Once again Cullen gave him the finger. “You keep doing that Cullen and I’m going to think you’re issuing an invitation.”
“There is something just plain wrong with you, Nicholas Hale. I’m going to tell your Mama.” Cullen was breathing hard.
Nic chuckled and left Cullen behind him. He saw the walls coming up, each one higher than the next. He made a jump, then hoisted himself over the first wall. Did the same for the second. The third wall was evil; he had to jump three times before his fingers were able to grab onto the top of the wall. That’s what happened when you were only six feet tall. He scrabbled up the wall and made it over.
Close to the end, he needed to haul ass to the next obstacle.
He took less than a second to look up at the spinning monkey bars that hung over a huge mud puddle. This was going to be simple. He’d been practicing that at the gym. This should be the point he really gained on Raiden. He saw him near the end of the obstacle course, still not done.
Nic climbed the netting up to the first hanging bars and jumped for it, he caught it with one hand and it twirled. He grabbed tight with his other hand and barely held on—but he did—then using his momentum he swung and caught the next damned spinning bar. On and on it continued. He never looked at Raiden or thought about Cullen; all he did was concentrate on the task at hand. He was in the zone. Before he knew it he was at the netting on the other side.
Raiden was just beginning to run from the base of that obstacle.
I crushed it!
“Great job, Nic!” Cullen yelled.
He practically slid down the netting and did a full-speed run to try to catch up with Raiden. He knew that Raiden was faster, so Nic would have to give it his all. Maybe carrying the weights at the next part of the obstacle course would give Nic some leverage.
It started to rain. More mud to look forward to. But only a couple more obstacles.
He was right; he did gain on Raiden a little bit, but still not enough to really make a dent on the man’s lead.
Shit, at this rate, I’m still only going to come in third!
When Nic looked up he groaned. It was the ship boarding obstacle. A flimsy ladder, eight inches across and twenty feet high. You had to climb the damn thing, ring the bell, and come down. Raiden was going to nail this one. He was the most nimble of all the Night Storm team members.
Damn. Damn. Damn.
Nic did what he could, but with his size-twelve boot, he was screwed. The good news was that Cullen had the same damn problem. The bad news was that Raiden was already up the ladder and had rung the bell.
Asshole.
Raiden grinned at him as he basically slid down the ladder.
“Gotta up your game, Kid,” Raiden said as he jumped off the ladder and hauled ass toward the next obstacle.
Nic went up the next ten feet and rang the bell, then he slid down. He didn’t care about the pain in his palms, he was bound and determined to beat Raiden. He was sick and tired of being called Kid. He was twenty-fucking-four years old for fuck’s sake.
The next obstacle was partly to Raiden’s advantage and partly to Nic’s. Being the ballerina that Raiden was, he could easily tiptoe up the logs to the steel wall. The asshole also had the upper body strength to lift himself up and over, but Nic had the height advantage, so…
Suck it, Raiden!
Nic didn’t sweat as he went up the logs. His big feet kept him steady, if not fast. He easily went up and over the wall, even though it was narrow.
He raced down the log on the other side and jumped down two steps ahead of Raiden. Hell, he didn’t even see Ezio ahead. There was no chance of beating him, but still, he intended to beat Raiden with authority and leave Cullen sucking wind like the old man that he was. Hell, he was almost thirty-one!
Now it was more logs, and he was home free. He ran toward the obstacle full tilt and took a running jump. He was almost on top of the first one, then he took the momentum to rocket up to the second higher log. The third one was a Hail Mary, so he took a power jump and caught it, then hefted over and hit the ground, keeping his knees bent.
Now he could finally see Ezio. He was on the other side of the finish line, with a shit-eating grin on his face. Asshole. Nic would bet anything that he’d broken the course record.
He put his head down and ran.
Ran hard.
He saw the chalk line as he crossed it, and started to slow and circle back.
“’Bout time. What took you so long?” Ezio shouted out. “I thought you were young and healthy? Is your social life finally taking a toll?”
