“Asher!” Eden screamed.
Dammit.
He felt her arms clutching at him. “Someone help him.”
“Eden, move out of the way.” It was Kane’s voice.
He felt ripping. Someone was cutting at his shirt and his pants.
“Jesus,” Kane said. “Raiden, I need—”
“Got it right here,” Raiden answered.
“Asher, hang on, Baby.” Eden’s voice.
“I’m fine…” Asher tried to say more, but the darkness took him.
“I’m not getting on the plane until you tell me where you took Asher.” Eden refused to go up the steps. She was the last person of the coalition to get on the small plane that was going to take them to Puerto Rico. All along, Max had been promising to give her an update. At this point, it was clear he’d lied.
“He’s going to be fine, Ms. York.”
“I demand you tell me where you took him. I demand to know how he’s doing.”
I’m not going to hit him.
I’m not going to scream.
I’m not going to cry.
“That’s classified. You can trust that he and Kane are getting the best care the US Navy can provide.”
I’m not going to hit him.
I’m not going to scream.
I’m not going to cry.
“I don’t really care, now do I? That wasn’t what I asked. Let me be clear, since you obviously are not understanding me. Where did you take him? How is he doing? What is his prognosis? When can I see him?”
“I’m not at liberty to divulge any of that information to you, Ms. York.”
“My name is Eden.”
“Ms. York, I need you to get on the plane.”
Gently, Lieutenant Max Hogan broke her grip on the handrail of the stairs. He looked over her shoulder.
I’m going to hit him.
I’m going to scream.
But I’m still not going to cry.
“Explain to me why I got to know everything about what was going on. Listen to all of the talk on the radio. Know that you’re taking Carlson into custody, but not know about Asher. Explain that to me.” By the end of her list, she was screaming.
Max put his hand on her shoulder, his face suddenly compassionate. “I truly believe from everything my men have told me, that Asher would want you to know. But I truly can’t tell you. His life—in fact, all of the team members’ lives—depend on secrecy. You’ve got to believe we’re taking care of him. Kane assured me he will make it.”
I’m not going to hit him.
I’m not going to scream.
I might cry.
Leland Hines came back down the stairs from inside the plane. “Eden, you need to get onboard. He really can’t tell you anything. Let me help you.”
She gave one last pleading look to the big man. “I’m begging you.”
“I’m sorry, I can’t,” Max said gently.
“Come with me, Eden,” Leland said as he touched her shoulder. She slowly limped up the stairs and onto the plane.
“God, you have the hardest head in the entire damn world.”
Asher winced, but he refused to bend over like his body was aching to do. Really, he shouldn’t have yelled.
“You’re the stupid ass who climbed up a muddy hill when he just got out of a hospital,” Lawson said as he continued to sit on the dilapidated sofa with his boots propped up on the handmade coffee table.
“In my opinion, Ash, that makes you the one with the hardest head.”
Asher looked around the cabin. It looked like Lawson had made himself at home. “How long have you been here?”
“Just four days. I was going to go home in two days, but I was into this book.” He held up a biography of General George C. Marshall. “It’s my final book on generals.”
That took Asher a moment to process. Maybe all wasn’t lost. Still…
Lawson set down his book and grabbed Asher’s duffel off of his shoulder. “You really are a stubborn son-of-a-bitch. What the hell were you thinking coming up here? You know I have a satellite phone. You could have gotten ahold of me. Hell, I just saw you two weeks ago, for God’s sake. If you wanted to talk to me again, you could have just asked if I was okay, or waited until I was back at Pendleton. What do you want?”
“It’s a twofer.”
Lawson helped him to the couch. Unfortunately, Asher kind of needed a little bit of help. He felt like shit.
“Okay, let’s get number one out of the way, then we can focus on number two. There’s tomato soup on the stove.”
Asher gave his brother a sideways glance. It was a step up that he wasn’t sucking down pea soup. Lawson grinned at him.
“Food first,” Asher said. “I’m starving.”
On the small little stove, Lawson managed to whip up grilled cheese sandwiches and pour out some tomato soup for both of them.
“If you were like Maman, you would have made a Croque Monsieur,” Asher teased.
“You know, if you don’t like it, I’ll eat your sandwich,” Lawson said without heat.
Asher laughed before changing gears and becoming serious. “So, how are you dealing with Xavier’s death?”
“Suicide, Ash, suicide.”
“I know.”
“How?”
Law shot up from the table.
“I fucking hate it. I don’t understand it. It makes me mad. I’m so goddamn mad at him!”
He clenched his fists.
Ash looked at his younger brother, whose pain killed him. Worried him.
“And this week?”
“I’m trying to cope. I figured some away-time, other than deep-sea fishing, might help.”
“Yep, that was a fucking bust, wasn’t it?” Asher laughed. He pushed at Law’s chair with his foot, and his brother sat back down.
Lawson rubbed the bridge of his nose. “I don’t know. This was all I had. I might be mad, but I miss him, too. I was planning on seeing you next. Been talking to Kane, knew you would be getting out of the hospital tomorrow. Figured I could bunk in your spare room and act as a nurse for a week.”
“Just how much leave do you have?”
