader, Mi#uel :i$era" In case you'$e been hidin# underneath a rock somewhere or the past twenty years and ha$e ne$er heard o them, the :i$era Cartel is one o the stron#est, deadliest Cartels in Me.ico" It was started by :icardo :i$era, Mi#uel's ather, in the early >DDAs" :icardo kept the operation small, but since his death in @AAF, Mi#uel has 2uadrupled his area and power" )e's ruthless and it's paid o or him" )e now owns most o the northeastern Me.ican territories' dru# routes" 4e also ha$e intel that he's e.pandin# into human tra ickin#, pipeline tra icked oil, the t, and weapons tra ickin#" )e's a power player that needs to be taken out"K Ja.on stepped orward to stand ne.t to /elle" J!#ent :oberts, i it's okay with you, I would like the men to take their dossiers home to study while they pack up" %hen perhaps we can resume this meetin# with any 2uestions they ha$e later toni#ht" I'd like e$eryone to ship out or %e.as early tomorrow mornin#"K Noddin# her head in appro$al, she a#reed, JSounds like a plan, Commander 4all" Contact us with the speci ics later"K Stickin# her hand out to Ja.on, she #a$e him a con ident shake be ore #rabbin# her messen#er ba#, then turnin# on her booted heel and e.itin# the room with her ellow a#ent" !s the ei#ht men around me rustled papers rom their dossiers and prepared to lea$e, I sat there dumbstruck" /elle 3ust walked in and out o this room without actin# like she knew me" ! ury o wounded, male pride looded my senses" I'd be damned i she thou#ht she was #oin# to #et away like that- Standin# abruptly, my chair loudly clattered to the loor as I rushed out the door to ollow her" My neck started to itch rom the curious stares o my collea#ues, but I didn't care what the hell they thou#ht as I slowly 3o##ed out into the hall a ter her" J/elle-K She kept walkin# without acknowled#in# me" 4hat the hellI J/elle- 4ait up-K !s /oyd stopped to turn at my approachin# ootsteps, con usion on his ace, I reached out to #rab /elle's arm with my ri#ht hand to stop her" %wo seconds later, a shot o pain lashed up my arm as I ound my hand pulled backwards and bent at a nearly debilitatin# an#le" /elle's beauti ul ace stared back at me with bitter disdain" !n#er simmered in her #reen eyes so iercely, I elt the impact o it to the soles o my boots" /oyd stepped orward to stand between us 3ust as she released my hand and then held her other hand up to ward /oyd o rom inter erin#" JMr" /aker, I'll kindly ask you not to #rab me" 4hile you're at it, please re rain rom callin# me /elle" I #o by !nnabelle" Now, i you'll e.cuse me and my partner, we ha$e thin#s to do be ore toni#ht's meetin#"K /elle turned away and walked con idently down the hallway while /oyd #awked at me with open curiosity" 4ith a shake o his head, he 3o##ed a ter /elle, who had turned the corner, already disappearin# rom si#ht" Standin# there, eelin# a myriad o emotionsNshock, an#er, con usionNI watched as the only #irl who had e$er held my heart did her damndest to walk out o my li e( actin# like she didn't #i$e a shit as she did it" It elt like a sucker punch to the #ut by a hea$y9wei#ht bo.in# champ" !pparently, i teen years hadn't calmed the ob$ious an#er or pain she harbored rom the

letter that haunted me" %he letter I should ha$e ne$er written" She didn't e$en bother to #i$e me i$e minutes to try and e.plain" %o tell her that 3ust two weeks a ter her recei$in# that letter, I'd had my parents desperately searchin# the entire uckin# county or her, with strict instructions to tell her that I'd reali;ed my mistake" %o e.plain to her that I was stupid" :eally, really stupid" !nd sorry" So uckin# sorry" ! hand slapped down on my shoulder" I looked o$er my shoulder to see that it belon#ed to 0eclan, which meant that his brother, :iley, was the body standin# on the other side o me" JI take it that's the amous /elleI %he sweet, southern an#el rom home that #ot awayIK 0eclan asked" 4ith a #ru $oice, I answered, J&eah" %hat's her, alri#ht"K :iley snorted" J4ell, brother, looks as i your an#el is #one in more ways than one"K Annabelle

I sat with my orehead pressed to the steerin# wheel o the S,V rental, tryin# my best to take deep breaths and calm down" 4as this some cruel 3oke rom 5odI )ad I not been #ood enou#h o$er the years that I could ha$e been blessed ne$er to see /obby /aker or the rest o my daysI 0id I deser$e this kind o karmic in3usticeI I'd been runnin# rom a shady past and some killer secrets, but I'd tried to balance out the scales by li$in# a #ood li e( one almost beyond reproach" Now I'd 3ust run into /obby9 uckin#9/aker, all these years later, lookin# better than sin on a stick in his tall, muscled, si.9 oot rame" %hose de$astatin#, baby blue eyes lecked with #ray and white colors that reminded me o a 5eor#ia summer sky dotted with clouds" Se.y, chestnut brown hair liberally hi#hli#hted with blond and cut short a#ainst his head" Mouthwaterin# lips I could remember kissin# me like it was yesterday and not i teen years a#o" No lon#er was there a youn#, ei#hteen9year9old boy to dream about" No, instead there was a hard, lusty man to drool o$er with that ru##edly handsome ace I'd always known he'd #row into" %here were probably a hundred women who'd accidentally run into #lass doors or telephone poles because they'd been starin# at that ace o his with its ru##ed beauty instead o watchin# where they were walkin#" 4hat could I ha$e possibly done to deser$e such se$ere punishment as ha$in# to run into the one man who'd broken my heart in so many pieces that it had ne$er been sal$a#edI /oyd shi ted uncom ortably in his passen#er seat" J4ant to talk about it !nnabelleIK &eah, emotional #irl talks were so not /oyd's orte" JNo, /oyd, I don't wanna talk about it" In act, do me a a$or" Let's pretend all o that didn't happen, okayIK J%hat's him, isn't itIK J&eah" %hat's him, alri#ht" )ence why I don't wanna talk about it" %hat's also why you're not #onna say a damn thin# about me and my personal li e, ri#htIK %urnin# my head to #lare at my partner with an I'll9kick9your9balls9to9your9throat look, /oyd responded by shakin# his head in disappro$al be ore si#hin#" JIt's your li e" I don't a#ree with it, but I promise not to say a word"K )ea$in# a si#h o relie I cranked the en#ine and re$ersed out o our parkin# spot" J%hanks, /oyd" I owe you one" Now let's #o #et some beer be ore headin# back to these

apartments theyR$e stuck us in, in their impenetrable ortress here" I wanna #et settled be ore callin# Seth to check in" %hese boys will probably be ready or the ne.t meetin# in 3ust a couple o hours, and I need time to make sure my #uts are still made o steel be ore round two comes up" I mean, da#9#um, /oyd" 0id hell start ser$in# snow cones to its inhabitantsI )a$e you seen any pi#s lyin#I )as the 8resident sol$ed the national de icitI /etter yet, did they li t that house o the 4icked 4itch o the 4est and she's really ali$eIK /oyd chuckled" J)oney, your #uts aren't made o steel" %hey're made o uckin# titanium" &ou'$e #ot nothin# to worry about, but I #ot to tell you, no snow cones, no lyin# pi#s, the de icit still sucks, and that cra;y woman with the lyin# monkeys and striped socks is still ictionally dead" So maybe you ell into a %wili#ht Sone episode instead"K I only shook my head at his ob$ious amusement" %oo bad I didn't eel like my insides were all that solid at the moment" LCause Lord knew that seein# /obby /aker had 3ust rocked my little world more than I e$er thou#ht was possible" 4ith my shitty luck, I'd inally hit rock bottom, and at least it couldn't #o anywhere e.cept up rom here" !lthou#h, a little li2uid orti ication ne$er hurt anyone" !lso, it would sure as hell help me #et the ner$e to #o throu#h the ne.t couple o hours without murderin# someone in a desperate ra#e" Fi$e hours later, I sat with /oyd, in his suite, and the nine men o 1P +ps, #oin# o$er the iles o in ormation piece by piece" I had to admit, I was a little impressed with their ran#e o 2uestions and keen insi#ht as they looked at each reported sale o black market items in %e.as( lookin# or any possible clues that /oyd and I mi#ht ha$e missed" %hey'd already been talkin# thin#s out or close to two hours and no one was any closer to a conclusion than /oyd and I had been or the past three months o our in$esti#ation" !t least they were all laid back enou#h to be slowly drinkin# a beer instead o the upti#ht soldier boys I ori#inally thou#ht they'd be" +n the other hand, the rela.ed atmosphere also made it ten times harder to i#nore /obby's blatant starin# rom time to time" %he shrill rin# o my cell phone cut throu#h the 2uiet and the attention I'd ocused on the ile in my hands" Flippin# it open, I answered with the usual, J:oberts speakin#"K J4ell, hello there, darlin'- )ow's the prettiest !%F a#ent in the state o %e.as doin# toni#htIK a seducti$e %e.an drawl crooned throu#h my phone" !ll ten men in the room, includin# /oyd, looked o$er curiously be ore #oin# back to the iles in their hands" ! lar#e, #enuine smile spread across my ace" J4hy i it isn't my a$orite Sheri - I'm doin# 3ust ine, Charlie- )ow're thin#s your wayIK J4ell, my sweet !nnabelle, thin#s ha$e been mi#hty borin# around here" 0eputy 4alters wanted to see i you could come o$er here and show some handcu techni2ues to our new 0eputy" 4alt reckons the boy needs a #ood lesson or two and it would sure li$enR thin#s up" I'd like to $olunteer as your assistant in the presentation"K /oyd barked a lau#h rom clear across the room" I couldn't decide whether to lau#h or blush in embarrassment" :ollin# my eyes and rubbin# a in#er across my nose to hide my li#ht blush behind my hand, I decided it was best to 3ust roll with the punches" J4ell, Charlie, I'$e #ot some bad news or you then" I'm out o town with /oyd at the moment" I won't be back to %e.as till tomorrow" &ou'll 3ust ha$e to tell #ood ol' 4alters to train the new 0eputy with the handcu s himsel " &ou can be 4alter's assistant" /esides, I mi#ht need mine to detain /oyd later i he #ets on my damn ner$es anymore toni#ht"K Silent snickers and cou#hs echoed around the room while Charlie's boomin# lau#hter loated throu#h the phone" JIs that all you needed, CharlieI I'm kind o in a meetin# ri#ht now"K J!ctually, !nnabelle, it looks as i my new 0eputy mi#ht ha$e seen somethin# or you"K

Charlie 2uickly went o$er what the youn# 0eputy had seen" My heart picked up speed in my chest" ! ter months o rustration, it looked like a possible lead" J)old on, Charlie, I wanna put you on speaker phone" I'm sittin# here with /oyd and a team o #uys that'll be helpin# us out on this case" Can you repeat all o that or themIK J!nythin# or you, darlin'"K 8ressin# the speaker button on my phone, then turnin# the $olume all the way up, I set the phone in the middle o the table and #lanced around to make sure I had e$eryone's attention be ore sayin#, JCan you hear me, CharlieIK JSure can"K J+kay" *indly repeat what you 3ust told me"K J4ell, the new 0eputy was makin# rounds in his ci$ilian $ehicle to learn the routes or the 3ob on his o time" )e dro$e by that place on the ed#e o town, you know, the L/i# /ull /ar', because it's one o our business checks" Says there were a couple o #uys holdin# an assault ri le by the open trunk o a car" It seemed to bu# him Ltil he couldn't #et rid o the eelin# that they were up to no #ood, so he decided to come see me about it today" Sounds a little ishy, don't you think, !nnabelleIK /oyd leaned towards the phone" J)ey, Charlie, could your 0eputy tell what kind o ri le it wasIK JSorry, /oyd" %he boy is resh out o the academy and don't know his "BAF rom his "CA Cal, but I #ot to say it sounds unny to me"K Commander Ja.on shru##ed" J4e're talkin# about the state o %e.as" 0on't you #uys collect #uns and attend ootball #ames like it's a reli#ionI Could be nothin# but a couple o a$id #un enthusiasts" 5uess it wouldn't hurt to look into i it #a$e the 0eputy the willies, thou#h"K I happened to a#ree" J%hanks or tellin# us, Charlie" I appreciate the in ormation and we'll check into it tomorrow" Can you email any other in ormation your 0eputy noticedI Like what the #uys looked like or what car they were standin# byI !nythin# like that mi#ht help us out, too"K JNot a problem, !nnabelle, I'll ha$e it to you by the end o the ni#ht" %ell me, darlin', how's Seth doin#I Is he takin# #ood care o youIK )astily snatchin# the phone up to turn the speaker unction o , I walked out to the patio and shut the door behind me be ore inishin# my con$ersation with Sheri Charlie Jenkins" )e was a hell o a #uy that I had an on9a#ainTo 9a#ain, riends with bene its, relationship with, but ri#ht about now, I elt like stickin# my pointy9toe cowboy boot up his 4ran#ler9encased butt or broadcastin# my business to a room ull o #uys I didn't know as well as one #uy I knew all too well" +ne #uy I had absolutely no intentions o lettin# learn my business because boy9howdy, that would be a mess and a hal to ace" 4hat I almost missed in my rapid retreat outside was the licker o 3ealousy on /obby /aker's ace at my apparent e$asion to the mention o another man's name" ! reaction that was de initely not missed by the other nine men in the room" Chapter Two

Bobb 5rabbin# my du le ba# out o the back o the truck, I turned to ollow behind my teammates, boardin# the plane only to be stopped short by Ja.on's hand on my shoulder" J/obby, I need to knowQ are you #oin# to be alri#ht on this missionI &ou're not #oin# to let personal issues #et in the way, ri#htIK Starin# back at Ja.on's composed ace I did my best not to lose control o my temper and #i$e in to the ur#e to punch him in the ace" Ja.on had e$ery ri#ht to 2uestion me about this" I thou#ht I'd done a #ood 3ob hidin# my emotions, but a ter some curious #lances rom the #uys, my #uess was that it had been a piss poor co$er9up a ter all" JI will not let my personal issues #et in the way o completin# this mission, Sir" )owe$er, I cannot promise you that I will not pursue my own a#enda on my ree time" Sound air to youIK Ja.on watched me like I was a tickin# time bomb or a ew minutes be ore respondin#, JFair enou#h, /aker" Just don't let any o this become a problem, understand meIK J&es, Sir, understood"K J5ood" Let's load up"K ,pon enterin# the cabin o the pri$ate plane the CI! used to shuttle the 1P +ps unit around the world, I ound my team members in $arious sta#es o #ettin# settled" %he seats were #rouped in ours so that two people aced the other two" Lookin# up and around the cabin o the plane, I snorted when I cau#ht /elle's position" She and her partner /oyd were seated in the back o the plane acin# 0eclan and :iley" %he only seat a$ailable was at the ront o the plane, but at least it was acin# her direction" )er a$oidance tactics towards me were ridiculous" First, her little show back at head2uarters, where she'd $erbally lo##ed me or callin# her L/elle' rather than her #i$en name o L!nnabelle'" Now she was takin# e$ery opportunity to put as much distance between us as possible" %hat was okay" I had e$ery intention o makin# it di icult or her to pretend I wasn't there" 1$entually, she would break down and talk to me" !ll I needed was hal an hour to e.plain that I was sorry" %hat I'd looked e$erywhere or her" 5one as ar as hirin# i$e di erent pri$ate in$esti#ators in an e ort to locate her o$er the years" She'd done one hell o a disappearin# act" She hadn't 3ust le t her dad's tiny trailer" Nor had she 3ust le t our small town" No, apparently, she'd le t the state o 5eor#ia completely" Not to mention that she chan#ed her uckin# name" No wonder her trail had #one up like a pu o smoke or the 8"I"'s" 4hy would she ha$e #one throu#h the hassle o chan#in# her name, thou#hI I 3ust didn't understand" 4as she that desperate to shake me a ter what I'd done to herI /elle had always been as wild as the wind, but I would ha$e ne$er thou#ht she would ha$e run as ar and as ast as she had" %hat struck me as kind o unny" 4hy the hell had she le t like that anywaysI Sure, I'd been stupid enou#h to send that damn letter tellin# her that I needed time" 8erhaps /elle hadn't had much there in Syl$ania" )er dad was a worthless drunk" )er mom dead in the #round" Most o the town thou#ht she was trouble with her bad attitude and 2uick temper" )er best riend, %ea#an, had taken her 510 on her ei#hteenth birthday so that she could #et out o that town and 3oin the Marine Corps to escape her own abusi$e ather, but did that mean /elle had to lea$eI My parents had worried about her like cra;y" Not to mention,

Mom ne$er ailed to tell me what a complete idiot I was or lettin# her #et away" %his was somethin# I didn't need to be told" I was per ectly aware o it all on my own" /elle's loud lau#hter cut throu#h my thou#hts, so I li ted my head to see her smilin# bri#htly at 0eclan" 5o uckin# i#ure" %hat smooth bastard was a chick ma#net" 4omen in e$ery shape and si;e would lock to him, practically be##in# or 3ust a second o his attention" It was dis#ustin#" ! hard knot o 3ealousy curled in my stomach, watchin# the lo$e o my li e lau#h it up with another man when she wouldn't e$en look at me burned like acid in my #ut" It didn't matter" /elle could be as stubborn as a mule all she wanted" It was not #oin# to keep me rom #ettin# her back" I didn't #i$e a shit who the hell this LSeth' was and, i my #irl thou#ht she could push me away when I'd inally ound her a ter all these years, she had another thin# comin#" Somehow, some way, I was #oin# to seduce my #irl back into my arms" :i#ht where she belon#ed" !ll I had to do was #et her to so ten a little" %alk her into listenin# to me" :emind her how it elt when we held each other, kissed each other, that sparks lew like the ourth o July" It would still be like that between us e$en a ter all this time" Nothin# would e$er be so sweet, so e.plosi$e, to me as /elle was" No matter what my wild #irl said, I re used to call her !nnabelle" She would always be my /elle" My wild, beauti ul and per ect /elle" Annabelle

%wo and a hal hours on a plane rom 4ashin#ton 0"C" back to a small air ield 3ust outside o San !ntonio, %e.as was spent lau#hin# at 0eclan Sulli$an's cra;y ass stories" %he man had charmin# down to a science while his brother :iley sat ne.t to him 2uietly" %he brothers mi#ht look alike, but personality wise, they were yin and yan#" :iley seemed thou#ht ul and #a$e me occasional small smiles that #a$e me the o$erwhelmin# ur#e to #et him a little drunk and see i it would make him open up and ha$e some un" 0eclan seemed like he could ha$e un sober in a room all by himsel " )e was the de inition o the word un" )e was also more than the party boy, thou#h" It was a #ood thin# I'd paid attention to all o those psycholo#y classes in colle#e" 0eclan mi#ht be a lau#h a minute, but it was because he was tryin# to #et me to rela. and open up" +ne minute he would be tellin# /oyd and me a unny story about #rowin# up with his brother and Irish #randparents, the ne.t he would be slippin# in a 2uestion about my own childhood" 4hat a sneaky, little, interro#ation specialist" I may not ha$e o icial con irmation rom Commander 4all what each o the men's specialties were, but I'd bet my last chocolate chip cookie that 0eclan Sulli$an was the #o to #uy on this team or #ettin# in ormation out o somebody( and I ne$er risked my cookies because they were the most important ood #roup in my diet" Shi tin# my eyes to his brother, :iley, I scrutini;ed the man rom head to toe" )ad he always been this 2uietI Lettin# his youn#er brother be the li e o the partyI +r had somethin# happened in his li e that caused him to be subduedI I'd ne$er been the 2uiet type, hence why my small hometown had labeled me trouble o the worst $ariety" I had a temper a mile wide, a hard ist to back it up, and a mouth that was ne$er a raid to speak my mind" 4hy not speak my mindI 4hat or who in that small town could hurt me more than my ather didI %he only thin# I'd e$er truly eared was #i$in# my heart away and endin# up with a 3ackass like my mother had" It was

why pushin# e$erybody, e.cept %ea#an, away had always been easier than lettin# down those emotional walls and allowin# people in" /esides my best riend, there had been one e.ception" /obby" )e had con$inced me that my heart would be sa e with him" 4hat a 3oke that had been and look how that had turned out" /adly" No, the word badly didn't do that heap o mess enou#h 3ustice" ! more accurate description would be emotional homicide" I'd handed him my heart on a sil$er platter and, instead o keepin# it sa e like he'd promised to, he'd chopped that $ulnerable heart into a million, tiny pieces be ore throwin# it in the trash" See what happened when you #a$e your aith to somethin# as here9today9#one9tomorrow as lo$eI Lesson learned" %hat kind o pain was a hard thin# to bounce back rom" ,n ortunately, #i$en what my position was at the time, which was homeless, I didn't ha$e much choice e.cept to #et o$er it" &ou couldn't ind a warm place to sleep or put ood in your belly i you allowed yoursel to curl up into a ball and cry your eyes out" %here had been plenty o tears, but they were shed with my chin up, my shoulders back, and me acin# the world head9on" Some mi#ht say I still had trust issues to this day, but I'd learned to open up a little" I had riends now" +ccasional lo$ers e$en" !lthou#h, no man had taken /obby's place and no man e$er would" I lo$ed three people in this world" %ea#an, and she'd earned that lo$e with loyalty, understandin#, and bruises meant or me( Seth, because he was my irst e.ample o true, unconditional lo$e and, there ore, meant e$erythin# to me" )e was also a #iant walkin#, talkin# secret that I was sure was about to come back and bite me in the ass" %hen there was /obby, whom I lo$ed and would always lo$e, but would ne$er trust a#ain" So, since there was no more /obby in my li e, I'd spent the last ew years with in re2uent dates to scratch my itch, makin# sure that messy thin#s like emotions were ne$er in$ol$ed" Li e was busy" I'd #one to school, #otten my de#ree in Criminal Justice, and worked hard in my spare time to pay the bills all so that I could build a career that would ensure that I'd ne$er be without money a#ain" Ne$er a#ain would someone describe me as trailer trash" Not to mention that I had Seth to keep me busy" So there was no room or another man in my li e" Seth was all I truly needed" 8ushin# thou#hts away as the plane touched down, I put mysel back into a#ent mode" %here was an in$esti#ation to crack, irearms to ind then con iscate, and dirt wads to arrest and put behind bars" 4hen the plane came to a stop, I looked out the window to see Charlie in his bei#e uni orm, leanin# a#ainst his S,V, arms crossed o$er his chest, and a shit9eatin# #rin plastered on his ace" ! plain black $an with LSheri ' embla;ed down the side o it was parked behind it with a mischie$ous lookin# 0eputy 4alters standin# in ront o it" Charlie and 4alters were both tall, incredibly #ood lookin#, imposin# men that many women ell into lust at irst si#ht with" %hank ully, I had the pleasure o callin# them riends" ! ter obtainin# my 3ob with the !%F and mo$in# 3ust outside o San !ntonio, I'd run into Charlie at the local stop9n9shop ne.t to a #as station I o ten illed up at" It was close to ten at ni#ht, I was in the shop #rabbin# a #allon o o$erpriced milk on my way home and, while I stood in the back by the ree;er doors, a man in a ski mask burst in" )is pistol was pointed at the woman behind the counter who was $isibly pre#nant and ob$iously scared shitless" 4hoe$er the moron in the mask was couldn't ha$e been all that bri#ht, thou#h" )e didn't turn his head and look around to see i they were alone" )e didn't keep his back towards a wall so that he could monitor the store and its entrance or acti$ity, either" !ll he did was wa$e that shiny, black pistol around in that poor woman's ace, demandin# the money in the cash re#ister and that 3ust downri#ht pissed me o " )ere this woman was, workin# a late ni#ht, more than likely 3ust tryin# to pay her bills

and sa$e up some desperately needed money be ore her baby came, and this idiot was in here scarin# the be3esus out o her" I was tired mysel a ter a lon# day o work, short on patience, and in a hurry to #et home to Seth" So instead o doin# the relati$ely smart thin#, which would ha$e been to whip out my cell phone and call the local authorities since I was alone, I chose to sneak down the aisle until I stood ri#ht behind the masked robber" )e still had not detected my presence and the clerk behind the counter was smart enou#h not to make any sudden mo$ements or noises to announce my arri$al, which allowed me to put my law en orcement trainin# to use" I slammed my knee into the outside o the robber's thi#h, ri#ht abo$e the knee, where there was a ner$e point to cause him pain" Simultaneously, I #rabbed his #un hand, which was in his ri#ht hand, with my own ri#ht hand while placin# my le t arm on the upper portion o his back, orcin# his body to bend and turn to where I wanted it" ,sin# the momentum to twist his ri#ht arm behind him to an unmo$able an#le, I also twisted his wrist up to a debilitatin# point that caused him to cry out in pain and drop the #un" !s I pushed the robber to the loor, irst to his knees, then to his belly, and handcu ed him, the clerk was already on the phone with D>> dispatch" Charlie and 0eputy 4alters arri$ed moments later while I stood there with my oot in the middle o the whinin# robber's back, my #un aimed at him" !t irst, Charlie and 4alters elt entitled to #i$e me a rash o shit or takin# on an armed suspect all by my little ol' sel " I was a woman, he was a man twice my si;e" 4hat in the world had I been thinkin#I !bout a minute into their lecture, I #ot bored, lost my patience, lashed them my !%F bad#e, told them that they could sho$e their lecture where the sun didn't shine, #rabbed my #allon o milk, and walked out o the shop" I made it as ar as my truck be ore Charlie chased me down to apolo#i;e" %hat ni#ht led to a riendship between me and Charlie" 1$entually, it led to a drunken ni#ht between the sheets, which also led to a particularly awkward moment when Charlie cau#ht me sneakin# out o those sheets in the middle o the ni#ht" +ur riendship had been strained or a while, but e$entually, Charlie accepted that I didn't ha$e it in me to #i$e more than 3ust physical release" )e wasn't e.actly happy about it, but he was still here" My irst thou#hts at seein# Charlie standin# there, waitin# or me, were happy ones" %he past @G hours had cracked open a $ault o emotions I'd ne$er thou#ht to e.perience a#ain, so the si#ht o him standin# there as the plane came to a stop was like a resh breath o air" %he ne.t thou#ht was pure unadulterated panic" )e could blab e.plosi$e personal in ormation out in ront o a particular person who needed to be le t in the dark as much as possible" 5rabbin# my ba#, I made a beeline or the door to be the irst one out, then practically ran down the stairs to throw mysel into Charlie's waitin# arms" )is bear hu# spun me in a circle be ore settin# me on my eet" 8ullin# his head down, I placed my mouth ne.t to his ear and whispered, JCharlie, I need a a$or" I need you to not mention Seth and tell 4alters to do the same" Can you do that or me, pleaseIK 8ullin# back I saw the con usion on his ace, but shook my head when he started to ask why" 5lancin# behind, to the men disembarkin# rom the plane, he looked back down to me, still con used, yet he ultimately only shru##ed his shoulders" J0on't worry about it, darlin'" It's not a problem"K 5i$in# him a #rate ul smile, I let #o o him to turn around and ace /oyd and the 1P +ps team" 0eputy 4alters sidled up ne.t to me and threw an arm o$er my shoulders to s2uee;e" J1$eryone, I'd like to introduce you to my #ood riends, Sheri Jenkins and 0eputy 4alters" 0eputy 4alters here is kind enou#h to dri$e you to the hotel I'$e reser$ed or you" /y the time you #et there you should also ha$e two rental S,V's waitin# with the keys at the ront

desk" /oyd and I ha$e some errands to run, but we'll meet you back at the hotel in a ew hours to prep or toni#ht" 4e'll be doin# underco$er sur$eillance at the /i# /ull /ar to see i we can ind any urther acti$ity" Commander 4all, you ha$e our numbers i you need to reach us" I you need anythin# at all 3ust #i$e us a rin#"K Charlie leaned behind my back to whisper brie ly in 0eputy 4alter's ear while I was tellin# e$eryone to pile in the $ehicles" /oyd piled in with me into Charlie's S,V while the 1P +ps team piled into the back o 0eputy 4alter's black $an" %he two $ehicles took o in di erent directions, which made me eel more than 3ust a tad relie$ed to be puttin# a little distance between mysel and the man that caused too many memories to creep up a ter I thou#ht they'd been lon# since buried" %here had been a number o times that I'd seen /obby out o the corner o my eye, starin# at me rom across the plane" 0esire, mi.ed with determination, written plain as day on his ace or the world to see" %he shadows o re#ret that were $isible in those beauti ul eyes o his were what had #otten to me the most" 0id he actually re#ret lea$in# meI %he thou#ht made my heart skip a beat, but my brain 2uickly reminded me that it didn't matter" Li e had mo$ed on in bi# ways" %here was no sa e place in it or /obby /aker" Bobb

Close to nine o'clock that ni#ht I sat with the other men in Ja.on's hotel suite, waitin# or /elle and her partner to show up" 1$eryone was dressed in their ci$ilian clothes as i they were headed out to ha$e a #ood time, instead o #ettin# ready to do reconnaissance work at a busy bar" %hou#h, e$ery man in the room was armed in one way or another( #uns or kni$es care ully concealed in their boots or around their waist and underneath their shirts" 4e all sat calmly, waitin#, like the steady soldiers we were, until a ew minutes later a irm knock sounded on the door" Ja.on crossed the loor rom where he'd been sittin# in a chair, bouncin# his le#, and peeped throu#h the hole be ore he opened the door to admit irst /oyd, then /elle, with Sheri Jenkins ri#ht behind her" I had to tell my lun#s to keep breathin# as the si#ht o /elle reached me" My eyes were probably #la;ed with desire because the way she looked ri#ht now elt like a hit o a wonder dru# on a deto.in# body" 5one was the pro essional demeanor o her !%F attire and in its place stood someone reminiscent o the wild #irl I'd allen in lo$e with all those years a#o" )er 3eansNthat were so low rise they barely co$ered her pri$ate areasNwere settled per ectly o$er her black cowboy boots and were paired with a mid9slee$e, itted, western shirt with the buttons hal way undone to show the black, lace tank top underneath" )er hair was lon# and loose, cascadin# down her back in #entle curls, topped by a se.y, black cow#irl hat on her head" Flashin# a da;;lin# smile she addressed the room" J)ey y'all- 4ho's ready to ha$e some un toni#htIK Shell shocked men sat in silence starin# back at her" It took e$erythin# I had not to run up and tackle her so that my unit would stop o#lin# what I ob$iously still considered mine" Charlie let loose an amused chuckle" J0arlin,' I do belie$e you'$e made an impression"K 4ith a roll o her eyes and a so t snort, she crossed her arms o$er her ample chest" J!nyways- Mo$in# on now" I'$e talked Charlie here into accompanyin# us toni#ht with his 0eputy since he's the one who spotted the suspicious acti$ity" %hey'll be on the lookout or the two men to help us alon#" I thou#ht we could break up into our #roups so that we can all arri$e

at separate inter$als to a$oid suspicion" Maybe i teen or twenty minutes apartI 4e all arri$ed in our own $ehicles, but /oyd will ride in one o your S,V's i you ha$e #o ba#s already in them" I take it that you #uys are #oin# to be wearin# some sort o communication de$ices toni#htIK Ja.on nodded" J4e're all e2uipped with comm" links that can be acti$ated by pushin# a button on the actual de$ice in their ear or by a button on their watch" 1ither way, e$eryone in the unit will be able to hear what's bein# said when one o the comm" links are acti$ated" !lso, it mi#ht be a #ood idea to use two o those our teams and position them outside the bar" 4ith #roups in the ront and back, we can be on the lookout around the perimeter"K /elle an#led her body to ace Ja.on" J8erhaps then, Commander 4all, it mi#ht be best i we split /oyd, Charlie, 0eputy Miles and mysel up with your men so that we ha$e a link to the rest o the team toni#ht throu#h you all"K J%hat works"K Ja.on aces us to start rattlin# o teams" JLo#an and 4yatt team up with !#ent /oyd" &ou'll #o by L5roup Four' and position yoursel$es outside the ront" Chase and !rturo team up with 0eputy Miles to make L5roup %hree'" Situate yoursel$es outside the back" 0eclan and :iley can team up with !#ent :oberts or L5roup %wo'" /obby, Lucas and mysel will team up with Sheri Jenkins to orm L5roup +ne'"K Ja.on started handin# out a printout o in ormation to /elle, /oyd and Jenkins" J4e were able to obtain a little in ormation on the bar" %he picture shows the man who owns it" )is name is %ra$is )enderson" Mr" )enderson seems to ha$e a clean rap sheet and little else is known about the bar or its employees" !nyone #ot any 2uestionsIK Silence en$eloped the room" J%hen i e$eryone is ready, let's roll out"K /elle headed out o the room irst to disappear in the parkin# lot while the #uys proceeded to ile out a ew minutes later" /ein# at the back o the #roup I missed what made the #uys catcall and lau#h until I came into ull $iew o /elle leaned up a#ainst a black 3acked up Ford FBCA decked out with a ram air hood, brush #uard, monster9si;ed tires and a banner on the top o the windshield that read L5":"I"%"S"'" Lucas's sli#htly New &ork accented $oice sounded con used as he asked, J5":"I"%"S"I Isn't that like a ood or somethin#IK Lo#an clapped him on the shoulder as barks o lau#hter echoed in the parkin# lot" JNaw, buddy" %hat stands or L5irls :aised In %he South'" &ou could say that !#ent :oberts is showin# o her southern pride a bit, that's all" It's a damn #ood thin# to be proud o , too"K /elle climbed up into the cab o the truck" Still han#in# out o the door a bit she yelled, JCome on Sulli$an brothers" 4e're #onna ha$e some un be ore we head to the bar-K 0eclan and :iley Sulli$an looked wary" J4hat kind o un e.actlyIK JMuddin' and Jason !ldean" Let's #o, baby-K %he hea$y rumble o her en#ine came to li e as LShe's Country' blasted out o its open windows" %he Sulli$an brothers looked at each other ner$ously" :iley spoke in a low $oice to 0eclan, J&ou think she's alri#ht upstairs or should I be worriedIK 0eclan clapped his brother on the back be ore hoppin# up into the passen#er side o the truck" I was insanely 3ealous as the truck tore out o the parkin# lot to head down the hi#hway while the rest o us piled into our respecti$e $ehicles to lea$e" It almost elt as i she was tryin# to rub my nose in one o our best memories" 4hen you li$ed in a small southern town, out in the middle o nowhere, muddin' with your buddies, your #irl, and pil ered beer where you could cut loose and be ree was one o the ew options or entertainment" %here went my buddies" %here went my #irl" )ere I still stood, lookin# like a 3ackass" Ja.on watched the retreatin# $ehicle with a mi. o amusement and trepidation" %urnin#

to Sheri Jenkins he asked, JShould I be worried about any o thatIK )is in#er pointin# in the direction o where /elle's truck had already disappeared" %he Sheri 's easy smile didn't seem to con$ince Ja.on" JNot at all, Commander 4all" !nnabelle is harmless" Swear"K I snorted" J%ell that to the #uy she knocked unconscious her senior year" )e was twice her si;e"K Sheri Jenkins's eyebrows shot to his hairline as he turned to ace me in the back seat" J&ou knew !nnabelle in hi#h schoolIK My mouth kicked up in a hal smile" J&eah, you could say that" 4e #rew up in the same small town" /elle and I were as close as you could #et until I le t or the !rmy 3ust a ter #raduation"K %he Sheri 's eyebrows pulled down into an intense e.pression as somethin# lashed o$er his ace be ore he could co$er it up" )e 2uickly turned around to start the car" JI'm 3ust #oin# to turn on the radio" )ope you don't mind"K %he radio kicked on and a local country station came on" !ll con$ersation in the car stopped" %he last look the Sheri had made bothered me" %here was somethin# there that made my instincts lare up" %he Sheri knew somethin#" 4hat in the hell could that possibly beI Chapter Three

Bobb Just be ore ten o'clock I stepped into the /i# /ull /ar" 4e were the second team to arri$e, ten minutes behind 5roup Four who was stationed on the outside in the back" Country music blasted throu#h the buildin#, lirtatious women writhin# around on the dance loor lurin# drunken men o their stools to try and dance with them" %he place was rowdy, yet entertainin#, makin# it pretty clear that it was a hot spot in the area to be re2uented or #ood9time seekin# residents" %he walls were painted a sin ul dark red on the top hal with distressed black wood wainscotin# on the bottom" Scu ed but sturdy dark, hardwood loors ran throu#hout the wide open space" %he walls were decorated with bull horns and #iant ramed pieces o art depictin# hal 9naked cowboys and saloon #irls" Sheri Jenkins motioned to a table in the back that would #i$e us a per ect $iew o the bar while we waited the ni#ht out" 4alkin# past the dance loor I saw a mechanical bull on the other side, to the le t" +n the ri#ht side was a lon# bar a#ainst the wall that held a #ood si;ed #roup o indi$iduals" 4here we seated oursel$es in the back consisted o some tables hal 9 illed with the locals( sociali;in#, drinks in hand" %he mana#er, %ra$is )enderson, was behind the bar helpin# the bartender ill orders and I ailed to see anyone matchin# 0eputy Miles's descriptions o the men he'd obser$ed in the parkin# lot the other ni#ht" Fi teen minutes later, !rturo reported throu#h the hidden comm" links attached to our ears that he was in position with 0eputy Miles and Chase" !nother twenty minutes slid by with no interestin# acti$ity" 4ell, nothin# interestin# unless you counted the youn#, twenty9

somethin#, lon#9le##ed blonde that sidled up to Commander Ja.on with the kind o smile that was pure in$itation to a #ood time" Just last week that was the kind o thin# I would ha$e en$ied" ! ni#ht o meanin#less se. to ill the $oid that elt un illable" I mi#ht ha$e e$en tried to steal her away rom Ja.on 3ust or the un o it" Now, all I could see was that she was nowhere near as blessed on top as /elle" Neither did she e.ude that kind o con idence that came with the innate kind o se.iness that /elle #a$e o without tryin# at all" I should ha$e been ama;ed that I was relati$ely pussy9 whipped so ast, but I couldn't seem to brin# mysel to care that I was" In place o ear or dread o$er impendin# shackles o commitment were lashbacks o /elle be ore I le t or the !rmy" )al 9naked on the back seat o my car with the windows o##ed up" Lyin# on a blanket on the bank o the creek with lo$e and de$otion shinin# in her #reen eyes" In the haylo t o my ather's barn where we e.plored with our hands and mouths each other's bodies" 5od what a ool I'd been to try and walk away rom her" :i#ht behind those memories were the ideas o how to #et her back" I she #a$e me too much #rie about talkin# about what had happened between us, I could 3ust #et some rope, tie her up and make her listen" !ctually that idea held a lot o appeal or me" 4ith a hal 9empty beer in my hand, I watched as /elle strutted throu#h the ront door with her arm wrapped around 0eclan's waist" )e held her tucked into his side with an arm slun# o$er her shoulders" 1$ery muscle in my body tensed while I ou#ht the desire to #o down there and kick 0eclan's ass" 4atchin# my buddy make my #irl lau#h on the plane ride was one thin#" 4atchin# my buddy hold my #irl so close to his body that they could ha$e been super #lued to#ether was another" %he lo#ical hal o my brain told me that I was bein# completely irrational" 0eclan would ne$er #o there because he knew e.actly what /elle meant to me, which was e$erythin#" %he other hal o my brain that dealt with emotions and thou#ht lo#ic was a little bitch called me a moron or sittin# back and watchin# the smooth talkin# Sulli$an touch what was de initely mine" Stupid uckin# emotions" %hey stunk worse than lyin# monkey shit" %he Sulli$an brothers stepped up to the bar with /elle stuck in the middle o them, takin# stools as they played the role o rambunctious partiers" %he redhead on the other side o 0eclan tapped him on the shoulder to #et his attention" In less than no time, both brothers were lirtin# with women while /elle was ha$in# an animated con$ersation with the bartender" Now, with all our teams in position, the buildin# would be ade2uately co$ered i shit hit the an and they had to mo$e on somethin#" %he comm" link bu;;ed in my ear as !rturo spoke in hushed tones" J0eputy Miles says one o the suspects has 3ust walked past us into the back o the buildin#" /e on the lookout or a white male, appro.imately i$e9 oot9nine, a hundred and ei#hty pounds" /lack hair, blue shirt and blue 3eans"K 0oin# a $isual sweep, I watched as the suspect came throu#h the door that more than likely led to a back o ice" %he bar's owner, %ra$is )enderson, cau#ht si#ht o the man, e.cused himsel rom his con$ersation with /elle and walked o$er to where the suspect waited at the end o the bar" It took less than i$e minutes until it appeared they were ha$in# what looked like a heated con$ersation be ore the tar#et wa$ed his hands around in rustration, and then stomped o throu#h the door leadin# into the back" )enderson returned to his position behind the bar with a hu#e smile while handin# beers, or whate$er was ordered, out to the customers" !s interestin# as the scene was, it didn't distract me rom noticin# that once a#ain Sheri Jenkins stole a thou#ht ul #lance in my direction with a rown" )e'd been doin# that periodically since we'd arri$ed" !bruptly he stood, sho$in# his

chair back rou#hly in the process, and stalked to where /elle was" %appin# her on the shoulder, the Sheri made a bi# production o askin# her or a dance on the loor" %he #rip on the beer in my hand ti#htened as I did my best to tamp down the ur#e to throw it" Ja.on leaned o$er the table towards me" J4hat do you think that's all aboutIK I shru##ed my shoulders, doin# my best to act nonchalant about it all" JI don't know" Let's 3ust watch to see what happens"K /elle and the Sheri walked out to the middle o the dance loor be ore they started to sway to the music" Sheri Jenkins held her closely with his hands placed intimately on her waist" It was a amiliar kind o touch that told me he'd held her like that be ore" 8erhaps with ewer clothes on and while in a bed instead o on a dance loor" I clenched my 3aw, teeth #rindin# down in a#itation" /elle put her hands on his chest as they danced" It became ob$ious pretty 2uickly that they were discussin# somethin# that /elle didn't want to talk about" )er brow urrowed while her eyes lit in an#er" %he con$ersation seemed to escalate rapidly as /elle started pokin# her in#er into the Sheri 's chest to emphasi;e whate$er point she was tryin# to #et across" Just about the time that I was sorely tempted to step in and break them up, somethin# une.pected happened" ! body landed in my lap" %hrowin# a hand out to steady the thrashin# arms I heard Ja.on bark a lau#h" Lookin# down I saw the top o brunette hair so ull o hair spray that it could almost double as a helmet in a war ;one" %wo small hands were thrown o$er my thi#hs, claspin# desperately to them or some semblance o balance" /are, tan le#s e.posed by a denim mini skirt were tan#led in ront o her with one #litterin# red hi#h heel still on her le t oot whereas the ri#ht oot was shoeless" I #lanced around the loor until I saw the missin# shoe lyin# on its side 3ust a ew eet o$er" 5lancin# back down, the woman's head was tipped backwards until a pair o youn#, #lassy brown eyes were lookin# at me" )er chest rose and ell with her stilted #i##lin#, almost causin# the strainin# buttons on her e.tremely ti#ht shirt to pop open" She was adorable in an inebriated sort o way, but she also needed to #et her head out o my lap be ore the o chance o /elle lookin# up here and seein# this shit happened" %he side o my mouth hitched into a smile" J&ou okayIK Shakin# her head, JNo" 4ait" I mean, yes" &es" I'm ine" I think" !pparently, lon# island ice tea and our inch heels don't #o too well to#ether" 0id you know thatIK I shook my head and she continued talkin#, JSorry I landed on you" !nythin# I can do to make it up to you while I'm down hereIK Full red lips smiled back at me seducti$ely" %ippin# my head back to look at the ceilin# in disbelie , I chuckled, then slipped my hands underneath her shoulders to help her stand" JI appreciate the o er, but you could say I'm spoken or" 8romise me that you'll be more care ul walkin# around in those wicked hi#h heels rom now on" I'd hate or them #et the best o you and hurt those pretty le#s"K %he brunette shru##ed be ore #rabbin# the o endin# shoe to slip it back on her oot" JCan't blame a #irl or tryin#, can youIK 4alkin# away she seemed a uck o a lot steadier than she had a ew minutes a#o when lyin# on top o me" Cockin# an eyebrow at the de$elopment I looked o$er to see Ja.on's shoulders shakin# in lau#hter" J0amn, /aker, you'$e #ot the ladies per ormin# to #et your attention" 4hat's ne.tI Someone #oin# to walk up to you 3u##lin# beers to impress youIK ! slow #rin spread across my ace" JNow, i she's 3u##lin# beers at least that would come in handy" 4e mi#ht #et a ew ree drinks out o it" Not to mention, i she's desperate enou#h she mi#ht be willin# to settle or you instead"K

Ja.on lipped me the bird" Slidin# my eyes back to /elle, who was still on the loor with the Sheri , it seemed that their con$ersation had turned or the better" + course, that mi#ht ha$e somethin# to do with the act that her eyes were shootin# da##ers in my direction" !pparently, she'd cau#ht my interaction with the brunette" ! smart man would ha$e been scared about the possibility o her an#er o$er it" I was not a smart man" %hat killin# look aimed in my direction #a$e me hope" I that could piss her o that bad, then that meant she still cared or me, and i she still cared, then I could talk her around to my way o thinkin#" %his brou#ht a smile to my ace" ! smile that was not appreciated by /elle" %he Sheri dropped his mouth down to her ear to whisper in it and they held their heads to#ether, closely talkin# or a ew minutes be ore separatin#" /elle kissed the man on the cheek, and then went back to her stool ne.t to 0eclan" %he Sheri ambled back to our table" /e ore I could think better o it, I blurted, J4hat the hell was that about, JenkinsIK Sheri Jenkins #a$e me a blank look" )e seemed to be considerin# what he should say" JJust needed to ha$e a 2uick chat with !nnabelle" 5lad I did, thou#h" 4e need to keep eyes on her" She's #ot that look in her eye, the kind she #ets ri#ht be ore she does somethin# cra;y" +r stupid" 0on't know what she's up to yet, so don't bother askin#"K Ja.on cocked an eyebrow at the Sheri 's di$ersion tactic be ore lookin# back to me" Frustrated, I ran my hand o$er the back o my neck" *eepin# my mind on the mission was not as easy as I thou#ht it was #oin# to be" First, it was because o /elle's ob$ious ra#e and a$oidance towards me" Now, it elt like I was ha$in# my ace rubbed in Sheri Jenkins' ob$ious romantic eelin#s or /elle, which was salt on the uckin#, bleedin# wound, in a manner o speakin#" /etween the two issues, the short use on my patience was 2uickly burnin# down and it elt like it would be 3ust a matter o time be ore I e.ploded and did somethin# drastic" Somethin# stupid" /elle's $ibrant lau#hter cut throu#h my musin#s on the Sheri " Lookin# back o$er to where she sat sandwiched in between the Sulli$an brothers, I watched as she worked )enderson and the people surroundin# them with her charm" /elle suddenly wa$ed her hands around in the air while enthusiastically debatin# somethin# with )enderson" )er shirt rode up her back enou#h to catch a #limpse o what looked to be a tattoo there, makin# me #roan as I had the sudden ierce desire to strip her naked and e.pose the ink on her body to my eyes" ! man could only take so much be ore he lost all rational thou#ht, dammit" It especially didn't help that, at this moment, she was surrounded by men who were tryin# to ply her with alcohol" +r knowin# my luck, proposin# marria#e to her" I locked down on the #rowl $ibratin# in my throat be ore anyone heard it" Lookin# up to Ja.on's amused ace, he lau#hed at my ob$ious torture" J%hat's one hell o a #irl there, /obby" 4ant to tell me why you let her #et awayIK Shakin# my head, I rubbed my eyes with the palms o my hands" Lookin# back up, I ound that not only did I ha$e Ja.on's ull attention, but I also had the Sheri 's attention" ! calculatin# look on his ace" J&ou're tellin# me that you had !nnabelle's a ectionsI &ou actually had that woman and you let her #oIK )is attitude seemed more serious than curious" Scrubbin# a hand o$er my ace, I answered, J&eah" /elle and I were to#ether or two years" Lettin# her #o was the bi##est mistake o my li e" I knew it less than a month a ter I did it" %he problem was, by the time I i#ured it out, she was lon# #one" Now she seems to be so mad at me that i teen years later she won't e$en talk to me" I know I hurt her" &eah, I'm an ass or doin# it, but or the li e o me, I can't understand why she is as mad as she is a ter all these years"K

Sheri Jenkins watched me thou#ht ully" ! ter what elt like an eternity o analy;in# me like I was some bu# under a microscope he nodded his head" J0on't #i$e up then, /aker" I'll tell you that I'$e known !nnabelle or the last ten years" She's had a hell o a tou#h li e in that time" %hat's probably #ot a lot to do with her response to you now" 0on't bother askin# me or details because I won't #i$e it to you" !nnabelle's a #ood riend o mine" I care a lot or her" )ell, I would ha$e taken her o o the market years a#o i she would ha$e let me" So trust me when I say, I'm not tellin' you a damn thin# e.cept this, i you still care or her at all like I think you do, it'd be worth your while to make a spot or yoursel in her li e" I think she needs it as much as you seem to want it" I also think ya'll #ot an aw ul lot to talk about"K %urnin# in his chair so that he aced away rom me, displayin# his tense shoulders and sti you9can9 uck9o body posture, the man was silently indicatin# to me that the con$ersation was o$er" I #ot his messa#e loud and clear" %hat didn't mean I understood it, or whate$er it was that he was tryin# to con$ey to me" 4hat a stran#e con$ersation that had been" %he ne.t thirty minutes were a pro$erbial comedy about a bunch o drunken rednecks mi.ed with scantily clad women drinkin#, shoutin#, dancin#, and a ew bra$e souls tryin# their hand at the mechanical bull" 0urin# that time, I watched /elle pretend to throw back two more shots while actin# like she was tipsy" )er mo$ements appeared slu##ish, but I knew that it was all an act since her, 0eclan and :iley had an elaborate #ame o Lswitch out the #lasses' #oin#" Instead o /elle actually drinkin# her shots, either 0eclan or :iley would chan#e them out with an empty shot #lass rom one o the patrons ne.t to them, #i$in# the impression that /elle was drinkin# hea$ily" 0o;ens o people partied hard with the trio and, e$entually, /elle sta##ered sloppily backwards or a ew seconds" %urnin#, she continued a drunken swa##er, pushin# throu#h the thick mass o bodies towards the back o the bar, but instead o continuin# her path, she $eered 2uickly to the ri#ht, stumblin# throu#h the door at the end, where the suspect had entered not so lon# a#o" )enderson cau#ht si#ht o where /elle had disappeared to and yelled or her to stop" I#norin# him, she pushed her way throu#h the door" )enderson slid the beer he had in his hand to 0eclan, and then 2uickly le t the area behind the bar to ollow /elle into the back" %ra$is )enderson had 3ust unknowin#ly allowed the back o his bar to be in iltrated by a hi#hly trained !%F a#ent" +ne who would lo$e to do nothin# more than han# him hi#h and dry i he was, in act, cooperatin# in this rin# o black market irearms sales" My body went incredibly taut with tension at the thou#ht o /elle out o si#ht without any back up" 8recious seconds ticked by that I spent literally on the ed#e o my seat" :eady to 3ump up with the need to do somethin#" !nythin#" 4hate$er it took to make sure my #irl came back out o that room sa e and sound" ! ew more minutes ticked by and it elt like an in$isible hand had reached inside my chest and had a stran#lehold on my heart" Jesus, I'd ne$er elt an.iety like this on any mission I'd e$er #one on" 8ut me in a room ull o cra;y terrorists and it would eel like another day at the o ice, but this, well, this was almost more than I could take" Suddenly, I had the o$erwhelmin# desire to put /elle in a padded room somewhere sa e 3ust to make sure she ne$er #ot a boo9boo( much less, let her walk into a dan#erous situation like she was in now" Just when I was ready to storm the castle, so to speak, the door to the back opened" )enderson irmly held one o /elle's arms in his #rip while escortin# her back towards the Sulli$an brothers" 0eclan looked o$er to the pair with a rown on his ace seconds be ore I noticed his hand brie ly touch his watch and then his $oice crackled o$er the comm" link" J)ey there, #uy" 4hat are you doin# man handlin# my sister like thatIK

)enderson #ently pushed /elle into 0eclan's direction" JNo harm, man" &our sister wandered into the o ice lookin# or the bathroom" I she still needs to use it, the ladies room is located at the back o the buildin# and to the le t"K /elle patted 0eclan on the shoulder" JCalm down, bi# brother" %he bartender here was 3ust showin# a lady around is all" )ey, you still #ot that pack o ci#arettes on youI I need one bad"K Sendin# one last #lare to )enderson, 0eclan wrapped an arm around /elle's shoulders and headed towards the ront door" :iley #rabbed his bottle o beer be ore ollowin# them out" ! ew minutes o silence passed while the #roup presumably put a sa e distance between themsel$es and any ears that mi#ht be listenin#" Finally, I heard /elle's sweet, southern $oice as she spoke lowly to 0eclan" JI spotted what looked like a couple o crates in a lar#e, empty stora#e room partially co$ered with tarps" No way to see what was in the crates, but they looked about the si;e that could accommodate ri les" Suspect was sittin# 2uietly in the mana#er's o ice with the door open so that he had a $iew o the hall and the stora#e room" Closin# time is in two hours" I think we should wait till the place is empty, break in and take a look at what they mi#ht be hidin#"K 0eclan's low $oice ollowed /elle's report" J4hat do you think, CommanderIK Ja.on's eyes swept the bar a#ain be ore he answered, JSounds like a solid plan" Sulli$ans, tell /elle you all will stay here while my #roup will take our S,V to a remote area nearby in the woods to chan#e and load up" 4e'll lea$e you a chan#e o clothes and some toys alon# with the 58S coordinates o their location when we head back" %he two remainin# #roups will remain in position outside" 4all out"K ! short chorus o , J! irmati$es,K sounded throu#h the comm" link to let the Commander know that all #roups were aware o their current orders" !s the Sulli$an brothers walked back into the bar with a supposedly inebriated /elle in tow, a li$ely country son# started blastin# o$er the speakers" !s the iddle accompanied the #uitar, /elle shimmied her way onto the middle o the dance loor" Swayin# her hips seducti$ely to the music" Instantly, she #ained the attention o e$ery male in the room, with most o the emales watchin#, too( en$y, an#er or lust shinin# in their eyes" :e#ardless o all the other bystanders around me, in that moment, I lashed back i teen years to /elle dancin# or me like that in my bedroom while I lay back on the bed watchin# her" )ow I would ha$e her strip all o her clothes o or me slowly while she swun# her hips in sin ul mo$ements to tease me" )ow she would look when she was down to nothin# e.cept pretty, little lace panties" Maybe her boots and her cowboy hat, too" My dick elt like a solid steel pipe pressin# into my ;ipper" It took Ja.on slappin# me on the back o my head to #et me mo$in# towards the e.it a#ain be ore the son# and, there ore, the distraction was o$er" I silently $owed to mysel as we le t that /elle would be doin# that or me a#ain soon" !ll I had to do was come up with a plan to tame the wild woman who still mana#ed to make my dick #o hard in less than ei#ht seconds like some se.ual rodeo and my heart s2uee;e in my chest so hard that I thou#ht I mi#ht be ha$in# a heart attack" Chapter !our

