by Lola StVil
“No, that’s not true. I know I said that earlier; I just needed someone to blame for what happened. You saved my husband on previous missions. He always spoke highly of you. I can’t believe he’d betray you. And betray us.”
“I don’t know why he did it.”
“Do you think he really loved this mistress woman?”
“I don’t know. I’m sure that’s the kind of thing that can haunt you if you let it—don’t. The fact is, you and Tyler only have each other now. So, know you have to protect each other. That’s really what this is about. You have to rein Tyler in, or he could seriously get hurt. The path he’s headed down is dangerous.”
She agrees to tell Tyler the truth. She has two more glasses of wine, and I call her a cab. As I help her get inside, she looks at me with sadness in her eyes and asks, “Does it ever work out?”
“What?” I ask.
“Love. Hank was my only love. Does shit like that ever work out?”
“Yeah, I think it does. And I don’t see why it wouldn’t work for you—down the line. Right now, Tyler needs you.”
“Thank you; I’ll talk to him as soon as he gets home,” she says as she squeezes my hand and gets into the car. There’s a lump in my throat as I watch her car drive away. I wish I hadn’t had to confirm what she was dreading the whole time. I wish she’d gotten the answers she needed, but since Hank is gone, she’s going to be left with more questions than answers. Well, at least she can talk to Tyler, and the two of them can start to move on.
Moments after she’s gone, I get a call from Banshee.
“Yeah?”
“Tyler got with some buddy of his. I was too far away to make out what the guy gave him but I can guess,” Banshee says.
“What is it?”
“Whatever it was, it was inside a paper bag, but it’s just the right size for a 9mm.”
“Goddamn it, Tyler brought a gun?! Where the hell is he now?”
“That’s just it—I’m following him, and he’s not going anywhere near your gym or your house.”
“What street is he on?”
Banshee tells me the neighborhood Tyler is heading towards; he asks if I know anyone who lives there, and yeah, I do.
Sky.
The drive to Sky’s apartment is only fifteen minutes long, but I drive like a fucking lunatic and cut the time by almost half. I keep trying her on her cell, but it goes straight to voicemail. My heart is about to rip my chest open. The rush of adrenaline damn near sends me into cardiac arrest.
I pull up to her apartment building and barely take the time to turn off the engine before I jump out. A wave of dread washes over me as I race up the steps. There are only two questions that linger in my head as I near the doorway.
What if she’s already dead? Am I ready to take out a fucking teenager?
Banshee stands in the hallway and tells me he’s called Logan and Wyatt. He tells me to wait for them. But he knows that’s not gonna happen. The door is ajar wide enough for me to see Tyler aiming a gun, but I can’t see Sky. I’m fucking weak with relief to know she’s still alive. But that doesn’t change the fact that her life is in the hands of a teenager who doesn’t even know how to hold the gun properly and whose hands are shaking. I pull out my weapon and stay close to the wall.
“Tyler, it’s Cash. What are you doing, man?”
“You made me do this. This is all your fault!” Tyler says.
Shit. His voice is as shaky as his hands. That’s not good. He’s holding a cheap 9mm. I’m guessing it’s a Remington R51, and it’s shit. In addition to harming Sky, he could just as easily hurt himself.
“Ty, I’m gonna come in so we can talk, okay? That’s it. That’s all we are doing—talking.”
“Oh, so now you want to talk. Fuck you! I begged you to tell me what happened—what really happened with my dad—and you blew me off!”
I hear sirens in the distance. They blare as they race towards us. I signal to Banshee to go out and make sure they hang back. He doesn’t want to leave me alone with Tyler, but I order him to go.
“You’re right, Ty; I did blow you off. That was on me. I should have told you. I should have come clean, man. I’m sorry. But we can still fix this. We can still make our way out of this,” I promise him.
“I want to know what happened to my father!” he shouts.
“Okay, we can talk. I’m coming in.”
“Just you! Anyone else comes through here, and I’ll kill her,” he vows.