Nic ignored him and went over to the rucksack that held bottles of water. God, he was thirsty. He looked up as Raiden crossed the finish line, so he pulled out two more bottles. Nic chuckled when Cullen shouted out a ‘Goddammit, I didn’t even podium.’
Ezio laughed the hardest.
“I saw what you ate for dinner last night, man. There wasn’t a chance in hell that you were going to place in the top three today. Unless of course Nic here didn’t get a wink of sleep, drank a quart of whisky, and smoked three packs of Camels.”
“Fuck you, Ezio. I didn’t eat that much,” Cullen protested.
Ezio let out an easy laugh. “Samantha cooked a brisket and all the trimmings and you guys fell on it like ravening wolves. You can tell that Carys and A.J. don’t cook.”
“We would have got in trouble, except for the fact that Carys and A.J. plowed in just as much as we did,” Cullen laughed.
“I don’t get it,” Nic said. “Samantha’s cooking is great, so why did you win, Ezio?”
“I’ve been feasting on it for the last three months. I now understand moderation,” Ezio grinned. “Which apparently you do too, if you came in second. So it wasn’t a big date night for you? No staying out all night?”
Nic kept his mouth shut. He had stayed out all night, but he sure as hell wasn’t going to explain to his teammates what he had been doing; it would have been bad for his rep. Speaking of which, at this rate, he was going to be late.
Kane came over the line next, followed by Asher.
“Where’s Leo?” Zed asked. “He never comes in last. “Sorry, McNamara, but it’s you. Your brains don’t translate to the Kraken; that one fucks you up each and every time. Thank God you’re so good at brute force.”
Everyone laughed.
“The sad thing is, I practiced that damned cargo net piece of shit obstacle five times this week.” Kane threw down his empty water bottle. “That does it; I’m recreating that obstacle at my house. I’m done letting that thing own my ass.”
Nic shot Raiden an amused look.
“I saw that, Hale. Just for that, you’re stuck bringing nothing but your mother’s cooking to the next party I throw. I don’t care how much you have to beg to get her to cook, I expect blackberry cobbler at the very least.”
Shit, I’m screwed, I really need to learn how to bake.
I’m late. I hate being late.
The door opened before Nic had a chance to knock. “You’re late.”
“We had to run the obstacle course today. I’m begging you, cut me some slack,” he said as he held up his hands for mercy. The beautiful blonde smiled, then he scowled. “There’s a peephole for a reason, you know the rules.”
“Don’t be grouchy. Please.” She batted her eyelashes up at him. It was a worthy ploy, because Nic felt himself melting.
“Mimi, you need to be more cautious.”
“It’s Saturday. It’s always you.” She held out her hand so he could hold it.
“I don’t care. You’re not allowed to open the door without checking the peephole.” There had been one installed at her height for just that reason.
“You’re a poopy-head.”
“Naomi! You won’t speak to Uncle Nic that way. If you do, he’ll have to leave.”
Nic and Mimi looked up to see an older version of Mimi coming out of the kitchen with a frown. She was not happy.
“I’m sorry, Mom.”
“Am I the one who you have to apologize to? Where did you learn such awful language?”
Mimi tugged at Nic’s hand so that he would crouch down beside her wheelchair. “I’m sorry for calling you a poopy-head, Nic. You’re not. Your hair is nice.”
Laughter bubbled up inside him but he had to keep it contained or Alice would come down on him like a ton of bricks. She did not cotton to bad manners from her six-year-old daughter. Naomi ‘Mimi’ Daniels was treated just like any other girl her age…well almost. His cousin was doing a fantastic job, except for the fact that she was trying to be all things to all people and she was grinding herself into the dirt.
“I like your hair too.” Nic smiled at Mimi. “Now let me take the groceries into the kitchen. I have a project planned for today.”
He saw Alice frown. Uh-oh. Now he was going to suffer the wrath. “I had to bring groceries because it’s part of the project. We’re making blackberry cobbler.” He wouldn’t tell her he brought over extra.
“You’re going to bake?” Alice’s voice was filled with surprise.
“Don’t act so surprised. I can bake.”
