I can see him get on the treadmill and crank it up, doing the normal Superman Chief speed, while I grab a medicine ball to do some lunges across the length of the garage and back, about one hundred times.
As the weather man talks about how it’s going to be close to ninety-five today, Chad turns to me as I make the spin to go back, lunging down with the ball held up above my head and moving down in front of me as I stand straight, switching legs.
“So you and Ellie seem to be getting’ close,” he says with a raised eyebrow, smiling when I give him a short laugh.
“You can say that,” I smile, turning back again and speeding up my pace a little. We stay silent for a couple minutes and I finish my set of lunges as he turns the treadmill to a cool down pace. I’m sweating like a pig and rip off my shirt, pressing the button near the ceiling to open the garage door and let in some fresh air.
‘Close’ isn’t even breaking the surface as to how I feel about Ellie. I’ve never felt like this about anyone and it scares me more than a little. Chad clears his throat loudly and I know he wants me to elaborate. It’s more like Rhea is bugging him and I know Ellie doesn’t spill that easy so Chad is her one source of info.
“Okay man,” I sigh taking the pull up bar and whipping out twenty quick ones. “I think I love her. No, no. I know I love her.” I’m holding myself up on the pull up bar as he turns to face me from the bench press, a wide smile on his scruffy face and I could kick myself right now. I shouldn’t have opened my big mouth because I’m going to pay for it now.
“I fuckin’ knew it,” he shouts, pumping his fist in the air and I throw one of the water bottles at him hitting him square in the side of the head. “Hey, watch yourself kid,” he warns chucking the bottle back at me as he laughs some more. He’s doing a little dance as I come up and sit down on the bench and he loads the weights on for me.
“It wasn’t too long ago that we were all makin’ fun of you for bein’ head over heels ol’ man,” I remind him and he flips me off, sliding the last weight onto the bar.
Gripping the bar I pull it free and test the weight, holding it straight above my chest. As he spots me, Chad still has the shit eating grin on his face and I shake my head trying not to lose count.
“Don’t open your fuckin’ mouth to anyone,” I growl, bringing the bar down to my chest and back up again seeing the flicker of mischief in my friends’ eyes. “Not Rhea. Not Reno. Not anyone, got me Chief?”
“Yeah, yeah,” he rolls his eyes rubbing his hand through the short facial hair that is growing back from his last shave and I shove the bar right up near his face, making him jump back and stare down at me. “Okay Timmons. Not a word.”
“Good,” I say focusing back on my reps and finishing out when my arms feel like Jell-O. Sitting and taking the water bottle he offers me, I watch Chad as he walks over to the open door leaning out with his arms stretched up above him.
“If you break her heart,” he turns, his voice and demeanor cold and serious. The killer Chief I served with on SEAL Team Ten in full force. “You break her heart and I’ll break your body.” His blue eyes cast a truthful shadow over me and I nod, knowing full well that every word he says is true. He will hunt me down and make me pay, but I have no intention of being on that end of Chief’s anger any day soon.
“You don’t have to worry Chief,” I assure him and he nods, coming back over to shove me off the bench and take my spot.
As I stand and finish my water bottle I take in the calm of the dead end street Chad lives on. The hot temperature is settling a haze like fog over the houses and as I move my gaze past Reno’s, down the street, I see a patrol car parked in a driveway. It’s not a local car though, the colors are all wrong but I can’t see the side, it’s facing up the street to see approaching cars.
“Chad? Who lives at that house down there?” I look over my shoulder and point to show him where I’m meaning, watching him squint and nod.
“Ol’ man Pullman use to live there, but now he’s in a home.” He comes to stand next to me as I keep staring. I can swear that it’s a Trooper car sitting down there but I can’t be sure from here. The haze makes it so that I can’t even see the stop sign at the end of the street. If I had my rifle and scope I’d be able to tell what kind of car, the license plate, the drivers’ eye color and how many miles are on the car with the dashboard display.
