SIX DAYS

by Williams, Mary J.

  “We all feel the same.” Calder wiped at her eyes. “Billie gave us life, but you made who us who we are.”

  “Amen,” Destry sniffled.

  “Time for more hankies.” Andi took several linen squares from her pocket. Taking one, she handed the rest to her sisters. The last she gave to Dee.

  “Sheesh,” Dee grumbled. “I feel like I fell into a Budweiser commercial. All you need is a Clydesdale and a puppy.”

  “Budweiser be damned,” Destry scoffed. “The Benedict women have their own trademark brand of sap.

  “Once you partake in one of our group cries, you’re definitely a member of the family,” Bryce chuckled. “No going back.”

  “I need more books.” Cookbooks were like comfort food to Mrs. Finch. She kissed Bryce’s forehead. “Keep thinking. We’ll decide tomorrow.”

  “What about Billie?” Dee asked once Mrs. Finch had left the room. “I know she’s a lousy mother, but it’s hard to imagine her stepping aside for anyone.”

  “Mother of the bride is a spotlight moment.” Calder rolled her eyes. “No one craves attention like Mommy dearest.”

  “Billie will find a way to make the day about her.” Bryce gave a philosophical shrug. “Unfortunately, in a twist even Shakespeare would find hard to swallow, she finally married my father. Dad’s still crazy about her, emphasis on the crazy. If I don’t invite her, he won’t come.”

  “Are you sure?” Dee frowned. “He knows what she’s like.”

  “And doesn’t care. Never has, never will.” Bryce rested her hip against the counter. A light of happiness replaced the sad that had crept into her gray eyes. “I get to marry Zach and have our baby. He plans to lay down the law with Billie.”

  “Bless his optimistic soul,” Destry grinned.

  “One of the many reasons I love him.” Bryce winked at her sister. “There will be drama, I’ve resigned myself. Zach and I already made our vows. We keep making them, over and over. Billie can ruin our wedding day, she can’t ruin our marriage.

  “Well, damn.” Destry wiped her cheeks. “Guess we’ll get our crying out of the way beforehand.”

  “I might have a few left on the big day.” Andi placed her arm around Bryce’s shoulders. “You figured out what matters. Reminds me once again why I’m so proud to be your sister.”

  “Me, too.” Calder joined them, her dark eyes brimming.

  “More schmaltz.”

  Destry complained, but when Andi beckoned, she joined the circle. As she watched them, their arms around each other, Dee swore she could feel the energy and power vibrate through the room. Individually, they were forces to reckon with; together, as she could attest, nothing could bring them down.

  The kitchen door swung open.

  “Man in the house.”

  Zach Devlin entered the room and assessed the situation with his keen director’s eyes. A lesser man might have run at the sight of so much tearful estrogen, not him. He went straight into protective mode.

  “Who do I have to kill?”

  “No violence required, my darling.” Bryce took her fiancée’s hand. “Just a few pre-wedding hormones at work.”

  “Oh, those.” Zach smiled, love shining in his blue eyes. “Will the tears stop after we say I do?”

  “Unlikely,” Andi warned. “We still have our baby to welcome into the world.”

  “Our baby.” Zach let out a teasing sigh. “You know Bryce and I did all the work.”

  “I didn’t realize sex with me was such a chore?”

  “Put your foot in your mouth big time, buddy.” Destry punched Zach in the shoulder. “My advice, grovel. Works for Liam.”

  Liam Stanford caught the end of the conversation as he walked into the room.

  “I do not grovel.” He caught Destry around the waist. He nuzzled her neck. “I recall begging, but you were the one on your knees.”

  Way more information than Dee needed to know.

  “Time for me to go.” She took her jacket from the peg by the back door. “Thank Mrs. Finch for dinner. If not sooner, I’ll see all of you at the wedding.”

  “Don’t leave. Linc is here,” Zach informed her.

  Dee never ran from trouble. She considered her options and decided her ego would survive if, for once, she erred on the side of cowardice.

  “I definitely need to go.”

  Before she could dash, Destry caught her arm.

