by Susan Stoker
“Good, I guess.”
“You guess?”
Fletch shrugged. “Haven’t seen much of her since we got back from that op.”
“Really? I thought you guys were getting to know each other?”
Fletch had thought so too. But ever since he’d gotten back from that mission, she’d been detached. He still saw Annie every once in a while, but Emily was keeping her distance from him. He figured it was probably because of her boyfriend, so he hadn’t pushed. “Yeah, well, she has a boyfriend, so I’m guessing she doesn’t want to give me any ideas.”
“Did you have ideas before the boyfriend was in the picture?” Ghost asked perceptively.
Fletch rolled his neck, trying to get the stiffness out of it. “Doesn’t matter if I did or didn’t. She’s taken.”
“You met the boyfriend?”
“Nope. She’s not bringing him around…at least not while I’m there.”
“Really? Does that seem odd to you?”
“Not really. I saw he came by earlier this week. I’d already left for PT and Emily was leaving for work and to take Annie to school. The cameras don’t have the range I might like, but he was waiting for her at the end of the driveway. He met her at her car, she got out, they spoke for a minute or so, she gave him a letter or something, they hugged, and he followed her down the road.”
“For someone who says it doesn’t matter if she has a boyfriend or not, you watched that tape pretty carefully,” Ghost noted dryly.
Fletch ran his hand through his hair and shrugged. “I don’t poach, Ghost. I’ll never be the reason a woman cheated on her boyfriend or husband.”
“I know. I’m just making an observation.”
“Anyway, she’s only been renting the apartment for a couple months. It’s not my business.”
“It might make you feel better if you didn’t check your cameras compulsively like you’ve been doing.”
“Yeah.”
The two men were silent for a beat before Ghost asked, “Any more trouble with the infantry guys?”
Fletch shook his head. At least the colonel finally got someone to listen, and all the troops would now be taking their turns rotating through the city scenario. “No, they’ve been quiet.”
“Quiet makes me nervous,” Ghost spat, uncharacteristically harsh. At Fletch’s surprised look, he continued, “I know, I know, but something Hollywood said the other day had me thinking.”
“What’d he say?”
“Blade brought up the fact that most of the time, soldiers are hotheads, we bluster and bitch about shit, but then let it go. It’s women who let stuff sit inside and don’t talk about it. They plot and plan in their heads and come to conclusions based on information they think they know.”
“Yeah, and…?”
“And these guys aren’t acting like men…or soldiers. That time they ambushed us in the parking lot should’ve clued us in. They aren’t going to just sit back and let go of what they think is a diss to their manhood and skills as soldiers.”
“So they’re plotting instead of coming to us like men to work it out,” Fletch concluded.
“Exactly.”
“So we need to be on our toes against retaliation,” Fletch commented unnecessarily.
“Yup. You should talk to Emily and her daughter as well.”
Fletch looked sharply at Ghost. “They’re just my tenants.”
“Right, but they’re also women, and living on your property. What if those assclowns decide it’d be fun to burn down your garage and that sweet Charger you’ve got in there? Cameras aren’t going to keep them safe if someone wants to cause problems.”
Fletch’s face paled. Jesus, he hadn’t thought of that. He was an idiot. “I gotta go.”
“Yeah, figured you might. I’ll see you later.”
Fletch absently waved as he headed to his car, looking at his watch. Emily would be at work by now, he’d swing by the PX and talk to her really quickly, make sure she knew to be aware of strangers on his property, and to let him know if she saw anything unusual. He might not be dating her, but she and Annie meant a lot to him. He’d never forgive himself if something happened to them and he hadn’t warned her ahead of time.
* * *
Emily tried to concentrate on the shelf she was stocking, but it was no use. Having Fletch’s friend show up at the end of the driveway—when Annie was in the car with her—had freaked her out. He knew exactly when she’d be there, and when Fletch would be gone.
