by Elle Boon
Brooke stood between his legs, trembling. “It can’t be possible. My dad would never…he’d never kill, or rather have people killed. He loved his country, his fellow soldiers.”
She tried to move away from him. “Listen to me. He put on a different face for you. I’m sure he was a great dad, but that’s not who I saw that night outside your home or in the middle of the desert. The man who told me point blank my life would be over if I didn’t do what he said. I left you alone, just like he’d demanded. Don’t you think it’s strange that around the same time you found out you were pregnant, he made his way to the desert where me and my team were?”
“He was really angry when he found out I was pregnant, but he was happy once Jack got here. My mom was awful too, until I had Jack. I don’t know what I would’ve done without them and their support. It’s just…to think he’d…oh god, I’m sorry,” she cried.
Jase gave her a little shake. “Sssh, you have nothing to apologize for, honey. We can’t control the actions of others. I could condemn myself for things I didn’t do that night in the desert that would’ve prevented the death of the other team, but I can’t change the past. We don’t have the power to do that. Pointing fingers gets us exactly nowhere. However, there are things we can do. I don’t believe your dad was working alone. That’s why I said I needed into his office.”
“You’ve got a plan,” Kai said.
Jase nodded.
“I think we owe you an apology.” Tay stood up from the table.
The sound of chairs scraping against the floor echoed around the room after Tay’s announcement.
Jase held Brooke tighter. “No apologies needed. Water under the bridge and all that shit.”
Oz shook his head. “No, we all judged you as guilty and turned our backs on you. We were your brothers, and we didn’t trust in you. It’s your turn. One free punch. Go ahead, hit Coyle.”
“Hey, why do I get to be the one he punches?” Coyle glared from Oz to Jase.
“You punched him, he punches you. Even stevens.” Oz stepped behind Kai as he spoke, flinching when Coyle jerked as if he was going to punch him.
“I admit I was angry at all of you for a long time. I even had the grim reaper tattooed on my chest as a reminder that my old life was dead.” He rubbed his chest where the tattoo in question lay.
“Oh, you got a tattoo, bad boy,” Alexa said bumping her hip against Brooke’s as she stepped around to stand next to Kai.
Brooke glanced up at him. “You’ve got several tattoos you didn’t have when we were together before.”
He shrugged. “They all have meaning. Back to what we were talking about though, I’m not angry anymore. I think I left all the anger behind at that cabin I blew up.”
Kai raised his hand. “Speaking of cabins, this one is kinda small. I made a call and happen to know of a place that is a lot more secure and big enough to hold all of us. It’s a short drive from here, if you want to use it.”
Jase’s mind lit on where he thought Kai was talking about. “Rowan’s place?”
“That’d be the one. He said it’s all fixed up and ready for visitors of the friendly kind, if we wanted to use it.” Kai waited.
Jase lifted Brooke’s chin up with one finger. “Feel like a little road trip?”
Her lip trembled, but she nodded. “Yeah, but how is that going to get you into my dad’s office?”
“Let me get you and Jack to safety. There’s some things we need to do before we go busting into your old house. First and foremost, securing our son. This cabin,” he looked around. “It’s a good stop, but it’s not what I’d deem the safest location. Rowan Shade has a home with a safe room. Do you know what that is?”
She nodded. “I’ve seen them in movies.”
His smile came easier at her words. “Well, the ones in movies will have nothing on what our old teammate has. He takes security to a whole other level.”
A round of hooyah filled the air as all five men raised their fist and yelled the SEAL battle cry.
*****
Brooke gathered up Jack’s things while the guys talked in the kitchen. Fear for what was to come had her heart pounding. She thought of calling her mom to check on her, but shut the impulse down almost immediately. Goosebumps raced up and down her arms, making her shiver in the warm room.
“Need any help?” Alexa asked.
Startled, Brooke spun to face the door, reaching for the first thing she could find that looked like a weapon. The large piece of stone that served as decoration fit in the palm of her hand, ready to use. She froze as she met the unblinking eyes of the other woman. “Oh lord, I’m sorry. You scared me.” Carefully, she sat the rock back down, exhaling the air from her lungs. Jesus, she was so on edge she almost bludgeoned the woman.
