Then I didn’t either. I tugged her back into my arms, wrapping myself around her as best I could. Holding her tightly. And fuck, did it feel good to have her body pressed against mine. To know she looked to me to comfort her in such a scary moment.
“I’ve got you, Anabeth. Nothing’s going to happen with me here.” I turned to Gage, not letting go of her. “You get ahold of Alder?”
Gage stared back at me with a hard expression on his face. “Roger that. He’s four minutes out.”
A man could make it pretty far in four minutes, but there was no way I was leaving Anabeth alone while Gage and I went hunting in the woods. That was a fool’s mission—something inexperienced fucks would do. We weren’t inexperienced.
“How about you turn the lights off on this level?” I said. “We don’t want anyone to have an advantage on us.”
Gage disappeared without a word, flicking off lights as he went stomping through the house. I stayed with Anabeth secure in my hold. Unable to let her go. Not wanting to either.
“I don’t understand what’s happening,” she said, her forehead resting against my chest and her hands clutching my wet shirt.
“My guess is the Soul Suckers came out here to see what was going on, and someone spotted you. Maybe decided to get a closer look.” I squeezed her tighter when she stiffened. “Don’t worry. We’ll take care of them.”
“But…how? And why would they be out on the ridge? I can’t imagine Miss did anything to them.”
I didn’t know how to tell her about the meth lab on her property, so I was pretty fucking thankful when headlights danced across the wall. Gage slipped into place beside the window, moving the curtain just enough to see out to the driveway. “Alder’s here.”
Time to get back to work.
I squeezed Anabeth one last time, then let her go. She shivered and wrapped her arms around herself, so I wrapped my towel around her and gave her a quick kiss on the forehead.
“Told you I’d make you cold.”
She shot me one hell of a beautiful half smile. “Worth it.”
Yeah, it was.
Shaking my head, trying to clear it of thoughts of what else would be worth it right about then, I headed to open the front door. My brother hurried in a moment later, his gun drawn, Camden right behind him.
Camden looked like hell.
“You look like shit on toast, man,” Gage said, apparently reading my mind.
“Have a twenty-year relationship with someone and then deal with their murder, jackass. We’ll see who looks better. Until then, shut the fuck up.”
The entire room went still and silent. I glanced at Alder, letting him figure out how to handle this new, uncharacteristically angry Camden.
Luckily, my brother didn’t have any hesitancy about handling shit. “Knock it off, Cam. We’re a team, so fucking act like it. Now, we need one man in the house with Anabeth, the rest in the woods.” He held my gaze, giving me the option. Letting me know it would be okay if I decided to hang back. But I wanted to get my hands dirty, wanted to wring the neck of the man who’d scared my girl. Wanted it badly enough to trust her safety to a friend.
“Camden stays. I’m hunting.”
“Done, then.” Alder pulled a pair of night vision goggles from inside his coat. “Let’s suit up.”
“Wait,” Anabeth said as I pulled my own goggles over my head. “You can’t go out there. What if he has a gun?”
I shrugged. “Mine’s bigger.”
“This isn’t funny.” Her voice rose, and she looked close to panicking again. “You can’t go out there. You’re a marketing executive.”
I…had no idea what the fuck one had to do with the other. Gage seemed to, though.
“He’s also a retired Navy SEAL, as am I. Alder was Special Forces, and Camden was a Marine. Some jackass playing Peeping Tom isn’t going to get the jump on us, so why don’t you sit back and let us handle this, Legs. We need a little fun now and again.”
Anabeth recoiled. “Did he just call me Legs?”
“Yeah, but they really are great legs. It had to be said.” I ignored my asshole best friend and grabbed her hand, smiling when she gave me an exasperated look. “We’ve got this. It’ll be okay.”
She leaned closer and lowered her voice. “I’d never realized you wanted to join the military.”
