by Jaime Lewis
Trying not to think about how her body would feel if she ate that much food, she focused on Stitch. “Honestly, Stitch between work and taking care of Cody, I feel like I’m always working. I mean, on the weekends, I try to do some fun things with Cody, like going to the movies, walking the boardwalk, visiting some of the parks. Back in California, I did a lot with the other wives on base. We had girls’ nights out, scrapbook days, things like that.”
Frost listened as the two spoke. Autumn seemed very comfortable talking and being around Stitch. He told her a little about his background and about being the medic on the team. He also noticed everything that Autumn ticked off that she did with Cody didn’t cost much money or was free, and he got a funny feeling in his gut. He looked over to where Cody was playing a video game in the adjoining arcade. When Cody asked if he could play some games, he saw her hesitation at first but then dug into her purse and handed him a five-dollar bill. He wasn’t going to tell Autumn, but a few minutes ago, when he walked over to check on Cody, he slipped him another ten dollars but made him promise not to tell his mom. He had a feeling that would embarrass her if she truly didn’t have spare money to do things she and Cody would enjoy.
“You should hang out with Alex and Tenley when they do their girls’ nights out. Those two are wild. Well, now that Tenley is pregnant and can’t drink, they’ve tamped down their wildness. But don’t let it fool you. They still get in trouble. But seriously, they like to do all that women stuff on the weekends, like getting their toenails painted, shopping, shit like that. Trust me, you would have a lot of fun with them.”
From what Frost had gathered from his “dates” with Autumn, she wasn’t the type to go and hang out. She would much rather just hang with her kid. Not that it was a bad thing, but she needed to have some fun herself.
As Stitch went on and on, Frost sensed Autumn was starting to get a little uncomfortable talking about doing things and going out to various places. Again, his gut told him she didn’t have much. He decided to change the subject.
An hour later, Frost found himself walking Autumn to her car. He placed his hands on her hips and pulled her into a hug. He could smell the citrus shampoo she used. He liked it. He knew he had to let her go, but dammit, she felt good in his arms. He pulled back slightly and could see her cheeks looked a little flush. He grinned, and she smiled back at him. He leaned forward and kissed her forehead. He needed to get her into her car before he took her lips right here in the parking lot.
He opened her door, and she went to get in, but he placed his hand on her arm, stopping her.
“I’ll give you a call in a few days. Maybe you, Cody, and I can make some plans to get together again.”
“I’d like that,” she told him, her voice sounding a little husky, and he could only hope she felt what he was.
“Okay.” He couldn’t resist. She was just too damn tempting. He leaned down and kissed her cheek. “Drive safe,” he told her before shutting the door and climbing into his own vehicle to make the drive back to his and Stitch’s apartment.
Chapter Ten
Autumn was sitting in the living room, folding the last load of laundry. It was Saturday, and she had the morning to herself. She had dropped Cody off at his Sea Cadets drill meeting about an hour ago. She didn’t need to pick him up for another five hours, so she was using the alone time to get some chores done around the house, though there wasn’t really much to do since the house was small and she and Cody were good about picking up after themselves and keeping the place neat. All that needed to be done was to give the bathrooms a good scrub down, vacuum, dust, and change the bedsheets.
She picked up the laundry basket with Cody’s clothes and entered his room. One of her rules was Cody had to put his own clothes away. She set the basket down on his neatly made bed. Of course, it was made to military standards. He had sat there one Saturday making, then remaking his bed until he got it down perfect and could bounce a quarter on it.
She started toward the door when she looked down at the desk and saw the picture of Cody with Frost and the other guys on his SEAL team. She walked over and picked up the picture. She smiled, remembering how excited Cody was that day. Just meeting Frost’s teammates was an experience to watch. But she thought Cody was going to pass out when they handed him the t-shirt with the SEAL Team 2 logo on it and the hat.
