by Brynne Asher
My big stack of papers proving I own every blade of grass on my property is crushed between us. His words catch me off guard and I say nothing.
“You were young when you experienced it firsthand. I lost my dad and you lost your mom. I’ve caused a lot of death on my own over the last ten years. Not everyone knows death, but when you do, you appreciate life.”
“What does that have to do with you paying off my loan?”
Again, he ignores me. “When I was gone, I made the decision to start living my life with you. I’m done lamenting death—I want to live. Don’t you want to live with me?”
I shake my head, completely confused. “Of course, but you’re already practically living with me.”
“No, Addison. I mean live.”
“What are you talking about?”
“I’m ready to live and I want to do it with you. Knowing death like I do—like we do—I’ve decided I’m living for today. I’ve put my neck out there, I’ve worked hard, and got you as my reward. Anything worth anything is an uphill climb. I’ve climbed it, you’ve climbed it, now it’s time we sit back and live it. You ready for that?”
“But.” I sigh, and lean into him, fisting the papers. “This is too much.”
“It’s not.” His answer is firm and resolute. “You don’t know what I have or what I’m worth. We need to have that talk. But soon enough you’ll be mine officially. You and I both prefer to lay low for obvious reasons. When you take my name, I don’t want it tied to a loan when it’s easy for me to make that loan go away and save you a shit ton of money in the process. Are you with me?”
My breath catches. “I’ll be yours soon?”
He gives me a squeeze. “Yes. I’m ready to live and I think you are, too.”
I close my eyes and lean my forehead into the middle of his chest.
His hand dips into my hair when his lips come to the top of my head. “You read those documents?”
“Not really,” I mutter into his chest.
“I made it happen when I was gone. Your name’s on the deed. Solely. Made no sense you paying all that interest to the bank. Take that money and make your business better than you already have. You might’ve been on your own before, but you’re not anymore.”
I look up at him, not knowing what to say. “I don’t know what to say.”
“Move away from death with me. Let’s live.”
There’s nothing to say. There’s nothing I want more than to live with him. I push up on my toes and put my lips on his. When he pulls me in closer to take over my kiss, I hear the payoff paperwork to my home and business crinkle between us.
When he breaks our kiss, I ask, “Will you at least talk to me before you do something like this next time?”
He looks confused. “Do you have any other business loans?”
I roll my eyes. “No.”
He smiles. “Then yes.”
Of course. “I guess I should say thank you, but how do you thank someone for two point six million dollars?”
His eyes warm on me. “I’m sure you can think of something.”
Shaking my head, I reach up to kiss him again quickly. “I’ve got to get back to work. And apparently I need to think of a way to thank you later.”
“Love you,” he says against my lips. “Looking forward to living with you, baby.”
“I love you, too.”
Even though I don’t want to, I turn to my car so I can get back to work. To a business that’s completely mine. I don’t even know what I’m going to do with all the extra money.
When I get to my car door, I stop and turn back to him. “Wait, did you pay off my car, too?”
He purses his lips and drops his head, looking at the ground in front of him. He does this while doing his best to hide a grin.
As opposed to him, I look to the sky and sigh. “Of course he did.”
“See you for dinner,” I hear him call with a smile in his voice.
“I’ll have something ready.” My voice is resigned, but I like the feeling bubbling up inside of me. I guess this is what it feels like to not be on your own. How can I not like it?
And just like that, with Crew paving the way, we start to living together.
*****
Crew –
I watch her drive off and am fucking grateful I’m here to see her throw that fit. I was away for only a couple days when I made the changes I did to my finances. What she doesn’t know yet is she’s now my beneficiary, still leaving a decent portion to my mom and brother. I had to do this in case I didn’t come back. Paying off her loans was an afterthought and not a big deal like she made it out to be. I’ll need to let that settle with her a while before explaining what’s mine will be ours. Or if anything ever happens to me, it’ll all be hers.
I had to do this because I didn’t lie when I told her it was hard to focus. From the second I left her, I had a bad fucking feeling about the assignment. If something went south—which it did—and I didn’t come back, I needed to know she’d be taken care of.
I never knew what it was like to leave someone to go on a job. To worry about coming home to a woman I want, a woman I love, and the hurt I’d cause if I didn’t. Maybe that’s why it didn’t feel right, why the whole thing felt different—off. Or maybe it’s because I’d already quit and had no desire to go back. Or, it was Grady.
My guess, it was all of the above, but mostly Grady.
I was on my way to grab lunch, but instead head to Grady’s barn. He’s barely spoken to me since it happened, even after we arrived Stateside. I arranged for us to land outside of Baltimore on a private airstrip and got him to a doctor at a cash only practice. Grady was fucked up, beyond recuperating on his own. He needed medical attention and there was no way we were going to chance finding it where we were. We couldn’t get out of there fast enough, and even in a private jet I chartered to get him out fast, it was a long fucking flight.
I don’t knock to alert him I’m here. When I open the door, he doesn’t look to me, but tosses his phone to the side. No doubt he knew I was coming. He’s laid back on the only piece of furniture he owns besides his bed, a leather recliner, staring out the window.
