While Hayes, Theo, and Ans were away in Colorado, everything was relatively quiet around the plantation. Lawson stayed in without having to be chained to a pipe and no one was assaulted. Or killed, as disappointing as that may be to Theo.
The guys and I kept busy working around the house, painting, and attempting to clean up our mess as we went. And let me say, that particular task was rather difficult. Five men with no female supervision can get rowdy. And disgusting.
When Anniston returned with a smiling Theo, talking animatedly about all their adventures in Colorado, I felt jealousy bubble up through my clipped laughs at their ridiculous stories. Evidently, Theo took them to a resort where they snowboarded and engaged in some questionable behavior.
I didn’t ask for all the details. Some things are better left a mystery. But by the satisfied look on Hayes’ face, he thoroughly enjoyed himself as well. It’s probably time for another talk about safe sex. The guy is a machine.
To get away from the continuous fuck stories, mostly told by Theo, I ventured out to the farmers market, using the excuse of wanting some fresh air and to pick up Anniston’s bracelet she ordered when she was jumped by Lou over a month ago. Anniston loves the farmers market but unfortunately hasn’t been able to return since Lou. Fucker.
After picking up the bracelet I stopped in at one the local booths, stocking up on Anniston’s and my favorite jam. The guys and I cleaned it out while she was away in Colorado. I’m sure she has some stashed in her room but we need more regardless.
Interrupting my thoughts, the woman at the booth clears her throat before asking, “Would you like this in a bag?”
I glance up from my wallet after locating a five for the peach jelly I just purchased. Passing over the bill, I’m met with smoke-colored eyes that give me pause. I take in the beautiful woman in front of me. Slender, not necessarily toned, but slim, her jeans hugging her womanly hips, her flannel shirt revealing a tiny tank that barely holds in her ample chest.
She fidgets at my perusal of her body but matches my stare head on, almost defiantly. “A bag?” she repeats, amused.
I nod, incapable of forming a complete sentence at the moment. The gorgeous woman cocks her head to the side, her chestnut waves swaying in the wind. What was I doing? A bag. Right. I need a bag.
I hand over the jelly like an idiot and pray she doesn’t notice the bulge forming in my pants. I haven’t reacted to a woman this way in forever. I need to get out of here.
I snatch the bag as soon as she drops the jelly into it, mutter a clipped, “Thank you,” and haul ass out of there.
Jelly in hand, I climb back in my truck and put as much distance as I can between me and the girl who stirred up so much lust and excitement. Feelings that I haven’t experienced in a long time. Desire. I wanted this girl. More than I’ve wanted anyone. Even Anniston. The revelation is unwanted and undeserved for someone like me. Someone who was so selfish in his own wants and desires that he killed his entire team to fulfill those needs.
I pull into our gravel driveway fifteen minutes later, the drive home too short to get my head straight. The house is eerily quiet when I enter.
“Laws?”
No answer. I let out a whistle, calling for Killer. She bounds down the stairs, excited someone is home to pet her. I scratch her head, setting my bags down in the kitchen. A note written on a napkin lays on the table.
Guys and I went to Mae’s for lunch. There’s a hot new waitress I need to break in. ;) Commander and Lawson went somewhere but didn’t tell me where. Theo had some kind of charity thing in the city. Enjoy your alone time, Major. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t. ;)
Hayes
Huh. Alone time. Well, this is different. The last time I was alone was… when I was laying curled up in the ditch just a mile from here. Crazy thoughts plague me as my skin crawls with the nervous feeling of being alone for the first time in eight months.
Don’t be a pussy. You can do this. Go whack off in your room like a normal guy. Watch some bullshit TV or porn and devour a shit-ton of carbs. Go run. Go work out. This is what normal people would do, Cade.
But I’m not normal.
I end up back at the farmers market sitting on a rickety wooden picnic table, watching my autumn beauty smile and laugh with her customers. I feel like a creep watching from afar, but it doesn’t stop me as I assault her with my eyes. She listens intently to an older lady, her thick head of hair blowing in the breeze, nodding and smiling like she really enjoys the gray-headed lady’s continuous questions. She’s magnificent. Perfect in every way.
