Protecting Delilah - Kat Mizera

by Special Forces - Operation Alpha

  “You can say that again.” He glanced over at where his mother was laughing with Myra. “She means well, but she’s gone back to mothering me again, since my wife died.”

  “I was sorry to hear about that. It must have been terrible for you, losing her right after the birth of your son.”

  Eric looked away, nodding. “Yeah. It’s been five years and sometimes it feels like yesterday. Other times, I can’t remember what her voice sounded like.”

  “I feel that way about my mother,” Delilah said softly. “She died when I was twelve. Sometimes I can see her so clearly, and other days, I barely remember her at all. But I keep her right here.” She patted her hand on her chest. “Whenever I need her, I remember that she’ll always be inside of me, and it’s a little easier.”

  “I see so much of Maria, my wife, in Elias,” he said. “He has her eyes and I think about how proud she would be to see him now, so big and smart and happy.”

  “He’s a beautiful, well-adjusted little boy. I love having him around. He’s going to miss Shelley, one of the Carsons’ girls. They’re close even though she’s two years older. She drags him around by the nose.”

  “As it should be,” Eric grinned. “It’s good for him to get used to that starting now.”

  “Not all girls do that,” she laughed.

  “In my experience they do.”

  They were quiet for a moment, watching the fun and laughter going on around them. It was already ridiculously comfortable, despite the odd circumstances and intervention from his family. She wasn’t sure what it was about him that made her feel so relaxed, as if his mere presence made everything okay.

  Glancing at him out the side of her eyelashes, she took in every inch of flesh, from his muscular torso to the expressive dark eyes and the strong, square jaw. When he’d been heavier, he’d been cute. Now that he’d gotten into shape, he was incredible, which intimidated her in a way. It had been years since she’d looked at any man this way, aside from the occasional movie star on TV, but Eric had her heart beating a tiny bit faster. Which was stupid. She needed a job, not a one-night stand, and survival had to be her priority. Though she’d put away enough money for a couple of months in a cheap, week-to-week hotel room if necessary, keeping up with that would be stressful if her only source of income was babysitting now and again.

  The Carsons had said they could probably use her four or five days a month, but even at fifty or sixty dollars each time, that wouldn’t keep her both housed and fed. They’d offered to help in other ways, but that was her absolute last option. She’d been taking care of herself a long time and she had no desire to leech off of them or anyone else.

  “So tell me about yourself,” Eric said, bringing her out of her reverie.

  “Well, once upon a time I had a husband, a great job, and a graduate degree in biology. Now I’m living off the grid. No credit cards, no bank account, no social media, and a pay-as-you-go cell phone.”

  Eric grimaced. “That sounds like hell. What happened?”

  Delilah took a breath, deciding it was best to get the hard part over with. “My life spiraled out of control when I caught my husband strangling his mistress.”

  “Jesus Christ. How did that happen?”

  “He’s a cop and when we called the police, he said it was an accident. When I tried to come forward, tell them what I’d seen, they treated me like a criminal, asking me questions like, ‘Are you sure you’re not saying this because you’re jealous and caught him cheating?’ So I filed for divorce, but he physically restrained me from leaving and locked me in our basement.”

  “Are you fucking kidding me?”

  “Not even a little.”

  “How did you get away?”

  “I worked my hands free from the ropes while he was at work. I grabbed as much as I could carry in a duffel bag, stopped at the bank and emptied our accounts, and got on a train to Maine. It only took him three days to find me.”

  “And?”

  “He told me he’d kill me before he let me go.”

  Chapter 3

  Eric stared at the raven-haired beauty without comprehension for a minute. Was this a joke? No, the look on her face told him it most definitely was not. Jesus Christ, how did his family get him into these situations? A woman on the run was not what he had in mind for his son’s nanny. Except this one was beautiful. And the way she lifted her chin slightly told him she didn’t want his pity. She was capable of taking care of herself and wasn’t taking anything for granted. It also screamed of blatant honesty in a way he hadn’t been expecting. She was no cowardly victim; she’d taken her situation by the balls and was holding on for dear life.

  Interesting.

  “But you got away again?”

  She took a deep breath. “He beat me so badly he had to take me to the hospital. I managed to get a nurse who understood that he’s a cop, that I’d never be able to prove what really happened, and she helped me escape. She also gave me her driver’s license since we look enough alike for me to get away with using it. I used it to book a flight to Vegas and the rest is history.”

  “How long have you been on the run?” he asked finally.

  “A little over two years.”

  “How did you find the Carsons?”

  “I met them in Vegas, believe it or not. Mrs. Carson was shopping and someone tried to snatch her purse. I caught him.”

  He raised his eyebrows. “For real?”

  “In another life I was going to be an FBI agent, but the desire to do medical research was stronger than the pull to chase bad guys. I can usually take care of myself. With the exception of an asshole with a gun.”

  “Sounds about right.” He paused. “So I take it Mrs. Carson was grateful.”

