by Susan Stoker
Gumby forced himself to walk out of the kitchen. He heard her following. The next half hour was spent giving her a tour of his beach house and mentally cataloguing all the things she suggested. Basically, he was going to need to speed up the timetable on the renovation of his house. The last thing he wanted was for Hannah to get electrocuted because of stray wires, or to fall through the floorboards. He could shove a lot of the extra crap lying around into the guest room to deal with later, but after hearing Sidney’s suggestions, he realized they were doable, and he could give Hannah a safe place to live.
When they were finished with the tour, he asked, “Want to sit outside on the deck?” He hoped like hell she’d say yes. Now that the tour was over, she could leave, but he wanted her to stay.
“Sure.”
He held open the sliding glass door for her and gestured to the chair he usually sat in. She sat, and he settled himself in the not-as-comfortable chair next to her.
“This is amazing,” Sidney said after a long moment of comfortable silence.
“It’s why I bought the place. You should’ve seen it before I started fixing it up. It was a piece of shit. But I knew this view made the house.”
“It does,” she agreed.
Gumby took a sip of his water and stared out at the ocean. The property was tucked between rows of bigger, more expensive houses. Every house had a wooden walkway that led from its back deck down to the beach itself. There was about sixty yards of sand between the house and the ocean. They were located in a protected cove, so they never had any serious waves. At the moment, there were several families out on the sand, enjoying the late-afternoon sun.
“Is this a private beach?” Sidney asked.
“No. But it’s hard to find and to get to,” Gumby told her. “So it’s rare that we get a lot of outsiders.”
“Nice.”
“Can you swim?”
She turned to him and smiled. “You could say that.”
He crooked an eyebrow.
“I played water polo in high school.”
“Ah. So not only can you swim, but you can beat the crap out of someone else in the process,” Gumby teased.
Her smile grew. “Exactly. What about you? I’m assuming you swim since you own a house right on the beach.”
It was that moment that Gumby realized how little he’d told Sidney about himself. “Yeah, Sid. I can swim.”
She studied him, then asked, “Why do I sense there’s more than you’re saying?”
Deciding to just tell her and get it out of the way, Gumby said, “I’m a Navy SEAL.”
Her eyes widened comically. “Seriously?”
“Yup.”
“Well, shit.”
That didn’t sound good. “Does it bother you?” he asked.
She turned her head back to the beach and bit her lip.
“I love what I do,” he told her quietly. “I work with the greatest group of men you’ll ever meet. I’m sent on missions frequently, but it’s rare that we’re deployed for months at a time. This is my home base, and that makes me luckier than a lot of other military men and women. I know being with someone in the navy is tough, but I have a lot of role models who’ve proven that relationships can work.” Gumby knew it was presumptuous of him to even be talking about a relationship with her at this point, but he couldn’t stop the words from spilling out.
Sidney sighed and looked back over at him. “You’re a good man.”
He didn’t answer, simply waited for her to continue. To get whatever it was that was going through her mind off her chest.
“Do you have family?” she asked.
“Yeah. My mom died about ten years ago, but my dad remarried a great woman. They live in Montana. I also have an older brother. He’s married and lives in Illinois. I don’t see him as often as I’d like to, but we’re still good friends.”
Sidney nodded as if she’d expected that answer.
“What about you?”
She took a deep breath, and then looked him dead in the eyes as she said, “My little brother is Brian James Hale.”
Gumby’s mouth fell open in shock at hearing the name.
“Yeah,” Sidney said sadly. “I’m related to a serial killer.”
Chapter Four
Sidney looked away from Decker, unable to stand the shock she saw on his face any longer. She’d been so excited—and nervous—to come to his house today. She was well aware that looking over his house to make sure it would be safe for Hannah was just an excuse. She felt the same connection that Decker mentioned. She wanted to get to know him better.
But she knew that getting to know him would mean telling him about her family. She refused to keep that part of her a secret from anyone she might want to date. The last thing she wanted was for him to find out later, when things were more serious, and dump her. It had already happened once.
So, after they’d toured his adorable house and sat on his porch, she’d known this was coming. She’d always found it was better to just be straight about her brother.
She heard his chair scrape along the deck and winced, assuming he was getting up to kick her out.
But to her shock, she felt him take hold of her hand.
Her head turned and she saw that he’d moved his chair closer to hers.
His brown eyes were focused on her face, and she couldn’t look away. She held her breath, scared of what he was going to say.
“That has to be really tough.”
Sidney blinked. People tended to react in one of two ways to hearing she was the sister of one of the most brutal serial killers the US had ever known. They either recoiled in horror, or they were almost too interested in hearing as many details as they could get out of her.
But no one—literally not one person—had ever reacted like Decker. Seeming to be more concerned about her than wanting to hear more about Brian.
She nodded, unable to speak if her life had depended on it.
“No wonder you’re as amazing as you are.”
Now that was a strange thing to say. Sidney was skeptical. “Why would you say that?”
