“I heard the doctor in Germany suggested you see a counselor.”
“Yes, he strongly suggested I get counseling. I was beginning to consider it when all of this happened.” Suddenly, she began to shake.
Without thinking about what he was doing, Hawke picked her up and sat on the sofa with her. He hugged her tight, and she settled her head against his shoulder as if it belonged there. “It’s all right,” he said. “The best thing you can do is let it out.”
She sniffed and looked up at him with tears in her eyes. “I bet SEALs don’t cry.”
“Occasionally, when we’re alone, we might. But more often we go to the gym and work out until we’re ready to fall or to the beach and run until we can’t anymore. We usually take a buddy with us to keep an eye out and make certain we stay okay.”
“You have a difficult and dangerous job.”
Hawke stared into the distance. “I do, but I like it. We do good work, and our team is like family. I can’t think of anything I’d rather do.”
Abruptly, she straightened on his lap and fisted the tears away from her eyes. “Oh, I’d better check my stew.”
Reluctantly, he dropped his arms from around her and helped her stand, then pushed to his own feet. “I’ll do a walkabout while you check on our dinner.”
He took a rifle and headed out.
Vi was glad to see the stew looked and smelled good. She’d make a salad, and they had a cake to eat. His mother had thought of everything. They had enough fresh food for tonight and the next day or two, but after the ice melted, they’d be eating mostly out of cans.
She heard Taylor enter the cabin as she put the plates on the table. “Come eat. It’s all ready, Ty. Your Mom arranged for us to have a couple of good meals.”
He came to the kitchen door. “It smells good.” He hesitated.
“What is it? Did you see something outside?”
“No, but since you know my job now, I’d like you to call me by the name my teammates gave me. It sounds so strange to be called Taylor or Ty. Of course, around others, you’ll have to remember to use my real name.”
“Sure. What do they call you?”
“Hawke.”
“How did they come up with that name?”
“Because of my excellent eyesight, and I can move fast when necessary.”
“I like the name. Hawke. It fits the new you.”
“Good. I’ll go wash up and join you in a minute.”
Damn, the man makes my knees weak, and my heart pounds every time he’s in my vicinity. I wish I had the same effect on him. But he always seems the same. Kind, but the way he would act toward any other person, not someone special.
“Are you okay?”
Vi had been looking out the window. She took a deep breath and turned toward him. “I guess I was deep in thought, again.”
“Don’t stand close to the windows. If the guy were out there, he’d have a good shot.”
“Thanks for reminding me.”
He sat at the table and tasted the stew she’d prepared. “It didn’t get cold while I held up dinner.”
“No, it was steaming when I poured it in the bowl just before you arrived.” She took a spoonful herself and nodded in agreement. “Just right.”
After dinner, when it got darker, Hawke lit two oil lamps. He closed the curtains, put the lamps on the floor and lit them. “We’ll keep the light lowered. It won’t show unless the sniper gets close to the cabin. If he does, I’ll hear him.”
“Your hearing is that good?” she asked with raised eyebrows.
“Good, but I also set a few traps. If the sniper steps into one, he’ll yell.”
Vi frowned. “That sounds mean.”
“This man tried to kill you and shot up your friend’s home. He deserves mean.”
“True. That’s how I managed to kill those men trying to tear up the village. I remembered they were mean and didn’t mind shooting at us.”
“When you have an enemy after you, always remember that.”
She sighed. “I hope this will be the last time I have to.”
“It should be. The man paying him to kill you was arrested. He may get out on bail, but with your testimony, he’ll go to prison for a very long time.”
“What do you mean, my testimony?”
“Glenn can’t remember seeing his picture. You are the only one who can identify him and put him away.”
“You’re scaring me. I didn’t realize Glenn didn’t also know what he looked like.”
“I don’t want to scare you. You need to know why this guy is so desperate to kill you. You can ruin his reputation and income. He gets paid for being an assassin. If it gets out that he missed killing you, his jobs dry up.”
“I’m in more trouble than I thought.” Vi started trembling again.
Hawke scooped her up and sat on the floor by the small fire he’d started in the fireplace. He spread his legs and pulled her back against him.
“He’ll die before he can shoot you.”
They sat in silence for a few moments, staring into the flames. Then Vi leaned her head back against his chest and said, “Hawke, I think we were both stood up.”
“What are you talking about?”
“I won’t believe you if you tell me you’ve forgotten about the last date we were going to have.”
“No. I’ll admit, it’s been in my thoughts once in a while.”
“Why did you stand me up?” Vi asked.
“I didn’t stand you up. I was there. I went to where you’d messaged me to meet you.”
“And I did the same. Only, I think others took it upon themselves to pretend I’d changed my mind and you’d changed yours. We went to the wrong places.”
“What?” His hold tightened around her, then loosened. “Turn around and tell me again facing me. You don’t have to make up an elaborate story to try and get on my good side.”
Vi eased around in his arms and looked at him. His expression was fierce. “You look at me like you thoroughly dislike me.”
“I don’t like liars.”