I don’t know how long I sit here but when she catches my eye, she looks around. For security? I don’t know. But I realize I’ve allowed my stalker tendencies to go on for far too long. I get up quickly, firmly sealing my fate as a weirdo and head to my car.
“Wait!”
I hustle, spotting my red truck parked along the curb. I don’t have to look back to know she’s following me.
A cool hand reaches my arm, pulling me to a halt. Even her hands are like cashmere. She’s out of breath, huffing from her sprinting pace. “I said, wait.” She bends over, her hands on her knees as she tries to catch her breath.
I stand there, stock still, admiring the pale pink polish that’s chipped at the ends of her fingernails.
“Whew,” she breathes out, standing upright, her hand on her hip. “What are you doing out here?”
My mouth opens and closes like a fish. Why am I out here? Somehow, I don’t think the truth is a good idea to disclose at the moment. I imagine saying I was compelled to sit and watch her will come off a tad bit psycho.
“I…uh…am meeting someone. They never showed.” Yeah, that’s it. I am meeting my sanity and that fucker decided to leave me high and dry.
“Oh,” she says a little disappointed. “My name is Breck, I’m new here.” She holds out her hand for me to shake.
I don’t. Instead, I just stare, her face so familiar to me.
Something tickles my throat. I cough, clearing it. “I’m Cade. Welcome to Madison.” My voice sounds formal, like I work for the damn welcome center.
Breck laughs. “It’s nice to meet you, Cade.” She sticks her hand out farther, undeterred that I didn’t take it the first time.
I look down at her outstretched hand and then back to her expectant face. Her lips strain to hold her smile and I know that if I don’t take her hand, this time it will crush her. And, I don’t want to seem like a dick. Unsteady, I reach for her hand, her smile ratcheting up into something more genuine. Her delicate fingers close around mine and she squeezes like I’m a family member that she hasn’t seen for a while. Like she truly is happy to know me.
I give Breck a timid smile before pulling my hand away. “It’s—” My phone rings, interrupting me. I look at Breck apologetically. “Excuse me.”
She nods, smiling, backing away to give me some privacy.
“Yeah.”
“Major.” Hayes’ voice is frantic.
I’m immediately on alert. “What happened?”
“He has her, sir.”
My stomach drops straight through my ass. I might puke right here on the fucking sidewalk in front of everyone. “What do you mean, ‘he has her’?” I already know who “he” is but I need to hear Hayes say it. I need to hear that I failed my team, again.
“Lou. He has Commander and Lawson in the barn. He’s armed.” Hayes chokes on the words, barely getting it all out.
I’m in the car before I even register what I’m doing. I vaguely think of Breck as I peel out of the square, jumping a curb when I take the corner too fast.
We let our guard down. Again. And Lou got her.
Fear is the only thing driving my truck right now. Fear has me speeding down Old Mill Road, skidding on the gravel of the driveway and barely putting it in park before leaping from the truck.
I’m fighting back nausea trying to think of what I need to do.
Call Theo. We need reinforcements.
“Major!” I’m up the steps, following Hayes’ voice into my office. The guys are huddled around the security monitors. They each bow their heads as I approach.
“How the fuck did he get in?” I question, my voice teetering on the brink of a meltdown, searching Hayes’ face for an answer.
He shrugs, unsure of what went down as he moves away from the video monitors, allowing me my first glimpse of the situation.
There, against the wall of the barn, is my angel. Her head is tilted back at an awkward angle, as a man I recognize as Lou yanks her forward by her ponytail, screaming something we can’t hear in her face. Lawson is unconscious on the floor of the barn as Nicole cries in the corner of one of the horse stalls.
“I’ll fucking kill him!” I rage, shaking as I back away from the monitors. “Gear up,” I order the guys. I don’t need to say more. They know. This is what they were trained for.
Extraction. Protection. Killing.
I dart upstairs to my bedroom and throw on my combat gear that Anniston purchased, telling me one day I would want to put on a uniform again. I thought she was crazy, and stashed it away in the closet. But yet again, she was right. Even if I’m wearing it under protest.
