A Soldier's Pledge: An Eagle Security & Protection Agency Novel (Beyond Valor Book 5)

by Lynne St. James

  Ethan had been about to go over and tell the guy to lay off. But before he could walk away from the Vet he’d been working with, Anna told Tag he needed to get over himself, and she’d had enough of his bullshit. Unfortunately it wasn’t enough to stop the bitching coming out of Tag’s mouth. He had to choke back a laugh when she’d turned around and left him in the middle of the checkin area and told him he could figure out another way home because she was too busy for his crap. She’d known exactly how to handle her brother—no pity. It was the best, they called it tough love, but really it was just telling him like it is, giving him the love he needed without babying him. Adjusting to losing a limb let alone two was never easy, but pity parties only made it worse, and Anna seemed to know that.

  After that, he’d checked to see when Tag’s sessions were and made sure he was there as often as possible, and then made a point of talking to her each time. The more he learned, the more he wanted to learn. It had taken two months, and three days before she agreed to a date. But who was counting? He had Tag to thank for it, too. Now it was a year later and they were still moving at a snail’s pace. He still couldn’t get her to move in with him, leave some clothes at his place or let him leave some at her house. God forbid he should ask her to marry him. She’d probably get him booted out of town.

  Tag told him she’d changed after the death of her fiancé. He’d been killed in action in Iraq. He’d volunteered for some secret mission and had never come home. It had pretty much destroyed her. He’d found out about Ryan’s death about a month before the IED almost killed him. And once he and Mac got back stateside, she’d made it her personal missions to take care of both of them. But it was obvious to him that she wasn’t the same Anna he’d grown up with. But he’d told Ethan not to give up on her either.

  “Hey. Are you awake? What did you get?” Her question brought him back to the present, and he realized he’d been staring at her instead of eating.

  “Sorry. I was thinking. I got the same thing as you.”

  “Couldn’t resist the call of the roast beef, could you? Thank you for doing this. It’s really great.” She took another bite of the sandwich, and he suppressed a groan as her tongue slid across her lower lip to pick up a bread crumb. Damn, didn’t she realize how sexy she was?

  “Is everything okay?” Her question reminded him they didn’t have all day for him to be mooning over her. And proved she wasn’t the hard-boiled business woman she tried to be, she still had a soft gooey center.

  “Yup, everything’s fine, and it’s my pleasure, baby. Any opportunity for some extra time with you is perfect. I figured it was worth the shot.”

  “You’re right. I’m sorry. There’s always so much to do.” Score. Win one for the Ethan man. She’d finally admitted she was working too much, at least he hoped that’s what she’d meant. Maybe he was making headway.

  Watching her eat was getting to be painful. He had it bad, and he knew it. They’d been together the other night, but his body couldn’t get enough of her. He wanted to pull her out of her chair and into his arms. To kiss her soft lips, feel her fingers dig into his shoulders instead of the sandwich. Ugh. He needed a cold shower. Grabbing his sweet tea, he took a long drink to try to cool his rising libido. Now was definitely not the time. But later. Oh yeah, tonight would be different.

  “Aren’t you hungry?” Her big chocolate brown eyes focused on his face like she was searching for something.

  “Hell yeah. Starving.” He took a big bite, and she laughed. His eyes watered from the horseradish sauce he’d forgotten about. Damn. Way to impress the lady, asshat.

  “Are you okay?” She couldn’t hide the laughter in her voice.

  “Funny, huh? Yeah, I’m fine, just forgot about the horseradish sauce. I even asked for extra. What was I thinking?”

  “Obviously not about that.” Her giggles made him happy. She spent too much time being serious.

  “Obviously. How’s yours?”

  “Delicious as always. Dixie is amazing.”

  “Yes, she is. I hope she never decides to retire.”

  “You and me both. Willow Haven just wouldn’t be the same. Dixie’s Place has been here as long as anyone can remember.”