“It’s the truth. I didn’t know until recently. Emma figured it out, too. She suggested that my so-called friends and my mother may have done something to make us both think we’d been stood up. I started thinking about how sometimes the others would laugh and not tell me what was funny, and I guessed what must have happened. My sister only confirmed my suspicions.”
“If you didn’t like those girls, why did you pretend to be their friend and hang around them? I thought you were a coward not to tell them off when they laughed at me.”
She lowered her chin, not able to meet his eyes. “I was, and I’m ashamed to admit it. I got some backbone after you left, but not enough. Mother only wanted Belle and me to show interest in boys from wealthy families.”
“Why didn’t your Dad interfere for you?”
“He was seldom home when Mom acted out. He was busy building his business, and I’m sure now, avoiding Mother. He apologized the other night.”
Hawke was silent for a long moment. “What happened after I left for the Navy?”
“After my graduation, my goal was to get through college. I hoped to have the freedom and courage not to allow my mother to have any control over me. I went out of state to college. Mother didn’t like my choice, but my father backed me on that decision. I believe he knew what I planned to do for my future.”
“Which was?”
“To get as far from my mother as possible.”
“You make your mother sound awful.”
“In many ways, she was, but I kept trying to find a better side of her.”
After another long silence, in which he stared thoughtfully into the fire, he said, “That’s enough talking for now. Try and get some sleep. I’ll hear if anyone comes near the cabin.”
“I forgot for a moment about the danger.”
“Good. Go and rest.”
Hawke watched as she walked into the bedroom. Vi’s pale face made
him wonder if she was telling the truth. In his work, he’d learned to be suspicious unless proven wrong. But if what she said was true, that her mother and friends had conspired to keep them apart, why did she marry one of those rich men from town just like her mother wanted? True, the marriage didn’t last, but it left some big holes in her story.
He walked quietly around the cabin, checking windows and the door. He’d checked Vi’s room earlier. Outside, the night was dark and quiet. But whoever the sniper is, he’ll find us. He won’t give up. He’ll want her more now that she got away from him than he did when he first tried to kill her.
Keeping his gun and rifle close, Hawke pulled the small blanket off the couch, lay down and pulled it over him.
Once during the night, the sound of someone or something moving stealthily close to the cabin woke him. Instantly, he was on his feet. He crept to the window and peeked out. In the bright moonlight, he saw a large buck with huge antlers.
You’re lucky tonight, Mr. Deer. I’m not hunting for you.
When he turned, Vi stood in the bedroom doorway, her form silver in the moonlight. Hawke saw every curve of her body through the thin nightgown his mother had packed for her. “Go back to bed. It’s just a large deer.” His voice sounded gruff even to him.
Vi glanced down. She let out a small gasp and quickly shut the door.
Hawke, determined to ignore his body’s reaction to her shapely body, walked around the cabin again. In the kitchen, he drank a glass of water.
“Damn,” he muttered. “Now I have to keep an eye out for the sniper and keep my feelings under control.”
It’s not something I usually have a problem with, but this vacation or assignment or whatever it is has me off my game. Which means I’d better be extra vigilant.
Chapter 9
Vi woke and stretched. She hadn’t slept well after the disturbance caused by the deer. When she realized Hawke could see her body through the gown, her heart jolted and her pulse pounded. She had an almost overwhelming need to go to him and put her arms around his waist.
When he told her to go back to bed, his voice a low growl of sound, she tried to read his features, but his face, as usual, told her nothing. He’d become a man very different from the teenage boy she remembered. It didn’t matter. Her heart reacted in the same way it did years ago.
She took her time getting dressed until he knocked on the door to ask if she was okay.
“I’m fine. I’ll be right out.”
“I have the batter ready for pancakes. I’ll start them now.”
She smelled the aroma of cooked bacon, and her stomach growled. “Thanks. I’m hungry.”
She waited until she heard his footsteps move away before she opened her door. Sunlight shone through the curtains he’d pulled shut in the main room. In the kitchen, the sight of him shirtless and wearing only jeans made her stop and stare. The sharply defined muscles of his tanned upper body made her catch her breath. When he turned and faced her, his nearness kindled feelings she wasn’t ready to admit.
Hawke glanced down at his bare chest. “Sorry. Take over cooking the pancakes while I grab a shirt.” He handed her the spatula and left the kitchen.
Vi flipped the pancakes and noticed the pile already cooked. “I hope he has a good appetite, because I’ll never eat near that many.”
“I heard that,” Hawke said as he came back into the kitchen and took over the job of finishing the breakfast. “This one’s burned.” He threw the pancake in the trash. “You must have been deep in thought. Again.”
“I was. It’s not every day I have a sniper on my trail.”
He grinned and poured the last of the batter into the frying pan. “Mind getting out the orange juice? Our ice will be gone soon. We’ll be eating can goods after this. I’m glad the propane tank had plenty of gas to cook our meals.”
He placed the pancake on one of the two stacks by the stove. “Put these plates on the table. I’ll get the syrup and pour the coffee.”
Vi complied and soon they were both digging in. “It’s good,” Vi said.
“Mom made us all learn to cook. We hated it at first, but it’s come in handy.”
“Mom sent my sister and me to a fancy cooking school. My sister likes to cook. I hate it. It was the one place I could rebel. Mom got mad, but inwardly I was gleeful.”