  She nodded. “Grateful enough to buy me dinner and hear my story. Then she offered me a job as their nanny. Didn’t pay much but I had a place to live, food, and enough money for the essentials. It’s been a good gig but their youngest starts school this fall and they don’t need me anymore. Mrs. Carson has been asking around but everyone wants to be able to pay taxes and such, after all the fuss about employing illegals. So I haven’t been able to find anything.”

  “I’m really sorry. I can’t imagine living that way.”

  “I’ve been living it for two years and I still don’t believe it sometimes.”

  “What about your family? Friends? No one could help?”

  “My mom is dead, my dad and I are estranged, and my ex threatened my sister, so I don’t want to do anything that would put her in danger. I wrote her a letter about a year ago, when Myra went to New York on business. She mailed it from there, and I was very careful with what I wrote, just that I wanted her to know I’m alive. I don’t have any way of knowing if she got it, but that’s as much contact as I’ve dared to make.”

  “You’re just going to let this guy dictate your life?” Eric asked slowly. “I mean, I get the fear, but don’t you want your life back?”

  “Of course. I just don’t want to die before I have the chance to live it. My hope is that he’ll get killed in the line of duty or something so I’ll be free.”

  “That could be a long time.”

  “I know.” She met his gaze. “But that’s why I desperately need this job. I don’t need any kind of salary, Eric. Just a safe place to live, food, and maybe a hundred bucks a month for essentials like shampoo and deodorant, to pay for my phone, the basics.”

  He was shaking his head. “That’s ridiculous. If we decide to do this, I’ll give you money regularly. I couldn’t find full-time help for less than a thousand dollars a month so you’ll get whatever we think is fair. I just… Give me tonight to wrap my head around this, okay? Let me sleep on it and we’ll meet tomorrow. Maybe we can go to breakfast and I’ll give you my decision?”

  “Sure.” She nodded, though a tiny flicker of disappointment coursed through her. She’d been hoping to get things settled today, but that was probably unrealistic. At least he hadn’t said no. T
hat was better than nothing.

  Eric was up late that night. Between spending time with his son and the rest of the family, and thinking about what he wanted to do about Delilah, he couldn’t fall asleep. Staring at the ceiling, he tried to decide if he wanted to get involved in Delilah’s situation. He felt bad for her, but if her ex was still looking for her, there was always the chance he would find her, which meant Elias could be in danger. On the other hand, the thought of Delilah living day to day, possibly winding up on the streets, didn’t sit well with him either. His grandmother wouldn’t let that happen and neither would he.

  Deep down, he’d already made his decision, it was just hard to wrap his head around it. It irked him that his mother and grandmother had manipulated him into doing what they wanted, but this was more about Delilah than them. He’d been stressed at the idea of leaving Elias in L.A. with his family while he was living and working in San Diego. There was very little time off, so making a five-hour round-trip drive to see him would be almost impossible. At the same time, he could be called away on a mission with almost no notice, which would mean scrambling to find care for Elias in San Diego.

  Newly assigned to the Force Recon unit, he didn’t have a lot of choices. As a single father, there was no way for him to get coverage for the boy if he had to leave in a hurry. Turning down the position was unfathomable considering how hard he’d worked the last two years to get there, but he couldn’t do it without help. His parents had always been there for him but it was time for him to be more than a Marine. He’d thrown all of his energy into getting into shape and succeeding in his career after his wife died, and being a father had become secondary.

  In many ways, the chubby Hispanic Marine who loved food and laughed a lot had died right along with Maria. He’d gotten through the early weeks of grief by working out, running until he collapsed each night, his infant son in a stroller made specifically for runners. Maria had asked for it during her pregnancy, insisting they were both going to lose weight and get healthy after she had the baby because they owed it to him to be as strong and healthy as possible. Her death had ended all her plans so he’d run for both of them.

  Eventually, he’d lost enough weight that he hated how flabby he looked so he’d turned to weight lifting to fill in all that loose skin. He’d somehow gone above and beyond loose skin and into almost body-builder stage, but it kept him sane and it made PT a breeze. Women seemed to like it, too, though he didn’t care much about what most of them thought. When he couldn’t stand celibacy anymore, he sought out sex in the form of one-night stands and didn’t bother much with conversation.

  Now he had a new lease on life. New job, new city, and possibly a new nanny. It seemed as if the universe was telling him it was time to move on, be a better father to his son and start looking to the future. He’d been so consumed with grief he hadn’t thought about any of that, but looking at Elias’s joyful little face earlier today had been a poignant reminder that life went on, whether he wanted it to or not, and it wasn’t fair to expect his parents to raise his son. They’d raised their family and should be enjoying life instead of running after a five-year-old.

  He dozed, though his thoughts still raced in his dreams, and he was up by seven, sitting in the kitchen as his grandmother made breakfast.

  “You look tired,” she said in Spanish as she fried eggs.

  “Had a lot to think about.”

  “What’s to think about?” she asked. “You need help and Delilah is perfect.”

  “Abuela, what do we really know about her?” he countered. “She’s on the run, which means trouble might find her, and what if she’s with Elias when that happens?”

  She turned, frowning slightly. “Then you protect them.”

  He opened his mouth but nothing came out at first. “What if I’m not there?” he finally asked.

