Chapter 10
“Come on, you prick, chase me.”
Savvy shut her eyes and held onto the seat for dear life. They were in the ass end of nowhere.
If this were a horror movie, the characters would start dyin’ right about now.
Zane had hunched down in his seat, but he kept glancing in the rearview mirror. Although, he was excited, not anxious. He was grinning the whole time.
Navy SEALs were evidently adrenaline junkies. King had been pissed off the last time the shooter attacked, but not afraid.
“Is he still there?”
Zane chuckled. “Yup, the dipshit just pulled into the field.”
“Then why are you so happy?”
“His sedan ain’t got four-wheel drive.”
The car bounced beneath them like they were hitting a series of potholes. Mud splattered on the side windows.
“Uh oh.”
“What?” She grabbed his leg, squeezing it. “Tell me, I can take it.”
He chuckled. “After this, I’m gonna need new shocks for the Jeep.”
Savvy dug her nails into his thigh. “If we ever get out of this, you don’t have to worry about King.”
“Why?”
“Because I’ll kill you.”
And then Zane crowed in triumph.
“What now?”
“The bastard got stuck in the mud, just like I said. So long sucker!” he crowed.
“Are you gonna turn around, and go after him?”
“Fuck no.”
“Why not?”
“Because he’s still armed and I ain’t gonna close the distance between him and his target. Keepin’ you alive is objective number one. Neutralizin’ him is number two.”
And now I feel stupid.
“We could circle back with reinforcements, but he’d probably be gone by then.”
“You can get up now, we’re out of range.”
Savvy sat up and glanced over her shoulder. All she could see was a shadowy shape in the distance.
“Don’t worry, darlin’. I got us a lead. I memorized his license plate number.”
With a whoop of joy, Zane zoomed off, headed to HQ.
***
An hour later they pulled into the driveway in front of HQ.
Savvy’s nerves were jangled. The hitman hadn’t followed them. Instead, he’d stayed beside the car, watching them flee like a hungry lion watching the gazelles.
They’d come close. Too close.
When she walked in the door, King went running toward her. He tugged Savvy into the shelter of his arms, patting her down as though checking for injuries.
After they’d escaped, Zane had Savvy call King and let him know what happened. He’d been furious, but was relieved they were both okay, at least for the time being.
She’d also relayed the license plate number to Storm, who was checking on it. Savvy had a feeling, it wouldn’t lead them anywhere useful. He hadn’t left a shred of evidence at the last two scenes.
“You aren’t hurt?” King cupped her face in his big hands.
She shook her head. So far, all her wounds had been mental ones.
“But you are.” The skin on his knuckles was broken. He also sported a black eye. She idly wondered what Dave looked like after King got done with him.
“Don’t worry about me. Are you sure, you didn’t get hurt?”
“I’m fine.”
“I’m relieved.” King sighed. “Now I can let you have it.” While she watched, his face changed, the lines became harsher, his cheeks hollowed, and his bushy eyebrows furrowed.
Uh oh.
“Have you lost your ever-lovin’ mind, woman? Have you got a death wish?” King turned the full force of his fury upon her. Somehow, she got the sense, this wasn’t only about her.
Savvy opened her mouth to speak, but he pressed a finger to her lips.
“Don’t you dare sass me. Not at a time like this. You could’ve died, Savvy.” His expression was wild and his eyes red-rimmed. Had he been worried for her? Crying? “Do you understand? I could’ve never seen you again.”
“King, I’m sorry, I didn’t—”
“Shut up.” And then he pulled her into another bear hug, and she buried her face in his chest. He clutched her, held on to her, as though she were the most precious thing in the world.
King almost seemed unhinged, haunted by ghosts she couldn’t even begin to fathom. She was missing something huge here. Did all these bad boys have a secret pain lurking beneath their rough exteriors?
Zane walked in the door behind her. And the temperature in the room dropped thirty degrees.
“And you…” King trailed off, seething with rage.
Oh crap.
Savvy tried to head him off at the pass. She put herself in between Zane and King, running interference.
“King, it was my idea, and he didn’t—”
“Horse shit.” And then King slipped past her. He was striding over to Zane, moving like a locomotive at full steam. Before Zane could defend himself, King clipped him under the jaw, knocking him to the ground.
Zane jumped up and punched King right in the nose.
“Stop it!” Savvy cried. She’d had more than enough violence for one night, thank you very much.
The men ignored her.