Of course she hadn’t, because it hadn’t crossed my mind until she’d left me. The fact that we’d lost so many years together—that we didn’t know each other’s lives as well as we once had—slammed into me with those words. Might as well start to right that particular ship. “I hadn’t ever really thought about it, but after…”
I couldn’t finish my sentence, couldn’t mention that I’d joined right after she’d left me. Right after I’d hunted her down in Vegas, only to find her living in some cheap-ass apartment off the Strip with an older man. Right after Alder had come to pick me up and cart my sorry ass home, bitching the entire time about all the shit he should have been doing with his unit instead of dealing with me and my broken heart. His words had stuck with me, his sense of duty to others making an impression.
And Anabeth knew none of that. “When did you join?”
“Bishop, let’s go.” Gage pounded on the doorjamb, waiting for me. Alder stood at his side watching me. Waiting.
Shit.
I looked back to Anabeth, not having the time to make up a lie. Not wanting to either. “I came back from Vegas—from looking for you—on a Wednesday. I was at the recruiter’s office that Monday.”
A look of pain flashed across her face, the force of which nearly knocked me over. But I had shit to do—things that took priority over rehashing decisions I couldn’t change. Decisions I was actually proud of, even if they’d started off because of what she’d done.
“It’s not a bad thing,” I said quietly, cupping her face and running my thumb along her lips. “We can talk about it later, okay? First, I have to take care of this guy for you.”
I let her go and turned to leave, but she dove for me. Grabbed me by the shoulders and bounced on the balls of her feet. Crashed her lips to mine and stole one hell of a good, long kiss before finally letting me go.
“Be careful.”
I wanted to tell her that—to be careful with those kisses. With that curvy body of hers and the way she pressed herself against me. But if the way she eyed me as she took a step backward was any indication, she knew exactly what she was doing to me. And hopefully, she’d do it again when we didn’t have company.
Chapter Nine
Anabeth
I paced. What else could I do? Bishop had gone out into the woods, into the dark, to hunt down whoever had been watching me through the window. True, he had much more training for such things than I’d ever thought possible, but still…he was likely putting himself in danger for me.
And honestly, the fact that he’d joined the Navy after I’d left him—become a SEAL. That was hard to reconcile with the younger Bishop I’d fallen in love with. I knew Alder had become a Green Beret during the last year Bishop and I’d been together, but I’d never known exactly what those soldiers did. A SEAL? Everyone knew the sort of stuff they did. That job was so dangerous. And sexy. My god, was it sexy.
“Can you stop pacing, please?” Camden said, looking like the biggest grump in the world. Not at all how I remembered him, though I figured that was to be expected. Leah had been alive then and wasn’t anymore. I couldn’t even imagine the pain he had to be feeling at her loss.
“Sorry.” I fidgeted for a few more minutes, staring out at the darkness on the other side of the window. Waiting. Forever waiting. “Want to pull a card or two?”
Camden frowned. “What?”
“Cards.” I grabbed my tarot deck from the bookshelf. “Tarot cards. Reading them soothes me.”
He shrugged one shoulder. “Whatever.”
I shuffled the cards, focusing on Camden and letting the energy pass between us before holding out the deck to him. “Th
ink of the present, of right now, and pick one card.”
Camden looked doubtful, but he did as I asked. At least, the picking part. “It’s a witch.”
I frowned as he turned the card. “It’s a hermit, not a witch. She indicates a time of isolation and loneliness, of pulling away from others.”
He grunted, staring at the card in his hand. “Looks like a witch to me.”
Okay, then. “This time, think about your future when you pull a card. About things to come.”
He looked at me as if I was crazy but pulled a card anyway. “People waving.”
“Four of Wands. A card symbolizing a homecoming, a new start. That’s a lovely one. Pull another.”
This time, he almost seemed wary. Nervous. Afraid to touch the deck, but he pushed past all that and grabbed a single card, handing it to me before he even looked. On the card face, two children stood outside what looked like a home. One sniffed a bouquet of flowers while the other looked up at what was presumably their sibling. It was a good card, a happy one.