As bad as I hate it, I have to call Theo. He would want to know the situation. He’s still in Atlanta at the charity event for a local hospital he supports. Thor is probably with him. And at this point I could use all the help I can get.
I hit Theo’s name in my contacts and push call before I can talk myself out of it.
“I’m busy. Your sweet talk will have to wait.”
“He got her.”
Silence. And then I hear, “Excuse me. I need to step out a moment.”
I take a deep breath, preparing for what I’m about to tell him.
“What the fuck do you mean, ‘he got her?’ Who?” he’s shouting, his voice quivering with nerves. “Don’t you fucking do this to me, Cade. Don’t tell me something happened to her when I’m an hour away!”
The engine roars and I assume he’s not wasting any time getting here.
“I’m going to fucking kill you!” he screams into the phone as something bangs against the microphone.
Did he just slam the phone into the dash?
After several minutes of silence, his breathing evens out. He’s calmer. “Tell me what happened.”
I give him the short version since I need to get to her quickly.
“Hayes left a note saying she and Lawson went out. Hayes and the others left to go get some lunch. When Hayes arrived, the security system didn’t go off. He thought Ans was home….”
Theo makes a noise of disbelief.
I don’t give him time to comment. “But when he couldn’t find her, he checked the camera footage and found her and Lawson in the barn with Nicole. He’s armed.” I exhale a breath, relieved to have gotten it all out.
“You promised me, Cade! You promised he wouldn’t get to her!” he shouts, unhinged. I guess he isn’t as calm as I thought.
I pull a Glock 45 from the closet while Theo rages on the other end of the phone. Anniston insisted we not lose the weaponry skills we were taught in the Corp. At the time, I was angry she was pushing the military back on me, but the more I got back to my roots the better I felt. Eventually, I stopped whining and looked forward to training every day. My skills have never been sharper.
“I’m going to get her,” I answer.
I’m greeted with silence as I pocket my knife. “Theo?”
A horn blows as squealing tires ring in my ear. “Get my fucking girl, Cade, or so help me, God…”
His threat doesn’t scare me. But the realization that something terrible could happen to the one person I care about the most, does.
I stand straighter, eyeing myself in the mirror hanging on the closet door. I look like Major Jameson. Fatigues hug my recently formed muscles as my weapon sits snugly in the holster at my hip. I can do this.
One last time, I will lead a group of men into the unknown. I block out visions of blood and bodies as they try to shatter my confidence. I will fight for her, like she fought for me. I’m going to get her back, no matter what.
With a resolution that I didn’t know I possessed, I answer Theo with the voice of a Major. “Oohrah.”
Theo hangs up without another word. I would’ve called him a dick or whatever, but honestly, I didn’t think he could stand to hear another word. He was on the verge of a break. I’ll have a plan to deal with him once he arrives. He won’t sit quietly, that’s for sure.
Teeth clenched, the muscle in his jaw pulsing, Theo growls, “Give me a gun. Now, Cade!”
I can’t deal with his incessant demands at the moment. I have about ten billion other things I’m worried about. He showed up half an hour ago, leaping from the driver’s side, racing toward the barn after leaving his car engine running. Tim managed to stop the rolling car from hitting the house and Mason was able to wrestle Theo to the ground, pulling him inside the house swearing and spitting that we were horrible Marines. I didn’t let his asshole remarks get to me. He’s scared and lashing out wherever he can.
My mind has been a frantic mess, trying to think of ways to get Anniston out of her current situation. The guys and I contemplated calling the police, but what would they do? Call for backup? Maybe get a phone hooked up in the barn and try and talk some sense into Lou? No, there’s no time for politics. I’m getting my girl out one way or another.
Fuck the police. I’m the law around here.
I manage an eye roll at Theo. “No, for the hundredth time, you’re not getting a gun. The last thing we need is you shooting one of us.”
His lips thin.