  “You’ll never be with your family twenty-four-seven, no matter what your job is, so you do your best to take precautions and then live your life. Like that sweet girl has done. Even after everything she’s gone through, she always has a smile on her face and takes her new reality in stride. A lesson you could try learning.”

  He chose not to engage in an old argument, merely drumming his fingers on the table. “I should do this, right?”

  “Of course.”

  “What if something goes wrong?”

  “It’s part of life. Things so wrong. Why don’t you focus on what could go right?”

  He wanted to protest, but as always, his grandmother’s wisdom made sense.

  “It’s time to let go of the past, Eric.”

  Could she be right?

  For the first time in five years, Eric wanted her to be right and he had a million things to do if it was going to happen.

  Chapter 4

  Eric picked up Delilah and they went to breakfast two hours later. He’d refrained from eating with his grandmother so he could eat with Delilah, but food was the last thing on his mind as she came out of the house next door in a denim miniskirt that showed off her long legs and a tight-fitting white T-shirt. He hadn’t been this attracted to a woman in a long time and it baffled him because he’d never been the kind of guy who focused on looks. Sure, he appreciated a beautiful woman, but it was never the driving force in meeting or even sleeping with one, so he was beginning to question his own motivations when it came to Delilah. Especially considering the information he’d gotten this morning after his conversation with his grandmother.

  He averted his eyes as he opened the passenger door of his truck for her, hoping he didn’t look like the randy teenager he felt like on the inside.

  “No Elias?” she asked as he started up the truck.

  “No, I thought it would be better for us to talk without him interrupting every five seconds. I adore that kid, but man, he can talk.”

  She smiled. “He sure can.”

  The waitress brought them coffee and Eric looked at Delilah thoughtfully. He suddenly felt a little foolish. He’d gone from still mourning his wife to lusting after this stranger as if someone had flipped a switch, and he didn’t know what the hell was wrong with him. He’d made some calls this morning regarding their living arrangements, and while the news hadn’t been a surprise, it had put a monkey wrench in the machinery. This was going to be a much different conversation than the one he’d originally planned and he didn’t know how to approach her with what he had to say.

  “I thought about our situation,” he said after a moment. “And while it would be convenient to have you come live with us and take care of Elias, doesn’t it make you uncomfortable?”

  “You mean a young, attractive woman living with an attractive single man?” She didn’t even hesitate to say what was on her mind, something he enjoyed about her already.

  “Yeah, kinda.”

  “I guess I have the advantage because I feel like I already know you. I met your mother and grandmother about a year and a half ago and we’ve become very close in the last six months or so. They talk about you all the time, so you’re not really a stranger to me. Your grandmother has become one of the most important people in my life, the only family I’ve had in years, so I’m not afraid of you. I know in my heart of hearts she would never let me move in with someone that would hurt me. Especially knowing what she knows about my past.”

  “But don’t you have reservations just in general? After what you went through with your husband? I don’t know if I could ever trust another man if I’d gone through something like that.”

  “I’m not one of those people who blames myself for the actions of someone else. He’s a horrible human being. I made a mistake in loving him, but young women fall in love with the wrong men all the time. It was a learning experience and I’m ready to move on. For now, my choices in life are limited, so I’m a lot less afraid of you than of being on my own and taking the chance of being homeless or, god forbid, that he finds me.”

  “I’m not sure if that’s a compliment or not,” Eric chuckled, “but
I guess I’ll take it.”

  “Does that mean I’m hired?”

  “It means I thought we were all set until I remembered something.”

  “What?”

  “We can’t live on base together if we’re not married, and I don’t have the time or the money to find a place anywhere else.”

  She gaped at him. “M-married?”

  “We’re not married and you’re not the mother of my child, which means you can’t live with me on base, which is where I have housing.”

  “Oh.”

  “I understand if this is a game changer for you. It almost was for me, but I thought it was worth a try. All you can do is say no.”

  “Yes.”

  “What?”

  “Yes. I’ll marry you.”

  “But…” His voice trailed off and he stared at her. “Really?”

  She swallowed hard, her voice shaking a little as she whispered, “I don’t have anywhere else to go.”

  He reached across the table and took her icy hand in his. “I wouldn’t…expect anything. You wouldn’t have to, uh, sleep with me or…or…anything like that. It can be like a business arrangement. Unless, you know, we ever decided, together, that, uh, we, you know, wanted to.” Wow, he hadn’t been a stuttering idiot in front of a woman in more than a decade. What had just happened?

  “But if we get married, I have to use my real name, which means Derek, my ex, might be able to track me down.”

  “First of all, he’d need a really expensive, hardcore private detective to check every county clerk’s office for marriage records. Second, we can get married in Vegas. Quick, easy and a totally different state than where we really live. And finally, I’m not going to let anything happen to you. We’ll have protection living on base and as soon as we get into our place, I’ll buy a top-of-the-line security system. You need to get your life back and that’s the least I can do in exchange for you taking care of my son.”

  Tears puddled in her eyes. “That’s… You’re really nice,” she said softly.