“Hello?”
“Mom, it’s Brooks. How are you?”
“I’m good. We’re excited to come visit.”
“Listen, about that, I’m coming to you instead. I’ve got some leave available and thought I’d come home.”
“That would be wonderful. I can’t wait to tell your father.”
“Expect me in a couple days. I have a big surprise for you. I’ll see you then. I love you.”
“Love you too.”
Since I had that part taken care of, all I had to do was convince Kat it was a good idea.
An hour had gone by before I couldn’t take it any longer. I dialed Kat’s number, wanting nothing more than to hear her voice. “Hello?”
“Hey, I’m just calling to check on my girls.”
I could hear the television playing in the background. Kat took a few seconds before she spoke again. “I listened to my messages.”
I could hear that she was upset. I wished I could make all of this easier for her. “I imagine he’s pissed about now. He knows you’re with me and he ain’t going to lay a hand on you ever again.”
“Pretty much.”
“Listen, I have a plan to keep you both safe. I’m meeting with my commanding officer in an hour to see if I can take a few days off. I’m due, so it shouldn’t be an issue. Considering the circumstances, I doubt he’ll have a problem. He’s got a family, so he knows how important you are to me.”
“Am I going to like your plan?” I wasn’t going to give her a choice.
“Do you trust me?”
“With my life.” That was good news because she wasn’t going to like my idea at all.
“Kat, I’m going to keep you safe. I need to go. Stay inside until I get back. I love you.”
“That will never get old.”
“It better not. I’ve been practicing it in front of a mirror since I was twelve.”
When the call ended I felt better. I knew they were safe, and that I’d be with them as soon as I could. Fingers crossed, I’d be able to take time off. My next training course wasn’t coming in for a while and I already had my plans in order. There was no reason why I’d have to stay on base.
I’d no sooner come out of the meeting to request leave, with good news, when my phone began to ring. I pulled the vibrating device out of my pocket and put it up to my ear. “Sergeant Valentine.”
“Brooks, he’s here at the hotel. B and I are in the elevator. I hit the emergency stop button. He’s going to hurt me. You’ve got to call the police. Tell them he’s going to hurt me.”
“I’m coming.” Just then I saw my superior officer heading in my direction.
Kat was still on the other end of the call. “No! I don’t want you hurt. Please, stay there.”
“Kat, I’m coming and you’re not going to stop me. Whatever you do, don’t let that elevator start moving. You hang tight. I’ll be there in less than five minutes.”
”I’m calling the police.”
“What’s going on, Valentine?”
“Her husband found her. He’s there at the hotel. She and my daughter are in the elevator with it stopped. I’ve got to get out of here.”
He followed me, hopping in the truck before I could stop him. “You might need some backup.” He suggested as I pulled out of the parking spot.
“Has your life always been like this?”
I scrunched up my face. “No, sir. This is the first time I’ve had to deal with abusive husbands.”
He laughed at my comment. “We’ll get them out of harm’s way. Once they’re safe you can bring them to the base. We’ll find a place for them.”
“Thank you, sir.” In all honesty it was hard to appreciate what he was saying. I was too concerned about Kat and Brooklyn. They meant everything to me. I kept picturing the worst.
When I made it inside of the hotel, I saw her husband standing outside of the elevators. He took one look at me and backed up, turning his attention to the fact that I’d showed up. “Of course the bitch called you. Let me tell you something, they’re both coming home with me. There’s nothin’ you can do about it. I knew she was here with you. I tracked her with my phone. It wasn’t hard to find her when she was this close to the military barracks.”
His threats meant nothing to me. Before I could shove him out of my face my superior put his hands between us. “Back up soldier. I’ll take care of this.”
“What are you going to do old man?” Bobby wasn’t letting the sarge scare him.
Then I watched him change his tune. “Are you familiar with the penalty for assaulting a soldier? How do you think a judge is going to handle you fighting with someone who had earned a purple heart for his services overseas? You don’t want to do this, son. I can guarantee that it won’t end well for you.”
Bobby threw his hands in the air, at the same time two police officers walked into the lobby. Right away my sarge let them know what was going on, while I made my way over to the elevator.
It took the mechanic a few minutes to get it moving again. As soon as the doors opened I saw her scared face. I didn’t have to ask if she was okay, because I knew she would be, both of them would. “We’re going to make a statement and get some papers drawn up. Are you alright with that?”
I led Kat over to my boss. “Kat, this is my commanding officer, Ferris.”
He shook her hand. “It’s great to meet you, ma’am.” He turned his attention to B. “You must be little Brooklyn. You sure do look like your daddy.”
It made me so happy to hear that. I knew she did, but it still felt amazing.
B got up in my arms and let me hug her. I was so glad she wasn’t acting scared. “You need to go give a statement to the officer. I’m going to go up and get our things. I’ll meet you down here in a few minutes.”
Kat nodded and followed my sarge over to where the police stood. She didn’t have to worry about Bobby. They’d already put him in a car and locked the doors.
The officers would help her get a protective order. It was a good start, but probably not enough to keep him away forever. We’d have to go to court for that to happen.