Alexa held her hands up. “Hey, I totally get it. After everything I’ve been through, trust me, I’m pretty skittish, too. I think I stopped jumping anytime there was a big boom, oh about…never. I’m still working on it, but with our guys’ help, it’s getting easier,” she said, coming into the room and sat on the bed.
Brooke tried not to feel guilty as she looked around to make sure she hadn’t forgotten anything. Of course, they didn’t bring much, but what she did was important to her. Taking a deep breath, she sat down next to Alexa. “I’m not cut out for this…sort of stuff. Not that you were. It’s just that—I have Jack and everything seems so much harder, you know? If it were only me, I’d be…I don’t know, less—that sounds stupid. I’m sure you weren’t less scared when you were kidnapped and tortured just because you didn’t have a child. I’m being stupid and insensitive.” She scrubbed her hands down her face. Jase had told her a little about the horrors both women had faced, and how the SEAL team had been instrumental in saving them, yet both women were true heroines in her eyes. If she’d been in either of their shoes, facing the same dangers, Brooke didn’t know if she’d have been as brave.
Jaqui walked into the room without knocking, her long blonde hair pulled into a messy bun on top her head. “Are we bonding? We can’t bond in a bedroom during the day without alcohol, and I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but this train is moving, ladies. Come on, up and at ‘em.” She clapped her hands. “Once we get to the cabin in the woods,” she paused, “wait, that sounds creepy as all get out. Once we get to our next location, we’ll get drunk and dish all the dirt on our guys. Except me, dang it. Well, I’ll watch while you guys get hammered and remember every detail so I can have torment material.”
Alexa stood and pulled Brooke up. “Ignore the crazy pregnant lady, besides, you’ve got a little guy who needs you to stay strong.”
Looking at the two women who were both smaller in stature than her, she realized if they could survive what life had thrown at them, surely she could as well. Besides, she had Jase and a team of men and the two women surrounding her and Jack. “You’re right. I just needed a little pity party for one. I’m alright.”
Alexa looked at Jaqui before giving a chuckle. “That was your pity party? Remind me to not have one of my own in front of you, ‘cause let me tell you, there are crocodile tears and cussing involved.”
Jaqui held her hand up and the two ladies slapped their palms together. Jaqui wrapped her arm around Brooke’s waist and pulled her into their little hug. “She cusses almost as bad as a sailor.”
“Hey, I happen to be married to one and you are one,” Alexa said then laughed as she pulled away. “Let’s get going before our men come looking for us. You know how they are about timeframes. You’d think they had a clock wired into their brains,” she muttered walking out of the room.
“I think it’s part of the SEAL training,” Jaqui mused as she followed Alexa out, looking back in. “You coming?”
Alexa carried her and Jack’s bags, leaving Brooke to follow behind her new friends down the hall to where Jase and the other guys waited. Silence greeted them as they entered the kitchen area, making her feel as if they’d interrupted an argument. “What’s go
ing on?”
Jase was to her side in two long strides. “Nothing. We’re discussing the game plan once we reach Rowan’s place.”
“Why do I feel like it’s a lot more than that?” she asked but couldn’t delve further as Jack came into the room in the arms of Tay, looking like they were best friends. Lord, when had her life changed so drastically.
“Look who I found?” Tay lifted Jack onto his shoulder. “Why, this big guy just about took me out, didn’t you?” He tickled Jack’s tummy, making him giggle.
“He didn’t see me, mommy. I was right under the covers,” Jack laughed, his words held a childish tone with the word right sounding more like white.
Tay sat Jack down on the floor, looking down at him with his hands on his hips. “You flipped those blankets back so fast and yelled BOO. You just about made me wet my pants, mister.”
His words had Jack laughing so hard he fell on his bottom, the giggle was one Brooke loved and wanted to hear for years to come. “You little monkey.” She bent and picked Jack up, inhaling his sweet child scent.