Annabelle I aked a drunken swa##er as the Sulli$an brothers pretended to hal 9dra# me out to the parkin# lot" 4hen we were clear o the ront door, with nothin# e.cept the sounds o bull ro#s and crickets surroundin# us, 0eclan leaned in to whisper in my ear" J&ou put on one hell o a show there, honey" 5roup +ne has already made it to a secure location to chan#e and arm up" 4e'll wait here until they #et back in about i teen minutes"K I pulled the #ate down on my truck bed" %he three o us could sit there like we were shootin' the shit and wastin# time" In other words, a typical, laid back, southern ni#ht" J5i$e us a story to pass the time, !nnabelle" %ell us somethin# horribly embarrassin# about /obby"K 0eclan #rinned as he leaned back on his elbows a#ainst the bottom o the truck bed" :aisin# my eyebrow in amusement, I watched the other man's la;y demeanor" JI don't know about that, 0eclan" 8erhaps it would be best i I didn't talk about /obby with y'all" I'm a bit biased on the sub3ect o him"K %he #uys chuckled and then 0eclan 2uickly #rew serious" J0o you mind i I'm brutally honest with you, !nnabelleIK I let loose an un eminine snort" J&ou mi#ht as well" I'$e #ot this unny eelin# that you're the type that would tell me whether I want to hear it or not"K JI promise I'm not tryin# to pry into your business, I 3ust want you to know that I'$e known /obby or the last three and a hal years he's been on this team" In that time, we'$e #rown close" I'd do anythin# or him( includin# step into somethin# that is clearly not my business by tellin# you thin#s that I should lea$e or him to say, but since you won't #i$e him the time o day, let me lay it out or you" /obby's my boy" +$er the years, we'$e had a ew drunken ni#hts where he told me all about the mistakes he made o$er the course o his li e" )e always said that the bi##est mistake he e$er made was lea$in# you" 0id you know that 3ust a couple o weeks a ter he broke it o with you, he had his parents searchin# that entire county or you since he couldn't ind you by phoneI !pparently, you 3ust up and disappeared out o that small town you #uys #rew up in"K Shock rolled throu#h my body" /obby had looked or meI 4ow" I sure as hell hadn't seen that one comin#" )ow di erent would my li e ha$e been i I hadn't le t town the day a ter #ettin# /obby's letterI ! letter that was, by the way, still in my possession" It was somethin# I'd used o$er the years to help me mourn the heart I'd le t buried back in 5eor#ia" So many thin#s had happened in the last i teen years" !s much as I would lo$e to think /obby #enuinely wanted to clear the air between us, as he'd hinted o$er the past two days, I didn't think it was possible" I /obby e$er knew what I'd done, what I'd hidden rom him, he'd look at me with the kind o burnin# hate you bestowed on the people you despised with e$ery iber o your bein#" I don't think I could sur$i$e knowin# that the only man I'd e$er lo$ed elt that way about me" %urnin# back to look at 0eclan, I considered my ne.t words care ully" J%hat comm" link you #ot in your ear, what's the ran#e on that suckerIK 4ith a knowin# smile, 0eclan answered, J+h, about two miles" So we're sa e orQK he looked down at his watch, JI'd say about another our or i$e minutes be ore they're in ran#e

a#ain"K J5ood" 4hile they're out o earshot, I'd 3ust like to say thank you or tellin# me that" No, I didn't know /obby e$er looked or me a ter his LI9don't9think9we9should9see9each9other9 anymore' letter" %hat bein# said, I don't think anythin# can chan#e between the two o us" My li e chan#ed ore$er a ter that letter" %hin#s ha$e happened that ha$e made it impossible or /obby and I to #o back to the way thin#s were" &es, part o me will always be hurt or an#ry o$er what happened in the end between the two o us, but I also hope he has a #ood li e" I'm not that much o a bitch to want it otherwise" I wish it could ha$e ended di erently, but it's time or /obby to mo$e on"K 0eclan hun# his head a little and si#hed" JI think you still care or him, !nnabelle" +therwise, you wouldn't still be this pissed o at him" I I'm ri#ht, and you do, then I don't see why the two o you can't work throu#h whate$er happened in the past" I know or a act that /obby would mo$e )ea$en and earth 3ust to ha$e a second chance with you"K !s I was about to say somethin#, he held his hand up to hold me o " J/ut I understand i you eel like you can't make that leap" I'd like to ask a a$or o you, then" Just talk to him once" Let him say he's sorry" %hat way, maybe he can inally mo$e on with his li e instead o always lookin# back to the past he had with you"K I sat there, watchin# the sincerity in 0eclan's ace as he pleaded /obby's case" %he man would ha$e made a hell o a lawyer" %housands o thou#hts poured throu#h my stunned brain" 0id /obby honestly think he was still in lo$e with meI 4as he #enuinely sorry or doin# the one thin# he'd always promised ne$er to doI Lea$e me behindI Could I e$er trust him a ter what had happened be oreI My heart couldn't handle that kind o re3ection a#ain" :iley shi ted his butt on my other side, inad$ertently remindin# me that he'd been sittin# there the whole time" Lookin# o$er to him I asked, J&ou're too 2uiet, :iley Sulli$an" 4hat's your two cents about all o thisIK :iley shru##ed his shoulders, then 3erked his head in 0eclan's direction" JI a#ree with him"K I lau#hed" J&ou don't talk much do youIK Shru##in# his broad shoulders, he replied, JNope"K Shakin# my head in amusement, I took a moment to look at 0eclan's watch" J4hat ha$e we #ot, 0eclan, two or three minutes until they're in ran#e a#ainIK J%hat sounds about ri#ht, beauti ul"K J+kay" I'll think about talkin# to /obby, but in the meantime, why don't I tell you about the party at Jason /ueller's house"K 4ith a wist ul smile I added, J&ou're not #onna belie$e this shitQK Bobb

%he comm" link crackled in my ear when we came back into ran#e o the bar" In 3ust a ew minutes we would be parked and hidden away in $arious positions in the woods behind the bar" !s I checked my pockets on the black combat pants I was wearin# a#ain, makin# sure e$erythin# was in its place, I heard the roarin# cackle o lau#hter pour throu#h the link" It damn near blew my ear drum out"

I barked in annoyance, J4hat the uck, 0eclan- !re you tryin# to make us #o dea IK 0eclan continued to lau#h" )ell, he was lau#hin# so hard he was #aspin# or air, chokin# se$eral times in the process" )e was such a dumbass" 4hen he inally had some sel 9control, he said somethin# that stopped me dead in my tracks as I silently mo$ed throu#h the woods behind the /i# /ull /ar" J%ell me, /obby, 3ust how much li2uor do you ha$e to drink to #et chased by a truck throu#h a corn ieldI +r ha$e a ist i#ht with a tree be ore you decide it would be a brilliant idea to try and piss on an electric ence that nearly ;aps your dick o I /ut wait, that's not the best part" No, that would be where you passed out underneath a trailer in nothin# e.cept your bo.ers and you cuddled up with a beach ball while your ridiculously hot and totally willin# #irl riend was waitin# or you inside the trailer- 4e'$e been promised photo#raphic e$idence as proo to this incredible account o your male, teena#e idiocy" I think we should submit the pictures to National 5eo#raphic's on#oin# study about the e ects o alcohol on impressionable youn# males with low IOs"K %he line choked up with se$eral amused men's lau#hter" JS+N +F ! /I%C)- 4here's the loyaltyI &ou tell /elle to stop recappin# our ridiculous adolescent ad$entures be ore I break out a ew about her that I'm sure she'll wish ne$er saw the li#ht o day a#ain"K 0eclan relayed the messa#e to /elle and then her so t southern drawl came o$er the line" J/obby, you tellin# stories about me would be about as use ul as a trap door on a canoe since I don't ha$e to work with these #uys e$ery day and you do"K Ja.on cleared his throat to hide his amusement" J8laytime is o$er, kids" Let's #et back to work" Sulli$an team, we're in place" Min#le with the nati$es until it's almost closin# time" %hen head to our truck to pick up your chan#e o clothes and weapons" +nce you're done, meet up with us behind the bar in the woods"K 0eclan's, J:o#er that,K was immediate" Now it was time to hurry up and wait" MMM %hree o'clock in the mornin# inally rolled around be ore the tar#et le t with )enderson" %he bar's patrons had all been rounded up and kicked out an hour earlier" %hirty minutes a ter the departure o the two men, Chase went in with :iley co$erin# his back to disarm the security system and let us in without trippin# any alarms" Now I stood in the same lar#e stora#e room /elle had described to us hours earlier" 4ith me were Ja.on, 0eclan, :iley, !#ent /oyd and /elle" +ne wall was lined with metal shel$in# units illed with lar#e bottles o $arious li2uors" !cross the room, three crates sat on the loor co$ered up with blue, all9weather tarps" %he concrete loors were e.posed under our eet and the three walls le t bare were painted a stark white" %he sparseness o the room should ha$e com orted me" %here was nothin# blockin# my $iew o the area" No cluttered corners that could contain surprises" )owe$er, my instincts were screamin# at me and I couldn't help the instincti$e reaction o my in#er ti#htenin# closer to my ri le's tri##er" !lert and wary, I continued to scan my surroundin#s lookin# or all o the thin#s common sense told me should be there" Like security cameras" 4here were the small red li#hts indicatin# the room was bein# monitoredI It wasn't possible that criminals in$ol$ed with smu##lin# #uns were actually dumb enou#h to lea$e their stora#e area utterly de enseless" 4as

itI !lthou#h, the lack o small #lowin# li#hts mocked me until I had a horrible sense o unease in my #ut" 5ettin# in and out o this place as ast as possible was startin# to sound like a really damn #ood idea" %he sound o :iley #ently usin# a crowbar to pry the lid o one o the crates, 2uickly brou#ht my attention back around" ! ew seconds later, Ja.on shined a li#ht throu#h the #ap o the crate's lid and its body be ore lettin# out a low whistle" Ja.on passed the small, hi#h9powered lashli#ht to /elle while motionin# his head or her to take a look inside" 4hen she shined the li#ht throu#h the #ood si;e #ap :iley had made, I watched in interest as she pursed her lips and looked at the contents" ! ter a ew seconds o perusal, she handed the lashli#ht back to Ja.on, who then #a$e the si#nal to seal the crate back up" :iley closed the crate 2uickly as the remainin# members o the room #a$e one last look around" My eet were itchin# to haul ass out o there" I only I could locate the source o whate$er was puttin# me on ed#e, then I could take care o it" Somethin# told me that there was someone watchin#Nsomeone waitin#Nwhich went a#ainst the all clear we had initially #i$en the room" I looked back to see :iley puttin# the inishin# touches on the crate, it looked e.actly as we had ound it" No one should e$er be able to tell that the contents had been opened and $iewed" !s :iley #a$e the hand si#nal or the #roup to lea$e, I couldn't help silently #i$in# thanks that we were #ettin# the hell out o there" I didn't know i we'd o$erlooked somethin#N or i my instincts were all o Nbut the hairs standin# up on the back o my neck told me we were standin# in a trap and /elle was in dan#er" 1ither way, I hea$ed a tremendous si#h o relie when we inally cleared the buildin#" MMM %hirty minutes later, weary 1P +ps members iled throu#h the door o Ja.on's hotel room" /elle was the last one throu#h and I took a second to admire how hot she looked in her !%F #ear" 4earin# black 3eans, a lon#9slee$e, black t9shirt with a bullet proo $est on top, and her bad#e and #un holstered to her waist" %he whole kick9ass out it she had #oin# on ri#ht now was enou#h to make me sport an erection that elt seriously uncom ortable since I was in a room illed with other men" Includin# a couple o #uys that were like brothers to me, but that hadn't stopped the boot stompin# I'd promised 0eclan and :iley i they'd been tryin# to #et an eye ul o /elle while she'd been #ettin# dressed into her work clothes earlier" Frankly, I'd ne$er known that it was possible or a woman to chan#e in less than three minutes in a $ehicle without showin# a peep o skin throu#h the windows the whole time, but 0eclan had discreetly promised me that neither he, nor :iley, had seen so much as a toe while she was #ettin# ready" Not that my #ood ol' buddy 0eclan had been tryin# to take ad$anta#e o my sweet, $ulnerable woman while she was chan#in# clothes" )e'd ne$er do anythin# that despicable" :iiiii#ht" She'd mana#ed to pull her hair back into a loose bun at the nape o her neck, showcasin# the almost an#elic eatures o her ace" )i#h cheekbones" )er slender neck that I once licked down to her collarbone" 0amn, I'd #i$e anythin# to strip her down ri#ht here and now, pull her hair loose, and bend her o$er the back o a chair while I spread those luscious #lobes o her ass wide andN J0eputy Miles mi#ht ha$e been on to somethin# a ter all, !#ent :oberts"K Ja.on crossed his arms o$er his chest while considerin# the youn# 0eputy in 2uestion" /elle nodded her head in a#reement" JLooks like toni#ht wasn't a complete bust" !

couple o crates o MG's and !*9GE's aren't 2uite the load we were told to look or, but it's a start" My recommendation is to set up shi t sur$eillance on the bar with small teams" %hat way we can rotate out" %hose who aren't on sur$eillance duty can help ollow any leads we come across" )ow does that sound to you, Commander 4allIK Ja.on's #ru $oice answered, JIt's a place to start" 4e'll split up into teams tomorrow mornin#" 1$eryone should rest up toni#ht while we can and I'll e.pect that call in the mornin# rom you so we can #et speci ics started"K /elle shook his hand be ore sendin# a #eneral wa$e to the rest o the occupants in the room" J1$eryone sleep ti#ht now" 5oodni#ht"K She le t the room with /oyd, Sheri Jenkins and 0eputy Miles ri#ht on her heels" ! ter I inally #ot back to my own room, I peeled o my black /0,s, weapons and boots, lea$in# them in a pile on the loor" 4earin# nothin# but my bo.er brie s, I lay in the bed, thinkin# o /elle" She'd been hard to pin down when we were teena#ers, but I'd won her o$er back then" It had taken a lot o time, a lot o talkin# in places like our hi#h school ca eteria or in the hallways a ter class whene$er I could track her down" Small moments that had added up, pro$in# to her that she wasn't some prank I was tryin# to pull by #ettin# in her pants, or that I thou#ht she was easy" /y all means, the #irl I'd known back thenNand ob$iously the woman I was comin# ace to ace with nowNwas the e.act opposite o easy" %here were a lot o actors not in my a$or this round" I'd hurt her( apparently, much worse than I'd e$er dreamed o , and instead o loads o time and plenty o opportunities to wear her #uard down, I was workin# on a short time span" !ll I could hope was that between the little bit o time I had, a little patience while I sat throu#h what would undoubtedly be one nasty ass9 chewin# when she inally elt like talkin# to me a#ain, and layin# it all out on the table or her, maybe I could win her back" %he irst step would be to #et her to a#ree to dinner" I could start o by apolo#i;in#" %he rest would come a ter that" /aby steps and care ul maneu$erin# around any emotional landmines I'd le t behind when I'd 3ust plain le t her" I had no intentions o #i$in# up this time" /elle was my woman" %he other hal o my soul" !n intricate part o me that had elt lost or ar too lon#" Closin# my eyes, my mind dri ted back to better days" )ot a ternoons in the 5eor#ia sun where we hid under a #i#antic tree in the cooler shade" My lar#er body pinnin# her much smaller one beneath me as we lay in the prickly #rass" )er so t hands #lidin# o$er my body" Fin#ertips tracin# the lines o my chest be ore tra$elin# down o$er my abdomen" +ne o my hands buried in her hair to hold her still or a kiss" My other hand slippin# up under her shirt to stroke her breasts o$er her bra" 4arm, sweet breath min#lin# as ton#ues entwined" ! small e.tension o the two hearts that constantly sou#ht solace in each other" My heart constricted pain ully at the thou#ht o ne$er #ettin# that back" 4hat would it take to lure the lo$e o my li e back into my armsI 4hat were the chances that /elle would or#i$e meI !lso, 3ust what the uck would I do i she re used to or#i$e me a ter allI 5od, I hoped I didn't ha$e to ind out" Chapter !ive

Bobb Four days" )ow could the woman mana#e to dod#e me or our damn daysI I /elle saw me walkin# towards her, she would turn around and walk away in the other direction" I there was a team meetin#, she made like a #host the second it was o$er and disappeared be ore I could say a word to her a terwards" Now, here I stood, ten o'clock at ni#ht, in the bree;eway outside o my hotel room starin# at the ci#arette in my hand like it was the 2uestion o li e" %o li#ht or not to li#htI I hadn't lit up a smoke in o$er two years" %he irony o the situation wasn't lost on me, either" I'd started smokin# a ter ha$in# Mom and 0ad tell me that /elle had disappeared rom Syl$ania" %he stress o not knowin# where she was, or i she was sa e, had dri$en me to bummin# a ci#arette rom a buddy in the barracks" %he residual pain that centered around my heart the ollowin# months a ter that letter caused me to start buyin# my own packs o cancer sticks" 1$ery time the phone ran#, my hopes rose sky9hi#h that it was my parents tellin# me she'd come home, but /elle ne$er came home( so the crash o disappointment rom those phone calls resulted into trips to the walkway outside o my barrack's door so I could li#ht one up and pu away some o the pain" %hat was i teen years a#o and, since then, I'd 2uit smokin# si. times( mainly because Mom would bitch about how it was #oin# to kill me and who would #i$e her #randbabies i I up and croaked rom cancerI I'd been ree and clear o the little, white sticks o death or the last twenty9se$en months, so I'd thou#ht I had the habit kicked or #ood this time" &et, here I stood, holdin# one I'd bummed rom :iley in my hand, lookin# at the damn thin# while listenin# to the internal debate #oin# on in my head on whether I was #oin# to li#ht the son o a bitch or not" !ll because I couldn't handle not ha$in# her in my li e" )ow lame was thatI %his lack o control shit made me a pansy o the hi#hest order" J0on't do it, /aker,K Ja.on's #ru $oice commanded me" )e stepped out o the shadows that blackened out the end o the bree;eway on his ri#ht" )ow lon# had he been standin# thereI I didn't know because that mother ucker mo$ed around as i he was made o smoke and shadows, instead o lesh and bone like the rest o us" +ne minute there, #one the ne.t, without e$er makin# a sound" I I were a lesser man, I would ha$e pissed mysel at his sudden appearance" Instead, I chose to li t an in2uirin# eyebrow in his direction" J&ou sound like a ne#otiator in one o those aw ul mo$ie scenes where the #uy is standin# on the led#e o the buildin#, threatenin# to 3ump"K Ja.on #runted in dis#ust" JIt may not be that dire, asshole, but I'd hate to see you throw all your hard work down the drain because you're lettin# your emotions #et the best o you" &ou're a hi#hly trained soldier" It's a shame you're not usin# the brains 5od #a$e you and the skills the !rmy tau#ht you to handle this better"K My 3aw bunched in rustration" J:eallyI 4hat should I doI *idnap her and keep her hosta#e until she a#rees to hear me outI I think ,ncle Sam would ha$e a problem with that plan because I'd ha$e to #o o the #rid or a while to do it"K Shakin# his head, he said, J&ou're not a pimply9 aced, little punk sittin# in his bo.ers at home playin# war #ames on his computer" &ou spent ele$en years in the !rmy as a :an#er, and you're tellin# me they tau#ht you nothin# about how to approach a missionI &ou know nothin#

about strate#yI &ou ha$e absolutely no understandin# o tacticsIK Cockin# my head to the side as I considered his words, I thou#ht about what he was tryin# to say" J&ou're tellin# me to dial down the emotions and analy;e /elle as i she's a tar#et( recon her mo$ements, i#ure out what makes her tick, then ind the best way to break her down so that I can reach my end#ameIK JIsn't that a better idea than shootin# two years o hard work down the shitter by stickin# that dis#ustin# thin# in your mouth and smokin# itIK Lookin# back down to the ci#arette in my hand, I decided Ja.on was ri#ht" 0roppin# it to the #round, I used the bottom o my boot to crush it to pieces" 4hen I looked back up to Ja.on, it was to see the smallest hint o one side o his mouth tipped up" %hat sli#ht #rin disappeared, thou#h, when he nodded his head towards the decimated ci#arette and then said, J&ou tell Sulli$an that i he #i$es you another poison stick, I'll kick his ass"K %hen he disappeared back into the shadows, lea$in# me alone a#ain" +nly this time I wasn't standin# there like a 3erk with my thumb up my ass, with no idea what to do" No, now I had moti$ation a#ain" /elle couldn't a$oid me ore$er" +ne way or another, I'd ind a way to #et her alone to talk to me" 1$en i I had to #rab her and tie her up to keep her in one place lon# enou#h to listen to what I had to say" Annabelle Three "ays later Frustrated" %ired" Seriously pissed o " I was eelin# all o that and more as I sat at the piece o crap table in 0eclan Sulli$an's room, holdin# a hand o playin# cards and drinkin# cheap beer" %his was a ter yet another pointless in ormation and strate#y meetin# with the 1P +ps team" It was a week a ter our initial underco$er sur$eillance at the /i# /ull /ar, and nothin# was happenin#" 4hen I say nothin#, I mean nothin#" Not one teeny, tiny mo$ement rom the bar in$ol$in# those crates" No chatter rom our snitches or underco$er o icers concernin# our in$esti#ation" No word rom our in ormant inside the Me.ican cartel" No pro#ress whatsoe$er" I was startin# to eel downri#ht itchy to #et this case sol$ed" 4hen I #ot itchy, thin#s #ot twitchy, like my le t eye and my tri##er in#er" + course, I didn't know who I wanted to shoot more" %he assholes behind this black market problem, or /obby /aker or bein# a constant pain in my ass" 1$ery time I turned around, there he was" !skin# or a minute o my time" !skin# to take me out to dinner" !skin# me i we could #et naked to ha$e hot, an#ry se. and then I could #o back to hatin# him a#ain a ter we were done" +kay, so he hadn't e.actly asked or the hot, an#ry se., but I could dream about it, ri#htI I mean, da#9#um" %he man had almost doubled in si;e rom when I'd last seen him" )e had all o these delicious muscles now that 3ust silently be##ed or me to e.plore them" 4hen they rippled as he mo$edNe$en i it was 3ust him walkin# rom one side o the room to the otherNit was like they were talkin# to me" %emptin# me" I I didn't know any better, I'd swear his cra;y ass was doin# it on purpose- 4as it possible or a wily man and his ripplin# muscles to seduce a woman to the dark sideI !s I considered the possibilities to that answerNabsentmindedly #rabbin# my bottle o beer o the table to take a swi#NI reali;ed the room was too 2uiet" Lookin# up rom my cards, I saw that all eyes were on me" J4hatIK

0eclan cocked an amused eyebrow" J0id you eel like playin# that hand o cards you're holdin#, or did you want to ha$e us bron;e and memoriali;e them or somethin#IK Lookin# back down to my cards, which were shit, I decided to old" 8uttin# my cards on the table, I wa$ed or the others to continue with the #ame" %here were 3ust our o us in this room" 0eclan, :iley, mysel , and him" I was still i#norin# him, thou#h" %he three men had an easy camaraderie that made it ob$ious that they not only #ot alon#, but they spent a lot o time to#ether, too" Somehow, 0eclan had talked me into stayin# or drinks and a #ame o poker a ter the meetin#, only to blindside me with /obby as the cards were bein# dealt" I'd been set up" !pparently, you could trust these o 9the9#rid, special ops9type #uys about as ar as you could throw them" Sneaky 3erks" Since I didn't want to lounce out o there like some dramatic prom 2ueen, I chose to sit here 2uietly, start the process o peelin# the label o my second beer, and play poker with hal o my mind hatchin# a plausible escape plan" +ne minute, I was 2uietly pickin# at the corner o the bottle's label, the ne.t I was starin# at the whisky bottle and shot #lass that had ma#ically appeared in ront o me" %ada- )ello temptation5i$in# a suspicious, s2uinty eye to the three men watchin# me, I asked, J4hat are y'all up to hereIK My in#er wa$ed around in a circle to encompass what was probably a terrible idea in a bottle in ront o me" :iley shru##ed" J4e're not up to anythin#" &ou look too tense" %hrow back some shots and chill the uck out" None o us are on call, it's ten o'clock at ni#ht, and you mi#ht as well en3oy yoursel "K ! ter a short li$ed starin# contest with :iley, which I lostNdammitNI cracked that bottle open, illed up my shot #lass, and threw it back like a seasoned drinkin# pro" I e$en mana#ed not to #asp rom the burn o the iery li2uid #oin# down my throat( althou#h, it elt like it was la$a and not alcohol" I was playin# it o brilliantly like I drank shots all the time instead o the once in a blue moon that I actually did" :iley #rabbed the bottle and poured out our more shots, one or each o us, and I knew then and there that I was doomed" %his had all the in#redients o a recipe or disasterNalcohol, temperamental emale emotions and drool worthy muscles" 4ell, they always said the road to hell was pa$ed in #ood intentions" %hat must mean, with all o my bad intentions, my trip would be bone 3arrin#ly bumpy, tra$elin# at the kind o speeds one saw on the !utobahn with a predestined crash at the end and not a seat belt in si#ht" Bobb

Men don't wa. poetic on how they eel about other men" It was in the unwritten man rules somewhere that we were allowed to burp, art and scratch our balls around each other, but there would be no wordy displays o a ection" !nyone who $iolated that rule would ha$e to turn our man card in" 1$en i the other #uy was my best riend and had co$ered my ass on more missions than I could count" !t this moment in time, thou#h, I was willin# to make a serious e.ception to the man rules since 0eclan had talked /elle into stayin# or a #ame o poker and beer" Now I was on the $er#e o tellin# :iley that /elle and I would name our irst child a ter

him because he was loadin# her up with boo;e" It was a low9down dirty play, but she wasn't #i$in# me another in" I I could #et her drunk, then #et her talkin#, it could be the breakthrou#h I'd been lookin# or" In essence, maneu$erin# her into a drunken corner in order to keep her in one spot lon# enou#h or me to talk to her because, 5od knew, that woman wouldn't #i$e me the time o day otherwise" %he #ame continued, and it was easy to see that /elle was 2uickly slippin# into a drunken stupor since she'd been s2uintin# at her cards or the last our hands, tryin# to i#ure out in her head what she was holdin#" !s i that wasn't cute enou#h, now she had the tip o her ton#ue peekin# out o the side o her mouth like the crap hand o cards she was holdin# was a three thousand year old treasure map, and she was tryin# to i#ure it out to #et the treasure" 4hen I looked o$er to see the amused #rins on 0eclan and :iley's aces aimed at /elle because she was once a#ain holdin# up the #ame, it caused me to shake my head in ei#ned dis#ust" It was easy to see that, a ter all these years, my #irl still had no idea that she was a natural at bein# cute" Lookin# back to her, I muttered, J/aby, you #oin# to play that hand or keep starin# at itIK )er head lew up and, or a moment, I braced mysel or what was probably #oin# to be a seriously pissed o woman's rant about how I had no ri#ht to call her baby anymore" Instead, she threw her hands up in the air in dis#ust, and then plopped them down on the table with not a care in the world that she was lashin# her cards to e$eryone" )u in# in annoyance, she e.claimed, J5imme a second here, !ce- I'm tryin' to concentrate on what I'm doin'-K My breath cau#ht in my chest" &ou could ne$er pay me enou#h to admit this aloud, hell, I'd ne$er let anyone torture this act out o me, but hearin# her say the name L!ce' or the irst time in i teen years was the most beauti ul thin# I'd e$er heard" )earin# that one, little name a#ain made my chest constrict pain ully or a ew seconds be ore slowly turnin# e$erythin# inside me into somethin# warm and #ood" It was the closest thin# I'd elt to bein# whole in a lon# damn time" Not that /elle #a$e me any time to en3oy that nice warm eelin#" ,pon reali;ation o what she'd said, all the color drained out o her ace, and she was hal way out o the Sulli$an's room be ore I could blink" Not that I was lettin# her #et away rom me this time" %hrowin# my cards on the table, I hauled ass a ter her, lea$in# the smirkin# Sulli$an brothers in my dust" Luckily, the alcohol had slowed her down, so she hadn't made it $ery ar down the bree;eway when I cau#ht si#ht o her a#ain" /y the time I was in arm's reach o her, she was unknowin#ly 3ust our steps short o my hotel room's door" +pportunity wasn't knockin#, he was tellin# me to haul my #irl, kickin# and screamin#, into my room and kick the damn door down to #et there, i I had to" 5rabbin# /elle's arm to stop her escape, I swun# her body around until she was standin# sideways in ront o me, somewhat hysterical and con used" /e ore she could try to #et away rom me a#ain, I scooped her le#s out rom underneath her, cradlin# her body in my arms like the precious packa#e that it was" !s I opened the door to my room, she started stru##lin# to #et away" It was too late or her, thou#h" In my roomNwith the door closed, locked, and my body standin# in ront o itNthere was no escape or her" 5ently settin# her eet on the loor, her body wobbled unsteadily rom her inebriated state as she tried to slap my hands away rom her" J5awd, /obby- 4hat in the hell are you doin#I 5et out o the way so I can #o home-K JNo"K She ro;e in ront o me at my answer" JNoIK JNo"K

J4hy noIK J/ecause, i I let you out that door, then you'll #o back to this little #ame you'$e been playin# at a$oidin# me and, baby, I'm tired o the uckin# #ame"K /elle's mouth dropped open as she stared back at me in shock, mi.ed with resentment" ! moment o silence passed between us be ore she an#rily hissed, J&ou think I'm playin# a #ame with youIK My heart was thunderin# in my chest" %his was it" Finally- Finally, we were #oin# to ha$e this come9to9Jesus talk that was so o$erdue between us that i that talk itsel had been a library book, the late ee would resemble the national debt" 8lantin# my hands on my hips, I #rowled, J&ou tryin# to tell me that you ha$en't been playin# some kind o #ameI &ou disappear or i teen years without so much as a clue to where you're headed, then walt; back into my li e and try to pretend I don't e.istI &ou don't ha$e the kind o lo$e we had, /elle" )ell, you don't ha$e a man like meNwho's had his mouth on you, his cock in youNand then pretend like he doesn't e.ist" Now, I'm tellin# you, I'm tired o this #ame and I'm tired o uckin# waitin# or you to #i$e me a second o your time so that we can talk about this shit"K %hrowin# her hands up in the air, she stumbled backwards a ew steps and then screeched, J%here's nothin# to talk about, /obby- /esides, I didnRt ha$e the manRs mouth and cock" I had the boyRs" %hereRs a di erence" ! man, a real man that is, keeps his promises" Like the ones he made to come back" ! boy hasnRt #rown up enou#h to reali;e how important promises are to keep"K My whole body 3erked as i she'd slapped me in the ace" It mi#ht ha$e been words spoken instead o physical actions, but her accusation, sure as shit, had hit me hard enou#h to eel physical" I#norin# the way my airway suddenly elt closed o , I rasped, JI ucked up" I #et that" I tried to make it ri#ht" )ell, I'm still tryin# to make it ri#ht" /ut" &ou" 4on't" Let" Me"K %he ne.t thin# I knew, she had her hand in my ace, like she could stop the words comin# out o my mouth as lon# as that hand was there to block them, which was a 3oke because, at the moment, she was so drunk that she couldn't stop a ly rom landin# on her" %he momentum o throwin# her hand in my ace had caused her to start a slow lean to the ri#ht and she didn't look like that lean was #oin# to stop until she was ace irst in the carpet" I she didn't stop lailin# around like this, she was #oin# to all and hurt hersel " JStay still and calm down"K I#norin# me, she continued wa$in# her arms around" J0on't you #et itI 4e'$e been o$er or i teen years-K )er body tipped dan#erously the other way and, or a second, I thou#ht or sure she was #oin# to #o head irst into the wall now, instead o the carpet" %he thou#ht o her accidentally hurtin# hersel was dri$in# me cra;y" I #round out between my teeth, JCalm down and #i$e me your attention, dammit"K Instead o doin# as I asked, she screeched, J4hat in the world do you think we need to talk aboutIK I #rabbed her by the hips to keep her rom allin# on her ass" %he #esture clearly wasn't appreciated since she started tryin# to pry my hands o her" I#norin# her attempts to remo$e me, I pulled her closer until we were only an inch apart and she had no choice e.cept to look me in the ace" %he pupils were dilated in those bi#, beauti ul, #reen eyes o hers" She was pantin# and clearly more ner$ous than outra#ed" Most o all, she was $ulnerable and doin# her best to hide it" 4hat she didn't understand, yet, was that I had no intentions o hurtin# that $ulnerable side o

her" I wanted to do the e.act opposite" I wanted to protect it and her, so that nothin# could e$er hurt her a#ain the way I had" J0o I ha$e your attention nowIK 1yes wide, she nodded" J5ood, now listen closely because this is important and I want to make sure that it penetrates somewhere throu#h that thick skull o yours" 4e were ne$er o$er, /elle, not as ar as I'm concerned" Maybe on hold until I ound you a#ain, but ne$er really o$er" I'$e been lookin# or you since the day you le t Syl$ania so I could tell you that I ucked up" I should ha$e ne$er sent you that letter"K /elle's breathin# was ra##ed now" 1yes watery, threatenin# tears at any #i$en second" Still, she didn't say a word" J0o you understand what I'm tryin# to tell you, babyI I'm tryin# to say I'm sorry" I was so uckin# stupid and I will #o to my #ra$e re#rettin# how badly I hurt you, but I didn't 3ust hurt you, I hurt us both" I'$e been walkin# around all these years in pain with what eels like these chunks o my soul missin#" Mo$in# throu#h li e with a heart that elt as i it wasn't actually beatin# and how could itI It wasn't possible because e$erythin# that was e$er #ood about me was missin# and it was missin# because I didn't ha$e you"K %ears were streamin# down her ace now" She ace planted into my chest as sobs racked her body uncontrollably" I'd started worryin# that I'd messed this all up more than i.ed it because she was seriously drunk and cryin# so #oddamn hard that it wasn't possible or her to breathe" I I hadn't been holdin# her up, she would be a heap on the loor" :aisin# my hands to rame her ace, I tipped it #ently back, wiped the tears away, and then made sure she was lookin# in my eyes a#ain be ore I continued, J4hat I'm tryin# to say, /elle, is that I still lo$9J Just like that and she was on me" 8ractically climbin# up my body with her own, causin# me to stumble backwards until I landed a#ainst the door" )er lips slammed into mine as she orce ully thrust her ton#ue into my mouth( it was desperate and wild" She was holdin# onto me with her hands as i she was terri ied to let me #o and let me inish my sentence" %hat bothered me, too, but she elt so #ood a#ainst me that I couldn't brin# mysel to push her away and ask her why she didn't want to hear me say the words" )er so t ton#ue tan#led with mine and the taste o whisky, beer and her own sweet essence was a heady combination that sent my senses whirlin#" +ne o her hands slid up into my hair 3ust like she used to do when we were youn#er and, in that moment, I thou#ht I'd died and #one to )ea$en" Mo$in# on autopilot, my hands slid down her back, o$er her behind and didn't stop until they hit the tops o her thi#hs which allowed me to pick her up so that she was pressed ti#ht a#ainst me" She wrapped those se.y le#s o hers around my waist and I held onto her by her lush bottom, an ass cheek in each hand, while I walked us 2uickly orward until my knees hit the ed#e o the bed" )oldin# her ti#htly, ne$er stoppin# the hun#ry kisses, I mo$ed us #ently down onto the bed until she lay underneath me and I was settled between her thi#hs" )er kisses were startin# to become a bit sloppier, but that didn't stop me rom appreciatin# the eel o her lips on my own" I thou#ht that when she'd used my nickname earlier that li e couldn't #et any sweeter" I was wron#" So $ery wron#" )oldin# her like this, kissin# her like it was the most important thin# I would e$er do, I knew this would ne$er be enou#h" I would always want more" 4ant to eel the so t #lide o her bare skin a#ainst my own" 4ant to use my hands to pet and stroke her body until she was burnin# up rom the inside9out or me" Need to kiss her all o$er so there wasn't a spot on

her le t untouched by my mouth" Feel her surroundin# me in e$ery sense o the word or the rest o my li e" I wouldn't do any o those thin#s, thou#h" Not now while she was so drunk that she could try and use this ni#ht to keep me at arm's len#th a#ain tomorrow" I let more o my body wei#ht settle on top o her so that I became too hea$y or her to #rind a#ainst me anymore( e ecti$ely trappin# her beneath me" %hen I started to slow our kisses down so that, e$entuallyNa ter a ew a##ra$ated #rowls on her partNwe were now en3oyin# each other's touches with lon#, lin#erin# e ects instead o racin# towards somethin# else" )er body started to rela. into the bed, the mo$ement o her hands mo$in# up and down my back becomin# slu##ish, and I knew she was moments rom passin# out rom the alcohol" 8ullin# away rom her lips, she #a$e a so t mewl o disappointment, and then 2uieted when I rolled to my side, takin# her with me" My ri#ht arm became a pillow or her head and my le t arm clamped ti#htly around her waist, pressin# her so t cur$es into my ront" I should ha$e loosened my #rip, #i$in# her a little breathin# room, but I didn't want to take the chance that she'd try to #et away rom me a#ain, so I didn't" /elle buried her ace a#ainst my chest as I elt both o her hands ist the abric o my shirt" *issin# the top o her head, I patiently waited while her body's wei#ht slowly turned into dead wei#ht a#ainst me and she started slippin# into sleep" Just when I thou#ht she was out, she mumbled into my chest" Slowly rubbin# my hand up and down her back to soothe her, I elt her raise her ace up a little be ore she mumbled, JMissed you, !ce" I'm so, so sorry"K Is she awake and tryin# to talk to me a ter allI My heart skips a beat at her admission that she missed me because I'$e missed her so uckin# much, too" 8ullin# back, I looked down at her ace, but it was slack with sleep, e.cept or the cute little urrow between her eyebrows" She's talkin# in her sleep" 4ell, at least her subconscious was willin# to admit that she missed me, but what in the hell could she be sorry orI I was the asshole that screwed it all up between us" Chapter Si"

Annabelle ,#h" It elt like there was a drum set playin# in my head" !lso, why was the bed mo$in# underneath meI 5in#erly crackin# open one eyelid, the irst thin# I reali;ed was that it was still dark out" Not 3ust in the room, but also outside since there was no li#ht peekin# around the curtains across the room rom me" Curtains that looked absolutely nothin# like the ones I had in my bedroom" %he ne.t thin# I noticed was that I was not lyin# on a bed, but on a body" Sweet baby Jesus, what had I done last ni#htI I let my eyes slowly dri t up the #ray t9shirt that co$ered a thickly muscled chest and, oh boy, it was a nice chest, until I was lookin# at a man's neck and the underside o a solid, prominent 3aw" :eali;in# who that 3aw belon#ed to meant I had #ood news and I had bad news" %he #ood news was, I knew who this incredible chest that I was lyin# on was, so I wasn't sleepin# with a stran#er, which would ha$e been a irst or me" %he bad news was, I knew who the incredible chest I'd been sleepin# on belon#ed to and, apparently, droolin# on since I was

now lookin# back down to that incredible chest and the wet spot there that stood out where my mouth had been positioned" It was /obby /aker" )ow in the )oly )ell did I end up in bed with /obbyI Lookin# down to my own body, I breathed out a si#h o relie when I saw that I still had clothes on" + course, there was a small part o me that was also disappointed that I had clothes on, but as the :ollin# Stones were amous or sayin#, you can't always #et what you want" 0espite all the hurt between us, what I'd always wanted desperately was /obby" )a;y memories started to de$elop as I watched him sleep" Fu;;y snippets where he said the thin#s I'd dreamt o him sayin# to me in my loneliest moments throu#h the years" I should ha$e ne$er sent you that letter" 1i#ht words I'd ne$er thou#ht I'd hear, alon# with an apolo#y and his attempt to tell me he still lo$ed me" +ne would think that those words would be e.actly what I wanted andNin a wayNthey were, but they were also the last thin# I wanted because a letter and a broken heart weren't the only thin#s between us" %here were secrets between us, too" +nly /obby didn't know about them yet" 4hen he ound out the truth, the tides would chan#e" Instead o lookin# at me with hope and lo$e shinin# in his eyes, he would look at me with an#er and betrayal" My care ully constructed world was about to be blown to bits because I knewNdown to the bottom o my heartNthat I had no choice e.cept tellin# him the truth now" It was easy to 3usti y the secrets when I was able to hold onto the hurt and miles between us" Now that he was here and had apolo#i;ed, I was drownin# in the reali;ation that I had well and truly screwed up bi# time" %here was certainly no comin# back rom what I'd done" %he only thin# that hurt more ri#ht now than the knowled#e that /obby would well and truly hate me soon was the what i thou#hts" 4hat i I'd done it all di erently back thenI 4hat i I'd stayed in Syl$aniaI %hin#s mi#ht be di erent now, but there was no #oin# back" No time machine to help me ri#ht my wron#s" No, all I had was this moment to cherish be ore the sun would rise on my problems and my li e would once a#ain be irre$ocably chan#ed ore$er" So I was #oin# to #rab onto this moment with him with both hands and make the most o it" Make enou#h memories to last me a li etime be ore he walked away rom me or #ood" Sittin# up slowly on the bed, I looked o$er at the di#ital clock on the ni#htstand that said Nin #lowin# red numbersNthat it was our o'clock in the mornin#" )ope ully, he wasn't a mornin# person because that could blow the plan ormin# in my head to bits" /rushin# the worry away, I maneu$ered mysel care ully out o the bed until I was standin# on the loor ne.t to it" %he room wasn't e.actly spinnin# rom the han#o$er I had, but I was a bit u;;y in the brain" It wasn't enou#h to stop me rom what I wanted to do, thou#h" I was watchin# him like a hawk or the smallest indication that he would wake up, but he didn't mo$e" 5lancin# to the door o the room, I debated lea$in#" It mi#ht be or the best" 4hat I was about to do would only hurt us both urther a ter e$erythin# came to li#ht" %hou#h, when I looked back at /obby's sleepin# orm, I couldn't make my eet mo$e towards the e.it" It was sel ish and it was #oin# to e.acerbate all o my problems, but I needed this rom him" Needed to eel that connection that I knew would still be there once we started touchin# each other" 4anted to eel, or 3ust a little while, the depths o his a ections in the most undamental way be ore e$erythin# crashed down around me a#ain" 8erhaps it would make him hate me more later, but then, that mi#ht be or the best, as well" 4hat I'd done was un or#i$able, and I didn't deser$e what I was about to #i$e mysel in his arms, but I was #oin# to take it anyway"

0ecidin# not to waste any more time, I peeled my shirt o o$er my head" %hen, with swi t, but still somewhat wobbly mo$ements, I unbuttoned my 3eans and pushed them o$er my hips and down my le#s alon# with my panties until they pooled at my eet around my cowboy boots" Slippin# my eet out o my boots, I stepped out o them to peel my socks o " Finally, I snapped open the ront enclosure o my bra and slid it down my arms and o my body" I stood there, ully e.posed or a moment, watchin# his dreamin# eyes mo$e around under his closed eyelids" 4as he dreamin# o meI Ima#inin# a li e or us where we could be old and #ray, sittin# in a swin# on a ront porch somewhere, while we watched uture #randchildren playin#I %hinkin# up a li e where we would always be to#ether instead o apartI %hese were all thin#s that I'd dreamed o o$er the years" It was nice to think that maybe he'd dreamt those thin#s, too" %hey were also thin#s that would ne$er happen" Makin# mysel mo$e be ore I lost my coura#e, I care ully crawled back across the bed to minimi;e mo$in# it around and then positioned mysel so that I was straddlin# his prone body" It was probably a small miracle that I'd mana#ed to do all o that without losin# my balance, allin# on top o him, and makin# a 3ackass out o mysel " )is eyelids twitched and he #roaned as my mo$ements 3ostled the bed, causin# him to start bein# brou#ht into consciousness" Settin# my tremblin# hands on his stomach, slippin# my thumbs underneath the ed#e o his shirt, I slowly started to push the abric up to re$eal his body to me in slow, a#oni;in# inches" %here was a small, dark line rom his happy trail that disappeared into his 3eans" Continuin# to mo$e the shirt up, I re$ealed a tan, de ined si.9pack that be##ed me to trace it with my lips, so I did" )is abdomen #a$e an in$oluntary spasm at the touch and he mumbled somethin# incoherent" My hands kept mo$in# his shirt up, with my lips skimmin# o$er the skin I re$ealed alon# the way, until I was past his stomach and pushin# abric 3ust o$er his small, brown nipples" %hat's when two stron# hands #rabbed my wrists to stop my pro#ress" Li tin# my ace rom where I'd been kissin# his skin, I couldn't help smilin# at his drowsy, con used ace" )is $oice rumbled low, J4hat are you doin#IK JMakin# a memory"K )e shook his head" JI won't take ad$anta#e o you, /elle" &ou had too much to drink last ni#ht and you're probably still out o it"K Leanin# back down, I placed another kiss, ollowed by a slow, swirlin# lick to one o his nipples" 1$ery muscle in his body locked up underneath me and he #a$e a hiss" 8eekin# back up at him throu#h my lashes, I stopped lon# enou#h to say, JI'm not drunk and I'm not out o it" %rust me when I say, I'm completely in this moment with you"K %hose stunnin# blue eyes o his watched me with intense scrutiny( 3ud#in# the sincerity o my words" Not waitin# to see what his decision would be, I closed the distance between us and kissed him with all the erocity o my emotions" )is lips were hesitant at irst, but when I traced his ull, bottom lip with my ton#ue, silently askin# or entrance to his mouth, he #a$e in on a #roan and kissed me back" )is hands came up to tan#le in my hair while I slipped one o my hands down to the ly o his 3eans" 4hen his 3eans were unbuttoned, un;ipped, and I had pushed them hal way down his butt, I broke o our kiss as my hands sho$ed under his t9shirt, pullin# it up 2uickly o$er his upper body and whippin# it o to throw it o$er my shoulder somewhere behind me" /obby lay back down on the bed and watched my hands as they slowly traced the dips and #roo$es o his muscles" )e'd had de inition at ei#hteen" Now, at thirty9three, he had more o e$erythin# to de ine" Scootin# down the bed, keepin# my hands on his body as they mo$ed o$er

his pecs, his si.9pack, skirtin# around his erection that was already thick and layin# up to his belly button, I mo$ed my hands o$er his built thi#hs until I knelt down on the bed by his eet and was lookin# up the len#th o his body" &es, e$erythin# on him was bi##er now" 8ullin# his 3eans down his le#s, then droppin# them o$er the end o the bed and onto the loor, I ne$er took my eyes o his body" 1$erythin# about /obby was utterly breathtakin#" Lookin# back up to his ace, my eyes locked onto him like I was a heat9seekin# missile and he was the tar#et" I couldn't blink because, i I opened my eyes and this disappeared because it was some dream, I would ne$er reco$er" So, starin# into his bri#ht blue depths, I started slidin# back up the bed, between /obby's le#s" Startin# rom the inside o his knees, up to 3ust below his #roin, I used my nails to scratch his skin( not hard enou#h to break the skin, but I was certainly #oin# to lea$e my mark" )is swollen, ull len#th twitched as I mo$ed closer to it and ho$ered o$er him" J0on't tease,K he rumbled" J4ho said I'm teasin# youIK J/abe, you're starin# at my cock like it's your a$orite la$or o ice cream and lickin# your lips, but you're not doin# anythin# about it"K I'd been lickin# my lipsI So immersed in the si#ht o him be ore me, I hadn't e$en noticed" Not that I cared" 4hat woman wouldn't look at this body o his and lick her lips with wantI I licked my lips a#ain, slowly, with 3ust the tip o my ton#ue, purposely e.a##eratin# the mo$ement, and his eyes narrowed at me in accusation" 5rabbin# him in one hand, #ently s2uee;in# the heated lesh, I watched as his eyes closed and his head dropped back in pleasure" Mo$in# my hand up and down in irm, slow strokes, I asked, J&ou want me to do somethin# about thisIK J&es,K he #roaned, istin# both o his hands in the sheets" 5i$in# him another irm, slow stroke, I continued, J!re you sure you don't want me to tease you 3ust a little bitIK My hand stopped its mo$ement and, instead, I s2uee;ed him a#ain" )is eyes shot open, a ire buildin# in them and he #round out in rustration, J4omanQK %hat scowl o his promised re$en#e and, e$en thou#h I knew it would ne$er come a ter toni#ht, I decided it mi#ht be best to stop torturin# him on the o chance he did ind a way to pay me back" Slidin# him into my mouth, I sa$ored the salty taste o him as I mo$ed down his len#th" Lookin# up his body, his eyes cau#ht and held mine as I worked him" %here was a lush to his cheeks and his breathin# was comin# aster now" %hat ire o emotions burnin# in his eyes only seemed to #row bri#hter and I knew instincti$ely it was because he liked to watch me work him" It made me eel se.y" It made me want to be bolder with him" +ne o my hands was wrapped around the base o his cock so I used my ree hand to reach down and roll his balls between palm and in#ers" %hey were already drawn up hard and ti#ht and, at the eel o me touchin# them, his back bowed, head pressed hard into his pillow, heels di##in# into the mattress" )e was moments rom losin# it" I was so turned on rom watchin# him stru##le not to let #o that I was already wet or him" !chin# or him to ill me" !s I was doin# my best to push him o$er the ed#e with my hands and mouth, somethin# happened" +ne moment, I was workin# him with e$erythin# I had and the ne.t, my body was suddenly airborne until I landed hard on my back with /obby's body co$erin# me" )is eyes seemed e$ered now when he said, JNot" &et"K I panted, J/ut, /obbyNK )e silenced me with a 2uick, hard kiss" 8ullin# away, he slid down my body, threw my le#s o$er his shoulders 3ust as I pushed up on my elbows and

protested, J/ut /obbyNK JShut it, woman" %ryin# to do somethin# here"K %hen his mouth was on me" My elbows #a$e out rom underneath me and I ell back to the bed a#ain" 4e'd always been #enerous with each other's bodies when we were kids, usin# our hands and mouths to #et each other o , but this was di erent" %his was so much more" 1$erythin# elt hei#htened" )is ton#ue was tra$elin# o$er my entrance, up and o$er my clit, lickin# me like he couldn't #et enou#h o me" )is in#er was pressed up hi#h inside o me and curled 3ust enou#h that it hit that ma#ical spot" I elt my mouth mo$in#, but I had no idea what I was sayin# because my head elt li#ht and there was a bu;;in# in my ears" )e wasn't tryin# to push me o$er an ed#e, he was strappin# me to a rocket, li#htin# the use and I was milliseconds rom e.plodin# all o$er him" 4hen it hit me, it elt as i someone had blown me apart, molecule by molecule, until there was nothin# o me le t e.cept or the heart and soul o me, which was my undyin# lo$e or /obby" %here was no time to think, thou#h" No time to throw up some o those emotional de enses to protect mysel rom his assault" 4hat a cle$er #irl I'd thou#ht I was when I'd started this with him, thinkin# I could control e$erythin# to minimi;e my e$entual allout" No, between one breath and the ne.t, he was there, slidin# into me, illin# me like no one e$er had be ore, or would a#ain" It elt so #oodNhim inside meNand that's when it hit me like a ton o bricks" It elt too #ood" )e wasn't wearin# protection" JCondom,K I #asped" J&ou or#ot to put on a condom-K )e started to pull out and I thou#ht he was #oin# to i. our problem, but be ore he pulled entirely out o me, he was sur#in# back in, shakin# his head no, and #rittin# throu#h his teeth" JNothin# between us, /elle"K 8ullin# almost all the way out, he mo$ed his hands until they were holdin# my le#s behind the knees and positionin# me so that I was spread open wide and bare or him, then he powered back inside me" JNothin# will e$er be between us a#ain" 5od, bein# inside you eels like comin# home"K %ears illed my eyes and a sob tore out o my chest" /obby's ace so tened and I could tell he thou#ht they were tears o 3oy in celebration o us bein# to#ether a#ain" )ow I wish they were" %hey were really tears o #ut9wrenchin# pain and want" )ow I'd #i$e anythin# or there to be nothin# between /obby and I a#ain, in e$ery sense o the word, but that 3ust wasn't the case andNall too soonNhe would i#ure that out" For now, I still had him and this moment so I was #oin# to make the most o it" Just like i teen years a#o, the last time he'd made lo$e to me on the bank o the creek in 5eor#ia, I whispered, JMake lo$e to me, !ce" I'm about to come, and I wanna eel you inside me when I do"K Seein# the desperate lash in his eyes, I knew he remembered that time, that moment o lo$e between us and those words" Lettin# #o o my le#s, he stroked up into me a#ain, and then brou#ht himsel down o$er me until our lips were touchin# as he whispered, JFirst, tell me who lo$es you"K More words rom him I'd ne$er thou#ht to hear a#ain" %ears escaped out o the corner o my eyes and I had to close them 2uickly so he wouldn't see the emotional war #oin# on inside o me" ,nable to reopen them and look the man I was betrayin# in the eye, I whispered back, J&ou do, /obby"K *issin# each eyelid and then the tear tracks on my ace, he started mo$in# inside me a#ain as he said, J%hat's ri#ht, sweet baby" :emember that"K

Bobb

:ollin# rom my back to my side in my sleep is when an internal alarm inside o me started #oin# o " %here should ha$e been a warm, so t emale body that I'd ha$e to roll o$er with me" My arms now elt empty when they should be ull o the woman who I'd made lo$e to earlier" :eachin# a hand out across the bed, I encountered no lush, eminine cur$es, instead there were only empty sheets" Sheets that were still a little warm rom her body heat, but empty lon# enou#h that the indention rom her pillow was lon# #one" Not wantin# to appear like some rantic 3ackass in case she was in the bathroom, I laid there with my eyes still closed as I used my hearin# to listen or si#ns o mo$ement" !t least a minute ticked by, and no sounds came to me" 0read settled in the pit o my stomach" I didn't want to open my eyes and see the truth, but knew I had to do it anyway" She was #one" /elle had up and le t me sometime a ter we'd made lo$e" %urnin# my head in the direction o the window and, subse2uently, the di#ital clock, I opened my eyes 3ust enou#h to see that it was now nine o'clock in the mornin# and dayli#ht was streamin# in around the curtains" *ni in# out o bed, I looked or si#ns o her" )er clothes" )er boots" ! note with her swirlin# cursi$e si#nature that would hope ully say she'd le t to #o #et us some break ast" Somethin# to #i$e me hope that she hadn't 3ust walked out o this room like nothin# had uckin# happened" ! ter I'd torn the room apart lookin# or hope and indin# none, I #a$e into my an#er instead and punched a hole in the wall" 8ullin# my scraped and bleedin# hand out o the sheetrock, I couldn't help noticin# that the si;e o the hole in the wall kind o looked like the si;e o the hole that she'd 3ust punched throu#h my heart" Annabelle

4alkin# up to my ront door, I was #rate ul that at least the han#o$er headache was #one" I I was lucky, I would ind that Seth wouldn't be in the house, either, so I wouldn't ha$e to e.plain my whereabouts or the ni#ht" !s I inserted my key into the deadbolt lock, the door was snatched open or me" Li tin# my head up rom the space o air where the lock used to be to the an#ry #reen eyes that were directed at me was not an easy thin# to do" I should ha$e known that I would not be lucky enou#h to #et away rom a con rontation with Seth" Now, it was time to ace the music" %akin# a step orward, I tried to step inside my own house, but my way was still blocked by the body $ibratin# with an#er in ront o me" J&ou #oin# to mo$e out o my way and let me in, or are we #oin# to keep standin# here like thisIK I mana#ed to push that 2uestion out with a lot more coura#e than I was currently eelin#" My #irl, %ea#an, always said you had to ake it Ltil you could make it, thou#h, so I had become a master o$er the years at akin# thin#s like coura#e and common sense until I could work them up or mysel " *eepin# his arms spread wide between the door rame and the ront door, Seth mocked back, J&ou wanna tell me where the hell you'$e been all ni#htI I was worried"K

Nope, apparently, I wasn't #ettin# into my own house without a i#ht irst" I should ha$e known that I was #oin# to ha$e somethin# #o wron# a ter success ully sneakin# out o /obby's room this mornin#" It had 3ust been too easy" 8roppin# my hands on my hips, strai#htenin# my back and doin# my best to e.ert con idence and attitude, I snapped back at him, J&ou do not cuss at your Momma, Seth /aker" I ou#ht to whip your behind or talkin# to me that way"K

Chapter Seven

Bobb J!nybody know what the uck /aker's problem isI )e's actin# like a pissy, little #irl today" I'm about to kick his ass to New &ork and back"K J0on't you ha$e man9scapin#, or somethin#, to do, LucasI Lea$e /obby alone, he's ha$in# woman problems,K 0eclan shot back down the con erence table where those o us not on shi t yet were all sittin#, eatin# pi;;a" J%hat sweet, little, blonde !%F a#entI 4hat kind o problems could you ha$e with a piece o ass that ine, manIK In #eneral, I usually didn't mind locker room talk with the boys, but when it came to /elle, I'd be damned i I was #oin# to let anyone call her a piece o ass" 8ointin# my in#er in Lucas's direction, I #rowled, J&ou ne$er call her a piece a#ain- &ou #ot meIK Lucas seemed surprised at my $ehemence on the sub3ect, but he #a$e me a chin li t that told me it was all #ood" :ubbin# a hand o$er the back o my sti neck, I once a#ain mentally kicked mysel in the ass or sleepin# throu#h /elle's departure rom my room" %he woman was seriously startin# to #i$e me a comple." +ne thin# was or sure, thou#h, ne.t time I #ot her in bed, I was #oin# to handcu her ass to me" It would be amusin# to see how she would try and #et out o that one" I was starin# down at the uneaten pi;;a slice on my plate when :iley's $oice cut throu#h my thou#hts" JI don't know what you're thinkin#, man, but I hope you're not #i$in# up on her"K Lookin# o$er to him, I shook my head" JI don't know what I'm doin# anymore" From the moment she walked into head2uarters o$er a week a#o, I eel as i I'$e been trippin# o$er mysel 3ust to talk to her" 4hen I eel like we'$e taken a step orward, she turns around and takes two steps back" ! ter last ni#ht, I'd honestly thou#ht we'd #otten somewhere"K :iley #a$e me a sad smile" JMan, don't you know that 3ust because your #irl #i$es you the business, does not mean she's o$er whate$er snit she's worked hersel into" %rust me on that" My wi e would #i$e me the cold shoulder, I'd warm her back up, i you know what I mean, and yet, I'd still ind mysel sleepin# on the couch"K 4hen he stopped talkin#, I couldn't help it, but my 3aw dropped in shock" JI think that's the most words you'$e e$er said to me in three years"K )e punched me in the shoulder" JShut your trap" 4e can't all be touchy eely with our emotions like 0eclan"K