“Why do you think there’s a cop sittin’ in the driveway?” A little ounce of fear trickles in thinking that it’s Ellie’s ex, Jake, sitting there waiting for her to come running by and my muscles tense at the idea.
“I have no idea,” he says, scratching his chin as I peek at him. His wheels are turning I can tell and I can’t help but let a wicked smile creep onto my face. He turns to me and says, “Wanna find out?”
“Hell yeah,” I laugh.
In the matter of minutes we have our plan worked out and just like a well-oiled two man team we split off, Chad jogging calmly down the street as I sneak off to my left, over his mom’s front lawn and behind the next house.
I skirt from back yard to back yard, tracking Chad as he makes his way at a very slow pace down the street towards the car. The haze gets thicker as we get closer, giving me a perfect cover that as a sniper I would have prayed for on a mission.
Getting into the backyard of the targeted house, I can hear Chief cough loudly, the signal to be ready and I crouch behind a blooming hydrangea bush, peeking through the widespread branches. Waiting, watching; ready to spring into action to kick someone’s ass.
~~~~~~
Chad
Approaching the car, I cough, signaling to Bobby. I can’t see him through the haze so that means our little cop friend can’t either and that’s a good thing. Wouldn’t want him running away before we get to have a little fun.
Sure enough, it’s a Virginia State Trooper car and as I round the trunk I can see there is only one occupant, sitting in the driver’s seat with his feet up on the dash of the passenger side. I bang on the back door, scaring the shit out of him and he jumps. I come up to the window, tapping my knuckles on the glass.
“Mornin’,” I yell, trying to act out of breath. The man has short dark hair so I know it’s not Ellie’s ex. From pictures and stories Rhea has shared, I know the bastard has blonde hair and he likes to keep it longer like I use to. I miss that hair.
The guy looks pissed and slowly rolls down the window. “Why the hell did you sneak up on me like that?” he yells, a red slightly creeping into his face as he looks me over. I’m about twice his build and could break his neck in a second, but he doesn’t need to know that. “I coulda shot you.”
“Ha, was just stoppin’ in to say hello,” I smile trying to play it off like I’m being a friendly neighbor and good citizen and the guy nods, shifting in his seat so I can see his name plate.
Walden. I’ll file that away for later.
“Are you lookin’ for someone?” I get back on topic, still jogging in place and looking around as if I’m trying to see what he’s waiting for. Looking back into the patrol car I can see that he’s been here for a while; the empty coffee cups and food wrappers covering the passenger seat giving him away.
“Speeders,” he says sharply and it’s a stupid lie. It’s a dead end street and no one ever speeds down it, they know better. Sure we get the occasional drunk idiot who is showing off, squealing their tires and revving their engines but the street isn’t that long to get up any real speed. But I just nod my head and keep jogging in place.
“Ah, well I was just goin’ on my mornin’ run and thought I’d say hello,” I nod acting like I’m going to turn away and keep running down the street into the haze, hesitating only when I hear noise coming from Bobby’s position. I see him jogging towards us through the fog and turn to the Trooper whose face is paling by the second.
Ah, so he knows who Bobby is. Bingo.
He was watching and waiting for Ellie to come back through. The dumbass was probably sleeping the first time she we
nt through. He straightens in his seat as Bobby saddles up beside me, nodding to him as if they were already acquainted. The kid is smooth, I’ll give him that.
“Alright well my friend and I are gonna get goin’. Have a good day,” I smile and give him a wave as Bobby issues a weak, mocking salute matching my stride as we turn away. Yards away we laugh to each other hearing the cruiser crank to life.
“He knows who you are,” I say nodding towards the car as it roars by, barely stopping at the stop sign before squealing its tires and taking off, heading out of town.
“Yeah and now he’s runnin’ away with his tail between his legs,” Bobby smiles an evil little grin as we come to a halt at the end of the road, watching the tail lights disappear into the fog.
Bobby’s cocky attitude has been known to get him in trouble, it has with me several times, and I just shake my head, slapping him on the back. Trooper Walden is running, but probably to go report to Jake and no doubt throwing wood on the fire, which could be bad for us. Not to mention bad for Ellie.