When I met her back in the lobby with all of our things, she only had one question. “What now?”
“We go back to the base. I’ve got to fill out some forms and then we’re going on a road trip.”
“A road trip?” She didn’t like the sound of it. I could already tell.
“Yeah. I’ll explain later.” I stopped walking before we made it outside. “Give me your phone.”
She looked shocked when I took it and broke it in two pieces. “The thing about cell phones is that they can be traced by anyone. Bobby had an app on his phone that told him where you were. The second you turned your phone back on, all he had to do was follow the damn arrow.”
I could tell she felt stupid, but I didn’t blame her. Everything happened too fast to consider he was that manipulative.
We all rode back to the base together. When the sarge got out of the truck, Kat shook his hand. “Thank you, sir.”
“It was my pleasure, ma’am.”
It wasn’t until we were inside my room packing that she really started pushing about our trip. “So where are we going? Am I not allowed to know? Is there something you aren’t telling me?”
I picked B up just in case Kat planned on wrestling me to the ground to change my mind. “We’re going to my parent’s house, and before you say anything you need to understand that your safety is the most important thing to me. I’ve got seven days before I need to report back, so I can promise you that it’s not forever.”
It was quite obvious that she was in shock. She stood there looking as if she were about to puke. This was going to be a long road trip.
Chapter 40
We’d been driving for a while in silence. It was obvious that she wasn’t happy with me about my decision to go home. What Kat couldn’t grasp was the fact that my parents loved her just the same as they always had. If she hadn’t been so
hard-headed in the first place she never would have married that asshole we were trying to get away from. “I’m getting hungry. Do you want to stop and eat soon?”
She wouldn’t even look in my direction. “I feel like I’m going to puke. Just get something for you and B.”
It was beginning to get dark out. B was steady dozing, in the back, while Kat continued giving me the silent treatment. I reached over and put my hand on her thigh. “Kat, you can’t be mad at me forever, you know.”
“Yes, I can.” She shoved my hand away.
“You’re being a baby. We were going to let my parents visit next week anyway. Stop acting like you don’t love me anymore because I know it’s not true.”
She was adamant about making me pay for not telling her where we were going at first. “I can’t believe you’re making me do this.”
When I couldn’t take it anymore I pulled the vehicle over and placed it in park. “Look at me.”
“No!” She stared out at an open field.
I ran my hand back up her thigh, taunting her. “Kat, look at me.”
The pissed look on her face was priceless. I wished I had my phone out to take a picture to make fun of it later. “What?”
“They miss you. Hell, they miss us. I left too, you know? This isn’t easy for me, but they deserve to know that little girl in the backseat. They weren’t in the dark about my feelings, Kat. They knew how I felt and they probably knew how you felt. We were kids, who wore our feelings on our sleeves. I’m betting they weren’t as surprised as you think that we ended up in bed, several times. After all, it is where you belonged anyway.”
She huffed and puffed, but finally gave in. “I’m still mad.”
I tapped her little nose. “No you’re not. You’re scared, but you’re not mad.”
“I don’t think I like that you know what I’m thinking. A girl’s got a right to some private thoughts.”
“Get used to it. It’s never going to change.”
Kat sighed, but finally seemed to calm down. A few minutes later she made a good suggestion. “I think we should stop for the night and drive the rest of the way in the morning. We didn’t sleep good last night, and could both use the rest before we see your parents.”
“I don’t know if that’s a good idea. I mean, when we go to hotels, you get pregnant. It’s scary.” I laughed at my own convoluted joke.
She smacked me hard on the leg. “I should have never said anything to you.”
“You know it’s funny.”
“What’s going to be funny is when I don’t get my period in two weeks. Then I’m going to watch you cry.”
I looked right at her, making sure she was paying close attention. “I won’t be crying out of fear, beautiful. They’ll be tears of joy for me. So, are we stopping at a hotel, or are you scared?”
She covered her face. I recognized that I was getting on her nerves. For one reason or another I found comfort in us being this way. It was the reason I fell in love with her so long ago.
“I’m not scared of you!”
“You should be. I’ll steal your heart and you’ll never get it back,” I promised.
“I gave it to you years ago, and I don’t want it back,” she replied.
I took her hand and held it against my lips. She couldn’t know how amazing this was for me. “No matter what happens when we get there tomorrow, we’re a team. If something bad is said, which I don’t see happening, we’ll leave together, as a family. I promise.”
“I just don’t want to see the look of disappointment on their faces. I’m already feeling that about myself. Being reminded of it only makes things worse.”
“I guarantee that when we walk in there, and they take a look at that princess in the back seat, everything will change. Look at how she’s affected me.”
In a few short days, I felt like everything in my life had changed. Kat couldn’t argue with the truth. She knew as well as I did that they were crazy if they didn’t love our daughter. “I hope you’re right.”
I walked across the lot to reserve a room for us while Kat went into the restaurant to change B. She said she was too soaked to wait. When we met again I had the key in my hand. “I got us a room. Since you’re scared of getting knocked up, I took a room with one twin bed. We can all share, right?”
She raised her brow, shaking her head the whole time. “You can sleep on the floor, I suppose.”