  “Not so fast. Since when does Linc’s name send you running in the opposite direction?”

  “I…” Dee hesitated.

  “Out.” Bryce pushed Zach toward the exit. “We need a man-free zone.”

  “Maybe Dee could benefit from a male perspective,” Liam offered.

  “No.” Destry shoved him through the door right on Zach’s heels. “And don’t you dare breathe a word to Linc.”

  Andi pried Dee’s jacket from her fingers.

  “Tell us what’s going on.”

  Rather than sit, Dee paced across the kitchen and back.

  “My mother is convinced Linc’s in love with me.” Dee snorted. “Hilarious. Right?”

  When no one laughed, Dee stopped in her tracks.

  “Tell me I’m right,” she pleaded.

  “Can’t. I’m with your mother.”

  Destry looked to her sisters for confirmation.

  “Yes,” Calder nodded.

  “Absolutely,” Bryce chimed in. She took out her phone. “You make a great-looking couple by the way.”

  Dee looked at the screen and groaned when she saw herself and Linc. The innocent kiss they shared earlier today at The Stanton Plaza was now internet fodder.

  “Damn cell phone cameras,” she sighed. “Turns everyone and their dog into paparazzi.”

  “I’d say Linc started to fall the night you met.”

  Even Andi, the most level-headed Benedict, was with Dee’s mother.

  “Well, crap.”

  Calder sent Dee a sympathetic smile.

  “We understand why you’re afraid.”

  “No, you don’t. I didn’t understand until today.” Suddenly tired, Dee rubbed her eyes. “If Linc loves me, I have to tell him everything.”

  “If something so out of your control would change how he feels, Linc isn’t the man I believe him to be.”

  Destry hit the nail right on the head.

  “I trust Linc.” Dee let out a huff of air. “Hard to say, but true. If I’m wrong, how will I ever trust myself again?”

  “If you’re right?” Destry asked.

  “I’ll have to walk away.”

  “Bull.”

  “Destry.” Dee reminded herself to breathe. “Linc should have a full life. I can’t give him everything he deserves.”

  “Shouldn’t he have a say?”

  “No.” Dee stared Calder down, angry her friend didn’t get the point. “Linc will do the right thing; he’s that kind of guy. But what happens when one day he wakes up and realizes what he missed out on? Does he stay out of obligation? Does he find a younger woman?”

  “You just put a lot of what-ifs into one sentence.” Andi sighed. “We’re blessed not to know the future. Makes us live in the present.”

  “I’d settle for the present. Unfortunately, I have to deal with a past I thought was behind me.” Dee straightened her shoulders. “Might as well start now.”

  “I know Linc will fight for you.” Andi squeezed her arm. “If you let him.”

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  ~~~~

  “TOOK ME AWHILE, but I finally got you into my car.”

  “I prefer—”

  “The subway, I know.” Linc changed lanes, sliding between a bus and a taxi with inches to spare. “You have to admit; my way is more fun.”

  “Fun is debatable. I will you give you points for lack of bad odors.”

  “Take what I can get.”

  Shifting down, Linc turned into the garage located under his apartment buil
ding. Another car followed.

  “You should ride with your bodyguard,” Dee pointed out. “Safer and saves gas.”

  “I agreed to extra protection. My driving arrangements are non-negotiable.”

  Ross Dwyer met them at the elevator.

  “You don’t have to check my apartment tonight, Ross,” Linc said as they waited.

  “Yes, he does.”

  Ross, a man of few words, simply nodded.

  “You have a gun. Besides, no one can get in without an elevator key and a passcode.”

  Dee and Ross exchanged looks of commiseration.

  “Amateurs.” She sighed.

  “True.” The big man nodded.

  Linc stayed silent during the ride up and while Ross did his job. As soon as he and Dee were alone, moved to the bar, pouring whiskey into a glass.

  “I don’t want anything.”

  “The drink’s for me.”

  Dee half-expected Linc to breathe in the aroma then pour the alcohol down the sink. When he took a hefty swig, she was shocked.

  “You broke training.”