Turning back towards home we keep quiet till the garage when Bobby says “Do you think we should go look for Ellie?”
Looking at the clock above my tool bench I shake my head. “It’s only eight, she’ll be back soon.” He nods but I see him take out his phone and set it on the bench where he can see the screen from the floor.
Getting down on my knees beside him I punch him in the arm. “Now let’s get our workout over with so we can go eat some breakfast with my wife and son.”
He laughs and leans forward, taking the lead in our sets of pushups. I try and push the idea away, but I have this feeling that this isn’t the last we’ll see of Trooper Walden or his partner Jake. Probably not the last by far.
That’s okay. Let them bring it. I’m more than ready to see some action.
~~~~~~
Ellie
Taking my run into town today I’ve said hello to a lot more people than normal, waving and smiling as I pass the morning crowd on the sidewalk going to and fro from the post office and diner. But the peaceful feeling of my run has been plagued. I’ve been bothered by this feeling that someone is watching me.
It started when I turned off of Rhea’s road, but there weren’t any cars on the pavement. Even now as I come upon Muncy’s pub, waving to Brad and Garth as they take a delivery, I feel this weird feeling and I quickly look over my shoulder seeing nothing out of the ordinary.
“You’re losin’ it girl,” I mumble to myself over the Halestorm song coming through my ear-buds. I must be going crazy because there is no one following me; it’s just silly to think so.
I’m just all stressed out over the situation between me and Bobby. We’ve been getting closer and closer, and I’ve almost told him I love him more than a handful of times but haven’t gotten the words from my lips. I need to tell him my secrets before I tell him I love him. He needs to know who he’s getting involved with.
I need to tell him that I was pregnant when I ran away from Jake and that I subsequently decided to terminate the pregnancy. He needs to know that I was and sometimes still am that afraid of Jake. He would have had total control over me and that child, turning our lives into hell. I just couldn’t live with doing that to an innocent child and some will ask how I can live with myself knowing I killed an innocent child. It’s a double edged sword and I’m still trying to deal with it myself.
Passing Muncy’s Pub I hear Garth whistle his normal call and wave again over my shoulder, taking a deep breath in and knowing my other secret I need to tell Bobby involves those two men. My night in Virginia Beach is something that I can’t take back, I can’t undo, and I need to own up to it if I’m to have a relationship with Bobby which I’m hoping is the direction we’re headed.
I’m still worried that I can’t be what Bobby needs but I’m determined to give him all of me, to be what I can for him and hopefully it will be enough. I can’t help but let my eyes close for a second as I think of his lips on mine or grazing across my neck. My eyes pop open as a horn honks and I’m almost in the middle of the street.
“Sorry Miss Paula,” I yell, waving to the elderly lady in her 1980 Cadillac as I get back onto the sidewalk. She flips me off and goes roaring on towards the Legion, no doubt meeting her knitting group.
Taking a second and leaning my hip on a bench, I look around me. The quiet little town is sitting in a haze of muggy fog with its early risers mingling around. Trying to catch my breath from being scared half to death by that car horn; I shuffle my iPod to Jason Aldean and step back out onto the street lifting my eyes and freezing.
A Virginia State Police car is sitting just on the edge of the fog, sidled up next to the hardware store. My heart picks up its pace and a tingling wave of fear starts to roll through my arms. I don’t want to be afraid but flashes of what use to be my life run through my mind just seeing the insignia displayed prominently on the side of that Crown Vic.
Getting back onto the sidewalk I try and act calm, making my way towards a side alley to skirt unnoticed out of the town center when a phantom pain strikes my jaw, causing me to flinch. My hand rubs the exact spot where Jake had struck me with the butt of his gun one night after drinking, taking his poker loss out on me while I screamed and begged for him to stop. Pausing for only a second by the alley, I look straight across the street at the patrol car wishing I could see if there indeed was an occupant.
