Wounded Courage (Lucky Thirteen)

by S. M. Butler

  I thought I’d been pretty good about keeping what happened between Addy and me under wraps. Kissing her was probably the worst thing I’d ever done, because I couldn’t get enough of her. Her taste intoxicated me, drugged me to the edge of desire where common sense evaporated.

  Even sitting there, watching the back of her head and seeing the curve of her hips as she ate, spelled torture. She was not just my teammate’s sister. She was the key to unraveling the Giroux family and finally bringing them down. The thing was… I wasn’t sure she knew it yet.

  Just then she turned, and looked straight at me. I glanced for Chris, but he was busy talking to Bonham. She smiled, saucy and evil. I didn’t know what that meant, or why she did it, but she turned back around, facing her back to me.

  Oh, I was in trouble. This girl would be the death of me before too long.

  ~*~*~

  Addison

  Murphy’s eyes on me were like twin lasers, burning holes into my shoulders. But I wasn’t going to look at him. I wasn’t going to give hint hat satisfaction. I had turned a moment ago, bravado taking over for the moment to smile and show him that he wasn’t bothering me, when in fact, I was dying to touch him, feel him. A kiss wasn’t enough, not when I wanted to devour him.

  Chris set down two plastic trays of food. Chicken and rice, with green beans and corn. Apparently, three years was enough time to forget that I hated green beans. I straightened my back as Chris sat down across from me and started eating.

  “Chris?”

  “Yeah?”

  “Have you spoken to Mom and Dad?” I didn’t know why I was bringing up our parents. I hadn’t spoken to them in months. There simply wasn’t enough time when I was running all over the globe trying to save Alex’s life from his family. But being here with Chris, I realized that I’d isolated myself, for a man I didn’t know as well as I knew my family.

  “About you?”

  “At all?”

  “Sure. I mean,” he paused, tapping his fork on the tray as he considered his words. “I have to be careful about what I tell them, and they’ve had to be careful about what they tell other people. I can’t tell them everything.” He cleared his throat. “They miss you.”

  “They don’t miss me.” I let out a shuddering breath. “I’m sure they’re glad I’m out of their hair now.”

  “You don’t believe that,” he said, almost in a questioning manner.

  “It’s okay, Chris. I know I’m a screw up.”

  “Mom and Dad don’t think you’re a screw up.”

  “You do,” I blurted before I realized it.

  The frown on his face deepened. He set down the fork in his hand. “Is that what you think?”

  I shrugged, unable to voice an answer.

  “Addy, Mom and Dad are worried about you because you haven’t even talked to them in months. And… they found out you withdrew from school, so naturally, they’re a little anxious about you.”

  “I couldn’t face them, you know,” I finally said. “They’ve always… I mean you…” What was it that I wanted to say? How did I explain this?

  “What about me?”

  “Nothing,” I replied. “It wasn’t safe to call them, so I didn’t.” Lies. But I couldn’t help myself anymore. Lies begot lies, and they were just rolling off my tongue now. I hadn’t called because secretly, I didn’t want to disappoint them again. I was already not my parents’ favorite child, and this would just make it worse.

  “It’s safe now,” Chris said.

  I blinked and met my brother’s gaze. Was he saying that I could call them now? What would I say, though? How could I talk to them knowing that I’d done everything wrong? I shook my head and stabbed my fork into the chicken. “No.”

  “Come on, Addison, they’d love to hear from you.”

  “No.”

  “It’s only going to get worse if you don’t talk to them.”

  “I’m not calling them.”

  He sighed. “Why?”

  Because I was a big fat failure. Why else?

  “Trust me on this, Addison. The longer you go without talking to them, the harder it will get to pick up the phone again.”

  I swallowed hard, fighting back the tears that dared to spring forward. “Know that from experience, do you?” It was a cheap shot, but it took two people to get out of contact. Mom and Dad tried, but Chris? I hadn’t heard jack from him in years.

  “Yes,” he whispered. “We used to be really close, Addison. We dropped the ball.”

