Fearless

by Marlie May

  “The ushers dress in choker whites and form an arch with their swords for the bride and groom to pass underneath when they come out of the church,” I explained to Ginny.

  “Sounds fun.” She shifted forward and smiled at Flint.

  Why did my gut churn because she was being nice to Flint? Lots of people liked my friend.

  Women, especially.

  I ran my gaze down Flint, wondering what she saw outside the uniform. Dark hair cropped almost as short as mine. Bulky build, telling me Flint still worked out like he used to. Green eyes I’d once overheard an E5 say made her hot and bothered. Decent-looking dude, if I was into dudes.

  My pulse slowed. Was Ginny interested in Flint? She’d just met him. And Flint was…last I’d heard, my friend was single.

  “If you’re here on the base, you’re obviously still in the service,” Flint said to me. “You grew up around here, didn’t you?”

  “Yep.” Decent distraction, but all I could think about was Ginny and Flint together. A local guy, she could date someone like him.

  “Last I heard…” Flint spoke to me but his grin took in Ginny. “You were stationed in California.”

  “Port Hueneme.”

  Flint squinted toward the entrance where a pretty red-headed woman in a yellow dress peered our way. Maybe she was his date. Or he’d gotten married, and I hadn’t heard. The latter being the best scenario. “I wish we had more time to talk. But my sister’s waiting.”

  Sister. Wasn’t that wonderful.

  “We came in for a card,” Flint said. “And I snagged this.” He held up a bottle. “Can’t imagine a weekend without good bourbon.”

  “This is Ginny,” I said, wanting to bite back the words the second I said them. Why was I introducing her to Flint? “She’s Eli’s sister.”

  “Eli Bradley?” Flint glanced around. “He here with you? Heard he’d been injured, discharged a few months ago. Already knew he was from Crescent Cove. I’ve been meaning to call him about a job.”

  “I can give you his number,” Ginny said softly. When Flint handed over his phone, she typed it in. Her lips curled into the full smile I’d been seeking, though it wasn’t directed my way. “Nice meeting you, Flint.”

  His chipped nod was directed Ginny’s way, and I swore his eyes drifted down her body with distinct interest. “And it was nice meeting you.” He glanced toward his sister again. “I should remind Mia that Eli lives local.”

  “Mia?” I asked.

  “Don’t believe you ever met my sister as she only came out to the base a few times and you were overseas when she did.”

  “You mentioned Eli,” Ginny said with a frown. She studied Mia with interest. “Were he and Mia…”

  “Not at all. But…” Flint peered over his shoulder at his sister. “When I got out, I decided to move here to Crescent Cove to make it easier to do my Reserve duties on the base. This part of the country is gorgeous, one of the few affordable coastal locations left in Maine. Mia and I are close. She moved up here a few months ago and took a job at Express Care on Main. She’s a doctor. But I don’t believe she knows Eli’s around.”

  They must have history then.

  “Anyway.” Flint slapped my arm. “If you’ve got time over the next few days, come see me here on the base and we can talk. I’m doing my two weeks active duty.” He handed me a business card. “But I’m also…” He cut a glance at Ginny’s as if he wasn’t comfortable sharing with her. “At my new business, Viper Force, we’re working on…recreational drones.”

  Military-related business then. A man might leave the Seabees but the Navy never left the man.

  “Sounds intriguing,” I said.

  “I’d love to talk about old times.”

  Plus a few new things if I knew my friend. “Will do.”

  Flint walked away, and Ginny stared after him. “Gotta say, that’s a hot suit.”

  “Choker whites are a killer in this humidity.”

  “Not quite what I meant, but there’s that, too.”

  I squinted at Flint, who’d joined his sister. “You like the uniform?”

  She wiggled her eyebrows. “I’d have to be dead not to like that uniform.”

  Almost made me wish I’d brought formal clothing along with me.

  Ginny scanned the food in our cart. “All set, do you think?”

  “Unless you want to grab a fourth package of Oreos.”