Exactly where he’s been every time I’ve come to check on him.
I step in and swing the door shut to his makeshift house with its minimal necessities. We’ve been here for six months—this was supposed to be temporary. I’d planned on him settling somewhere close, but who knows if or when that might happen. At this point, I just hope he sticks around so I can keep an eye on him.
When he doesn’t acknowledge me, I ask, “You hungry? I can go to the tasting room and get you something.”
He finally looks away from the window and when he does, I see his bruises are fading, and hell if he didn’t cut out his own stitches that were lining his temple. That wound was left gaping until we could get back to the States. He still hasn’t shaved and he always shaves when he’s not on assignment.
He doesn’t speak but shakes his head.
“I’ll bring you some dinner,” I insist. “How are your ribs, the arm?”
He might still be in bad shape, but his eyes waste no time darting to me in record time. “I don’t need anyone to take care of me, Vega. Doctor said I’ll be fine. Do your business, train your men, go play house. Go do whatever you need to do.”
“Speaking of that, let’s get you out of this barn. I’m at Addison’s every night, you should move into my house. I’m only there during the day. I’ll help move your stuff, you’ll be more comfortable there.”
He sighs and looks back to the window. “I’m good.”
“Asa’s taking a couple days to see his kids since the recruits have their first days off. Did he talk to you before he left?”
Grady shakes his head. “He tried, but you know he and I don’t have the bromance thing going on you two do.”
I cross my arms and mutter, “Shit.”
He leans forward slowly to get up, looking like he’s moving be
tter than he did yesterday. He has a couple cracked ribs and more that are bruised. They dislocated his shoulder when they broke his arm, I had to pop it back in myself. He’s lucky it was a clean break and he didn’t need surgery, not to mention they didn’t fuck with his dominant arm. Although, they were about to. When I got to him, he was hanging by his left wrist with a sack tied over his head, and his right hand was tied to a chopping block. They were trying to make him talk, but he held steadfast, just as we were trained, never uttering a word. For one, it would’ve given away he was an American and two, if you utter one word, self-preservation could take over and you could utter them all. I’ve never had to put that into practice and it was a first for Grady.
I’m impressed he’s moving as well as he is, even if he’s still slow. Though, he’s not nearly as slow as I thought he’d be.
Heading to his makeshift kitchen, he opens the fridge and never looks back. “You can go.”
He’s said more to me today than he has since we’ve been home, so I’ll take that as improvement. When I turn to the door I call to him, “I’ll bring you dinner.”
He responds, staring into his almost empty fridge, “Don’t.”
I yell back right before I slam the door behind me, “I’m bringing you dinner.”
He’ll have to deal with me bringing him a meal. I’m not sure what else to do, but he’s gonna need to snap out of this eventually and move on. What’s going to make him do that, I’ve got no idea.
*****
I just got off the phone with my mom, it was time I told her about Addison. At first the line was quiet, and then just as I thought she’d do, she got mom-emotional on me. Once I got her settled down, she asked all kinds of questions. I answered her for the most part, promising her she’d meet Addison soon. I told her I’d get her a plane ticket and she could come here, see my new place but she could stay with us in Addison’s farmhouse.
The conversation went well, and I could tell she wasn’t only happy, but relieved I’m not alone. I told her I’d call to finalize plans once I checked Addison’s schedule, and she was happy to have something to look forward to.
Now it’s late afternoon. The day is slow with Asa and the recruits away. I’m in my office looking at new backgrounds. I built out the barn to house ten, we haven’t completely fucked up the first group, maybe it’s time to add more. Although, Jarvis is still up in the air. He’s like a loose cannon that we’re waiting to explode.
When my phone vibrates on my desk, I frown at the name showing on the screen. He never calls on this line.
“What?” I demand the instant my phone touches my ear.
His words are rushed. “We don’t know where O’Rourke is. Or Whittaker for that matter. Something went down today. I don’t know what, but we lost contact with his tail an hour ago. We’ve been trying to touch base and eventually searched from Whittaker’s last reported location. The agent following Whittaker was found a half-mile from there, bleeding out in a ditch. Gunshot wound to the chest. He coded twice in the chopper, but he’s in surgery now.”
I stand, grab my keys off my desk, putting Carson on speaker so I can check the cameras. “Where’s O’Rourke? Don’t you still have a tracker on his car?”
“It’s still showing at the Pentagon, but our tail followed him from the building two hours ago on foot until a hit-and-run ended his surveillance. Two fucking broken legs. O’Rourke hasn’t checked back through security, he’s not at the Pentagon. We don’t know where he is.”
I run through my house and out the front door. “Whittaker?”
“Same. Someone’s fucking onto us, both tails were taken out about the same time. The taps have been quiet for over twenty-four hours—we didn’t think much of it. Told you they’ve been arguing, and the way they left it, they were both gonna do their own thing.”
“Fuck,” I seethe as I gun it down my drive to get to Addison as fast as I can. “Asa’s gone and my recruits are on leave, all I have is Grady. Call him, tell him what you told me. I’m headed to the winery now, but left unarmed. I’ve got to find Addison.”