  “We’re different people, Chris. We’ve both changed.”

  “You know I will do all that I can for you. I’ll keep you safe.”

  Keep me safe. That’s what Murphy had promised me too. Protection. But so far, all I felt was hurt. I didn’t reply to him, because I didn’t have anything to say. Between Chris and Murphy and my parents and Alex’s death, my whole life was in tatters. The longer I stayed, the more confused and tired I became.

  Addison

  One Day Later…

  It was time. I’d been patient about not being able to leave, but I needed to get out. Pretty soon, Giroux’s enemies would get tired of waiting for me to surface, and they’d come after me here. That they hadn’t yet was a monument to their patience.

  I leaned closer toward the mirror. My lips’ swelling had all but vanished. Only a small cut remained. My cheek had gone down significantly too. I still had the scratch from where that jerk’s ring had hit me. My leg wasn’t hurting as much these days, but it was getting all kinds of rest. I mean, I hadn’t done anything strenuous beyond physical therapy with Gabe, unless one counted walking to the chow hall as strenuous.

  I wished I had makeup here. I could have applied some to hide the bruising. We’d reached the ugly brownish-yellow stage, and it wasn’t pretty. But when they’d brought my clothes here, they hadn’t grabbed any of my makeup. I supposed they hadn’t thought of it. They were boys, after all.

  I hadn’t seen the sun in days. The team came and went as they pleased, and I was stuck there. If my brother was hard to deal with, Murphy was impossible. He did whatever he could to avoid me. It didn’t really surprise me, honestly. He’d never been interested in having me around before, but I missed him.

  I stepped back from the mirror and sat on the bed. The palpable hate these men had for Alex… or for any Giroux really… I’d always thought of him as a good man. What we’d been trying to accomplish was a good thing. It was important. It would have meant a new life. It would have meant that I had finally done something amazing. But instead… I was alone.

  It had been weeks since Alex’s death. Simon Giroux would know what Alex had done by now. He’d be looking for me. There was no government facility he couldn’t breach, but Simon was a patient man. He’d wait for me to come to him. But his enemies? That was a different story.

  Chris stuck his head inside the ajar door, rapping his knuckles against the door frame. “Hey.”

  “Come in. Just need a minute.”

  “You okay?” He asked, coming in into the room. His brow pinched together, concern emanating from him. This made it so hard to be angry at him and his team for keeping me here. He was genuinely concerned for me. He thought he was doing the right thing by me. I couldn’t fault that.

  “I’m okay.”

  “Liar.”

  Nothing like being called out by your brother.

  “Okay… No, I’m not okay, Chris. Is that what you want to hear?” Irritation bled into my voice.

  I think, in some ways, having my brother—who still knew me way too well—made it worse for me. I was having to lie not only to my family, but to the military. But there was nothing that the military could do for me. I’d already made my bed. Everything was in motion now.

  “Of course not, Addy. This is a tough situation.”

  “Not for you,” I told him, watching him flinch. He covered it well. “If you wanted to, you could walk out that door to the sunshine, and keep on going. If I did that, I’d be tackled by
Special Forces within ten feet.”

  “This isn’t forever.”

  “You keep saying that, but I don’t see it ending any time soon. I have intimate knowledge of your operation now. I know all about you guys. I know names. I know faces. You can’t afford to have me out there.” The silent way Chris’s lips pursed together confirmed what I’d already known. “It’s true, isn’t it. Collins never meant for me to leave here. Or if he did, it would be to deliver me to some deep, dark prison for the rest of my life.”

  “You don’t know that. He’s just being cautious. Our entire mission is at risk right now.”

  I’d been going about this all wrong. It wasn’t that I needed to leave this place. Well, I did, but it was more than that. Alex was gone. He’d fed vital Giroux info to their enemies to weaken their hold on him. But what if I could do the same thing? I was in a unique position, one that they couldn’t refuse if they knew about it. Maybe I could earn my own freedom, or at least, get real protection from them, instead of them protecting other people from me.