  Her scowl rose, but her lips twitched it out of place, lightening her face.

  Got her. Finally, I was thawing the glacier she’d surrounded herself with.

  At the register, we bought two bags of ice and took them from the cooler out front. We loaded everything into my trunk and headed back to the campground. As I drove, I pressed my lip-twitching advantage. “Eli says you’ve moved home for good.” Glancing her way, I tried to sound out her expression, but read only neutral.

  “I bought a building with an apartment upstairs and a studio on the ground floor. As I said, I do photography.”

  “For more books or just the graduation stuff?”

  “For books but also portraits. Fashion. Wildlife if it holds still long enough. Weddings.” She turned her gaze out the window, effectively shutting me out again. “I’m doing a big spread for a local author and his fiancée in August. He writes highlander historical romance. He’s wearing a kilt and she’s dressing in something Scottish, too. There will be bagpipes, you name it.”

  “Sounds fun.”

  “We don’t have to keep making small talk. You’re just giving me a ride into town.”

  I pulled up to a stop sign and eased out onto Route One. Bumper-to-bumper traffic awaited us, grinding my vehicle to a halt. I tilted my head toward the window. Construction ahead, but things appeared to be moving again beyond the paving equipment. “Maybe I want to get to know you better.”

  Those beautiful eyes turned my way, delving deep. “Why?” No mistaking the break in her voice.

  If this meant nothing, I would come up with some half-ass statement. Turn this around and pretend my only goal was to make her laugh. But that would keep her at arm’s length, the last place I wanted her to be. “Because…I care.”

  She blinked and softness flitted across her face before her scowl returned. She flipped her attention back out the window. “Could’ve fooled me.”

  I inched the vehicle forward, slowly approaching the paver. “You’re talking about last night.”

  “I am.”

  “I kissed you back.”

  “Until you shoved me away.”

  The fact that I’d hurt her hit me in the chest like a sledgehammer. Not my intention at all. But, if I hurt her, it meant she cared, too. It wasn’t much, but I could work with it.

  We reached the intersection, and I turned onto the lake access road. The entrance to the campground was a half a mile down on the left, but I needed to have this out with Ginny before we arrived. “I didn’t want to shove you away.”

  “You said you were still stuck on Annie,” she muttered but kept staring out the window.

  “I’m not.” Frustration coiled in my gut. How could I get her to soften toward me?

  I pulled into the parking lot. Before I could wrangle my seat belt loose, she’d undone hers and jumped from the vehicle. I climbed out from my side and stormed around the trunk, meeting up with her at the back passenger door. Unable to help myself, I pressed her against the metal, putting my palms on the car on either side of her shoulders.

  “I lied,” I said through gritted teeth.

  Her chin jutted forward and challenge flared in her eyes. “About what, specifically?”

  “About this.” I captured her lips with the same hesitancy she’d used when she stole mine last night. Because I wouldn’t push her or make her do anything she didn’t want to do. If she shoved me away like I had her, I’d respect her wishes.

  Her hands slid around my neck, and her mouth opened beneath mine. She strained toward me.

  I tasted her with my tongue
, exploring the smokiness of coffee and the sweetness that was all Ginny. She moaned and pulled me closer, fitting me against her body.

  Damn, she felt wonderful.

  A car turned into the entrance of the parking lot, proving this wasn’t the best place to make out. With one last, lingering stroke of my tongue along hers, I lifted my head. “We need to talk.”

  She nodded. A little dazed; a fact that pleased me immensely.

  The car pulled up beside us because herd mentality ruled in a mostly empty parking lot. A family climbed out and two kids raced for the path, their parents following at a more leisurely pace.

  I backed away from Ginny. Remaining against the car, her tongue touched where my lips had recently been. Where I wanted to put them this second.

  In combat, having a strategy could make a difference between a life saved or lost. I’d need a plan for Ginny, because I was fighting for everything.

  As soon as we unloaded our purchases, we’d sit down and hash this out.