He’d blocked her car so she had to stop and walked up to her window as calmly as he pleased. Emily, not wanting Annie to overhear him, grabbed the envelope she’d been carrying around in preparation, and got out to meet him.
“Hey, babe. Got something for me?”
Emily had held out the envelope without a word.
He took it without looking inside. “Thanks. I’ll make sure Fletch knows you’ve been making regular payments for him, and that you’re doing what he expects.” He leaned close, putting an arm around her waist and pulling her into him. He brushed his lips across her cheek and then put his mouth next to her ear.
“Don’t fuck with me, babe. I can see you’re pissed by those pretty eyes of yours. Don’t even think about doing something stupid. Annie’s looking real cute in her jumper this morning. You wouldn’t want anything to happen to her, would you? I bet there’s a foster daddy who’d take a shine to her…if you know what I mean.”
Emily had stood stock still in his embrace and shuddered. She might’ve tried to convince herself that maybe the man wasn’t going to go through with his threats, but with those words, she knew she’d been wrong. She felt something shrivel up inside her, knowing Fletch and that monster were friends. That after the present he’d bought Annie, and how nice he’d been to her, and how outraged he’d been on her behalf after hearing how the little girl had been treated by others, Fletch would still knowingly put Annie’s life in danger, and wouldn’t care if she was taken away from her mother to live with strangers.
Emily sighed and sagged on the little stool she was sitting on as she stocked the shelf with bottles upon bottles of perfumed shower gel. She was heartsick. She’d misread a man…again. It had been bad enough with Annie’s father, but with Fletch, it somehow hurt ten times more. He’d been so nice and open with her daughter. Even after their first meeting, she’d gotten good vibes from him, going so far as to think he might be interested in her, but obviously her “bad man” meter was broken.
“Hey, Em.”
Emily was startled so badly she would’ve slipped off the stool if it wasn’t for the hand on her arm, catching her. She looked up into the eyes of the man she’d been lambasting herself over for the last twenty minutes. Quickly standing up, Emily took a step back and away from Fletch.
“Hey. What’re you doing here?” Her words came out harsher than she’d intended.
“I had a chat with one of my friends this morning and wanted to come and talk to you about something. You have a minute?”
Not able to help the hope that soared through her, Emily nodded quickly. Maybe he was coming to tell her that he’d talked to the asshole and he’d had second thoughts about her paying off his debt. “Yeah, you want to go out back?”
“That’d be great, thanks.”
Emily led the way through the store and passed by Jimmy’s office on the way out the back door, telling him she was taking a ten-minute break.
Fletch held the door for her as they headed outside. The day was already warm, not surprising for Texas. Emily waved at two of her co-workers taking a smoke break and led Fletch over to one of the picnic tables under some trees. Management had set them up so the employees had a comfortable place out of the sun to eat lunch or take breaks.
They sat on opposite sides of the table and Emily waited for Fletch to tell her why he was there.
“So, as I said, I was talking to my friend, and I wanted to let you know that you need to be careful.”
Emily’s brows came
down in confusion. “What do you mean?”
“My job isn’t the safest, and sometimes there are others that get…irritated with me. I’d hate for something to happen to you or Annie.”
Emily could feel her heartbeat pick up and the adrenaline course through her system. Was he going to tell her that she didn’t have to worry about the other man anymore? That he’d make sure no one took Annie from her? “Annie and I aren’t safe?”
“Look…” Fletch ran his hand through his hair, clearly agitated. “I’m not saying this right, but the bottom line is that if my fuck-ups leak into my personal life, I don’t want you and Annie to get stuck in the crosshairs of that.”
“Maybe we should just go then,” Emily said, wondering if she’d be able to get out of the bind she’d found herself in so easily.
“No. You aren’t going anywhere, that’s not what I meant. Stay. I like having you guys around.”
“If you’re having…problems…maybe you should talk to your friend? Maybe you guys can work it out between the two of you and I don’t have to be involved,” Emily tentatively suggested.