Unless your wife had just been murdered or you’d lost something else as precious along the way in life.
My voice sounded weak as I said, “Six of Cups.”
“What’s it mean?”
I bit my lip, unsure how to word this. How to give him hope without drowning him in the inevitable guilt of the meaning behind it.
“A new start.” I turned the card so he could see. “The smaller child represents the past while the taller one represents the future. Together, they indicate happy reunions with past friends or lovers.” I pointed to a figure in the background. “See the man walking away? That’s your worries leaving you to be locked away for storage. Never forgotten, just…put somewhere they can’t hurt you anymore.”
“What else?” His words came out as a growl, his eyes hardening and his body stiff. There was no backing out, though. No way to lie to him.
“The house symbolizes security and comfort, but the garden is barren, see? That’s a nod to the lost times of the past. Moments never to be had again. But overall, it’s a happy card. One filled with hope.”
Camden stared at the card for a long minute, darting his eyes back and forth as he absorbed every detail. And then he handed it back.
“Bullshit. I’ve seen the crap you pull in Vegas—you’re only giving me that new start line because you already know about Leah.”
“Camden, I’m not—”
“Drop it, red. There is no hope for me.”
Before I could even think of a reply, Gage opened the front door and stormed inside with Alder on his heels. The dog, too.
“Everything okay in here?” Alder asked, looking between Camden and me. I shrugged, shrinking under the glare Gage sent me. The man scared me to no end, and I had a feeling he didn’t like me. I just didn’t know why.
“Find anything?” Camden stood and headed for Alder. If I hadn’t known better, I’d have said he was interested in the mission the other men had completed. But I did know—I knew exactly how to keep people from seeing your pain and trying to dig down deep. To keep them from attempting to get to the bottom of it.
For some hurts, there was no bottom to the ache, and for some people, distraction came as easily as a question and an interested expression.
“Nothing but footprints. Someone was definitely out there.” Alder looked my way. “I’m going to need you to move out of this house and come stay with one of us.”
Statement dropped. No question. No option. No choice. Screw that.
“No. This is Miss’ house, and I want to stay here.”
Bishop slipped in behind his brother, looking so very dangerous with his hair soaked and his dark goggles on top of his head. “We’ll handle it.”
Alder looked from me to him before nodding. “If you think that’s best.”
“Wait,” I said. “If what’s best? How are you handling it?”
Bishop glared, something mean and dark in his eyes. Something not directed at me. “You can’t be alone. There was a man in your woods—on your fucking porch—watching you. We’ve already suffered a loss because of these assholes. Either you move in to town with us, or we move in to this house with you. Take your pick, but those are your only choices.”
And there it was—that Kennard bossiness. Still, the idea of moving was simply too reprehensible to consider. “Fine. I stay.”
“Then Gage and I move in.”
“Make it happen,” Alder said. “And make sure she has all our contact numbers, just in case.”
Bishop nodded, shooting me a heated look before following Alder and Camden out the door. Leaving me with Gage. And his dog.
“I need some tea,” I said, unbalanced after all the fear and the new information and the time spent with Camden. I probably needed something stronger, but I didn’t drink.
“Mind making me a cup?”
I blinked, taken by surprise. “Sure. I’d be happy to.”
Gage followed me around the kitchen, silent and stealthy. Predator-like. I could practically feel his eyes on me, sense his hungry gaze. I didn’t like it.
My hands shook as I pulled my tea box out. “Green tea okay?”
“Whatever.” Yeah, he wasn’t a tea drinker, which meant he had another reason for hanging with me in the kitchen.
I set the kettle to boil and opened my tea box, fiddling with the bags and lining them up just so. Taking up time until I had to turn around and face the man behind me. Thankfully, Bishop rushed in at that moment and broke the tension.