  Ginny started across the parking lot, bags in hand, and I followed.

  “I didn’t have a chance to tell you or Eli.” Her throat moved with her swallow. She entered the path, speaking to me over her shoulder. “Something happened this morning. I went swimming and…” She paused as we approached our campsite. Her gasp slipped out as she stared forward, and her bags slipped from her fingers and crashed on the ground. “What…?”

  I slammed through the thick weeds beside her then ground to a halt. Someone had trashed our campsite.

  “I don’t understand.” Ginny’s mouth opened before snapping closed. “Eli!” She rushed forward, toward her brother’s tent. But the flaps were open, and he wasn’t inside. Turning, she stared around frantically, ignoring the rubble surrounding her. “Where is he?”

  I pulled my phone to send him a text but found one from him waiting. Must’ve missed it.

  I got called into work early. Tell Ginny I’ll be back to get her and her things in the morning. And that I know she’ll be okay. She’s got you to watch out for her.

  She sure did. I read Eli’s message out loud to Ginny, who nodded before gaping at the upended totes and her clothing strewn around on the ground.

  Her eyes filled. “I don’t understand why anyone would do something like this.”

  While I might not know the reason, I had a pretty good idea who’d done it.

  Ginny’s tears sent anger roaring through me, and I clenched my teeth tight enough they hurt.

  “You want to wait in the car again?” I asked. “I’ll take a look around and come back for you.”

  Her chin quivered, but her face tightened. “I’m going to start cleaning up.”

  I dropped our bags on the table and took her hands, barely holding back the rage boiling inside me. “You sure?”

  The stiffness of her spine rivaled a Master at Arms during a vital inspection. “I’m okay.” Releasing my hands, she went back for the bags she’d dropped on the path and placed them on the table beside the others. “I can handle this.” No mistaking her dragging footsteps, however.

  The human cyclone who had rushed through our site had focused their attention on Ginny. They’d dumped her totes onto the ground and scattered her possessions but left mine and Eli’s things alone. Ginny’s tent had been slashed—with a knife was my best guess. Her mattress lay limply beside the tent, a dusky blue, deflated balloon. Her clothing had been tossed around as if someone had searched her belongings.

  Or like they’d done this in anger.

  Tom. Who’d made a threat yesterday and carried it out today.

  “Wait here.” I shot across our campsite, aiming for the path across the green. I didn’t know where I’d find the other man, but I damned sure wouldn’t stop until I did.

  “Where are you going?” Ginny yelled after me.

  “I’ll be right back.”

  My feet thudded as I charged across the grass. I darted around a couple of teenagers lying on a blanket, working on their tans. One lifted her sunglasses as I passed. A giggling toddler ran away from me when I came near, no doubt hoping I’d give chase. On any other day, sure, but not today.

  It was time to teach an asshole a lesson.

  I raced up a wide path leading to the other section of the campground and slowed only to inspect each site. Seeking Tom. I located the other man five sites down, conveniently emerging from his tent. Taking a nap after scaring Ginny half to death? Not on my watch.

  I was convinced the other man had not only trashed her things but stalked her in the woods yesterday. Who knew what the hell else he’d done that we hadn’t yet discovered? Payback would be sweet.

  My anger flaming all over again, I ran up to him, grabbed his shirt collar, and shook him.

  “What the hell?” Tom slapped my hands away and stumbled backward.

  I stalked him, fists clenched.

  Tom stopped when his back hit a tree. “What are you doing? You have no right to—”

  “I’m going to tell you one last time,” I ground out. “Leave Ginny alone.”

  Tom glanced to where two men stood on the edge of the campsite adjacent to this one, staring intently our way. Tom sneered. “You and what army?”

  No reason I couldn’t take this creep down all on my own. But I wouldn’t turn this into a three-on-one situation. I had no issues with the other men. Scowling, I lowered my voice. “Going through her site is a crappy thing to do, and you know it.”

  Tom’s stubbly chin lifted. “It’s a free country. I can go wherever I want.”