Lookin# at the older Sulli$an brother, I saw what most o our team saw" !n outstandin# soldier" !n honorable man who had the back o anyone in our #roup" !n accomplished S1!L" )e should be a happy man with nothin# e.cept #ood thin#s to look orward to in his uture, since he was only thirty9one with presumably many years ahead o him" )owe$er, he was a shell o a man" Sure, he went throu#h the motions" )e ate, slept, worked and e$en hooked up on a re#ular basis like the rest o us, but his heart wasn't in it" !ccordin# to 0eclan, his brother's heart hadn't been in$ol$ed in anythin# since his wi e had miscarried their irst child and then le t him" :iley Sulli$an was a #host o a man walkin# around with a shit load o re#rets" I did not want to end up like him" )e was also a man who was entirely too astute to what other people were thinkin# because he took one look at me and knew what had crossed my mind" I knew this beyond a shadow o a doubt, too, because he shru##ed a shoulder and murmured, J&eah, I wouldn't want to be me, either, i I were you" So I #uess you better do what I ne$er did and i. it"K )e picked up his empty plate, walked o$er to the trash can to dump it and then le t the room, presumably to head back to his own where he would pu on more ci#arettes than humanly possible while playin# his acoustic #uitar" %he ormer o his acti$ities would probably #i$e him cancer be ore he was orty9 i$e because he smoked so much" No one had a clue how he mana#ed to stay in the top physical condition that he was in" %he latter o his acti$ities was pleasant to listen to because one o the #ood habits :iley Sulli$an had picked up a ter his wi e had le t him was how to play #uitar" !ma;in#ly, the man could seriously uckin# play" !ll o that bein# said, I still did not want to end up anythin# like :ileyNa shell o a man who missed his wi e more than anyone knew was possible with no prospects on how to #et her back" No, I wanted to do what he hadn't done( I wanted to i. what was wron# between /elle and I" + course, in our situation, I was not the problem anymore" I'd apolo#i;ed to her" I'd e$en tried to tell her that I lo$ed her be ore she'd pulled her eisty monkey routine and climbed up my body like it was a $ine in the 3un#le" Now the problem was /elle" %he million dollar 2uestion was: how to i. the problemI I watched as Lucas #ot up rom the table, threw his plate away, #a$e me and Ja.on chin li ts and then e.ited the Commander's hotel room" It didn't take lon# be ore Ja.on illed the silence" JSo, she snuck out on you, huhIK Crin#in# at his choice o words, I tried to sa$e ace" JI'm not sure i she snuck out on meQK J&es, she did" I was at the end o the bree;eway #ettin# ice out o the machine when I watched her tiptoe out o your room and then haul ass to her truck" %hat's practically the de inition o the ne.t mornin# sneak out"K 5larin# at the other man, I mumbled, J&ou tryin# to stomp all o$er my prideIK Ja.on pointed one o his in#ers at me" J%hat's your problem"K J4hat's my problemIK J&ou thinkin# you can hold onto your pride and win her back" 0idn't anyone e$er teach you that lo$e has no prideIK JCommander, did you 3ust 2uote a /onnie :aitt son# to meIK J4ell, at least you didn't say it was a Linda :onstadt son#" )ow the hell did you know thatIK I lau#hed at the ridiculousness o this situation( two #rown men sittin# around, talkin# about a lo$e son# rom the se$enties that they weren't e$en around to hear because we hadn't

been born yet" JMy mom is a hu#e /onnie :aitt an" 4e mi#ht not want to let the other #uys e$er know about this con$ersation, thou#h" 4e may ne$er li$e it down"K JI won't say a word, i you won't" %hat aside, my point is still the same" I you want her back, you're #oin# to ha$e to put your pride aside"K J%hat's not a problem" %he problem is that she's slicker than snot on a #lass doorknob" 1$ery time I think I'$e #ot her 3ust where I want herNlike last ni#htNshe ends up twistin# me all up in knots until I don't know i I'm comin# or #oin#, then slippin# ri#ht past me"K Ja.on sat there tappin# a in#er a#ainst his lips as he contemplated me" It was the e2ui$alent to eelin# like the bu# under the microscope in science class" Not un" J&ou e$er hear o Sun %;u, /obbyIK J4ho hasn't, when you do what we did in the militaryIK J)ow amiliar with him are youIK JNot that amiliar" 4hat's your point, CommanderIK JIn %he !rt o 4ar they 2uote Sun %;u as sayin#, L)e will con2uer who has learnt the arti ice o de$iation"' 0o you know what that meansIK J!re you #i$in# me ad$ice or a history lessonIK J/oth, so listen up, knucklehead" /ack then, the #enerals would sit on top o a hill, or somethin#, so they could ha$e a $anta#e point o$er the on#oin# battle below them" Select soldiers were char#ed with carryin# la#s that would be used to communicate with their ellow troops to show them when they were supposed to mo$e and where they were supposed to #o" ! #ood #eneral would use his $anta#e point, his si#nal system and his intelli#ence to his ad$anta#e in the sense that, i his opponent chan#ed course, he could si#nal his own troops to de$iate rom their intended destination and con$er#e on the opposin# troops where$er they may be" J%he purpose o the history lesson and the 2uote is that, sometimes you ha$e to know when to ad3ust or de$iate rom a chan#e in battle ield tactics while the battle is still on#oin# so that you can win it" ,p to this point, you'$e tried #i$in# /elle patience, time and space to work throu#h thin#s" %hen, last ni#ht, you used 0eclan and :iley to try and surprise9attack her, in a sense, with your presence in the room so that she couldn't escape you" &ou may ha$e made some headway with her, but the war is still on#oin#"K J!le.ander the 5reat's ability to chan#e tactics durin# his battles won him many wars" &ou want to be more like him" :i#ht now, you're actin# more like the ,nited States and the lack o tactics they used in the Vietnam 4ar" %he ,"S" would not con$ert to the #uerilla war are tactics that the Vietnamese soldiers used, so we lost the war and su ered hea$y casualties" Stop actin# like one o those casualties" It's time or you to reconsider your tactics and chan#e them" Ne.t time she starts to outmaneu$er you, chan#e your approach a#ain to keep her on the ed#e" 1$entually, you'll ind the way to break throu#h"K %his was the reason why Ja.on 4all had been picked to be the Commander o the 1. +ps ,nit" %he man was hi#hly intelli#ent, had an e.cellent head or tactics and strate#y, and somehow mana#ed to still be approachable to his men" JI didn't think you e$er used your super powers or #ood, Ja.on"K J4hat in the world are you talkin# about, /akerI I'm here with the #ood #uys now, aren't IIK J&es, but usually you don't use your super powers or #ood when it comes to us" Most o the time, you seem like the e$il $illain with the stick stuck up his ass and who hasn't been laid in at least a year"K JName one time I was this so called Le$il' to you-K

J4ellQ there was the 3un#leQK %hrowin# his hands up in the air, the man stood up and walked towards the door #rumblin#" JI send him to the 3un#le one time, where a monkey lin#s shit on him, and he's yet to let me li$e it down"K %he door closed behind the now #rumpy Commander and I couldn't help smilin# as I sat in his empty room" I should stop pickin# on the man" )e had a #ood point about what I should do ne.t when it came to /elle, but he made it too easy sometimes to poke a little un at him" First, I was #oin# to lay it all on the line or her" /are e$erythin# I had and set aside my pride" Maybe e$en throw in a little #ro$elin#" I that didn't work, I would sit down and think on how I could chan#e my tactics with her to switch it up" +ne way or another, I was #oin# to win this little war she'd put us in" Chapter #ight

Annabelle !s I crossed the parkin# lot to where my truck was parked, a amiliar $oice called my name rom behind me" J/elle- )old up a second-K /obby 3o##ed towards me while I stood there with my arms crossed waitin# or him" Sometime o$er the past week, the an#er that I had been carryin# towards /obby had started to melt away" %hen, a ter he'd apolo#i;ed two ni#hts a#o or lea$in# me back in Syl$ania and we'd made lo$e yesterday mornin#, all I was le t with was that pesky #uilt" 5uilt and re#ret" &et, I wasn't allowin# mysel to look at that re#ret too closely" I couldn't really a ord to let mysel to" /obby came to a stop in ront o me" I couldn't help crin#in# a little at his an#er" !$oidin# him like the pla#ue yesterday a ter sneakin# out o his room, probably wasn't the best idea I'd e$er had, but it was e.actly what I'd done" ! ter ha$in# that beauti ul moment happen between us in his roomNespecially without a condom and all o the possible repercussions o that, that I was re usin# to think aboutNI needed some time and space to put mysel back to#ether" Fid#etin# ner$ously, I sho$ed my hands in my pockets" Now it was his turn to cross his arms o$er his chest" +nly his stance didn't scream sel 9 preser$ation like mine had" )is body lan#ua#e said he was mad at my disappearin# act and determined to #et answers" JI know you're busy and all, but I was hopin# you'd like to ha$e dinner with me sometime"K I started to protest, but he #rabbed my upper arms #ently to stop me rom speakin#" J4ait a minute" Just hear me out or a second" I'm not askin# or much here, /elle" Just a chance or the two o us to #o somewhere to#ether so that I can ha$e the opportunity to apolo#i;e" Maybe e.plain a ew thin#s" I think that's the least you owe me a ter the way you le t me yesterday"K %urnin# my head to look at my truck, I thou#ht it o$er" 0eclan's plea echoed in the back

o my mind( the one where he asked me to let /obby apolo#i;e so that he could mo$e on with his li e" %he knowled#e that I needed to tell /obby about Seth churned in my #ut" 4hen he ound out that he had a son, /obby would un2uestionably #o on with his li e" My ear, now, was that he was #oin# to take my son when he le t and I didn't know i I could sur$i$e that" 8erhaps it would be a #ood idea to let /obby ha$e his say now" I I accepted his apolo#y and e.planation, he could shut down his thou#hts o rekindlin# somethin# between us be ore I told him about Seth" It mi#ht e$en minimi;e his pain i he was already under the conclusion that there was no hope or the two o us" 5i$e him some closure and I could see now, as he was lookin# at me with all that hope in his eyes, that he needed that" Maybe it wouldn't be so horrible i I could at least #i$e him that" Lord knew that I was ultimately responsible or our situation more than he was" )owe$er, it was a Friday ni#ht and there was no way that I was #oin# to #o to dinner with /obby on what most would consider a date ni#ht" %his needed to be somethin# a bit more casual" 0e initely more emotionally sa e than anythin# that mi#ht be misconstrued as romantic" J)ow about lunch today, insteadI %here's a small Mom < 8op place in 8oteet where I stop to eat a lot"K /obby beamed back at me" J%hat would be #reat" 4ant to lea$e nowIK J&eah, let's #o" 5et in the truck"K Bobb

! short time later, /elle and I sat across rom each other in a small booth in the back o the restaurant" !lthou#h the small diner had a bri#ht and cheery down home atmosphere, I couldn't help wipin# my sweaty palms o$er the top o my 3eans" I watched as /elle #enerally a$oided eye contact with me" Starin# down at the blue and white checkered tablecloth, she aimlessly ran her in#ers o$er the condensation on the outside o her water #lass" Not sure how to start this con$ersation, I #lanced around the restaurant" ! tiny $ase o wild lowers sat on the end o the table a#ainst the wall partition" Customers talked amon#st each other as waitresses ran around with trays ull o ood" Just as I was ready to break up the thickenin# silence between us, a petite woman in a corn lower blue uni orm walked up" )er dark hair was in pi# tails and she couldn't ha$e been more than nineteen9years9old" Ouickly, she recited the specials o the day be ore sweetly askin# what we would be ha$in#" My stomach was in knots" I didn't think I could eat that much without ha$in# to worry i it would come back up at any #i$en moment, so I stayed on the sa e side and only ordered two cheesebur#ers with a side o home style ries and a lar#e sweet tea" /elle ordered the club sandwich and a diet coke" !wkward silence ell a#ain a ter the waitress le t to place their order" Lookin# up, I cau#ht /elle lookin# at me with a sli#htly amused e.pression" Curiosity #ot the best o me" J4hat's that look orIK She let out an un eminine snort" J&ou still eat like a horse on steroids, don't youIK Shru##in# my shoulders, I told her, J%hat was nothin#" I usually eat way more than that"K /elle's eyebrows 3acked up to her hair line" I elt like a scared teena#er, which was ridiculous" I was a thirty9three9year9old, hi#hly

trained soldier" +ne small woman with an outra#eous hour #lass body should not be able to tie me up in a thousand knots like this" My throat elt almost clo##ed and I was startin# to wonder i the words were e$er #oin# to be able to work themsel$es out" &ou'd think I'd be a bit more pissed o at her a ter the trick she'd pulled yesterday mornin#, but I 3ust couldn't brin# mysel to be mad at her" It was probably due to the act that she was still upset rom me lea$in# her and didn't know how to deal with it" I'd 3ust ha$e to show her that I didn't plan on #oin# anywhere or lea$in# her this time" /elle sat across rom me still starin# at me like I was an alien who ate small children or break ast" 0ecidin# to take ad$anta#e o her unusually 2uiet demeanor, I made solid eye contact with her and decided to #et it o$er with" Ner$ously, I blurted, JI'm sorry" 4ords can't e$en e.press 3ust how sorry I am" I don't want to #i$e you any lame e.cuses" Just the truth" So here it #oes" I'm not sure what I was thinkin# when I wrote that letter to you" My mind was in a unny place with this new, almost o$erwhelmin#, world around me" I started second #uessin# e$erythin# in my li e" %hen my buddy ound out his wi e had slept with his brother a ter we had arri$ed at our !d$anced %rainin# School" In a weak moment, it made me wonder about us, too"K I 2uickly #rabbed her hands in my own when she looked ready to hit me" JNot that I thou#ht you would cheat on me, or $ice $ersa" More like, I was scared or 3ust a brie moment that you'd re#ret marryin# me at such a youn# a#e" %hat you would come to resent me or not seein# more o the world outside o our relationship than you had"K J%hat's when I wrote that letter" !bout two weeks a ter I wrote it, I reali;ed what a monumental mistake it was" I was panicked because we weren't always allowed to make phone calls, so I wrote a letter to Mom and 0ad askin# them to ind you or me" I'd included a separate letter or them to #i$e you, tellin# you that I was the world's bi##est idiot or doin# what I did, tellin# you how much I lo$e you, askin# you to or#i$e me, askin# you or ore$er a#ain" J%he problem was that Mom and 0ad couldn't ind you" 4hen I was able to call them about a week later, they said no one had seen you around" %hey looked or months" I called e$eryone I knew back home, tryin# to ind you" 1$eryone told me that it was like you 3ust up and disappeared"K /elle pulled her hands out o mine so that my thumbs no lon#er drew little circles on her skin" Foldin# her hands on the table, /elle s2uee;ed them to#ether ti#htly" %he tips o her in#ers went bloodless and it was the only outward si#n she #a$e me that she was tryin# her best to hide how shaken she elt inside" J4hat did you e.pect me to do, /obbyI Stay in Syl$aniaI ! town that lo$ed to rub my ace in the act that I was born on the wron# side o the trailer parkI Stay where those stuck up pa#eant 2ueens could remind me how I had no business datin# youI ! #ood boy rom a respectable amily" 8erhaps you e.pected me to stay with that dickhead ather o mine so that he could beat me into the #round 3ust like he did my mom" %ea#an was already lon# #one" %here was nothin# le t or me there"K I co$ered /elle's shakin# hands with my own a#ain" JNo, /elle" I understand why you le t" I honestly do" It 3ust tore me to pieces when I couldn't ind you" %o i. what I had done" 8lease don't #et upset" %hat's not what my #oal was today"K +ne o /elle's delicate eyebrows popped up a#ain" JJust what are your #oals today, /obbyIK Inhalin# a shaky breath, I looked down at our hands as I started to rub my thumb back and orth o$er her knuckles" JI don't know" !polo#i;e" 1.plain" Maybe be# you to or#i$e me" )ope that you'd be interested in #i$in# me another chance" %ell you that you're still mine" Last,

but not least, #et some answers so I can understand thin#s a bit better"K I #lanced back up to see re#ret on /elle's pretty ace" )er ace drained o color and she whispered, J4hat answers are you lookin# orI &ou 3ust said you understood why I le t"K JI #et that you wouldn't stay with your dad" My parents told me about the resh bruise on your ace the day you showed up at their house and they #a$e you my letter" I also understand why you would eel like you wouldn't ha$e anywhere else to #o since %ea#an was #one" 4hat I don't understand is, why you mo$ed hal way across the country to %e.as" I also don't understand why you chan#ed your last name to :oberts" &ou chan#in# your last name is probably the reason why my pri$ate in$esti#ators couldn't ind you all o these years" It had to be an under the table 3ob, too, since, i it was done le#ally, they would ha$e cau#ht the court records o your name chan#e in any searches they had done" )ow about you e.plain those thin#sIK She looked up at the ceilin# or a moment be ore respondin# to me" JLook, /obby, I appreciate you e.plainin# e$erythin# to me" I really do" %he apolo#y means a lot, too" Maybe i I hadn't le t Syl$ania and mo$ed on with my li e, thin#s would be di erent or us now" %he thin# is, thou#h, I did lea$e" Mo$ed on rom the past" 4here my li e sits nowQ I 3ust don't think it's a #ood idea to try and pick up where we le t" %here are aspects o my li e that you probably wouldn't be able to handle" 4e had it #ood while we had it and, with the hurt and the an#er #one nowQ maybe we can 3ust look back at the past to appreciate that what we had was special" 4e were each other's irst lo$es" 4e'll always ha$e that"K She was emotionally pullin# away rom me a#ain and I didn't like it one bit" S2uee;in# her hand, I did my best to hide my disappointment" J&ou weren't 3ust my irst lo$e, /elle" &ou were my only lo$e" %here hasn't been a woman since that has touched me to the core the way you did" I know, without a doubt, that there won't be anyone in the uture that can do that, either"K ! look o #uilt passed o$er /elle's ace a#ain and, as she opened her mouth to say somethin#, the waitress stopped at the table to drop o our ood" I watched an inscrutable wall #o up around /elle's eatures" It looked as thou#h she was done talkin# or the time bein#" 4ell, that was 3ust too damn bad" She was #oin# to #i$e me answers be ore we le t here, whether she liked it or not" I'd #i$e her a ew minutes to think she'd won this battle, but then, I was #oin# to do whate$er it was that I had to do to show her it was 3ust a small battle she'd won" I was damn well #oin# to win the war and my reward would be her lo$e" )al way throu#h our meals I switched #ears" JSo why did you chan#e your last nameIK Cockin# her head to the side, she asked, J4hat else do you know about what happened be ore I le tI &ou said your mom and dad told you about a bruise" 0id they tell you anythin# elseIK Shakin# my head no, I waited or her to elaborate" %akin# a slow sip o her drink, she put it down and then calmly continued, JI #ot that bruise because 0addy came home drunk a#ain" )e was yellin# at me about somethin# and I didn't ha$e a clue about what he was talkin# about" 4hen he hit me hard enou#h that I hit the loor, I saw an empty whisky bottle o his, lyin# underneath the co ee table" )e was still standin# o$er me, accusin# me o somethin# I hadn't done, and all I thou#ht was, LI can't take it anymore"' So, I slowly reached o$er with my hand, #rabbed the neck o that bottle, and when he leaned o$er, about to hit me a#ain, I swun# with e$erythin# I had" Clocked him ri#ht in the head"K She #a$e a short pretend swin# with her arm o$er the table to emphasi;e her point" JI would say I don't know who it scared more, me or him, but since he was sprawled out on the loor with blood pourin# rom his headNnot mo$in#NI'm #oin# to say it was me

because, or a ew moments, I thou#ht I'd killed him" I inally worked up the coura#e to check his pulse, which he had, and then I reali;ed that when he came to he was probably #oin# to kill me this time" So, I #rabbed his truck keys and I ran scared to your parents' house" I was #oin# to ask to stay with them"K %he silence was damnin#" She didn't need to say the ne.t part because I already knew what it was" !nd then I #ot your letter" She hea$ed a si#h" JSo, a ter I le t your parents' house, I dro$e around or a little while, tryin# to i#ure out what I was #oin# to do" I knew I couldn't stay with him anymore, but I also knew I didn't ha$e anywhere else to #o in the county" %hat's when it hit me" I'd been sa$in# up all my spare money rom workin# or when we #ot our place to#ether, so that I could help you buy urniture and stu " %hat money was my sal$ation" %here wasn't a lot, but it was enou#h to pay or a bus ticket and keep me ed sparin#ly or a couple o weeks until I landed somewhere and #ot a 3ob" I dro$e home, hopin# 0addy was still unconscious, that maybe I could pack my ba#s and lea$e be ore he came to, and instead I ound him outside o our trailer, talkin# to the Sheri 's 0eputies" )e'd called the cops on me"K Shakin# her head in dis#ust, she said, J)e was standin# there with a bloody washcloth to his head, talkin# to the 0eputies about how I'd hit him" Can you belie$e thatI JLuckily, none o them saw the truck be ore I would ha$e turned into the trailer park, so I was able to #et away, but I had to #o hide his car so no one could ind me" +nce I lost his truck, I hoo ed it back to the trailer, stayin# unnoticed by walkin# throu#h the woods instead o on the roads, and waited until I watched him lea$e when one o his buddies picked him up" I waited or a while to make sure he was #one or #ood and then I broke into the house, packed up my shit in a ba#, #rabbed my cash, and le t without once lookin# back" 4hen I inally made it to the bus station, I asked the lady where the irst bus was #oin# and she told me %e.as"K Spreadin# her hands wide in ront o her, she continued, JSo here I am" 4hen I #ot here i teen years a#o, a homeless #uy told me about a shelter I could sleep in, so that's where I headed" ! social worker came in a ew days a ter I'd shown up at the shelter, took one look at my bruises and decided to be my #uardian an#el" She was an older woman who'd apparently lost her dau#hter due to domestic $iolence" ! ter that, she made it her li e's mission to help out women runnin# rom that kind o $iolence" She mo$ed me into her home, had someone chan#e my name so 0addy couldn't ind me, and helped me #et on my eet"K Clearin# the knot rom my throat, I asked, J4here is this woman nowIK JMiss :eba died ten years a#o rom cancer" She li$ed lon# enou#h to help me throu#h some seriously rou#h shit and saw me #et my colle#e de#ree be ore she inally passed" +ne o the best people I'$e e$er met in my li e"K ! stran#er had been there or /elle when I'd abandoned her" 4hat would ha$e happened had Miss :eba not taken /elle inI 4ould her ather ha$e cau#ht up with herI 4ould she ha$e sur$i$ed the kind o creeps that sometimes re2uented places like shelters to tar#et those weaker than themI It was a uckin# miracle she'd made it out o all o that ali$e" !li$e and alone because I'd le t her when she needed me the most" %here was at least one thin# I could tell her that mi#ht make it better" J0id you hear rom your dad a ter you le t 5eor#iaIK She shook her head" J%he cops ne$er came a ter youIK She shook her head a#ain" J)a$e you bothered to check on your ather's whereabouts since thenIK She shook her head a third time" J%hen I can tell you that you don't ha$e to worry about it anymore" &our dad died se$en years a#o" )e was dri$in# home drunk and wrapped himsel around a tree" %hey didn't ind the

wreck or his body or at least a week a ter it happened and my parents told me that the Medical 1.aminer was 2uoted in the papers as sayin# he'd bled to death rom his in3uries" My parents sat outside o the cemetery waitin# to see i you showed up so they could be there or you"K )er eyes widened, her in#ers #ripped the ed#e o her table, and she sat there in shock or a ew minutes" ! ter starin# si#htlessly at the table, she whispered, J)e can't hurt me anymore"K I knew she wasn't necessarily talkin# to me, but I whispered back anyway, JNo, baby, he can't hurt you anymore"K She looked back up at me, nodded her head, then picked up her sandwich and took a bite" 4e sat 2uietly eatin# the rest o our ood, paid or our meals, and then headed back to the hotel" I knew why she was speechless" I'd 3ust dropped the mother9load o an emotional bomb on her and she needed time to absorb all o that" I could #i$e her time or that" It was when she was tryin# to push me away and shut me out that I re used to #i$e in" !s /elle stopped the truck at the ront entrance, she turned in her seat to ace me" JLunch was nice, !ce" %hanks or the talk, as well as the apolo#y" %here's somethin# else we need to talk about real soon, but a ter hearin# about my dad, I need some time to mysel today" /e ore I #o, thou#h, I'$e #ot to be honest with you" I'$e #ot someone in my li e that makes it impossible or us to patch thin#s up" I'm sorry" 4e can mo$e on to bein# riends, thou#hNi you wantN when all o this is o$er"K I hun# my head as a wa$e o pain ripped throu#h my chest" FriendsI She wanted to be uckin# riendsI !ll because she had a man in her li eI 4here was this someone in her li e yesterday mornin# when I'd been so deep inside her that I wasn't sure where she be#un and I endedI I'd be damned i I was #oin# to let her i#nore what we had and try to cate#ori;e me as a riend" 4ithout thinkin#, I reached o$er to sna# the back o her neck, brin#in# her closer to me" /e ore /elle could protest, I slammed my lips down onto hers, kissin# her senseless" She #asped in surprise and I took the opportunity to thrust my ton#ue into her mouth" I put all o my lo$e, rustration, pain and desire into that kiss" Slidin# my ton#ue a#ainst hers, causin# her to moan at the touch" My brain elt ried as a burnin# sensation tra$eled throu#h my entire body at the simple touch" Sparks i#nited behind my eyelids and I knew, without a doubt, that no one had, or e$er would, eel like this to me a#ain" /elle's hands isted the abric o my shirt" 4hen my head was swimmin# rom lack o o.y#en, I inally pulled back enou#h to break our kiss" Foreheads still touchin#, lips ho$erin# o$er hers, breathe sawin# harshly in and out o my chest" JFriends don't kiss like that, baby" &ou can't tell me that this is somethin# you really want to walk away rom" No man will e$er lo$e you like I do"K She was silent or a second, but when her $oice came out, it was hoarse with a sli#htly choked sound" J&ou can't know that, !ce" Someone may come alon# or you in time and, whoe$er it is, she'll make you happy" &ou'll mo$e on"K Shakin# my head in denial, I rasped, JNo, /elle, you're wron#" No one will e$er make me eel the way I do with you" I know this with the certainty that the sun will set today and rise a#ain tomorrow" %he kind o certainty that when the moon rises and the stars blink in the sky that they'll all still look way too dim to me" %hey'll always look too dim because you are the bri#htest star in my li e and, without you, e$erythin# else seems cloudy" I only seem to see thin#s clearly when you're around and I know all o that because you are my soul"K Not #i$in# /elle time to make another reply, I hopped out o the passen#er side, slammin# the door be ore stalkin# towards the hotel" Lookin# back o$er my shoulder, I watched her re$ up the truck and shoot out o the parkin# lot like hell was hot on her heels" ! throat

cleared in ront o me" %urnin# to ace the sound, I ound !#ent /oyd watchin# me closely" J%hat was some kiss there, /aker" &ou #uys patch thin#s upIK I hun# my head at the resh onslau#ht o pain threatenin# to tear what was le t o my heart and soul into pieces" JNo, we didn't" She says it's time or me to mo$e on and that there's a man in her li e that makes it impossible or us to try"K /oyd's eyebrows shot to his hairline seconds be ore his look o surprise turned into a look o an#er, complete with a ace lushed so red I was tempted to check his blood pressure" )e sco ed, J! man, huhI I tell you what, /aker" &ou want to know what's keepin# !nnabelle rom youIK My body coiled ti#ht" I barely resisted the ur#e to #rab /oyd and shake him silly while demandin# answers to all o his 2uestions" J)ell, yeah, I do" 4hat do you know that I don't, /oydIK J/e sure, /aker" I mean it" /e damn sure about this because once you know, you can't #o back"K J4hat the uck, /oydI &es- I want to know"K 8oundin# a ist on my chest, I declared, J/elle means e$erythin# to me" %he damn woman is 3ust too stubborn to #i$e me another chance"K J!lri#ht" &ou #ot anybody on this little team o yours that you're close toI !nyone who's a #ood riendIK J4e're all like brothers, so, yeah" 4hyIK I was doin# my damnedest to i#ure out where the hell /oyd was #oin# with all o this" JLook,K /oyd ran his hand throu#h his hair in a#itation, J3ust #rab someone you trust to ha$e your back and meet me here at se$en9thirty" &ou'$e #ot to ollow me" 0on't ask any 2uestions until we #et to our destination, okayIK I looked at /elle's partner like he'd lost his damn mind" %hat was like askin# a soldier to #o into a mission with a blind old on" ! sense o unease skirted down my spine, but no matter the stron# sense o unease, hope spran# deep inside o me" J%his will e.plain why /elle's holdin# back on meIK /oyd nodded" J&eah" %hat and a lot more" Just meet me at se$en9thirty and, whate$er you do, don't tell /elle about this i you talk to her" She'd kick your ass" %hen, she'd kick mine" My wi e doesn't like it when /elle kicks my ass, either, because she lea$es bruises, literally"K )e stormed out o the hotel lobby be ore I could ask any more 2uestions" 4hate$er" /oyd had promised an in to /elle's unwillin#ness to i. what was between us" I would take all the help I could #et" 1$en i the small $oice in the back o my head told me that this was #oin# to end badly"

Chapter $ine

Bobb

)ad a day e$er passed by so e.cruciatin#ly slow be oreI /ouncin# on the balls o my eet, I ran my hand throu#h my hair or possibly the hundredth time, cursin# the clock or not mo$in# aster" J)ey, man, chill out" &ou're #oin# to make me ner$ous, watchin# you pace around this lobby like a ti#er trapped in a ca#e"K Lookin# back at 0eclan I was about to pop o a smart9ass comment, but be ore I could open my mouth to say anythin#, a car horn honked rom out ront" /oyd was sittin# in ront o the hotel in his Jeep" 4alkin# out the ront doors with 0eclan, /oyd rolled his window down at our approach" J5et in your S,V and ollow me"K 4ith that short command, he rolled his window back up and waited or us to comply" 4e dro$e in the opposite direction o San !ntonio( headin# urther into the small town o 8oteet, %e.as that /elle now called home" ! ter what elt like ore$er, /oyd inally led us to a place that I certainly hadn't e.pected to stop" ! hi#h school" 8arkin# in the back o a packed out lot, we e.ited our $ehicle to meet with /oyd" )e seemed on ed#e as he walked up to me" J%oni#ht's the hi#h school's homecomin# ootball #ame" /elle is here" It should be about hal time now" I'm #oin# to walk you to the ar end o the bleachers, then we'll make our way towards where she is" I'm #oin# to tell you now, man, don't let this #et u#ly" /elle is already #oin# to kick my ass or brin#in# you here, so do not make it any worse or me than it already is" No matter what you see, be cool"K ! ter that eyebrow raisin# statement, /oyd turned around and started walkin# towards the stadium" 0eclan and I e.chan#ed dubious e.pressions be ore ollowin# him" I didn't think much on why /elle would be at a hi#h school ootball #ame because /elle had always lo$ed to watch ootball" She pre erred the local #ames o$er watchin# the pro essional ones on tele$ision" Stu in# her ace with hot do#s and dancin# to the marchin# band were some o her a$orite thin#s to do" %he only suspicious thin# #oin# on was /oyd's comments so ar" Maybe whoe$er /elle's Lman' was, presumably the mysterious Seth, would be here with her" Maybe he worked or the hi#h school" I /oyd didn't want me to react to ha$in# to ace the man who was keepin# the lo$e o my li e rom comin# back to me, then /oyd had another thin# comin#" I wouldn't start a i#ht or anythin#" No, but I would do my damnedest to show the #uy that /elle couldn't keep her eyes o me" 0o whate$er I could to pro$e that I still a ected her in all the ways that mattered" %hat would stin# or any #uy's e#o" !s /oyd had promised, the #ame was in hal time" %he marchin# band was on the ield, playin# loud tunes with the crowd hootin# and hollerin# their appro$al" /oyd led us to the ar end o the ield on the home team side" Stayin# close to the ront o the bleachers that were o$er9 lowin# with locals, we slowly started to make our way towards the center" I was scannin# the crowd, lookin# or /elle, when /oyd suddenly stopped in ront o me" Lookin# o$er his shoulder, I saw her standin# ne.t to the coaches in a huddle with the ootball team" Con used, yet intri#ued as to why she would be out there, I stood as still as a statue, watchin# her talk to the coaches and players be ore the huddle broke apart" 4as this LSeth' one o the coachesI Maybe the tall, blonde9haired wimp wearin# the ba##y poloI ! snort o disbelie escaped me" No way was /elle #oin# to pass o$er me or that loser" My sudden desire to beat the #uy to a bloody pulp didn't mean I was 3ealous, either" Not at all" +kay, so maybe I was a little 3ealous" 4alkin# o$er to the end o the bench where the players sat, /elle leaned a#ainst the

ence, proppin# her elbows up on either side o her" I was 3ust about to ask /oyd what this was all about when a player broke away rom a #roup and 3o##ed o$er in her direction" !s the boy stopped ri#ht in ront o her, I elt all the air sei;e in my chest" /reathin# suddenly seemed impossible" )e stood about three inches taller than /elle, makin# him about i$e9nine" )is chestnut brown hair was cut almost military short, but liberally co$ered in bri#ht blonde, natural hi#hli#hts" )is build was leanly muscled and sported a tan much deeper than /elle's creamy pale skin" %he kid looked around as i he was searchin# or someone when his head turned in my direction and I instantly knew" I his build or hair hadn't been enou#h to tip me o , then his ace sure as shit did" %he boy was practically the spittin# ima#e o me, e.cept or his mother's moss #reen eyes" /ehind me, 0eclan swore loudly, J)oly shit" %ell me I'm not seein# what the uck I think I'm seein#, man"K My heart started to pound so hard I could actually hear the blood whooshin# in my ears" ,nable to mo$e my eet, I watched as /elle and the boy turned in the opposite direction o where I stood to watch Sheri Jenkins approach them" Jenkins reached the pair, leanin# o$er the ence to #i$e /elle a hu# and a kiss on her orehead be ore reachin# out to play ully slap the kid on his back" %hey stood there, talkin# and lau#hin#, as my eet inally ound moti$ation and started mo$in# orward on automatic pilot like a robot" I was $a#uely aware o /oyd #rabbin# my arm to stop me" 0eclan was sayin# somethin# behind me" None o it really re#istered" I was su erin# rom tunnel $ision and all I saw were the three people I was 2uickly barin# down on, actin# like some per ect little amily that the ca$eman in me knew should be mine" 4asn't that a unny concept since I hadn't e$en known I'd had a amily to be#in withI Somethin# in me was tryin# $ery hard to see throu#h the ha;e o an#er threatenin# to o$erwhelm me so that I could sort the acts and in ormation that was bein# thrown at me like a rei#ht train #oin# o its tracks" It was chaotic, horri yin# to watch, and when it all inally hit me, it was #oin# to crush me to an emotional death" /e ore I could #et $ery ar, Sheri Jenkins looked up and saw me" )is ace paled be ore lines o tension ormed around his lips as they became a disappro$in# rown" 0roppin# a hand on /elle's shoulder, he nodded his head in my direction" She spun around to ace me as /oyd inally hauled me to a stop with the help o 0eclan #rabbin# my other arm" )er ace lashed shock seconds be ore she noticed /oyd standin# somewhere behind me" ! split second later, she trans ormed into the amiliar spit9 ire I'd known, all too well, years a#o in hi#h school" She rushed out o the small #ate a ew eet away rom her, stalkin# towards us" %he Sheri was hot on her heels, as he apparently saw disaster in the makin#" I couldn't remember eelin# more stunned, or li$idly pissed, in my entire li e" I braced mysel or the an#er that was so ob$ious on her ace, but rankly didn't #i$e a uck what she thou#ht she had a ri#ht to be mad o$er" 4hate$er she was eelin# was nothin# compared to the raw ra#e I had coursin# throu#h my body" %he woman I'd been pinin# o$er or years had kept my own #oddamned son rom me%he moment she #ot within eet o me, she pointed her in#er at my chest" J&ou need to lea$e, /obby" Now is not the time or place or this and it sure as hell isn't how I intended to tell you"K /rushin# past me, she stomped ri#ht up to /oyd be ore Sheri Jenkins could catch her" J!nd you- &ou son o a bitch- &ou had no ri#ht-K )er ist pulled back and, be ore anyone could stop her, she punched /oyd s2uare in the ace" ! loud crack ripped throu#h the air as /oyd ell

backwards to the #round, clutchin# his nose" /lood poured between his in#ers and down his chin" %he Sheri now had /elle restrained with both o her arms pulled irmly behind her back so that she couldn't do anythin# else" J0ammit, /oyd, you had no ri#ht-K 0eclan's hand was still clutchin# my arm irmly" !s i he was a raid I mi#ht lip my shit on someone" Starin# coldly at /elle's urious ace, the kid in 2uestion ran up to #rab her arm, haulin# her backwards" JMom- M+M- 4hat are you doin#I Come on, you know what coach said" I you #et in anymore i#hts they're #oin# to ban you or the rest o the season" &ou promised not to #et in any more i#hts" 4hat's #oin# on hereIK )e was shakin# /elle #ently to #et her attention" Suddenly panicked, /elle started to push the boy backwards towards his team" JSeth, #o back to the bench, please" I'm sorry" I didn't mean to make a scene" I swear, but I need you to #o back to the bench now"K Seth planted his eet, e ecti$ely stoppin# /elle rom pushin# him any urther" 5i$in# her a stern look, he stood there, waitin# or an e.planation" JNot now, Seth- Later, I promise" Just #o back to your #ame" 4e'll talk about this later" %ell Coach I'm sorry and I promise to beha$e"K 5i$in# him a push she yelled, J5+-K Seth started walkin# backwards, warily watchin# his mother, be ore #lancin# at the rest o the #roup with con used eyes" Shakin# his head, he turned and headed back to his team, who had subse2uently been starin# at the whole scenario that 3ust took place" /elle turned back to ace me, tears now streamin# out o her eyes" Sheri Jenkins was still at her back, lookin# at me with a steely e.pression on his ace" JI'm askin# you to lea$e, /obby"K More tears ell, her lip be#an to tremble and she pleaded, J8lease"K My $oice came out low and rou#h, J)ow old is he, /elleIK JI'm be##in# you, /obby" 8lease don't do this here" Lea$e now, we can talk aboutNK J)+4 +L0 IS )1, /1LL1IK I bellowed" %he rise and all o her chest was rapid now" It was apparent to anyone who looked at her that she was tryin# desperately to keep hersel to#ether emotionally" %hat would ha$e been somethin# that tore me to pieces be ore, the thou#ht o hurtin# her like that, seein# her that way" Now, I couldn't scrape enou#h heart to care i her web o secrets and lies had inally cau#ht her" She should ha$e thou#ht about that crap be ore intentionally keepin# my son away rom me" !t this point, she would be lucky i I didn't wrap my hands around her throat and s2uee;ed" 4ithout answerin# me, she twisted her body to ace Sheri Jenkins" JCharlie, will you look at /oyd's nose or meI I need to #o ha$e a talk with /obby"K Jenkins ob$iously didn't like that re2uest" )e speared me with a look that promised retribution i I did anythin# he mi#ht consider out o line and then reached o$er to #rab /oyd, helpin# him o the #round" /elle stepped orward, #rabbed my hand ti#htly in hers, and started pullin# me back towards the ar end o the ield" %here was a time when I would ha$e done anythin#, absolutely anythin#, to ha$e her #rab my hand a#ain" Crawl on my hands and knees o$er broken #lass" /e#" Sacri ice a limb" Sell my soul to the de$il" 4hate$er it would ha$e taken to eel her smaller hand #rippin# mine with the kind o stron#, desperate hold she had on it now" No more" 4renchin# my hand out o hers, I caused her to stumble sideways in shock rom my $iolent reaction, I walked past her as somethin# inside me died" I didn't want her holdin# my hand" :i#ht now, I didn't e$en want her breathin# my uckin# air" I only wanted two thin#s rom her ri#ht now( an e.planation and my son"

0eclan broke o rom us to sit on the end o the bleachers as I led /elle to a patch o #rass behind one o the ootball #oals" I stood there or a minute, starin# down at her as my body shook with an assault o emotions, re usin# to take my eyes o her or e$en a second" ! raid that i I did, she mi#ht disappear on me a#ain" +r I mi#ht miss a clue to whate$er mi#ht tell me what was #oin# throu#h that twisted head o hers" %he crowds around us cheered as the ootball teams took the ield to start the third 2uarter, totally obli$ious to the act that my world was crashin# down around me" Ne$er be ore had I been tempted to raise a hand in $iolence towards a woman, but ri#ht now, I was i#htin# back the ur#e to reach out, #rab her shoulders and shake the shit out o her until she #a$e me what I needed" 4ords" ! sincere apolo#y" )er heart and a bi# shiny kni e or me to stab it with on a sil$er platter" Somethin# to #i$e me an indication that she wasn't the heartless person that my ra#e was startin# to see her as" 8ointin# a tremblin# in#er at her I roared, J&ou, /I%C)- &ou'd better start uckin# talkin#, Lcause I swear to 5od, i what comes out o your mouth doesn't somehow make this understandable or me, I'm #oin# to haul your ass into court and nail it to the #oddamn wall-K /elle looked up, a$oidin# eye contact with me and searched or Seth with her eyes" ! ter indin# him, her eyes illed with resh tears as she crossed her arms o$er her chest in a de ensi$e postureNshoulders hunched, curlin# in on hersel , tremblin# rom head to toe like she e.pected me to lash out at her physically as well as $erbally" *eepin# her eyes on the #ame in ront o her, she started to speak in a small $oice, J)e's ourteen" )e was born May BA, >DDE in !ustin, %e.as"K ! sli#htly disbelie$in# lau#h slipped out o her be ore she continued" 4asn't that 3ust a #iant ass 3oke, tooI 4hat did she ha$e to be surprised aboutI Surprised that her deceit ulness had cau#ht up with herI Shouldn't I be the one makin# that kind o disillusioned lau#h because I was the one who'd 3ust ound out that I had a ourteen9year9old son who I'd ne$er metI JI told you what happened the day your momma #a$e me that letter where you broke up with me" I was comin# o$er to be# them to let me li$e with them, Lcause you and I both know that i my daddy had ound me a ter what I'd done to himQK She shook her head, lookin# to be lost or words" JI was sportin# a multitude o bruises rom his drunken ra#e the ni#ht be ore, /obby" )e would ha$e beat me hal to death this time i I'd tried to #o back and I 3ust couldn't take it anymore" %he thin# is, I didn't #et a chance to ask your parents about stayin# be ore your momma handed me that letter"K She kept her eyes a$erted and shru##ed her shoulders" J! ter I read it, well, I couldn't brin# mysel to tell your parents what happened with my dad or ask or their help" &ou'd 3ust #ot done tellin# me that you didn't want us anymore" 0idn't want our ore$er" I knew I couldn't stay with your parents now and I damn well couldn't stay with my ather anymore, so I le t" I didn't reali;e I was pre#nant until a couple o months a ter arri$in# here in %e.as"K Numb" I was utterly numb" :unnin# my hands unthinkin#ly throu#h my hair, I heard my own $oice wai$er as I asked, J)ow could this ha$e happened, /elleI I thou#ht you were protected"K She dropped her head until her chin touched her chest" J:emember me bein# sick a little o$er a week be ore you le tI !pparently, those antibiotics the doctor put me on canceled out the birth control I was takin#"K I looked rom her to the ield where SethNmy sonNwas playin# 2uarterback" Seth launched the ball down the ield to where one o his teammates ran it or a touchdown" /elle's

$oice cut throu#h the awe that I was e.periencin# while watchin# what elt like a lashback rom my hi#h school days" J)e's 3ust like you" Looks like you" 1.cels at e$erythin# he does, 3ust like you did" %he only thin#s he #ot rom me are my temper and #reen eyes" %he boy blows up worse than ireworks on the Fourth o July" It's a heck o a thin# to watch" )e's been hell on wheels rom the moment he took his irst step"K )er $oice dropped to a barely audible whisper, J)e's the only reason I sur$i$ed you lea$in# me" Seein# him e$ery day, with your ace, your nose, yourQ e$erythin#Q 4ell, he made me eel like I still had a piece o you all this time" Just like you used to promise me I would"K Clenchin# my 3aw a#ainst the pain I heard in her $oice, I shook my head in denial" 4ith what her home li e had been like, it wasn't as bi# o a surprise to me as it should ha$e been that she'd elt like I'd thrown her away or #ood a ter that dumb ass letter" Still, it didn't chan#e the act that what she'd done was wron#" It didn't stop the hurt that was burnin# deep into my body like a $at o emotional acid" J&ou didn't ha$e the ri#ht to do this to me"K %he $oice inside my head screamed, she didn't ha$e the ri#ht to do that to the lo$e that we'd shared, but I didn't let it out" 8ointin# a in#er that was still tremblin# with my an#er towards the ootball ield, I told her, J&ou didn't ha$e a ri#ht to do this to him" 0id you hate me so much that you would do somethin# as despicable as keep us apartI 0id it make you eel better to know that you'd pulled the ultimate act o re$en#e by keepin# me away rom my own lesh and bloodIK I roared" Somewhere in my head, the sympathetic conscience my parents had raised me with told me that she'd had it hard on her ownNI should #i$e her a breakNbut my o$erwhelmin# an#er $oided those thou#hts out" She'd kept my child rom me" M1" +ne o the ew people in our whole town who had watched o$er her, who'd protected her rom the dan#ers at home" I'd been the one she'd #i$en her $ir#inity to, alon# with the irst LI lo$e you' she'd spoken out loud to someone other than her dead mother and her best riend" )ow dare she keep my only child rom knowin# his atherI /ecause you were the one who le t her when she needed you the most" %he ury pulsin# throu#h my $eins made the ur#e I'd had earlier to wrap my lar#e hands around her delicate throat as punishment, stron#er" %hat way I could s2uee;e the li e out o her as literally as she'd 3ust metaphorically done to me" %he battered heart in my chest reminded me that I could ne$er brin# mysel to actually hurt her" No matter how mad I #ot, I'd always lo$e her" +r at least, the #irl she'd once been to me" 0idn't that 3ust seem like a cruel uckin# 3oke that karma had played on meI )ere I'd been pinin# away and lookin# or the #irl I'd lo$ed with e$ery iber o my bein# and, when I inally ound her, it was to ind out that she'd hurt me worse than anyone could ha$e e$er done" 0eclan and :iley had been ri#ht that irst day I'd talked to her outside o our head2uarters meetin# room" My an#el was #one" %he woman she'd become was pro$in# too hard to lo$e" 4hose ault was it that she'd become this wayI %he mother who hadn't had the backbone to stand up to the man she'd essentially let kill herI %he ather who was supposed to lo$e his dau#hter and instead treated her like somethin# he'd ound distaste ul on the bottom o his bootI +r the boy who'd told her that lo$e wasn't a airytale, but somethin# truly realI %he boy who had then le t her alone, unprotected and apparently, pre#nant" 5oddamn, my own throat elt like it was bein# stran#led by in$isible hands o sel 9contempt" J&ou should ha$e told me, /elle,K I inally #round out" :unnin# hands rou#hly throu#h her hair she si#hed in rustration" JSo, I could spend the

rest o our li$es wonderin# i you'd stayed with me because you lo$ed me or because I trapped you by bein# pre#nantI Look, /obby, I'm sorry"K )er $oice cracked as more tears started to slide down her cheeks" J:eally, sorry" Sorrier than you'll e$er know" %his past week has made me reali;e that I was wron# or keepin# him rom you, but look at all o this rom where I was sittin#" &ou didn't want me anymore and I was used to not bein# wanted"K She turned her tear9 laden ace back towards me" %he breath hitchin# $iolently in her chest as i she was incapable o takin# a solid breath" J0o you honestly think I would load you down with a woman you didn't want because you #ot me pre#nantI Sure, I was mad at irst" 0etermined that Seth and I would make it on our own and we ha$e" It's been hard at times, but we pulled throu#h" %hen, as time went on, the an#er turned into re#ret" &ou don't think I don't eel #uilty anytime he asked why the other kids had a ather around and he didn'tI It's been rou#h on that boy, not ha$in# his daddy" I did my best to ill both roles, but it wasn't the same" %hin# is, he's so stron# that he ne$er complained" !lways told me how lucky he was to ha$e a mom that lo$ed him as much as I do" %hose times were the worst" 4hat a hypocrite I was to stand there and let him hu# me while sayin# that, ri#htI %he woman who was supposed to make all the ri#ht decisions in his li e had made the bi##est mistake o all" )ow was I supposed to #o about i.in# thatI It took e$erythin# I had not to break down and call you or your momma( that way he could ha$e y'all in his li e, too"K /oth o her hands buried into her hair, istin# the strands as she pleaded, J/ut there was a problem with that" I'd had to practically run or my li e, /obby- I my ather had ound me, there was no tellin# what he would ha$e done to me" I had a son to think about- ! child to protect rom the monster who had made my li e hell" Not to mention the act that I didn't know i he'd had those cops he'd been talkin# to that day press some kind o char#es on me" 4hat would Seth and I ha$e done i my ather had me char#ed with somethin# ridiculous like attempted murder or attackin# him with that whisky bottleIK She was rantin# almost hysterically now" J%hen, I would think about the act that you had probably mo$ed on with your li e" Maybe met someone" Married" )ad kids or whate$er- My brain 3ust couldn't wrap around messin# up your li e" %hat train o thou#ht would 3ust lead me to the act that I wanted you to be happy where$er you were" )ow a raid I was that we mi#ht mess that up" So I stayed away"K /elle's $oice was choked as she inally lost what was le t o her control and dropped to her knees with body9rackin# sobs" )er hands droppin# out o her hair so that she could beat a ist a#ainst her heart" JI'm s9s9so sorry, /9/obby"K Silence settled around the two o us as she kneeled there in the #rass" Still numb and now unsure o what to do, I stood in ront o her as she cried so hard that I wondered i she would be physically sick" Some small part o me said that I should hold her while she was like this( o er some kind o com ort, some or#i$eness" Instead o o erin# any o those thin#s, I stood there, watchin# an older $ersion o the #irl who'd once been my e$erythin#, try to orce hersel to stop cryin#" %ryin# to #et her erratic breathin# under control" ,nable to look at her any lon#er, my attention turned blindly to the #ame" Fourth 2uarter had started, I reali;ed numbly" Seth's team had a solid lead by twenty9one points" Soon the #ame would be o$er" 1$eryone would lea$e to head home with their lo$ed ones and I couldn't help thinkin# that /elle would lea$e with Seth" %akin# him to a home that I'd ne$er been a part o , in$ited to, or e$en welcome at" It tore me up inside to reali;e all that I'd missed in their li$es" %he day Seth was born" )is irst steps" )is irst words" I'd missed my son's irst e$erythin#" )er small $oice cut throu#h my thou#hts, J4hat do we do now, /obbyI I don't e.pect

you to drop your li e or a kid you'$e ne$er known about" I'll do whate$er it is you want me to, 3ust please don't take my baby away rom me"K My head was illed with a million thin#s I couldn't possibly process at the moment" %he only thou#ht I could latch onto was that hell would ree;e o$er be ore /elle kept me away rom my son a minute more than was necessary" 4ith a $oice soundin# 3ust one octa$e abo$e ice, I answered her, J&ou're not keepin# me rom him" %hat's my boy out there and I'll be damned i he won't know his ather rom here on out"K I watched the tears continue to stream down her ace, althou#h silently now, as she nodded her head in acceptance" J+kay, /obby"K She hesitated" J/ut can we hold o on tellin# him toni#htI Maybe you can come by the house tomorrow so we can talk to him thenI )e's #oin# to be e.hausted by the time we inally #et home"K I stood there, my heart hammerin# away in my chest" JI'll be there tomorrow mornin#" %e.t me your address so I can use the 58S to ind you" !nd I swear, by all that's )oly, your ass better be at that house with my boy tomorrow" I I #et there and ind out that you'$e run o on me a#ain, I will hunt you down to the ends o this earth and you will pay in ways that you will ne$er reco$er rom" &ou #et meIK She nodded back woodenly" ,nable to look at her a moment lon#er, I turned my #a;e back to the boys on the ield" Contemplatin# how one person could eel so many di erent thin#s at the same timeI I was urious that she'd kept the knowled#e o Seth rom me" I was also suddenly terri ied at the idea o bein# a ather" ! ather to a teena#e son no less" %hat period in a boy's li e when they had more hormones than common sense" I I weren't so dis#usted with her, I could almost respect her or bein# so #un#9ho about raisin# our boy alone, with no help e.ceptNpresumablyN or Miss :eba, one rail woman su erin# rom cancer" %he thin# was that the two o them should ha$e ne$er been alone( they should ha$e been with me" %hey were supposed to be my amily and she had denied me o that" 4here would this lead them all nowI Suddenly Seth was #oin# to ha$e a ather in his li e( one who hadn't been around all this time" 4ould he be mad at me because I hadn't been there or himI +r would he understand that I couldn't make up or the past, but I would always be a solid presence in his utureI %he rustle o mo$ement told me that /elle had stood up to wipe the #rass rom the le#s o her 3eans" JI'll te.t you the address, /obby" 4e'll see you in the mornin#" I'$e #ot to #et back to the team now, but you're more than welcome to inish watchin# the #ame" &ou mi#ht en3oy seein# how much Seth is 3ust like you on the ield"K 4ithout sayin# another word, she walked 2uietly away" Lea$in# me to my sullen solitude" Minutes passed be ore a set o hea$ier ootsteps walked up to me" I knew, without lookin# up, that it was 0eclan" J&ou okay, manIK 1yes now #lued to Seth on the ield, I stood there considerin# the 2uestion" %here was no easy way to answer it" J%hat's my boy out there, 0eclan" My son"K 0eclan considered him" J&eah, I already #uessed that since he looks like a little /obby, mini9me" %hat's a pretty bi# bombshell to drop on a #uy's lap" )ow're you handlin# it so arIK Shakin# my head, I looked up at the stars to consider how I wanted to $oice the screamin# thou#hts in my head" J)ow could she not tell me, 0eclanI )ow could she carry him in her bodyNunder the

heart she swore was mineNthen #i$e birth to our son, raise him, and ne$er e$en let me knowI 4hat kind o uckin' person does thatIK I #rowled, my throat and eyes clo##ed with unshed tears" ! ew silent minutes passed be ore 0eclan cleared his throat as i he were uncom ortable" JCan I speak reely with you, manIK I nodded" J0on't take this the wron# way, but I can see why she would ha$e" I don't a#ree with it, but I can see the mis#uided why o it" &ou told me you broke up with her, ri#htI 4ell, I'm #uessin# that she hated the thou#ht o what you mi#ht say when she elt you didn't want her" She was youn#, scared, and not sure what to do" So she did what her less than wise teena#e brain elt was best at the time"K !t the cold look I shot him, he held up his hands to hold me o " JI'm not sayin# I a#ree with what she did, or that it was ri#ht, but I could damn sure understand why she did it, i I put mysel in her shoes at the time" Is she #oin# to let you be a part o his li e nowIK J&eah,K I croaked" JI'm supposed to head o$er there tomorrow mornin# so we can talk to him"K ! million scenarios ran throu#h my head on how that mi#ht #o" For the irst time in years, I was scared o an unknown situation" &ou could send me alone into a terrorist camp in ! #hanistan and I wouldn't blink an eye at the mission, but ha$in# to ace one ourteen9year9old boy had my stomach in knots" J0o you think he'll like me, 0eclanIK 0eclan punched me in the arm" J!re you kiddin# me, manI +nce he #ets to know you, I'll bet he'll lo$e the hell out o you" Con#ratulations, man- &ou'$e #ot a kid and you didn't e$en ha$e to chan#e a shitty diaper"K I barked a surprised lau#h and then looked o$er at 0eclan" J&eah, I'$e #ot a kid" 4ho would ha$e thou#ht I'd e$er be a dadI /elie$e it or not, thou#h, I would ha$e #i$en anythin# to chan#e that shitty diaper" 4hat kind o dad is this #oin# to make me a ter I'$e missed so much in his li eIK 0eclan snorted" J4ait" &ou'll see" &ou're #oin# to be the best dad because you won't take a minute with him or #ranted, but more importantly, I'll be the awesome ,ncle 0eclan" Can I teach him how to shoot a sniper ri leIK I lau#hed at the idiot ne.t to me while watchin# my son's team win the #ame" /elle was ri#ht, Seth looked a lot like me playin# on the ield and, e$en thou#h I was still upset, the uture suddenly looked a little bri#hter than it had in a lon# time" I couldn't wait to tell my parents" %hey were #oin# to be ecstatic o$er Seth" Li e mi#ht end up bein# pretty damn #ood a ter all, e$en i /elle was no lon#er where I'd ori#inally pictured her in it" It was ama;in# how your heart could eel so ull and yet shattered at the same time"

Chapter Ten

Annabelle

My room was pitch9black when the shrill rin# o the cell phone woke me" Since I'd le t my curtains and blinds open to let the natural sunli#ht in durin# the day, I knew this meant it was still dark outside, too" /lindly reachin# out, I patted around on the top o my ni#htstand until I ound the monstrosity makin# that horrible noise, #roaned when I saw that it was only three o'clock in the mornin#, and lipped it open" JIs somebody dyin#I I not, I mi#ht kill them or wakin# meQK /oyd's baritone sounded like #ra$el, presumably since he had been woken up at an un#odly hour, too" J&eah, Lcause wakin# you up is e.actly what I want to do a ter you punched me in the nose last ni#ht" 5et up, !nnabelle" 4e'$e #ot to head in to !lamo )ei#hts" %he 01! 3ust called our Special !#ent in Char#e a ew moments a#o" %hey ound se$eral crates o assault ri les and hand #uns at a bust they 3ust conducted" %he S!C wants us up there i$e minutes a#o" It looks like this could be related to the bi# hit we'$e been e.pectin#"K I #roaned" J!h, shit" +kay, I'll be out o the house in i teen minutes" 4here do you want me to meet youIK JMeet me at the hotel" I'm callin# Commander 4all ne.t" See i a couple o the 1P +ps #uys can #o with us so we ha$e some additional input rom them at the scene"K %here was another reason to #roan" %he idea o seein# /obby so soon a ter last ni#ht was torture" I'd rather ha$e a hot brandin# iron poked in my eye" J5ot it" See you then"K )an#in# up my cell, I pulled mysel out o the bed, 2uickly dressed in a pair o aded blue 3eans, combat boots, a black t9shirt and my black !%F windbreaker, and then I headed to the bathroom to take care o personal concerns" Minutes later, with a resh ace, brushed teeth and my hair pulled back in a ponytail, I stopped in the kitchen to lea$e Seth a note as to where I was headed" /e ore walkin# out the door, I holstered my ser$ice weapon and my bad#e to my waist" 4ith one last check o the house to make sure I had e$erythin# I needed and that all o the entrances to the house were locked and secure, I was #one" ! short dri$e later landed me at the ront o the hotel where Commander 4all stood outside with /obby, 0eclan and !rturo Cha$e;" I'd recently learned that !rturo was the only non9military member o the #roup" !pparently, he was ormer CI! instead" %he men seemed to watch me warily as I hopped out o the truck to stride o$er to them" I it was my #uess, I wasn't on anyone's riends list anymore a ter /obby probably told them last ni#ht's re$elation about Seth" 4ith all our o them standin# there, shootin# looks that could kill at me, arms crossed o$er their chests and eet planted irmly on the #round, it kind o elt as i I was meetin# the irin# s2uad or my death sentence" &ikes" JMornin#, boys" I take it /oyd isn't here yetIK Commander 4all shook his head" J!lri#ht" 4ell, did he tell one o you what's #oin# on so arIK Commander 4all responded with a #ru , J! irmati$e"K J5ood" I'm 3ust #oin# to #o sit back in my truck to wait Ltil /oyd #ets here so we can #o" &'all 3ust stand there and look pretty, okayIK Not stayin# to #i$e anyone the chance to yell at me, I turned around and headed back to the sa ety o my truck" I heard 0eclan choke on a lau#h behind me be ore I reached the $ehicle" ! ter climbin# back in, I sho$ed in my homemade C0 loaded with my a$orite son#s and Miranda Lambert's *erosene started pumpin# throu#h the speakers" /y the time /oyd pulled into the lot, the ne.t son# had already started" Moments later, /oyd showed up at my dri$er's side window and I turned the radio down so I could hear him clearly"