His words slice through me, but I try to focus. I know that getting emotional isn’t gonna help. I hear someone coming up the stairs. Damn it! I told Banshee to keep everyone back. But when I see the two figures that enter the hallway, I know there’s no way they would have stayed back. Wyatt and Logan both have their guns out.
I signal to them to hang back. They are reluctant, but I don’t care. Tyler is easily shaken. And if he gets jumpy, this could get even worse.
“I’m coming in now. Again, it’s just me,” I reply as I place my foot at the base of the door and slowly open it wider.
I see my girl in her robe, with her hands up, looking pale and terrified. That alone makes me want to strangle Tyler.
Stay calm, asshole! Don’t let your feelings get the woman you love killed; or anyone else for that matter.
“It’s gonna be okay, babe,” I assure her. She nods slightly. “Tyler and I are just gonna talk, that’s it,” I say.
“If we are just talking, put your gun down,” he orders.
“I can’t do that. But I can tell you what happened with your dad.”
“Fine. Talk. And don’t you lie to me!” he warns.
I look over at Sky. God, she’s freaked out. She’s signaling towards the left. I follow her gaze, and on the table next to her is an opened pregnancy test. She nods. My fucking heart sinks. She’s pregnant. My girl and my baby are in danger.
God, please don’t take them from me. I survived Rose, but I won’t survive this time, not if it means losing them…
“Start talking!” he orders as he takes a step towards Sky. I can tell that Tyler is gone because he doesn’t seem nearly as afraid as he should, given that he has a gun pointed at him.
“Alright, Ty. Your father started gambling at night when he got off work. His habit grew, and soon he owed some very bad people a large amount of money…”
I go on to tell Tyler everything. I don’t sugarcoat it or hide the sordid details. It’s much too late for that. When I get to the part about his father’s plans to walk out on the family, he becomes enraged.
“You’re lying! My dad would never do that. He loved me. He fucking loved me!”
“It’s true, Ty. That’s why I didn’t want to tell you. I didn’t want you to get hurt. I didn’t want to take away all the good memories you had of your dad.”
“No, no. He would never…liar!”
“I have all the evidence you need back at the office. And I talked to your mom; she knew he was seeing someone. Tyler, I’m telling you the truth.”
“NONONONO!” he barks as angry tears run down his face.
“Ty, you had to notice something; he was leaving you for good. He must have said or done something that felt odd to you,” I plead.
Tyler doesn’t reply, but he does look down at his left arm. He looks at his wrist and flinches—his watch.
“Tyler, what is it? Why are you looking at your watch?”
“It’s—it’s nothing.”
“C’mon man, you wanted honesty from me, so give some of that back. What is it about the watch?”
“It belonged to my grandfather. Dad never let me wear it. He said he’d give it to me after my college graduation. But then he gave it to me out of the blue.”
“That was his way of saying goodbye. You know it’s true,” I reply.
He begins to sob, and then out of sheer fear and anger, he makes his final stand.
“Doesn’t matter, you still killed him, and she will have to pay!” he says as he prepares
to shoot Sky.
“Your father was right when he said that I don’t miss! He was right. I never miss. But here’s another thing your father knew about me—I’m not a good guy. I want to be; God knows I do, but I’m not. When it comes to family, I will protect them no matter what.
“And right now, Tyler, you are pointing a gun at the woman I’m going to marry and our baby. And I know that you are just a kid and the right thing to do here is to continue to make you feel like you are in control. And worse comes to worst, I should threaten to shoot you in the leg if you don’t put your weapon down.”
“That won’t matter; you can go ahead and try to shoot me in the leg. Do what you have to do,” he counters.
“That’s just it, Ty, all the things I spoke about are what a good guy would do. But that’s not me.”
“Oh really, then who are you?” he dares.
“I’m the guy who’s going to fire a bullet clean through your fucking head if you don’t put down your weapon.”
“Bullshit, you have to follow rules and protocols. My dad said that.”