“But you are involved, you live on my property,” Fletch said resolutely. “And I’ve talked to my friend. Believe me, we’ve spent a lot of time discussing the situation, and you and Annie. You’re better off where you are, doing exactly what you’re doing. Look, if someone comes around that you don’t like the look of, just tell me. I’ll take care of it for you.”
“What if it’s your friend?” Emily asked quietly.
“My friends won’t hurt you or your daughter. They’d rather die first.”
“Are you sure?”
“I’m sure. If they ask you to do something, do it. They have your best interests at heart.”
“Do they have yours?” Emily asked, thoroughly confused. How could Fletch sit there and say that his friend threatening to take away or shoot Annie was “in her best interests”?
“Of course. They’d do anything for me. Just as I would for them. No one fucks with what’s ours.”
Emily’s heart dropped. There was her answer. His friendship with the asshole meant more to him than a struggling single mom. Money was obviously very important to him, to both men.
Emily wanted to cry. She felt so far out of her league it wasn’t funny. Not only was she scared, but she was hungry, her savings was steadily being drained every week, and she was thoroughly disillusioned.
This was the last time she was getting involved with any military man, ever. They were all scum. No matter how they seemed on the outside, deep down, all they cared about was themselves.
“Okay.”
“Okay?”
“Yeah, okay. I’ll do what your friend wants. Do you think…after this is over…you’ll consider getting some help?”
“Help? Help with what?”
“You know…your situation.”
“Don’t worry about that. My friends and I are dealing with it. I know what I’m doing.”
“Hmmmm.”
Fletch leaned over the table and picked up one of her hands. He brushed his thumb against the back of it. “I appreciate you being understanding about this. All I want is for you and Annie to be safe.”
Emily almost choked on the bile that rose from her throat. Yeah right. Safe from who? “We will be. I’ll never let anything happen to my daughter.”
“I know.”
“I know you do,” she told him sadly, finally understanding that was why he’d rented the apartment to her in the first place. She was an easy mark. Lure in the single mother and get her grateful, then sic his friend on her. She was an idiot.
Fletch’s head cocked as he examined her. “Are you sure you’re okay with this?”
“Yeah, I’m sure. I don’t really have a choice.”
He squeezed her hand once more then stood up. “It’s for your safety. Just remember that. I’ll see you later, yeah?”
Emily nodded and sat stock still as Fletch leaned over and brushed his lips against her cheek in a chaste goodbye kiss. “Later.”
“Bye.”
Emily sat on the table in the hot Texas morning long after Fletch left. She thought through a million scenarios and couldn’t figure any way out of what was happening to her. She had held out hope that Fletch had no idea what his friend was doing, but it was obvious after their “talk” that he was fully aware…and didn’t give a shit.
Finally, she pulled herself up and went back inside the PX and to the shelves that needed stocking. She was no closer to figuring out a solution to the situation now than she’d been that morning, and she felt more alone than ever.
Chapter 7
The knock on Emily’s door startled her out of a restless sleep. Since her discussion with Fletch a couple months ago, she wasn’t sleeping more than four hours a night. She was stressed out, hungry, and had lost around fifteen pounds.
Breakfast and dinner were meals she usually skipped to make sure that Annie was getting enough to eat, but she was failing even with that. Too many times, Annie asked for more after she’d finished whatever it was Emily had made for her.
Occasionally one of her coworkers would take pity on Emily and get her something for lunch, but most of the time she raided the bargain bin in the PX and got whatever was cheapest. It wasn’t good for her health, Emily knew that, but she didn’t know how else to fix her situation.
Fletch’s friend continued to show up weekly, like clockwork. He never said much, only more threats to either her or Annie, and he made a point of telling her how pleased Fletch was with her cooperation.
Emily had sold as much of their stuff as she could…at least what she could make a couple bucks on. Annie wasn’t dumb, she knew something was up, but Emily refused to talk to her about it. She was the mother, she had to protect Annie as much as possible, just like she always had and always would.