Looking at Frost in the picture, she thought about their dinner last night. And she had to admit, she was beginning to have deeper feelings for him as much as she was trying to avoid it. Getting to know the real him and not the SEAL that most people know has been moving. Under all of the armor, he was just a normal guy living a normal life, and she really liked that.
His job, though, was what was holding her back. The thought that he could be deployed at a moment’s notice and not knowing where he was going seemed a little hard to handle.
She knew from experience how it felt to worry all of the time when someone you loved was deployed. It was an emotional rollercoaster. She remembered some of her late husband’s deployments earlier in their marriage. She knew where he was, but then she’d hear and see on the news there were attacks on US forces in that same area. She went through a lot of sleepless nights, lying there wondering if the next knock on the door was going to be the Chaplain and NCO coming to notify her that her husband had been killed.
She swallowed the large lump in her throat. She remembered all too well the day that knock became a reality.
It was a warm sunny California day. She had just gotten home from the grocery store and was just starting to put away the groceries when she heard the knock on the door. She opened the door, expecting to see one of her neighbors but, instead, saw the two Marines. She fell to the floor in a puddle of tears. It was the worst day of her life.
She didn’t realize she was crying until she saw a tear splash onto the picture she was holding.
The thought hit her hard. If she opened up her heart again, would she be able to handle the pain if history repeated itself?
Before she could dwell on it anymore, there was a knock at the front door. She set the picture back down and wiped her face.
She walked to the front door, wondering who it might be. She wasn’t expecting anyone; perhaps it was Mrs. Higdon from next door. But then she remembered that when she saw Mrs. Higdon last night, she mentioned she was going to be attending a show up in Richmond with a friend of hers from her sewing class.
Making sure she was attentive before opening the door, she pulled the curtain to the front window back, and as soon as she saw who was standing on her porch, she couldn’t hold back her smile. She fumbled with the chain and deadbolt in a rush to open the door. She swung the door open and leaped into his arms.
“Oh, my god! Nathan!”
◆◆◆
Nathan laughed as he squeezed her tight.
“What are you doing here? Why didn’t you call and tell me you were in town?” Autumn asked him as she took his hand and led him into the house. He already wasn’t a fan of the neighborhood she was living in. He would ask her about that later. More importantly, he wanted to know why she looked like she had been crying.
She led him to the living room, which was pretty much right inside the door. He looked around and smiled, seeing all of her and Cody’s pictures adorned through the home. She had a beautiful smile, and Cody held the features of both his mom and dad.
They sat down on the sofa. She was beaming now, and he took in the sight of her. She looked good, really good. But he could see some sadness in her eyes. She had never been good at hiding her emotions from anyone. Her eyes always gave her away. He reached out and took her hand. He could feel her shaking.
“I’ve missed you,” he told her, and she squeezed his hand.
“I’ve missed you too,” she spoke as tears started rolling down her face.
He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into him. He could tell she had lost some weight in the year he hadn’t seen her. But, overall, she looked go
od. She looked healthy.
“What’s the tears for, honey? When we’ve talked on the phone, you’ve been telling me everything was good.”
She pulled back, wiping her face, and looked up at him and smiled. “I am good, Nathan. But some days are not so good, and today just happens to be one of them. But, now that you’re here, it is starting to turn around.”
He smiled at her. “You want to talk about it?”
She wrinkled her nose up in a cute way and shook her head. “No, I’ll be fine. I’m already feeling better seeing your handsome face.”
They sat on the sofa and talked. He explained he was in town for two days for some meetings in Norfolk and thought it would be nice to surprise her and Cody and maybe take them out to dinner and catch up. He listened while she talked about work and then about Cody and what he has been up to. He was happy to hear that he’d joined the Sea Cadets. He’d heard nothing but great things about the program for kids.
He glanced down at his watch and saw it was almost 2:00 pm. He had a meeting he needed to get to. He stood up and stretched.
“I need to get going to make it to my meeting on time.”
Autumn stood as well. “Oh, okay.”