Instead, they bloodied each other’s noses and blackened one another’s eyes, fists flying. All the while, they cussed a blue streak like two teenagers vying for head of the pack.
Savvy was headed into the fray when a hand on her shoulder stopped her.
“Nah, don’t get involved.” Storm stood beside her, munching on a Granny Smith apple. He had a pair of skinned knuckles, but no other visible injuries. “Trust me. It’s best to let them duke it out.” He acted as though this were completely normal behavior.
“What? I’m supposed to stay on the sidelines while these two Neanderthals club each other to death?” And yet, perversely, she wanted to join in and knock some sense into both of them. If she were bigger and stronger, she’d lay the idiots out on the floor.
“Yup. Oh, I checked on the license plate. I ran it through a couple of helpful police databases.”
“How did you get access?”
“Don’t ask. Anyway, the car was stolen.”
“So, it didn’t lead anywhere.” Savvy gritted her teeth. This shooter guy was like a freaking ninja.
Then, they waited it out until the two dumbasses exhausted themselves. Huffing and puffing, they finally stopped. Zane and King sprawled on their backs afterward, evidently too tired to fight.
“You okay, brother?” Zane asked.
“Yeah, you?”
“Yup. Are we good?”
“We’re square, but if it happens again…”
“Gotcha. It won’t, King.”
Storm turned to Savvy with a grin. “See, they talked it out.”
Savvy rolled her eyes.
Men. They were just wired differently. If one of her friends had beaten the crap out of her, Savvy would’ve never spoken to the woman again.
Zane got to his feet, stripped off his shirt and wiped his bloody face with it.
King did the same and Savvy’s mouth went dry. His chest was rippling with muscle, and an enticing line of hair disappeared below the waistband of his jeans.
Sweet Jesus, this place is like a gay male porn shoot. Savvy thought the men in straight skin flicks were usually ugly, even though they had huge dicks.
She turned away before she ran across the room and threw herself at him. A girl can only take so much provocation.
Storm waggled his brows. “See something you like?”
“If I don’t, are you gonna strip too?”
“You wish.”
Savvy chuckled.
After cleaning himself up in the bathroom, King strolled over to her, smirking as though he could hear every little dirty thought in her head.
What an asshole. He was bruised and bloody, and so damn kissable, Savvy couldn’t stand it.
“Go away.”
“No.”
She stomped up the stairs, and he followed her.
“What did you sing tonight? Did you try out the new one?”
“I don’t wanna talk to you.” Once again, they were in the hallway outside their rooms.
“In case you’re a bit slow tonight, you’re already talkin’ to me. Tell me what happened.”
“Yeah.”
“Yeah, what…?”
“I sang the new song.”
“And..? Don’t leave me hangin’ here.”
“They loved it.” Savvy grinned. “The crowd begged me for more.”
Her instincts prodded her to produce a smaller album, one which was more personal. Savvy wanted it to be intimate, emotional. In a word, hers.
And yet, she was worried about totally ignoring Adam’s advice, and forging ahead with her plan. Sometimes her inner chicken squawked, telling Savvy she couldn’t possibly pull this off, that she wasn’t talented enough.
I wonder if the inner doubt will ever stop talking.
“Come in. Let’s finish this discussion.” King opened the door to his bedroom.
She frowned, not understanding.
“I’m sorry, but I gave my sister your room. We’re kinda pressed for space around here, and you’ve bunked with me before.”
“I don’t mind a bit.” In fact, a crackling surge of excitement coursed through her body. King shut the door behind her.
“How’s she doin’?” Savvy asked, sitting on the bed.
“She hasn’t spoken to me since I got back. Right now, she’s tryin’ to sleep.”
“Ellie will come around soon enough.”
He frowned. “I hope you’re right.”
“But you doubt it?”
He nodded. “She still won’t tell me what their fight was about.”
Maybe Zane could get it out of her? Savvy didn’t say so though. She didn’t even know if King was aware of Zane’s feelings for his sister.
He sighed, pushing a hand through his hair. “Look, I’ve been meanin’ to tell you somethin’ else, but it never seemed to be the right time.”
Savvy held her breath. “Is it about your wife?”
King sat beside her. “Yeah.”
“Please tell me.”
“I don’t know even where to start.”
“It’s okay, take your time.”
King was silent a few moments, collecting his thoughts.
“Like I said earlier, Nicole was creative like you, only she was an artist.”
Savvy nodded.
He sucked in a breath. “Nicole was unpredictable. One day, she was happy and excited, the next she was depressed. She always called it having an artistic temperament. I didn’t learn until later in our relationship, she had Bipolar Disorder.”