  “I’m allowed one a week. Most of the time, I choose to abstain. I have a feeling tonight I’ll need something stronger than celery water.” He took another sip. “Okay, I’m ready. Give me the bad news.”

  Slowly, gathering her thoughts, Dee unzipped her jacket. When she asked Linc to bring her to his place, he hadn’t asked why. He seemed in a good mood. Dee thought she’d done a good job hiding her anxiety. Apparently, she was wrong.

  “I don’t have bad news.”

  “You aren’t about to end our relationship?”

  “No.” Dee cleared her throat. “Maybe.”

  “Rip the damn Band-aid off already, I’m a big boy. I can handle the pain.”

  “The last thing I want is to hurt you.”

  “Then why do I feel you’re about to kick me in the balls?”

  Dee’s heart began to race. She knew what she had to say and the longer she waited the tenser she became.

  “I think I’ll have a drink after all.”

  “Beer? Wine?”

  “Whiskey, straight up.”

  Linc raised a brow but gave her what she requested.

  “Careful,” he warned.

  Too late. Dee took a mouthful and swallowed pure fire and wondered if she would ever breathe again.

  “Why?” she wheezed.

  “You’re supposed to sip, not gulp.”

  Linc traded the whiskey for water.

  “Now he tells me.”

  Gradually, the burn was replaced by a gentle, radiating heat.

  “Better?”

  “Much.”

  Linc nodded toward the sofa. When she was seated, he took the chair opposite.

  “I meant what I said this afternoon, Dee. Even if I don’t like what you say, you can tell me anything.”

  Dee nodded.

  “I want to tell you a story, a true story.”

  “Okay.”

  “When I joined the Navy, I wasn’t looking for a way to earn money for college or a two-year adventure. I was in for life.”

  “What happened?”

  Dee fell in love.

  In hindsight, the easy thing would be to say she was in lust, not love. Either way, at the time, she believed her feelings were real. And she was certain he felt the same.

  “We were stationed in San Diego, a pretty sweet gig. After twelve years, I was doing well. Good evaluations, good relationships with my superiors. I put my social life on the back burner to make the fast track.”

  “All work and no play?”

  She met Linc’s clear-blue gaze.

  “I loved my job. Naval intelligence. I know, an oxymoron.”

  Linc’s chuckle made her smile.

  “We did good work. Saved lives. When I met Marcus, I guess I was ready to let someone sweep me off my feet. And he did.”

  For the first month, Marcus was a dream come true, a prince from all the fairy stories Dee didn’t believe in. He showered her with attention, sent flowers, took her to expensive restaurants. The sex was okay.

  Dee didn’t know why she mentioned sex except as a not so subtle way to let Linc know he was a better man than Marcus, in and out of the bedroom. To his credit, he let the comment slide, instead, urging her to continue.

  “Keep going, Dee. What happened after the first month?”

  “My head came out of the clouds.”

  Marcus began to show signs of a temper, especially when he drank. One social beer was fine. Two, and he became belligerent.

  “We were at a bar, a night out with friends. A guy bumped Marcus’ arm, completely by accident. Marcus decked him.”

  “Jesus.”

  “I warned him. No more drinking or we were through.”

  Marcus promised to stop, cold turkey. He lied.

  “We planned to have dinner, catch a movie if we were in the mood. I had to work late, so we met at the restaurant. I could smell the beer on Marcus’ breath before I stepped out of my car.”

  Dee told him to go home, get sober. They’d talk in the morning.

  “I left.”

  “Good,” Linc growled.

  “The next morning, I found out Marcus had been arrested for assault and battery. Beat the shit out of a civilian.”

  “Please tell me he went to prison.”

  “In a perfect world.” Dee slumped until her back was against the sofa cushion. “When your overly indulgent father is a rear admiral, you can commit a lot of wrongs before you pay the price.”

  Marcus was out of the brig by nightfall. Rumor around the base was the admiral paid off the victim. No one would go on record either way.

  “The next time I saw him, Marcus acted as though nothing happened. The cuts and bruises on his knuckles told a different story.”

  “You kicked his ass to the curb.”