Hawke wrinkled his forehead. “You had a strange childhood.”
“I did. The best thing about what happened when those men were after me is that I discovered my strength. Somehow, I managed to push my fear aside and do what I needed to.”
“The whole village respected you for how you handled yourself. That’s not an easy response to get. I’d never have thought you’d do so well,” Hawke said.
“Neither did I.” She grinned. “Maybe it’s good to have our inner self put up to a trial. I feel better about myself now, whatever happens.”
“You aren’t considering returning to the Middle East, are you?”
“No, no, no. Proving myself once is enough for me. I respect my colleagues who put their lives in danger, but I don’t want to do it.”
“Can’t blame you for making that decision.” He swirled a forkful of pancake through the syrup on his plate. “For now, we have to keep you out of danger.”
“I can’t believe I came home thinking I was safe, only to find out I wasn’t.”
“I’ll get this guy. Don’t worry.”
“Someone else will take his place.”
“No. The man who financed this is considered a risk to run. The judge put him in jail with no phone privileges until after the trial. My boss sent me a text late last night.”
Hawke grinned and motioned at their empty plates. “I guess we were hungry. I’m going out to survey the area. Leave the dishes. There’s a window right in front of the sink, and I don’t want you standing in front of it. It makes you a target. Keep low while I’m gone.”
“All right, but I intend to clean up later while you guard me.”
“We’ll discuss it when I get back.”
Hawke stepped closer to her. He projected energy and power that attracted her to him. His blue eyes darkened as he stared into her face. A tic jumped at the corner of his mouth.
“Stay low and away from windows. I’ll move the couch where it protects you from the window and door. Have you got the gun I gave you earlier?”
“Yes.” She pulled it out of her pants pocket.
“If you need to use it, shoot to kill.”
“Don’t worry, I will.”
“I won’t be too long.”
Vi watched as Hawke moved the couch, motioned for her to sit behind it, and carefully slid out the door. Her heart raced with him gone, but she held tight to the gun.
To keep thoughts of danger away, Vi considered her feelings for Hawke. She liked his nickname. It fit the man he was now.
He brings out emotions stronger than I’ve felt for any other man, even the one I married right after college. My ex-husband said he understood about how my mother had pushed me around, since his father had done the same. What a liar. I was foolish and stupid.
A noise outside the cabin brought her back to the present. She moved toward the window and lifted her head just enough to peek out the corner. It all looked calm. Then she heard it again. It sounded like rustling leaves, but there was no breeze that she could see. The leaves on the trees outside the window barely moved. Vi’s heart thumped heavily. Was the sniper that close?
She gripped the gun tighter and prepared to shoot if necessary. Then while she knelt by the window, she heard Hawke’s voice.
“Give up. You don’t have to die,” he said.
A man, his voice low and ugly, said, “I plan to kill her. She’s ruined my reputation.”
“You’ll have to go through me.”
Hawke’s voice sounded farther away. Where had he gone? Vi glanced around, but nothing was moving. Suddenly, Hawke’s voice came through clear and close.
“Drop your gun, or
I’ll shoot you.”
Vi couldn’t see either man. A crazy mixture of hope and fear shook her. Hope that Hawke would either shoot the man or capture him; fear that something might go wrong and the man would shoot Hawke. She couldn’t stand it. Vi stood.
“You’re a coward who hides behind a gun,” she yelled and ducked. Two shots cracked out almost simultaneously. A bullet drilled a crack-framed hole through the window and whizzed above her head to hit the opposite wall. Outside the window, a stranger stumbled from the cover of a patch of bushes. Hawke grabbed the man’s gun, twisted it from his hand and pushed him to the ground.
The man moaned. Hawke jerked his hands behind his back and secured them with a zip tie he pulled from is back pocket. He took his phone out and dialed. His eyes locked on Vi’s when she walked out on the porch. His brows drew together, and he held his lips tight. Dark eyes glared at her.
When he finished his call, he demanded, “What the hell did you think you were doing?”
“Trying to help.” She glared back at him, refusing to flinch at his tone.
“Help. You might have gotten yourself killed, or I might have been forced to kill the sniper. We want him to testify at the trial. I’m sure he’ll talk to cut his own jail time. Since he didn’t kill you, he might have a slight chance of receiving thirty years or so, instead of life.”
Vi raised her chin. “I thought he might kill you, and I’d never have forgiven myself for not helping. But looking at you now and your behavior, I almost wish I hadn’t.”
“I definitely wish you’d hadn’t. I was in control. Damn it, Vi. I’m a Navy SEAL. We do much more dangerous jobs than this one.”
“I believe I’ve embarrassed you.” As Vi turned to go back into the cabin, the sound of a helicopter landing nearby made her pause. Deciding to leave Hawke to it, since he made it so very clear he didn’t need her help, she continued into the cabin. She let her tears flow as she tidied the room she’d used. She wasn’t sure whether she cried from relief, anger, or confused feelings. Whichever, she wiped her face, put her shoulders back, and went outside to see what was happening.
The SEAL’s Surprise Mission (Special Forces: Operation Alpha) (Rache) Page 7