“I don’t know much about it. Is it serious?”
“No, not really. There have been advances in the past few years. It can be treated with medication and therapy. Without help, she cycled from depression to mania. I didn’t mind when she was manic. She talked a mile a minute, and she was so whimsical. One night, we drove all the way to Daytona Beach just to see the sunrise.” He gave a small smile.
“She sounds fun to be around.”
“Yeah, she really was. Nicole was beautiful, impossible, captivatin’, and I still miss her.”
Clearly, he’d been deeply in love with her.
“Nicole said the drugs interfered with her process. Sometimes when she was working on a new freelance art project, she’d go off them. It never bothered me.” His voice wavered. “I only wanted her to be happy.”
Tears filled his eyes, and he blinked them away. Instinctively, Savvy reached for him, grabbing his hand, and he held onto it.
“Besides, the drugs had nasty side effects, and she hated taking them. I was always there to pull her back from the brink.”
“I get it. A couple years ago, I was diagnosed with depression, and they put me on some meds, but I had to go off them. They made me feel like a zombie.”
King nodded. “Anyway, Nicole was obsessed with birds, takin’ flight. The theme showed up again and again in her work.” He shuddered. “This situation isn’t black and white, and I keep going over it, again and again in my head. But I think, in her own mind, Nicole was tryin’ to fly that night, escape from the pain. We lived in a high-rise apartment buildin’, and she used to go out there a lot. The way the building was situated, there was a rush of air, an updraft and she used to stand on the very edge, arms raised out, completely fearless.
Savvy swallowed. “She…jumped?”
Closing his eyes, King nodded. “While I was deployed, she’d gone off her meds, and she’d gotten depressed. And by the time I got back, she’d made up her mind to end it, once and for all. I’m a medic for pity’s sake. I should have caught it right away, stopped her.”
“You didn’t know what she was going to do.”
“It’s still my fault.” His expression was grim. “I fucked this up from the very beginnin’. I should’ve made sure she took her medicine every day even if I had to pry her mouth open and shove it down her throat.”
“You respected her boundaries. Nicole had the right to make her own decisions.”
Shaking his head, King laid down on the bed, and she curled beside him. Hot tears streaked down his face, trickling into his beard. This must’ve been bottled up for a long time, and the floodgates had just burst open.
“No, I let her down. When you love someone, when you stand up in front of all your friends and your family members and promise to respect and love one another for the rest of your life, you become responsible for the other person. I took my vow very seriously. Nicole was mine to protect and I failed her when she needed me the most.”
Savvy didn’t know how to respond. Her heart ached for him. He sounded like a white knight to her, a man who wanted to be a caretaker.
Savvy wondered if he thought she needed to be rescued. Did King think of himself as her savior, too? Somehow, it didn’t bother her as much as it should. Savvy prided herself on being strong and independent, but she needed him. Savvy wouldn’t have survived this long without him.
“I have to tell you somethin’ else.”
Savvy braced herself and nodded.
“After she died, I wanted to join her, but I was too scared to step off the roof.” He whispered the words, ashamed of his actions.
“Thank God you didn’t.”
“I’m not sure He was a factor. I was too much of a coward to take my own life.”
Savvy disagreed, but she didn’t say so. King was opening up to her, and she didn’t want to shut down this conversation, by contradicting him.
King snorted. “Instead, I took every dangerous assignment that came my way. I volunteered for trouble. And I came back home every fuckin’ time, even though I tempted fate on a regular basis.”
Savvy understood. He hadn’t been able to take his own life, so he’d tried to make someone else end it for him.
“Eventually, I talked with a Navy shrink and got my head straight. And I knew if I didn’t get out of the SEALs, my recklessness would catch up with me.”
“So, you joined Black Star.”
“Yeah, and I haven’t looked back. I want you to know, I won’t make the same mistake with you.” King pulled her on top of him until she was sprawled across his chest. They were eye to eye, and he was somber, utterly focused. “Do you believe me?”
“Absolutely.” She didn’t doubt him, even for a second.
King kissed her, gently this time, a brush of his lips against hers. Then, he kissed her forehead. Savvy closed her eyes, savoring the touch. This wasn’t about sex or desire, it was driven by need.
And maybe love?
“I want you to stay with me while you’re here.” He licked his lips. “In my room, in my bed.”
“I ain’t goin’ anywhere.”
His eyes were fierce. “No, you aren’t.”