“You’re holding my family hostage; fuck rules and protocols. I will end your life, right here and now. Your mother won’t be able to have an open casket funeral because there will be nothing left of you. Please, please don’t make me do this.”
“Fine, do it! Who cares? My own father didn’t want me. So what does it matter?” he sobs.
“But your mother does. She wants you. You are her life. Don’t take that from her. Ty, put down the gun.”
He looks over at me. So many emotions engulf him, he can barely stand it. Then Sky speaks in a soft yet certain tone.
“It’s not forever,” she says.
“What?” Ty asks, confused and bitter.
“You love your dad, and he hurt you. But that pain is not forever. It just feels like it. But it will get better. You will feel better. Just not today. Or even next week. But you will be better someday. But if Cash shoots you, you won’t get to see that day.”
Tyler breaks down sobbing, and he begins to lower his weapon.
I quickly move in, kick the gun away, and handcuff him. My brothers quickly rush in. Before they take Tyler away, I promise him that I will make sure he’s looked after. I then rush over to my girl and inspect her from head to toe.
“Are you okay?” I ask as I hold her firmly against me.
She replies, “Yeah, we’re okay.”
We.
“So…it’s real? You’re pregnant?”
“Yup. I was gonna wait to take it, but I—”
I pick her up and lift her high in the air. “YES!” I shout like a kid who’s been told Christmas is extended.
Before she finishes her thought, I press my lips to hers. I hold her so damn tight she mumbles something about needing air. And I finally put her back down on the ground.
“What did you say?” I reply as I take her face in my hand.
“I said I need air in my lungs in order to tell you I love you.”
“Sorry, I’m just so glad that you’re okay and—wait, what did you just say?”
She tilts her head to the side and plays coy. “Um…I’m not sure I remember. That was like three whole seconds ago.”
“Oh, you better remember!” I warn her as I pull her towards me and gaze into her eyes. “Sky, what did you say just?” I ask, seriously thinking I may have been hearing things.
“I said, ‘I love you.’ Got that, Agent Hunter? I love you!”
A few days later, when things settle down, Cash takes me to meet his parents. He did tell me that his family has money, but damn, I wasn’t expecting a mansion. It’s grand in every sense of the word. We pull up and are greeted by an elegant, slender older woman. She looks stunning in her silver leaf brocade knit flared dress. Her demure drop diamond earrings gleam as the porch light hits them. She accents her look with stylish low heels and a diamond bracelet. She wears her silver hair up in a bun.
Shit, I hope I look that good when I’m older. Hell, I hope I look that good now.
“Hi, Mom, I—”
“Move, move!” his mother says, practically pushing him out of the way so she can get to me. “I already know who you are, Cash; you’re the son that doesn’t call nearly often enough.”
“Hey!” he says, pretending to be offended.
“Oh please! I didn’t invite you here to look at you. I invited you so I could get a look at this beauty,” she says, looking at me. Cash can’t help but smile.
“Mom, this is my girl, Skylar Marshall,” he says proudly.
“It’s so good to finally meet you,” she says as she opens her arms and comes towards me. I’m caught off guard, but manage to hug her back.
“You smell so good!” I say out loud before I can stop myself. She laughs.
“Sorry, I meant to say that in my head,” I reply quickly as my face heats up.
“Don’t be sorry, and thank you. I have a perfumer, he’s overly dramatic and theatrical, but that man has a gift for perfume composition. I’ll have him send you a few things,” she says. Before I can tell her it’s not necessary, she turns her focus to Cash. “Are you feeding her? She looks thin.”
“No, Mom, I’m starving her,” he says, rolling his eyes good-naturedly.
“You see how he is with me? His elderly, fragile mother who could be at death’s door at any moment,” she says as she fakes a cough.
“Don’t even try it, old woman,” Cash says.
“Cash!” I scold.
“Babe, don’t let this woman play you. She’s got more energy than I do,” Cash replies.
“Come over here, you ingrate!” his mom says as she embraces him. When she pulls away, she studies his face as she holds it between her hands.