That night, when Emily told her daughter that she just wasn’t hungry and the ramen noodles were all hers, Annie had looked at her with eyes at least twenty years older than her six years. She’d scooted her chair out from the table and went to her room. She reappeared with her beloved Army men in her hands. They were still in their packages, pristine.
“Sell my Army men, Mommy. They’re brand new, so you can get a lot of money for them.”
Emily’s heart officially broke. Annie loved those toys, and not just because they were new. Her idol, Fletch, had given them to her, and she loved the man as much as Emily loathed him for putting her in this position in the first place.
Putting her hand on the top of Annie’s head, she desperately tried to hold back the tears and looked her daughter in the eyes. “I’m not selling your toys, baby. They’re yours.”
“But you aren’t eating. I can feel your backbone when I hug you.”
“I’m eating. Promise. I’m just not hungry. We’re fine. We have this wonderful apartment to live in where we’re safe. You’re the smartest girl in your class. We’re fine, baby.”
It was obvious Annie didn’t believe her, but she was also relieved she didn’t have to give up her precious toys. “Okay, but maybe Fletch has a sandwich you could eat?”
Lord. That was the last thing she needed. Emily had curbed the amount of time Annie spent with Fletch as much as possible, but it was obvious when he got home since they lived over the garage. Emily had watched him carefully, and he was always gentle with Annie. Not once had he said anything to her that was out of line or threatening. Annie didn’t have a lot of friends, and Emily couldn’t bear to take away the man who obviously meant a lot to the little girl.
“I’ll talk to him. Okay?”
“Okay!” Annie declared happily, deciding the problem was fixed, and digging into her noodles as if they were the best thing she’d ever eaten, rather than the same thing she’d had for dinner every day that week.
Emily crawled off the couch where she’d been sleeping for the last month and staggered to the door. “Who is it?”
“Fletch.”
The
last person Emily wanted to see was her landlord, but she couldn’t exactly not open the door to him either. She unlocked the locks and slipped out, making sure to close the door tightly behind her. “Hey.”
“Hey, Em, I wanted to come over and let you know that I’ll be out of town for a while.”
“Yeah?”
“Um hum, we got called on a mission fifteen minutes ago. I have thirty minutes before I’m supposed to report to base.”
Hating that she cared, but worried nonetheless, Emily asked, “Everything all right?”
Fletch shrugged. “Duty calls. Can you get my mail and watch the place for me again?”
“Yes.”
His eyes narrowed at her terse response. “If it’s too much to ask, you don’t have to.”
“It’s fine. It was part of the deal.”
“Fuck the deal. If you’ve got other things to do, I’ll understand.”
“I said it’s fine,” Emily snapped.
“No guests.”
“What?”
“I don’t want anyone over there but you and Annie. Don’t bring your boyfriend into my house.”
“My boyfriend?”
“Yeah. Think you can handle that?”
His voice had gotten hard, and Emily wasn’t sure what he was talking about. She didn’t have a boyfriend; why would he think that?
“Of course. Fletch, I don’t—”
“And I hope you’re feeding your daughter more than yourself. Kids shouldn’t be on a diet.”
“I’m not—”
“I’ll leave the key on the seat of your car in the garage. I don’t know how long I’ll be away, but I hope I can trust you to take care of things around here while I’m gone?”
Emily could only nod. Her coworkers had noticed her weight loss, but Fletch hadn’t said anything about it until now.
“I’ll see you when I see you then.”
“Bye.”
Fletch didn’t say anything else, simply turned and headed down the stairs and into the darkness.
Emily looked at her watch: four-fifteen. Whatever he was getting called off to do, it must be serious if he had to leave at this time of the morning. She opened the door and headed back inside the small apartment, wondering if his friend would be going with him, or if he’d be around to pick up the payment for the week.