by Cara Carnes
“I love you, too.” Kristof kissed her softly. “As much as I’d love to stay out here and make love to you, we’d better go get Olaf and eat.”
“Are you going to warn him Stacia is coming?”
“I figured we’d trust Doctor Sinclair on how to handle that.”
“Good idea.” She took his hand. “Let’s go.”
Early afternoon sun battered the compound by the time Addy, Kristof, and Olaf exited the mess hall. Lunch had been a quiet affair between the three of them. They’d spent some time together within her new workshop, where Olaf had busied himself arranging her figurines.
Doctor Sinclair approached and smiled. Olaf held up his tablet when she spoke. “Hi, Olaf. I wanted to speak with you a moment. Remember during our session a couple days ago when we spoke about Stacia?”
Olaf nodded. Eyes wide, he looked at Kristof, then Addy. Wariness resided on his face.
“I know you didn’t want to make that decision. You said it had to be her choice on if she wanted to see you,” Sinclair said.
Olaf nodded. His lips thinned.
Addy glanced toward the airstrip and noted the dust cloud from the path leading from the area. Stacia had arrived. She put an arm on Olaf’s back. “She decided. There was no hesitation.”
Olaf fumbled with the tablet and shoved it under his arm. His hands moved frantically. “What do you mean? You’ve seen her? When? How is she?”
Kristof clasped his shoulders until their gazes collided. “She’s happy, Olaf. Even happier now that she knows you’re free and safe. She wanted to see you and refused to wait.”
The black truck rolled to a halt a few feet away. Olaf backed up.
“Now?” He shook his head. “I’m not ready. She’s not going to want me like this. I’m weak. I’m ugly. I can’t even talk.”
“She loves you,” Addy said.
“Olaf.” Jesse’s voice sounded from behind them. Olaf turned to face the man approaching. “Remember what I said about that when we spoke last night?”
“Yeah.” Olaf glanced at the ground, then over at the truck.
“Scars don’t define us. They don’t scorn true love,” Jesse said. “Don’t waste years running from the one you love like I did.” He glanced at the truck as the back door opened. “Go.”
Olaf pulled at the dark blue T-shirt he wore. The baggy jeans they’d found in Nomad fit him better than Addy had expected. It’d take time for him to gain the weight he needed, but he was safe.
“Olaf!” Stacia shouted as she ran toward him. She wrapped her arms around him. Tears ran down her face.
Olaf trembled in her arms. He kissed her cheek.
She kissed his mouth.
Addy wrapped an arm around Kristof and rested her head on his shoulder. “This is going better than I expected.”
“Thanks to Jesse and Doctor Sinclair,” Kristof said.
“Sinclair gets the credit,” Jesse said. Arms crossed, he smiled. “All I did was block the paths I should’ve avoided. Your cousin knew which way he needed to go. We’ll get him back to where he should be.”
Because he was family.
Addy smiled and hugged Kristof tighter. This was what love felt like.
Author’s Note
Thank you for reading Hostile Ground. I hope you enjoyed Addy’s and Kristof’s story. The Arsenal series will continue with Bree’s story in Lethal Echo. Please consider leaving a review. Please subscribe to my newsletter or join my Facebook group for the fastest updates. As always, a free read will be available for free between Hostile Ground and Lethal Echo. Please check my newsletter, Facebook group, or website for access. Have questions? Feel free to email me at [email protected]
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~Cara
About the Author
Born in small-town Texas, Cara Carnes was a princess, a pirate, fashion model, actress, rock star and Jon Bon Jovi’s wife all before the age of 13.
In reality, her fascination for enthralling worlds took seed somewhere amidst a somewhat dull day job and a wonderful life filled with family and friends. When she’s not cemented to her chair, Cara loves travelling, photography and reading.
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THE ARSENAL SERIES
Jagged Edge
Sight Lines
Blood Vows
Zero Trace
Battle Scars
Impact Zone
Hostile Ground
Lethal Echo (November 2020)
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THE COUNTERSTRIKE SERIES
Protecting Mari
Justice For Angie
Avenging Victoria (August 18th)
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Want more of The Arsenal Series? Did you know there are free reads between all the Arsenal releases? Subscribe to my newsletter or join my Facebook group for the first peek at exclusive bonus content. Links to free short stories in the series can be found on my website at www.caracarnes.com