J)ey, /oyd, I'll ollow you, okayIK J%hat works" Look, be ore we lea$e, I 3ust want to say I'm sorry about last ni#ht"K :ollin# my eyes at my partner's ob$ious discom ort, I cut him o be ore he started #ro$elin#" !lthou#h, in my opinion, he de initely deser$ed to #ro$el" J4hat's done is done, /oyd" &ou can't take it back or i. it, so let it #o" From now on, you'll lea$e my business to me, alri#htI My li e's screwed up enou#h without you tryin# to meddle in it with your bri#ht ideas"K /oyd's ace so tened and it made me uncom ortable because it was the look o someone who elt sorry or me and 3ust wanted to make thin#s better" I could appreciate the sentiment, but I didn't deser$e better or what I'd done" I deser$ed e.actly what I had, which was a hard li e with little or no #i$e in it" Someone like me wasn't meant to ha$e some airytale lo$e story complete with a white kni#ht in s2ueaky clean armor" No, I was meant to ha$e the heartbreak I'd been dealt as a sort o reminder that people born to run down, dirty, trailer parks weren't meant to lo$e and be lo$ed by people born to #ood, clean, upstandin# amilies that wanted them" It tipped the karmic scales too much and, when you did that, well somebody was #oin# to pay" %he problem was, instead o acceptin# the lesson or what it was, I'd screwed up and tipped those scales e$en more by ha$in# /obby's baby and ne$er tellin# him about it" So, I i#ured last ni#ht's emotional bitch9slap was karma's way o payin# me back a#ain" I'd deser$ed e$erythin# I #ot and, really, the emotional hit was hard, but not as hard as the physical ones I'd been used to lon# a#o" I'd been raised under the hard hand o a man who'd liked to mete out pain, so I was used to its lastin# e ects" 1$entually, I would mo$e on rom this like I had rom e$ery other kick in the teeth that li e had #i$en me" %he only problem I had to worry about now was whether /obby was #oin# to try and take my son rom me" I may a#ree with the cosmic rule that people o my standards weren't entitled to a whole lot in li e, but I'd be damned i anyone was #oin# to take the one pure, #ood thin# in it" I lo$ed my boy" I'd also worked damn hard to #i$e him a better li e than I'd been #i$en" I think, or that alone, I deser$ed or the cosmic powers to be to lea$e me alone and let me keep Seth" %he mo$ement o my partner's mouth as he started to say somethin# brou#ht me out o my thou#hts" Not really wantin# to hear one o his, LI 3ust want to see you happy' lectures a#ain, I cut him o " JI want to hit that co ee shop on the way out o town" Now, #o tell those boys to load up with whoe$er they want to ride with and let's #et this o$er with"K /oyd nodded his head in understandin# be ore walkin# away to the our men se$eral eet away on the other side o the truck" I started my truck as my ront and back passen#er doors opened" /obby climbed into the ront while 0eclan climbed into the back" Looked like awkward was #oin# to be a constant companion this mornin#" 5reat" ! ter a 2uick run throu#h the co ee shop dri$e9thru, we were on our way towards !lamo )ei#hts on the northern outskirts o San !ntonio" Nothin# e.cept loud, country music illed the strained silence" It was appro.imately an hour dri$e, so we should arri$e 3ust be ore i$e in the mornin#" 4hen we were makin# our way throu#h the San !ntonio early mornin# tra ic, I #rabbed my cell phone, hittin# the speed dial button that ran# Charlie's number" )is se.y, mornin# rou#h $oice illed the line" JMornin', darlin'" It's a bit early or you, isn't itI 0on't tell me you #ot arrested and you need me to bail you out o my 3ail" /etter yet, tell me you had a nau#hty dream about me"K Lau#hin#, I answered, J%hanks or the aith there, Charlie" )ell, no, I'm not sittin# in your 3ail" I called because I need a a$or rom you today, i you're not workin#"K JNot workin# today" 4hat's upIK

JI #ot called out this mornin#" I'm outside northern San !ntonio as we speak" Mi#ht be #one a #ood part o the day" Not sure yet" Seth should see the note on the kitchen counter, lettin# him know, but I'd eel better i you could take him out today to keep him out o trouble"K Charlie chuckled" J%hat boy sure does ha$e your sense o direction when it comes to trouble" &eah, how about I pick him up and brin# him back to the house" 4e can take the !%Vs out on the trails today"K J%hat sounds per ect, Charlie" I owe you bi# time"K J5ood" %hen maybe you'll take it easy on us ne.t time we play poker" I'm tired o you cleanin# me out, woman"K Clearin# his throat he asked, J)ey, you okay a ter last ni#ht, darlin'IK 5lancin# o$er at /obby rom the corner o my eye, I saw that he was e$ery bit aware o the con$ersation takin# place" )is 3aw looked like it mi#ht snap in hal i he clenched it any harder and his eyebrows were urrowed" J0on't worry about me, Charlie( I'm ine" Sure do appreciate you keepin# an eye on Seth, thou#h" I'll call one o you as soon as we're headed back"K J!nytime, darlin'" See you later"K I lipped my phone closed be ore tuckin# it in my 3acket pocket" 4ith the way /obby looked like he wanted to tear my truck apart piece by piece with his bare hands, I knew his inner Neanderthal was about to make an appearance" I started silently rein orcin# my emotional walls or the in2uisition I knew was about to take place" J/elle, are you seein# Sheri JenkinsIK he snapped" 4ell, that had taken all o two seconds" I it weren't or the burnin# hatred I'd seen in his eyes last ni#ht, I would ha$e thou#ht that a 3ealous, ca$e man /obby would hit Charlie o$er the head with his club so he could dra# me by my hair to his lair" JNo, /obby, we're not seein# each other ri#ht now" Just to clear the rest o the air, ha$e Charlie and I datedI &es" )e's also been a $ery #ood riend to me o$er the years" &ou're not entitled to know anythin# else, so let's do both o us a a$or, and you not step on my toes about that, okayIK Snortin#, he li ted his co ee cup to drain the last o it" !s he picked at the sides o the cup I could tell he wasn't done askin# 2uestions" I his bottom lip weren't pokin# out so ar in his man9child pout, I would totally e.pect to look around and ind mysel in a small, dark room with no windows and a bri#ht li#ht shinin# in my ace while he bad#ered me with his interro#ation" I i#ured that it was 3ust a matter o seconds be o9 JIs Seth close to the Sheri IK &ep" %here it was" I wondered i 0eclan elt awkward sittin# in the back seat, ha$in# to listen to all o this" 8eekin# up in the rear $iew mirror, I saw that 0eclan's ace was turned towards the passen#er side window in an attempt to #i$e us a semblance o pri$acy, but I would bet my last dollar that he would be able to #i$e a ull accountin# o the entire con$ersation later i asked to" )ea$in# a bi# si#h, I clenched the steerin# wheel until my knuckles turned white" JLet's #et to the heart o what you're really askin# me" Is Charlie a ather i#ureI %hat's what you really want to know, ri#htI %he answer is no" No man has e$er played a ather i#ure to him" I ha$e illed that role to the best o my ability" Now, has Seth had men who ha$e been in luential in his li eI &es" Charlie is one" /oyd is the other" %hey both ha$e become 2uite close to Seth o$er the years, but neither has e$er taken your place" Matter o act, 3ust so you know, the two o them made it their mission in li e to cuss me out or not tellin# you when they reali;ed you were Seth's ather" %hey are thorou#hly in your corner, no matter how lon# I'$e been riends with them, which I ind downri#ht dis#ustin#" Just so you eel better, thou#h, Seth's also #ot a woman

in his li e that he's $ery close to" %ea#an" In act, she's his #odmother" She was e$en there the day he was born" !nythin# else sittin# uncom ortable with youI /esides all o the ob$ious, that isIK I used my ri#ht hand to smooth my hair back in rustration be ore lettin# it drop helplessly in my lap" I had the o$erwhelmin# ur#e to haul o and punch somethin#" ,n ortunately, I couldn't do that while on a case" +r while I was wearin# my bad#e or that matter" %hat was the kind o shit that made my boss, Special !#ent in Char#e, Jeremy 1$ans, bust a $ein in that lar#e, shiny orehead o his" Not to mention that at my last re2uired an#er mana#ement class they told me punchin# thin#s was bad" ,nless it was a pillow" 4ho wants to punch a pillowI /obby stayed 2uiet or a ew minutes" Just as I was #i$in# up hope o e$er ha$in# a decent relationship with the ather o my child, he spoke a#ain" )is $oice was 2uiet, but clear" J%ea#an, huhI Somehow, I'm not surprised that you two are still thick as thie$es"K )e let loose a bi# si#h" JNo more 2uestions or now, /elle" Maybe later, thou#h"K 0eclan's amused tone carried rom the back seat" JSooooooQ /elle" %ell me another wonder ul story about /obby bein# youn# and stupid" I'm workin# up a collection rom you or blackmail purposes"K /obby tossed his empty, paper, co ee cup back at 0eclan's head" J,p yours, Sulli$an" *eep it up and I'll ind a way to #et :iley drunk enouh to spill all o your secrets to me" Stop pumpin# her or in ormation" I think she's more than pro$en that she can't be trusted"K +uch" %here it was a#ain" !nother reminder that lowly, little me didn't belon# in the breathin# space o a #ood man like /obby /aker and it was nobody's ault but my own as to why he would say that about me" !s we pulled up to park behind /oyd, I looked around at the street that was illed with black S,Vs, the yard was littered with what must ha$e been at least thirty people in $arious uni orms" Let the un be#in" MMM ! ter hours o talkin# to the 01! a#ents on scene, /oyd and I were huddled with the our members o the 1. +ps team, comparin# notes" /oyd was antsy" )e kept pattin# his pants pocket unconsciously, lookin# or that pack o ci#arettes that hadn't been there or 3ust o$er a year" It was moments like this that I wondered i he'd pick up his old habit" JSo the 01! has been ollowin# a lar#e heroin rin#" %hey 3ust ne$er e.pected or their heroin dealers to be in on the smu##lin# line or black market weapons" 4e'$e #ot ten crates o Colt BFs, !*9GEs, MGs, M>AE /arretts and FN Fi$e Se$ens" %hat's some serious car#o" I think it's more than likely part o the bi# shipment we were warned about, but I doubt that's all o it"K I nodded in a#reement" J&eah, we ound the three crates in /i# /ull /ar" 8lus these makes thirteen crates total" Still, I bet there's more to the shipment" %he 2uestion now is, where are they hidin# the rest o itI !nd what will they do now that part o their shipment has been con iscatedIK Commander 4all olded his arms across his chest" J4ell, we can say it's a sa e bet that they'll be headed to the border soon" %oo much has been compromised" %he only other lead we'$e ac2uired is the /i# /ull /ar" 1$en thou#h we'$e had round the clock sur$eillance, we'$e

seen no urther acti$ity" )owe$er, I still eel like there's somethin# more #oin# on there" So we'll continue sur$eillance" See what they do ne.t" Can you two #et in touch with your contactI See i there are any new de$elopmentsI Maybe we'll ha$e somethin# help ul there"K /oyd looked back to the hu#e house co$ered in crime scene tape" J4e'$e #ot e$erythin# the 01! can #i$e us or now" %hey promised to send copies o their iles on this case o$er to us ri#ht away" Let's head back to 8oteet and I'll see about #ettin# in touch with our contact in Me.ico"K MMM )eadin# back to the small town o 8oteet, the truck was silent" 4hen they were hal way home, 0eclan yawned loudly" JSomebody say somethin# be ore I all asleep back here"K J&ou're an ass" %here, somethin#'s been said,K /obby muttered" I lau#hed as 0eclan attempted to smack the back o /obby's head in retaliation" !s I maneu$ered my massi$e truck in and out o tra ic, 0eclan leaned orward until he was practically sittin# in the middle o /obby and me in the ront seat" JCome on, !nnabelle" 1ntertain me here" /etter yet, tell me another story or my blackmail book"K 0eclan 2uickly ducked backwards in his seat when /obby tried to hit him" JI don't know i that's a #ood idea"K JCome on, woman- I'm bored as shit back here"K /obby was studiously i#norin# both o us by lookin# out o his passen#er side window" 4hat could it hurtI It wasn't as i /obby could hate me anymore than he already did" Maybe hearin# some o the #ood times would remind him that it hadn't always been bad between us" I could also use all the help I could #et when it came to hope ully ha$in# a workin# relationship with the ather o my only child" J+k, 0eclan, you'll appreciate this one" See when /obby 3oined our hi#h school ootball team he had to #o throu#h an initiation, a ha;in# o sorts" 4hat small town would be complete i they didn't continue cra;y rituals that would #i$e all the #ossipy, old, married ladies somethin# to talk about all year lon#I So, anyways, all the seniors wrote embarrassin# tasks to be completed, then threw them in a hat to be drawn out by the reshman" J/obby here was lucky enou#h to ha$e to #o throu#h our local #rocery store in nothin# e.cept a hot pink thon#" %hey made him #o throu#h the checkout counter, buy a bo. o condoms and he couldn't lea$e until he san# the school son# at the re#ister" !ll the while, the poor check out #irl, who was si.teen, stood there starin# at him with a ri$er o drool comin# out o the side o her mouth because, e$en at i teen, /obby looked and was built like a Chippendale stripper"K 0eclan was roarin# with lau#hter in the back seat" +ut o the corner o my eye I saw /obby's cheeks turn pink as he blushed" J/ut don't eel too bad or /obby" My best riend %ea#an had it much worse" &ou see she was the team's punter and the only #irl in the whole state o 5eor#ia on a hi#h school ootball team" )er initiation task was to streak throu#h the school #rounds while school was bein# dismissed" None o the #uys thou#ht she would do it and that it would be the 2uickest way to #et a #irl o o their championship winnin# team, but they underestimated %ea#an( like most people did" %he entire school #ot to see her naked itty bits and I dro$e the #etaway car she do$e in when she was done streakin# around the school" Lord, she couldn't #et any o the #uys at

school to stop hittin# on her a ter that, no matter how many times she kicked them in the nuts"K 0eclan was lau#hin# so hard that tears rolled down his cheeks and he stru##led to breathe" )e promised throu#h the entire tirade to spread that story to e$eryone they knew between his chokin# #asps or breath" I #lanced o$er to see /obby watchin# me" J4hatIK Shakin# his head he mumbled, JFor a minute there, I #ot a #limpse o the #irl I used to know" %oo bad that #irl #rew up into a deceit ul woman without a heart"K Chapter #leven

Bobb 8ullin# up to the small, yet riendly, lookin# ranch home, I wasn't sure who was more ner$ous, me or /elle" She hadn't spoken another word to me since I'd told her, when we pulled up at the hotel, that she was takin# me to Seth and 0eclan had e.ited the truck when she said okay" She called Sheri Jenkins and asked him to brin# Seth home in twenty minutes" ! ter disconnectin# the call, she promptly turned her radio on so loud that we couldn't ha$e said a word to each other o$er the music i we'd wanted to" 8erhaps my comment on the way back to 8oteet about the kind o cold, deceit ul woman I'd elt she'd become had been harsh, but it was also e.actly how I elt" /ein# the strai#ht shooter that I was, e$en back when I was a teena#er, she should know that I wasn't one to pull my punches( physical or $erbal" %here'd 3ust ne$er been a reason to be that way with her be ore" Now there was" %he outside o the house was painted a bri#ht, sunny yellow with white shutters on the windows" It was the same colors as the antasy dream house we'd built to#ether in our minds a hundred times durin# the two years we'd been to#ether" 4e walked up the stained porch steps and stood in ront o the red door she'd always wanted, usin# her key to unlock the deadbolt" J&ellow house, huhIK JJust because you #a$e up on our dreams didn't mean I had to, /obby" I wanted a yellow house, so when I could a ord one, I bou#ht me and my son a yellow house"K 5uess I wasn't the only one who wasn't pullin# their $erbal punches anymore" 8ushin# the door open, she stepped aside and wa$ed a hand, in$itin# me in" 4alkin# throu#h the doorway and past her, I stopped in a small entryway that connected to the li$in# room" It was illed with the amily essentials o a couch and a lo$eseat co$ered in chocolate brown leather and an o$ersi;ed entertainment center, sportin# a lar#e screen tele$ision" It was an open loor plan, so the li$in# room lowed into the kitchen and dinin# area, which were only separated by a lon# break ast bar, e2uipped with our barstools" %he walls were painted almost the e.act same color o yellow as the outside o the house and a dark bei#e carpet ran rom the li$in# room down the hall to where the bedrooms probably were" %he small entry way, kitchen and dinin# area loors were co$ered in a dark bei#e ceramic tile that matched the carpet's color" I didn't miss the little touches that made the house more o a home or its two occupants"

Candid photo#raphs o /elle, Seth and e$en %ea#an hun# on the walls in ornate picture rames" %here was a blanket draped o$er the back o the couch and matchin# throw pillows on the urniture, all in burnt oran#e and white colors with the %e.as Lon#horns symbol on them" It was then that I noticed that the dinin# room chair cushions were also burnt oran#e and there was a ceramic pitcher and cookie 3ar decorated in Lon#horn symbols" So it appeared she was still a bi# ootball an, but her choice o team was surprisin# to me" ! ter all, we'd #rown up in 5eor#ia where, like %e.as, ootball was a reli#ion, but we had worshiped at the stadium stands o the /ulldo#s" 1$eryone we knew still back home would consider this blasphemy" Lookin# o$er my shoulder to see /elle watchin# me with an unreadable mask in place, I said, J%he Lon#hornsI SeriouslyIK %he ront door opened behind her and Seth walked in, answerin# me without missin# a beat as he closed the door behind himsel " J4hy wouldn't Mom root or the Lon#hornsI It's our team"K Comin# to a stop beside his mother, I watched as my son braced his eet shoulder width apart, crossed his arms o$er his chest, and then #a$e me the once o$er" Christ, he was 3ust like me" %urnin# around to ace them both, I told him, J%here was a time when your mom was a die9hard 5eor#ia /ulldo#s an, that's why"K Seth shru##ed his shoulders" JMom hasn't li$ed in 5eor#ia since be ore I was born" I'm sure, a ter she mo$ed here, she reali;ed that the Lon#horns were a superior team compared to the /ulldo#s, but you're not here to talk ootball, are youIK 4as the kid ourteen or ortyI /ecause, at the moment, he sure wasn't actin# like a damn teena#er" No, he was actin# like a #rown man, tryin# to protect the little woman o the house" +nly there wasn't a little woman that needed to be protected" /elle could damn well take care o hersel " She'd already pro$en that with all o her actions so ar" I I weren't so pissed at her ri#ht now, I'd be amused by this whole bi# man act my son was tryin# to put on or me" 8roblem was, I was an#ry, so it was not really amusin# at the moment" /elle put a $isibly tremblin# hand on Seth's shoulder and then looked to me, noddin# towards the li$in# room" )er $oice wa$ered or a second when she said, J)ow about the three o us #o sit down so we can talkIK Mother and son settled down on the lo$eseat, lea$in# me to sit by mysel on the lar#er couch" )ow ittin# that e$en where I sat on the li$in# room urniture brou#ht home how much I elt like an outsider to the two people I should ne$er eel that way with" Lookin# to /elle or #uidance on how they should proceed, I was #reeted with that mask o hers a#ain, instead o help" It was such a blank look that I would ha$e thou#ht she was impersonatin# a robot i it weren't or the way she was istin# her hands in her lap" She was clenchin# them so hard that the in#ertips were a bloodless white" So she wasn't as una ected as she was tryin# to pretend to be" Clearin# my throat, I looked to Seth and started" J4e should start with introductions"K :ubbin# my ner$ous hands o$er the tops o my thi#hs, I wondered 3ust how one went about tellin# another human bein# that they were their ather without soundin# like some bad 0arth Vader impersonation" JSeth, my name i9J JI know who you are"K 0id he 3ust say what I think he saidI Maybe I had a wa. build up #oin# on in my ear" Stickin# a in#er in both ears, wi##lin# them around to make sure there were no blocka#es, I took my in#ers out and sputtered, JI'm sorry, did you 3ust say you know who I amIK %he boy's ace was 3ust as blank as his mother's( howe$er, I couldn't ind any outward

si#ns o emotion rom him like I had with /elle and her hands, which wasn't helpin# me i#ure out i this con$ersation was #oin# well, or i it was the be#innin#s o an emotional cluster uck" J&es, sir"K 4ell, slap me silly and call me a monkey shit tar#et" Just what e.actly did my son think he knew about meI )ad his mother illed his head with liesI I didn't want to think /elle would do that to me, but as o ri#ht now, I didn't know what to think o the ormer lo$e o my li e" 4hy did the idea o labelin# her ormer bother me so badly, tooI I#norin# the ur#e to shoot /elle an icy #lare, I kept my eyes on Seth" J4hat e.actly do you think you know about meIK JI know that your name is /obby /aker" &ou're rom a small town in 5eor#ia, named Syl$ania, where you #rew up with my mom" She told me that you made #ood #rades in school, played on a championship ootball team, and then le t or the !rmy a ter you #raduated top o your class"K Seth stopped talkin# to stare at me or a ew moments" I tried to sit there and stay calm under his scrutiny, but the sweat slickin# my palms was a bi#, at indicator that I was anythin# but calm" 4as that itI )ad his mother told him anythin# elseI Like the act that I was her irst boy riendI )ad she told him how we'd spent e$ery spare minute to#ether or two yearsI %hat I was the one she'd run to a ter her ather would come home drunk and meanI %hat it had taken me o$er si. months to con$ince her that she was sa e with meI )ad the mother o my son told him that I was a bastard or lea$in# herI %hat I couldn't be trusted to keep my promises or be counted onI )ad she told our son that I'd broken her heart and le t her unknowin#ly pre#nant and aloneI I couldn't take the wait anymore" I needed to know i my son knew who I really was" 0id he know that I was his atherI +penin# my mouth to broach the sub3ect a#ain, he stopped me by standin# up abruptly" JStay here, please" I'll be ri#ht back" I need to #et somethin# out o my room"K Just like that, Seth strolled out o the li$in# room and down the hall as i he hadn't le t a billion pound elephant sittin# in the room with his absence" !t least he'd used the word please, thou#h" It meant that /elle had done a #ood 3ob instillin# some manners into our child" Still loatin# in a state o con usion, I mo$ed my #a;e rom the spot where my son's back had disappeared down the hall to his mother" She looked cool as a cucumber, which rankly pissed me o a little bit more than I already had been" 4here was all that remorse she'd had at the ootball ieldI 0id she think that now that I'd met our son in the lesh that the slate was wiped clean and she no lon#er owed me my pound o lesh in retributionI I that's what she thou#ht, she was superbly, uckin# mistaken" +r at least, she'd looked totally una ected until I looked back down to her hands to see that they were still ti#htly clasped to#ether" So much so that a small drop o blood was leakin# out rom under one o her nails where it had broken the skin o the palm o her hand" I heard her #i$e a small sni le as I stared at that drop o blood and it reminded me that she'd learned #rowin# up to at least #i$e the appearance o lockin# her emotions down" %hat piece o shit ather o hers had tau#ht her the hard way that he wouldn't listen to a little #irl's cry, so she'd become the master at hidin# how she elt, no matter what" 8erhaps habits like those were hard to break" Seth came back into the room holdin# what looked like a small photo album and a picture rame in his hands" Sittin# back down on the couch, ne.t to his mother, close enou#h that his le#

brushed a#ainst her own, he dropped the album in his lap, but e.tended the rame out to me" I didn't know where this was all headed, but the hair on my arms stood up and I had the sense o orebodin# wash o$er me" 4hate$er this was, it was #oin# to be hu#e( possibly li e chan#in#" %hat thou#ht should ha$e seemed ridiculous since I was already in the middle o a li e chan#in# momentNthat irst point in time where I met my sonN4hich should ha$e been when he was born" Instead, it was in this moment when he was already ourteen, sittin# in a li$in# room that was not in my amily home, and handin# me an un amiliar picture rame that I somehow knew was about to lip my world on its a.is" So I held out my hand, lettin# my boy place the rame in it, and when I tilted the picture up to see what it was, the breath choked in my throat" It was a picture o me as a senior in my hi#h school ootball uni orm, runnin# o the ield with my teammates" I was headed, not towards my coach or my parents, but directly towards the person snappin# that picture o me on their camera" I was runnin# strai#ht or /elle" ! hu#e smile on my ace, my eyes lit up with somethin# I hadn't seen in the mirror or too many years to admit, and happier than I'd e$er been" 4e'd 3ust won the championship #ame and, the moment /elle had taken that picture, I remember thinkin# it was the best day o my li e" I knew I was runnin# o that ield towards my #irl" 4e were headed to %rent /a;emore's house to party, where we were #oin# to drink beer out o the ke#s that his older brother had scored or us, horse around on our our9wheelers in the unused ields behind his house, and I'd be endin# the ni#ht lo$in# /elle in the bed o my truck" !t the time, I didn't think li e could #et any better than that" Now that day seemed like a pale comparison to sittin# here with the man9child who was the spittin# ima#e o me becauseNalthou#h this moment was bittersweet and wrou#ht with resentmentNsittin# here with Seth like this now was the best moment o my li e" Mo$in# my eyes rom the picture back to my boy, I remembered to breathe a#ain 3ust as he said, J!nd you're my dad"K Annabelle I there was e$er a moment in my li e that I thou#ht /obby /aker was in dan#er o passin# out like one o those o$erpriced, tacky, prom 2ueens rom our hometown, it was ri#ht now with dots o sweat on his orehead and a sli#htly paler comple.ion" Far be it or me, thou#h, to point out that he needed to take a bi# ass breath and #et it to#ether" 4ith the way he was starin# at our son, he'd somehow or#otten that I was in the room with them" )ell, he mi#ht ha$e or#otten I was in the same #ala.y" I certainly didn't want to ruin their irst ather9son moment, either" So, I stayed per ectly still and watched my little boy, who wasn't so damn little anymore, tell the man who I'd once lo$ed with all o my heart, that he knew /obby was his ather" %hen, I watched in a combination o hal 9 ascination, hal 9trepidation as /obby inally remembered that breathin# was #ood and his chest slowly rose and ell in a deep, relie$ed breath" I also watched all o that while tryin# desperately not to burst into tears, or ha$e a da#9#um heart attack, because at any second that pro$erbial shoe was #oin# to drop and thin#s were #oin# to #o to hell in a hand basket" My relie lasted appro.imately se$en seconds be ore it morphed ri#ht into con usion" J&ou know who I am"K J&es, sir, I do"K J)ow lon# ha$e you known who I amIK

JMy whole li e" %hat picture has been in my room or as lon# as I can remember"K JI don't understand" I you knew my name, who I was, then why didn't you e$er look or meI 0idn't you want to meet meI 5et to know meIK I closed my eyes to hide their watery state" %he blow up was comin#" +h, boy" 4e'd 3ust hit landmine territory" It was #oin# to suck to pick up those metaphorical pieces a ter e$eryone had been blown to teeny, tiny, bloody bits" J+ne day" &es, sir"K +h, I couldn't watch this" My lun#s started to burn and I reali;ed that I'd been holdin# my breath without e$en reali;in# it" !ll I could concentrate on now was what was about to happen" %he use was stuck into the bomb" J4hat do you mean, one dayI 4hy would you not want to #et to know your own atherIK No, no, no" %his was #oin# to be so, so bad" I #ripped my hands e$en harder to hide my tremblin#" I elt the sharp ed#es o my nails bite urther into my skin" Now, the match was lit" J%hat's hard to e.plain, sir" I do want to #et to know you, I 3ust wasn't sure that you would want to #et to know me"K )ere we #o" I elt a sob startin# to bubble up my throat, so I did what I'd done so many times be ore, #rowin# up to stop the sound, and used my teeth to bite down on my bottom lip" %he match had touched to the use and now it's an#ry sparks were si;;lin# down to the inale" J4hy in the hell would you wonder thatI %wo seconds till detonation" No answer rom Seth" My eyes s2uee;ed ti#hter shut" +ne second to blast" J0id your mother tell you that I wouldn't want youIK %he 2uestion was asked so 2uietly that I barely heard it, but there it was" Con irmation that he would think the worst o me" Just another piece o e$idence in the #iant trial o my li e that no one would e$er think I was #ood enou#h or /obby" Includin# /obby himsel " Seth's temper e.ploded" J&ou 3ust hold on a second, mister- My mother's ne$er said an unkind word about you" 1$er" Maybe you should tell me why I should be so hot to #et to know the #uy who's mana#ed to make my mom cry on and o or the last i teen years a ter he le t herIK I couldn't make mysel open my eyes" I should be stron#er than this" ! son should not see his mother bein# this weak" )e should not see my shame in knowin# that he had heard all those ni#hts I'd lost the i#ht to be stron#, to close o my heart and had ended up losin# my e$er lo$in' mind while sobbin# like a silly little #irl into my pillow" )ow ridiculous was I to think I'd e$er hidden that rom himI J0o you ha$e any idea how many ni#hts I'$e laid in my bed and listened to her cry all ni#ht lon#I %o hear her cry so hard she could barely breatheI )ow when I was little and didn't understand what was #oin# on, I'd crawl out o my bed and into hers so that I could hu# her and make it all betterI I can tell you this, little boys do not like it when the only person in their li e is that broken and they don't know how to i. them- It's not any easier when she inally stops cryin#, either, because, now that I'm older, I #o into her room e$ery time, knowin# that I'll ind her clutchin# that stupid letter you sent her" )er ace will be all pu y and red and she looks like someone 3ust ripped her heart out( all because o you and that shitty letter"K %he second to last word brou#ht me out o my sel 9induced shell" My $oice was choked when I snapped out, J0on't you start cussin#, Seth :oberts /aker- 4hat ha$e I told you about that kind o shitIK

My $isibly pissed o son swun# his head around to look at me and pro3ect his unhappiness at the reprimand" J:eally, MomI /ecause L0o as I say, not as I do' isn't that one o the most ridiculous rules that parents ha$e tried to push o on their kids since the dawn o timeI I lo$e you, but #et o$er it already"K JSo, let me #et this strai#ht"K /obby's $oice was $ibratin# with ury" J&ou know who I am" &ou e$en carry my last name, but you're not sure i you want anythin# to do with meIK My son turned back around to look his ather strai#ht in the eyes when he dead9panned back, JI don't know, 0ad" &ou tell me" 0o you want to #et to know meI +r are you #oin# to 3ust lea$e me behind, tooIK /obby stood up and started stalkin# to the ront door" 4hat I wouldn't #i$e or this all to be some really bad dream instead o the 3acked up reality I was currently li$in# in" It had all #one so horribly wron# and it was all my ault, so I had to do somethin# to i. it" J4ait, /obby- Just wait-K :ushin# a ter him be ore he made it out o the door, I #rabbed him by the arm to try and keep him rom lea$in#" )e 3erked his arm out o my #rasp and rounded on me like a pissed o lion" J)ow could you do this to meIK he roared, ban#in# his ist a#ainst his chest, o$er his heart" J%o the irst person in your li e besides uckin# %ea#an who cared or you- 4ho bent o$er backwards to show you that you deser$ed to lo$e and be lo$ed" First, you kept my son rom me and now you'$e turned him a#ainst me- %hat's how you repay meI :epay the kindness my parents showed you and the two years we had to#etherI 0id you #et your #oddamn re$en#eI !re you uckin# happy with yoursel IK )is ace was an u#ly sneer I'd ne$er seen rom him be ore" Somethin# that looked $ery similar to the memories o what my ather had looked like as he'd taken out his an#er and rustration on me" %he kind o ace that would probably haunt my ni#htmares or years to come" )is hand swun# up in my direction so he could point a in#er in my ace and I linched backwards as i he mi#ht hit me" %he lo#ical part o me knew deep down that /obby would ne$er hit me, ne$er hurt me that way" %he dama#ed little #irl stuck inside a #rown woman's body didn't know that, thou#h" She'd sho$ed lo#ic out o the way in the name o sel 9preser$ation because all she could see was that, once a#ain, someone we lo$ed was urious with us" Someone who was bi##er than us and could cause more dama#eNboth mentally and physicallyNthan we mi#ht be able to sur$i$e, which meant we should duck or co$er" 0o what we had to do to de lect the blows to our body and soul so that we could #et up to ace another day when it was done" )ow I hated the weakness in that dama#ed little #irl" %he weakness in me that I would eel the need to cower backwards instead o stand and i#ht" %hat linch was somethin# I hadn't done in years because, once I'd le t 5eor#ia, I'd le t behind anyone and e$eryone who could hurt me" 5i$en mysel the alse security that I was stron#er" Now, when #larin# reality was in ront o me, I knew there was still someone out there that could hurt me and those de enses I'd built or mysel were crumbled be ore him" /obby saw the linch" %he in#er he'd had held up, pointin# at me, dropped to his side and re ormed as a clenched ist, which only made my body in$oluntarily tense or the possibility o a strike" )is mouth opened, he paused, and then his mouth closed a#ain as he shook his head" JI need to lea$e" I need to #o and calm the uck down because all I can think about ri#ht now is that you're the bi##est bitch I'$e e$er known and I wish I'd ne$er met you"K Slowly backin# away rom the enra#ed man in ront o me, I stupidly couldn't help but wonder" )ad someone 3ust hit the play button on /on Jo$i's &ou 5i$e Lo$e ! /ad NameI

/ecause the pain radiatin# throu#h my chest sure as shit elt like I'd been shot throu#h the heart" It was such an acute a#ony that I brie ly wondered i one really could die rom a broken heart" ! particular a liction I'd been so sure that I'd sur$i$ed be ore seemed to mock me with the truth that my heartbreak had 3ust been put on hold all o these years( it was inally back to inish me o " 4ould I e$er stop bein# a ool when it came to /obby /akerI %he ne.t thin# I knew, there was an e2ually pissed ourteen9year9old man9child standin# in ront o me" !ctin# as a barrier between me and the source o my pain" J0on't you take this out on her- +b$iously you need to stick your in#ers back in your ears and wi##le them around some more because you must not ha$e heard me when I said this the irst time" She's ne$er said a bad word about you to me" I can make up my own mind- It wasn't so hard to make it when I read that letter o hers" +r when I heard Mom and !unt %ea#an talkin# late one ni#ht" 5oin# on and on about how shitty their li e was #rowin# up and how they're #lad that they're not li$in# like that anymore" 4ho could blame themI 4ho would want to stay around a town that belittled them and did nothin# to help them while they were #ettin# beat on by their own athersI J)ow can you blame her or wantin# to run as ast and as ar as she could rom that place a ter you le t herI I'm close enou#h to the a#e Mom was when she ran away" I I was put in her shoes, I would ha$e done the same thin#" Maybe it wasn't the ri#ht thin# or her to do in the lon# run, but it was the ri#ht thin# or her at the time"K %hrou#h the ha;e o pain, I mana#ed to #rasp onto one thou#ht" 5od, I lo$ed my boy" 1$en i he was wron# and yellin# at his ather when he shouldn't be, I couldn't help thinkin# that I seriously lo$ed my son ri#ht now" 0e endin# me when I was the one who was at ault here" )e wasn't done, thou#h, because he 3ust kept on #oin#" J&ou know what else Mom talked to !unt %ea#an about that ni#htI )ow she wasn't surprised that you ended up not wantin# her because she wasn't #ood enou#h or you and the whole town made sure to remind her o that o ten" !unt %ea#an tried to tell her she was wron#, but she wouldn't hear it" 4ell, you wanna know what I thinkI I think !unt %ea#an was ri#ht and you're not #ood enou#h or my mom-K Losin# the i#ht to hold mysel up on my own, I slumped orward to lean my orehead on the back o my son's shoulder" %ears that were streamin# down my ace were now cau#ht by the so t cotton rom Seth's shirt and there was a #iant ass wet spot rom where I was silently bawlin# like a baby" %he ma#nitude o my mistakes were batterin# at me like a ten ton hammer" /eatin# me down until I couldn't help bein# ama;ed that I wasn't a broken heap on the loor, but it wasn't o$er, because my son had one more nail to put in my pro$erbial co in" J!nd until you reali;e that you're 3ust as much to blame or all o this as she is, then no, I don't want to #et to know you" I don't want anythin# to do with you" !nd i you e$er call M& M+%)1: a bitch a#ain, I'll show you 3ust how much o a man my mother raised me to be all on her own because I will knock you the hell out-K %he door slammed behind /obby as he le t" +h, 5od, what had I doneI

Chapter Twelve

Bobb J/aker in position"K Sometimes, #oin# to work was a blessin#" *eepin# the mind occupied could be a $ery #ood thin#" ! soldier was tau#ht, rom the time he tied on his boots in basic trainin#, that he had to be able to clear his mind o all distractions and concentrate on the mission" It didn't matter i that mission was cleanin# the latrine or #oin# in to enemy territory to neutrali;e a hi#h $alue tar#et" ! distracted man was a dead man" So here I was, lyin# on the #round, concealed in the dark o ni#ht and hidden in the shadows o the trees, behind the /i# /ull /ar, usin# the scope on my ri le to watch the back entrance" 4aitin# or any kind o acti$ity that would brin# us one step closer to i#urin# out i the bar's mana#er, )enderson, and his partner were ready to mo$e the #uns to Me.ico, or i they were waitin# or more" 4ith such a lar#e portion o their shipment ha$in# been con iscated yesterday, they had to be #ettin# antsy to mo$e the rest o their order be ore it could be ound" +ne second I was alone, considerin# our tar#et's possible courses o action, and the ne.t I had a si.9 oot, two hundred and twenty pound body lyin# ne.t to me" J+ne o these days, I'm #oin# to tie a bell around your neck, Commander, so that I always know when your ass is comin#" I'm #ettin# tired o you sneakin# up on me"K J&ou'$e been aw ully moody since yesterday, /aker" :eady to talk about whate$er it is that happenedIK JNothin# to talk about, Sir"K /ecause e$ery #uy wanted to talk about how they spent the ni#ht deep in a bottle o Jack 0aniels a ter ha$in# the mother o all blow outs with their practically #rown son on what was supposed to be their #ettin# to know you meet9and9#reet" +$er twenty9 our hours later, Ja.on was lucky I was e$en uckin# sober" JSo, that's it thenI &ou're wa$in# the white la# and #i$in# upIK JCan't #i$e up what I ne$er had, Ja.on"K J&ou're wron#" %here are men that would kill or what you ha$e"K J!nd what e.actly is it that you think I ha$eI ! woman that's betrayed meI ! son that hates me or what I did to his motherIK Lettin# out a snort, I #rumbled, J&eah, there're #uys lined up a mile lon# 3ust hopin# to ha$e all o that shit"K Ja.on nodded his head" J*eepin# your son rom you was wron#, but you were wron#, too" 4hether you like it or not, e$ery action has an e2ual and opposite reaction in this world" /asic science" Is it airI No, but i you're one o those people that belie$e li e is air, then I'd ha$e to in orm you that you're sadly mistaken" &ou're also ridiculously stupid i you can't reali;e what you ha$e been #i$en because it's somethin# that people the world o$er would kill to ha$e"K J4hat, SethI &eah, I know( I'm lucky to ha$e a kid" 1$en i he does hate me ri#ht now"K JNo, you moron" I'm talkin# about the other thin# you were #i$en" ! second chance" %hat's what people the world o$er would kill or" Just look at :iley" No matter what happened in the past, i he was #i ted the second chance that's been #i$en to you, he'd i#ht or it" &ou, on the other hand, are 3ust lettin# it slip throu#h your in#ers"K Ja.on disappeared 3ust as suddenly as he had appeared, but his words lin#ered" %hey mana#ed to penetrate the o# o my an#er, the scorchin# burn o my pain, and somethin# inside

o me knew that he was ri#ht" 4hether I wanted to admit it or not" I :iley's e.9wi e, *ara, walked back into his li e tomorrow, :iley would be on his knees be##in# her or another chance" )ell, he'd #et down on his knees and #ut himsel or 3ust i$e minutes o her time( makin# the most o the opportunity #i$en to him" 0eep down, I wanted the dream" 4hite picket ence, two point i$e kids, and the little wi e at home in the kitchen, cookin# dinner with her ser$ice weapon still strapped to her waist" 4hat li$in#, breathin# man wouldn't want thatI I 3ust 2uestioned my ability to work past the hurt and an#er to be able to en3oy the dream" :eality was a ni#htmare at the moment" My #irl had stabbed me in the back to protect hersel and my son wasQ well, he was actin# like my son" 4asn't that a bit o an eye openerI /ecause, i anyone had tried to #i$e my mom the Lwhat or' kind o talkin' to that I'd #i$en /elle yesterday, I would ha$e done e.actly what Seth had done" 0e ended her" 8rotected my amily" It 3ust sucked #iant ass donkey balls that I was the one Seth was ha$in# to de end her rom" %hat also le t my mi.ed eelin#s or /elle" ,nderneath the swirlin# emotions o ra#e I had towards her or keepin# this monumental secret rom me, I was shocked to ind that I also had an o$erwhelmin# sense o relie " /elle could ne$er be rid o me now" Not completely, at least" I would always be a part o her li e because I would be a part o Seth's li e" I I could #et past my an#er and hurt, maybe this could be the thin# that helped brin# us back to#etherI 0id I really still want /elle a ter all o this, thou#hI Could I trust her nowI %he heart that hurt so badly in my chest told me that I'd always want /elle" It was my mind that was enra#ed to the point o bein# un or#i$in# or her lie( to punish her somehow" 4hisperin# thin#s like, maybe I should take Seth rom her and see how she liked bein# depri$ed o our son like she had depri$ed me o him" So was this what the rest o my li e was #oin# to be likeI Secretly wishin# or some kind o re$en#eI )oldin# onto the ne#ati$ity and pain that kept my own lesh and blood at arm's len#th because my boy constantly elt the need to protect the parental i#ure he knew a#ainst the one he didn'tI New determination illed me" I re used to li$e a li e where I was constantly wonderin# Lwhat i s"' Ja.on was ri#ht" +pportunity had knocked on my door and hand9deli$ered a second chance" I'd be dumber than a bo. o rocks i I threw that away" I'd 3ust ha$e to i#ure out the best way to #o about i.in# thin#s" %he word strained was a pale de inition o what was le t o /elle's and my relationship" %here were #hosts o emotions le t rom years a#o and I'd ha$e to ind ways to breathe li e back into them" It was time to re9#roup and plan an attack" +nly this attack wouldn't in$ol$e mo$ements o troops onto enemy territory or weapons meant to in lict in3ury or death" No, I'd be utili;in# the element o surprise to keep /elle on her toes and slippin# in some sensual mo$ements" Little touches to make her di;;y with sensation until I could o$erwhelm her de enses and maneu$er her where I wanted her" I i#nored the small bead o sweat that #lided rom the hairline o my orehead and down o$er the side o my ace" *eepin# my eye #lued to the ri le's scopeNstayin# on the ready or $isual o our tar#etsNI had be#un makin# plans in my head about what to do ne.t when it came to /elle" First, a bed" It was a #reat way to relie$e some o our rustrations and an#er while reconnectin# with each other" %hen, the alter( tyin# her to me in the most undamental o ways, so that it would be damn near impossible or her to lea$e" Finally, pack her and Seth up and take them home to where head2uarters was located in Vir#inia" !ll I had to do was ind a way to #et o$er the stin# o betrayal"

MMM The next "ay *nock" *nock" *nock" *nock" *nock" 5ood, 5od" Li tin# my head, I #lared at the hotel room door where someone was now knockin#, disturbin# my much needed sleep" I someone on the team wasn't bleedin# to death on my doorstep I was #oin# to shoot them mysel " I'd only allen into bed at se$en o'clock this mornin# a ter a ni#ht o a whole lot o nothin# happenin# at that stupid bar" I was ready to blow the damn buildin# sky hi#h 3ust so I didn't ha$e to look at it anymore" *nock" *nock" *nock" *nock" *nock" J)old on a damn minute-K :ollin# o the bed I cau#ht the red numbers on the clock that said it was ele$en in the mornin#" Four hours o sleep sucked, but it was better than nothin#" I'd dealt with a lot worse in the !rmy, especially while deployed in ! #hanistan be ore takin# that bullet to the knee" ! knee that was #i$in# o a amiliar throb at the moment, which meant I needed to spend some time today stretchin# it" &awnin#, I shu led to the door, one hand scratchin# my chest while the other ad3usted my 3unk in my shorts" Lookin# down to make sure they weren't han#in# indecently low and, indin# them at a respectable han# o the hips, I opened the door, blindin# mysel with sunshine" /linkin# my eyes to ad3ust to the sudden li#ht chan#e, I ro;e in shock when I saw who was standin# there in ront o me" Seth and /elle" 5i$in# a subtle scan o /elle, I noticed that she looked like shit" Not that I'd be stupid enou#h to $oice that opinion, but it was no less than the truth" I #uess I wasn't the only one who'd taken the little meet9and9#reet two days a#o badly" %here were dark circles under her eyes like she hadn't slept at all and she looked a little pale, too" %he rest o her looked like business as usual" She was wearin# khaki pants with a na$y blue polo shirt that had the !%F emblem embroidered on the le t side o her chest and her ser$ice weapon was strapped to her waist" )er hair was pulled back in a ponytail and she had minimal make9up on" She looked ready or a day at the o ice, so what was she doin# hereI 4hen she spoke her $oice was low and hesitant" JI'm sorry i we woke you up" I or#ot that you were supposed to work a shi t last ni#ht" Seth wanted to come by and apolo#i;e or the other day"K Seth cut his eyes at his mother" JI'm not apolo#i;in#" I'm willin# to e.plain and talk" Not apolo#i;e"K /elle's ace turned red in embarrassment be ore she stuttered, J4e can come back i you'd like to #o back to sleep, /obby"K Steppin# back and pullin# the door open, I wa$ed them inside" J0on't worry about it" I'd rather see you two than sleep anyways"K Seth's eyes widened in surprise at my statement" I #uess my son didn't e.pect me to be all too happy to see him" )ope ully, soon he'd reali;e I was uckin# ecstatic about the idea o him in my li e, 3ust de$astated that I'd missed so much o it already" /elle #a$e Seth a little push that had them both mo$in# past me and throu#h the door" %hey sat down at the small, two9seater table in the corner while I opened the curtains to the room's only window and let in some li#ht so we could see each other" Since there was no room or me at the table, I sat on the end o the bed, acin# them with my arms restin# on my knees" I looked rom /elle to Seth to ind him

analy;in# the scars on my knee" Li tin# his chin in my direction he asked, J4hat happenedIK JI took a bullet to the knee in ! #hanistan our years a#o" %he scars you see are rom the sur#ery to remo$e the bullet and repair the dama#e"K J0oes it still hurtIK Shru##in# my shoulders, I answered, J4alkin# throu#h metal detectors in an airport can be a pain in the ass, besides that, I'm ine" Some days it's sore, but I reco$ered pretty well" I the weather is really bad or i I mo$e it the wron# way it'll ache, but that's not so bad" So what did you want to talk about, sonIK )is brows urrowed" JI'm not sorry or what I said to you the day be ore yesterday" I don't care i Mom thinks I should apolo#i;e or not, I was bein# honest, and honesty is e$erythin#"K %urnin# to look at /elle he added, J&ou're the one that tau#ht me that"K ! snort slipped ree be ore I could stop it and it earned a #lare rom my son and caused /elle to turn two shades li#hter than her already pale color and she ducked her head" )oldin# my hands up in the surrender pose, I apolo#i;ed, JI'm sorry" &ou ha$e to admit that i that's what she tau#ht you, it's kind o ironic" %hat's not what we should concentrate on, thou#h" I think we should try and mo$e on with the uture more than dwell on what's already happened" So let's #et back to why you're here"K Crossin# his arms o$er his chest, Seth continued to #lare" JI told you how I elt and I meant it" I want a relationship with you, but only i you admit that you're 3ust as much at ault as Mom is"K )oldin# his hand up in the air, he started holdin# his in#ers up one by one as he ticked o his points on them" JShe didn't #et pre#nant by hersel , or one" For two, she had nowhere to #o that was sa e so there was no point in her stayin# there in 5eor#ia" Number three, you broke a promise" %hat's Mom's bi##est rule, you keep your promises no matter what" Like I told you, I'$e heard her and !unt %ea#an talkin# and they said you'd promised to come back and #et her" %hat you were #oin# to #et married and mo$e away" %hen you le t her behind and sent her that letter, so you broke your promise" &ou were wron#, too"K Indi#nation burned in my chest" I wanted to de end mysel , but I couldn't" Not i thin#s were #oin# to start mo$in# orward or us" J&ou're ri#ht( I'm to blame or this, too"K /elle started to protest, but Seth cut her o , JNo, Mom, I don't care what you say" It's not all your ault, it was his ault, too, and I'm tired o you always blamin# yoursel "K Shocked silly was such an odd phrase, but in this moment, that's e.actly what I was" I hadn't e.pected her to try and take all the blame when it came to our son" I'd thou#ht she would cry her tears and spin her tale to make Seth belie$e that she'd done it all or the best, but it was my ault or lea$in# them behind" I'd ne$er thou#ht she'd try and take all the blame on hersel " It made me eel like the doucheba# o the year to think the worst o her, but thinkin# the worst was somethin# alto#ether so easy to do when I elt like I couldn't trust her anymore" Maybe thin#s were #oin# to be a bit harder or me than I'd thou#htN#ettin# o$er the betrayal she'd dealt meN i I was automatically assumin# the worst o her now" Seth kept talkin#, but now it was to me" JSo where do we #o rom here, 0adIK My #a;e swun# back to his and I elt my eyes water up" )e took one look at the tear that was stuck on my bottom lash and started to id#et" JIt's okay to call you 0ad, ri#htIK Man, that 2uestion was a double ed#ed sword" +n one hand, it stun# that my own kid had e$en elt the need to ask me i it was okay to call me 0ad" +n the other hand, hearin# him call me that made it my new a$orite word in the world" Standin# up swi tly and closin# the space between us, I #rabbed him by his upper arm and hauled him up to me" Closin# my arms around

his shoulders, I hu##ed him iercely, absently notin# that the irst time I'd touched my own kid was when his head already cleared my shoulder, instead o as a tiny body lyin# in my arms" )ow many instances would I both re3oice and then despair because they reminded me o all that'd I'd missed with himI 8ushin# the pain away a#ain, I choked out, J&ou can call me whate$er you want, but 0ad sounds uckin# awesome because I'll be callin# you Son"K )e barked a small lau#h" J!nother parent that cusses" !re you #oin# to tell me that I can't say those words, tooIK 8ushin# him back ar enou#h to look into his ace, JMan rule number one, what the women don't know, won't hurt them"K Seth burst out lau#hin# as /elle #a$e a hu o rustration" Annabelle %he hotel room door closed behind us as Seth and I walked towards my truck in the parkin# lot" %here was a ull day o work ahead o me and I had to #et Seth back to school" I'd pulled him out durin# his lunch so that he could talk to his ather and so that I could arran#e or /obby to spend some time with him at our house toni#ht while I was workin#" )e'd be late to his ne.t class, but it was time well spent and it wasn't like he was behind in any o his classes anyways" )e'd mana#ed to maintain an ! a$era#e so ar in school, which I considered a miracle since he had hal o my 0N!" %he boy de initely took a ter his ather not 3ust in looks and athletics, but in the academic area as well" 4e both climbed up in the truck, and neither o us said a word until Seth's hi#h school came into si#ht" JI'll always lo$e you, Mom" No matter what"K /oy, I didn't reali;e how much I needed to hear that until he had #i$en it to me" I elt the telltale pricks in the corners o my eyes that meant tears were threatenin#, and 2uickly s2uashed the ur#e to let them ree" My emotional de enses had started crumblin# the minute /obby had walked back into my li e and now I seriously needed to #et my shit to#ether" 4alkin# throu#h this world with your heart on your slee$e would #et you nothin# e.cept a bucket load o misery, and who wanted to li$e li e like thatI %here would always be room in my heart or my boy, thou#h, and the reassurance that he was o erin# that he would always lo$e me in return was a blessin# I would ne$er take ad$anta#e o " 8arkin# the truck in ront o the school's ront entrance, I turned in my seat to ace him" J%hank you, honey" I'll always lo$e you, too" I can't tell you how much it means to me that you're willin# to or#i$e me or what I'$e done"K )e shook his head or a second be ore reachin# across the seat to pull me into a ti#ht hu#" J&ou need to or#i$e yoursel , Mom" I or#a$e you a lon# time a#o" &ou did what you thou#ht was the best or us and what kid wouldn't be lucky to ha$e a parent that did that or themI 4e're #oin# to ind a way to work all o this out" I promise"K )u in# a sel 9deprecated lau#h, I told him, JShouldn't I be the one #i$in# you promises hereIK 8ullin# back to look me in the ace, he smiled" J0oesn't matter who does it this time" !ll that matters is that we'll #et throu#h this to#ether"K Lettin# me #o, he #rabbed his book ba# out o the backseat and started to open the door to #et out" J0on't or#et that it'll be your dad who meets you at the house a ter ootball practice

toni#ht" I'$e #ot to stay at work late"K I almost choke on the words" Now that /obby was in his li e I would ha$e to #et used to talkin# to Seth about his ather" Somehow, it elt like I'd stumbled on a new orm o torture ha$in# to re er to /obby as L0ad'" J&eah, Mom, we made those plans like i teen minutes a#o" I ha$en't or#otten them that ast" 5i$e me a break"K Seth hopped out o the truck be ore I could #i$e him a play ul smack on the arm and 3o##ed into the school without lookin# back" I sat there mar$elin# or a minute o$er his con idence that e$erythin# was #oin# to be okay now that /obby was in our li$es" I only wished I had that same kind o con idence" Chapter Thirteen

Bobb I let mysel into /elle's house with the spare key that she'd #i$en me" Seth would be home in a ew minutes and I was lookin# orward to spendin# some time alone with him while /elle was workin#" Steppin# into the dark house, I shut the ront door behind me and started to walk orward to the kitchen so that I could turn a li#ht on when mo$ement in my peripheral $ision at the dinin# room table stopped me" %urnin# to ace the threat, I was surprised at who the une.pected intruder was" %ea#an" 1$en in the dark, with nothin# e.cept the dim li#ht rom the 3ust risin# moon ilterin# throu#h the slidin# #lass doors behind her, I could make out red hair pulled back neatly rom her ace" She was starin# at me blankly, with no hint o shock at my presence here in /elle's house, which meant one o two thin#s" 1ither she knew I was here, or she was a master at hidin# her emotions" %he iery #low o a lit ci#arette mo$ed rom where it had been ho$erin# o$er its ash tray upwards to a eminine mouth where it then stopped so its owner could take a dra#" !s she e.haled her husky $oice murmured, JLon# time no see, /obby"K Somehow, I #ot the impression that this $isit was no coincidence and she was ar rom happy to see me" Mo$in# towards the kitchen, I turned on the li#ht, went to the rid#e, which was thank ully e2uipped with my drink o choice, #rabbed two beers and then turned around, headin# back to the dinin# room table" Settin# the second unopened beer ne.t to her already opened and hal consumed one, I sat at the opposite end o the table rom her" Scannin# her rom the top o her head to where her midsection disappeared underneath the table, I noted that the years had been #ood to her physically" Same bri#ht red hair pulled back in a se$ere bun at the nape o her neck" )er thin ace with its hi#h prominent cheekbones and lips that were so ull they were almost too bi# or her ace, told me that she mi#ht look like the same stick skinny #irl that she'd been in 5eor#ia, but she also mi#ht be a bit leaner and harder than she'd been be ore" It was hard to tell or sure, thou#h, since she was wearin# her Marine Corp cami's and her o$ersi;ed issued seaba# was on the loor, still stu ed with her #ear" %hat meant that she'd dropped whate$er she was doin# to come strai#ht here when she'd presumably ound out about me" 4hy would she eel the need to rush here to %e.as to con ront meI Lookin# or some kind o clue, I pulled my eyes rom her seaba# back to her ace and looked her strai#ht in the eye"