  The hell with worrying about anyone else joining in. I growled and advanced on Tom again, getting right up in his face. It pleased me to no end when he cowered and backed around the tree, putting it between us.

  “Hey, Tom,” one of the men called. “You need a hand there, buddy?”

  “Nope.” Tom grinned. He eased away from the tree and spat on the ground. “I can handle this.”

  “You just let us know,” the man said.

  A small poodle leaped into the air from where it was tied to a tree, barking shrilly at me. Tom stooped down and made soothing sounds as he patted the dog. He straightened and put himself between us as if he thought I might attack the pet.

  “I should call the police,” Tom said. “I was a cop before…my wife died. I’ve still got plenty of friends on the force who’d help me press assault charges.” He waved to the others. “I’ve got witnesses, too.”

  “Try me.”

  Tom strolled around me and over to a cooler. He pulled out a drink and popped it open, the can hissing when he flipped back the tab. After guzzling, he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. “How would an assault conviction look on your military record?”

  Tom had snooped around. If I involved the police, I would find myself in deep shit. The military frowned on soldiers starting trouble, let alone doling out their own version of the law. But I’d do it all over again—and more—to protect Ginny.

  I rubbed the back of my head that was still tender. “Seems you know more about assault than I do.”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  Sure. “Don’t come near Ginny again. Don’t talk to her. Don’t look at her. And don’t touch her things.”

  “I haven’t been near her things.”

  Like I believed him?

  Color flared on Tom’s face, and the sideways dart of his eyes shouted lie.

  “And don’t challenge me again.” My heart slamming in my chest from the confrontation, I stomped to the edge of the campsite before turned to face Tom one last time. “You won’t like the outcome.”

  13

  Ginny

  All I wanted was to do was drop down onto the picnic table bench, lay my head on my arms, and cry. Ever since Istanbul, my life had been in tatters.

  But collapsing now would let whoever did this win.

  I aimed for normal and prepared the chicken. No reason to let it sit in the sun and rot. After cleaning it and dumping in the Ca
jun seasonings, I tossed the plastic bag into the cooler with the ice we’d bought. Then I turned and with a sigh, tackled the mess someone had made of my life.

  After upending my tote, I knelt and placed my things back inside, brushing off dirt first. Nothing was badly damaged, not enough that I couldn’t still use it. With my finger, I traced a place where a rock had scratched my favorite cast iron frying pan. To think a simple scrape could make my chest squeeze tight.

  I popped the lid back onto the tote and picked up my clothing. Blinking back tears, I folded each item carefully, stacking it all on the table. I’d put the pile in Cooper’s car. Or with Eli’s things, in his tent.

  At least my laptop hadn’t been touched. I’d left it sitting on the picnic table bench, a sweatshirt casually tossed over it. While I should’ve put it inside Cooper’s trunk when we went to the base, I’d been distracted.

  Finally, I stood beside my flattened tent and deflated mattress. No making normal with these items. I cringed while dragging my sleeping bag to the side, where I shook off the dirt and draped it over the clothesline. While the creep had slashed a hole in it, it might still be salvageable after I washed it. No reason I couldn’t sew the hole closed.

  I wasn’t sure why someone coming up behind me fast didn’t scare the crap out of me. Maybe numbness had finally set in.

  “We’ll pack up and go into town,” Cooper said, dropping a comforting hand on my shoulder.

  Eyes closing briefly, I leaned back, into his warmth. “I’m staying.” The words were dragged from deep inside me.

  “Why?”

  “Because I’m sick of cowering all the time.” Hiding and flinching at every pin drop was killing me. I’d come camping to prove something to myself. To push my boundaries. Letting whoever did this chase me home could set me back weeks.

  “You’re sure?”

  Biting my lower lip, I eased away from him, nodding.

  “There’s no repairing your tent.”

  “My mom bought it for me when I was ten.” I’d been proud the first time I was able to set it up all by myself. “I’ll sleep in Eli’s.” On the floor beside his air mattress.