“Are you sleeping enough?” she asks.
“Yes,” Cash says.
“Lies.”
“I sleep fine.”
Mrs. Hunter turns to me and says, “You’ll make sure he gets some rest, won’t you?”
“I’m on it,” I assure her.
“Good, let’s go inside,” she says as she takes my hand. Cash and I exchange a quick look. He was right; his mom is being really sweet to me.
Inside, the mansion is even more striking than I thought; they have high ceilings, white-and-gold marble floors, and a grand staircase. What I love most is that while it’s a large space, the warm accents on the walls make it feel homey. I also think that sense of “home” is because Mrs. Hunter is so warm and very welcoming.
We enter the dining room, where a man stares at his cell phone. I’m guessing that’s Mr. Hunter. He’s tall and broad-shouldered with dark eyes and a disarming smile. It’s easy to see where the guys get their looks from—both of their parents are lookers.
He greets me with a big hug and scolds Cash for not making sure I had better security at my old apartment. Cash tells him that I am all moved into his house. He also tells them that Kenzy and I have started taking self-defense classes. Cash didn’t want me to sign up for the regular classes; instead, we opted for an easier “baby safe” version.
Mr. Hunter looks over at me and nods towards Cash. It’s his unofficial look of approval.
“So, you’re the one that’s been turning my son’s world upside down, huh?” Mr. Hunter says in a booming voice.
“Um, I don’t know about that,” I admit.
“You are as beautiful as my son said you were.”
I blush and thank him. I tell them how much I love their house, and Cash gripes about being hungry.
“That’s so rude,” I tease.
“Oh honey, we raised five boys here, food doesn’t last long. In the end, we just get the butcher to cut up raw meat, and we walk by their rooms and throw it in there,” his mom jokes.
“Come here and sit next to me; if you sit next to my wife, she will grill you to death,” Mr. Hunter warns me.
“Now, that is not true,” she counters.
“Like hell, you might need an attorney,” Mr. Hunter whispers.
“Well, I do have a question for you, Sky,” his mother says.
My heart stops. I know it’s stupid, but what if she really does know about the vibrator? Oh shit! I glare at Cash, he shrugs his shoulders, and I vow to kill him the moment we are alone.
“Sure, what’s the question?” I ask, dreading the response.
“Why, oh why, would you waste your time on that one?” she teases, looking at her son.
“Hey, I’m your favorite. Remember that,” he says as the staff enters and begins to serve us. Damn, they really are loaded. But what I love more than the fancy stuff is the way they are with the staff. They are talking to them and not at them. They say “please” and “Thank you so much.” And judging by the way the staff reacts, they are used to this kind of friendly interaction.
The seafood is fresh, the pasta is perfect, and I can’t remember the last time I enjoyed dessert that much. It was a key lime pie with a chocolate almond crust. I tell them that if they keep feeding me, I’m going to stay here with them. His mother says they have more than enough room. Wow, she really is as great as I hoped.
I learn so much more than I thought I would. They tell me about the time Cash thought he could get away with missing curfew by tiptoeing in the house. He saw a figure sitting in the dark, holding a rifle. He thought it was his dad trying to scare him. But then he saw his dad standing at the top of the staircase.
“Cash, you’re late!” Mr. Hunter said, and that’s when Cash realized whoever was in the chair wasn’t his dad.
“You should have seen it, Sky; he turned white as a ghost and whispered, ‘D-Dad, someone’s in the house,’” Mrs. Hunter adds.
“Who was it?” I ask.
“Me,” his mom replies proudly. “I sat in that chair with a rifle on my lap. It scared the hell out of him. I looked over at him and said, ‘That’s how scared we are when you miss curfew and don’t check in.’”
“Good one,” I reply to his mom.
“Don’t encourage her; she gave me nightmares,” Cash scolds his mother.
“Yes, but he never missed curfew again,” she says. They also tell me about trying to teach the guys to appreciate hard work. Since they had everything they could need, the only way to do this was to force them to help the staff with housework.