I’m ready for the verbal lashing he is about to spew at me. I don’t care what he has to say, the situation is serious. This isn’t a fucking baseball game. My expertise demands that I take charge. Theo can sit his ass down and shut the fuck up. “Don’t start. We don’t have time to argue. For once, put our issues aside and allow me to get our girl out of the fucking barn and away from Lou’s psycho ass!”
Theo’s face pales as the gravity of the situation sets in. His hand goes to his mouth and he gives me his acceptance with a curt nod and heads to the living room without another word, leaving the guys and me alone in my office to finish formulating our plan to take down Lou.
I take a deep breath and exhale. Now that Theo is gone, the weight of Anniston’s and Lawson’s lives sit heavy on my chest. If I fuck this up, she could die. If she dies, we’ll all die. None of us would know how to function without her. It’s the sad truth. We’re family.
“What’s the plan, Major?” Mason is antsy, bouncing up and down on the balls of his feet.
Hayes and Vic draw closer as Tim moves in from behind me. My throat works as I look into the eyes of these men. It isn’t the same, Cade. This is different. This isn’t Afghanistan. There are no hidden bombs.
I breathe steadily, meeting each set of eyes with my own. “Hayes and I will go in through one of the stall windows. Mason, take Killer, and you and Vic go in through the back. Tim,” I nod in Theo’s direction, where he’s pacing in the living room, “you stay with him. I don’t believe for one minute he is going to stay out of this. Keep him close. Whatever you do, don’t let him in near the barn.”
Tim nods, taking his assignment seriously as I continue giving orders.
“Be careful in there. Keep your eyes open. Think smart. Don’t do anything to get Lawson or Anniston hurt. You got it?”
They all give me a curt nod and then shout, “Oohrah!”
We break apart, Mason going to retrieve Killer from upstairs where we corralled her, keeping her from running to Anniston.
“Hayes.” He moves slowly to my side, leery of my next statement. Reaching for the M24 Sniper rifle propped in the corner, I hand it over slowly. “She was saving it for your birthday. She knew one day you would hold one again.”
Hayes gulps, his throat working down his emotion. With shaking hands, he touches the cool metal. Instantly, he recoils.
“You can do this. I have faith in you. She has faith in you.”
Fists clenched, Hayes makes a sound almost like a growl. And as if he makes up his mind in this critical moment, he grabs the gun, hoists it to his shoulder and checks the sights. He inserts the .338 Lapua Magnum cartridge, loading the chamber with what I hope to be the only bullet shot today.
“I’m ready, sir,” he confirms, all business, the mask of a trained sniper slipping easily over his boyish features. This is a trained marksman. A legend in his short stent in the Marines. My ally.
I didn’t expect the feeling of comradery to hit me so hard. My heart is suddenly full of love and honor for my brother, who is ready to fight and possibly die alongside me. Our bond is the love we share for a woman who took a chance on us all. Who gave up her job to reintroduce us into society. A woman who became our family.
I straighten, raising my hand to my head in a salute. Hayes quickly returns the symbolic gesture, both of us conveying something that could never be spoken.
“I need to speak with Theo before we go.” I walk over to Theo, who stands in the living room clutching a picture in his hand. “We’re going to go in now,” I tell him softly.
He jerks his eyes away from the frame. It’s a picture of him and Ans. Sitting by a campfire, she’s hugging him from behind and he’s grinning as her tongue licks his dimple. Clearly, it’s a college photo.
“It’s about time,” he lashes out.
I don’t blame him. If I were in his position, I think I would, too. “I want you to stay here,” I add, pissing him off further.
His face draws up into a menacing snarl.
I continue before he can say anything else. “Let me go get our girl. I promise I will bring her home safe. Nothing will happen to her.”
He doesn’t believe me, hope has left his eyes. Without a word, he walks off, heading up the stairs in the direction of his and Ans’ room.
It’s better this way. It keeps him out of my hair. I look to Tim, waiting in the kitchen. “Don’t let him out of your sight.”
He salutes me as I head out the back to join Hayes. I’m going to get our girl and no old-ass woman trafficker is going to stop me.
I’m coming, Commander.