%he rest o her ace and body posture mi#ht be impassi$e, but the eyes #a$e it away" %hey were the same blue with #reen lecks, but they didn't look as youn# as the rest o her" %he shadows there told me that while the outer packa#in# o %ea#an :obert's mi#ht look damn #ood, on the inside, she'd seen too much and carried too many demons than could be e.orcised" %hey also seemed to burn with a near anatical intensity that said she meant business" Not a mild mannered let's sit down and talk like reasonable adults business, but more like a i you so much as blink the wron# way I will bust a cap in your sorry ass business" /elle and Seth were her amily and she wasn't #oin# to let anyone mess with her amily" %here were two problems with her assumptions" For one, I wasn't here to mess with them" +n the contrary, I was here to claim them" For two, I wasn't 3ust anyone and I wouldn't let her stand in the way o me obtainin# what I considered mine" )owe$er, at the moment, %ea#an :oberts looked like a 3unkyard do# at the end o her chain" %hat meant I was #oin# to ha$e to handle her with care in the hopes that she wouldn't try to chew me up and spit me out while inad$ertently ruinin# what I was workin# or here" JLon# time no see, %ea#an" 4hat e.actly are you doin# hereIK JFunny, that's what I'$e come to ask you"K %here's nothin# like knowin# your suspicions are ri#ht" %he woman had tra$eled rom 5od knew where to come warn me o her best riend" Looked like some thin#s ne$er chan#ed" She'd done somethin# $ery similar when I'd irst started pursuin# /elle in hi#h school" +nly she hadn't shown up at my house une.pectedly to do it" /ack then, she'd pulled me aside in the school's hallway to let me know that i I hurt her best riend, she'd kick me in the balls so hard I'd be eelin# them e$ery time I tried to swallow my ood or a week" /ack then, I hadn't taken her $ery seriously" I wouldn't be makin# that mistake this #o round" J&ou mi#ht want to speci y what e.actly it is that you're lookin# or here, %ea#an" 0o you want to know why I'm here in %e.asI +r do you want to know why I'm here in /elle's houseIK She took another slow dra# o her ci#arette" J+h, I know why you're in %e.as" I want to know why you're here in her house" I can honestly say that it's the one place on 5od's #reen earth that I ne$er e.pected to see you at"K Fury i#nited inside o me" + course she ne$er e.pected to see me here" She'd helped /elle keep the secret o my son rom me" ,nlike /elle, her ather was still $ery much ali$e and still in Syl$ania" Not that I would e.pect her to ha$e some kind o close relationship with him since he wasn't much better than /elle's ather had been, but the point was, she had the means to #et in touch with me or my amily i she'd wanted to let me know about Seth" So why should she e.pect me hereI I didn't reali;e until this moment 3ust how mad I was at %ea#an, too" For helpin# /elle keep Seth rom me o$er the years and maybe or smokin# that damn cancer stick in ront o me, too" Not that she would know that I was an e.9smoker and she was wa$in# temptation in my ace like a red cape at a bull, but that didn't stop the irrational ur#e to blame her or doin# it on purpose anyways" %akin# a lon# pull o my beer #a$e me a ew seconds to calm down so I wouldn't lip my shit on her" Startin# a i#ht with %ea#an wouldn't help me #et to where I wanted to be with /elle or Seth" It would be better to see i I could turn her into an ally than #i$e into the ur#e to lash out or thin#s that were in the past and couldn't be chan#ed" Settin# the beer down on the table, I answered the ori#inal 2uestion, JI'm here in this house because this is where my amily li$es" Now why are you hereIK Stubbin# out her ci#arette in the ashtray, she then spread her arms wide and #a$e a

sarcastic smile" JI'm here because this is my amily and I'$e always been welcome here" %he same can't be said or you"K %appin# a in#er on the side o my beer bottle I ired back, J%hey'll always be your amily, %ea#an, I #et that, but they're my amily, too" Now it's my turn or a 2uestion" )ow would you know I was here since that would be classi ied in ormationIK %he side o her mouth tipped up in a cat that ate the canary #rin" JFunny thin# about tryin# to plan a surprise when you're comin# home rom o$erseas" Sometimes, you are the one who #ets a surprise" I called a mutual riend o /elle's and mine to see i they would pick me up rom the airport only to be warned that /elle already had a surprise $isitor here" &ou could say that this indi$idual is e.tremely concerned as to /elle's rame o mind about you showin# up here in %e.as and indin# out about Seth" %hey ur#ed me to #et here as ast as possible" %hat's why there's practically still sand rom ! #hanistan on the bottom o my boots" I didn't e$en ha$e the time to chan#e a ter we were released rom duty"K %hrou#h #ritted teeth I snarled, J!nd who the hell is so concerned about my bein# hereI %he Sheri /elle's been uckin#IK JNow, now, /obby" %hat #reen9eyed monster impression you're doin# doesn't look too #ood on you" Charlie Jenkins is a #ood man" In act, I was hopin# one day !nnabelle would #i$e in to his many re2uests o a lon# term relationship" )e'd be a #ood husband to her and a #ood ather i#ure or Seth"K I lost control o my temper and e.ploded" J4hy the hell are you bein# such a bitchI I #et that you're mad on your riend's behal " I hurt her and you're tryin# to protect her"K I wa$ed a in#er between the two o us" J&ou and I both know I'm not some dickhead scumba# like the two o you #rew up with" So why are you bendin# o$er backwards to keep my amily rom me when I'$e 3ust ound themIK Calmly, as i she didn't care 3ust how badly she'd pissed me o , %ea#an took another ci#arette out o her pack and lit it up" Fuckin# antastic" She was #oin# to be a #oddamn chimney smoker in ront o me" +nce she'd taken a lon# inhale and blown it back out, she looked me dead in the ace, as i she considered me no threat at all, and started mo$in# those ull lips o hers" JI'$e #ot all kinds o patches rom the ser$ice, you know" ! patch that says I'm a proud Marine" ! patch that says I'm a $eteran" ! patch that says I was there or Ira2i Freedom and a patch that says I'm there or +peration 1ndurin# Freedom, but what I really need is a patch that says I was there or +peration //90/9!/K" JIs there a chance you're #oin# to start to make some sense anytime soonIK She kept #oin# as i I hadn't spoken at all, J&ou see, the be#innin# o that war was //, or L/e ore /obby"' I was there to watch as a little #irl the same a#e as me walked on e##shells around a ather ten times as $iolent as mine( always care ul o what she said or did" )opin# that one day he would wake up and lo$e her like all the other athers lo$ed their little kids" %hen, I watched her sur$i$e the crushin# blow the day she turned into a teena#er, her ather once a#ain did not #et her so much as a uckin# slice o cake, but instead came home and said now that she was old enou#h to be a whore like her mother and she should #et out on the street and start payin# their bills ri#ht be ore he knocked the e$er li$in# shit o her" Instead o completely crushin# her spirit rom ha$in# all her hopes and dreams o a real amily brutally ended or her, she learned to buck9the9 uck up and do what she had to do to #et by"K %hese were all thin#s I already knew about /elle's li e #rowin# up" Frankly, I didn't want to reli$e them and be reminded how someone so innocent, so #oddamn beauti ul all the way down clear to her soul, had su ered so needlessly" 4hy was %ea#an brin#in# this shit upI

JI was still there when 0/ rolled around" +therwise known as L0urin# /obby"' For that period, I watched one o the stron#est people I know do somethin# that e$en I can't do to this day" I watched her muster up the coura#e to lo$e someone when she'd ne$er been lo$ed be ore in her li e by anyone but me" I stood on the sidelines, scared as shit that you were playin# some #lori ied hi#h school prank on my best riend that would end up in her utter humiliation, wonderin# that i you were playin# her, would she be able to sur$i$e #ettin# her hopes up that someone could care about her be ore those dreams were smashed to pieces" &ou stayed around or two years, thou#h, and it seemed like !nnabelle's dreams were comin# true" It was the only thin# I'd wished or in li e" %o ha$e !nnabelle inally ha$e someone to ill those holes inside o her" &ou #a$e her that" %hen, you took it away"K Jesus" She was #oin# or my 3u#ular toni#ht" %ea#an took a deep breath and kept #oin# as i she were playin# a chess match instead o $erbally tearin# me into little pieces" J4hich brin#s us to !/" L! ter /obby"' %hanks to you, I watched her become a shell o hersel " +nly this time, I wasn't there or her because I was in boot camp" 4hy had I le t my best riend alone so that I could #o to boot campIK She pointed a in#er at me" J/ecause &+, promised me that she'd be taken care o " &+, told me that you lo$ed her and she would ne$er want or anythin# a#ain( whether it be ood, clothin# or lo$e" %hen, &+, uckin# le t her behind like she was a piece o trash on the side o the road you couldn't bother to pick up" So, e$en i I didn't hate you or lea$in# her behind, I would still hate you on principal because I couldn't be there or my best riend when she was hurtin# the most" )ell, I couldn't e$en ind her" I she hadn't ound a way to contact me while I was still in boot camp I wouldn't ha$e had any idea o how to ind her" So e.cuse me i I think you're worse than do# shit on the bottom o my shoe" &ou didn't ind your best riend a shadow o the person she used to be while also pre#nant and worried about how she was #oin# to take care o a baby all by hersel " I, on the other hand, did"K My ra#e boiled o$er so 2uickly that I saw red" It would be a miracle i my blood pressure was in any kind o normal ran#e and not shot sky9hi#h throu#h the roo " JNow, wait 3ust a damn minute- I didn't know she was pre#nant and i I had, I would ha$e taken care o her and Seth"K %ea#an opened her mouth to say somethin# and I cut her o with a slash o my hand throu#h the air in ront o her" JJust shut it" I #et that she's the only amily that matters to you, so I understand your need to protect her, but you don't know the whole story( so you should keep your mouth shut Ltil you do"K Snappin# her 3aw shut, she wa$ed her hand at me to continue" JI ucked up sendin# that letter" I knew I'd made a mistake immediately a ter I'd sent it" I sent another letter, spillin# my #uts out to her" !polo#i;in# or what I'd said" %he minute I was allowed to make a phone call, I called my parents and told them what I'd done and asked them to help me ind her so I could apolo#i;e" %he problem was, she was already lon# #one" So, yeah, breakin# up with her and lettin# her down on my promises and our dreams was wron#, but that didn't #i$e her the ri#ht to keep my son rom me" Not that it's any o your uckin# business, either, but I'$e already apolo#i;ed or all o this to her" I'm done e.plainin# mysel to people about this" It's between me, /elle and our son" No one else rom here on out" So you can stand behind them and support them, but you're #oin# to keep your #oddamn nose out o our business"K )er eyes widened and her mouth opened a#ain to say somethin#" JI damn well mean it, %ea#an- %his" Is" My" Family" I'm tryin# to i. it- I will not ha$e you messin# it all up or me out o some twisted sense o protection" I lo$e Seth and I still lo$e /elle, e$en i I ha$e the occasional ur#e to choke her out or what she's done" Shit, mistakes and

circumstances came between me and my amily once be ore" Now, nothin# will stop me rom claimin# my amily" 0o you understand me, womanIK J&ou should probably stop yellin# at !unt %ea#an now, 0ad"K 4hippin# my head around, I ound Seth propped up a#ainst the wall behind me with his arms crossed o$er his chest, one ankle crossed o$er the other, and one side o his mouth twitchin# like he was tryin# to hold back a lau#h" :unnin# rustrated hands o$er my hair, I dropped them by my sides and tipped my head back to the ceilin#, lookin# or di$ine inter$ention or a black hole to swallow me up" %alk about screwin# shit all up" J5od, Son" I'm so sorry you had to hear thaNK Shru##in# his shoulders, he replied, JNo bi##ie, 0ad" It was kind o cool to hear you tellin# her that you wanted us"K Man" %he kid 3ust un9did me sometimes" 4alkin# orward until we were 3ust a ew eet apart, I reached o$er, hooked an arm around his neck and tu##ed him o$er into a one9armed hu#" JNe$er doubt it rom here on out, boy" I'll always want you"K )e nodded his head" J%hat's #ood"K %hen, he socked me in the #ut with a li#ht punch" J/ut stop yellin# at !unt %ea#an now" I ha$en't seen her in o$er year"K Steppin# out rom underneath my arm, I watched my son walk o$er to %ea#an and pull her up into a bear hu#, which wasn't hard or him to do since they were the same hei#ht" %here were a ew low murmured words while they hu##ed and I ound mysel 3ealous" %ea#an ob$iously had an easy, close and lo$in# relationship with my son" Somethin# I should ha$e, too, but didn't" Instead o lettin# the amiliar an#er o my situation sweep o$er me, causin# me to potentially #rind my molars down into nothin# e.cept tooth dust, I reminded mysel that this was what I was tryin# to i." %his was my second chance to #et it all ri#ht" Chapter !ourteen

Annabelle I I ne$er see a stack o paperwork that hi#h a#ain, I can die a happy woman" 4ho knew you had to cross so many t's and dot so many da#9#um i's 3ust to re2uest another department to share their reports rom an arms bust that was related to your caseI It was reakin# ridiculous" %rud#in# up the ront steps o my porch, my shoulders sa##ed, and I was hopin# I had enou#h ener#y to thank /obby be ore kickin# him the hell out o my house so I could all into a semi9 coma rom my lack o sleep the past ew days" 4hen I walked throu#h the ront door, thou#h, a smell so hea$enly it could ha$e been a #i t rom 5od hit my nose and I had to make sure my mouth wasn't open or the drool would start pourin# out o my mouth" Lea$in# the entryway, I was met with a si#ht I would ha$e ne$er e.pected to see in my entire li e" Standin# in my kitchen, in ront o the sto$e with a spatula in his hand as he lipped somethin# o$er in the pan, was /obby"

I don't know what it was e.actly about him in that moment" It could ha$e been the 3eans that he was wearin# that cupped those stron# thi#hs and that sin ul ass o his" +r it could ha$e been that t9shirt he was wearin# that hun# loose around the waistline and snu# across the back o those broad shoulders" More than likely, howe$er, it was because he was such a bi#, stron#, mouthwaterin# man that was doin# somethin# as domestic as cookin# a reakin# meal" )e was suddenly the se.iest thin# I'd e$er laid eyes on" %hat was sayin# somethin# since I'd once had to #o into the %e.as Lon#horn's locker room a ter one o their practices to look or a suspect I'd been chasin#" I'd run into a $ision o muscled, naked, wet bodies resh rom the shower that started scramblin# or their towels the minute they'd seen me enter the room" ! ter that day, I considered mysel a bit o an authority on se.y men" /obby /aker standin# in my kitchen, cookin# a meal, was now irmly at the top o the list o se.ual antasies" It was too bad antasy wouldn't meet reality and he would not be #i$in# in to the sudden ur#e to spread me out on the dinin# room table and pretend I was dessert" Not that it would matter i he was interested" I was so tired ri#ht now, I'd probably all asleep e$en i it was the best se. o my li e" 4alkin# into the kitchen, he heard my ootsteps and turned his head to see me" J)ey" 5lad your home sa e" I you wait 3ust a second I'll ha$e this ser$ed up and you can sit down and eat"K %hat stopped me in my tracks" )e'd cooked or meI I'd 3ust assumed he was cookin# himsel dinner" +r maybe Seth a late meal e$en thou#h it was ten o'clock and the kid was supposed to be in bed by now because he had school tomorrow" 4hy in the world would he cook or meI J4ell, why would I cook or mysel and not cook or youI I'm not that much o an asshole" !nd Seth is in bed" I thou#ht teena#ers were supposed to #i$e you a hard time about when they went to bedI I didn't e$en ha$e to say anythin# to him" )e #ot up rom the couch at ten, #a$e me a hu# #oodni#ht and went to bed" Is he like a Step ord kid or somethin#IK I'd said all o that out loudI )oly shit" J&eah, and you're still sayin# it out loud" &ou reali;e that, ri#htIK 5i$in# my eyes an e.a##erated swipe o the hands, I looked back up to ind /obby's lips twitchin#" JI must seem cra;y ri#ht now" Just i#nore me" I'm really tired"K J5et yoursel somethin# to drink, babe"K )e turned back to the sto$e and started dishin# out ood onto two plates" %his whole scenario seemed surreal" )e'd been worried that Seth was a Step ord kidI 8 t" I was worried that he was a Step ord /obby- 5ettin# a #lass down rom the cabinet, I illed it with cold water rom the tap and started takin# sips out o it as I leaned a#ainst the counter, watchin# him" J&ou want to sit at the table or whatIK ! table with /obby seemed too intimate" Sittin# ne.t to each other" 8erhaps e$en closely" )is knee accidentally touchin# mine under the table" Low con$ersation and lin#erin# looks" %oo much like a couple sittin# down to en3oy time with each other" It was best to a$oid thin#s like that" )e wouldn't understand why that would hurt me and that wasn't his ault" JI'$e been sittin# at a desk all day lon# with paperwork" I'll 3ust stand here at the counter and eat" &ou can #o to the table i you'd like to, thou#h" 8romise it won't hurt my eelin#s"K )e #a$e me a considerin# look, put my plate on the counter in ront o me, and then placed his own plate a ew eet away rom my own" Leanin# o$er the counter a bit to tuck into his ood, he started sho$elin# ork uls o chicken and herbed rice as i he was a raid it was #oin# to disappear" It kind o reminded me o how Seth used to eat his ood when he was our or i$e"

)e'd had oodles o ener#y and he'd practically swallow ood whole in his attempt to #et it down 2uickly" )e noticed my lack o mo$ement and looked up rom under his eyelashes, takin# a pause with his ork in midair on the way to his mouth" J!ren't you #oin# to eatIK J0o you e$en bother to chewI +r do you 3ust swallow and hope you don't chokeIK )is cheeks turned a tad bit pink and he put his ork back on his plate" JSorry" Some habits die hard" Includin# the one you pick up in mess halls about eatin# 2uickly"K J4ell, at least you're not eatin# like that because you're in a race to #et away rom me"K 8ickin# up my ork, I speared a piece o chicken and put it in my mouth" ! buttery, lemon la$or e.ploded on my ton#ue and the ne.t thin# I knew my eyes rolled back in my head and there was a moan slippin# out o me" J5awd, /obby" %hat's 3ustQ yum"K J0o you always make sounds like that while you're eatin#IK J+nly when the ood is #ood enou#h to deser$e it"K J%hat's #oin# to be a problem or me when we're eatin# dinner with Seth then, because I don't know how com ortable I eel sportin# a boner when my son is around"K Now it was my turn to blush" ,nable to look at him, I kept my eyes i.ed to my plate as I used my ork to push my ood around a bit" JJust how o ten do you think you'll be cookin# us dinnerIK J1$ery chance I can #et" 1specially i I #et to hear you make sounds like that a#ain"K Suckin# in a surprised breath, I missed the act that he'd mo$ed closer to me until his hand was there cuppin# the side o my ace, mo$in# it up so that I had to look him in the eye" 4e were only inches apart, the heat rom his body warmin# the ront o my own" Just that little bit o contact was too much" J0on't, /obby"K )is #or#eous blue eyes searched my ace" J0on't what, babyIK %he amiliar pricks o tears ormin# started in the corner o my eyes" I'd told mysel I wasn't #oin# to cry anymore and not e$en twenty9 our hours later, I was about to start blubberin# like an idiot" J0on't do this to me, please"K ! thumb slowly swept o$er my cheekbone" J4hat am I doin#, /elleIK JI can't handle it" 0on't make me be#"K )is ace mo$ed a little closer" J4hat am I doin# that will make you be#IK J&ou're actin# like you want me and I know that's not possible because you hate me now" I understand why you hate me, /obby, I do" 4hat I did was wron# and I'm so sorry"K Suckin# in a ra##ed breath, I #a$e a tortured whisper, J8lease, i you e$er truly cared or me, don't do this to me" 0on't act like you want me when I know you don't"K JI can't do that"K Sni lin# now, I ask, J4)&IK J/ecause I do want you" I'$e ne$er stopped wantin# you, and I ne$er will, no matter what's happened between us" &ou pissed me o " &ou hurt me so bad that I'll ne$er be the same, but you'll ne$er be able to do anythin# that will make me stop wantin# you"K )is ree arm slipped around my waist and pulled me rou#hly into him" %he hand holdin# my ace slid back into my hair, pullin# my ponytail out and causin# the hea$y wei#ht to drop to my back be ore he isted the strands to hold me where he wanted me" Closin# the remainin# distance between us, his lips skimmed mine as he spoke, J&ou can break my heart" &ou can scoop it ri#ht out rom inside o my chest with a dull, rusty spoon and, e$en then, I wouldn't be able to stop wantin# you"K

%hat's when I lost the battle with the tears" ! ew escaped my eyes and slipped down my cheeks as I looked at him" )e wasn't hidin# anythin# rom me" It was all there or me to see" )is pain" )is an#er" )is lust" 4hat I wasn't sure about was his lo$e" 1$en i it was still thereNdeep down inside, buried under e$erythin# elseNI didn't deser$e it" %he last time I'd tried to belie$e in a lo$e between the two o us it damn near killed me when he le t" 4hat would happen this time i I let him in a#ainNonly to ind out that I'd destroyed that lo$eNand he had nothin# else le t to #i$e besides desireI 4hat would we end up doin# to each other this time aroundI It elt as i he was surroundin# me, closin# me in a trap, and it was 3ust too much to take" 8ullin# my head back as ar as I could since he was keepin# my body secured a#ainst his, I pleaded with him, J%his is a bad idea, /obby" 4e're only #oin# to hurt each other a#ain" &ou'll ne$er #et past all o the a#ony between us or it to work" I we #i$e in to thisQ need we ha$e or each other, we aren't the only ones that can #et hurt anymore"K )is #rip ti#htened until he was unconsciously hurtin# me" %here would be in#ertip bruises on my lower back tomorrow to remind me that whate$er was about to happen had been no dream" JI ucked up and you ran" Now we're #oin# to make this work" 4e're #oin# to be the amily we should ha$e always been, /elle" 4e'll ind a way to i. this" &ou owe it to me to at least try"K %here was a scary intensity in his eyes and I brie ly wondered who he was tryin# to con$ince here, me or himsel " I could be wron#" %his could work out and we could be that happy little amily I'd dreamed o ha$in# one day or hours and hours on end as a kid" %he problem was, I was a raid to belie$e" %erri ied to hope" Cra;y to dream o it" %here would be no middle #round with the outcome o this" It was #oin# to end up bein# a dream come true with happily e$er a ter's or lea$e me the kind o broken that was un i.able ore$er and e$er, amen" %here was only one thin# that swayed me towards the decision I made" /obby was ri#ht" I owed him" Bobb 1motions were so messy" Somehow, as a teena#er they'd elt a lot more simple" /ack then, I was in lo$e with /elle and that was all there was to it" Just bein# around her made me eel ali$e" Now, as an adult, I stru##led between the parts o me that wanted to lo$e her and the ones that wanted to ra#e at her or takin# so much rom me" From takin# so much rom us" Like our chance at bein# a amily" +n the lip side, the other part o me wanted to #i$e her assurances and pretty promises wrapped up in the packa#e that was my heart" Free and clear o all the resentment o past mistakes so that we could mo$e on rom it all to#ether" %he problem with that was I couldn't seem to sort throu#h it all to #o one way or the other" I was stuck in the middle, wantin# to both lo$e her and hate her, which wouldn't work" I re used to let mysel be the one that ruined this second chance" I it uckin# killed me, I was #oin# to ind a way to make this work" Impatiently waitin# or /elle to say somethin#, to admit that she would try to make this work, too, I tried to make mysel say the words that she needed" %hree little words that would erase her doubts" %hree syllables that carried more wei#ht than should be possible" 1i#ht letters that my $ocal cords were unwillin# to say" Frustration with mysel sur#ed" 4hat the hell was my problemI I did still lo$e /elle, so why couldn't I #i$e her the wordsI Just as I was about to lose my e$er lo$in' mind at her continued silence, she mo$ed" )er

hands came up tentati$ely, mo$in# slowly up my chest until she #ripped both o my shoulders with in#ers that trembled" 8ullin# down on my shoulders to brin# me closer, she li ted up on her toes and placed a so t, sweet kiss on my lips" J+kay, /obby, we'll try"K %here it was" Vulnerability" She was scared shitless o what we could do to each otherN the possibility that we would rip into each other with the kind o animosity that no lo$e could repairNand, in the end, lea$e two emotional corpses behind instead o li$in#, breathin# people who had learned and lo$ed" 0espite her ears, she was #i$in# into me anyway" /ein# the kind o bastard that I am, I was #oin# to take the opportunity she was #i$in# me, e$en i I hadn't i#ured out how to stop hatin# her lon# enou#h to remember 3ust how much I did lo$e her" 4hen it came to /elle, I was takin# it all" %here was no part o her that I wouldn't touch" %hat I wouldn't own" From her so t, satin9like skin to the depths o her $ery soul( she was #oin# to eel me all o$er her, inside o her, and surroundin# her until there wasn't a doubt in that pretty, little head o hers that she was ne$er runnin# rom me a#ain" I wasn't #oin# to let anythin# stop me rom con2uerin# all that she was, e$en my own stupid pride" )er lips brushed mine a#ain, snappin# the hold I had on my restraint" I le t one hand in her hair, istin# the strands so that I could control her as I slanted my mouth sa$a#ely o$er hers" %hrustin# my ton#ue inside like the marauder I was eelin# like at the moment, to tan#le my ton#ue with hers almost orce ully" It was no slow, #entle kiss" It represented e.actly how I elt at that moment" It was deep" Into.icatin#" So uckin# hun#ry you would think I was star$in#, 3ust not or ood" Star$in# or her" !lways or her" I slipped my other hand rom where I'd had it clamped on her back, down to #rasp one o those ull, round ass cheeks o hers, pullin# her body into mine so ti#ht that I knew she could eel my dick, hot and hard, pushin# a#ainst her stomach" %he riction o her body rubbin# a#ainst the len#th o me was #ood enou#h that I #roaned into her mouth, but the pleasure was short li$ed because that was not what I wanted to rub up a#ainst" I was also not in the mood to uck around with that anticipation shit ri#ht now" In some ways, I elt like I'd been anticipatin# /elle my whole li e" 4hat I wantedNno, neededNri#ht now was to be buried balls deep in her, uckin# her so hard that she'd be eelin# the way I'd stretched and illed her or at least a week" :e usin# to lose connection with her mouth, I slipped the hand rom her hair so that I could #rab her ass in both hands, then bendin# my knees a little, I li ted her up until she had to wrap those se.y le#s o hers around my waist or support" Mo$in# orward, I was so en#rossed in her that I miscalculated where the kitchen entrance was at, completely missed it, and ended up slammin# her a#ainst the wall ne.t to it instead" She was #rindin# a#ainst me now" :ubbin# her core up and down my dick until I thou#ht my eyes were #oin# to roll back in my head and I was #oin# to shoot o like a teena#er in my 3eans" %here was no coolin# this e.plosi$eness between us and I wouldn't want to, e$en i I could" %he chemistry between us was o the charts" So much so that e$en Marie Curie wouldn't ha$e been able to identi y whate$er it was that we were" 4e were burnin# so hot or each other that a part o me had to reluctantly admit that /elle was ri#ht, we were bound to #et burned up in all o this, but I didn't #i$e a shit" I'd rather be burnt to cinders and le t in a pile o ash than ne$er ha$e this with her a#ain" It was sel 9destructi$e o me, but all I wanted to do was add more #asoline to our ire so that we would burn stron# and out o control, instead o watchin# it i;;le away and be cold and alone" So, se.ual #asoline it was" I elt my clima. startin# to build" %he tell9tale tin#lin# at the base o my spine #oin# o like a warnin# beacon that it was about to be the be#innin# o the end" Since I wasn't e.actly

buried in her hot, wet depths yet, that was un9 uckin#9acceptable" !bruptly pullin# my lips o hers, I listened to her ra##ed breathin# as I ti#htened my #rip on her, then started haulin# ass down the hallway towards what I sure as shit was hopin# was her bedroom" I hadn't mo$ed this ast since the last time I'd been under enemy ire" !t least this time, instead o takin# a bullet to the knee" I'd be takin# her instead" 4alkin# throu#h the last door on the le t I scanned our surroundin#s, saw bedroom urniture, and almost threw /elle bodily on the bed so that I could do a $ictory dance in celebration o my upcomin# touchdown o the naked $ariety" For#oin# my need to act like an idiot, I kicked her door closed, used one o my hands in a nin3a ast mo$e to lock the door behind us, and then took three steps towards the bed be ore I did toss her on it" She s2ueaked in surprise at bein# momentarily airborne, but had no time to #i$e me shit about it because, by the time she landed hori;ontally on the bed, I was already there, pullin# her boots o to throw them out o the way o$er my shoulder" JI you don't want your shirt to end up ripped to pieces on the loor, I su##est you take that shit o while I'm takin# care o your pants"K /elle went bodily still or about two point three seconds at the hoarse demand be ore she was in motion" 8ullin# her shirt up and o$er her head as I peeled her khakis and panties down her le#s and o , then they, too, went up and o$er my shoulder to disappear behind me" She unclipped the ront enclosure on her bra and peeled it o as I #rabbed the condom I'd placed in my back pocket earlier, hopin# or this outcome and then shucked out o my clothes aster than e$er be ore" /y the time my 3eans hit the loor, I was already mo$in# towards her, condom packet ripped open and rollin# it down my len#th" She was tryin# to scoot hersel around so that we'd be layin# on the bed in the ri#ht direction, but I crawled up her body, #rabbed her hips and stopped her" I was so ar #one that I didn't care what direction we were acin#( hori;ontal, $ertical, han#in# hal way o the bed, or tied up in pret;el knots, as lon# as I #ot to bury my cock in her within the ne.t breath I took" Slippin# a in#er down throu#h damp, trimmed, blonde curls to her entrance I #rowled, J8lease, 5od, tell me you're ready"K %he callused pad o my pointer in#er encountered the proo o her desire as I rubbed it 2uickly up and down her lips, then parted them to sho$e two in#ers up inside her to make sure" 4hat I ound there made me a happy man" JFuck, yeah, baby, you're drippin# or me"K 8ullin# my in#ers out, I used my knees to spread her le#s apart rou#hly while positionin# mysel where I wanted to be" JIt's a #ood thin#, too, Lcause you're #oin# to need it"K I thrust hard inside o her so that she took me in one stroke and I mana#ed to co$er her mouth with my hand be ore she could cry out" I mi#ht want her screamin# my name in pleasure, but I don't want my son to be traumati;ed or li e o$er hearin# it" 8ullin# mysel out to the tip, I slammed in a#ain, needin# to #i$e it to her hard and ast" She moaned this time, still mu led by my hand as I started strokin# in and out o her in short, body slappin# thrusts" %he tip o her ton#ue licked o$er the palm o my hand a ew times and then I elt her teeth #i$e a sharp, little bite to its lesh" )issin# at the pleasure o the small bite o pain, I unco$ered her mouth to thrust e$en harder into her or a ew beats be ore pullin# out lon# enou#h to slide both o my hands up the backs o her le#s and pushin# them up to her chest while leanin# on them with my wei#ht" 0ri$in# back into her, I moaned at the deeper sensation" %he arther I #ot inside o her, the better she elt" %he sound o my hips slappin# a#ainst her thi#hs wasn't enou#h to distract me rom the si#ht o her breasts bouncin# up and down at a rapid beat as I started a rhythm so ast that she was orced to curl her hands o$er the side o the mattress and try to hold on, or ind hersel

literally ucked o$er the side o the bed inch by inch" %he tin#lin# started in the base o my spine a#ain and I #rowled in rustration" I didn't want to come yet, I wasn't deep enou#h inside o her" I needed more" I needed to be so ar inside o her that I was submer#ed in a way that she couldn't #et me out this time, dammit" 8ullin# out o her a#ain, I slid o the bed, #rabbed her by her hips, lipped her o$er to her stomach, and then pulled her backwards towards me until her le#s were han#in# o$er the side o the bed in ront o me and her ass was at the per ect hei#ht or me to plun#e back inside" ,sin# my hands to spread her crudely open, I impaled her on me" )er walls #ripped me ti#ht, ripplin# around my cock as I held mysel deeper inside o her than I'd e$er been" It still wasn't enou#h or the sa$a#e side o my brain that had taken o$er or me, thou#h" Smoothin# my hands up her back, I #ripped her shoulders ti#htly in each hand, holdin# her in place, and then my hips 3ack hammered a#ainst her backside in a ren;ied pace" 8ullin# her back into my thrusts so that I was pushin# as deep as I could inside o her( illin# her with e$erythin# I had" )opin# that this would be enou#h to #et where I needed to #o, to stay permanently etched into her, on both the physical and emotional le$els that could tie her to me" It was a ca$eman kind o thin# to do, but I was literally uckin# her hal to death to make sure she knew she was mine" Inside and out" /elle buried her ace in the mattress to mu le her moans, which was a #ood thin# because my woman was loud" *eepin# my pace, I still mana#ed to slip a hand underneath her hips and place my in#ers a#ainst her clit" 4ith the bed pressin# them ti#ht a#ainst her and my urious thrusts pro$idin# the motion, it was the per ect combination to set her o like a rocket" )er hot, wet sheath clamped down on my cock like a $ice as she screamed my name into the com orter and it wasn't until she was lyin# like a limp doll on the bed that I let mysel #i$e into the release that had been buildin# since the kitchen" Fallin# on top o her, care ul not to push her too ar into the bed so that I was accidentally smotherin# her with my wei#ht, I let the ra##ed breaths saw in and out o my chest while my mind u;;ed out" I pulled to#ether enou#h sense to hope that I'd ucked the doubts ri#ht out o her, too" Annabelle /obby's hips were still #i$in# small, in$oluntary thrusts with the end o his or#asm as he lay on top o me, tryin# to catch his breath" Just when I'd thou#ht the lo$e makin# we'd done in his hotel room was the best se. o my li e, it had to i#ure that he'd #o and pro$e me utterly wron#" %his had been di erent" 0e initely not makin# slow, tender lo$e" Instead, it had been mind9 numbin#, an#ry se., but it was by ar the best se. o my li e and I'd be lucky i I didn't look like a bowle##ed cow#irl or the ne.t week" !ll o that aside, I was still processin#" :idin# the euphoric hi#hs while tryin# to sho$e away the de$astatin# lows" ! low that was inad$ertently thrown back in my ace like a cold #lass o ice water as /obby #in#erly pulled himsel out o me and walked into my bathroom to presumably dispose o the condom" Complete and utter shock" 4hat happened to nothin# between us e$er a#ainI 1motional pain at his subconscious need to keep barriers to protect himsel rom me stun#" %he remnants rom the physical pleasure were drainin# away as the toilet lushed and he walked back into the room, climbed onto the bed and collapsed onto his back" Sho$in# both o his hands under my armpits, he hauled me up until he had me where he wanted me, sprawled across his chest" I

would ha$e complained, but the position #a$e me the per ect opportunity to hide my ace as well as the tears tra$elin# down it, rom him" )e'd talked a #ood #ame about us workin# throu#h this, but the reality was that he was keepin# some space between us" %hrowin# de enses up around his heart and not truly lettin# me in, to protect himsel rom me" 8roo positi$e that I'd been ri#ht when I'd said we were 3ust #oin# to hurt each other" I could see the heart breakin# outcome on the hori;on( howe$er, I wasn't #oin# to stop tryin# because /obby was ri#ht" I owed him a chance"

Chapter !ifteen

Bobb Three "ays later Lea$in# /elle naked in bed at three o'clock in the mornin# sucked" /i# time" 1specially when it was because I had to dra# my ass hal way across town to my empty hotel room to #et ready or my shi t" It was my 3ob, thou#h, and I still lo$ed my 3ob e$en with the new complications o what it meant to ha$e a amily" I'd 3ust started down the hallway towards my room when another door opened and a lean i#ure slipped out noiselessly" %hat door belon#ed to 0eclan's room" %he body comin# out o that door did not belon# to my best riend" It belon#ed to my #irl's best riend" %ea#an had a serious case o bed9head, her t9shirt was on inside out, her 3eans were unbuttoned and she was holdin# her socks and tennis shoes in her hand" )oly lamin# monkey balls" 0eclan had slept with %ea#an" %his was a case o complete and utter F,/!:" Fucked ,p /eyond !ll :eco#nition" )ow in the holy hell had that redheaded troublemaker mana#ed to sleep with the one person she knew would bu# the li$in# shit out o me, when as ar as I knew, she hadn't e$en met him yetI Normally, 0eclan's acti$e se. li e was no concern o mine" My boy liked to lo$e up on women and he liked to do it o ten" !s in e$eryday o the week that ended in L&"' %his time, thou#hQ well, this time his booty call could cause me problems o epic proportions" )ell hath no ury like a pissed o /elle" Screw the scorned woman, /elle was much scarier" More than likely, %ea#an had #one out o her way to intentionally seek out 0eclan a ter /elle had mentioned him in ront o her last ni#ht when askin# me i I'd like to in$ite him to dinner" I'd told her that we'd in$ite the boys o$er or dinner another ni#ht and I was #lad I'd done so because the entire ni#ht had ended up bein# a slow, torture session or me due to %ea#an's dirty looks" Normally, I wouldn't care i someone wanted to shoot me death #lares, but this time it had bu##ed the e$er li$in# shit out o me because she was doin# it in ront o Seth and I couldn't say anythin# to her without makin# a scene" ! ter that awkward dinner that was illed with

enou#h tension that it was ob$ious to both /elle and Seth that %ea#an hated my #utsNso much so that she wouldn't spit on me i I was on ireNI really should stay out o this" %hat didn't stop my internal debate on whether I should point out the ob$ious problems to her #ettin# naked with 0eclan, or i I should stay 2uiet and hope or the best" I watched as she silently closed the door, then proceeded to walk down the hallway, passin# me standin# thereNob$iously watchin# her, not sayin# a word to me as she #oes byN and headed towards the stairs at the end o the hallway that lead to the second loor" J!re you uckin# kiddin# meIK I hissed" She stopped, turned around to ace me, and #a$e me an annoyed look" JI'm short on time here, /aker, so you'll ha$e to hurry up this little it you're ob$iously about to throw and skip to the part where you tell me what you think I'$e done wron#"K J!re you throwin# attitude at me a ter comin# out my boy's room doin# the walk o shameI Is that what's #oin# on hereIK %ea#an smirked" J4alk o shame isn't the term I like to use because I'$e done nothin# to be ashamed o " I pre er to call it the stride o pride" I promise you, your boy has ne$er had it so #ood and won't be or#ettin# me anytime soon" I le t my mark on him" Literally" In se$eral places" Now i we're done with this little talk, I'$e #ot thin#s to do"K She started to turn away rom me when I snapped, J%ell me this is some 5od9aw ul coincidence" For the lo$e o all that's holy, please tell me that you didn't actually track down my buddy 3ust to piss me o "K She cocked an eyebrow and shot me a L4ell, aren't you S81CI!L' condescendin# look" J&ou don't think it's a bad idea or you to be playin# naked twister with 0eclan when the two o you are bound to run into each other down the road now that /elle and I are back to#etherI &ou're Seth's #odmother or uck's sake- &ou 3ust bumped u#lies with the man that I plan to make his #od ather- )a$e you no shame, womanI 4hat i this causes problems down the roadIK )er smirk turned into a ull9 led#ed sardonic #rin" JNow, why would that be a problemI It's not like I'm askin# him to put a rin# on my in#er" /ottom line, you ucked with my best riend, now I'$e ucked with yours" Seriously, this con$ersation has been, oh so un, but I ha$e to #o now" I'$e #ot a li#ht to catch back to base" /ut since you're standin# here without /elle to #i$e me dirty looks or what I'm about to say, thou#h, let me #et it out o my system" &ou break her heart a#ain and I'll break your ace"K J%hat's itI %hat's all you'$e #ot or a threatI )ow $ery hi#h school o you" I e.pected more rom you since you're a bi# bad Marine now"K J%he act that I'm a bi# bad Marine now shouldn't ha$e you 2uestionin# my threat to break your ace" It should ha$e you askin# how I plan on breakin# it" /one by bone with the butt o my ri le while you're tied up and helpless comes to mind"K 4ithout another word %ea#an disappeared up the stairs towards her room" Since thin#s were so strained between us, I couldn't help bein# relie$ed that she was lea$in# to #o back to where$er she was stationed because, accordin# to what she'd told /elle earlier that ni#ht while they were ha$in# dinner, she had Jshit to do"K 4hen she'd said that, I'd had the o$erwhelmin# ur#e to thank 5od or Lher shit' and the act that she had to lea$e to see to it" I'd ind a way to smooth thin#s o$er with %ea#an later" :i#ht now, I had to concentrate on solidi yin# my relationships with /elle and Seth" Shakin# my head at the run in with the cra;y redhead, I inally made it to my room" !s I showered, sha$ed and prepped or the day, it #a$e me time to re lect" %hin#s or the past ew

days had been #ood" I'd had day shi ts, doin# sur$eillance on the /i# /ull /ar, which #a$e me the opportunity to spend time with Seth a ter he came home rom school and ootball practice" ! ter Seth went to bed at ni#ht, /elle and I spent time in her bedroom behind a locked door" Maybe ha$in# a shitload o se. wasn't the answer to our problems, but at least we spent time cuddlin# a terwards in order to connect on other intimate le$els" !s we lay there, I would ask her to tell me thin#s about her and Seth o$er the last i teen years" !t irst, she was hesitant to talk about them( a raid that it would cause me to become upset a#ain o$er what I'd missed out on, but e$entually, she became more orth9comin# with answers when she saw that I was able to keep my cool" She told me little, happy thin#s, like the act that Seth's irst birthday cake was co$ered in blue icin# that ended up makin# him look like the cookie monster a ter he ace planted himsel in the middle o the cake" She told me unny thin#s, like how she'd ound out about Seth's irst kiss with his irst #irl riend when he was thirteen because the boy hadn't reali;ed he was supposed to wipe o the lipstick be ore he came home" /elle also told me thin#s to make me proud, like the act that Seth was a strai#ht ! student, always had been, and this was 3ust one o the many thin#s that had always reminded her o me while she was raisin# our son" 4hat she did not do was tell me about hersel " 1$en when I asked her direct 2uestions about hersel , she ound polite ways to de lect them" !t irst this bothered me because it was ob$ious she was holdin# back" %hen, it bothered me because I started to wonder what she was holdin# back" )ad she been out there datin# e$ery man she could #et her hands on in the hopes that she could ind a temporary someone so she wouldn't eel so aloneI I that was the case, had she been stupid enou#h to parade those men in ront o my sonI I'd started to work mysel up into a serious snit about what was loatin# throu#h my head" Last ni#ht, when I asked her why she wouldn't talk to me about it, she'd immediately become $ery 2uiet" For a ew seconds, I'd thou#ht to mysel , %his has to be proo positi$e that my woman had been out paradin# hersel when she should ha$e had her ass at home takin# care o our boy" I was 2uickly put in my place when her so t, almost embarrassed $oice, inally did answer" JI don't answer your 2uestions, /obby, because there's not much to tell" 0urin# my pre#nancy and or a little o$er a year a ter Seth was born, I was way too busy to ha$e a li e" 5ettin# prepared to ha$e a baby is no 3oke and I was so lucky to ha$e the help o Miss :eba" %here were also the colle#e classes she'd enrolled me in" Just a ter startin# my second year o classes, Miss :eba told me to #o out and li$e a little once in a while" She wanted me to date and eel like the youn# woman I was supposed to be" So, I went out on a hand ul o dates while she watched Seth at home, but nothin# e$er happened with any o them"K She swallowed, her acial eatures becomin# ti#ht with strain, and then her small $oice said, JI was still hurtin# o$er you" %hen, Miss :eba was sick, the days elt ne$er endin# between takin# care o Seth and tryin# to help the woman who had helped me so $ery much" )ow she pushed hersel to li$e lon# enou#h to see me #et that de#ree, I'll ne$er know" I'll lo$e her ore$er or it" ! ter she passed, li e was a blur" 4hen you're a parent, days low in and out 2uickly and, be ore you know it, an entire year has #one by" 1$entually, I started datin# a#ain, but there were ne$er any serious relationships because I 3ust couldn't open mysel up to them"K She hesitated or a ew seconds be ore she said, JIt seemed cruel to let a man de$elop eelin#s or me when I knew they would ne$er be returned" &ou were the lo$e o my li e, e$en i I couldn't ha$e you" So I #et that you're curious about our li$es, but I don't want to talk about any past relationships or the lack o them" Just like I don't want to hear about yours" 4e may

ha$e elt the need to ill our lonely ni#hts, but that doesn't mean I want to hear about all the women you let into your bed because you'd pushed me out o it"K &eah, a ter that talk, I elt about two eet tall" +r shorter" 4hat was really tellin# about the incident was not that I'd had to bad#er /elle or answers" +r that when she did answer me, it was an answer that would ri#ht ully make me eel like a doucheba#" No, what was stuck in my head was that I'd automatically assumed the worst o her when she re used to answer me" !lmost as i I wanted her to be #uilty o some kind o crime that I could punish her or" %his kind o thinkin# was not conduci$e to the theory that I was workin# towards a happy endin# with my amily" It was more like I was waitin# or the other shoe to drop" /racin# mysel or when she did somethin# else to hurt me" %hat was no way to rebuild a lo$in# relationship with a woman that you hypothetically wanted to spend the rest o your li e with" !pparently, I still had shit to sort out in my head" I'd ha$e to sort it out later, thou#h, because it was time to strap on my boots and #et to work" Annabelle ater that a!ternoon JSo, do you think !unt %ea#an totally hates him, MomIK :ubbin# a hand across my orehead, I #a$e a weary si#h" J)ate's such a stron# wordQK )e nodded his head" J:i#ht" /ecause !unt % only #i$es people she lo$es looks that could e$iscerate them"K Starin# back at my son in a small state o shock, I asked, J1$iscerate, SethIK )e shru##ed his shoulders" JCoach has us doin# this stupid word9a9day thin#" Says he's tryin# to e.pand our $ocabulary" %hat was one o last week's words"K Still unable to stop starin# at my ourteen9year9old son, I asked, J4hat are some o the other wordsIK J!nnihilate, decimate, eradicate, obliterateNK JLet me #uess, Coach still doesn't ha$e a new #irl riend since the last one dumped him when she said he was too obsessed with ootballIK J&up"K JMan, he needs to #et laid"K JMom-K %he look o horror on his ace was comical" Not botherin# to hide my lau#hter, I asked, J4hatIK )e turned away rom me and headed to his room, mutterin# somethin# about needin# therapy and bleach or his brain to wipe out the ima#es I'd put there" !s his door closed, my cell phone ran#" %he display said it was /oyd callin# and, since it's our day o , that can only mean that somethin# had happened with the case" J4hat's happenin#, /oydIK J+ur in ormant #ot us a messa#e ten minutes a#o that says they're mo$in# the shipment today" Commander 4all is with the team already in position or sur$eillance o the bar" Since that means he's basically on communications black out, I'$e sent him a te.t messa#e lettin# him know what's #oin# on" +ur S!C wants us up at the /i# /ull /ar in hal an hour to play sur$eillance rom the inside" 5et your ass in #ear and I'll see you there"K %he dial tone sounded as I #lanced at the microwa$e clock" %wo in the a ternoon and Seth was #ettin# ready to #o o$er to the nei#hbor's house to han# out with his buddy, Josh" !t

least I wouldn't ha$e to worry about where he was" )eadin# towards the back o the house where our bedrooms were, I stopped to knock on his door" )e 2uickly popped the door open and stood there with a book ba# slun# o$er his shoulder" J&ou spendin# the ni#ht at Josh'sIK :ubbin# his in#er o$er his bottom lip and almost lookin# #uilty he muttered, J&eah, did I or#et to ask i that was okayIK I looked at my son closely because my Mom :adar was pin#in# like cra;y" )e was up to somethin# and I didn't ha$e time or this" Seth s2uirmed under my scrutiny" JMom, are you 3ust #oin# to stand and stare at me or whatIK J4ork 3ust called me in" 4hen are you headin# o$er to Josh'sIK JNow, i that's okay with youIK 8lacin# a hand on his shoulder, I looked him strai#ht in the eye" J8lease, tell me you're #oin# to stay out o trouble" I won't be able to concentrate on work i I'm worried about you"K %he le t side o his mouth tipped up in a smile" JNo worries" 4e're 3ust #oin# to play on his Pbo. and eat pi;;a"K Maybe I was wron#" Seth had ne$er really #i$en me problems be ore, so perhaps it was 3ust my paranoia" I #a$e him a play ul punch to the shoulder" J!lri#ht, bi# man, I'$e #ot to hurry and #et ready to #o" I'll see you tomorrow"K I turned around in the hall to head into my room when he called out to me" Lookin# back o$er my shoulder at him, I watched as his ace displayed some internal war he was wa#in# be ore #oin# blank" J/e care ul out there" I lo$e you"K JLo$e you, too, Seth"K 5i$in# him a reassurin# smile, I walked into my bedroom and closed the door behind me to #et dressed" I was runnin# out o time and it was best to keep this simple, so I le t on my 3eans and strapped my #un, already in its ankle holster, on" %hen I chan#ed my tank top out or one o my %e.as Lon#horn, itted, short9slee$e shirts and slipped my eet into my tennis shoes" Since ootball season had 3ust started, no one would think twice about me showin# up at the bar dressed like this" I didn't ha$e time to do much else, so I le t my hair lon# and curly, han#in# down my back" !drenaline was already pumpin# throu#h me" %his could be the day that we closed this case, which was what I'd been workin# hard to do or a lon# time now" + course, i the case was o$er, then so was our need or the 1. +ps %eam" 4hat would happen with /obby when he had to #o homeI No" I couldn't do this to mysel ri#ht now" %he case needed my ocus" 1$erythin# else would 3ust ha$e to take a back seat until later" !s I stepped out o my house and walked towards my truck, I readied mysel " It was time to put my kick9ass, bad mama93ama ace on and #et to work" Bobb %he amiliar rumble o /elle's truck echoed throu#h the trees around the bar where the 1. +ps %eam was hidden" 4hen Ja.on had come o$er the comm" link to in orm us o the possible e.traction o the weapons, it was also with the news that /elle and /oyd would be onsite shortly or internal sur$eillance o the bar" My stomach immediately went into knots" %he thou#ht o her in the buildin# while the transaction was happenin#, with the ruthless criminals that would be mo$in# the #uns in attendance, damn near made me break out in hi$es" Not that I could say anythin#" +r stop her, or that matter" %his was her 3ob and I would be a hypocrite to say anythin# about my dislike or puttin# hersel in dan#erous situations when my 3ob

description re2uired the same thin#" It took e$ery ounce o will that I had not to #et up rom my position behind the buildin# and stalk into that bar to dra# her out when :iley reported her clothin# description and disappearance into the bar moments later" I'd be a #ood, little soldier and stay out here where I was supposed to be, but 5od help anyone in that bar that harmed a sin#le hair on her beauti ul head because there's not a rock on this earth I wouldn't look under to rip them to shreds" Chapter Si"teen

Annabelle %he /i# /ull /ar was already hal 9 ull o customers sittin# at the bar or tablesNdrinkin# beer and watchin# 1S8NNimpatiently waitin# or the Lon#horn's #ame that was due to come on later that day" I#norin# the crowd, I made my way up to the bar where an empty stool sat in ront o %ra$is )enderson, the bar's mana#er, and our primary suspect" )e #lanced up at me when I sat down, askin# me what I'd like to drink without an ounce o reco#nition o ha$in# to push me out rom the back o his bar a couple o weeks a#o, which was #ood" I he had reco#ni;ed me, it would ha$e made me ner$ous" !n e.it si#n at the end o the hall lashed or a brie second as the metal door beneath it swun# open" %wo men, wearin# aded blue co$eralls and baseball caps, emer#ed rom the sunli#ht, each pushin# a hand truck loaded with a ke# a piece" %he #uy in the ront did a chin li t to %ra$is, who 2uickly placed my drink in ront o me be ore walkin# o down the hallway" %ra$is must ha$e inally learned to lock up a ter himsel a ter I'd stumbled into his back stora#e area a ew weeks a#o because I watched him #rab his keys rom the ront pocket o his 3eans" )is walk was unsteady, yet 2uick, as he made his way towards the deli$ery men with in#ers shakin# so badly that they umbled a little as he sho$ed the key into the lock" Looks like I'm not the only one who's ner$ous" %ra$is then used somethin# to keep the door held open and mo$ed out o the way to let the two deli$ery men throu#h the door and into the back" I slowly be#an to sip my Coke while I kept my eyes on the %V situated in the corner closest to the hallway" I watched the pattern o the two deli$ery men brin#in# their ke#s into the bar throu#h the hallway e.it, disappearin# into the back, be ore turnin# around to #o outside or another load" %en trips" %wenty ke#s total" %hat's a lot o beer or this small town bar" Shit, it would be lucky i the bar patrons could inish three in two days, let alone ten or a re#ular weekend" It wasn't e$en a holiday, but it was #ame day and where the hell did %ra$is #o, it'd been orty9 i$e minutes and my ice had already melted" ! ew cheers erupted around me as the #ame inally be#an and the Lon#horns took the ield" 8er ect timin#" I wea$ed my way past the cheerin# ans, whose eyes were #lued to the cheerleaders on the screen, to the lon# hallway o the side o the bar, and towards the illuminated e.it si#n" I passed /oyd and slyly slid my palm across his shoulders as I walked behind him" Somethin# 3ust seemed o as I kept puttin# one oot in ront o the other"

My mind seemed to lose ocus and kept rewindin# to the other day, watchin# /obby and Seth interact with each other" Like it was #oin# to be the last time that I would e$er #et to see or be a part o somethin# that wonder ul a#ain" 8ushin# that thou#ht to the back o my mind, I orced mysel to ocus on the 3ob at hand" I blinked at the sun's blindin# li#ht as the door swun# open a#ain and one o the deli$ery men in co$eralls came throu#h" *eepin# my head down, I brushed past him, and 2uickly pushed open the door to the LLil Cow#irls :oom', steppin# into the dimly lit bathroom" *eepin# the door cracked open about an inch so that I could #et a peek into the stora#e room dia#onally across the hall" %he same room we ound the weapons in rom our pre$ious $isit to this bar" %he deli$ery #uy scanned up and down the hall, lookin# around suspiciously, as i he were doin# somethin# wron# and not wantin# to #et cau#ht, be ore he inally disappeared around the room's corner and out o si#ht" I was #oin# to ha$e to #et closer" Standin# there or a ew minutes, I waited to make sure no one was comin# be ore easin# the bathroom door open" ! ter double checkin# up and down the hall to see that no one was watchin#, I crossed o$er to the door that led into the back" *eepin# my body hu##ed up a#ainst the wall, I started slowly mo$in# down towards the room where we had ound the #uns stored in be ore" It didn't take lon# be ore I could hear them" %heir $oices were mu led by the sounds o the #ame and the men screamin# at the wide recei$er, who had apparently umbled the ball, but it was still easy to distin#uish them rom the rest, mainly because o the hea$y, Spanish accents ilterin# throu#h the crack in the door" From what I could see, the ke#s were surprisin#ly empty upon arri$al, instead o ull" %he lids looked di erent, too" Like they were screwed on and didn't ha$e the normal spout or a tap" %his wasn't your normal beer ke# deli$ery a ter all" I held my breath when I saw %ra$is open the crate on the ar side o the room and be#in to dismantle the weapons" %he men in the room had positioned themsel$es to set up a little assembly line, with %ra$is at the crate separatin# the #uns, then handin# them down the line, endin# with the amiliar aced #uy, who was arran#in# them into the now lidless ke#" 4here the hell had I seen that man be oreI It took me about a minute as I stood there watchin# them dismantle #uns and pack them away in the ke#s be ore I remembered" )e'd been one o the ci$ilians standin# outside the homes in the nei#hborhood rom the !lamo )ei#hts bust by the 01!" +h shit" )e'd been under our noses almost the whole time and we'd missed him" %en ke#s down and ten to #o" 8ain e.ploded in the back o my head as I elt the blunt end o somethin# connect with my skull" It'd been i teen years since I'd last elt that kind o pain in a shitty, rundown trailer in 5eor#ia" /e ore the blackness closed in on me rom all sides, I saw the e$il, sneerin# smile o the second suspect we'd watched here at the bar weeks a#o with %ra$is" 4here the hell had he been this whole timeI I hadn't e$en reali;ed he was here" )ow stupid o me" I $a#uely heard him orderin# the others to strip me down" My last thou#ht be ore I lost consciousness was, 0a#9#um, I'm in serious trouble" Bobb J%wo men" /luish co$eralls and baseball caps" Jesus, they could be the start o their $ery own bar 3oke" L%wo men walk into a barN'K 0eclan snickered into the comm" JCan it and inish the damn I0,K Ja.on snapped"