“Because it’s true,” Decker said calmly. “I imagine growing up with him wasn’t easy.”
Sidney closed her eyes. He had no idea how “not easy” it had been.
The guilt that never went away threatened to overcome her. It had been a constant companion since she was a little girl. It didn’t matter that she hadn’t been the one to hurt others; it was there all the same.
Hating the way the guilt made her feel as if she were carrying around the world’s biggest weight on her shoulders, Sidney tried to come up with a way to explain how she felt. How Brian’s actions had scarred her for life. How, even if she were financially able to talk to a psychologist about her childhood and everything that had happened, she’d most likely always feel that guilt. Why she did stupid shit…
Like try to fight a man three times her size to save a dog like Hannah.
But Decker spoke before she could articulate any of her thoughts. “Men like Brian James Hale don’t wake up one day and decide to start killing people. I imagine there’s something wired wrong in their brains and, over many, many years, it festers and manifests itself a little at a time.”
Sidney found herself nodding. She opened her eyes and stared at Decker. “It was hell,” she whispered.
He scooted closer, and she had the urge to bury her face in his chest like a little kid. But she simply sat where she was, frozen. Both his hands gripped one of hers, and she held on to him as if he were a lifeline.
“I won’t pretend to understand what you’ve been through, but I know one thing for certain—you’re even stronger than I thought you were. Thank you for being honest with me.”
She wasn’t strong. She was so messed up inside, some days she wondered how she was able to function in normal, everyday life.
She pushed that aside. “Why aren’t you freaking out? Why aren’t you thanking me for looking over your house and
kicking me out as fast as you can?”
“Are you a serial killer?” he asked evenly.
She shook her head.
“Then why would I kick you out? You aren’t your brother, even if you carry some of the same DNA. You know more about renovating this house than I do. I’d be an idiot to kick you out when I need you. I don’t know a hell of a lot about dogs and need your help there too. And besides all that, I like you. I’m attracted to you. I want to get to know you better. I want to watch you swim…I’ll even race you.” He grinned. “I want to find out what TV shows and books you like. I want to know what your favorite foods are, and if you prefer foam pillows or feather. Are you a bed hog or blanket stealer, are you a morning or night person?”
Sidney couldn’t believe how he was reacting. It was like he didn’t even care who her brother was.
Everyone cared.
“You aren’t getting it. You have a loving family. You probably grew up without a care in the world. We come from very different worlds, Decker. I haven’t talked to my parents since they decided to support my brother. I still don’t understand how they could go to his trial and sit there day in and day out, hearing and seeing the evidence of what he’d done, and not disown him completely.”
“He’s their son,” Decker said sympathetically. “I bet it was harder for them than you think.”
“And I’m their daughter,” she returned immediately. “They chose him over me.”
“Explain.”
Sidney was startled by the intensity of that one word. Without hesitation, she did as ordered. “I told them I was scared of Brian. Over and over, I tried to get them to understand something was wrong with him, but they didn’t listen to me. Didn’t care. After he’d been arrested, I told them I was going to testify against him. Tell the jury the things he’d done while growing up. They told me if I turned against my brother, that they’d never speak to me again. I did anyway. And they’ve completely disowned me.”
Decker moved then. Got to his knees in front of her and put his hands on her face. Without thought, Sidney grabbed hold of his wrists. They stared into each other’s eyes as he spoke.
“It’s their loss,” he said earnestly. “If they were too stupid to be thankful that their daughter was safe and unharmed, they don’t deserve to have you in their lives. I don’t know your history, but I’m assuming you moved out here to California without any support. You found a place to live, got a job, made friends, and are doing your damnedest to save animals who can’t save themselves. That’s fucking amazing.”
Sidney couldn’t do anything but stare at him and soak in his words. He didn’t understand the motivation behind her need to rescue the animals, but at the moment, she didn’t have the energy to explain it.
“Yeah, I had a good childhood. I admit it. But I don’t give a shit that we had different upbringings. As far as I’m concerned, that makes us even more compatible, not less. We know what we want—me because I had it, and you because you didn’t. You heard me say I was a SEAL, right?”
She nodded.
“I’m a mean son of a bitch,” he told her. “I’ve killed people. Done it without remorse. I’ll continue to do it. Some might say that makes me no better than your brother.”
Sidney immediately shook her head. “It’s not the same.”
“I. Don’t. Care. About. Your. Brother,” he enunciated slowly. “No—that’s a lie. I care about how he’s hurt you. I care about how he’s shaped your life. And when you’re ready to talk about it, I’m here. If you never want to talk about him, that’s okay too. But please know that I’m serious when I say he has nothing to do with the two of us.”
“People will talk,” Sidney warned.
“Let them,” Decker said immediately. “But if they dare say something to your face, I’m gonna shut that shit down.”
Sidney couldn’t stop the tears from forming.
“Don’t cry,” Decker pleaded. “Not over him.” He wiped away the tears that fell down her cheeks.