“A fair amount.”
There was that twinkle. Ash was happy to see a Lawson smile. “At least I don’t get myself shot so I can get time off. That’s a bit extreme, Brother. Shit, you were in the hospital for almost a month.”
“Well, speaking of time off, I have a proposition for you. I want to crash a wedding. I would love to have a wingman.” Law gave him a double-take.
“Screw that, you just want more time trying to convince me to go to a shrink.”
“Like I said in the beginning, it was a twofer.”
“Are you planning to object?”
Asher picked up the dishes and put them in the sink. “Nah, I’m after one of the bridesmaids.”
“Okay, I’m in. Where is this wedding taking place?”
“Boise.”
“When?”
“In four days.”
Chapter 17
It was like watching a train wreck in slow motion.
“What did you say?” Samantha asked her maid of honor. Eden had no idea how Sam was able to keep her voice calm.
“I love him, and he loves me. Don’t tell me you didn’t know something was wrong, he’s been going out of town every other week for the last six months. Didn’t you put it together?”
Eden had been listening to the maid of honor prattle on for over five minutes about the depth of her and the groom’s love for one another. She was close to throwing up, and she couldn’t stand Sam looking so shellshocked.
“Sheri, it’s time for you to leave,” Eden said to Sam’s cousin.
“No, not until Samantha says she won’t marry Kevin.”
Eden had had enough. Not hair-pulling enough, but enough. She grabbed Sheri’s arm and pulled. “You’re outta here. Go get your man and leave.”
“But—” Sam started to say something. “No, you’re rig
ht, Eden.” She turned to the overbearing woman and tilted her head. “Sheri, tell Kevin to leave. Better yet, have him take his groomsmen and his friends and family while he’s at it.”
“Allow me to take out the trash, Sam.”
Sheri jerked her arm out of Eden’s grip. “Don’t touch me, I’m going.”
As she watched the woman’s purple-colored ass leave, she considered kicking it, but she somehow managed to stop herself. Instead, Eden slammed the hotel door behind her.
Eden went over to try to hug Samantha, but she held out her hand. “Get me my phone. I need to do something. I need to call Kevin. I need to make sure my cousin isn’t lying.” Sam bit her lip. Eden could tell she didn’t hold out much hope.
Samantha made a facetime call to Kevin.
From the side, Eden saw Kevin’s smiling face pop up. Then Sam started talking.
“We’ve got a problem. Sheri just said you’ve been having a six-month affair. She’s pregnant. I think we need to call off the wedding, don’t you?”
Kevin’s face turned red, then paled, then crumpled. The weenie had the gall to start crying. What a fucking wuss.
“I’m so sorry, Sam. I’m so, so sorry. I can’t believe she’s pregnant. We were so careful.”
Samantha cut off the phone.
Eden moved so she could look at her best friend. She went to hug her, but Sam shook her head. She gulped. “Kevin would have never confessed if I hadn’t said the pregnant part. He would have tried to bluff his way through it.” Her face turned sour. “I guess that’s what happens when you decide to marry your college sweetheart—you know their weak spots.”
Eden wanted to go snap the slimy little asshole’s neck.
Eden leaned forward to give Sam a hug, but her friend held her off. “I can’t, Eden. Once I start crying, I’m never going to stop. I’m supposed to get married in twenty minutes. What do I do? People are already here.”
“You let me take care of it,” Eden said.
“Eden?”
“Yes, honey?”
“I want my mom.”
Eden lightly touched Samantha’s shoulder. “I’ll get her. She’ll be here in just a second, I promise.”
Eden headed for the door and prayed that she would see Kevin on the way to finding Sam’s mom. The man needed a good kick.
“There’s definitely something going on,” Asher said as he turned his head to look at the back of the church.
“Yes, it’s called a wedding,” Lawson replied easily. “Quit fidgeting. I can’t believe you’re thirty-one, you’re acting like a five-year-old who needs to pee.”
“It’s supposed to start in five minutes, why isn’t the groom in place? Where’s the minister?”
“So, they’re running a few minutes late. Haven’t you ever been to a wedding where that happens?”
“No. We’re military, we’re on time.”
Lawson chuckled. “Settle down, Brother. You look great. Your woman will be here. She’ll fall into your arms, you’ll have wild monkey sex, all will be good in your world. Okay, maybe not too wild, since she’s going to have to do most of the work because of your injury.”
An elderly woman who was seated in front of them turned around and winked. Asher bit back a laugh. He really needed to calm down.
He pulled out a hymnal and studied some of the lyrics to a hymn. Then he turned around again to see what was going on.
Nothing.
Now Lawson was laughing.
Asher shut the hymnal. What the hell is going on? When are things going to start? He’d been in Boise since last night. He knew where Eden had been staying—Kane had provided that—but A.J. had assured him that she was spending time with the bride and he couldn’t intrude. This was killing him.
His head spun at the sound of the back door opening. He didn’t care that there should have been activity up at the altar and not the vestibule. He needed to see Eden! Then, as if he had willed it, there she was.