JMake that three men,K Chase spoke 2uickly in my ear" J)e always or#ets the dri$er"K 0eclan kept #oin# as i he hadn't heard them" J0oes anyone else ha$e a bad eelin# about thisI I mean twenty ke#s or this hole in the wallI It only had the two taps that I saw the other ni#ht and they weren't e$en the #ood kind" Shitty beer is a tra$esty"K My mind was racin# and wouldn't slow down" My ability to control it was #one the second /elle had walked into the bar" My instincts were tellin# me that somethin# wasn't ri#ht" %he hairs at the back o my neck were on end and my insides elt like they were tied up in about a million knots" 4hen we were to#ether in 5eor#ia and I was in the presence o that asshole o a ather /elle had, I used to #et that eelin#" %hat kind o internal alarm that screamed dan#er was in the room" :i#ht now, it was back with a $en#eance, makin# me sick to my stomach" Forty9 i$e minutes passed be ore we saw anymore mo$ement" /y then, it elt like my head was #oin# to e.plode with anticipation" I watched silently rom the trees as the deli$ery #uys started to brin# presumably empty containers back out o the bar" %hey marched their hand trucks up the small ramp and into the truck" %he sounds o them strappin# them in echoed o the metal walls o the $ehicle" %hey disappeared back into the buildin# and once a#ain we waited to see what they would do ne.t" My an#le o si#ht wasn't the best i I had to take a shot or any reason because o how the truck was parked, but it was #ood enou#h or sur$eillance purposes" %he door opened a#ain and two men came out" %he taller deli$ery #uy was holdin# the smaller one's waist and helpin# him into the truck" !ccident on the 3ob by the looks o it" !ll twenty ke#s were strapped in and ready to #o" %he three men 2uickly 3umped into the truck and le t the parkin# lot with a small dust cloud ollowin# them" It was all $ery anti9climactic a ter workin# mysel into such a snit" +nly a ew minutes had passed be ore I heard Ja.on o$er the comm" link, J/oyd's checked the bar twice" No si#n o /elle anywhere"K I elt the blood drain out o my ace and my heart started to pound away in my chest" %hen Ja.on barked, JShit" )e ound her clothes"K Fuck protocol" I saw nothin# e.cept red as I 3umped up rom my secure position and ran towards the bar searchin# or /oyd" )e should ha$e had her back- ! partner always had your back" 4here the uck had he beenI I elt two sets o arms dra# me backwards be ore I e$en made it to the door" J/elle's missin#, /obby- /eatin# the shit out o /oyd isn't #oin# to ind her,K Chase hissed into my ear" JCalm down, brother" 5et it to#ether" I'$e already acti$ated the trackin# de$ices"K I #lared at the door as /oyd stepped throu#h with Ja.on and :iley" %he three were locked in a heated ar#ument as to why /oyd couldn't #o to Me.ico with them, i that's where they were headed to #et /elle" %here was a reason the !%F had contracted the help o the 1. +ps %eam" %his was 3ust one o the many scenarios or why our #roup was needed" /oyd had no 3urisdiction, nor the means or trainin# to slip in under the radar like we did" /elle's partner wasn't likin# bein# shut out like this, but then, he didn't ha$e to like it and none o us had time to sit around to hold his uckin# hand until he elt better about the reality o the situation" J/ack to the hotel" 8ack and #ear up" 4e li t o as soon as we can i#ure out where they're #oin#,K the Commander #rowled out" )e #a$e 3erky nods to my detainers as they orcibly turned me and sho$ed me towards the truck" I e.ploded" JF,C*- I knew somethin# wasn't ri#ht, 0ec" )ow the uck am I #oin# to e.plain this to my sonI %ell me what the hell I'm #oin# to say to Seth-K 8lantin# his hands on his hips he #rowled back, J&ou don't" %ell him, you and /elle are #oin# to be out o town or a ew days or work and ha$e the Sheri keep an eye on him" 0on't

make the kid worry until he absolutely has to" *eep him out o it"K 4ithout second #uessin# mysel , I pulled the comm" link out o my ear and placed the phone there" )earin# only one rin# be ore the Sheri 's $oice answered sharply, J4hat do you wantIK I took a deep breath to calm my out o control heartbeat and chaotic thou#hts" JI need a a$orQK Chapter Seventeen

Annabelle J&ou spoke the truth, she is $ery beauti ul" 4ith that lon#, blonde, curly hair, creamy skin and delicate eatures, she looksQ cUmo se diceI 5irl ne.t doorI +r is it all9!merican #irlIK %he hea$ily9accented $oice broke throu#h the unnatural o# in my head" My eyelids were too hea$y to open and I couldn't remember where I was or who the $oice that had been speakin# belon#ed to" J!nd you say she showed up with the !%F when they ound the shipment in !lamo )ei#htsIK ! strin# o rapidly spoken Spanish answered his 2uestion, which sucked because I'd ailed that class and couldn't understand a lick o what was bein# said" My S!C had always told me it was #oin# to bite me in the ass or not takin# the time to learn the lan#ua#e when we li$ed so close to the border" It wasn't so much a bite in the ass I was worried about now, but a bullet to the head" %he one word spoken I did understand was enou#h to scare me shitless" /ecause it was a name" :i$era" Flashes o ha;y memories started rollin# in" 5oin# to the /i# /ull /ar because our source had tipped us o that the shipment there would be mo$ed" Sneakin# into the back area o the bar where I'd watched as )enderson helped others break down the ri les to store them into empty ke#s" %hen eelin# a sharp pain to the back o my head be ore e$erythin# went black" 4akin# up disoriented, I reali;ed I was lyin# on the loor o the deli$ery truck" I watched one o the men ar#uin# with a /order 8atrol !#ent who was shakin# his head no and pointin# a in#er at me" My kidnapper said somethin# to him that made him pale considerably be ore the a#ent held out a shakin# hand that was 2uickly illed with a thick en$elope and he turned to hop out o the truck" !s I watched the a#ent lea$e, I started stru##lin# a#ainst whate$er held my arms and le#s immobile" Screamin# a#ainst the #a# duct9taped to my mouth" %hrashin# about to make as much noise to attract as much attention as possible" )opin# another a#ent, who wasn't ob$iously dirty, would hear me be ore we le t" It seemed like only seconds be ore a needle was sho$ed into my arm, the plun#er pushin# a burnin# li2uid into my body, then a sudden rush o ire spreadin# throu#h my $eins, en$elopin# me until a eelin# o loatin# euphorically had taken o$er" I ha$e no idea how lon# I laid there, hi#h as a kite on 5od knows what, watchin# the men talk around me as i I were a piece o trash they couldn't bother themsel$es with pickin# up"

I should ha$e known at least some ear when it became ob$ious to me that some o what they were sayin# and lau#hin# about was me" %heir leerin# looks started to lin#er lon#er and lon#er as they licked their lips and wi##led their ton#ues out at me in blatant tauntin#" +ne #oin# so ar as to whip his dick out and shake it in my direction as the others lau#hed at his antics, but with whate$er they'd #i$en me workin# its ma#ic, I had not a care in the world" 1$entually, there was the nothin# e.cept blackness washin# o$er me a#ain" 4hen I woke up, I was more than likely somewhere outside o Matamoros, Me.ico( in the hands o the Mi#uel :i$era" +ne o the most power ul dru# lords in the world" %o hell with shakin# in my boots, I was so scared that I was shakin# clear down beneath my skin to my da#9 #um bones" I needed a miracle to #et me out o here ali$e" )ope ully, that miracle was #oin# to come in the orm o some bad to the bone men who took on hosta#e rescue missions 3ust so they wouldn't #et bored" I absolutely re used to die here and lea$e my son behind, wonderin# what had happened to his mother" Sure, it was com ortin# that he had /obby now in his li e, so that i anythin# did happen to me, he wouldn't be alone in this world" %hat didn't mean I wasn't #oin# to i#ht tooth and nail to stay ali$e and make it back to my boy" !ll I had to do was sur$i$e until the 1. +ps %eam could come and #et me" My eyelids elt like they had i ty pound sandba#s on them, but I inally mana#ed to dra# them open" 4hen my eyes ad3usted to the dim en$ironment, I saw somethin# that made me wish I'd kept them shut" I was lookin# down at my naked body" My tan#led hair hun# o$er my shoulders, co$erin# parts o my breasts, but my le#s were spread and secured so that nothin# was le t to the ima#ination" ! ter this, I may ne$er sha$e down there a#ain" *nowin# there were at least two men in the room lookin# at me, I tried to mo$e my hands, wantin# to co$er mysel up, and ound it impossible to do so" %hat mi#ht ha$e been caused by the act that I was tied hand and oot to a cold metal chair" Shit, I was in serious trouble here" Men's lau#hter echoed throu#h the small, dark room and I 3ust knew those asshats were lau#hin# at me" 5larin# up at them rom beneath my lashes, I reco#ni;ed one o the men who'd taken me rom the bar" )e was the same man who'd whipped his dick out and wa$ed it at me in the truck as i it was a pri$ile#e or me to see it" :e#ardless o my shitty circumstances upon rememberin# that si#ht, I'd reali;ed it was de initely not a pri$ile#e" )e'd #i$e a whole new meanin# to the words Ltiddly bits'" Standin# ne.t to him was another man who was lookin# at me with a small smile on his ace" )is dark, e.otic, #ood looks paired with the con idence he was oo;in#, probably made him a woman ma#net" I, on the other hand, was repelled" ,nderneath that abnormally handsome e.terior lurked a monster and, at the moment, that monster was lookin# entirely too pleased that I was tied down, helpless, and completely $ulnerable be ore him like a sacri ice" 8lease, 5od, send /obby to sa$e me soon" J+ur little !merican #irl looks scared"K %urnin# his head to the other man he asked, J0o you think she should be scared, LuisIK Luis's response o a smile was pure e$il" JSi, Senor :i$era"K Mi#uel :i$era reached abo$e his head to pull on a strin#, causin# my eyes to #o temporarily blind with spots as a bri#ht li#ht bulb lashed on" !s I blinked uriously, tryin# to clear my si#ht, he stepped closer so that he was within reachin# distance o me" Not #ood" My muscles locked down in anticipation o whate$er he was about to do" I 3ust had to stay stron# or a little while and /obby would come or me" %he micro trackers were in the #uns that had come with us, so they should know e.actly where I was" I'd li$ed throu#h my own personal hell

#rowin# up, surely I could sur$i$e this" )is hand reached out slowly, tauntin#ly, to caress a strand o my hair" J8retty little !%F !#ent, what is your nameI I need one to #i$e your #o$ernment when I tell them you are dead" %hat shall be their warnin# to stay out o my business rom now on"K I locked down the sob o ear that threatened to escape rom my chest at his declaration" )e was already plannin# to kill meI 4hat else should I e.pect, thou#hI %his was a man who had sent his thu#s to rape, murder, and destroy any and e$ery person or $illa#e that had tried to stand in his way durin# his e.pansion" 4hy should I be any di erentI 4ith a sur#e o an#er I 3erked my head away rom him, tryin# to pull my hair out o his slimy touch( loathin# that any part o him had come into contact with a part o me" I I made it out o here ali$e, I was #oin# to #i$e mysel a disin ectant shower o the likes this world had ne$er seen be ore" %he Lysol Company would ha$e nothin# on me" :i$era lau#hed at my bit o de iance" JSuch a iery spirit or one who is at my mercy" It is #ood or you that I like a woman who i#hts back" It makes thin#sQ interestin#"K !ll o the humor drained rom his ace and it was then that I was #i$en my irst up close look at what a psychotic madman looked like" 1yes that were a warm, li#ht brown with subtle hints o #reen were so cold they almost looked demonic, sendin# a shi$er down my spine" J4hat is your nameIK he #rowled" I sat their 2uietly, re usin# to answer him, waitin# or the repercussions o my action" I didn't ha$e to wait lon#" )is hand lashed out to crack a#ainst my cheek, sendin# my head lyin# rou#hly to the side" 0amn, he'd hit hard" %he only time I'd been hit harder than that was the last ni#ht I'd seen my ather and ended up i#htin# him o by knockin# him out with the whisky bottle" My ace throbbed as I looked back to him" Lettin# him know, as much as I could by lookin# him in the eye, that I re used to be broken" I almost wanted to lau#h at him really" %he irony that I'd been pushed around and damn near beaten to death hal o my li e #a$e me a backbone o steel a#ainst this kind o attack" So, i he wanted to stand around, slappin# me, thinkin# he'd #et his answers, then he had another thin# comin#" :i$era held his hand out to Luis, palm up, and wi##led his in#ers at the man, silently beckonin# or somethin#" Luis responded by pullin# out a lar#e huntin# kni e rom a sheath attached to his belt and handin# it to his boss" %he shiny metal seemed to #leam unnaturally bri#ht in the li#ht, tauntin# me with the threat o in3ury" 4as it wron# to start prayin# that i he was #oin# to kill me, that he would do it 2uicklyI :i$era pressed the tip o the kni e on the skin below my le t eye and it took e$erythin# in me not to linch, which would make the situation worse" 0ra##in# the kni e down my ace, the deadly point pressin# hard enou#h to lea$e a mark without actually breakin# the skin, his $oice crooned, J!ll o this pretty, white skin" ,nblemished" 4ouldn't you like to lea$e it that wayIK %he urther down the kni e tra$eledNo$er my 3aw, down the side o my neck, o$er my collarbone until it stopped o$er my heartNit pressed harder into my skin" /y the time the kni e had stopped mo$in#, he'd broken the skin with a shallow cut that had blood beadin# up to the sur ace" %he rush o adrenaline and ear coursin# throu#h my body caused my skin to eel hyperaware, so that when the irst trickle o blood dripped down my neck, the mo$ement elt more like a #ushin# water all to me in my panicked state, instead o the measly drops that were actually tricklin# down" !ll the ear in the world wasn't #oin# to chan#e the act that I was #i$in# this man nothin#" Not my name, not e$en the irst letter" It was likely #oin# to be the death o me, but at least I would die knowin# that I'd honored my 3ob, and it's trainin#, by stickin# to my #uns,

keepin# my silence" :i$era's 3aw ticked in a#itation and then he tsked at me like I was a silly, adolescent, school #irl" J)ow $ery stupid o you, little !merican #irl" 8erhaps you think I will not really hurt you"K %he kni e slashed sideways, cuttin# the skin on my chest abo$e my breasts open" ! shocked scream echoed throu#h the room and it took me a second to reali;e throu#h the burnin# ha;e o pain radiatin# rom shoulder to shoulder, that the a#oni;in# scream had come rom me" JLook what you made me do"K 4a$in# the kni e in ront o my ace, he hea$ed a bored si#h" JI do not wish you to be messy like this" Messy toys are not un toys or me" Now tell me what it is I wish to know"K 4hate$er kept me tied to the chair cut into my wrists and le#s as I tried to lun#e at my tormentor, screamin# in ury and wishin# with e$erythin# in me that I could claw his eyes out o his head" J&ou're not #ettin# my name, you piece o shit-K Metal lashed a#ain as it arched down towards my le#s" %he slash rippin# open the skin on the top o my ri#ht thi#h, cuttin# deep throu#h the tissue almost to the bone, spillin# blood reely down my le# and onto the loor" I mana#ed to sti le my scream o a#ony by clenchin# my teeth, causin# my a#oni;ed cry to sound like a hal #rowl, which was semi9appropriate since I elt like I would tear him into chunks, like a ren;ied wildcat i I mana#ed to #et my hands on him" %he adrenaline sur#e that had come with the newest cut started to ebb away and my head dropped backwards to rest on my shoulders, so that I stared at the ilthy ceilin# that matched the ilthy loor, while tryin# to #et a hold o mysel " J)ow ri#hteous you must eel" So $ery proud o yoursel , I see" 4illin# to take whate$er I #i$e you to show that you will be the #ood a#ent and not #i$e anythin# away, 3ust as they trained you to, I'm sure" I wonderQ Luis, brin# our little !%F !#ent a $isitor" %he one we en3oyed time with yesterday should su ice"K %here was a bu;;in# in my ears, drownin# out the world around me" My breathin# was ra##ed, labored and pain ul rom the an.iety that was closin# in on me" Makin# my chest ti#ht, too ti#ht" 8ullin# in air was ne.t to impossible and my $ision was be#innin# to ha;e o$er" !ny other time in my li e and this an.ietyNas my mind tried to pull in on itsel Nwould ha$e been beyond terri yin#" Instead, it was a blessin# to escape the horrendous ni#htmare around me" %hat blessin# 2uickly $anished when a slap to the ace rocked my body and head to the side" Loud hysterical cries illed the room, but they weren't mine" Forcin# my head to look in the direction o the noise, the si#ht that met my eyes brou#ht a resh wa$e o terror o$er me" ! youn# woman was on her knees, held there by Luis's hand rou#hly holdin# her head so that her body was arched backwards" My heart broke because she was youn#" %oo youn#" 8robably resh out o her teens, no older than her early twenties, and entirely too ine.perienced in li e to ha$e to endure whate$er hell she'd endured here" %here were a lot o thin#s that ell under the Ltoo' cate#ory or the #irl" %oo skinny" I could count e$ery bone in her chest all the way down to her 3uttin# hip bones" %he only spare lesh she seemed to ha$e on her body was the little bit o at that consisted o her breasts and buttocks" %oo scarred" /ri#ht, resh, red scars o$erlapped older pink or white ones all o$er her body" Some were raised and puckered, as i she'd been cut too many times to count by a kni e and then poorly sewn up" +ther scars were iner and almost strate#ically placed, as i done in a pattern by a whip or lo##er"

%oo broken" %hose #reen eyes o hers were dead and empty as she looked back at me" She mi#ht be sobbin#, but it was a practiced reaction to whate$er it was that she knew was comin#" %he heart and soul o the woman had lon# since died and led its capture" !ll that was le t was the physical shell that hadn't weakened enou#h to die yet, but wasn't ar rom it" It didn't take a rocket scientist to i#ure out that this #irl was proo that Mi#uel :i$era had, in act, e.panded into the human tra ickin# business in some manner" It also didn't take a #enius to know that whate$er she'd somehow mana#ed to sur$i$e, I didn't want to #o throu#h" :i$era stepped into my $iew o the #irl" JLet's see i you are still willin# to stay silent when it's an innocent person bein# harmed or your lack o answers, ehI +r will you play the hero to sa$e herIK :i$era went to stand in ront o the #irl, but maneu$ered himsel , the #irl and Luis so that the three o them stood in pro ile in ront o me" )e unbuckled his belt and un astened his pants, barkin# somethin# at Luis as the #irl tried to stru##le a#ainst the hands holdin# her" 8ushin# his pants o$er his hips, the e.otically beauti ul dru# lord trans ormed into the hideous beast he truly was by takin# his dick in hand, usin# his other hand to pry the stru##lin# redhead's lips apart, and then sho$in# himsel so ar down her throat that she was orced to #a# as her airway was cut o " :epulsed and horri ied by what was takin# place, I turned my head and closed my eyes to block it out, but the monster wouldn't let me" J!h, ah, ah, little a#ent"K )is words #runt9like rom his on#oin# actions" JI you do not keep your eyes on us, then I will #i$e her a new cut or e$ery minute that you look away"K :eluctantly pullin# my eyes upwards, I orced mysel to watch the atrocity bein# per ormed in ront o me" I couldn't do it" I couldn't watch this poor #irl be abused or the sake o keepin# my mouth shut" %he sounds o her chokin#, bein# used, were #oin# to haunt me until the day I died" +penin# my mouth to shout my name and stop this, I didn't #et the irst syllable out be ore the room's door slammed open behind the trio" 8lease 5od, let that be help" )elp hadn't arri$ed, thou#h" !nother orm o hell apparently had" :i$era and his thu# took one look at the ama;on beauty that stood #larin# at them rom the doorway, hands isted on her shapely hips, and then dismissed her" It seemed surreal to ha$e her standin# there, lookin# like she'd 3ust come rom a lady's luncheon, when in reality she was interruptin# the type o brutal assault that probably took place here e$ery day" %he woman seemed urious as she rattled somethin# o in Spanish that I'd ne$er ha$e a hope in hell o understandin#" )er hands were wa$in# around in the air as she yelled at :i$era, pointin# at him and Luis with the poor #irl still stru##lin# between them" %he two men were still blatantly i#norin# her and, since I'd decided to ocus on the dark haired brunette woman dressed in a inely tailored na$y blue sheath dress instead o the atrocity, I cau#ht the look lash across the woman's ace as she looked at all o us be ore her" 0espair" She mi#ht be urious at :i$era, but she was more upset about the #irl bein# used and the two men were obli$ious to it" She yelled somethin# at :i$era a#ain and he seemed to snap" )e lun#ed or her, #rabbin# her by the hair rou#hly, and she started to stru##le as he dra##ed her o$er towards me" !ll o this elt like a scene rom some horror mo$ie I would co$er my eyes rom, but the horror in the room wouldn't let me look away or close my eyes" )e pushed the once per ectly coi ed woman to her knees 3ust inches rom me and lau#hed" )is pants were still han#in# carelessly around his hips, but the look on his ace as he pulled the woman's head back as ar as it could bend said this was business as usual or him" )e could care less about e.posin# himsel in ront o us like this

because he held the power and ob$iously that power #ot him o " J4hat will it be, little !merican a#entI Shall I start with this one now, too, or will you tell me what I want to knowIK )e cranked the woman's head back arther, lau#hin# when she cried out in pain" ,nable to stomach anymore o the ni#htmare, a tear slipped down my ace" My mind and body were numb rom what I'd seen so ar and probably rom the blood loss, too" 5oin# throu#h interro#ation trainin# in a classroom and li$in# throu#h it were two di erent thin#s" Slice me up like a piece o meat, I didn't care, but what they were doin# to these women, I couldn't take it anymore" J!nnabelle :oberts" My name is !nnabelle :oberts"K My breath hitched as I pleaded, J8lease stop hurtin# them now"K :i$era smirked" Shakin# the woman he was holdin#, he snarled at me, J0o you know who this is !nnabelleI %his puta is mi esposa" My wi e" %he mama o one o my hi3os"K )e wrapped his ree hand around the ront o her throat and s2uee;ed, cuttin# o her airway and screams" JShe thinks that 3ust because she birthed me a son, she has the power to tell me what to do"K Lookin# rom his wi e to me, he asked, J0o you think that I care about my wi e enou#h to let her boss me around like I'm some weak, little, errand boyIK I shook my head as I watched his in#ers ti#hten on her skin" 0i##in# into the ra#ile windpipe brutally" !t this point, I would do almost anythin# to make it all stop" /etween what they'd done to the tiny redhead, who was now so tly weepin# in the back#round, and :i$era's wi e, I couldn't handle anymore" Sittin# here, tied down and de enseless, bleedin# rom my cuts, and unable to help them in any way, was killin# me" JSuch a smart woman you are, !nnabelle"K )e mo$ed his hand rom her throat where an an#ry red mark was le t behind and used that hand to #rab her chin" JIn act, I #row tired o this wi e" She or#ets how easily a woman can be replaced to #i$e me sons"K )is hands 3erked her head 2uickly in two directions, as a loud pop illed the room, and then he let #o o his wi e, whose limp body ell sideways to the loor" )e'd snapped her neck" )is own uckin# wi e and the mother o one o his children, and he'd snapped her neck like he was a spoiled, little boy who was tired o playin# with a toy" Fresh despair washed o$er me as I stared down at her body in a state o shock" )er body had allen so close to me that her ace was now layin# in a small pool o my blood and the si#ht o it turned my stomach, causin# me to #a#" ! sharp slap to the ace brou#ht my attention back to :i$era who was now standin# ne.t to me, starin# down with a cold, deadly smile on his ace" J4e #o back to our #ame, !nnabelle" &ou will watch what Luis and I do to our 3u#uete, or I will start car$in# her up in small pieces to eed to my #uard do#s" +nce we are inished, you will inish answerin# my 2uestions or I will continue car$in# on you"K %hen I watched in a numb state o terror as the two men did thin#s to that youn# woman that will scar me or the rest o my li e, much worse than the cuts on my body e$er would" Chapter #ighteen

Bobb

J%he si#nal had stopped and held position or the last hour 3ust south o Monterrey" It looks like we're headin# into an area 3ust outside o the Cumbres de Monterrey" It's a national park outside o the city" I ha$e a hard time belie$in#, thou#h, that they'd keep #uns or dru#s stashed so close to an area with hi#h ci$ilian tra ic"K Chase scratched his chin as he looked up rom his laptop screen" It was his tell when he was in deep think mode" J&ou think they're 3ust makin# a temporary stopIK :iley didn't bother to look up rom where he was concentratin# on double checkin# his weapons and #ear to make sure he was ready when the chopper arri$ed to pick them up, which should be any minute" %he man was basically +C0 about checkin#, recheckin# and 2uadruple checkin# anythin# and e$erythin# on his person be ore he le t or a mission" JI a#ree" :i$era may be ballsy, but he's not #oin# to stash his merchandise that close to a national park, or the city o Monterrey or that matter" 1$en i he's bou#ht some people o on the local 8olice Force, there's no way he could buy o the entire department" It's the second richest city in Me.ico" %hey're not desperate or dru# money and more interested in makin# a name in bi# busts" ! bust on :i$era would be the stu dreams are made o or those #uys"K /elle had been missin# now or se$en hours" I'd had to call Sheri Jenkins to track down Seth so that I could stay with the team as we started plannin# her e.traction" It #rated my ner$es to ha$e to ask the man or help when it didn't take a rocket scientist to i#ure out that he'd be more than willin# to do anythin# to lure /elle away rom me, but %ea#an wasn't here and I didn't know who else to turn to or help" %here was also the seriously sad act that that man knew my son better than I did" !ll eelin#s aside, the acts were that I knew I could trust the man to ind Seth and keep him sa e until I could brin# his mother home" Not much plannin# had been done since we were lyin# blind with little to no in ormation about :i$era's personal home or li e" !lso, #i$en the nature o his business, plus his anatical obsession o stayin# one step ahead o law en orcement, the in ormation on his Cartel probably co$ered only a raction o what he truly had #oin# on" 4hich was rustratin# as uck since the thou#ht o my #irl in the hands o those sadistic bastards was dri$in# me completely insane" Chase pulled up satellite ima#ery o the si#nal's location as the other se$en men o the 1. +ps %eam $oiced their thou#hts on what they thou#ht :i$era and his men may, or may not, be doin# while Ja.on stood there analy;in# each o us" I didn't ha$e anythin# use ul to say, so I stood there silently plottin# Mi#uel :i$era's slow and e.tremely pain ul death in my head as I stared at those satellite ima#es" Lookin# or the perimeter's weak spots, pin9pointin# the area's best to a$oid due to a break in co$era#e by the trees( scrutini;in# e$ery sin#le pi.el dot on that screen, lookin# or the thin# that could help me #et my #irl back" %hou#h, there wasn't much to see other than a sprawlin# house with a smaller #uest house a couple o hundred eet away rom the main residence, presumably or his personal #uards and house sta , and then trees" Lots and lots o trees" %hose trees would help #i$e us co$er as we snuck up on the house, but it would also help conceal any o :i$era's men who were #uardin# the house" !t least the pictures #a$e us proo that this wasn't a worst case scenario" %his was no compound or the Cartel" %here were no hi#h walls to scale or #uard towers or lookouts" I anythin#, it looked like one o :i$era's pri$ate homes" So, on the plus side, we wouldn't likely be dealin# with a hundred or more armed, thu#9like soldiers attemptin# to play 5"I" Joe while we were tryin# to #et /elle out ali$e" +n the down side, we would more than likely be dealin# with

:i$era's best men because those would be the ones he kept closest to himsel or protection" 0ependin# on how well those men were trained, #oin# up a#ainst the wannabe army the Cartel had, mi#ht ha$e been the easier option" I was so an.ious to #et #oin# and #et the hell out o there that I was damn near twitchin# rom my toes to my tri##er in#er" %he need to do somethin#, anythin#, to #o #et /elle and brin# her home sa ely was ridin# me so hard it was a miracle I hadn't #one ballistic on e$erybody yet" I didn't want to hear their theories ri#ht now on what they mi#ht think may, or may not, be happenin# outside o Monterrey" I wanted to hop on the chopper, ly down to Me.ico, put a hole in the center o :i$era's head, maybe chop him up into a billion tiny pieces to make a point to any other man who thou#ht they could take what was mine, and brin# /elle home in the sa ety o my arms where she belon#ed" Fuck e$eryone's theories on whether or not they thou#ht this was a temporary stop at the si#nal's location" %hat's where the trackers stopped and my #ut told me that was where /elle was" Fuck their worries about what would or would not be there when we arri$ed" I'd blow a hole throu#h e$ery man in :i$era's army i it #ot me /elle back" I didn't want to hear their bitchin#" I wanted to lea$e" Like ri#ht uckin# now" )ow the hell could I ha$e watched the truck with my woman in it dri$e away and do nothin# to stop itI %he $ery soul that belon#ed to her should ha$e screamed at me that somethin# was wron#" I should ha$e known she was in that truck and in trouble" Sel 9loathin# and ra#e were boilin# like an acid underneath my skin" J&ou payin# attention, /akerIK Ja.on barked" I looked o$er to where he was standin# by the pri$ate han#er at the airport that ,ncle Sam had rented out or us to rende;$ous at in case o an emer#ency" %hank 5od or ,ncle Sam and his ne$er endin# back up plans" J4e need your head in the #ame here" I know you're worried about her, but you're more o a risk than an asset i you can't concentrate on what's #oin# on"K I #lared at my Commander" 0id he think he could hold me back rom #oin# with the team when it was, in essence, my li e that was on the line hereI /elle may be the one who's bein# held hosta#e, but i anythin# happened to her, I would cease to e.ist" :e$ertin# back to that shell o a human bein# that had been walkin# around or the last i teen years without her" No way was the team #oin# to lea$e me behind" JMy head is e.actly where it needs to be, Sir"K Ja.on scrutini;ed me rom head to toe" JI I think or one second that you will 3eopardi;e this missionQ I" 4ill" 8ull" &ou" 0o you understand meI I don't care i she's your holy uckin# #rail, you will be with this team e$ery step o the way or I will ho# tie you mysel and lea$e you behind"K It #rated on my last ner$es, Ja.on threatenin# to pull me rom the mission" )ow would that 3ackass eel i it was his woman on the lineI It irritated me e$en more that he had a point" I had to keep my head strai#ht to not put any o us in dan#er" J&ou won't be lea$in# me behind and I'm not a risk to this team" I'll do whate$er you say, but I'm #oin#"K Ja.on studied me or another minute or so be ore noddin# his head in acceptance" %urnin# his head to take us all in he barked like a drill instructor, JListen up- 4e're takin# these choppers i$e miles outside o that si#nal's location where they will drop us o and then circle the perimeter at a sa e distance" &ou ha$e the coordinates o our rende;$ous point and our tar#et" %he #oal is a 2uiet e.traction" 4e're not :ambo here, boys" %he mission is to rescue !nnabelle :oberts, not blow this place sky9hi#h" %hat bein# said, take out anyone in your way and, i you happen to lock cross hairs on Mi#uel :i$era, you take his ass out" +nce we ha$e secured the

packa#e, we'll head back to our rende;$ous point with the chopper and bu# out" !ny 2uestionsIK Silence was his answer" %he rhythmic thwump9thwump9thwump o a /lack )awk's blades drew the attention o all o us in the han#er, standin# there silently to watch as it landed" Ja.on #a$e the si#nal or us to load up and, or the irst time in se$en hours, I took in a real breath" Finally" I was #oin# to #et my #irl and 5od help anyone who #ot in my way" Annabelle I I was still here when :i$era came back, I was a dead woman( which meant that I had to ind a way to #et out o here" %he monsters had 3ust le t, promisin# to come back soon, and lea$in# the broken, cryin#, strawberry blonde in a heap on the loor" She was co$ered in their sweat, spit and semen, but that was nothin# compared to the act that they'd raped her so badly that she was bleedin# out o two o the three body parts they'd used" %he only thin# that terri ied me more than ha$in# watched what they'd done to that poor #irl was the promise that I was ne.t" I'd rather die" %here were a couple o problems with tryin# to escape" %he irst was that I was still tied hand and oot to this metal chair" %hat wouldn't ha$e been so bad i it had been somethin# simple that they'd tied me down with, like duct tape" %hat could ha$e easily been ripped o by the #irl" )owe$er, I had inally i#ured out that they'd secured me with ;ip ties, and I'd i#ured that out because the da#9#um thin#s had cut into my skin pretty badly durin# my stru##les" %he ripped skin abo$e my hands and eet were also now throbbin# in a#ony with the rest o my body, as well as bleedin#, but not as badly as the lar#e cuts on my chest and thi#h that were still oo;in# blood at a steady rate" %hat was problem number three" %oo much blood loss and I was already #ettin# ha;y and weak rom it" I I didn't ind a way to #et out o here, and soon, I wouldn't be #ettin# out o here at all" My only hope was still lyin# on the loor like a li eless ra# doll" Findin# the stren#th to keep my head up and eyes locked on the body lyin# there, I croaked, J4hat's your nameIK She #a$e me no answer" JMy name's !nnabelle" 4e're #oin# to ind a way to #et throu#h this to#ether, honey, I promise" Now what's your nameIK ! sni le sounded, then another sob" Still no answer" 1$en thou#h I knew it was useless, I was still pullin# at my bonds like a madwoman" 4i##lin# around in my chair in the hopes that a miracle would happen and I would suddenly be ree" +n a rustrated hu I be##ed, JCome on, you'$e #ot to talk to me" 4e can help each other #et out o here"K J&ou're wron#,K she whispered" JNo one e$er lea$es here unless they're bein# sold to another buyer or dead" %here is no escape"K JNo, honey, you're wron#" I'm sure none o the #irls you'$e met were trained !%F !#ents, ri#htI 4ell, I am" !nd I re use to die in this shit hole" So trust me, tell me your name, and let me help you #et the hell out o here-K She inally li ted her head and aimed her tortured, tear soaked ace at me" J&ou're !%FIK Noddin#, I said, J&1S- I am and, i you'll 3ust come o$er here and help me #et ree, then I can see about #ettin# us out o here"K She eebly pushed hersel to her hands and knees, too weak to do much else, and started crawlin# towards me( crin#in# when she came close to :i$era's dead wi e's body, makin# sure

not to touch it as she passed" J&ou promise to take me with youI 8L1!S1" I can't take another day o this" I 3ust want to #o home and see my sister"K My heart broke in a million pieces or her" )ow these men could do the $ile thin#s they did to anybody at all, I would ne$er understand" )ow they could do them to this woman, who was so ra#ile, was e$en worse" JI'm takin# you home 3ust as soon as you tell me your name and help me #et out o this chair" 8romise ya, honey I'm #oin# to do my best to #et us the hell out o here"K Fresh tears rolled down her ace" JLaura,K she whispered" JMy name is Laura"K :elie and a sur#e o hope crashed o$er me" %hat was one small step, the ne.t thin# she would need to do would be closer to a leap across the 5rand Canyon" J+kay, Laura, I'm #oin# to need you to look o$er her body and see i she has anythin# that could cut throu#h my ;ip ties" &ou do that, and then we can lea$e this place and ne$er look back"K I thou#ht or sure the #irl would balk at touchin# the dead body, break down and tell me that she 3ust couldn't do it" %o my surprise, she rantically started to pat down the ormer Mrs" :i$era's body, lookin# or anythin# that mi#ht help us" J%here's no pockets or anythin#-K she screamed in mountin# rustration" JShh""" &ou're #oin# to ha$e to keep 2uiet, Laura" /e thorou#h" Look under her clothes 3ust to make sure"K Laura tore open the dead woman's shirt to e.pose a see throu#h lace bra, but no hidden weapons" Slidin# her hands down the body, she #rabbed the hem o her skirt and 3erked it up to e.pose the corpse's le#s" Still nothin#" JIt's useless-K she wailed" J%here's nothin#" N+%)IN5-K I tried not to let my disappointment crush me, but it was hard" I completely understood why Laura would sit there, cryin# hysterically at the dead woman's weaponless body" I wanted to do the same damn thin#, but when she started throwin# wild slaps at the now hal naked corpse, I reali;ed that I'd ha$e to i#ure somethin# else out, 2uickly, be ore she completely lost what little mental sanity she had le t" Startin# with the loors, I scanned the room" Co$erin# e$ery inch with my eyes, lookin# or somethin#, anythin#, that could be used to help us" ! ter precious minutes lost, I knew, without a doubt, that there was nothin# and mo$ed my eyes alon# the walls" Scannin# them rom top to bottom" +$er and o$er a#ain, on e$ery wall, in the desperate hopes that there would maybe be a picture rame le t behind, but nothin# a#ain" %he only thin# that was in the room besides a hysterical youn# woman, a dead body, and me was this stupid metal chair I was tied to and the li#ht" 4ait" %he li#ht" Suddenly, I had the o$erwhelmin# ur#e to kiss the person who'd irst claimed there was li#ht at the end o the tunnel" I mi#ht not be in a tunnel, but it was close enou#h" JLaura-K I hissed" She didn't hear me o$er her own ramblin# and the steady slaps she was landin# on Mrs" :i$era's body" JL!,:!-K I e.citedly screeched" She abruptly stopped and looked at me" Noddin# my head towards the dan#lin# li#ht bulb, I whispered, J%ake the bulb out and break it on the #round- ,se a piece o the #lass to cut the ;ip ties-K Jerkin# her head back, she looked at the li#ht bulb and then, on unsteady le#s, climbed to her eet" Mo$in# underneath the li#ht source, she stood on her tippy toes and reached with the tips o her in#ers, comin# nowhere near the bulb" %hen she started 3umpin# up and down tryin# to reach it, but her in#ers only skimmed the bottom, causin# the bulb to start swin#in# around

on its short chain" She couldn't reach it at all" !nd there was only one thin# in the room that would help her reach it" My chair" JCome here, #rab my chair, Laura, and pull it o$er to stand on"K 0ra##in# me and the chair, physically, took a lot out o her, but she somehow mana#ed to do it" 4hen she had me placed 3ust under the li#ht, she looked down to the chair's only ree spot to stand and the color drained out o her ace" It was the bit o seat e.posed between my spread le#s, with my blood all o$er it" *nowin# she was morti ied or both o us, I tried to soothe her" J0on't worry about it, honey" 0o what you #ot to do to #et us out o here" Just be care ul not to slip on my blood" I don't want you to all and hurt yoursel "K %urnin# my head to the side, she placed her hand #ently on one o my shoulders, one o her eet on the seat, and pulled hersel up usin# my body as le$era#e" My upper body was racked with resh pain since she was inad$ertently pullin# on the skin and lesh attached to the lar#e cut across my chest, but I mana#ed to hold the scream o pain in my head so that I wouldn't scare her" She acted as i the heat rom the li#ht bulb was nothin#, 2uickly unscrewin# it, immersin# the room into darkness, and then care ully climbin# o the chair" JSo you want me to break this and then use it to cut your arms and le#s reeI 4hat i I cut youIK /less her heart, she was actually worried about that" ! hollow lau#h slipped out o me" J&ou can't cut me any worse than he already did, Laura, and this is our only hope" Just do it" 0on't worry about me"K ! ew seconds later I heard #lass shatter somewhere behind me" )oldin# my breath in anticipation, suddenly her hand was there" :eachin# out tentati$ely in the dark as she wa$ed it in ront o her, she patted the air until she ound me" She made contact with my shoulder and then used her in#ertips to trace it down my arms until she reached the ;ip tie that held me bound" !s she started to saw rantically with the piece o ra#ile #lass at the plastic keepin# me capti$e, I didn't e$en care that she was cuttin# me to shreds" Freedom was a beauti ul pain" Bobb %hank the sweet baby Jesus or bu# spray" Since it was ele$en o'clock at ni#ht, the lyin# dinosaurs that the nati$es here called mos2uitos were out in ull orce" 1$en with most o my body co$ered in our standard black /0,'s, with nothin# e.cept my head and hands unco$ered, those bu;;in#, little bastards seemed to be circlin# us like sharks in bloody water, lookin# or the inch o skin one o us mi#ht not ha$e co$ered in cloth or bu# repellant" I had enou#h on my mind, the last thin# I needed to worry about was malaria or den#ue" 4e were spread out in small #roups rom each other as we tra$eled o$er the ru##ed terrain, na$i#atin# oursel$es throu#h the dense orest o pine and oak trees, towards the house that still had the tracker si#nals pin#in# their location" Ja.on had paired himsel o with me, probably worried that I was too emotionally in$ol$ed to keep a le$el head on what we were doin#" )e couldn't possibly understand that because I was so in$ested in what was #oin# on, my head had ne$er been clearer" %here was no lea$in# Me.ico without /elle" 1nd o story" Li#hts rom the house came into si#ht, appro.imately three hundred eet in ront o us, and suddenly I was hyperaware o e$erythin#( the nocturnal animals scurryin# around in the tree branches abo$e our heads, the bead o sweat tricklin# down the back o my neck until it was absorbed by my shirt, the so t sounds o my controlled breathin# as we continued to ad$ance on

the house" !s we came up to two hundred eet rom the house, I heard the sounds o at least two men lau#hin# somewhere o$er to my le t" ! so tly whispered, JI #ot this,K o$er the comm" link by !rturo was ollowed by the sudden silence o that con$ersation" No shouts o warnin# rom the men who had been speakin#" No $iolent, thrashin# sounds o stru##les" +ne minute they were talkin# and the ne.t minute they weren't" !rturo Cha$e; was one o the best and that made him a scary mother ucker" !ppro.imately i ty eet later, to my ar ri#ht, I heard another $oice that was echoin# throu#h the empty orest rom up ahead" 4hoe$er the man was, he was an#ry and yellin#, only no one was speakin# back to him, so he was either talkin# to himsel or on the phone" Lo#an whispered, JMine,K and, a ew seconds later, there was the so t thump o a body hittin# the #round and then silence" Lo#an 8rice's sniper skills were the reason he'd been recruited out o the Marine Corps Special +perations Command" %hat close to his tar#et the shot would ha$e been like child's play or Lo#an" No challen#e at all" %he team was a well9oiled machine" So, by the time we were a hundred eet rom the ront o the house, the smaller teams started peelin# o until we surrounded it( analy;in# the possible entry and e.it points and watchin# or more #uards who could pose as potential threats to us" %he house was a two story monstrosity and the small windows at the base o the house, ne.t to the #round, indicated there was also a basement" My #uess was, that was where /elle would be held" !ll in all, the house was easily ei#ht thousand s2uare eet( includin# the basement and the massi$e #ara#e set on the le t side o the house" %hat was a lot o area to search" %he only #ood news seemed to be that it was plainly $isible, throu#h the windows, that the house utili;ed a roomy, open loor plan, makin# it easier to search while we were #oin# throu#h it( less places or people to hide in order to surprise us" %hat also meant that there weren't that many places or us to take co$er i bullets started lyin#" %he best plan would ha$e been to slip into the basement irst, but the windows that lead to it were too small to it our bi##er bodies" 1$en /elle wasn't small enou#h to it throu#h them, which meant that she had no means o escape" %he irst and second loors were lined with lar#e windows, makin# it impossible to stay unseen by anyone who happened to be walkin# by" Not to mention, we were approachin# a house that was surrounded by security li#htin#, had a $ast, unknown loor plan, and also an unknown number o hostiles inside" Speakin# slowly into the comm" link, I said, J4e're #oin# to ha$e to cut the power" It mi#ht tip them o that somethin#'s wron#, but it's the only way to really le$el the playin# ield"K J!#reed,K Ja.on murmured" J4ho's #ot the electrical bo. in si#htIK J%hat'd be me,K :iley answered" J!s soon as you determine it's sa e to do so, you are to cut the power" 4hen the li#hts #o out boys, we're #oin# in" 5et your thermal ima#in# ready" 4e clear e$ery room in this place until we ind her" 1liminate any threats and detain any ci$ilians" 5i$e us a countdown to black, Sulli$an"K J:o#er that, Sir"K Silence resumed o$er the comm" link or a ew minutes be ore we saw him mo$e" ! lash o shadow that sped across the short distance o lawn rom where he'd hidden in the trees, to out o si#ht on the back side o the house" Clearin# this house was #oin# to be di icult, but doable" 1ach man on this team was practically a one man army" 4e'd all been throu#h ar worse( like ! #hanistan and the insur#ents there who strapped bombs to women and children, then sent them

walkin# in our direction as a surprise attack" Compared to sur$i$in# thin#s like that, this should be a cake walk" I positioned my #o##les on my orehead so that they were ready to slip down o$er my eyes when it was time" My #irl was probably scared shitless, but she was a i#hter" JFi$e"K I was #oin# to #o in there and probably ind her kickin# ass and takin# names" JFour"K %hen I was #oin# to take her home and talk her into marryin# me" J%hree"K %his was 3ust a small, speed bump on the road to our happy e$er a ter" J%wo"K So, i all o that was true, why did I ha$e this aw ul eelin# like I was on the cusp o the end o my worldI J5o time"K Chapter $ineteen

Annabelle I wasn't e.actly sure who was holdin# who up, but to#ether, Laura and I were somehow mana#in# to stand in an upri#ht position by the door" My hand was restin# li#htly on her waist, while her hand was holdin# me in a death #rip, as i she still didn't 2uite trust me not to lea$e her behind and make a break or it on my own" I pulled my ear o the door to our room, where I'd had it held or the last couple o minutes, listenin# intently to the other side or any kind o noise" Noise meant mo$ement and mo$ement meant dan#er to us" So ar there'd been no noises and I was hopin# that that meant there would be no immediate dan#er once I opened this door" I leaned back into her body whisperin#, J4hen we lea$e this room, stay #lued to my side"K J+kay"K J0o you happen to know where we are in the houseI I was unconscious when they brou#ht me in"K J4e're in the basement"K J4hat else do you know about the house, LauraIK J4e don't want to #o le t" %hat 3ust leads to more rooms like this" %hey put you towards the end o the row o rooms, so i we #o ri#ht, it leads us throu#h what they call the loun#e area, which is pretty bi#" Like the si;e o a small house" ! ter the loun#e area, on the ar wall is the stairs"K )er $oice cracked" JI ha$en't been up those stairs since I'$e been here"K J)ow lon# ha$e you been here, honeyIK ! sni le, ollowed by her tear ul, raspy $oice, JI don't know anymore" I lost count sometime a ter I reached a hundred days"K My heart broke or her all o$er a#ain" )ow in the hell had she sur$i$ed this place or so lon#I %here was no time to dwell on that ri#ht now, thou#h" Someone could come back at any

time" 4e had to lea$e now" I didn't know how much lon#er I would be able to stay conscious with all o my blood loss" Frankly, I also had no idea how she was standin# upri#ht at all" I could eel the weakness o her body under my hands as we held on ti#htly to each other and I considered it a miracle that she was ali$e at all, let alone standin# somewhat on her own" JLet's #et you out o here then"K )er hands clenched a little ti#hter in response" My hand elt around the door until I ound the knob and my adrenaline kicked into hi#h #ear" %his was it" %urnin# the door knob a#oni;in#ly slow, I pulled it open at what elt like a millimeter at a time until bri#ht li#ht spilled throu#h the crack" Laura was so still behind me that I doubted she was e$en breathin#" %hat was until her an#uished $oice sounded" J%hey didn't e$en lock the door" )ow many times ha$e they le t the door unlocked, knowin# I was too stupid to escapeIK J&ou're not stupid, honey" %hey beat you down until you didn't know any better" &ou're a sur$i$or" :emember that" &ou readyIK JMore than you can know,K she whimpered" J+kay, here we #o, #irl"K 8ullin# the door open a bit more 2uickly this time, I opened it enou#h to stick my head out and look down the hall to the le t" It was empty in the direction she had indicated we shouldn't #o, with nothin# to see e.cept closed doors to a row o se$eral rooms" *nowin# what those rooms were or now, my body #a$e an in$oluntary shudder" %urnin# my head to look in the other direction, I saw that it was laid out e.actly like she had described it" ! ter two more closed doors in the hall, there was a lar#e, bri#htly lit, open areaN perhaps twel$e hundred s2uare eetNbetween us and the stairs on the ar wall" !lthou#h, I don't know i I would ha$e compared it to a small house like she had" It reminded me more o a #entlemen's club" %here were a couple o small sta#es with shiny metal stripper poles adornin# them" In ront o those sta#es were a number o plush lookin# couches, and there was e$en a lon# bar o to the side" Strip clubs had ne$er bothered me be ore" In act, I'd been to one or a ellow a#ent's bachelor party because the #uys had all thou#ht I wouldn't ha$e the balls to show, but the si#ht o this was enou#h or me to see red( wishin# I could burn this whole place down on my way out" ,n ortunately, #ettin# out ali$e held more priority than e.actin# re$en#e or countless, nameless women who had su ered on those sta#es and in this basement" Lookin# back to Laura, I whispered, J4e're #oin# to hu# the wall until we #et to the end o the hall here" %hen, you're #oin# to wait while I take a 2uick look around to make sure we're alone" 4hen I deem it's sa e, I'm #oin# to 3erk your hand and we're #oin# to haul ass runnin# to those stairs" 4hen we #et to those stairs we ha$e to tip toe up them as 2uickly as we can" +nce we reach the top, I'm #oin# to stop us, ease open the door and stick my head out to see i we're clear" From that point on, you're #oin# to ha$e to pay close attention to what I tell you to do since we don't know what's up there" &ou with meIK She nodded her head instantly, no hesitation whatsoe$er, and trans erred her #rip on my hip to my hand" She s2uee;ed it so ti#htly that it was ama;in# she hadn't broken a bone" I wasn't #oin# to complain about her crushin# hold since the pain it was causin# seemed to clear my head o the remainin# ha;e I'd been su erin# rom whate$er dru# they'd shot me up with in the deli$ery $an" 4ith e$erythin# that had happened in that room, I'd ailed to notice that I wasn't 2uite e$en9keeled yet, but I was coherent enou#h to look or dan#er and run like hell, so that's what we were #oin# to do" 4e slipped out o the room, plasterin# oursel$es to the wall as we made the short

distance to the end o the hall" Stoppin# on the $ery ed#e o the corner, I popped my head out and took a 2uick scan o the premises, which was thank ully empty and as silent as a tomb" &ankin# Laura's hand with my own, we ran across the open space to the stairs and we didn't slow down until we were at the bottom o that irst step" *eepin# my back to the wall, eyes on the empty den o depra$ity in ront o me, and the small ra#ile hand o the other woman irmly locked in my own, we trod noiselessly up the stairs, makin# it to the top o the tall staircase with no bad #uys in si#ht" Maybe luck was on our side" Maybe some karmic orce had decided we'd had enou#h" +r maybe 5od was 3ust tryin# to #i$e us a )oly, L&ou 5o, 5irl"' 4hate$er it was, I wasn't #oin# to look a #i t horse in the mouth" I was #oin# to start prayin# that on the other side o that door, where the irst loor o the house was, we'd ind a whole lot o nothin#, too, and that would mean we could haul ass out o the irst easible e.it I could ind" For the irst time since I'd woken up in the :i$era Cartel's hands, tied up like a cal at a rodeo, I had real hope that I was #oin# to come out o the other side o this ali$e" %hen the li#hts went out" Bobb %he silence o my #reen9tin#ed world throu#h my thermal ima#in# #o##les abruptly ended when I heard a strin# o #un ire rom another area o the house" Since all o our #uns were e2uipped with silencers that meant one o the team was drawin# enemy ire" It hadn't taken lon# or one o the house's occupants to stumble upon one o us and now it would only be a matter o minutes be ore the house was crawlin# with combatants" Not #ood" Ja.on and I were clearin# the ront 2uadrant o the house, mo$in# stealthily rom lar#e room to lar#e room, makin# sure no one was waitin# to ambush us be ore mo$in# on" 4e'd 3ust mo$ed into our third room, a rather lar#e li$in# room o sorts, when a lash o mo$ement across the room cau#ht my eye" ! man, who had been crouched by a door, spran# up as the door opened and #rabbed the arm o the person who was emer#in# rom it as a eminine s2ueal sounded" %hat person was /elle, and she was co$ered in blood" 4hy was my woman naked and bloodyI %here wasn't time to analy;e this disturbin# new act that sent my entire body into a cold sweat" %he man had his arm wrapped ti#htly around her throat in a choke hold and sho$ed the barrel o his pistol a#ainst her temple" Ja.on's low curse behind me let me know that he was also witnessin# the cluster uck de$elopin# in ront o us" %he only #ood news here was that he was still unaware o our presence across the room" )is ocus was solely on /elle as she stru##led a#ainst him" J4here do you think you are #oin#, putaI Mr" :i$era has plans or you,K he hissed in her ear be ore bendin# his head down to lick up the side o her neck" JI bet he lets me ha$e you a ter he's done" MmmQK My #ut was in knots at the si#ht o his ilthy hands and mouth on /elle, but I had to keep a le$el head or 3ust a little while lon#er" Sudden mo$ement rom behind the man almost startled me to shoot, but I mana#ed to stop mysel in time to watch another woman launch hersel onto /elle's captor's back( latchin# onto his neck and screamin# in shrill tones or him to Jlet her #oK as she used her ree hand to hit him repeatedly in the head" %he man initially linched at his attack, but 2uickly mo$ed his pistol rom /elle's temple, pointin# it o$er his shoulder in the direction o his attacker's ace and pulled the tri##er" It all happened so ast that neither Ja.on,

nor I, had a chance to do anythin# to help, not without takin# the chance o accidentally hittin# /elle i we were to shoot" /elle's attempted rescuer had no chance to mo$e be ore she took a bullet to the orehead, either" /elle, on the other hand, had used the distraction to renew her stru##les to #et ree o the chokehold, stompin# on the man's instep and elbowin# him harshly in the ribs, but somehow he'd i#nored it all to reach o$er his shoulder and, in the span o a ew seconds, end some poor, innocent woman's li e" /elle's screams echoed throu#h the room as she started i#htin# like a cra;ed banshee" )ysterically callin# out the name JLauraK while tryin# her best to #et ree, but was orced to 2uit her stru##les when her captor ti#htened his arm to the point where she couldn't breathe at all" %he taller man was now cursin# at her in Spanish, 3abbin# his #un in an#er at her neck, slappin# it $iolently up the side o her head, be ore di##in# the barrel into the top, leshy part o her shoulder causin# her to cry out in pain" J%ake any open shot, /aker-K Ja.on's low $oice barked into our comm" link" I didn't like it, but Ja.on was ri#ht" %he man's enra#ed rant at /elle was enou#h o a distraction to take him out be ore he could make it impossible to #et a shot at all by usin# her as a shield" /etween where Ja.on stood, a ew eet away rom me, and my position, hope ully one o us would #et an open shot be ore it was too late and that asshole killed her" %akin# steady breaths, my ri le i.ed in my #rip, I i#nored the world around me, ;eroin# in on that one spot in ront o me" !ll I could see now was /elle and the man that was cruelly cuttin# o her precious o.y#en supply" )e was still yellin# at her( obli$ious, or possibly uncarin#, to her an#er and tears" )is arm ti#htened a#ain as he literally li ted her up o the #round, her eet dan#lin# in the air, as he bent his head and screamed somethin# into her ear" %hat put his head too close to her body or a sa e shot" )e pulled his head back as he dropped her body enou#h or her toes to touch the #round a#ain and I saw her mouth mo$e as she said the word J!sshole"K In another it o ra#e, the man pulled his hand back, and swun# his pistol towards her head a#ain in retaliation" I saw the mo$ement o his arm in slow motion" It mo$ed orward, made contact with the side o her head, then pulled back a#ain as he started to drop it behind her back" %here was my shot" My in#er pulled the tri##er" My body shi ted sli#htly as my arm and shoulder took in the recoil o the shot" ! sudden silence ensued as the shot hit him in the neck, stoppin# him mid9 word o whate$er he'd been sayin#, and then the silence was shattered by a loud crack" I watched as /elle's body 3erked, her eyes widened in surprise, and she looked down to her shoulder where there was now a bullet hole and blood pourin# rom it" Ja.on ired another shot into the man's lar#e body as it hit the loor, but the dama#e was done" /elle was now slidin# to the loor as I ran to #et to her" %here was shoutin# o$er the comm" links as Ja.on and others barked out terse commands, but all I could see or hear was the lo$e o my li e as she #asped in shock and pain" She #a$e a ri#htened scream when I picked her up in my arms, cradlin# her a#ainst my chest" JShhQ baby" It's me" It's /obby" I'$e #ot you now and I'm takin# you home"K )er in#ers #rasped the ront o my shirt as she #a$e a relie$ed sob" I started walkin# away when she yelled out, J4e can't lea$e her, /obby- 4e can't- I promised Laura I would take her home"K !#ony and sympathy crashed o$er me in wa$es at her desperate plea" 8erhaps /elle didn't know that the woman hadn't made itI JI'm sorry, sweetheart, but she didn't make it"K /elle's head nodded in resi#nation" JI know that, but I still promised to take her home to

her sister" 8lease" 8lease, #et her and brin# her with us" I elt her blood splatter down my back when sheNK /elle couldn't inish the sentence and #a$e a small sob" Ja.on walked past me, headed towards the small body that apparently belon#ed to Laura" JI #ot her, /aker" 5et her the uck out o here and back to the secondary rende;$ous point" %he choppers are already headed there to meet you" She needs medical care !S!8" %he Sulli$ans are waitin# outside to #i$e you co$er while the rest o the team inishes clearin# the house" 4e're ri#ht behind you"K %urnin# around and headin# or the e.it, I kept a irm hold on /elle, while tryin# not to a##ra$ate her wounds" Cradlin# her care ully to my chest to hide her nudity rom the others, since I didn't ha$e anythin# on me that I could co$er her with" J)old onto me, baby" 4e're #oin# to book it to the choppers" It mi#ht hurt you a little bit because I'll be haulin# ass, but it will only be or a little while" 8romise"K ! sli#ht nod o her head was all the answer she could mana#e" She seemed too shell9 shocked or physically weak to do any more" %here was no tellin# how much blood she'd lost" I didn't ha$e enou#h medical trainin# to determine that, so I needed to #et a mo$e on it" So, or two and a hal miles to the secondary rende;$ous point, haul ass, I did" 0eclan and :iley had to lead us, since I couldn't ree a hand to check my 58S, until we reached the /lack )awk that had brou#ht us here" %here were hea$y oot alls behind us, but I knew they belon#ed to my teammates because, i it had been a threat, one o the Sulli$ans would ha$e taken them out without so much as battin# an eyelash" :iley was irst to hop up in the chopper, so he reached down to take /elle rom me so that I could climb up inside mysel " )e then held her until I pulled down the stretcher rom where it had been stored and placed it on the loor o the /lack )awk between us" :iley laid her down #ently be ore steppin# away so that I could kneel ne.t to her" Smoothin# her hair away rom her ace, I asked her, J5i$e me a rundown o your in3uries"K )er $oice was a weak croak" JCut across the chest rom shoulder to shoulder, deeper cut down the thi#h, andNI'm not one hundred percent sureNbut I think I was shot in the shoulder" &ou'll ha$e to double check that oneQK Snortin# at her, I was relie$ed she was with it enou#h to crack a 3oke about #ettin# shot" I shook my head in e.asperation" J!nythin# else we need to know, smartassIK 5i$in# a weak nod, she said, J&eah" I took a couple o hits to the head" %he irst one at the bar knocked me unconscious" %hey also in3ected me with somethin# in the $an when I came to at the border"K %he others inally arri$ed, loadin# 2uickly into the chopper as our medic, 4yatt /rooks, knelt down on the other side o /elle" I would stay be her side to o er her com ort, but 4yatt would be tendin# to her in3uries" )e was one o the best medics the !ir Force had e$er produced because o his 8ara9rescueman" )e reached out a hand to take a thermal blanket that :iley was handin# him as our chopper inally li ted o the #round" JLet's #et you wrapped up be ore you #o into shock, Ms" :oberts"K )e was in business mode" %akin# o$er, askin# 2uestions, and preppin# banda#es to stop the blood low" Lookin# up rom /elle's red, stained body, I looked o$er to the other chopper, where I knew Ja.on was with Laura's body( a body that had once been ull o li e, dreams and hopes or a uture" ! person who probably had amily that was worried sick o$er her disappearance and would mourn her loss, once they were noti ied" I looked back to the woman whom I ha$e lo$ed most o my li e( the one I was ready to admit still held my heart and soul in the palm o her hands" My emotions

o$erloaded on me at the #ra$ity o her situation" I'd almost lost her a#ain, only permanently this time and we still weren't out o the woods because we had to #et her to a hospital" I had enou#h medical trainin# to know that she was losin# too much blood" So I did the only thin# I could do while I knelt there, holdin# one o her hands, and helpin# 4yatt when he needed it" 8rayed" )oped" !nd murmured encoura#ement to my too bra$e #irl as she laid there and dealt with her wounds better than I'd seen some hi#hly9trained, special ops soldiers deal with in3uries that weren't hal that bad" %here would be no li$in# i I lost her now and, as soon as we #ot her all banda#ed up and on her way to healin# back in San !ntonio, I was #oin# to do my best to con$ince her that she couldn't li$e without me, either" Chapter Twent