“Call back,” he demands, disconnecting immediately.
I pull the cameras up on my phone at the same time I call her cell, putting it on speaker. I pull out of my property on almost two wheels and head for the winery.
Fuck if it doesn’t go to voicemail.
Chapter 28 – Live
Addy – Fifteen minutes earlier
I look to Bev, who’s sitting on the porch of the main building with a book in her lap. This is exactly why she won’t let me hire her. If she wants to sit and read while looking out over the countryside, she doesn’t want to feel guilty about doing it.
“If anyone’s looking for me, I’m going for a walk. I want to see how far they got in the vines today. They should be done in a day or two, tops.”
Bev looks to me and smiles. “Okay sweetie. I brought dinner for Morrie and all the workers. You and Crew are welcome to eat if you want, there’s plenty.”
I turn back and smile after making it down the stairs. “Thanks, we might just do that.”
The workers have made it to the far side of the vineyard and are finishing with the last few acres. This is only my second harvest. I purchased Whitetail in early summer, those first few months here were a whirlwind. I didn’t appreciate the excitement of reaping the grapes my first fall here, but I do this year. Watching my vines come to life in the spring after the dead of winter was magical, but I’m still sad. The vines, which have become heavy with fruit, look bare and even a little pitiful already. Soon they’ll lose their leaves and be nothing but a ghost of dead, tangled twigs.
I’m almost halfway to where they’re working near the far edge of my property when I hear crunching from the side. Turning to see what it is, the noise grows quicker and louder by the second.
I vaguely see someone’s legs through the bottom of the vines when I hear my name. “Addy.” I freeze, barely having the chance to fully turn to the voice when he appears through the grapevines. His words come out labored and rushed. “I need to talk to you.”
I step back instantly, realizing I don’t have my phone since I’m wearing a dress without pockets. What is he doing here out in the middle of my vineyard? Crew said he was under constant surveillance. I try not to let my eyes scan the surroundings, wondering where Crew’s cameras are. I really should’ve asked. Damn it. I try not to sound scared when I address him, but it’s hard because I know everything about him. What he’s capable of and how my dad was killed because of him.
“What are you doing here, Sheldon?”
He takes a step toward me and I unconsciously step back, slipping on the loose ground below me. I stumble into a vine and yelp when the branches tear the flesh on my hand. He stops, puts a hand up, trying to calm me or keep me in place. As if he’s in a hurry, he takes a deep breath and says on an exhale, “Your father was my friend. I never meant for anything to happen to him.”
I bite my lip to keep my emotions in check, not saying a word. Looking back and forth, I wonder if I should make a run for it, if he could catch me. I’m in my rain boots, I’m not sure how fast I could even run, let alone get away from him. Then I wonder how he got all the way out here and why those damn cameras aren’t doing their job.
“I did my best to keep him safe.” He takes another step closer, and this time there’s nowhere for me to go. My chest rises and falls quickly, my breathing an erratic mess. He gets even closer when he continues. “I tried to ward off those who knew he was onto something, but your dad was smart. He kept coming at me with his worries about what was going on at work. And then he started asking around, he knew exactly what he was talking about, no matter how much I tried to put him off.”
I’m backed up against my vines, feeling them biting me through my dress when I lie, “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“You do,” he insists, still in a hurry, and every word that leaves his mouth is more agitated than the one prior. He’s losi
ng control as the seconds tick by. When I side-step to try and get away, he closes the distance, seizing my bicep tightly to keep me in place. Gripping me to the point where it’s painful, I wince, trying to turn out of his hold, but it only makes him squeeze tighter. “Addy, you need to stop what you’re doing because they’re questioning your motives. They’ve hacked into your internet history and are suspicious why you never leave your property by yourself. You’re being watched, they’ve got eyes on your every move. I think somehow you were aware of this since your patterns have changed, but for fuck’s sake, quit with the internet searches. Things are so fucking twisted right now, I don’t know which way’s up. I came to warn you. You’re gonna get yourself killed!”
He shakes me, almost violently, when the last words leave his mouth, his anxiety peaking. Holy shit, I was researching Sheldon, and even Whittaker, when I thought it was him who was trying to screw with my business. I can’t believe they know—whoever they are. Russians, terrorists, aliens? Who the fuck are they that everyone keeps talking about?
I try to pull it together, knowing I need to get away from him. I pull my arm again and almost beg when I ask, “Why are you telling me this?”
“These people,” he pulls me even closer and pauses, taking a breath. “They’re paranoid. When they get this way, they take people out. They did it with your dad and I’ve seen it done since. The pressure is mounting, Addy. I feel it, and it’s never felt like this before.”
Another voice comes from our side, I didn’t even notice his approach because I was so distracted by Sheldon, but there he is—Marc Whittaker—standing in my vines with a gun pointed at us.
“You fucking traitor. The whole time I followed you out here, I couldn’t believe you were coming to her.”
Sheldon turns to Marc, letting go of me. I stumble to the side and out of sheer self-preservation, turn as fast as I can, and start down my row of vines. I knew my boots wouldn’t serve me well and I was right. I barely make it a few steps when I slide on the twigs and branches.