“Are you and Cody free for dinner tonight? I can swing by and pick you guys up. There is a place near-by that I heard about from some of the guys. They told me it was a must place to go to eat. Apparently, it’s off the beaten path, and mainly only locals frequent it.”
“Sure, sounds like a plan. Why don’t you just text us when you are close, and we will be ready.”
“Great, we can catch up more at dinner.” He leaned forward and kissed her cheek. He couldn’t wait to tell her about his new girlfriend, Tessa. That was going to surprise the hell out of her.
Autumn walked him out to his car. He glanced at her car parked next to his, and he cringed. He hated that damn car. He was surprised it was still even running.
“Your car holding up okay?” By the frown on her face, he knew the answer.
“Define holding up?” She asked, and his gut clenched.
“Is it safe?”
She waved her hand in the air. “It’s fine. It’s just been acting up a little, but someone is coming by to look at it.”
He didn’t like the sound of that and wanted to know who this someone was. “I hope it is someone you know and trust. There are a lot of shady mechanics out there.”
She gave him a smirk. “Of course, it is someone I know. It’s a friend of a friend.”
He looked her over and knew she was withholding information. He’d find out more about it later.
“Okay. We’ll discuss it more at dinner, along with why you are living in this complex.” She stuck her tongue out at him, and he laughed. As long as he’d known her, she always had a sassy side. She wouldn’t be Autumn Kauffman without it. It was a trait that her husband had loved about her.
◆◆◆
“No! No, no, no! He’s mine, you bitch!” Carlie shouted as she threw the pair of binoculars she was using to watch from across the street. The binoculars hit the wall putting a dent into the moldy sheetrock.
Nathan was meant to be with her. How dare he kiss her, even though it was only a kiss on the whore’s cheek, it was still intimate. She remembered Nathan’s words to her when he visited her in North Dakota a few weeks ago. He told her he was planning on coming here to see Autumn and Cody. But he also told her that they were only friends when she asked, and he was coming here just to check on them.
But from the way he smiled at Autumn and touched her, there was more there than just being friends. That meant he lied to her. Liars had to be punished. She squinted her eyes as she watched Nathan back out of the parking spot and Autumn wave to him with a big smile on her face.
“We’ll see who’s smiling, bitch, when you’re at the bottom of the ocean.”
Initially, she just planned to pay off some guy who needed some quick cash to destroy Autumn. That way, her hands stayed clean. However, those plans changed when Nathan told her he was coming here to visit Autumn and her bratty son.
Ever since her brother, Kevin, had brought Autumn home to meet their family twelve years ago, her life had been was turned upside down. She was pushed aside by both Kevin and her parents. She was tired of always hearing Autumn this and Autumn that. Autumn was the golden child, and she was tired of always being compared to her. Sure, she wasn’t the greatest kid and had her issues, but who didn’t. She knew Autumn had tried to be the nice sister-in-law, but it hurt knowing her own parents and brother could love that bitch more than her. She missed her parents, but in the back of her sick and twisted mind, she knew they got what they had coming to them.
She had convinced Kevin that she should hold onto his share of their parents’ estate and life insurance money, which made her feel empowered. Then she paid off the young girl in the VA office to “misplace” Kevin’s paperwork. What an ingenious idea that was and because of that, she was still the sole beneficiary listed on Kevin’s life insurance policy. When he was killed, she found herself four-hundred-thousand dollars richer.
Carlie picked up her backpack and pulled out a picture of her and Nathan. It was taken when her brother had first brought Nathan home to meet the family. She had fallen in love with him instantly. She knew he liked her, as well. Over the years, he’s always sent her flowers and called her. She wished he would make a move on her. She was tempted to make the first move, but she didn’t want to come across as being pushy. But then her brother had to go and get himself killed, fucking up her plans to seduce Nathan.
Of course, it was Autumn everyone was concerned about. Nathan even let her move in with him. She smiled, staring at the picture. “That’s okay, my love. I’ll forgive you.”