“I’m not. I just…I don’t understand why you’re so adamant about protecting and supporting me.”
“You will.”
Sidney didn’t understand his answer, either, but didn’t get the chance to ask him to explain because the ringing of his doorbell sounded loudly from the house.
“Shit,” Decker swore. He didn’t make a move to get up.
“Are you going to get that?”
“No,” he said.
But seconds later, the doorbell pealed again. This time, whoever was pushing the button was doing so impatiently and obnoxiously.
He sighed.
“I’m okay,” Sidney told him.
“Don’t move,” he ordered as he climbed to his feet.
“I won’t.”
“I’ll be right back. You want anything from the kitchen?”
“Are you gonna whip up a four-course meal in that disaster of a kitchen between now and when you come back from seeing what the person at your door wants?” she asked.
The smile that crossed his face was beautiful.
Sidney wasn’t usually a morose person. She tried to look on the positive side of things, even when that was extremely difficult. She’d had her boohoo moment, but was ready to move on. Luckily, Decker seemed to understand.
“You have no idea what I’m capable of,” he teased right back.
He leaned over, and Sidney stiffened in both anticipation and shock that he was going to kiss her. But instead of touching his lips to hers—as she was embarrassed to admit she was hoping for—his lips brushed her forehead, and then he stepped toward the sliding glass door and went into his house without another word.
Sidney swore she could feel her skin tingling where he’d kissed her. It was silly. But she couldn’t deny that she liked Decker. A lot.
Seconds later, she heard a commotion in the house and looked through the glass door to see a group of five men standing in Decker’s living room. They were all tall and bearded. They had a menacing air about them that didn’t exactly give her warm fuzzies.
She could hear Decker arguing with them, but not exactly what was being said. It was obvious he wasn’t happy with the men.
She stood and headed for the door, not sure what she was going to do to help him if things got ugly, but there was no chance in hell she was going to just sit on her ass outside.
As she opened the door, she heard the tail end of what was obviously a tense conversation.
“…not cool, guys.”
“Come on, Gumby, we’re curious.”
“You’ve never, in all the time we’ve known you, talked about a woman with such enthusiasm.”
“Yeah, and it’s not like you were gonna introduce us anytime soon.”
“Right, because I don’t want you yahoos to scare her away,” Decker said.
“We wouldn’t— Oh…hi.”
The man who was talking saw her before he could finish his sentence.
Decker immediately turned and walked over to her. He backed her up until they were once again outside on the deck. He slammed the sliding door shut and took her shoulders in his hands.
“Is everything okay? Do I need to call the cops?” she asked nervously.
Surprisingly, he chuckled. “I wish. But no. You have a choice.”
Sidney leaned over and looked behind Decker into the house. All five men were staring at them, smiling, as if they were extremely amused about something. She supposed they were all good-looking in their own rights. The matching beards were an interesting touch. She’d gone from not thinking twice about men with beards to being surrounded by them.
Two of the men lifted their hands and waved at her.
She looked back up at Decker. “Yeah?”
“Those yahoos are my SEAL teammates. I told them about you and Hannah this morning at PT, and stupidly mentioned that you were coming over this afternoon to help me dog-proof my house. They’ve taken it upon themselves to come over to meet you.”
She blinked i
n surprise. “Why?”
Decker sighed, and she swore she saw a sheen of pink appear on his cheekbones. “Because I might’ve told them a few too many times how amazing you were and how much I liked you.”
“But you didn’t even know me. Hell, you still don’t know me!”
“I haven’t talked about a woman in a very long time. So the mere fact that I was going on about you made them realize you’re different. Important. Not to mention, Rocco and Ace know how much I’ve wanted to get a dog. And hearing how you were involved in me unofficially adopting Hannah, how you saved her, made them even more determined to meet you.”
“Oh.”
“So…your choice. I can distract them while you sneak around the side of the house and escape. Or the two of us can leave them here and go for a walk on the beach and hope they get bored and leave. Or we can go back in there and assuage their curiosity in the hopes that they’ll leave sooner rather than later. But I have to warn you, if we go back in there, they’ll probably want to chat like a bunch of women, and I’ll most likely have to order something so they don’t start standing in front of my fridge, gazing inside longingly in the hopes something will magically appear that they can eat.”
She giggled, and Decker visibly relaxed.
“I know this isn’t ideal,” he said. “We were having a pretty intense conversation and their interruption wasn’t timely.”
“It’s okay. I was disgusting myself with how morose I was getting.”
Decker’s lips quirked upward, but he didn’t quite smile. “You’re always allowed to feel exactly how you feel,” he told her seriously.
“Thanks. I think I’ll take door number three.”
“How’d I know you were going to choose that option?” he asked, more to himself than her. Then louder, he said, “If at any time they make you uncomfortable, just let me know and I’ll kick them out.”
“Okay.”
“They’re a little…um…rough around the edges,” he warned.