In a vivid two-toned dress that swirled in purple and green. It cut off right at the knees and showed plenty of cleavage. Eden looked gorgeous. She blew him away as she strode up the nave of the church and stopped at the front row on the bride’s side. She crouched down to talk to the woman who had to be the mother of the bride. Immediately the woman stood up, and a man stood up beside her. Eden hugged the woman, then stepped out of the way so that they could rush down the aisle.
After they left out the back door, Eden took the two steps right up to the altar, then turned around to face the guests.
“By the look on your face, I’m assuming that’s your Eden,” Lawson said ruefully. “And if she isn’t, I call dibs.”
“She’s mine, hands off.”
“Can I have your attention,” Eden called out over the whispering. “I’ve got some news. The wedding has been called off.”
“What happened?” Someone shouted from the back.
“Yeah, what happened?” Someone else asked from the middle.
It was the first moment that Eden looked flustered, but then his lioness stood up straighter and thrust back her shoulders. “You can take back all of your gifts and save them for Kevin and Sheri Alderton’s eventual baby shower.”
Stunned silence met her words. Then the whispers started.
As straight and tall as a soldier, Eden started her walk back to the vestibule. Asher got up and slid out so that when she came to his pew he was there. Her eyes widened and her step faltered, but that was her only indication of her surprise. Asher held out his arm. She took it, and they finished the walk out of the church.
He’s alive. He’s alive. He’s alive.
I’m not going to cry.
She could actually feel the heat and strength of him under her fingers. She shot surreptitious glances up to his face. He looked down at her with a heated glance.
Oh, God, this is really happening.
She was going to have a heart attack, right here in the middle of the church. Every single one of her dreams had come true.
Mr. and Mrs. Alderton were practically running to catch up with her and Asher. “Eden, what did you mean about Sheri?”
“They’re Sheri’s parents. We’ve got to speed up,” Eden hissed at him. Asher easily kept up with her as she ran to the back of the parking lot where she’d parked her rental car.
Wait a minute, he was running pretty good. He can’t be that fucking injured.
She fumbled with her clutch to get the keys out and unlock the car.
“I’ll drive,” he said as they got close to the vehicle.
“Just thank your lucky stars that I’m letting you come along,” she growled. She jabbed her finger at the passenger door.
There must have been something in her expression that got through to him, because he went to the passenger side and got in.
She pulled out of the parking lot and drove around the block into the Fred Meyer shopping center parking lot. She slammed the car into park and shut off the engine, then turned to Asher and screamed.
“How dare you just show up alive! How dare you not call me!”
He held up his hands. “Eden, let me explain.”
She raised a fist to hit him, then held back. “Where can I hit you that won’t hurt you?” she demanded to know.
“You’re pretty tough. I think anywhere you hit me will hurt.”
“Don’t try to make me laugh. I’m so damn mad at you, I’m going to scream.”
“You’ve been screaming,” he pointed out calmly.
She hit his shoulder. Not hard. If he was any kind of gentleman, he would have flinched.
“Explain,” she said as calmly as she could.
Instead, he reached for her, and fool that she was, she fell into his arms. Oh, God, he felt so good. Better than she remembered. Better than all of her dreams. Her hands slid under his suit coat, trying to touch flesh. She wanted to rip the buttons off his shirt.
“Easy,” he whispered.
“No.”
His fingers wer
e busy undoing her hairdo—bobby pins were falling on the floorboard—and soon he had his fingers tangled in the dark mass. He tilted her head and dove in for a kiss. A kiss that tasted of need, of desperation.
Eden managed not to melt. She needed him too much. She dug her fingers into his shoulders and opened her mouth, sucking his tongue inside, suckling him, doing all she could to keep him close, to prove to herself that he was real, that he was hers and not leaving.
He moved so that his hot hands cupped her cheeks. It took a long moment for her to realize that his thumbs were brushing away teardrops. She broke the kiss and looked up at him through tear-filled eyes. Dammit, I told myself I wasn’t going to cry.
“Why didn’t you call? I don’t get it. Why didn’t you call?”
“Honey, for the first couple of weeks I wasn’t in any shape to call anyone. They ended up calling my brother. Mom flew in from Belgium.”
“You could have died?” she wailed. “And I would never have known.”
“Kane and Law would have told you. Kane would have known to call.”
“But why didn’t he? I wanted to be there.”
He hugged her close to his chest. “Next time you will be, I promise.”
She shoved away from him and he gave an abbreviated groan. “There better fucking not be a next time, Sailor. And I better damn well be notified next time. What’s changed?” She demanded to know as she glared up at him. Her emotions were all over the place, she was happy and mad and so freaking thankful. She wanted to eat him up and hold him close and never let him go.
“You’re my woman. The guys know that now.”
She arched her brow. “They do? How do they know that?”
“I’m here, aren’t I?”
She thought about making it harder on him, but why? He was right where she wanted him to be. And she was in his arms, right where she wanted to be. She pulled his head down for another kiss. He shook his head.
“Hold up. Are you sharing a room with anybody? If you are, we have to check into a new one, because I’m rooming with Lawson.”
“You’re here with your brother? I want to meet him.”
Her Chosen Protector: Navy SEAL Romance (Night Storm Book 3) Page 17