  “Chris…” I covered my mouth, the idea just coming in full force, all at once, like a waterfall and not stopping.

  “What? What’s wrong?”

  I put my hand on his arm, fisting his sleeve. “Can you take me somewhere?”

  “Where?”

  “A storage unit.”

  “What?”

  “I’ll tell you but later. It’s important.” Chris looked unconvinced, and doubtful. I wasn’t about to give up all my cards just yet. I didn’t trust the master chief, but now I had cards to bet with. And if I could get free… “Please, Chris?”

  “Okay. I can’t promise anything, but I’ll put the request in. It would help if I knew what we were going for.”

  I bit my lip. Could I tell him the truth? How much was good enough without giving away my hand?

  “Well, I can’t explain it. Not yet. Alex and I had a storage place that we didn’t tell any of his men or his family about. It was for us, for when he was free. My stuff is all in there, and some really important things that Alex wanted hidden from everyone. And money.”

  Chris stared at me, dumbfounded. Maybe he really did see me as his dumb twin sister. “Why didn’t you say anything about this earlier?”

  “Because I don’t trust anyone, Chris. I thought that was fairly obvious.”

  “Fuck it all, Addy. You’re putting me in one hell of a position.”

  “Me?” I scoffed. “Puh-lease. You guys are the ones that won’t let me leave.”

  “For your safety!”

  “Bullshit. You guys are keeping me here so you can watch me. I lived with the Giroux family for over a year. I know them all… intimately. Personally. And I’m sitting here, trying to hand over information to you, and all I’m getting is suspicion.”

  “Fine!” He took a breath, and in a lower voice added, “I’ll talk to Master Chief. See if we can’t get a few guys to go with you.”

  “No. No guys. Just you. Or Murphy. No one else. And I need computer access.”

  “Why?”

  “Because I don’t trust anyone else. I said this already. For all you know, there’s a leak on your team.”

  Chris’s disbelief slid off his face, replaced by anger. “We’re not going to have this conversation. I would lay my life down for any of these guys. Every fucking one of them. There’s no way any of them would be a traitor.”

  “I know,” I nodded. “You believe in them. You trust them. That’s awesome. I just wish that certainty would extend to me.”

  Regret replaced the anger this time. “Addy, I didn’t mean—”

  “It’s okay. I get it. We haven’t seen each other since you graduated boot camp and then you find me cavorting with your enemy. It’s understandable that you don’t trust me.”

  He shook his head, but no words came out of his mouth. I knew I’d put him on the spot, and maybe I’d done it so he’d feel just a little guilty for putting his boys above his sister. That made me feel like shit, too. I was manipulating my brother to get what I wanted.

  “Chris, I—”

  “I said, I will talk to Master Chief. We’ll see what we can do.” Just like that, the cool, calm SEAL demeanor I’d come to expect from the guys came crashing down. He turned on his heel and left the room.

  I fingered the necklace around my neck. I was sure that I’d hurt him. And even though my brother always bounced back fast, I knew things were changing, and once we opened that storage unit, his opinion of me would change forever.

  ~*~*~

  Murphy

  Hardy and I sat across from Master Chief Collins who, by the irritated look on his face, probably was wishing he was back in Coronado by now. He steepled his fingers together and sighed, low and exasperated.

  “What’s in this storage unit?”

  “She didn’t say much,” Hardy replied. “She doesn’t want anyone else except me or Murph to go.”

  “I don’t know that this is a good plan. I think I’d rather send her back to San Diego where the professionals can talk to her.”

  “Master Chief, she’s my sister, and I’d rather handle this in-house, if you know what I mean.” Hardy’s voice was even, but I knew him well enough that he was getting desperate, especially when Addison kept springing new secrets on us.

  “I understand that, son. I’d feel better if I knew what was in there.”

  “She just said what was in there was important, and that there was money there, for her and Alex.”

  “Interesting.” Master Chief shuffled some papers around on his desk, or the steel table currently masquerading as a desk. “We got some interesting intel from Miss Long yesterday… about Addison Hardy.”