Bobb Twel%e hours later at San $ntonio .egional /ospital 4ith all o the pain medication they'd #i$en her, she'd been sleepin# like the dead or the last ei#ht hours a ter #ettin# the last o her stitches and staples put in" %hank ully the dead thin# was 3ust an analo#y and not reality" !lthou#h, it'd been a close call" /y the time the chopper had landed on the top o the hospital's roo top landin# ;one, she'd lost entirely too much blood, #one deathly pale, lost consciousness and had a dan#erous dip in her heart rate" It was hard to look at the staples down the top o her thi#h and the se$enty9some stitches on her chest between the laceration and the bullet wound, but they meant she was ali$e" %hat made those uture scars some o the most beauti ul thin#s I'd e$er seen because they were proo that she was li$in#, breathin#, and still with me" She #a$e a low moan and started to stir, so I sat orward in the chair I had positioned by her bed, and held my breath to see i she would wake up" I'd #i$e a limb up, at this point, to see her #or#eous #reen eyes and sassy smile pointed in my direction, e$en i it was 3ust or a ew seconds" Not to mention that our son was practically out o his mind with worry and, I was pretty sure, the only thin# that would com ort him ri#ht now was i he #ot to see his mother awake and okay" )er eyelashes luttered as she moaned a#ain" J/obbyIK :eachin# out a hand to #rasp hers, I #a$e it a #entle s2uee;e" J:i#ht here, baby"K She turned her head in the direction o my $oice and then reluctantly cracked open her eyelids" J5od, I hurt" %ell me they killed all those sorry bastards in Me.ico"K J4e're not sure" 4hen you're up to it later, Ja.on would like you to #o throu#h the photos they took o the ones they did take down" See i you can pinpoint :i$era in there"K J1w""" &ou #uys take pictures o dead peopleIK Shru##in# my shoulders, I asked her, JIt works or identi ication purposes, doesn't itIK JI #uess so"K She looked around the room" J4here's SethIK

J%he Sheri stayed with him o$erni#ht and then brou#ht him in this mornin# to see you" I 3ust #a$e him some money and talked him into #oin# down to the ca eteria to #et somethin# to eat" I'm sure he'll be back in thirty minutes or so, unless you want me to call him back up here"K She shook her head" JLet him #et somethin# to eat( put somethin# in that bottomless pit o his"K Leanin# closer to her, I used my ree hand to reach up and cup the side o her ace" J0oes this mean when I look or a house or us in Vir#inia, that I should ind one with a really bi# pantryIK I watched her body tense and elt the in$oluntary s2uee;e o my hand" JVir#iniaIK J&eah, Vir#inia" I want us to be a amily, babe" Can't do that i you #uys are in %e.as and I'm in Vir#inia" I know it's a bit hi#hhanded o me to e.pect you #uys to mo$e, but I'm locked into a contract with 1. +ps or at least the ne.t three years" &ou, on the other hand, are #oin# to need some down time to reco$er and, a ter that, I thou#ht that maybe you could trans er to a department there" I'm sure there's one in 0"C" or somewhere around that area"K I she hadn't been weak rom blood loss and trauma, I'm sure the hold she had on my hand now would ha$e been a death #rip that mi#ht ha$e ended in loss o circulation to my hand and in#ers" She looked scared, yet hope ul, and, althou#h I understood why, I was lookin# orward to the day when she would no lon#er second #uess our uture to#ether because that would mean that she no lon#er second #uessed me" +r ha$e doubts or ears that I would lea$e her behind a#ain" 4ith the past in between us, it mi#ht take a while to work beyond all o that, but I was certainly willin# to try" %he last twenty9 our hours had made me reali;e, beyond a shadow o a doubt, that no matter how much she'd hurt me, I'd ne$er want anyone e.cept her" )er e$en, white teeth bit down into her bottom lip" She took a hesitant breath and then murmured, J!re you sure, /obbyI 4e ha$en't had much time to#ether to make sure that this is #oin# to work between us and we ha$e more to worry about now than 3ust what happens between you and I" 4e ha$e to think o Seth" I don't want to #et his hopes up that this will work and then, one day down the road, you i#ure out that all we ha$e is some cra;y chemistry between us, with no real uture" %hat would break his heart"K She thou#ht all I wanted rom her was se.I %hat this was nothin# but physical or meI I wasn't lookin# or a body to ill my bed" I could ha$e that anytime I wanted" No, what I was tryin# to do here was secure the one woman who was my per ect match in li e" %he one person that I could see lo$in#, that I could see li$in# with day in and day out or the rest o my time here on 1arth" %he one woman I wanted to see #row round with my children and watch as she told them the day that their ather tried to hit on her in our hi#h school ca eteria" )ow could she not reali;e that she'd owned me since the moment I'd truly noticed her as a woman, so lon# a#o in 5eor#iaI Sure, I'd ucked it all up by actin# youn# and dumb, but dammit, nobody was per ect" )adn't I already su ered enou#h or my mistakesI 1$en with all o the pain between usNher secrets and my mistakesNshe was still as undamental to me as the air my body needed to li$e and breathe" )er kidnap and the rescue had inally sunken that into my thick skull" %akin# the hand I was holdin#, I leaned o$er her bed until I could place it com ortably o$er the spot on my chest where my heart laid beatin# under lesh and muscle or her, without takin# the chance o hurtin# her by strainin# her stitches" J%his isn't 3ust chemistry that i#nites between us" %hat's a physical action and reaction stu " 4hat happens between you and I #oes way beyond the physical" 5od- 0on't you #et itI &ou'$e taken o$er my body- &ou own it 3ust as much as you master your own" My brain belon#s to you because all I e$er do is think about you, wonder what you're doin#, or i you're thinkin#

about me, too" My arms belon# around you in an embrace that con$eys how much I wish to hold you until I breathe my last breath" My hands hurt when you're not near" It's like they ha$e a will o their own, that they'$e decided the only time they can unclench and rela. is when they're touchin# you, makin# sure that you're really here with me and not still missin#, or one o the thousands o dreams I'$e had while we'$e been apart" J1$er since I met you, e$en my eet stopped belon#in# to me and became yours because all they e$er seem to want to do is tra$el to where$er you are" My heart only li$es and beats when you're where I can see you" %ouch you" *iss your lips and show you the physical e2ui$alent o how deeply I lo$e you" My soul uckin# died a ter I sent that stupid letter and you disappeared" I'$e spent the last i teen years walkin# around as a shell" Not a li$in#, breathin# human, but a robot #oin# throu#h the e$eryday motions" &ou were, are, and will always be more than my li e" More than my beatin# heart, or any other physical reaction my body has" &ou're my e$erythin#, my uckin# essence" I cease to e.ist unless I'm with you"K My body trembled" My rant had turned into a shout that had concluded with stin#in# eyes rom the tears I was holdin# back, a hoarse $oice, and a heart that was poundin# so hard in my chest, you would ha$e thou#ht I'd 3ust stepped o a battle ield o war instead o the battle ield o my emotions" %he hope that was shinin# rom /elle's ace made the complete dissection o my heart and soul worth it, howe$er" !nythin# was worth seein# the li#ht o lo$e shinin# rom those ama;in#, #reen eyes" I was so worked up rom my spiel, that when she asked me her ne.t 2uestion, my brain didn't stop to think, and I ired the honest answer back that would irre$ocably chan#e the tide o this emotionally soul suckin# war that we'd been wa#in# a#ainst each other or weeks" +r maybe years" J0oes that mean you or#i$e me about not tellin# you about SethIK JNo"K It was out be ore I could stop it and I would ha$e #i$en anythin# to stop it" !nythin# at all, as I watched that precious li#ht o lo$e and hope she'd shined on me 3ust seconds be ore distin#uish as her ace crumbled in despair" I she weren't lyin# in a hospital bed, she would ha$e recoiled rom me bodily, but she was stuck and couldn't mo$e away" It didn't stop her rom shrinkin# back into that thin, hospital mattress 3ust as ar as she could to #et away rom me" It also didn't stop her rom pullin# her hand ree rom my own, where I'd kept it trapped a#ainst my body this whole time" I'd literally shocked mysel stupid because I couldn't ind the words to say in order to i. what I'd 3ust done" She co$ered her ace with her hands as sobs started to rock her body" She turned hersel bodily away, as ar as she could #et rom me" )er broken #asps and wailin# cries #rew louder as I sat there numbly, in a mental o# o stupor, tryin# to i#ure out what the hell I'd 3ust done to us" ! shrill alarm started to blare in the room, but it didn't re#ister that somethin# was wron# until hands clamped down on my shoulders and wrenched me rom my chair" Suddenly, Sheri Jenkins's an#ry ace came into $iew and he sho$ed me across the room towards the door that nurses were currently rushin# throu#h" !ll I could hear was the woosh woosh woosh o my blood poundin# in my ears while the Sheri continued to push me out o /elle's room and into the hallway" I inally became co#ni;ant that somethin# was wron# when I looked up to see the nurses surroundin# her bed" +ne was in3ectin# somethin# into her IV while the other nurse had ripped o her banda#es co$erin# the stitches across her chest and was usin# clean ones to stop the resh low o blood" %hey were both croonin# to her in soothin# tones, encoura#in# her to try and take a deep breath and calm down"

So preoccupied with what was happenin# at /elle's bed, I completely missed the ist that came lyin# at my ace until the punch landed and, the ne.t thin# I knew, I was sprawled on my ass in the middle o the loor" ! shadow ell o$er me and I looked up to ind 0eclan leanin# down to #rab my hand be ore haulin# me up" %he poundin# in my ears turned into a mana#eable bu;; a ter I shook my head a ew times" Voices started to make sense a#ain around me, and I heard 0eclan yellin# at the Sheri , who was now bein# bodily detained by /oyd" Jenkins's ace was mottled red as he roared back at 0eclan, J&ou #et that mother ucker out o here ri#ht now or, I swear to 5od, I'm #onna kill him" /elle's reco$erin# rom a #unshot wound that damn near killed her and that uckhead went and said somethin# that caused her to ha$e an an.iety attack so bad she ripped her stitches open, and is bleedin# out all o$er the place a#ain, and she can't e$en uckin# breathe"K Jenkins tried to lun#e or me a#ain, but /oyd held him ti#htly in his strainin# arms" %he look he was #i$in# me was nothin# less than a murderous ra#e, mi.ed with loathin# and I deser$ed it all" JI heard what you said to her, you piece o shit, and I promise you that i you don't #et out o this hospital ri#ht this minute, the hospital security will be the last thin# you ha$e to worry about"K I #lanced back to /elle's room, which was the only one situated at the $ery end o the hall, as 0eclan be#an to tu# me backwards" My eye was already startin# to swell shut, but I was still able to see the nurses preppin# a tray o sterile instruments so that they could stitch her wounds closed a#ain" )er ace was mostly slack rom bein# knocked out by the medication, but I could still see the strained lines around her eyes and mouth that con$eyed her pain and de$astation" /loody banda#es littered the bed around her body as the nurse continued to clean up the de$astatin# dama#e to her that, once a#ain, I had caused" 0eclan tu##ed me urther away down the hall as I watched the doctor scramble into the room" 4hat had I doneI I'd practically stabbed mysel in the back while damn near killin#N emotionally and physicallyNthe lo$e o my li e and it was all my un or#i$in# brain's ault" %ea#an was ri#ht, I didn't deser$e her" Chapter Twent One

Bobb Two months later in *oo"bri"ge, 0irginia J&eah, suck it" %hat's ri#ht" Suck" It" Suck it all up real #ood" 0on't miss a drop" Come on, come on, baby, you can do it, suck it dry already"K I instantly re#retted lettin# mysel into 0eclan's house a ter no one answered the door" LCause that kind o commentary was not #enerally somethin# you wanted to hear comin# out o another #uy's mouth as you were walkin# into the room where they were #i$in# those kind o e.plicit instructions" 1specially, when it was the home o one o the bi##est manwhores I'd e$er had the pleasure o knowin#" My buddy's only sa$in# #race was the act that: !7 I could hear the bu;; o the shop $ac" /7 I'd recei$ed a phone call rom 0eclan, be##in# me to help with the

clean9up rom a lood on the main loor o his house" !nd C7 upon comin# into the occupied room where the shop $ac bu;;ed in 0eclan's hands, I was also able to witness the dumbass makin# ridiculous lookin# pel$ic thrusts while #i$in# his porno like instructions to an inanimate ob3ect all while listenin# to his I8od" Ouickly whippin# out my cell phone, I started $ideo recordin# the bi# dummy be ore he noticed I was there" ! ew minutes later I had se$eral more e.a##erated pel$ic thrusts coupled with the kind o lines you heard in cheesy porno mo$ies sa$ed or what would certainly be a lau#h est at the ne.t meetin# the 1. +ps team had" I elt my lips twitch in what was almost my irst #enuine #rin in se$eral weeks, as I pocketed my phone" Li e had been pretty uckin# miserable since comin# home to Vir#inia, which was nobody's ault but my own" %he sad truth was, the only semi9#ood moment I'd had since comin# home was the day Ja.on had called to let me know that /elle had identi ied her three kidnappers and :i$era in our pictures o the dead rom the rescue in Me.ico" %he #ood part, not bein# that she'd mana#ed to I0 them, or that their deaths had o icially closed her case, but knowin# that her tormentors were dead and she was no lon#er in dan#er" I could care less that we'd temporarily mana#ed to shut down a le# o the black market arms trade" Some other asshole would e$entually pop up to take :i$era's place" It was all about the knowled#e that the woman I lo$ed was sa e" /elle was all that mattered" %he mo$ement o my lips inally cau#ht numb nut's attention and I watched my buddy study me like I was mold under a microscope" J!re you smilin#I )oly shit" 4hat inally broke you out o that sel 9in licted unk o yoursIK My lip twitch #rew a little bi##er" JNothin#"K 0eclan arched an eyebrow" JNothin#IK JNothin#"K Much" Just you actin# like a irst class moron and the act that I #et to post it on &ou%ube, I silently added in my head" )e shru##ed his shoulders" J4hate$er, man" It's #ood to see you smile anyways" %hanks or comin# out to help me" &ou see this uckin' messI It's cra;y" %hat's what I #et or lettin# some blonde babe with knockers the si;e o watermelons tell me she was an e.perienced plumber" %he pipes under the kitchen sink blew out and this is what I came home to"K J4ell, maybe i you picked up a phonebook and called a real plumber instead o tryin# to be# o a date usin# the pipes under your kitchen sink as an e.cuse, shit like this wouldn't happen"K JCome on, man, #i$e me a break" I was tryin# to #et her out o my hair, but the minute she told me she would L i. my pipes' my brain went into o$erdri$e" %hat didn't count all the thin#s she said she would do to my Lwrench'"K )e #a$e a lasci$ious smile with his air 2uotes" J&eah, well, I hope it was a hellu$a pipe cleanin# because now you'$e #ot this mess"K I wa$ed my hand around to encompass the so##y carpets" 0eclan si#hed wist ully" JIt most de initely was one bad ass pipe cleanin#( nothin# that could compare to %ea#an, thou#h" 0amn, man, I think I could all in lo$e with that woman i I e$er #ot to ha$e round two with her" %here was this thin# she did with herNK %hrowin# my hands up in the air in ront o me, I yelled, J+h, hell, no- Nope, don't want to hear it" I played ootball with that #irl" She went throu#h reshman ootball's hi#h school ha;in# with me" She was one o the #uys to me, not to mention, she's my son's #odmother, so I sure as shit do not want to hear about what she can or cannot do" 1$er"K 0eclan #roused, J&ou take all my un away"K 8ointin# back to the so##y carpet, I said, J&eah, well, i this is an e.ample o your kind

o un, then I'll de initely pass on it, bro"K J&eah, well, I'd pass on your $ersion o un, too" It in$ol$es a uture prescription o 8ro;ac"K 5lowerin# back at 0eclan, I snapped, J4hat's that supposed to mean, dipshitIK )e #a$e a mirthless lau#h" J&ou're callin# me a dipshitI &ou're the man that had the !merican dream handed to him on a sil$er platter and mana#ed to uck it all up- !ll because you couldn't pull your head out o your ass lon# enou#h to or#i$e a woman who you dicked o$er in the irst place" I anyone's the dipshit here, it's you"K ,nbelie$able" %alk about kickin# a man when he's already down" Instead o sayin# somethin# I would re#ret later, or doin# somethin# stupid like #i$in# him a ist to his ace, I turned towards the ront door and started to walk away" J%hat's ri#ht, /obby" Just run away rom the problem and #o back to lickin# your sel 9 in licted wounds" I I hadn't been with you in the 3un#le and ! #hanistan, then I'd start thinkin# you were a pussy with all this chicken shit you'$e been pullin# lately"K 4ho needed a best riendI ! punchin# ba# was more therapeutic anyways and I had a li$in#, breathin# $ersion o one, i teen eet behind me that I was #oin# to beat the e$er li$in# shit out o " 4hippin# around to ace him a#ain, I roared, JFuck you, man- &ou ha$e no idea what this situation has been like or me- I don't see any lon#, lost lo$es allin# into your lap a ter hidin# a teena#e son rom you" So, until that happens to you, keep your 3ud#mental bullshit to yoursel " &ou ha$e no #oddamn idea what I'$e been #oin# throu#h- I you think I'm o$er here, lo$in# li e, when really I'$e le t e$erythin# that e$er uckin# mattered to me hal way across the #oddamn country, then you can take that shop $ac hose and you can sho$e it up your own ass-K J+h,K he sneered, sarcastically" JI can tell how you're li$in# li e up since %e.as, /obby" 1$en i you hadn't spent the last ew weeks mopin# around like an idiot, it's written all o$er your ace" &ou're not eatin# or sleepin#, you'$e lost wei#ht and you look like shit" &ou're so out o it that hal the #uys on the team wouldn't want you to watch their si. because they're a raid your head wouldn't be on strai#ht durin# any mission we #o on" &ou're shootin# your li e down the shitter"K Jesus, Mary and Joseph- I thou#ht your riends were supposed to be there or you when you were down on your luck" I lun#ed at him" /arely re rainin# mysel rom throwin# that punch that I wanted to knock him out with so badly" 4e were nose to nose now as we yelled at each other" JI know I'm stru##lin#, asshole- I don't need you to tell me that" I li$e and breathe it e$ery second, o e$ery minute, o e$ery uckin# day that I ha$e to li$e without them" So why don't you be an understandin# riend, know that I'm doin# the best that I can do ri#ht now, and 3ust be there or me instead o #i$in# me #rie I don't need"K )e used both o his hands to #rab my shirt and shake me with it" J)ow about, instead o bein# an understandin# riend, I act like a #ood riend by tellin# you to pull your head out o your assI )ow about, instead o you walkin# around like a ;ombie, you #et your shit to#ether and i. your uckin# li eI It's not like the woman you lo$e died in Me.ico- She's li$in# and breathin# in %e.as with your son" So it doesn't take a rocket scientist to i#ure out that, i you'd 3ust #et o$er your own uckin# sel , you'd reali;e that you could make this ri#ht with your amily"K J!nd how do you e.pect me to do that a ter what I said in her hospital roomI &ou #ot some kind o ma#ic wand sho$ed up your ass that you can pull out, wa$e around, and #i$e me

the per ect way to make it alri#htIK %hrowin# his hands up in the air in rustration, he turned and started to walk away rom me towards his kitchen" )e made it i$e steps be ore he turned around and pointed a in#er in my direction" JMaybe I e.pect you to act like a uckin# man, #et down on your #oddamn knees, and be# the woman that you claim to lo$e or or#i$eness or bein# such a sel 9ri#hteous 3ackass" I know it's a radical idea, but perhaps, i you apolo#i;ed, she mi#ht or#i$e you"K %he hole in my heart that had been throbbin# since #ettin# thrown out o /elle's hospital room in %e.as started to throb in a#ony a#ain" My eyes pricked with oncomin# tears, instead o lettin# 0eclan see me emotionally de enseless, I dropped my chin to my chest, brin#in# my boots into $iew, and blinked my eyes a ew times to clear them away" )e made it sound so easy" Like I could 3ust walt; back down to %e.as and do a little #ro$elin# to win my #irl back" %he hal o me that had wanted to do 3ust that, weeks a#o, swelled with hope" %he other hal o me, the part that was scared shitless o both bein# hurt a#ain and hurtin# her a#ain, tried to pop that bubble o hope with a sa$a#e stab o my metaphorical *!9 /!:" I ne$er wanted to hurt /elle like that a#ain in my li e" %he look o utter de$astation on her ace as she sobbed so hard that she tore her stitches open and started to bleed out in her hospital bed would haunt me until the day they put me si. eet under" It was because o that horri ic scene that I'd con$inced mysel that she was better o without me" I I wasn't around, then I couldn't hurt her anymore" 4ith a dis#usted snort, 0eclan added, J5od, you're such a dumbass, /obby" I can literally see the wheels turnin# in that peon9si;ed brain o yours as you talk yoursel out o your own happiness" Just stop it already- 5et o$er it, dumbass- &ou hurt her" She hurt you" %hen, you went and hurt her a#ain" Now #o down there, o er your co3ones up as a sacri ice, then kiss and make up with the woman" 0on't look back, /obby( look orward" %he two o you ob$iously lo$e each other" 0on't be stupid enou#h to throw that away, man"K 0eclan was ri#ht" I knew he was ri#ht" %hat wasn't what was in 2uestion here" 4hat I was worried about was i /elle would e$en or#i$e me" 5i$e us another chance" /ecause, i she would, I would work my in#ers to the bone e$ery day or the rest o our li$es to pro$e to her that I would ne$er hurt her a#ain" I'd bend o$er backwards, tie mysel up into knots, tryin# to do the emotional e2ui$alent o those cra;y ass yo#a poses with e$en cra;ier names like downward do#, to show her that I wanted nothin# more than to mo$e on with my li e with both her and Seth in it" %o li$e the dream o #rowin# old to#ether" Lo$in# each other mornin#, noon and ni#ht until one or both o us took our last breaths" 1$en then, I lo$ed her so much that I was pretty sure my spirit would ollow hers throu#h eternity" 4hether in this li e or others, i they e.isted, there was only one woman I would e$er lo$e and that was my /elle" JFor the lo$e o 5od, man, tell me I #ot throu#h to your ass-K Noddin# my head, I looked up to him" J&eah, man, you did" %hanks or $erbally knockin# some sense into me"K J!nytime, bro, anytime" Now, are you #oin# to help me clean this mess up or whatIK JNope" &ou're on your own" I'$e #ot a mission to %e.as to plan"K JIt's about #oddamn time"K MMM The next "ay

%here was too much testosterone in this room" )ow many #uys did they think it took to pack two ba#sI +ne ba# was already done" %he one with enou#h clothes to #et me throu#h up to a week in %e.as and a little black bo. that held a diamond rin#" It was the second ba# that was #i$in# me some problems" Lookin# o$er to the three men in the room with meN0eclan, :iley, and Ja.onNI shru##ed my shoulders at a loss o what to do" JI want to take her or a picnic to surprise her, but I don't know what I should take or it"K :iley raised a disbelie$in# eyebrow" J&ou think she's #oin# to #o with you willin#ly on this picnicIK %hat was a #ood point" 4ith the way thin#s had been le t last time I'd seen her, there was no tellin# what her reaction to me showin# up would be" 8ursin# my lips in consideration, I said, J5ettin# her there isn't the problem" Seth's helpin# me with that" My boy is e$en takin# care o the Sheri so I don't ha$e to do somethin# drastic because he pissed me o " Like shoot him" It's makin# her stay still lon# enou#h not to #rab a #un and shoot my sorry ass that I'm worried about" %hink I should pack the paracord in case I ha$e to tie her up and make her listen to meIK Ja.on hesitated or a second be ore he said, J!nnabelle was kidnapped and held hosta#e not too lon# a#o" Maybe tyin# her up isn't such a #reat idea"K Shit" )e was ri#ht" )ow could I not think o somethin# like thatI /e ore I could respond, :iley piped in, JI don't think you ha$e to worry about her listenin# to what you ha$e to say, man" I I were you, I would 3ust be worried about whether you keep your nads by the time you're done talkin#" &our #irl is a bit o a irecracker" %ake the paracord anyways, thou#h" I the Sheri tries to #et in your way a ter all, you can tie him up instead o shootin# him" I know you hate his #uts, but !nnabelle may ne$er or#i$e you i you kill or maim one o her riends"K %hey nodded like bobble heads in a#reement" 0eclan's lips twitched like he was tryin# to hold back a lau#h" J%he rope may be thin, but I recently used it on a brunette a ter she broke into my house and tried to se.ually assault me in my sleep" It'll hold the Sheri where you want him, i you use it ri#ht"K JI don't e$en want to know the story about the paracord and the woman, 0ec" Sometimes the shit that happens to you is 3ust too disturbin# or words"K I tossed the small bundle o thin rope into my ba# alon# with the mini9Ma#lite that it had been lyin# in the drawer ne.t to" Ja.on curiously rumbled, J4hat are you takin# the Ma#lite orIK JIt's a ni#httime picnic" Just like we used to do back home in 5eor#ia by the creek"K )is eyebrows urrowed" J%he Ma#lite is #ood, but it's not #oin# to li#ht up the whole area or you" %hat's a rookie mistake, you should know that"K Now my lips were twitchin#" JI'm not #oin# to use it to li#ht up the whole area, Commander, 3ust the #round as we're walkin#, so we don't trip"K Ja.on asked, JSo you're #oin# to ore#o li#ht and lay there in the darkI No candles or anythin#I %hat doesn't sound $ery romantic"K I shook my head" JNo, way" Candles would ruin it"K %he three men stood across rom me, con used now" Finally, :iley asked, J:uin what e.actlyIK )oldin# two in#ers up in ront o me, I answered, JFirst o all, the stars wouldn't seem as bri#ht and my #irl lo$es to see the stars" Second, I'm takin# a set o ni#ht $ision #o##les with me" %hat way when I talk her into #ettin# naked, I can put them on and not miss a thin#, but she'll ha$e to rely on all o her other senses to pay attention to what I'm doin# to her" I #et a naked, #reen9lookin# /elle and she #ets what I want to #i$e her" 4hat more can a man ask orIK %his #ot me amused, male chuckles be ore 0eclan asked, J4hat else are you #oin# to

packIK :ubbin# a hand across the back o my neck, I looked down to some o my standard issued #ear" JI don't think she'll want M:1's to eat at a picnic"K :iley rubbed a hand o$er his mouth while he thou#ht about somethin#" Somewhat absentmindedly, he murmured, JStrawberries and whip cream"K )e had that araway look in his eyes that he #ot when he was thinkin# about his e.9wi e, *ara" J%hanks, man" %hat's a #ood idea" I can pick them up rom the store be ore I see her"K Ja.on added, JChampa#ne would be #ood with that"K Sco in# back at my commander, J!re you nutsI 4e don't drink that prissy shit"K 5lancin# down to my canteen I #ot an idea" J/ut I could take this and put some Southern Com ort in it" It would certainly help her to unwind so she doesn't try to cut my nuts o be ore I do what I #ot to do"K J&ou're #oin# to need somethin# to lie down on the #round with her on" 8ack your old !rmy ield blanket,K 0eclan added" J%hat's wool, you moron- &ou want us all cha ed up a ter I #et done playin# Marco 8olo with my ni#ht $ision and her body partsIK :iley started cou#hin# to hide his lau#h" 0eclan and Ja.on didn't bother to hide theirs" J%hen take your thermal blanket and lay it on top o the wool one" %hen you can play slip and slide while you #et sweaty with her"K 0amn" %hat was a #ood idea, too" Ima#es o #ettin# sweaty with /elle bombarded my brain, causin# all o my blood to drain south" Suddenly, I was so hard my dick practically elt stran#led behind the ;ipper o my 3eans" I I didn't #et a mo$e on, I was #oin# to embarrass mysel in ront o the last people on earth I wanted to see me in this condition" Stu in# the two blankets in the ba# with the other stu , I watched as an industrial9si;ed bo. o condoms landed on the top o the pile" Lookin# up, I saw 0eclan #rinnin# unrepentantly" J/e like a boy scout and be prepared, ri#htI I think you'll want to #et her to an alter be ore you knock her up a#ain"K Ja.on i#nored the horn ball in ront o me and asked, J&ou #ot e$erythin# you need, now, to #o down there and brin# her backIK 8ullin# the olded up en$elope out o my back pocket, I held it up and in ront o me" J%his is the last o it ri#ht here"K J4hat is itIK :iley asked" 4a$in# it back and orth a little bit, I answered, J%his is the letter she should ha$e had all alon#"K Chapter Twent Two

Bobb -i%e hours later at San $ntonio #nternational $irport I one more %S! Security + icer patted me down, I was #oin# to start killin# people" Just because a #uy was a little ner$ous and 3umpy, did not mean he was a terrorist carryin# a

bomb" !t least, not a bomb o the physically e.plodin# $ariety" I was, howe$er, carryin# an emotional bomb in the orm o an e.pensi$e shiny rock attached to a little #old band" I this went badly, it could end up makin# me the e2ui$alent to an emotional suicide bomber" /ecause, i she said no, I was #oin# to be blown away to nothin#ness" I was standin# at the lu##a#e carousel, lookin# or my ba# with the picnic supplies in them, when I elt a presence stop ne.t to me" Lookin# o$er, I instantly started to re#ret listenin# to my son about this part o the plan" 5i$in# the irritated man a polite nod and a mumbled JSheri K as a #reetin#, I turned my attention back to the si#ht o lu##a#e rotatin# round and around, in the hopes that mine would show up $ery soon" %he 2uicker I #ot my lu##a#e, the 2uicker I #ot the hell out o this airport, which also meant I would be one step closer to bein# rid o the man ne.t to me a ter he dropped me o at my destination" 4ould it be possible to i#nore him or that lon#I J&ou better not be dickin# her o$er a#ain, /aker"K 4ell, I #uess that was my answer to the i#norin# 2uestion" !pparently not" My lu##a#e inally came into si#ht, so I reached o$er, plucked the ba# o the con$eyer belt, and then turned to start walkin# towards the e.it" %he Sheri stayed with me e$ery step o the way" 4hy, oh, why, had my son thou#ht that ha$in# this doucheba# #i$e me a ride would be a #ood ideaI Maybe Seth had been lyin# to me all those weeks a#o when I'd poured out my heart and soul to him on the phone and apolo#i;ed or ha$in# hurt his mother and, by e.tension, him" 8erhaps this was a orm o punishment rom him or what I'd done and said in the hospital be ore lea$in# %e.as without so much as sayin# #oodbye to him" I that was the case, my boy had a mean streak a mile wide" Sheri Jenkins and I mana#ed to make it to his S,V without sayin# another word, but a ter he unlocked the $ehicle and we climbed in, the #lo$es were o " It was time to nip this shit in the bud" JLet's #et somethin# strai#ht here, Jenkins" I ucked up" I understand you're a #ood riend o /elle's and, I also know, that you ha$e eelin#s or her in more than a riendly capacity" %he act o the matter is, thou#h, I don't owe you an e.planation" I owe her one" !s well as an apolo#y" )owe$er, in the name o startin# o$er with a clean slate, I'll at least #i$e you this( I lo$e that woman more than you will e$er be able to e$en athom" I ha$e e$ery intention o makin# thin#s ri#ht between her and I" I'$e lost too much time with her as it is" I'm ready to do whate$er it is I ha$e to do to make her reali;e 3ust how sorry I really am and put the past behind us" %hat's all you really need to know" I'll make sure she sends you an in$itation to our weddin#, thou#h"K I #a$e him a shark's smile, practically darin# him to say somethin# else" %he muscle in his 3aw tensed be ore he looked away rom me and started the en#ine" I almost breathed out a si#h o relie " Not that I was seriously worried that the Sheri could cause trouble or me with /elle, but I also didn't need any more problems than I already had" ,ntil I was ace to ace with /elle and she had a#reed to hear me out, I was walkin# a ine line between ner$ously on ed#e and #oin# totally postal" /etween now and then, I was #oin# to be prayin# or a miracle" Annabelle My kid was #oin# to dri$e me nuts" J%ell me a#ain why we ha$e to #o to Victor /rauni# LakeI It's si. o'clock, Seth" It'll be dark soon and I'm already tired"K

J/ecause you need to #et the hell out o the house, Mom"K J0o I need to wash your mouth out with soapI &ou only dropped the occasional cuss word be ore, now that you're talkin# to your ather on a re#ular basis it seems like I'm ha$in# to tell you daily to watch your mouth"K J&ou can't blame 3ust 0ad or my $ocabulary" It's hal your ault, too, and I thou#ht you were happy that I was talkin# to 0ad so muchIK )oo9boy" I'd stepped ri#ht into that mine ield, hadn't II JI am happy about it, Son" It's #ood that you ha$e him in your li e now" &ou can talk to him e$ery day, i you want, 3ust please don't talk to him about me" Not until I'm ready to talk to him mysel "K JI ha$en't told him about the baby, Mom,K he murmured" ! ter a brie span o silence he asked, J/ut you're plannin# on tellin# him soon, ri#htIK I nodded" J&eah" 4aitin# these past ew weeks is lon# enou#h" I don't want him to think that I'm tryin# to hide this baby like I hid you rom him" It's a miracle this baby e$en made it throu#h Me.ico, so I'm hopin# he'll be happy about it"K Shakin# my head absentmindedly, my mind dri ted back to the day, three weeks a#o, when I'd ound out I was pre#nant" It was mid9a ternoon and I was hunched o$er the toilet or the i th day in a row, pukin# my #uts out with Seth ho$erin# behind me, holdin# my hair" )e was complainin# about why he didn't understand how I could possibly puke so much when I hadn't been eatin#" %he ne.t thin# I knew, he was on the phone with Charlie, askin# him to come o$er, tellin# him that he was worried I had some kind o in ection rom my wounds because I was sick and throwin# up e$erywhere" I was still prayin# to the porcelain #od when Charlie showed up out o his mind with worry" )e'd promptly taken one look at me be ore statin#, J0arlin', you look like shit,K and then commenced cleanin# me up with a cool ra# be ore layin# me back down on my bed" )e shushed my protests when he li ted my shirt up to peel back the banda#e there and check" 4hen he didn't ind anythin# wron# there he checked the banda#e down the ront o my thi#h" %he staples had been remo$ed and replaced with smaller stitches 3ust last week, but that wound was clean and in ection ree as well" Not knowin# what else to look or, Charlie asked what my symptoms were" I told him that I was ine" I'd only been sick to my stomach or a ew days and it was probably 3ust a stomach bu# o some sort" /y the look on his ace, my riend didn't seem con$inced" Charlie studied me or a ew minutes be ore he mentioned that I looked as i I'd lost at least i teen pounds and asked i I was depressed" I shook my head, then a pensi$e look crossed Charlie's ace, and his eyes seemed to #row weary" 4hen he asked me ne.t i I was pre#nant, he paid no attention to Seth's #asp, who was now ho$erin# at the end o my bed and waitin# or my answer" !t irst I was too shocked to answer him" %hen, I denied the likelihood because, really, what were the chances o me not ha$in# a miscarria#e a ter what I'd endured in Me.icoI )owe$er, the lon#er I'd thou#ht about it, the more memories rom Seth's pre#nancy came back to me, and the more it made sense" +ne pre#nancy test, bou#ht by Charlie later, complete with two aint little blue lines, and I had my answer" For the second time in my li e, I was ha$in# /obby /aker's child" +nly this time, I would do what I should ha$e done the irst time" I would let him know about the impendin# bundle o 3oy" +r at least, I was hopin# with all my heart that he considered this baby a 3oy" No matter what had #one wron# between the two o us, this baby should be lo$ed unconditionally" 4hile I was also worried about his initial response, a part o me knew that he would undoubtedly lo$e any child o his own, e$en i he couldn't or#i$e that child's mother or her past wron#s"

8ullin# mysel back to the present, I took a 2uick #lance at my son to see that he was watchin# me intently" JI'll call him tomorrow, honey" I promise" 4e're pullin# into the Lake's entrance now" 4here am I #oin#IK J5o park o$er by the ar end where the picnic tables end, towards the dock"K %here wasn't another $ehicle in si#ht, the lake and the park around it looked completely empty" %his could end up bein# a peace ul outin# or my ra;;led ner$es" 8ullin# the truck o$er to where Seth had indicated and parkin# it, I turned to 2uestion him" JSo, what are we #oin# to do nowIK :ollin# his eyes, he opened the truck door and hopped out" JCome on, already, it's a surprise"K I #ot out o the truck and ollowed him as he started walkin# in the direction o the ar end o the lake" %he sun was startin# to set, castin# a #or#eous #radient o colors across the sky rom oran#e to purple" %he wind was blowin# #ently o the calm lake waters, makin# the lea$es sway on the trees around us" My curiosity or my son's adamant demands that we come here today were inally dyin# down" I was startin# to rela., assumin# we were here to walk around in the resh, crisp, autumn air, when I spotted a blanket laid out on the #round with a ba# sittin# on it" 8uttin# a hand out to #rab Seth's arm I stopped him" JSomeone's already o$er here" Let's turn around and walk the other way so we don't disturb them"K J%hat blanket is or you, Mom"K Shootin# a con used look at him, I asked, J)ow could that be or meIK %hat's when he stepped out rom behind one o the trees near the blanket" J/ecause our son helped me plan a surprise picnic or you"K My heart dropped to somewhere around my toes and my lun#s ceased to work" 4ith the way he'd broken my heart two months a#o, I should ha$e turned around and walked away without a word" I knew, without a doubt, that I couldn't take another blow to my heart like that" &et, I couldn't seem to mo$e my eet away, or take my eyes o him or that matter" )e looked a bit ra##ed with dark circles under his eyes and i$e o'clock scru on his ace" I couldn't be sure since he was naturally a bi# bu #uy, but he mi#ht ha$e lost a ew pounds, too, because his ace looked a tad leaner" /esides that, he still looked like the heart9 stoppin#ly handsome man who in$aded my dreams e$ery ni#ht" )e was wearin# those 3eans I lo$ed so much, the ones that hu##ed his thi#hs a little bit and cupped that per ect ass, with a plain white t9shirt on top, and I damn near drooled at the si#ht o him" + course, the act that he looked so #ood only reminded me that I did, in act, look like utter shit" 0roppin# my hand rom Seth's arm, I smoothed my now sweaty palms down the ront o my thi#hs, and mana#ed not to crin#e when my hand pressed a little too hard into my le t le#'s stitches" /obby was slowly lookin# me o$er rom top to toe and, the lon#er he looked, the more tense little lines seemed to appear around his mouth and eyes" My stomach suddenly elt like it was doin# cartwheels and I had to take a ew deep breaths to try and stop the nausea that was tryin# to bubble up my throat" 4hy in the world did doctors call it mornin# sicknessI %hey should ha$e named it L!ll9damn9day' sickness instead" Now was de initely not the time to toss cookies because o the #rowin# peanut in my belly, either" 4ouldn't that 3ust be wildly romanticI J4hat are you doin# here, /obbyIK My $oice cracked, re$ealin# how ner$ous I was" J4hat I should ha$e done i teen years a#o"K J)uhIK I asked, totally con used as to what he was sayin#"

JI'm here because I'$e inally come back to #et my #irl"K Seth started backin# up" JI'm 3ust #oin# to #o o$er by the picnic tables Ltil Charlie #ets here to pick me up"K /obby held his hand up to stop him as he walked towards me" J4ait a minute, Son" &ou deser$e to hear this, too"K 0roppin# to both o his knees on the #round ri#ht in ront o me, he #rabbed my hips when I went to take a step back rom him, and held on ti#htly" J8lease, 3ust #i$e me a ew minutes to hear what I'$e #ot to say"K It was unner$in#, considerin# my circumstances, how his ace was ri#ht there, ne.t to my belly, where his child lie, and he had no idea" It made me eel uncom ortable and more than 3ust a little bit #uilty about not ha$in# told him yet, but his eyes looked almost tortured as he pleaded with me, so I i#nored my discom ort and nodded" )e took a deep breath" JI'm sorry, baby" I was wron# and hypocritical" 4e both made mistakes, but you were #ood enou#h to or#i$e me o mine" I was an ass to not or#i$e you o yours" I'm tired o thinkin#, I I could only #o back and chan#e thisQ because I can't" I can't undo lea$in# you in 5eor#ia, 3ust like I can't undo my pi#headedness here in %e.as"K %he breath seemed to hitch in his chest and I watched as his eyes #rew watery be ore he blinked to clear the tears away" J4hat I can do is say, I'm sorry" I eel like we'$e o$erused that word these past ew months, but it's the truth" I am sorry" I also or#i$e you" I'm hopin# that you're willin# to or#i$e me a#ain, too, because I meant e$erythin# else that I said in your hospital room" I can't li$e without you, /elle" I you're not around, it eels like there's no reason to wake up e$ery day" &ou seem to be the reasonin# and moti$ation or e$erythin# in my li e and I want that back" Say you'll #i$e me another chance, lo$e" 8leaseIK %ears were streamin# down my ace" My nose was runnin#" I probably looked like a red9 eyed, pu y9 aced, hideous nincompoop" &et, none o that mattered because all I could think was that i this was real, it was like a dream come true" 4hat scared me the most ri#ht now was that it mi#ht not actually be real, but in act a dream" So I reached o$er and pinched mysel hard in the leshy part o my arm and yelped in pain ri#ht in ront o Seth and /obby" /obby 2uickly #rabbed the hand I'd used to pinch mysel and looked at me like I was certi iable( which, at the moment, I was eelin# anyways" J/abe, what did you do that orIK 4ipin# my eyes and then the snot runnin# rom my nose away with my ree hand, I lau#hed" JI had to make sure I wasn't asleep and this wasn't a dream" It seemed too #ood to be true"K ! slow smile spread across /obby's ace as he ti#htened his #rip on my hips and pulled me closer to him" My thi#hs were touchin# his chest now" )is head tilted back to keep lookin# me in the eye" J%his is not a dream, sweetheart" %his is $ery real and I'm askin# you or another chance at our lon# a#o planned happily e$er a ter" 4hat do you sayIK I wanted that so badly" More than anythin# I'd e$er wanted besides the children that /obby had #i$en me" I had to come clean with him irst be ore I could tell him yes, thou#h" I re used to renew a relationship with him when I, once a#ain, had a secret that he needed to know about" JI ha$e to tell you somethin# irst, /obby"K )is brows urrowed, lips turnin# down at the corners, clearly displeased to not be #ettin# the answer he wanted yet" JIt can't waitIK J!bsolutely not" &ou ha$e to know this be ore we #o any urther" I won't ha$e you mad at me or keepin# secrets anymore, /obby /aker"K

J4hat other secrets could you possibly ha$e, /elleIK 5od, here it was" %he moment where it could all #o wron# a#ain" My teeth bit down into my bottom lip in ear and I took one last second to memori;e his ace in this moment in case it all went south" +ne last memory to sa$e in case this inally pushed him too ar away emotionally or anythin# to be sa$ed" )is in#ers le.ed into my lesh in impatience, and I knew I couldn't wait any lon#er" J:emember the ni#ht we played poker with 0eclan and :ileyIK )is rown deepened" J&eah, what about itIK I took a bi# breath o coura#e" J:emember what happened between us that ni#htIK )is irritation morphed into con usion" J+ne o the best ni#hts o my li e, babe" I'm not #oin# to or#et it anytime soon" 4hat are you #ettin# to hereIK :eachin# down to #rab one o his hands, I dra##ed it slowly up my body until it laid o$er my stomach" )e looked rom my ace, down to our hands, and back up to my ace a#ain" Clearly not #ettin# what I was tryin# to hint at here" JI'm pre#nant, /obby"K )e looked dumb ounded now" %he color slowly drainin# out o his ace as the hand that had still been #rippin# my hip 2uickly snaked around my le#s and hu##ed them ti#htly" In a shaky $oice he said, J&ou're tellin# meQ that when you were kidnapped, you were pre#nantIK +h, no" 0id he think I knew that I was pre#nant e$en then and hadn't told himI %here was no way I could ha$e known then" I would ha$e only been two weeks alon#" %erri ied that this was the be#innin# o the end, yet a#ain, I whispered with a tear laden $oice, J&es, but I swear I didn't know, /obby" I swear- !pparently, the San !ntonio hospital hadn't cau#ht the pre#nancy because my )C5 hormones were on the low side" I didn't i#ure it out until three weeks a#o"K /abblin# now, JI know I should ha$e told you sooner than now, but I 3ust needed some time be ore talkin# to you a#ain" I was hurtin# so badly, both physically and emotionally, that I 3ust couldn't ace you yet" %hat's all" I swearNK /obby mo$ed our hands and buried his ace into my stomach" )is shoulders started sli#htly shakin# and it took me a little bit to reali;e that he was cryin#" I laid a shakin# hand on top o his head tentati$ely, waitin# to see i he would 3erk away rom me in dis#ust or an#er" 4hen he didn't, I slowly ran my in#ers throu#h his short, military cut hair, tryin# to soothe both o us with the com ort o it" Suddenly, his head 3erked back to look at me, thin streaks o wetness clearly runnin# down his ace, and he croaked, JI could ha$e lost you both- !nd i I had, I would ha$e ne$er known o the #i t you were #i$in# me because I was too much o an asshole to be man enou#h to or#i$e and be or#i$en in return" Christ, I'm so sorry, /elle" 8lease, tell me you'll or#i$e me" I can't belie$e I could ha$e lost both o you"K Framin# his ace with my hands, I elt my heart beat in double time as it practically e.ploded with hope and lo$e o$er this man on his knees, be##in# me or the one thin# I ne$er thou#ht I'd really ha$e" ! uture to#ether" My throat was ti#ht, choked up with o$erwhelmin# emotions" Still, I mana#ed to push the words out that I needed him to hear" JI lo$e you, /obby" !lways ha$e and always will" %here's nothin# more that I want in this li e than you and our amily"K J0oes this mean we're mo$in# to Vir#iniaIK Jumpin# in surprise, I looked o$er to where Seth stood a ew eet away" )is hands tucked shyly in his pockets, as i he were embarrassed to be intrudin#, and a bi# smile plastered on his ace" Lookin# back down to /obby, I reali;ed he looked almost as shell9shocked as I did" 4e'd both or#otten that our son was standin# here with

us" 0a#9#um" &ou de initely didn't earn the parent o the year award by or#ettin# all about your kid" No matter how 2uiet they were" JI'm mo$in# you #uys to Vir#inia" 4e'll pick out a house with a bi# backyard to throw the pi#skin in and buy it ri#ht away" &ou'll ha$e to help me paint a nursery, too"K Seth nodded his head e.citedly" JI can do that, 0ad" No problem" I know you told me to stay and all, but can I #o nowI Charlie's o$er in the parkin# lot waitin#Q and I i#ured you two would want some time toQK )e wa$ed his hand in the air to indicate both o us" J&ou know"K )is cheeks blushed bri#ht red" J&eah, so can I #o nowIK /obby nodded back to him" J5o on so your mother and I canQ you know"K )e smiled at his son's renewed blush and then we both watched Seth 3o# away to Charlie, who was indeed waitin# in the parkin# lot" 4e watched as Charlie's truck disappeared out o si#ht, and then we were le t alone in the park by the lake" /obby #ot up o his knees and dra##ed me by the hand o$er to the blanket" JSit down, babe" &ou should still be restin#"K )e pushed me #ently to take a seat on the blanket and then sat down across rom me, stretchin# his le#s out on either side o me so that I was surrounded by him" J)ow ha$e you been healin#IK J8retty #ood" %hey took the staples out o my le# and replaced them with stitches" I'll ha$e my stitches or a couple o more weeks be ore they all come out"K J4hat about the pre#nancyI )a$e you seen a doctor yetIK JI went to my +/T5&N a ew days a ter takin# the home pre#nancy test to ha$e it con irmed" She was ama;ed the baby had sur$i$ed the trauma I'd endured in Me.ico, but she says it looks healthy" I'm two and a hal months alon# now"K JItI 4hen can we ind out the baby's #enderI I don't like the idea o callin# it Lit'"K I smiled indul#ently at him" %his pre#nancy would be a irst or him since he'd missed Seth's, so e$erythin# was new and e.citin#" JIn about two months they should be able to tell us rom an ultrasound"K )e leaned orward until our aces were only a ew inches apart" J0o you want a boy a#ainI +r a #irl this timeIK JI want a healthy baby with ten in#ers and ten toes" I don't care what he or she is"K JMe, either, babe"K I closed the distance between us and so tly placed my lips on his" %hey were warm, amiliar, and too #ood to be true" %hey elt like I'd come home" /obby 2uickly took the kiss urther, slippin# his ton#ue inside my mouth to intertwine with mine, and I 2uickly #ot lost in the eel and taste o him" So beauti ul" So masculine" !nd all mine" Just when I thou#ht thin#s were about to #et in initely better, he pulled away, leaned back to sna# the strap on his ba#, and pulled it to his lap so that he could start di##in# throu#h it" Con used at the abrupt chan#e o plans, I asked him, J4hat are you doin#IK J)old on 3ust one second" I'$e #ot somethin# important to #i$e you"K 0i##in# out a olded piece o paper, he held it out to me and said, JIt's lon# past time or you to ha$e this"K ,n oldin# the paper, I noticed that it was a bit din#y lookin#, as i whate$er it was was old and had been handled a lot" Lookin# up at the top, it didn't take lon# to reali;e that I was ri#ht because it was dated i teen years a#o, about a week a ter /obby had sent the letter breakin# thin#s o with me" My heart plummeted" Lookin# back up to him in alarm, I said, J%his better not be another break up letter, /obby /aker" ! ter e$erythin# you 3ust said to me, i you are handin# me another breakup letter, I will do thin#s to you that most others would consider anatomically impossible"K

4ith a #entle #rab o my wrist to the hand that held his letter, he started rubbin# slow circles on my skin with his thumb" JJust read it, /elle"K So, with nothin# else to do e.cept take a #iant leap o aith, I read it" Dear Belle, #&m sitting here, waiting to hear !rom my parents. 1raying that they !oun" you an" explaine" that #&m a moron !or sen"ing you that letter. That # "i"n&t mean it. #t was a temporary moment o! insanity2 ,ust the !ear that i! # tie" you to me too young, you woul" resent me !or it "own the roa", but # can&t let you go, Belle. #! you en" up hating me later !or us getting marrie" so young, #&ll ,ust ha%e to !in" a way to make you lo%e me again. So, like # sai", #&m sitting here, hoping they !oun" you. 'y bu""y here in boot camp tol" me # ha" to think positi%e. So #&%e "eci"e", that in the spirit o! positi%e thinking, we shoul" write our own %ows when we get marrie". #&m prou" that you&re going to be my wi!e an" # want anyone an" e%eryone at our we""ing to know it. /ere&s what # was thinking about saying !or mine: 3#&m ,ust an or"inary man, but you make me !eel like #&m the strongest man in the worl". #&m not worthy o! the gi!t o! your lo%e, but # promise to work each an" e%ery "ay to become worthy o! it. To"ay, you "o me the honor o! becoming my wi!e. To putting on paper with pen an" making it o!!icial !or the worl" to see what # alrea"y know. That you were ma"e !or me, as # was ma"e !or you. *ith that gi!t, # promise to always lo%e an" cherish you. To be the strength you nee" when you !eel weak. To hol" you in my arms an" make you !eel sa!e when you are scare". To catch you i! you shoul" !all. Be your shelter !rom any storm. 'ost importantly, though, # promise to be your !aith!ul best !rien" an" lo%er !rom here until eternity.& # hope you like them. They may be short an" simple, but they&re !rom my heart. /ope!ully #&ll get to hear !rom you soon. $ letter saying that you !orgi%e your "umb $rmy grunt. # miss you so ba" it hurts, baby. 1lease !orgi%e me. 4an&t wait to see you an" hol" you in my arms again. -ore%er +ours. o%e, Bobby ! small wet drop appeared on the paper rom a tear that had allen o my ace and it smeared a portion o one o the sentences" %his was instantly the best letter in the history o the world to me" It wasn't poetry pretty like others mi#ht be" It wasn't somethin# epic like people read in tales o unrealistic lo$e stories like :omeo and Juliet" No, this was 3ust /obby's heart mani ested in short, bo.y little slashes that ormed words in a letter so beauti ul that I could read it and see the physical proo o his lo$e and de$otion to me" It was per ection" I heard and elt him mo$e in ront o me" 4hen I looked up rom his letter to see what he was doin#, the si#ht o what he was holdin# shocked me all o$er a#ain" ! black $el$et bo. held open in his hand, where a diamond rin# was barely $isible in the last adin# rays o the day" JMarry me, /elle" &ou're already my heart and soul, now be my wi e"K )e didn't wait or me to answer" )e slipped the rin# out o its bo. and onto my in#er be ore brin#in# my le t hand to his mouth and kissin# the palm o it be ore placin# it o$er his heart" J&esIK he whispered" 4ith resh tears slidin# down my ace, I reached up with my ri#ht hand and cupped his 3aw" J&es, /obby"K )e released the breath I hadn't reali;ed he was holdin#" J%hank you, baby"K

JNo, !ce, thank you"K J4hat are you thankin# me orIK JFor #i$in# me my happily e$er a ter"K #pilogue

Belle %wo months later in 4oodbrid#e, Vir#iniaQ J&ou want to name our dau#hter 4)!%IK I bit my teeth into my bottom lip so I wouldn't lau#h at the look on my iancV's ace" It was so sour you would ha$e thou#ht I'd sho$ed a lemon slice in there while he was talkin# or somethin#" 4e were lyin# side by side in bed, so he was close enou#h to see my shoulders shake rom my restrained lau#hter, and hu ed in mock rustration" J0on't #et your bo.ers in a wad, !ce" 4hat's wron# with the idea o namin# the baby a ter %ea#anIK JI don't know, maybe because it doesn't seem air to her to name her a ter such aNK I slapped a hand o$er his mouth" J!h, ah, ah now" &ou promised to be nice about her rom now on"K )e pulled my hand o his mouth and #a$e me a look like I'd sprouted an e.tra head" J,h, yeah, but that was be ore that messa#e she le t on our answerin# machine" 0id you honestly think I could keep that kind o promise a ter my son heard her call me the wart on the ass o all o humanityIK I pressed my lips to#ether, tryin# not to lau#h, but a snort slipped out anyways" 4hen he cocked an eyebrow at the sound, I didn't bother to try and hold back my lau#hter anymore" JFind that unny, do youIK )oldin# up my thumb and ore in#er a hal inch apart, I snickered" JJust a little"K )e #rowled" JI'll show you unny, you little hussy"K %hen he pounced on me, ticklin# my ribs be ore pinnin# me down on my back with his arms and le#s" )e'd le t enou#h room in between our bodies so that he wouldn't lie on the sli#htly protrudin# belly I was carryin# around these days" JI know we're not married yet, but you should still stand by your man, you know"K 5i$in# him a bi# #rin, I promised, JI'll always stand by you, !ce, but that doesn't mean my best riend won't be standin# on my other side"K /obby snorted" %hen, droppin# his ace until our oreheads touched, he murmured, JI'll let you name our dau#hter a ter that harpy on one condition"K J!nd what would that beIK J%hat this isn't our last baby"K 5aspin# in surprise, I used my hands to push on /obby's shoulders until I could see his ace a#ain" Naturally, with /obby's si;e, I wouldn't ha$e been able to push him back unless he let me, but luckily I had a man who wouldn't let me strain mysel at all while I was carryin# his child" Some days it came in handy like today and some days it dro$e me so cra;y I wanted to bash his head in with a ryin# pan" JJust how many kids are you wantin# me to pop out, /obby