  “So, she was one of the original residents?”

  “Her family was. They opened the little sandwich shop on the beach, but over the years it grew, and her parents bought the building she’s in today.”

  “Was it always called Dixie’s?”

  “Yes. It was her great-great-grandmother’s name, and there has been a woman from every generation who is named after her. Our Dixie is the fifth or sixth I think.”

  “Wow. That’s cool. Does everyone know the history of this town like you do?”

  “Probably not. I had it drummed into my head by my parents. It makes a better realtor if you know everything there is to know about the town. I doubt most people really care about half the stuff I know.”

  “Maybe, maybe not. You never know. I guess I’ll have to start asking more questions.”

  “Okay, but not now. You need to eat. Time is ticking away.” It was so easy to lose track of time with her. He could listen to her voice for hours, it was like smooth satin against his ears. He needed to concentrate, and by that, he meant eat his lunch and not stare at the women in front of him.

  “How long is the open house?”

  “Until four. Then I’ll have to go back to the office for a bit.”

  “I thought I would cook for us tonight. If you give me the keys and alarm code, I’ll bring everything over to your place and have it ready when you get home?”

  “Umm, how about yours and I’ll be over as soon as I can?”

  “No way, I’m vetoing that option. I know you’ll be in the office until at least seven. It’s how you are, and I’d end up getting a phone call saying you worked too late and went to bed.”

  Her eyes widened, then she arched an eyebrow. “You think you have me down, huh?”

  “Yup. I know you want to see me. What I can’t understand is why you always have to fight it so hard.” As soon as the words were out of his mouth, he wanted to take them back or kick himself, or maybe both. It was definitely not the time for this discussion, even if they needed to talk about it. They’d been dating for a year. He wanted more, and she kept holding back.

  Her gaze turned frosty, and hints of gold glittered in the chocolate brown depths of her eyes. A sure sign she was pissed off. Why couldn’t he learn to keep his mouth shut? “I’m sorry. I know it’s not the time…”

  “You’re right, it’s not. We need to clean up. I’m sure I’ll have buyers here soon.” And that was that. With one comment, she closed up tighter than an oyster, and he had no one to blame but himself.

  “Anna, look…”

  “It’s okay, I get it. I do. But I have to work now.”

  “Okay. But I am sorry. I’ll have dinner ready by seven.” She was already standing and wrapping up the rest of her sandwich. At first, she didn’t answer, and he figured he was fucked, and she’d back out of their date. But after a long—too long—sip of her iced coffee, her eyes met his, and they’d softened again. Thank God. Maybe he hadn’t fucked it up totally yet.

  “What are you making? Do you want me to stop and get anything on my way?”

  “It’s a surprise. And nope, I’ll have everything we need.”

  “Should I be worried?”

  “Babe, where’s your sense of adventure?” But he already knew and wasn’t surprised when she raised that expressive eyebrow again as she took another sip.

  The sound of a car parking in front of the house ended their little interlude. But Ethan figured the way it had been going it was for the best. He needed to do some major damage control later, or he might as well flush all the progress he’d been making right down the toilet. If nothing else, Anna kept him on his toes.

  Chapter Two

  It was after five by the time the last couple left, but she was pleased with the turnout. It had
been a successful open house, and Anna was sure one or two couples would put in an offer before the week was out. Even though she was exhausted from being “on” all afternoon, it was a good tired, not like when she’d spent the afternoon poring over documents. In lots of ways, she missed the selling and interactions, but the business was so big it needed all of her time to keep things running smoothly.

  She’d really hoped that Tag would decide to come on board, especially after he was discharged, but he’d found his purpose finally, and she was excited when they’d found the perfect property for his new rehabilitation facility or as he kept calling it his Double R—rehab ranch. It hadn’t been open for long, but he and Mac really put a lot of time and energy into making it the perfect place for not only physical therapy but helping Vets with PTSD. Of course, that meant she was on her own with Willow Haven Realty, at least for now.