“Hey,” he said as he hurried over. He didn’t give me the opportunity to do much more than smile before he grabbed me and yanked me into another huge, wet hug. One that felt so good, I almost wanted to cry. My god, had I ever missed him. Missed this.
“Are you all right?” I asked, so glad he’d made it back to me in one piece.
“I should be asking you that.” He pulled back and ran a finger down my cheek, his brow furrowed. “Are you okay with this?”
I shrugged, unsure.
His worried look softened, and he tugged me again. Dragging me to him with a small smile on his face. “I just want you safe, Firefly.”
Every wall I’d ever built crumbled. He used to call me that, back before I left. Back before I’d ruined everything. He’d called me Firefly, and hearing that word from his lips again melted my heart in ways nothing else could have.
I stepped into his body, wrapping my arms around his waist and letting him hold me. Allowing myself to relax against him and remember—truly remember. Not just the big moments or the happy times, but all of it. The arguing, the exploring, the good times, and the bad. The moments that tested us and taught us. The ones that consumed us. First times and last and everything in between. I remembered, and I craved. I knew I couldn’t get that back, but my god, did I want to try.
I didn’t leave his hold until the kettle whistled, drawing my attention away from my first and only love. I turned to shut off the flame and caught Gage’s glare. Hard and deadly. He stared at me as if I was the enemy, the villain in his story. Or maybe in Bishop’s.
“I need to run to my house to grab some supplies,” Bishop said, heading toward the table where Gage sat. “Want me to grab your jump bag?”
“Yeah. And your extra phone charger. I lost my last one and haven’t replaced it yet.”
“What’s a jump bag?” I asked, setting the tea to steep.
“A bag we keep packed and at the ready for moments like this. Otherwise, we’d either both have to leave, or I’d have to dig through Gage’s underwear drawer. And that’s a nightmare I don’t intend to live out.” Bishop laughed and smacked Gage on the arm before heading for the door. “Eyes up, man.”
“I’ve got this.” Gage watched his friend leave before turning back to me. The smile there, the warmth he’d shown Bishop, disappeared in a heartbeat, leaving me with a wild animal filled with some sort of rage.
I needed to find firmer footing with him. “How old is your dog?”
His words…hurt. Hitting home in a way I had no doubt he’d intended.
“You’re a good man for taking care of him,” I said, my voice rougher than I would have liked. Softer too. Gage simply stared back, his eyes flat. Waiting for me to make a mistake. Until he couldn’t wait anymore, it seemed.
“Bishop never mentioned you.”
I blinked, nodding as I looked down at my mug. “I’m not really surprised by that.”
But I was, and he knew it.
“I am. You see, when a man doesn’t give a shit, he talks like it’s his job. Words come easy, stories have a way of telling themselves, and bullshit smooths over the rough edges. But when they care—when they feel deeply about something—they keep their fucking mouths shut.”
Oh god. This was worse than I’d thought. “I’m sure you—”
“Thirteen years, I’ve known the man, and he never said a fucking word about you, so whatever you did to him must have been pretty bad.” He stood from the table, chair scraping across the floor, and downed his cup of tea like it was water. Like the heat didn’t bother him a bit. “Thanks for the tea. I think I’ll head out with Rex to keep an eye on the woods for a bit.”
“Yeah, okay,” I whispered, my chest tight and my hands shaking. I wanted to breathe, to escape the constant feeling of being hunted by that man, but I couldn’t. Not with him in the room. Not with him watching me, waiting for me to fall apart.
But as soon as he hit the archway into the hall, I released all the tension from my body and sagged against the counter. A second too soon, it seemed.
“And by the way, Legs?” Gage stared right at me when I looked up, his eyes boring into mine. “That man is my brother in every way that matters. Don’t fuck with him. You two make up and get your shit together, awesome. But if that’s not your plan, make sure you don’t destroy him on your way out of town this time. You may have gotten away with that when it was Alder looking out for him, but you won’t with me.”
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