/akerIK )e shru##ed a shoulder" JI was thinkin# we could ha$e our own ootball teaNK I didn't let him inish the word be ore I had a pillow lyin# at his head, beatin# him with it repeatedly" J&ou are not usin# me as an incubator so that you can ha$e a /aker ootball s2uad-K 0roppin# the pillow, I reached or my cell phone on the ni#ht stand" )is lau#hin# $oice asked, J4ho are you callin#IK JJa.on- I'm #oin# to tell him that you're delusional and shouldn't #o on any more missions until your head's been strai#htened out"K +ne minute I was pretendin# to scroll throu#h my contacts and the ne.t, the phone was out o my hand" )is $oice was neutral when he spoke, JI'$e already talked to Ja.on today, honey"K %he almost somber tone alarmed me" J!ndIK J4e lea$e in three days"K )e was watchin# me intently or a reaction" J4here are you #oin#IK JI can't tell you"K In a small $oice, I asked, J4ill you be ollowin# up about LauraIK J&es,K he said slowly" %hat meant he was headed strai#ht into dan#er, which I didn't like, but this was his 3ob, which he lo$ed, and I lo$ed him so I had to accept that" ! ter ha$in# the baby, he'd already told me that he would support me i I wanted to #o back to work or the !%F since I was on an e.tended lea$e o absence at the moment, which was probably what I'd do" So I couldn't $ery well say I wasn't willin# to support his 3ob when he was willin# to support mine" !t least I would ha$e Seth here with me so I wouldn't be totally alone" 4e could probably take a trip out to the Smithsonian !ir and Space Museum a#ain in 0"C" %here was a #ood chance I had a uture pilot in the amily" Not to mention that how Laura had died and what she'd su ered throu#h be ore she'd died, haunted me ni#htly" %he thou#ht that other women were su erin# as she had elt like a kni e throu#h the heart" %hank ully, the #uys hadn't ound any more women in :i$era's house in Me.ico" Laura and I had been the only ones there at the moment" )owe$er, they had ound si#ns that plenty o other women had been held there at some point in time" I the 1. +ps %eam could help them, then I needed to support that as well" J&ou'll contact me when you can, ri#htIK J!bsolutely, baby"K J+kay, !ce" 0o what you'$e #ot to do to shut those assholes down"K /endin# o$er to kiss me on the lips, he stayed there a terwards so that when he talked, our lips were still touchin#" J%hat's my #irl" Now, I'll make you a deal" &ou can name this one %ea#an i you'll #i$e me at least one more a ter her"K 4ell, that was a hell o a lot better than a damn ootball team" J0eal"K J5ood" Now come here and #i$e me some lo$e"K )e wasted no time in pullin# down the top o my ni#htie to bare my breasts so that they were now accessible or his touch" 5raspin# one, he lowered his mouth to trace his ton#ue around the outside o my now o$erly sensiti$e nipple so that it puckered up hard as I moaned at the ierce pleasure o it" Suckin# it deep into his mouth, he lashed his rou#h ton#ue o$er the peak until I was arched under him rom the iery sensation" )is ree hand li#htly traced circles down my abdomen, addin# another sensation in his assault" My hands skimmed o$er his cut, rock hard

abs as he mo$ed rom one breast to the other" Shootin# a pleasant burn all the way down to the heated core that was throbbin# between my le#s" 4hen I started be##in# or more, he mo$ed down my tummy, to tease me below where I ached" My breath hitched as he circled my little nub, rubbin# it so that the burnin# pressure built slowly" 4hen he breached me with a in#er, I #asped at the amiliar intrusion" It ne$er ceased to surprise me how #ood he elt when he touched my body" !ddin# a second in#er, he started to pump a little aster as I spread my thi#hs urther apart while pushin# down on his in#ers or a deeper eel" /obby's touch was heady, like alcohol shot strai#ht into my brain, makin# e$erythin# u;;y, warm, and oh, so #ood" JI can't wait any lon#er, babe" I want to eel you" Let me ill that sweet little body up"K In one smooth stroke he sheathed himsel inside me" )is lesh rubbin# a#ainst mineNskin on skin Nto create what elt like thousands o mini li#htnin# bolts o pleasure shootin# throu#h my body" !pparently, we'd both missed out on the phenomenon o pre#nancy se. the irst time around, which was a tra$esty since it was way more intense than re#ular se. and I had a habit o barely lastin# lon#er than an ei#ht second rodeo star be ore ha$in# an or#asm that was so o the charts that I could swear I was loatin# in space" I was already on the ed#e o that a orementioned spatially, antastic or#asm" /obby was pumpin# himsel uriously in and out with my le#s wrapped around his hips, lockin# my ankles low on his back" !s I inally e.ploded with a scream that /obby mana#ed to mu le with a kiss, my toes curled and I damn near lost consciousness" My inner walls clamped down on him so hard that, mere seconds later, I elt his warm release illin# me as he #a$e a #uttural yell be ore collapsin# to his side, turnin# me with him" +ur breaths were sawin# in and out o our chests and /obby had his arms locked around me like he would ne$er let me #o" %ouchin# our oreheads to#ether, he asked, J4ho lo$es you, /elleIK J&ou do, !ce"K J%hat's ri#ht, sweet baby" Fore$er"K 8ressin# my lips a#ainst his, I a#reed, JFore$er"K $ote !rom The Author%

%hank you or readin# Secret Maneu$ers- 4e hope you en3oyed readin# it as much as we en3oyed writin# it- I you did, please consider lea$in# a re$iew at your a$orite online retailers, such as !ma;on and /arnes < Noble, or re$iew websites such as 5oodreads" %hese are #reat ways to help spread the word about books to readers who ha$e yet to disco$er them" +n the ne.t ew pa#es you will ind a two chapter e.cerpt o our last book, Big Bad Bite" %his is an adult paranormal romance about a woman with bi# secrets and the #rowly !lpha wol who wants her" 4e hope you like it- )appy readin#Pla list for Belle and Bobb 1lla Mae /owen 6Co$er7 W )oldin# +ut For ! )ero 6Ex Ops Series Theme Song7

Carrie ,nderwood W /lown !way %im Mc5raw t" %aylor Swi t < *eith ,rban W )i#hway 0on't Care Lissie co$er o Fleetwood Mac W 5o &our +wn 4ay 5ary !llen W/est I 1$er )ad Lumineers W Stubborn Lo$e Lumineers W )o )ey 5ary !llen W 1$ery Storm %aylor Swi t W Sparks Fly 6Belle 5 Bobby&s Song7 %he /and 8erry W !ll &our Li e Jason !ldean 9 She's Country Jason !ldean W %ake ! Little :ide Jason !ldean < *elly Clarkson W 0on't &ou 4anna Stay %hompson S2uare W I I 0idn't )a$e &ou Christina 8erri W ! %housand &ears

Big Bad Bite 1ublishe" 6anuary 78, 79:; Two 4hapter Excerpt Chapter One Sweaty #ym socks" %hat's what the inside o the 4ilmin#ton 8olice 0epartment's S4!% $an smells like which, in a word, isQ nasty" %ampin# down on the o$erwhelmin# ur#e to reach o$er and #rab the o endin# socks, so that she can sho$e them down the owner's mouth be ore #i$in# him a stern warnin# to wash them, is downri#ht hard" )owe$er, somehow Jenna +'Conner mana#es to keep hersel in check because o$erpowerin# a two hundred plus #ym 3ock when you're a woman o only i$e eet our inches, who looks as i you mi#ht wei#h a hundred and thirty pounds soakin# wet, would be hard to e.plain" So, sometimes it seriously sucks to be

her" Sittin# on the steel bench seats that run the len#th o the black $an with its bulletproo dark tinted windows, she does her best to i#nore the eyes that are starin# at her" /ein# the new #irl on a testosterone o$erloaded team is more than awkward and bein# sandwiched in between two #uys on her le t, another #uy on her ri#ht, and our sittin# across rom her makes it eel as i she's drownin# in ca$eman stupidity" It's a pain in the ass, but she can't complain because it comes with her dream 3ob" Jenna can deal with their basic Neanderthal ur#es o women bein# in erior, but she utterly hates bein# stared at" It's annoyin#, and not to mention, rude" It makes her hand, that sits down to the ri#ht, twitchy to punch someone" 0idn't their moms teach them some mannersI She can keep calm, thou#h" %hey're 3ust curious to know i the new #irl on the orce can han# with the bi# bad asses they all think they are" Little do they know that this little woman can kick e$ery sin#le one o their mammoth muscled butts" %hat is part o her little secret, thou#h" /ein# a woman, who is also a dedicated cop, is sometimes hard" 8eople tend to assume that you're #oin# to be the weak link in the chain" Not stron# enou#h" Not ast enou#h" %oo compassionate" None o that applies to Jenna, but these #uys don't know that, yet" 8erhaps she can't show them that she is capable o bench pressin# a hell o a lot more than all o them combined, but she has no 2ualms about usin# some o her abilities to outrun them i the need arises" She also sure as hell isn't known back in her old department or compassion" )eck, i she hadn't been related to the 8olice Chie back home, then Jenna would ha$e been arrested or ired or her beha$ior a#ainst a couple o drunk, abusi$e, backwoods bums" None o that here, thou#h" She has to keep her temper in check" *eep her secrets sa e" Not to mention, she is not #oin# to lush a Criminal Justice /achelor's de#ree, si. months at the 8olice !cademy, i$e years o bustin#9her9ass on9the93ob e.perience and her li e's dream down the toilet" She has to pro$e to her amily that she can li$e out rom underneath their thumb without uckin# it all up" !ll o that may not seem like much o an accomplishment to the other #uys sittin# in this $an with her, but that's because they don't know her circumstances" Not that she would share those acts with them anyways" 4hen they e$entually ind out how youn# Jenna is, they will ine$itably shoot her dubious looks o disbelie " More than likely, they will be#in to doubt that someone so youn# is really cut out or the 3ob" )er o$er protecti$e amily had home9schooled her in their e.uberant e orts to keep her hidden and sa e" So, sittin# at home with nothin# to do e.cept study with her mom, she mana#ed to obtain her hi#h school diploma at the tender a#e o i teen" ! ter #raduatin#, Jenna enrolled in an online ,ni$ersity where she inished a our year de#ree in three, since her mother ob$iously didn't trust Jenna to be out o her si#ht without doin# somethin# monumentally stupid to #et hersel ousted or what she was" So, at the a#e o ei#hteen, she had a hi#h school diploma and a /achelor's de#ree" 4hen Jenna then told her mom that she wanted to be a cop like ,ncle :ick, her mother had no problem shippin# her o to the academy because that didn't mean Jenna was out o her amily's si#ht or si. whole months" No, her ,ncle :ick had a riend at the academy that knew 3ust enou#h to keep an eye on her, but not enou#h that he would be a dan#er to her" Now at twenty9three, almost twenty9 our, Jenna is the youn#est member o this S4!% team with a whole lot o 3ob e.perience, but almost no li e e.perience" Lea$in# the small town o :i$er /end or the bi##er city o 4ilmin#ton, North Carolina had always been a #oal o hers" It had only taken i$e years to pro$e to her ,ncle :ick that she

could handle what he considered to be bi# city problems, without outin# hersel to the populace" 4hen his riend, who happens to be the Captain o one o the 4ilmin#ton precincts, told him that he was inter$iewin# or a new S4!% team o icer, ,ncle :ick threw her name in" ! month a ter a strin#ent application process and many, many tests, here she is sittin# in the back o this $an in black /0,'s with a bullet proo $est on" She has a standard issue duty weapon strapped to her waist, an assault ri le in her hands and a solid i ty pounds o e2uipment strapped to her body( 3ust like the nine other o icers in the $ehicle" /lack hair that alls 3ust past the bottom o her shoulder blades is secured in a ti#ht bun at the base o her neck and the lower part o her ace is co$ered with a black mask that only lea$es her eyes $isible" ! helmet strapped onto the top o her head completes her uni orm( she is clearly ready or action" )eat is pumpin# alon# with e.citement at the thou#ht o #oin# out on a suspect retrie$al mission the irst day on the new 3ob" %his is the kind o shit Jenna li$es or" Most women want to bask in the lu.uries o shoppin#, hi#h heeled shoes, and days at the spa" %hat's de initely not her" Sure, she has se.y clothes and shoes in her closet, but most o it was bou#ht or underco$er work" Instead o the usual womanly hi#hs, Jenna #ets o on the chase o a suspect" It's the best hi#h o all" I she #ets to tackle the suspect to the #round and accidentally elbow them in the head, well, that's 3ust a bonus" Silently runnin# throu#h the particulars o the suspect they are #oin# a ter keeps her occupied so that she doesn't #et the ur#e to look any o the #uys in the eyes" It isn't that she's a raid o any o them" Jenna could kick their e$er lo$in' asses rom here to China, but she doesn't want to intimidate any o them, either" &et" Most men aren't used to ha$in# a woman stare them down" It unner$es them" Not to mention, #i$es them a bum rap with the other #uys" So, she 3ust stares o into space, in no direction in particular, while mentally #oin# o$er the acts" Suspect is a white male in his early thirties, appro.imately i$e9 eet ele$en( so he is se$en inches taller than her" )e wei#hs appro.imately one hundred and ninety pounds, si.ty pounds more than her, but still not a problem( /lond hair, blue eyes( and wanted or the murder o a woman whose husband is still listed as missin#" Suspect is supposed to be apprehended ali$e to be interro#ated or in ormation re#ardin# the missin# husband" J)ey, +'Conner, you ner$ous, yetI Should we drop you o somewhere so you don't piss in your pretty little pink pantiesIK Moron" Note to sel W%rip 3ackass into a wall" +ops" 0id my oot #et in your wayI %urnin# her head to look the idiot strai#ht in the eyes she sneers, JI'm #ood, 0ubinski, but maybe we should stop at the store and buy you some bi# boy diapers so that when you scare yoursel shitless, it'll be an easier mess to clean up"K %he men surroundin# them snicker as 0ubinski #i$es her a #rud#in#ly respect ul look" 4ith a smirk, Captain Nelson barks rom the ront passen#er seat, J*eep it down, kids" +ur 1%! is three minutes, so let's #o o$er the basics one last time"K !s the Captain rattles o the same in ormation on the suspect that Jenna has 3ust been #oin# o$er in her head, she takes the opportunity to #et a subtle whi with her nose, testin# the air" %he inside o the $an smells like sweat, leather, #un oil and anticipation" No one smells scared, 3ust a little an.ious" 5ood" No one here is a threat that is #oin# to reak out and ree;e in a dan#erous situation" )a$in# a super sni er o a nose sometimes comes in handy" I one o these 3erks starts leakin# sweat out o his pores as i he's tryin# to help keep up with the water supply at Nia#ara Falls, she'll ha$e to worry about him accidentally shootin# her in the back" %hat would make it hard to concentrate on the mission" Luckily, this isn't the case"

%he $an rounds a corner 2uickly as Captain Nelson wraps up the speci ics" J+'Conner, you'll be ri#ht behind *ent( so, third throu#h the door" %he entrance is a kill bo. due to the enclosed space so we ha$e to break the door down 2uickly and catch the bastard be ore he does somethin# stupid" ! ter +'Conner, it's the usual line up" 1$erybody readyIK %he team nod their heads in consent as the $an 3erks to a stop in ront o the tar#et's temporary residence" !s one, they ly out o the $an and race towards the ront door" ! ew seconds later, a #roup o bodies are piled up with Captain Nelson at the ront, *ent behind him, and Jenna third in line with the rest o the team at her back" Less than ten seconds later, the Captain kicks down the door while screamin#, J8olice-K Mo$in# 2uickly throu#h the entrance hall, she uses her nose to smell the air a#ain" %here's a whi o somethin# out o the norm" %wo distinctly di erent male scents that ill her nose and she is positi$e neither o them are human" Mo$in# 2uickly throu#h the house, the S4!% team starts clearin# rooms as they spread out throu#h the small ranch home" She ollows where her nose happens to lead her, with *ent behind her, towards the back o the house where the scents become stron#er" %hree doors are ahead o them and she can hear sounds o a stru##le comin# rom behind the closed door at the end o the hall" 8ushin# orward with *ent at her back, she kicks a oot out, knockin# the door hal way o o its hin#es, and barks, J8+LIC1- F:11S1-K /e ore her stands a massi$e #uy who has mussed auburn hair that's stickin# up in almost e$ery direction and ripplin# back muscles" %he blond hair, blue eyed suspect is positioned across the room rom all three o them, acin# Mr" Messy )ead, with a #un pointed at his head" In the split second that Mr" Messy )ead is distracted, the suspect takes the opportunity to ti#hten his in#er on the tri##er" )e's seconds rom sendin# a bullet into his rather lar#e opponent who still remains between them" 0roppin# the aim o her ri le rom the suspect's head to his hand, Jenna s2uee;es o a round 3ust as his in#er starts to compress the tri##er o his pistol" Mr" Messy )ead 3erks his body to the side, a$oidin# the bullet by a hairsbreadth, be ore an e.plosi$e spray o red mists the air where hal o the man's le t hand used to be" ! cry o pain ills the room as the #un thuds to the carpet" %he suspect stares at his remainin# thumb and tri##er in#er connected to the remnants o 3a##ed bones and une$en, ripped lesh that is bleedin# pro usely" !t this point the stran#er shoots into action, leapin# to tackle the suspect to the loor" In less than a minute, he has their man belly down to the #round, with his hands bound behind his back usin# le.i cu s, while she and *ent stand, blockin# the door, with their #uns aimed at the pair" *ent yells, JFree;e- )ands in the air, now-K )ands slowly li t into the air as the red9head looks up at them" /ri#ht amber eyes bore into Jenna's as she looks down the barrel o her #un at him" Cau#ht sli#htly o #uard by his startlin#, stron#, handsome ace she dra#s in a subtle breath, but what she inds there makes her ner$ous" It's a smell she hasn't e.perienced in a $ery lon# time" ! smell that she has been tau#ht most o her li e to a$oid at all costs" It's the clean, resh scent o the outdoors that is uni2ue to shi ters alone with an underlyin# spice that could only be sin#ular to Mr" Messy )ead" It isn't the latter o those scents that bothers her" It's the other smell that means trouble" %his #uy on his knees, holdin# his hands calmly in the air in ront o her, isn't human" )e spends his spare time in some kind o ur, whether its cat, bear, or wol , she isn't sure" )e is +ther" 4hate$er it is, thou#h, isn't bene icial or her to be around too lon#" So she needs to #et this #uy away rom her, pronto" She is prayin# that Mr" Messy )ead hasn't cau#ht any o her scent" She's been told by one o her ,ncles once that it is remarkably li#ht and hard to de ine, but to an e.perienced

shi ter, it can be i#ured out" +bser$in# his sudden, subtle larin# o nostrils she's #uessin# that he's tryin# to do 3ust that" 0amn" /ooted eet pound the hall behind them as a ew o the other o icers pour into the room to apprehend the two men in ront o her" ! ter Mr" Messy )ead has been cu ed and pulled to his eet, alon# with the suspect, she slips out o the room and ollows Captain Nelson to the back o the $an" Jenna's keen senses are tellin# her that *ent is ollowin# directly behind" 4atchin# as two patrol cars pull up on the street behind their $an, the Captain runs his hand throu#h his hair" J4hat happened, +'ConnerIK 5i$in# him a 2uick debrie in# o the incident, he watches Jenna with amusement, and a little bit o surprise, on his ace" ! ter endin# her spiel with the arri$al o the rest o the team into the occupied room, *ent pipes in behind her" J&ou're one hell o a shot, +'Conner" %hat was impressi$eQ makes me #rate ul that you're on my side"K Shootin# him a smile o$er her shoulder, she takes in the respect ul #leam in his eyes" )e means what he says" %his is a decent start to bein# accepted by her new s2uad" %he Captain claps her on the shoulder" JNice work, +'Conner" &our ,ncle said you were #ood, but damn, that was somethin# else" %akin# out his #un hand on the ly so that he was immobile lon# enou#h not to shoot anyone was 2uick thinkin#" Nice 3ob, indeed" /eer is on me toni#ht" %he boys will want to #o out and celebrate a ter our shi t" &ou're comin#, ri#htIK J4ouldn't miss it or the world, Captain"K J5ood" &ou #uys mi#ht as well stay here or a minute" I'll #o check on the suspect, i#ure out who the mystery #uy is, then we can load up and head out"K )e claps her on the shoulder a#ain be ore headin# to the two patrol cars behind them" Lookin# back, she sees that the suspect is sittin# in the back o the irst patrol car while the red9head with his unusual amber eyes holds somethin# out or Captain Nelson to inspect" %he rest o the team starts clamberin# around in the back o the $an so she can't hear what is bein# said to the Captain" !s much as she is curious, thou#h, Jenna is e$en more an.ious to put some much needed distance between hersel and the tasty lookin# stran#er whose hair resembles a red porcupine" %akin# a second, she runs her eyes rom his booted eet back to his piercin# #a;e" )e is 3ust o$er si.9 eet tall and probably about two hundred and twenty pounds" )is itted #ray t9shirt is pulled ti#ht across his chest and well9worn denim hu#s his thick thi#hs" )e is pretty hulkin#, carryin# more muscle in his arms and chest than most #uys ha$e in their entire body, ollowed by a trim waist" )e cuts a memorable picture, it's a shame she isn't the type to do a little lirtin#( he looks like a prime piece o $irile male" %he Captain is handin# the #uy's identi ication back to him while e.plainin# somethin#" %hey shake hands and then the Captain walks away rom him, headin# back towards the $an" %he stran#er looks directly at Jenna and cocks an eyebrow as he crosses his arms o$er his chest" )is stare is penetratin# and demandin#" It sends shi$ers down her spine and a rush o heat that spreads thou#h her entire body" %he instincts she's come to rely on all her li e are runnin# amok, tellin# her that instead o body burnin# arousal, she should be eelin# ear instead" She reco#ni;es the mannerisms o an !lpha e.udin# his dominance" It's a damn #ood thin# her lo#ic is kickin# her body's reactions in the metaphorical head because she is barely restrainin# the need to close the distance between the two o them and co$er his body with her own" +r worse, bare her neck to him in submission" Jenna snorts" %hey'll be ser$in# popsicles in hell be ore she bares her throat to anyone" ! memory o Jenna's only paternal amily member, her ,ncle +wen, lashes throu#h her mind( them sittin# on a allen lo#, surrounded by the woods behind her mama's house, patiently

e.plainin# the hierarchy o shi ters" %he e.pectations o their pack mentality" +le' !lpha boy here wants Jenna to drop her eyes and look away i she won't bare her $ulnerable neck to him( that way she acknowled#es who and what he is while #i$in# him the assurance that she understands who is in char#e" Instead, Jenna continues to stare back at him coolly" Silently tellin# him where he can take his dominance and sho$e it" She has to admit, thou#h, that it takes e$ery iber o her bein# to i#ht her natural instinct to look down and away rom his piercin# #a;e" )e's 3ust that damn dominant( which is kind o scary since she's ne$er elt the ur#e to show submission to anyone be ore" *ent's hand lands on her shoulder rom behind" JCome on, +'Conner" 5et your !nnie +akley wannabe ass in here so we can #o" 4e'$e all #ot paperwork to #o back and ill out now"K 4ith no choice le t, she breaks eye contact and climbs in the $an, closin# the door behind hersel to cut o any $iew o the stran#er" I she has any #ood luck le t, this will be the last she sees o him" I only crossin# her in#ers would help those chances, she would do it" Jenna doesn't think the #uy has i#ured out what she is, or isn't, or that matter" )er amily has tried their best to hide her and has tau#ht her to a$oid all other shi ters( she silently prays their attempts will not be in $ain 3ust because this #uy #ot curious" )er mama has always told her that i certain shi ters e$er ind out who or what she is, she's as #ood as dead" )ere's to hopin# she hasn't 3ust stumbled on to the be#innin# o her uneral" MMM !dam watches as the black police $an pulls away rom the curb and speeds down the street with its mysterious occupant inside" )e's come here to track down his cousin's killer and dra# him back to his tur or some pack style 3ustice, but instead, ends up ha$in# his prey snatched ri#ht out o his hands" %hat does not make him a happy predator" In act, it makes him kind o snarly" Sure, the asshole will be tried and con$icted or his cousin's wi e's murder, but !dam had been lookin# orward to the creep acin# claws instead o steel bars" %he douche ba# is #oin# to #et o easy in the 3oke that's the human 3ustice system" It isn't air" !dam sti les the #rowl that churns in his throat" %hat is okay, thou#h, because he 3ust had somethin# else drop into his lap" %hat little cop with midni#ht black hair, bri#ht, arctic blue eyes that remind him o an !laskan husky, and luscious, little cur$es, has sna##ed his interest" From the moment she kicked down the door, !dam cau#ht the almost hidden scent o somethin# +ther in her and a ter the way she 3ust stared him down, he's all but itchin# to ind out what she is" No one e$er stares down an !lpha without endin# up in a lot o bodily harm" &et she hadn't e$en smelled a raid o him while she'd been doin# it" !dam is bettin# a shit ton o money that she knows e.actly what he is" So the act that she openly stared down an !lpha has his blood heatin# in preparation or the chase" :i#ht now, he can't decide i he wants to catch her to punish her, or to pin her underneath him" 1ither way, he will be catchin# her" Maybe he can do both" Li#ht up her pretty little ass to a nice shade o red with a well9deser$ed spankin# and then pin her down underneath him" )e kind o likes that idea" !dam's phone rin#s rom his pocket" 0i##in# it out to look at the screen, he sees that it's his /eta and best riend, Clay, the second in command o his pack" J4hat's upIK

J0id you #et himIK )e breathes out a rustrated si#h" J!lmost" I had him cornered in a room at the address you #a$e me, but be ore I could cu and dra# him o , the cops busted in" %hey 3ust hauled him away in a patrol car"K Clay's #rowl rumbles o$er the line" J!t least there will be some punishment or 1llie's death" I 3ust would ha$e pre erred it to ha$e been us rippin# him apart instead o the tiny ca#e he'll ha$e to li$e in rom now on" 4ill you be headin# home nowI 8erhaps I could arran#e a hunt or us to burn o some o our rustrationIK !dam thinks about headin# home" !s e.cellent as huntin# sounds at the moment, all he can see are a pair o chilly blue eyes starin# him down with a ierceness that can't be ound in any o the members rom his pack" JI'$e #ot a hunt o a di erent kind to do toni#ht" %ell me, Clay, do you know o any blue9eyed, black9haired emales o the +ther $ariety in 4ilmin#tonIK Clay snorts in amusement" JSo, it's that kind o hunt, is itI I #otcha" I don't know o any emales ittin# that description, thou#h" !re you sure she's not humanIK JI'$e #ot no doubt she's somethin#, Clay, but it's de initely not human" I 3ust don't know what she is" 0e initely not a $ampire because it's dayli#ht out, but her scent smells o and I'm ha$in# a hard time i#urin# out what she is" I want to say she mi#ht be some kind o shi ter, but i she is, she's maskin# her scent somehow" I think I mi#ht ollow her toni#ht and try to i#ure it out" 0o we ha$e anyone we know at the 4ilmin#ton 8olice 0epartmentIK J! cop, huhI *inky" !re you #oin# to ask her to cu youI %hat would be cool, but you mi#ht want to ha$e her lea$e the ni#ht stick at home" I don't think you'd like what she could do with that" !t least, not without a lot o lube"K J0amn it- 5et your mind out o the constant #utter you wallow in" It's not in our best interest to ha$e some unknown +ther roamin# around so close to our land" In our territory" 1specially, one we can't identi y"K )is $oice #rowls with irritation at his /eta and his tendency to harass !dam about his se. li e" +r, his lack o lately, which is what is amusin# to Clay" ,ntil recently, !dam had no 2ualms about indul#in# in the emale lesh that makes itsel so readily a$ailable to him all the time" 4ol$es are sensual creatures with an o$er acti$e se. dri$e" It isn't entirely uncommon to #o to the 8ack's lod#e and ind a ree9 or9all in the middle o the ni#ht" )owe$er, or the last si. months or so, no one has appealed to him" It's like he had been doused with a cold shower one day and has yet to warm back up" J&eah, yeah" 0on't #et your ur in a bunch" 4e ha$e someone at the 4ilmin#ton 8olice 0epartment" 4ould you like me to call him or #i$e you the numberIK J&ou call him" )er last name is +'Conner" Call me with whate$er you ind out"K Snappin# his cell phone shut, !dam walks down the street and around the corner to where he parked his black custom )arley V9:od motorcycle" %he !u#ust heat is unbearable, causin# small ri$ulets o sweat to run down the back o his neck and soak his shirt" %he roar o the en#ine drowns out the sounds o ma3or tra ic low as he leads his bike back to his house where he can take a cold shower" ! ter that, he'll do some research on his laptop to see i he can come up with anythin# on his own about the mysterious +'Conner" %he hunt is on" )ere I come, little rabbit" Chapter Two

J)ey, +'Conner- 0one with those reports, yetIK 5lancin# up rom her computer, Jenna smiles at Captain Nelson" She sees a stron# resemblance o character there to her ,ncle :ick" J%hey're already on your desk, Sir"K )is lips twitch as i he wants to smile" J5ood" )it the locker room and chan#e into your ci$ilian clothes" It's time to clock out and #et hammered" I'll meet you by your bike in thirty minutes so you can ollow me to the bar since you're new here"K )e turns and heads to his o ice" ! ter shuttin# down her computer and lockin# her desk drawers, she makes her way down to the women's locker room" %he ne.t shi t has already started duty, so she's by hersel as she showers the sticky sweat o her body" Feelin# resh and clean a#ain, she towels o be ore pullin# clothes out o her du el ba#" Slippin# into the most eminine thin# she indul#es in, she pulls on her lacy red thon# and matchin# con$ertible bra( the straps hidin# per ectly underneath the red cotton racerback tank top" %hen she pulls on her a$orite boot cut 3eans be ore stompin# her eet into black, leather motorcycle boots" )er hair is still drippin# wet, but that won't matter or lon#" Soon, she'll #et on her bike where the wind will blow the lon#, strai#ht layers dry" Lastly, she sweeps mascara across her lashes" It's essentially the only make9up she e$er panders to" 0rapin# her du el ba# across her body, she heads out to her )yabusa motorcycle to wait or the Captain" She lo$in#ly runs her hands o$er the red detailin# that decorates the shiny black paint 3ob" %he bike had been a #i t rom her ,ncle +wen who seemed to disappear ri#ht a ter her colle#e #raduation party" )e ne$er actually $isited her all that much while she was #rowin# up, but the man meant a hell o a lot to her because he was the only connection she had to her ather's side o the amily" ! ather that had been murdered when she was youn# and who she ne$er #ot the chance to meet because he, apparently, li$ed a $ery dan#erous li e" Since he's $ery much dead, she is #uessin# the dan#erous li e bit was true" So, her mother and uncles had #one throu#h hell and tidal9wa$e9si;ed9hi#h9water to keep her sa ely hidden rom the world o u#lies that #o bump in the ni#ht" %he dan#erous +ther community that seems to thri$e 3ust below the sur ace o the human world is one she would not be welcome to, or so she's been told" %oday had been an alarmin# wake9up call as to how com ortably obli$ious she has become to the threat o bein# disco$ered by that world" )er mother still won't tell her the complete truth as to why she has to stay hidden" %he only e.planation that she's e$er o ered is that bein# o mi.ed races, most shi ters will be e.tremely pre3udiced a#ainst her" %he ma3ority o what she is had come rom her ather's pureblooded shi ter side" 4hich is surprisin# because, althou#h the shi ter's #enes are #enerally dominant, they mi.ed with somethin# that has been lon# considered Lunmi.able' in the history o all thin#s +ther, or inhuman" )er mother is a pureblood as well( howe$er she's not a shi ter" Jenna has inherited some abilities rom her mother's supernatural side o the amily, but nothin# 2uite as si#ni icant as what is considered the norm o her mother's capabilities" So, in essence, here she is" Not #ood enou#h or her mama's side o the amily and considered an abomination by her ather's side" She can't or#et that she has to pretend to be human, so they won't catch on to what a reak she is, either" Sometimes li e seems to be built like a cement trampoline( there's no #i$e and where$er she lands, it's #oin# to hurt like hell" %he one thin# that her mother and uncles ha$e beaten into her brain, thou#h, is that her ather had many enemies" !ll o whom would lo$e to kill her i they e$er ind out about her e.istence" /ecause o that, she's been isolated rom the world #rowin# up until she can, without a doubt, control her abilities" *ept sa ely away rom any and all supernaturals by li$in# out in the country, on the outskirts o the small town named :i$er /end which is barely a blip on the map

o North Carolina" I her mother e$er disco$ers what has happened today, she'll lip her reakin' wi# and ne$er let her out o the house a#ain" )er missin# ,ncle +wen's $oice rin#s throu#h her mind" J%o stay hidden is to stay sa e, Jenna" %o stay ali$e"K %oday has been way too close o a call" J+'Conner, you readyIK Jenna's head snaps up at Captain Nelson's $oice" J&es, sir, let's roll"K 4ith a nod o his head, he strolls away and climbs into his S,V" !s they roll throu#h the tree9lined streets o 4ilmin#ton, Jenna watches her surroundin#s with e.citement" She's spent way too lon# tryin# to #et out o the small town she's been se2uestered in" Now that she is inally out, she isn't about to let some lea9brained mutt or kitty, scare her out o it" %akin# a lon# whi o the a;alea aroma that is illin# the air, Jenna pulls in and parks ne.t to the Captain's S,V at a bar named /eat Street" ! rookie could ha$e i#ured out that with a name like that, this is a bar that caters towards the boys in blue" Slidin# o her bike, she watches as Nelson unlocks and opens his rear door" J%hrow your ba# back here, since I'm #uessin# your duty weapon is in there" %hat way you won't ha$e to worry about it bein# unsecure"K J%hanks, Captain"K She tosses her ba# in and ollows the man into the bar where the rest o her new team already sits around two round tables they'$e pulled to#ether" !s they enter, the entire lot o them yell and cheer her name while *ent bellows with his su#ary, southern, North Carolina drawl, J!nnie +akley's here, yRall-K Saunterin# up to the table, she scratches her eyebrow with her middle in#er in *ent's direction as he pats the empty seat ne.t to him, lau#hin# at the #esture" ! round o boilermakers and additional beers are deli$ered to the table by the youn#, pretty waitress" Captain Nelson holds up one o his hands or silence while holdin# the boilermaker in his other hand" J%o +'Conner- For a hell o a irst day on the 3ob and or makin# you slackers look like little #irls with #uns- %hrow Lem back, boys-K %he shots are demolished and a ew o the #uys choke as the burnin# li2uor #oes down their throats" Jenna re$els in the hot li2uid slidin# down and warmin# the muscles in her belly" %oni#ht is #oin# to be loads o un as she drinks these #uys under the table" !nother perk o her biolo#y is a super hi#h metabolism" It takes almost twice as much as these #uys or her to #et any semblance o drunk" *ent wai$es to the waitress while he hollers the ne.t round o boilermakers are on him and then winks at her" Jenna isn't stupid" %hese #uys think they can #et her drunk and #irly" It's such a shame she'll ha$e to disappoint them because she's #oin# to ha$e much more un embarrassin# the hell out o them" ! ter the second round o shots, Jenna nurses her beer and decides now is an opportune time to try and #et some in o on the potential threat o the !lpha shi ter" J)ey, Captain, who was that #uy at the scene todayIK J:ed9haired, boyI )e was some bounty hunter hired by the $ictim's amily to brin# in our suspect" Seemed mi#hty disappointed we #ot him instead"K )e smiles as her teammates cheer around them a#ain" /ounty hunter, huhI 4ell he can 3ust dra# his nicely9shaped ass back to where$er the hell he came rom" 4histles break out as se$eral lashy women enter the place and sit down at the bar" In about three seconds lat the only three people le t at the two tables are Nelson, *ent and Jenna"

Lookin# back and orth between the #uys she holds her hands up in mock surrender" J0on't let little Lole me keep you two rom lirtin# with the ladies" I can sit here all by mysel while watchin# you #uys make asses out o yoursel$es or entertainment"K %he two men lau#h at her" %he Captain #i$es her a chin li t be ore he 3o#s o$er to one o the blondes at the bar" )e mi#ht be pushin# his mid9 orties and di$orced with streaks o #rey at his temples, but he is still an e.tremely attracti$e man" %hose three women o$er there mi#ht be out numbered with the ei#ht #uys surroundin# them, but she'll bet her a$orite shot#un that the Captain will be takin# one o them home toni#ht" Jenna swin#s around to look at *ent standin# ne.t to her" J4hat are you waitin# or, *entI %hey're not #ettin# any youn#er o$er there" Not that they actually could #et youn#er" %hey look barely le#al now"K *ent's eyes watch her with amusement" JMaybe I want to stay here with you, !nnie" So you can tell me what other remarkable tricks you'$e #ot"K Jenna's body lushes at the innuendo" Lookin# at *ent now, she's tryin# to i#ure out how the hell she could ha$e missed the act that he's such a looker" )e seems to be in his mid to late twenties so he's a ew years older than her" )is dark9brown hair is crew cut and only enhances the stron# lines o his nose, cheeks and 3aw" )is eyes are the darkest shade o cobalt blue that she's e$er seen, but ri#ht now they seem almost molten with somethin# like lust" Not to mention, he looks 3ust as enticin# with his si. oot rame in ci$ilian clothes as he does in his standard issue black /0, S4!% uni orm" Most importantly, he smells human" %hat means he isn't a threat" + course, it doesn't matter how #or#eous the human looks, he won't be #ettin# into her panties" )ell, no one has #otten into her panties, yet" Initially it was because her amily shadowed her e$ery mo$e, and then later, because she's a raid o doin# somethin# stupid in the heat o the moment" Like accidentally breakin# a human while she's tryin# to #et her #roo$e on" %hat would be a tad awkward" So, in reality, she can admire the pretty packa#in#, but she can't un9wrap it" Jenna is hal tempted to call up the 5uinness /ook o :ecords and ask i she's the oldest li$in# $ir#in" JLet's start out with basics, *ent" My name's not !nnie, it's Jenna" +r, i you'd pre er, you can continue to call me +'Conner when we're o duty" 4hat's your irst nameIK *ent leans closer to me as I sip rom my beer" JCan't tell you that, Jenna" &ou'll 3ust ha$e to keep callin# me *ent"K JCan't or won'tIK J/oth, but I ha$e to admit that I like the way your lips smile when you say my last name" It makes me picture the other thin#s your lips could do" I think I'm becomin# kind o partial to it"K Jenna smiles around the openin# o her beer and then takes another sip" J4hy, *ent, you dis#ustin# hound do#, I do belie$e you're hittin# on me"K Now, with a small, pleasant bu;; in her head, she clunks her beer down on the table" :ock music starts to blare rom the 3ukebo. and they watch as some o the #uys rom their team are dra##ed on the dance loor by the scantily clad #irls at the bar" %he obno.ious chimes o a cell phone #o o and she obser$es, out o the corner o her eye, as *ent takes his phone rom his ront pocket and looks at the caller I0" Lookin# up at her and then eyein# her empty bottle, *ent leans o$er to whisper in her ear" )is hot breath tickles the ed#es o her earlobe and the hair surroundin# it" J4ait ri#ht here, I'll #et you another drink"K Flashin# Jenna a smolderin# smile that displays his per ect white teeth, *ent heads towards the bar as he answers his phone"

%urnin# her attention back to the dance loor, she sits there waitin# or her ne.t beer while watchin# and lau#hin# at the #uys who can shoot a weapon with deadly accuracy, but can't swin# their hips in time to the music to sa$e their li$es" !dorable, but pathetic" :eally pathetic" !s Jenna stands, subtly swin#in# her hips to the music, she catches a whi o *ent's scent #ettin# stron#er as he walks up behind her and boldly presses his chest into her back" )e sets down the beers on either side o Jenna's hands, restin# them on the table in ront o her be ore #rabbin# her hips with his hands so that he can press her body back into him urther" 0roppin# her head back to rest on his shoulder, her body heats instantly to his touch and her muddled brain is tryin# rantically to remember why this is a $ery bad idea( especially when she eels the hard len#th o him #rowin# and pressin# into the cheeks o her backside" !n ima#e o the red9haired !lpha 2uickly loats throu#h her mind" 4ith a sudden shot o cold clarity, Jenna steps away rom him and #rabs her beer bottle" Shootin# her eyes around the room, she assesses that none o their teammates saw the incident while also spyin# a pool table in the back room" %urnin# around to ace a poutin# *ent, she #estures her head towards the back" J0o you play poolIK )is mouth breaks into another smolderin# smile" J)ell, yeah" Let me show you how it's done, darlin'"K 5rabbin# her ree hand with his, he dra#s her back to the pool tables" /y the time ele$en o'clock rolls around, *ent and Jenna ha$e played se$eral #ames and are currently tied" Some o their teammates ha$e dri ted back to 3oin them at the other empty tables while steadily placin# a #rowin# bet on who will beat who in their little tournament" Now, close to the end o what will be their tiebreaker #ame, Jenna only has two striped balls le t on the table while *ent has i$e solid ones" !s she chu#s her tenth beer, or is it her twel thNit starts with a Lt' she's sureX *ent sits hal way on a barstool in ront o her" J)ow about a bet o our own, #or#eousIK Cockin# an eyebrow, she #rins" J0epends on the wa#er" 4hat do you want to play orI Fi tyI )undred bucks to the winnerIK *ent smiles like a cat lookin# at a cornered mouse" J!ctually, I wasn't thinkin# about money" I was thinkin# about a kiss"K Surprise lashes o$er her ace" J! kissI I think I'd rather the hundred bucks there, buddy boy"K J!#reed then" I you win, you #et a hundred bucks" I I win, I #et a kiss"K )oldin# her empty beer bottle or a minute, Jenna looks at the table, debatin# the odds" %here is a damn air chance she's #oin# to whip his ass at pool anyways" 4hy not sucker him or the hundred bucks to teach him a lessonI 5lancin# back at *ent with a con ident smile she tells him, J0eal"K 4alkin# to the side o the table, Jenna leans o$er and lines her shot up or the corner pocket" %his is #oin# to be the easiest hundred dollars she's e$er made" %oo bad *ent's pride is #oin# to take a hit in the process" Seconds later, a chorus o cheers erupts around them as she sinks the red striped ball into the pocket" 4alkin# to the opposite end o the table so that she now aces *ent on the ar side where he still sits on his stool, Jenna lines up a lon# shot to take the blue striped ball into the ar pocket" Just as her pool stick hits the cue ball, thou#h, Jenna eels an electric tin#le race up her back" Followin# the direction o the sensation, her widened eyes li t and look at *ent's own startled eyes" She watches in her peripheral $ision as the blue striped ball #oes wildly o the mark and misses the pocket" *ent's pupils are so dilated black that they almost encompass his entire cobalt

blue iris" +h shit" )er mama had tau#ht her that eelin# a wa$e o electric sensation throu#h the body, and a person's pupils e.pandin# like that, can only mean one thin#" *ent is a demon and he has 3ust used some kind o telekinetic power to sabota#e her shot" Cheatin# little bastard" )er heart nearly e.plodes out o her chest" )ow unlucky can one #irl #etI ! shi ter and a demon in one reakin# dayI %his is some truly scary shit)astily settin# the pool stick down, she sprints or the ront o the bar lea$in# a startled #roup o co9workers callin# a ter her" 4hat's worse, she has to pull her speed back so that she runs at what would be considered a ast human speed, instead o the preternatural one that she could easily let rip" She has to #et the hell out o here as ast as possible" /urstin# throu#h the ront door o the bar, Jenna rounds the corner and starts sprintin# to her bike in the dimly lit parkin# lot" +ne moment, blessed retreat is seconds away and the ne.t, *ent stands in ront o her bike, blockin# the way or Jenna to #et to it" )e's mo$ed at a speed that e$en her eyes couldn't track" 4ith both o his hands in the air, in an LI9mean9you9no9harm' manner, she 2uickly slams her heels into the dirt to skid to a stop 3ust a ew eet in ront o him" *ent looks as shocked as she eels" /y his body lan#ua#e, there are no si#ns that he actually means her any harm, but that does little to reassure her" JJenna, it's okay" I'm not sure what you know, or what you think you know, but I swear that I'm an upstandin# #uy and you ha$e nothin# to ear rom me, 0arlin'"K J5ood" %hen, #et out o my way, *ent, and let me lea$e"K %he electric tin#le tra$els up her spine a#ain as she simultaneously eels an in$isible nud#e at the ront part o her orehead" %his 3erk ace is tryin# to poke around in her brain- JStay out o my head, asshole-K She snarls" J&ou're not welcome there"K Jenna continues to watch *ent's startled ace be ore she catches a semi9 amiliar scent on the wind alon# with the sli#ht sounds o mo$ement at her back" %urnin# her body sli#htly to the le t, she back lips so that she is now a ew eet urther away, acin# *ent and her new unwelcome party crasher" Standin# in a de ensi$e crouch, Jenna's eyes rake o$er the red9headed, !lpha, bounty hunter rom earlier today" 8ompous little 3erk thou#ht he could sneak up on her" Jenna's body starts to tremble sli#htly with ra#e and she reali;es that she is literally 3ust seconds rom losin# it out here in the middle o a public parkin# lot" Seconds rom blowin# her secrets to hell in a hand basket" 4ouldn't that 3ust please her mother to piecesI %he !lpha stands there coolly with an e.pressionless ace, arms crossed o$er his massi$e chest" Sha##y hair blows in the wind as his eyes once a#ain try to e.press asserti$eness to her" *eepin# *ent in her peripheral, she starts to assess what her chances are o rippin# out o there on her own two eet and not #ettin# cau#ht" JJesus, Jenna- Calm down already- &ou had to pop up on her like that, !damIK So, the !lpha's name is !damI 4ell, Jenna's mind is already thinkin# o the million ways she can tell the unwelcome, but undeniably hot, !dam, to #o pound sand up *ent's ass and then his own" 4ho cares i it isn't anatomically possibleI !dam's eyes ne$er mo$e rom her own, e$en as *ent yells at both o them" )e is still tryin# to pro$e that he's the bi# bad dominant shi ter whom she should drop to her knees, be# or mercy, and o er her throat to in submission" She hopes he isn't holdin# his breath or that to happen" Instead, Jenna bares her teeth to him in a silent #rowl" )er mama hasn't raised her to bow to anyone and sheLll be damned i she starts with him" Seemin#ly intri#ued by her response, !dam inally speaks with a deep baritone

$oice that is #ra$eled, soundin# 3ust shy o him #rowlin#" J&eah, Jenna, calm down and while you're at it, why don't you tell us what you are e.actlyIK )e stands there, silently #au#in# her reaction" JI know you're not a $ampire because you were walkin# around in broad dayli#ht earlier today" &our scent hints that you're some kind o shi ter, but that doesn't 2uite make sense, either, because you apparently elt *ent here tryin# to skim your thou#hts" So would you like to enli#hten usI I ha$e to admit, I'm e.tremely curious"K )is molten amber eyes twinkle with a challen#e like this is some well9played #ame he's en3oyin#" Jenna has to wonder i he will think it's a #ame i she slams his head into the metal li#ht post 3ust a ew yards away, then kicks him in the nuts while he's down and out" %his is bad" Very, $ery bad" %o be cau#ht between two men who aren't human is a ni#htmare scenario" 1specially, since they are two di erent species o +thers" It would ha$e actually been much better or Jenna i it had been two shi ters or two demons instead o this combination" %he reason or that deduction is simple" I it had been two shi ters, then all she would ha$e to be on #uard or are physical attacks" Such as a shi ter's abnormal stren#th and speed, or them chan#in# into their animals" I she had been cau#ht between two demons, it would ha$e been the opposite" Instead o urry bodies or e.traordinary stren#th, she would ha$e been on the lookout or what their mental abilities are capable o " 0emons aren't e.actly what humans think they are" 4hen someone says Ldemon,' ri#htened little humans think about the twisted, maniacal thin#s mentioned in )oly te.ts or bein#s #lamori;ed in )ollywood mo$ies" 4ell, that is only a raction o the truth" %he bein#s that escaped rom )ell are literal monsters that scare the be3esus out o 3ust about anythin#" )owe$er, they can't sur$i$e on the sur ace" %he best they #et is a twenty9 our to se$enty9two hour $acation o /iblically e$il proportions be ore they start to disinte#rate" &ou could say there's somethin# in their #enetic makeup that can't withstand the earth's sur ace, but no one knows what it is that causes them to deteriorate awayNand rankly, no one with a sane mind wants to know because e$eryone who en3oys li$in# is better o i those thin#s ha$e to #o back to )ell, or ob$ious reasons" )owe$er, that isn't to say that they don't #et away with some scary shit while they are top9side" %hey're e$il bein#s to the bottom o their shri$eled up, black, little hearts, so you can #uess what they do while they are out" %hey #o on killin# sprees" %hey cause mass riots, sow the seeds or mayhem, start outbreaks o disease, and chortle #lee ully o$er senseless destruction" %hen there are the ones who $iolate the humans" %his isn't a thin# to worry about i you're a shi ter or a $ampire because rankly, they can hold their own" %hey ha$e enou#h claws, an#s, speed and stren#th to protect themsel$es" 8uny little humans, thou#h, especially the women, not so much" +n rare occasions these rapes result in pre#nancies" I the etus sur$i$es to birth, then the result is somethin# alto#ether une.pected" %he etus has now #one throu#h a si#ni icant e$olutional chan#e" 4hat you ha$e now is a child who looks per ectly human, but is somethin# much more" %hey don't #ain any physical traits rom their demonic daddies, 3ust #enetic ones" In act, demonic 0N! is like a $irus" From the moment an embryo orms, the demon's 0N! starts to take o$er" 1$olution is smart enou#h to lea$e one thin# unchan#ed, thou#h" %he body" In essence, what you ha$e is a demon in a per ectly ormed human body" So they walk like humans, talk like humans, eat like humans, and all their or#ans as well as their bodily unctions are human" %hey e$en ha$e souls like humans" %he chance to be unlike their paternal contributors and li$e blameless li$es illed with the #ood thin#s" So not all demons inherit the ur#es or causin# death and despair that their paternal units li$e or, but those #enetics pass on

one supremely notable thin#" %heir mental capabilities are o the charts" 1$ery demon is di erent with $aryin# ran#es on abilities or stren#th in those abilities( howe$er, all o their talents lie in the brain" Like telekinesis that can ran#e rom the ability to make a spoon le$itate a ew inches to le$itatin# a car a oot o the #round" +r, in a demon with hi#h abilities, they could li t your house ri#ht o its oundation" Jenna knows one o those demons" %hat's 3ust talkin# telekinesis" %hat's not talkin# telepathy, pyrokinesis, cryokinesis, le$itation, teleportation or whate$er the hell else they are able to do with their super brains, but back to her point: *ent is a demon" )e mi#ht ha$e 3ust #i$en himsel away on ha$in# telekinesis, but she doesn't know the kind o stren#th his ability comes to" )e mo$ed the ball on the pool table, but can he li t one o the cars in the parkin# lotI So bein# between an !lpha shi ter and a demon o unknown stren#th is beyond bad, bad news" %his is a uck9up o epic proportions on her part" %his is why her amily has ne$er, up until the time she mo$ed to 4ilmin#ton, let her out o their si#ht" /arely controllin# the ur#e to claw his eyes out, she spits out throu#h her clenched teeth, JNone o your damn business- %hat's what I am- I'm not botherin# anyone and I 3ust want to be le t alone" So take my ad$ice and do 3ust that" Lea$e" Me" !L+N1-K %he tremors in her body increase" %he ends o her in#ertips ache with the pressure o the claws underneath her skin, threatenin# to release at any moment" Jenna's beast is ho$erin# at the sur ace, be##in# to be ree" :akin# its claws on the insides o her skin, demandin# to #et out and de end itsel " !nyone who thinks she is dan#erous as a human won't know what hit them i they catch the animal ra#in# on a bad day" I she isn't care ul, her canines will start to elon#ate and sharpen at any minute" 5lancin# back and orth between *ent and the douche ba# named !dam, Jenna knows she'll ne$er #et to her bike" )er only chance is to turn around, run as ast as she can till she's out o si#ht, and then let her beast loose to race to reedom" She 3ust needs one teeny tiny distraction to #et their attention o o her or a ew seconds while she makes a break or it" Lookin# back and orth between the two men, she casts her eyes around the parkin# lot lookin# or her i.9it9all shot" %he problem is she doesn't see much in the way that can help" She can't 3ust li t a car" %hat is way too much in ormation or them to ha$e on her" Not to mention, riskin# that a passerby will see the e$ent, do somethin# stupid like stop and take pictures, and then spread the pictures on the internet" %here is nothin# close enou#h to drop on them" )ell this parkin# lot is de$oid o essentially e$erythin# e.cept $ehicles rom the street to its entrance" %here isn't e$en any trash lyin# around- Shi tin# her ri#ht oot back into her crouch, she hears the aint sounds o dirt #ratin# and crunchin# beneath her boot soles" %hat was it- Lockin# her mind onto the dirt particles surroundin# both o the men, she sho$es her own telekinetic psychic powers out rom her hands sli#htly, so that a dense dust cloud pu s up around them rom their eet to their aces" Spinnin# on her heel, she rushes o in the opposite direction to reedom" Lettin# speed 3olt throu#h her body, she lin#s hersel as ast as she can #et her le#s to mo$e down the street" *ent's shouts behind her, alon# with the !lpha's snarls, tra$elin# closer in her direction, orce Jenna to pump her le#s aster" 4hen she's sa ely in the dark between residential houses and out o si#ht she shi ts as she throws hersel o$er the ence and into the nei#hborin# backyard, lettin#

her beast take o$er" )er arms and le#s shorten, while a subtle pain thrums throu#hout her entire body as her 3aw starts to len#then out into her mu;;le" Landin# on our paws, instead o her human two, she shakes o the tatters o clothin# and pushes hersel 2uickly throu#h the residential yards as ast as her a#ile le#s will take her" %he power ul li#ht o the moon caresses the ur on her back as she races or her li e" Lettin# her instincts take o$er, Jenna mo$es throu#h silent streets towards the new house she is rentin# across town with no sounds o pursuit comin# rom behind her" !$oidin# tra ic isn't all that hard since it's so late at ni#ht, but it does slow down some o her pro#ress as she attempts to stick to shadows while headin# towards home at the ed#e o the city Jenna's beast is #rowlin# at the knowled#e that they had almost been cau#ht" !n#rier still that she plans to shi t back as soon as they reach the house so that she can throw some new clothes on and hop in her truck to head home to her mama's" )er beast wants to run ree to hunt" %aste resh blood in her mouth as she de$ours a meal o rabbit or s2uirrel" 4ell her urry little ass can 3ust #et o$er it" %hey ha$e bi##er problems to sol$e" Luckily, Jenna is supposed to ha$e the ne.t orty9ei#ht hours o anyways" So a trip home to her mama will #i$e her some much needed space to i#ure out what she needs to do ne.t and the state9protected orest behind her house or a #ood hunt" !s she crosses the space to the backyard o her place, she lets her beast sit and indul#e in the moon's li#ht or a moment" She at least deser$es this or sa$in# their asses toni#ht" )ell, who is she kiddin#I Jenna needs the 2uiet com ort o nature, too" %he wind blows #ently across her ur, caressin# her body and o erin# a small sense o calm" :aisin# her head to the sky, she lets a heartbreakin# howl rip throu#h the ni#ht air" In that moment, Jenna has to be the loneliest hal 9wol shi ter on the planet" About the Author Jessie Lane is the writin# team o Crystal Leo and Melissa 8ahl" %he two sisters9in9law share a passionate lo$e o nau#hty romance, cli han#in# suspense, and out9o 9this9world characters that demand your attention, or threaten to slap you around until you do pay attention to them" /ecause really, it is !LL about the characters" 6%heyRre kind o me#alomaniacs 9 but donRt tell them that we said that"7 %heir irst &! no$el, %he /urnin# Star, was released in May @A>@" /i# /ad /ite is their second no$el, but their irst adult paranormal romance, and was released in January @A>B" %heir third book, Secret Maneu$ers, releases on June >C, @A>B, and will be the start o a new adult contemporary romance series 61. +ps Series7" %hey are now workin# on their ne.t three no$els, 4alk +n %he Striped Side 6/i# /ad /ite Series =@7, Strippin# )er 0e enses 61. +ps Series =@7, and %he Fro;en Star 6&! Star Series =@7" 4ith these pro3ects underway, they are lookin# orward to showin# the rest o the world their cra;y stories, heroes and heroines that o ten pla#ue their minds until written, and hope you will 3oin them on their 3ourneyFor more in ormation on Jessie Lane: http:TTwww"3essielanebooks"com

http:TTwww"#oodreads"comT3essielane Follow us on Facebook: https:TTwww" acebook"comT3essie"lane Follow us on %witter: YJessieLane/ooks

Books b &essie 'ane% %he Star Series: %he /urnin# Star %he Fro;en Star 6comin# soon7 /i# /ad /ite Series: /i# /ad /ite 4alk +n %he Striped Side 6comin# soon7 1. +ps Series: Secret Maneu$ers Strippin# )er 0e enses 6comin# soon7

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