  With a sigh, she double-checked that everything was back to the way she’d found it and set the lockbox on the door. As she grabbed the sign from the front lawn and headed toward her car, she noticed a guy leaning against the side of an old rusted-out green pickup truck. Their eyes met, and the hair on the back of her neck stood at attention. There was something sinister about the way he was staring at her.

  When she looked up again after putting the signs in the trunk of her car, he was still there and still watching her. Not anxious to see if he was going to be trouble, she got into the car and made sure to lock the doors. She glanced up hoping he’d be gone, and that the entire thing had been her imagination, but it wasn’t. Instead, he was still staring at her. Even from across the street, she picked up on his menacing vibes, there was real hatred there. But they didn’t know each other so it couldn’t be directed toward her, could it? While she watched, he flicked his cigarette. Her gaze followed the glowing ember as it arced in the air before bouncing on the asphalt. With one last look in her direction, he climbed into his truck and pulled away.

  For a few seconds, she contemplated calling Ethan but talked herself out of it. “You’re overreacting.” The neighborhood was quiet, no one else was out, and he was just grabbing a smoke. Since she was the only other person around, of course, he’d be watching her. Maybe she needed to stop watching all the Criminal Minds reruns.

  Even though she didn’t call Ethan, she couldn’t shake the feeling that something wasn’t right. She’d never seen the guy before that she could recall. Why would he be watching her? Trying to shake off the ‘willies,’ she decided not to take any chances he might follow her and turned down every side road possible on her way to the office, even going so far as to drive by the police station. After not seeing any sign of the truck, she pulled into the office parking lot.

  The office was deserted, but considering it was after six on a Saturday, she wasn’t surprised. Most open houses were done by four and the agents went home from there. But this one had run late, very late and then with clean up, she was running behind—again. Just like Ethan said would happen.

  Jenny only worked until four. For the most part being a realtor was a lot like being self-employed, at least the way she ran the business. No micro-managing for her. She despised it, so she sure as hell wasn’t going to do it to anyone else. It was one of the first changes she’d made when she’d taken over, and morale had soared.

  She stopped by Jenny’s desk to check for messages then went into her office. Seeing the mountain of paperwork on her desk was like being doused with a bucket of ice water. It was the last thing she wanted to deal with after the busy afternoon. Knowing Ethan was already at her house preparing dinner sealed the deal. “Screw it. It waited this long, it can wait until Monday.” Nodding at her decision, she leaned the signs against the wall, put her go-bag on one of the chairs, locked the office, and left.

  The sun was still shining, and she stopped to grab her sunglasses from her purse after locking the front door of the building. That’s when she noticed the truck, at least she thought it was the same truck. Was it a figment of her overactive imagination? Her mother always told her she should be an author since her imagination was out of control. Funny, she hadn’t remembered that until just then. But it really did look like the same run-down truck. It was too far away for her to get the license plate, and she hadn’t thought to check for it while at the open house. Were there that many old green pickup trucks in Willow Haven? Maybe. But it was weird that out of the blue today she was noticing them. If it was the same truck, where was the guy?

  As she’d learned in her self-defense class, she checked her surroundings. Taking the class had been a knee-jerk reaction to losing control of everything in her life after Ryan was killed. But it was good to know, especially since she spent so much time alone, or had, until she met Ethan.

  After a quick scan of the parking lot, she hurried toward her car, she slid in and locked the doors. Once again, she was tempted to call Ethan but felt silly. He’d be busy making dinner and waiting for her to show up. What could he do anyway? She did decide to drive past the truck and try to read the license plate number. Better safe than sorry.

  No sooner had she started her car when the truck peeled away from the curb. Coincidence? She didn’t think so, and it reinforced her uneasiness. Why was he following her? For that matter, who the hell was he? She couldn’t remember ever seeing either him or the truck before. Had she just been oblivious to her surroundings? Goosebumps rose on her arms. Was he watching her before today? Did he know where she lived?