She took a peek out the front window of the dilapidated house she was going to be working out of for the next few weeks. She also had a room at an extended stay joint just north in Hampton Roads under an alias name. She hadn’t realized how easy it was to get fake IDs.
Autumn wasn’t going to take Nathan from her. She would eliminate her before she even had a chance. And, of course, Nathan will be so upset and distraught over her death that he would turn to her to console him.
She smiled…as she thought of all the different ways she could end Autumn’s life. She pulled out her phone and dialed her contact here in town. On the second ring, he answered.
“Yeah?”
“I have another assignment for you. Come to the abandoned house directly across from the woman’s house,” she told the guy.
She was shocked at the guy’s response. “Sorry, no can do.”
“What do you mean you can’t? I have cash, and I’ll pay you in person,” she screeched.
“I don’t care. I’m not for hire any longer.” The guy hung up.
Carlie slammed the phone down on the counter in a rage. “Fuck!” She was furious. Finding another person to do her dirty work was going to set her back on her timing. She needed to locate someone fast. She had equipment that needed to be set-up. She wanted eyes on Autumn. This was a seedy neighborhood, so she shouldn’t have a problem finding a criminal to make some quick cash.
◆◆◆
Skinny set his phone down on the table next to the chair he was sitting in. He was in the middle of a meeting with Cecil when the crazy bitch called. He almost wanted to laugh at the way she screeched when he told her he wasn’t for hire anymore. It’s not like he needed the money because Cecil paid him extremely well. He just liked the challenges that criminal activity can bring. It was an adrenalin rush for him. Since Cecil wanted the redhead, his plans had changed. Now instead of terrorizing the woman, he would be helping Cecil behind the scenes.
“Was that the woman trying to hurt Autumn?” Cecil asked as he sat behind his custom stainless-steel desk with a glass tabletop. He had an angry expression on his face.
“Yep. Said she had another assignment for me.”
“Did she say what it was?”
“No. But, I
swear the woman is crazy obsessed with your woman.” Cecil’s lips twitched up at the mention of Autumn being referred to his woman. Skinny knew the right things to say to his boss.
“Where does this woman live?”
Skinny shrugged his shoulders. “I honestly don’t know. She’s always wired the money through Western Union. But now that I think about it, she mentioned on the phone just now that she would pay me cash in person. She might be in town.”
Skinny watched as Cecil’s face went flat.
“You’ve been watching Autumn for a couple of days now. Have you noticed anyone following her?”
“No, but she has been hanging out with that guy you saw her with at the coffee shop.” Cecil tapped his fingers on the desk, and Skinny knew that was a sign that his boss was annoyed. “Do you want me to continue following her?”
“Yes, but I also want you to be on the lookout for this mystery woman who’s after Autumn. I don’t want to take any chances; if you see her, take her out. I don’t want any harm to come to my future wife.”
Skinny swallowed hard. Jesus, he’s never seen his boss this strung up. Especially over a broad. However, he knew how important this upcoming deal was for Cecil and what he needed in terms of presenting himself as a family man.
“I have some business that’s going to occupy my time for the next two or three weeks. And, unfortunately, it’s going to pull me out of town. I’m going to rely on you to keep watch on things around here while I’m gone. That includes making sure Autumn stays safe. When I return, I’ll put some pressure on her. She won’t be able to say no to me,” he grinned.
Chapter Eleven
Frost was laughing at a joke Stitch was telling the group. He, Ace, Alex, Stitch, and Irish were sitting at Bayside. Potter and Tenley were supposed to join them for dinner; however, Tenley wasn’t feeling well. She’d been having a bout of morning sickness the last few weeks since she found out she was expecting her and Potter’s first child. Well, technically, it is their second since they had adopted Alejandra. Tenley had cared for the cute little girl during the aftermath of the major earthquake that struck the northern coast of Ecuador last Christmas.