“I’m just playing. I got a honeymoon suite with a vibrating bed. Bug’s going to love it.”
She shook her head and kept looking at the menu while I played peek-a-boo with B.
After we grabbed a bite to eat, we headed over to the hotel. The first thing we did was got B situated with some of her toys. Her schedule was all messed up and Kat was freaking out over it. The more comfortable the child was the better she would sleep.
I took it upon myself to get a hot shower. It had been a long day, and I needed to wash as much if it away as I could. I didn’t see a problem with coming out of the bathroom in only a towel, but the look on Kat’s face made me rethink that decision. She may as well have been drooling. I watched her taking me in while smiling cheek to cheek. I knew what was on her mind, and it didn’t involve clothing.
I started to look for my boxers in my bag when my daughter walked over and looked at me curiously. I still had a towel on, but I could tell she was intrigued. “Hey, bug. What are you doing over here?”
“Pincess.” She handed me a little princess doll.
“Where’s her prince?”
She located the male prince and made them kiss. We all began to laugh at how she understood that gesture. “You may look like Daddy, but you act like Mama,” I said as I kissed her nose.
B jumped into my lap and touched my nose. “Nose.”
I touched her nose back. “B.”
When she went to do it again, she paused. Kat climbed up behind her and whispered, “Who is that?”
B smiled. “Daddy.”
It was another pivotal moment for me. She was mine in every way, and she even knew it. My whole life flashed before my eyes, only to bring me back to this monumental event. All the pain was worth it to have her in my life. Words couldn’t begin to describe the happiness this child brought me. I was in awe of her.
“Say it again, B. Who am I?”
She giggled. “Daddy.”
I kept asking her, hoping she’d never change her mind. After a while I could tell Kat was ready to put ear plugs in. I was getting a little annoying, probably purposely pushing her buttons.
B didn’t fall asleep right away. It could have been the chocolate I fed her while her mother wasn’t looking. We talked until her little eyes got heavy. Once I knew she was comfortable I made my way over to the other bed. I wrapped my arms around Kat’s small body. “Are you excited about tomorrow?”
She turned to face me. “Seriously? My stomach is all knotted up.”
I knew I had to leave it alone. I couldn’t risk her freaking out anymore about it. She had enough on her plate with her psycho husband. Since it was important that every aspect of her life was taken care of I decided to ask about her personal property. “Do you have anyone that can run by and check on things at your house?”
“Yeah. I can call my old boss at the diner I waitressed at. She never really liked Bobby much, so he won’t be able to influence her into thinking I’m a piece of shit.”
“A waitress sounds like a hot job for you. Woman, what else are you hiding from me?”
Kat giggled. “I wasn’t an exotic dancer if that’s what you’re thinking. There’s no way dirty men are going to see me naked.”
“I’d pay an arm and a leg to see you dance naked.” I teased her with my eyebrows, moving them up and down with excitement.
She gave me a sarcastic look. “If I could dance, I’d do it for free, but we both know I have two left feet.”
“Well, we’re in luck, because I have two right feet.”
She attempted to push me awa
y, but failed horribly. “How about we get some rest?”
“How about you take off that Army shirt and we have a repeat of last night first?”
I was surprised when she didn’t argue about it. Kat sat up and lifted the shirt over her head. Then she wriggled out of her panties. Completely naked in front of me, I prepared to devour her.
“This is never going to get old.”
She climbed on my lap, pulling me forward by my dog tags until our lips were touching. “Tell me you love me and I’ll give you that dance.”
“I love you, beautiful. Now, stand up and show me what you’ve got.”
I threw my arms behind my head and waited for my show to begin, all the while knowing she really couldn’t dance a lick. It was going to be the sexiest catastrophe known to man, and I was going to love every single minute of it.
Chapter 41
I’d been lying in bed with her for about twenty minutes before I decided I wasn’t going to be able to sleep unless I took care of a certain problem. While she seemed to be sleeping, I slid down under the covers, kissing her skin at the base of her pussy. Her body reacted, and I knew she was fully aware of what was about to happen. My thumb traced her little bud, bringing her to life. I listen to a soft moan escaping her lips while my tongue flicked her clit. Even though it was hot under the covers, I wasn’t about to let my daughter catch me doing this. I’d never forgive myself. I kept going, sucking and lapping her up, until her knees came up around me. She dug her hands into my hair, keeping my mouth close to the task. The taste of her, the favor of her essence made me crazy. I wanted to bring her to new heights, repeatedly. One finger slid inside of her channel, immediately becoming saturated with her sultry musk. I couldn’t stop. I had to continue until I felt her losing control, and in that moment I’d know without a doubt that I was the best she’d ever had. I wanted to be the only person in Kat’s life to make her cum this way.
I sucked her clit in hard, holding it between my teeth while pulling back. I moved my head, rubbing my chin over her pussy, while I still thrust my finger in and out of her. Her walls began to close, sending my finger out again. I drove it back in, pulling my face away only to lick over it some more. Then I felt her, shaking, no seizing beneath me. I made my way up to her mouth, savoring the way she accepted my kisses.
Love Survives (Love Suicide #2) Page 25