  Neither Chris nor I said anything, but the mere mention of Addison’s name in the same sentence as the NSA liaison we partnered with sent chills down my spine.

  “Seems… she’s a very rich woman right now. Rich enough to be a target for pretty much every criminal element in the world. And maybe some legit ones too.”

  “I don’t understand.” Hardy managed out.

  “The reading of Alex Giroux’s will happened this week. Seems that Addison Hardy has inherited every single penny, every business, every single little enterprise that Alex Giroux had his grubby fingers in upon his death.” He cleared his throat. “I’d lay odds this is why she’s so anxious to leave us.”

  “My sister? You’re saying my sister is the heiress to the Giroux family fortune?”

  “Well, a big part of it. With Marie and Rene Giroux dead, their part of the family business was split between their surviving brothers, Alex and Jean. Neither Marie or Rene had a will on file, or at least not one that could be found… and I have my theories about that one… but Alex did.”

  “Shit. So the Giroux family fortune is currently split between Simon and his remaining son, Jean…” Hardy’s voice trailed off, but the blood was beginning to pound in my ears.

  “And your sister,” Master Chief confirmed.

  “Alex’s money went straight to Addison when he died.” I breathed. Holy shit. Did Addison know? Was that why she was so fired up to get out?

  “You see why I’m not anxious to let her go?”

  “Yeah,” I replied absently. “If she doesn’t know, she’s a walking target.”

  “And if she does, then there must have been a reason for it… some kind of plan…” Hardy said. He didn’t look happy.

  Master Chief nodded. “I’d lay good odds she knows and thinks staying here will make her a target. I don’t think she’d be wrong either. So… I’m going to have to leave this in your court. Get me answers in the next week, or I’m not going to be able to stop the lieutenant from ordering her detainment.” He paused. “I don’t mean that as a threat, boys. It’s a fact.”

  “I understand, Master Chief.” I tamped down the protective urge that surged up from the depths of my gut. I could never let them take Addison away like that. From the look on Hardy’s face, he agreed with me, which meant we
needed a real plan.

  Our boss stood up, gathering up his files. “I’m going to go turn in for the night. See you two bright and early in the morning.”

  “Master Chief, what about the storage unit?” I asked.

  “Mr. Murphy, you do what you feel is necessary.”

  He ushered us out of his office and shut the door behind him. With each step he took down the corridor, the dread in my belly grew. We were running out of time.

  Hardy turned to me. “I don’t know about you, Murphy, but I think he just gave us the go-ahead.”

  ‘What? How do you figure? He didn’t say yes.”

  “He didn’t say no, either.” Hardy flashed me a grin. “She’s been here for weeks fighting us and now she’s giving us answers. I think that we need to follow up on her, give her a chance to be straight with us.” He sighed and looked away. “I wish I’d kept in touch with her. I feel like I don’t even know her. And this would be easier on her then.”

  “The last mission demanded radio silence. Even Battles couldn’t contact his wife.”

  “I know. It still sucks.”

  “Yeah,” I agreed. It was plain torture seeing her here after all that time, and knowing that I’d missed the bus, and knowing that she’d moved on with the worst scum of the world when all I would have had to do years ago was take her into my arms, kiss the daylight out of her, and she would have been mine.

  “Let’s take her in the morning, after the briefing.” Hardy said. He frowned and paused. “I mean, if it’s cool.”

  Like I would deny him, even if I was in positional authority. I nodded. “It’s cool, man.”

  Hardy nodded. “Okay. I’m going to head back. You could come hang out with me and Addy.”

  Yeah. Because that was a fantastic idea. I shook my head. “I’m good. Tired. Going to head to bed.”

  “All right,” Hardy waved. “Later.”

  Going to bed wasn’t exactly on my To Do list. I watched Hardy disappear down the corridor and leaned against the cool metal wall. There had to be a better way out of this than letting Collins and Nelson take Addison away. I couldn’t let that happen, no matter how well trained and disciplined I was. Addison was worth so much more than a room in a military prison.