Alice’s laughter filled the foyer and Mimi joined in. “Why are we laughing at Uncle Nic?”
“If you’re helping him bake tonight, you’ll see soon enough, Lovebug.” Alice kissed the top of her daughter’s head.
“Give me a break, it’s not going to be that bad,” Nic said.
“You couldn’t even peel the potatoes to Aunt Scarlett’s specifications, what are you talking about?” Alice scoffed.
“Is Auntie Scarlett coming over?” Mimi asked. Aside from her Uncle Nic, his mother was one of her favorite people.
“Not today, you’re stuck with just me.” He tweaked the little girl’s nose and she giggled. He loved her giggle. It sounded like bells.
“You know, I could teach you—” Alice started.
“Don’t even think about it. I know you have plans. Off you go, young woman. Where’s your purse? Do you have your cell phone? Is it charged this time?”
“Yeah, Mom, it better be, otherwise Uncle Nic swears, and then he feels bad,” Mimi said, looking up at her mother with a smirk.
“Great, now I have both of you ganging up on me. That’s so not fair.”
Nic looked at Alice. Really looked at her. He could see the signs of strain around her mouth, and the bruising under her eyes from lack of sleep and probably worry. He hated that. He wished he could do more, but she refused to take anything she considered a handout. She was determined to handle things on her own. Stubborn. The woman was stubborn. But at least he had convinced her to let him take care of Mimi once a week while she took time for herself. It had taken a year of coercion to make it happen, but he’d done it.
“Alice, you’re going to be late,” he said softly.
“I know, I know.” She reached up and kissed his cheek. She crouched down in front of Mimi. “You’re going to be a good girl for Uncle Nic, right?”
“Yes, Mom, I promise.”
“I love you bunches and bunches and bunches.”
Mimi threw her arms wide and Alice pulled her frail body into a hug.
“Remember to make Uncle Nic clean up after himself.” Alice grinned at Mimi.
“I will.”
Alice headed for the door, giving her child one last long look.
Damn, Nic hadn’t talked to Alice since the last time he’d been here. Had something gone wrong that he wasn’t aware of? Alice had some ’splaining to do when she got home tonight.
“You ready to bake?” he asked the little girl.
Her blonde curls bounced as she nodded. “Okay, let’s unpack the groceries. There’s more in the car that I’ll have to bring in.”
“Okay. I can help,” she gave a huge smile.
“I’m counting on it.”
“What’s that awful smell?” Alice asked as she opened the front door. Her nose twitched the same way her daughter’s had after the first burnt offering.
“Be glad you weren’t here at four o’clock. Now that it’s eleven o’clock the smell has dissipated.”
“It’s godawful. Aunt Scarlett was right never to let you in the kitchen.”
“Yeah, but I succeeded. There’s cobbler in the kitchen.”
Alice followed him into the kitchen and burst out laughing. “Honey, this is not cobbler, where’s the crust?”
“There’s some at the bottom, I swear.”
Alice hip-checked him to get to the silverware drawer and took out a fork, then she casually dipped it into his masterpiece.
“Hey, aren’t you going to get a plate or a bowl or something?” He asked as she tasted the cobbler.
“This isn’t bad. A little runny, but it tastes like cobbler.”
“Come on, it’s the third time I made cobbler, be kind,” he said as he pulled out a spoon and a bowl then headed to the freezer and grabbed a quart of vanilla ice cream.
“When did you make a cobbler before?” Alice asked as she greedily grabbed the ice cream out of his hands.
“Earlier today. This was my third attempt.”
Alice’s laugh sounded like Mimi’s, a beautiful sound. Too bad she didn’t laugh all that often.
“You baked three cobblers? Where are the other two?”
“They ended up in the trash,” Nic said as he scooped up two bowls of runny blackberry goo and smothered them in vanilla ice cream.
“That’s such a waste. Wait a minute, where did the ice cream come from?”
Before Alice sat down at the table, she went back to the refrigerator and opened the freezer.
“Dammit Nic, I told you not to buy groceries for me. That is not part of our deal.”
“My deal is that I’m a growing boy, and I need man food here when I come over to watch Mimi. You have girl food, it doesn’t work for me.”