“I don’t want to be afraid anymore,” I say quietly to myself turning and running down the alley without turning back around. “I’m not the weak little thing that I use to be and I never will be that woman again.”
My pace is faster getting home than when I left, maybe from the fear and maybe from just wanting to see Bobby, but as I reach the front steps I feel like I might pass out and I plop down on the middle step ripping my ear-buds out. This lingering fear has a hold on my heart.
“Are you okay Ell,” I spin around as Rhea’s voice finds me. She’s standing at the door with Charlie on her hip, still in his pajamas and a slightly frightened look on her face. I nod because I’m still out of breath and the look slowly disappears as she joins me, letting the screen door slam behind her.
“Your run lasted longer than usual,” she says sitting down beside me and putting her son square on her lap as he sucks his thumb, still not ready to be awake. Leaning back I pull the tank up and over my head, basically peeling it from my sticky skin, and use it to wipe my face. I close my eyes and lean my face up, trying to cool off in this humid morning.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” she asks again and I turn my face to her, my hair flopping out of its ponytail and sticking to my face as my cousin’s stormy blue-grey eyes wash over me.
“I’m fine Rhea,” I say giving her a smile and reaching out to Charlie and tickling his side, getting him to giggle slightly and grip onto her chest tighter trying to be shy. “I almost got hit by a boat of a Cadillac, but I’m okay.”
“Miss Paula?” she shakes her head as I nod and she laughs lightly. “That woman needs to have her license revoked or she’s gonna kill someone.” We both laugh at that one because it’s true and I give my face a wipe one more time, desperately needing a shower to feel clean after this humid start to my day.
“Is breakfast ready?” I ask taking Charlie from her and he wraps his legs and arms around me, snuggling his face into my neck like he always does.
“Is that all I am?” she throws her hands up in the air while getting up and following me as I hold the door for her. “Yes master, breakfast is ready master. Is there anything else you need master?” she jokes, rolling her eyes at me as I flap my fingers around her face mocking her.
“I need another cup of coffee,” is yelled from the living room and as we pass the hall closet I can see Chad with his coffee cup held high in the air. He’s sitting on the floor, attentively killing aliens in Halo with Bobby sitting to his right playing along.
“I’ll give him a cup of fuckin’ coffee,” she grumbles to me, making me
laugh and stalks across the carpet yanking the cup from his hands and storming into the kitchen. Bobby looks back and winks at me just as Rhea returns, still acting like she’s mad and she shoves the cup back into Chad’s hand turning back and leaving without a word but I know she’s laughing to herself right now.
“I love you honey,” Chad yells, taking a sip of his coffee and making a loud lip smacking sound, setting the cup down on the table. “She’s great isn’t she?” he says obnoxiously to Bobby and I hear Rhea snort in laughter from the kitchen. These two are a hoot.
“Chad, you want me to put Charlie in his play pen?” I kiss the little boy on his forehead and put him down in the toy strewn pen as Chad nods. He smiles and gives me a little pudgy finger wave, his new thing, and I wave back blowing him a kiss.
Ducking into Bobby’s room to grab some clean clothes, I almost run face first into his chest as I come back out into the living room. He has to catch me around the tops of my arms so that I don’t fall backwards and his hazel eyes smile down on me.
“Where ya headed sweetheart?” he says softly, leaning down and kissing my lips sweetly and it makes my heart race. I almost forget what I was about to do.
“Shower,” is all I say and it comes out as a whisper. Looking up at him I see a mischievous grin fill his face as he winks at me. “What are you smiling about?” I ask but in the blink of an eye I’m swept off my feet and on his shoulder, his hand finding my butt and smacking it loudly.
“We’re gonna shower,” he says and I see Chad shaking his head at us.
I ask him for help but he just makes a motion towards the screen, acting like he can’t leave his game but I’m not dumb. I can see he’s still waiting to join in and I flip him off as we round the corner into the kitchen heading for the hall bathroom near the basement stairs.
I Never Asked You To Save Me: Book 3 The Wakefield Romance Series Page 14