  Linc didn’t ask because, unlike Marcus, he knew who she was, without question.

  “He swore I’d come crawling back.”

  At first, Marcus left Dee alone. Then, the phone calls started. Heavy breathing, foul language. He didn’t identify himself, but she knew. She had a friend trace the calls back to a public phone a few blocks from her apartment.

  The calls kept coming, more and more graphic in tone. She had no proof to make a formal complaint.

  “I only had one course of action. I put in for a transfer.”

  “What happened?”

  Dee could see the dread in Linc’s eyes as if he knew what was coming. If only she had been as prescient.

  The morning she was scheduled to ship out, just one hour later, and things might have turned out different. Funny how a mere sixty minutes could change a person’s life forever.

  “My bags were packed, stowed in the trunk of my car. I went to give my apartment a final check, in case I forgot something.”

  What Dee forgot was her sense of self-preservation. Broad daylight, the apartment complex housed other Naval staff and officers. In those days, she didn’t carry a gun when off-duty. Foolishly, she thought she was safe.

  The scene, blurred by time, popped into Dee’s mind, clear and terrifying. She began to shake.

  “I’m here.” Linc rushed to her side, pulling her into his arms. “You’re safe, Dee. Breathe. I won’t let you go.”

  Dee clung to Linc. Needing someone else didn’t make her weak, she told herself.

  “You don’t have to go on. Rest. You can tell me later.”

  “Now.” Her fingers formed a fist, gripping Linc’s shirt, keeping him close.

  “Okay.” He smoothed back her hair as his lips brushed her forehead. “Take your time.”

  Dee closed her eyes, letting the scene play out. She was safe. Marcus couldn’t hurt her again. She was strong. She survived.

  “Marcus was waiting when I came out of the apartment. He was a big man, outweighed me by close to a hundred pounds, but I was
n’t afraid. He used brute force, no match for my martial arts training.”

  “You didn’t have a gun.” Linc choked out the words.

  “No. But he did.”

  Dee didn’t see Marcus raise his weapon. All she could remember was the pain like nothing she’d ever felt before. Then, nothing but blessed blackness.

  “I woke up in the hospital. The doctor told me I was lucky. An inch one way or the other, I could have been paralyzed, or dead. Other than a few scars, I made a full recovery.”

  “Thank God.” Linc shuddered. “What happened to the bastard who shot you?”

  “Funny story. Turned out I was the aggressor, not the victim. Three different witnesses came forward and claimed I was obsessed with Marcus, wouldn’t leave him alone even after he broke up with me.”

  “I’m not laughing.” Linc sounded like he’d swallowed gravel.

  “Neither was I.”

  Dee discovered the pain of betrayal hurt far more than a bullet. No one stood by her as Marcus and his father systematically annihilated her hard-earned reputation. Ruled self-defense, all charges were dropped.

  “I wasn’t forced to leave the Navy, but my career was over. If I stayed, I would be relegated to low-level grunt work with no chance of advancement.”

  “They didn’t deserve you.”

  “Told myself the same thing.” Dee sighed. “For a while, I had a few doubts. Not anymore.”

  “You were hurt and betrayed. You didn’t do anything wrong.” Linc tipped her chin until she looked into his eyes. “Why would you hesitate to tell me?”

  Dee was tired of looking back. The rest, the reason he might walk away, could wait. Right now, she needed to remember she was alive.

  “Kiss me.”

  Linc brushed his lips across hers in a brief, sweet caress. He didn’t understand. Lukewarm was for fumbling teenagers. Dee wanted passion, hot, carnal, and uncensored.

  “Really kiss me.”

  Dee straddled his hips. Grabbing his head, she showed him what she meant. She felt Linc’s fingers dig into her thighs, but he didn’t return her kiss. He held back, and she wasn’t happy.

  “Do you really care about me?” she growled.

  “You know I do.”

  “Then stop treating me as if I were made of glass. I didn’t break then, I sure as hell won’t break now.” Dee whipped her shirt over her head and placed Linc’s hand on her breast. “Please, give me what I need.”