She pulled out frozen pork chops, hamburger patties, and a rib roast. “Just how often do you intend to come over? There’s enough to feed your whole unit.”
“Team, we’re a team, not a unit,” he clarified after he swallowed his blackberry-flavored ice cream.
“Whatever.” She shoved the meat back into the freezer, then opened the fridge and growled.
“Come over to the table, your ice cream is melting.”
“Goddammit, Nic. You’re pissing me off,” she said as she stomped over to the table and flounced into the chair.
“Join the club. You’ve been pissing me off for the last year. This is not a damned handout. If the positions were reversed, you’d be doing the same damned thing. One day they probably will be reversed and I’m going to need a hand, so this is my way of buying into your good graces.”
She slid a large portion of dessert into her mouth, and Nic knew it was so she didn’t have to talk. She was definitely pissed. Well, she’d just have to suck it up. She needed the help. Things were tight for her right now, and that fuck-nut of an ex-husband still wasn’t paying child support, so Nic was going to help where he could.
“I don’t like this, Nic.”
“I know you don’t, Allie,” he said using the nickname from their childhood. “But this isn’t just about you, it’s about Mimi. You know that, I know you do.”
“She never goes without!” Alice was shocked.
“No, but her mother does, and that’s just as bad. You don’t think Mimi sees that? You don’t think your losing weight and lack of energy doesn’t affect that little girl? I know you’re banking on that promotion, and I know you, you’ll get it. But in the meantime, you need some help. Take it. Take it from Mom and Dad, too.”
He saw tears fill her eyes.
“I just thought I could handle this, you know?”
“I don’t know how. Most couples couldn’t handle this with two salaries, and two sets of hands. It’s time you let us help. You’re breaking Mom’s heart, she thinks of you as the daughter she never had.”
Alice pushed her bowl of ice cream away and crossed her arms on the table,
then rested her head on it. “You promise I’m not a failure?” she whispered.
“I promise. Shit, Alice, the only failure in this sad scenario is your deadbeat ex-husband, and as soon as he’s located, he’ll be taken care of.”
Her head jerked up and she gave him a worried look. “What are you talking about?”
“Nothing you need to concern yourself with.”
“Okay, if it’s nothing I need to concern myself with, then I won’t.” She pulled back her melted ice cream and sipped a bit from her spoon. “Let’s turn the tables for a second. How about you? I don’t see your life being all put together. Care to have a sharing circle?”
“What are you talking about? I’m fine. I have my friends, I have an active social life. Work is great. I’m getting my kid-fix with Mimi.”
“Which you don’t tell anyone about, instead you let your friends,” she said friends in air quotes, “think that you’re out gallivanting around the nights you’re babysitting for me. What’s the deal, Nic? Why are you trying to sound like more of a horndog than you actually are?”
He took his bowl back to the counter and scooped up more cobbler then grabbed more ice cream out of the freezer. “Want some?” he asked Alice.
“Nope, I want answers.”
“You and me both,” he muttered.
“Nope. That’s not going to cut it. You’re smarter than that. You make me do a deep-dive on my psychosis, so you can return the favor. What the hell is going on?”
He looked into green eyes, so like his own, and sighed. “Can I say that the whole man-whore thing has gotten old and leave it at that?”
She shot him a steady stare and he knew that she wasn’t going to let him get away with that answer either. “I still have to do better?” he chuckled. “You’re tough.”
“It’s in our DNA. I have my suspicions, I just want to see if you can get past all that SEAL training and figure out what’s going on in your heart.”
Nic held up his hands. “Hey, hey, hey. Who said anything about my heart being involved? I’m just growing up. I’m sick of transitory relationships.”
“That’s a big ole load of crap. Those were the only kind of relationships you looked for after high school. If a woman with potential showed up in your world, you ran away faster than an Olympic athlete. But if there was a woman who was only interested in your reputation as a SEAL, or your muscles, then you showed some interest.”
Her Faithful Protector: A Navy SEAL Romance (Night Storm Book 6) Page 2