Jack’s eyes went wide. “Oh no, big boys don’t potty in their pants. You can bowo some of my pullups.” He puffed his chest out like he was bigger.
It took all her control not to burst out laughing as Tay stood in front of them with a straight face, tapping his chin and pretended to think. “You know what, I think I’ve learned my lesson. I’ve got my eyes on you now. You won’t be able to scare me again.” He ruffled Jack’s hair. Another shock came as her son leapt from her arms into Tay’s.
“I like you,” Jack announced, hugging Tay around the neck.
Brooke looked at Jase and could see the wish it was him his son was hugging and saying those words to. Tay, being the big softie he was, told Jack he liked him too.
“Alright, people, let’s load up and move out. Jase, you need to do anything to close this place up, or we good to file out?” Kai asked as his stare took in the room.
“We already loaded the perishables into your truck, so it’s go time. Brooke and Jack are riding with me. I’m assuming you’re leading, and we’ll be in the middle?” Jase put his arm around Brooke, easing a little of her fear.
Although she liked all the men and women in the cabin, she didn’t want to be separated from Jase, nor was she willing to part from Jack.
Once the riding and driving order was agreed upon, they filed out of the cabin. Jase made sure she and Jack were buckled in, before he made one last scan of the inside of the cabin.
“You ready for a road trip, honey?” She turned in the seat to make sure Jack was comfy. Jase’s vehicle had a DVD player, and he’d already downloaded toddler friendly movies. Such a thoughtful man…no father. As her son clapped happily at the opening credits to one of his favorite cartoons, she turned back around in time to see Jase walking out of the cabin, head held high, with that predators gait she’d always found so damn sexy. “Damn, he should be outlawed,” she whispered. Her words had her sitting up straight. The man was an outlaw…or was he?
Chapter Ten
Jase made sure there was no evidence left of them in the cabin, aside from finger prints, which unless he had a cleanup crew come in, he wouldn’t be able to scrub away. Kai wasn’t happy with the addition to the team in the form of Erik, but he trusted the other man. If it hadn’t been for Erik Branson, Jase would still be in the USDB at Fort Leavenworth, a maximum security federal prison, doing time for crimes he hadn’t committed. In the past two and a half years, he’d formed a friendship and bond with the other man, that was as close as his relationship with Kai and the other guys on his SEAL team had been. No, with Erik he didn’t always have to be perfect. He could fuck up and tell Erik to fuck off, all while Erik was telling him to go get fucked, but they always had each other’s backs. The other man had gotten him in and out of tight places, putting his own life on the line to ensure Jase got out alive. Not that Kai and the other guys wouldn’t do the same, but Erik didn’t do it out of a sense of duty but out of loyalty. He understood where Jase had been, where he’d fallen, and where he wanted to end up. Erik may not always be the one at the front of a mission, taking the chances like Jase, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t listening in and finding ways to get Jase out if things went to shit. When all else failed, Erik was the one who came. He was the grim reaper nobody wanted to meet.
“You okay?” Brooke asked when he settled into the driver’s seat.
The leather steering wheel squeaked under his fingers from gripping it too hard. “Yeah, everything’s fine. Buckle up. You can take a nap if you want. It’s a couple hours’ ride.”
Hurt flashed across her beautiful face. “Don’t. Don’t shut me out. If you’re upset or you don’t want to talk about something, just say it, but don’t push me away.” Her dad had done that to her mom, and while Nancy Frazee didn’t seem to give two shits, she was not her mother.