  For once she was glad she’d listened to her parents and had the alarm system installed at her house. Along with the self-defense classes, she should be okay, right? Taking a circuitous route home, she wondered whether to tell Ethan. She was most likely making a big deal out of nothing and needed to lay off the Tami Hoag books for a while. But it didn’t stop her from routinely checking her rearview mirror for any sign of the green truck or its creepy driver.

  Worried that he’d follow her home, she took the most out of the way route hitting every back road possible. It turned a ten-minute ride into twenty and pretty much ensured no one had followed her. It was a good thing she knew Willow Haven like the back of her hand, or she’d probably have gotten lost. By the time she got home, she was convinced she’d probably blown the whole thing out of proportion. Just because she’d seen the truck twice in one day didn’t mean he was following her, it wasn’t like the town of Willow Haven was huge. Maybe he lived in the neighborhood or was a guest, and they wouldn’t let him smoke inside. When she thought about it that way, it made much more sense than a stranger following her, especially after there was no sign of him since she’d left the office.

  As she turned into her driveway, she pulled past Ethan’s car and into her garage. It had been thoughtful of him to pull over to the side so she could pull inside. Turning off the car as the door closed behind her, she took a deep breath. It had been a long day, longer still after she’d gotten herself all worked up, and taken the scenic route home.

  The garage door was unlocked since Ethan was waiting for her. She pushed it open and stepped inside the mudroom. A mouthwatering aroma stopped her in her tracks. She inhaled again as she tried to figure out what he’d made. Until today, she hadn’t even realized he could do much more than steaks or burgers on the grill. But the fantastic array of scents proved otherwise.

  “Oh my God, Ethan, it smells amazing…” she said stepping through the kitchen doorway and stopping short as she saw him holding his phone to his ear.

  As soon as he saw her, his face lit with a huge smile and held up a finger. Nodding, she pointed toward the bedroom. She might as well change out of her work clothes and let him finish his call. She hoped he wasn’t being called in for work. It hadn’t happened often, but it had happened. As much as she fought against their relationship, if she was honest with herself, she had to admit that she couldn’t imagine him not in her life, even if she wasn’t ready to tell him or move on to the next level. She was sure once he found out she cared for him, he wouldn’t let up until she agr
eed to either move in with him or let him move in with her. And she wasn’t ready for that. It was too close to how things had gone with Ryan. He’d moved in when he was home on leave, and then never returned. Nope, she definitely wasn’t ready for another man to move in, but maybe she’d let him stay the night this time. That was progress, right?

  ***

  “God dammit. Another one? Do you need me to come in?” Ethan asked his lieutenant as he heard the garage door open. Anna was finally home. He’d been waiting for her to call him all afternoon expecting her to cancel, after their little “thing” over lunch. When he hadn’t heard from her, he was glad. But now after getting this call, he couldn’t be happier to know she was finally home and safe.

  For most of the time, he’d been on the job in Willow Haven it had been nice and quiet, exactly what he’d wanted and needed after his five years in the Air Force. But over the last two months, there had been a rash of burglaries. All the homes had been empty, and most were for sale with the owners either away or already moved out, except one where the couple had returned early from vacation in time to see a panel van pull out of the driveway. Unfortunately, they hadn’t been able to identify anyone or even know if there was more than one person. Whoever was behind this been careful not to leave any evidence behind.

  He and his partner, Steele Brennan, had caught the first case, and at the time thought it was a simple B&E, or maybe the neighborhood kids getting some kicks. But they’d discovered soon enough that the robberies were well-planned—not a group of bored teenagers looking for trouble. After that first one, there had been another one every weekend just like clockwork. Two months and eight, err now nine, burglaries later, and they were no closer to solving them. They had to catch a break soon. Ethan was a firm believer that everyone fucked up eventually, and they’d be there to catch them. He just hoped no one got hurt before they did.