Jase gritted his teeth and waited until they got on the highway before he could form the right words. The last thing he wanted or needed was a hurt Brooke. Once he felt secure on the highway, he set the cruise control and kept the vehicle in line behind Kai. The device that was always on with Erik, he shut off with a push of his finger. For the moment, he wanted what went on between him and Brooke to be between just the two of them. “I suck at this. I’m gonna fuck up. I am a fuck up, Brookey, but I’m trying. I didn’t want you to go to sleep so I didn’t have to talk to you. My mind is trying to come up with different scenarios and plans for each one. I need plans in place in case this or that happens. It’s how I work. I’m sorry if you felt like I was…no, I’m sorry for being a dick.” He held his palm open in the center console. He didn’t want to push her by taking her hand. As her small fingers ghosted over the center of his palm, a tingle of awareness went straight to his heart. That small acceptance from her meant more than if he’d scored with another woman. Brooke wove her fingers through his, looking tiny and delicate. Their son’s was even smaller, reminding him he had so much at stake. “I’ll keep you and Jack safe. No matter what, you two will be my top priority.”
Her fingers clenched in his. “Your life is just as precious, Jase Tyler. Don’t you forget that for one minute. That little boy back there needs his father.”
He looked in the back through the rearview mirror, seeing the child who looked so much like him only filled with all the goodness of his mother. “He’s got the team wrapped around his finger. Damn, he’s smart. Are all kids his age like that?” He looked over his shoulder, taking in more of Jack with his own eyes instead of a mirror image.
Brooke shrugged. “I think there are some who are smarter and some maybe not on the same level yet. It depends on the child and how much time the parents spend teaching them. With Jack, I read to him all the time. He’s like a little sponge, which makes it fun. Not to mention the daycare he goes to twice a week also helps.”
He narrowed his eyes, not liking the idea of strangers watching his son. Just as he opened his mouth to question her, his phone buzzed. Releasing her fingers pained him. “Tyler here,” he barked.
“You turned your earpiece off,” Erik stated.
Jase rolled his eyes. “I was talking with Brooke. What’s up?”
A put-upon sigh came through the line. “Man, you realize I was sitting here thinking you’d been hurt or captured, or that your old team had done something nefarious with your big ass.”
Jase barked out a laugh. “Nefarious? Man, you been reading too many romance novels or what?”
“Hey, don’t hate on my reading materials unless you try one. I bet you’d enjoy them, but that’s beside the point.” The sound of fingers clicking on a keyboard at rapid fire could be heard.
“I’ll take your word for it. I will however state for the record that I hope you don’t have a hidden collection of bodice ripper books with that long-haired dude on the cover.”
“Hey, there is nothing wrong with those, although now they’re more sexy man chest covers,” Brooke said.
Eri
k groaned. “See, now your woman thinks I like romance for the covers. Tell her I like pussy. Lots of pussy.”
Jase looked at Brooke and rolled his eyes. “Erik told me to tell you hi and that maybe you guys can swap books someday.”
His friend used some inventive curse words then hung up on him. Jase took a moment to wipe the tears of laughter from his eyes as Brooke looked at him with a strange smile on her face. “You like him,” she stated.
“Of course, he’s my partner.” He turned the signal on when he saw Kai’s come on, following the other vehicle down the off ramp with Tay behind.
“No, you like him as in he’s your friend. I saw how you were with Kai and the others. You were nice and all, but with Erik, you were…relaxed. I could see you truly enjoyed messing with him, like brothers do.” Her hand rested on the console between them.
He placed his over hers, enjoying the connection. “I guess you’re right. When I was part of the SEALs I had that with them, but that trust was broken on both sides. Now, there’s a wall between us.”
She brought their hands up to her mouth and kissed his knuckles. “It’s not broken but bent. You guys just need to straighten it out. It’ll take a minute or ten, but when you do, your friendship will be stronger than ever, like titanium. You know the saying tough as steel? Well, yours will be tough as titanium. You guys will be TAT. Much cooler than TAS.” Another kiss was placed on his knuckles, before she brought their hands to rest on her thigh.
Her words made the hollow ache shrink at the possibility that he could get back to where he’d once been or forge a new place with Kai and the team. Yeah, he liked the idea of forging a new path, sort of like he and Brooke were doing. “You know, I think I can see a new tattoo in my future with something like that. Or maybe with a clock, an old fashion pocket watch that only you and I would know what it means. Sometimes, things take a minute or ten.” The thought took hold and held.