“WHAT DID YOU MEAN when you said ‘in the hospital after the explosion’?” She was lying replete with her head pillowed on my bicep and my arms wrapped around her. Her fingertips ran lightly over my forearm where it rested across her chest. Fuck, as soon as those words were out of my mouth earlier, I regretted them. I had never talked about the accident with anyone. I didn’t want her to know exactly how fucked up I was, but I didn’t know how to hide it from her now. I took a shaky breath and my chest ached.
“It was in Afghanistan before Christmas the year we met. I was riding up front. Mason—Hollywood—my spotter, was sitting behind me with Kamil, our interpreter, behind the driver.” I felt myself drift back to that day, remembering it like it was yesterday.
The Humvee rocked and jolted along the shitty-ass trail they called a road in that God forsaken hellhole they called Afghanistan. We were in a small convoy headed to our rendezvous point where we would meet up with a trusted informant. We would then take that intel and break off to get into position. Our target was a key member of the fucking piece of shit Taliban. It had begun to feel like a hopeless cause, because it just seemed like when you killed one, another sprouted up to take his place, but I had my mission. There hadn’t been a soul on the road as we traveled, and it gave an unnatural eerie feel to the land. Everyone was on edge and vigilant, watching for anything that seemed out of place or suspicious.
We had been about fifteen clicks out from the rendezvous point when we hit a large rock, causing us to swerve off the road. Suddenly, there was a loud explosion and I couldn’t hear anything. We were flying through the air, tumbling over and over. I frantically fought to hold my phone. Even though it was powered down and I wasn’t supposed to have it, I knew my angel’s picture was in it and I clutched it with a death grip. It felt like the fires of hell rained down on us. Debris in the Humvee was flying around inside like missiles, hitting us repeatedly before working their way out the windows as we tumbled. Something must have busted open because it splattered across my face and chest.
We came to a jolting stop and my hearing slowly returned along with a constant ringing sound as we sat at an angle against a bunch of boulders and rocks. Everything was still muffled, but I could hear screaming and then realized it was me. I tried to catch my breath as the pain surged and seared through the left side of my body. Hearing a moan, I looked over into the baby face of the driver. He was covered in blood and looked at me with fear in his young eyes as he mumbled, “Help me, Sarge.” Then he coughed, followed by a gurgled sound before blood ran out of his nose and mouth. I kept saying “No, no, no, no, no, no, no!” as his sightless eyes bore into me. His blood ran down and dripped on my shoulder. I desperately tried to unbuckle, but my left arm wouldn’t work right. I twisted slightly in my seat to see the interpreter staring sightless at the roof of the Humvee with his one remaining eye and his head flopped to the side. Twisting hurt so bad I couldn’t catch my breath. Mason was screaming behind me, but I couldn’t see him. I yelled for him to hold on as I shoved my phone back in my IBA with my right hand and tried to move to get to Mason, but the pain was excruciating. I began praying to my angel and whatever God she served.
It seemed like hours had passed before I heard voices yelling and gunshots exploding around us as bullets pinged off the rocks. I had no idea who was shooting or if the rest of the convoy was safe. The gunshots stopped, and I heard more yelling and boots running in various directions. It was frustrating as fuck not being able to protect myself with my own damn weapon. I tried to see outside the Humvee, but something ran in my left eye, burning, and we were lying on my side of the vehicle. All I could see around us was dust, rock, and dirt. “SSG Alcott! SGT Lange! SPC Thompkins! We’re coming in to get you!” It was getting harder to breathe, and I could barely keep my eyes open…
“The last thing I remember was hearing Mason moan, and I prayed it meant he was alive and would make it. I thought I was dying. I didn’t expect to see anyone ever again. I remember briefly regaining consciousness in Germany, but no real details. The next time I was lucid, I was in a hospital room in BAMC, the Army Medical Center down in San Antonio, wrapped up and wired up to so many machines I thought I was in a Sci-Fi movie. Mason was in a wheelchair dozing next to my bed. He had both lower legs in some kind of funky casts. He jolted awake and told me I had suffered multiple fractures to my left arm, three of my left ribs, and my left leg had a rod at the thigh and the lower leg had pins, plates, and screws. I found out what I thought was mud from the dirt and a busted canteen was actually our blood being splattered around inside the Humvee. They said if we hadn’t hit that rock, we would have all been killed instantly, but it set us off track just enough, I guess. He told me I had internal bleeding and for a while they didn’t think I was going to make it. There were many days and nights after that where I wished I hadn’t. If Mason hadn’t found me again after I got out…” I couldn’t speak anymore. The telling was nearly as draining as the events themselves. “Let’s just say, between Mason and the MC, they pulled me back. Mostly.”
“Is that where this came from?” She tilted her head back to face me and ran a fingertip along the scar on my cheek. In a knee-jerk reaction, I reached up and grabbed her hand, halting its progress. It was a burning reminder for me, and just her touching it made me angry inside.
“Yes.”
“I’m sorry,” she whispered.
“No, don’t be sorry for me, baby. There are other people who deserve your pity and empathy. I don’t deserve any of that.” I stared up at the stars that were beginning to come out. They were barely visible through the leaves of the trees above us. The night sky was darkening, and I could hear crickets and frogs in the shadows of the lakeshore awakening. I had no idea what time it was, but I knew we should probably get going.
“I think it’s time for me to take you back.”
“Where do we go from here, Colton?”
“I want to spend time with you and Remi. I want to get to know my daughter. I want us to see where the fuck this goes. Shit, I can’t lie. I want to keep you forever, baby, but there are things you need to know about the life I live before you make a decision.” I hugged her tight, kissing the top of her head before I reached over and grabbed her clothes to hand to her.
“Do you want to follow me back to my house after you drop me at my SUV? Remi should still be awake. She took a late nap today.” She looked nervous, and I noted her hands shook as she pulled her jeans up over her sexy-ass legs. It was then that I noticed the bruises on her upper arms.
“I didn’t do that last night, did I?” I felt sick to my stomach that I might have hurt her in my insane, lustful frenzy last night. She looked at me briefly, nervousness flickering in her eyes, before she seemed to focus intently on buttoning her jeans and pulling on her boots.
I squatted down next to her as she sat on the ground pulling on her last boot. My hand gently tipped up her chin, forcing her to look at me. Hurting my angel was the last thing I ever wanted, and if I had done that to her, I needed to know.
“Steph?”
“No, you absolutely did not, but I would rather not talk about it right this minute, okay? So, ummmm, do you want to go see your little girl?” Her eyes filled with anxiety, and she pulled her bottom lip between her teeth. I would get my answers about those bruises later. I wasn’t dropping this. No one treated my angel like that, not as long as there was a breath in my body.
“I would absolutely love to.”
The ride back to my car was as stressful as the ride out to the dock, but for different reasons. Remi was going to meet her daddy. Her daddy was finally going to meet her and, hopefully, be in her life. Would he think I had done a good job with her? Would he feel the deep love like I had for her, even though he had missed the first couple of years of her life? The questions ran nonstop through my mind.
The feel of his warm body as I snuggled up to his back had me wishing we had more time before we went to the house. I stroked his abs as my hands slid slowly toward his pecs… yummmm. His hand stopped the roaming of my hands, and I felt him chuckle.
Oh my gawd! We were on the way to unite my baby with her daddy! Could my body not behave for just one short ride? Ugh!
He rolled to a stop next to my SUV, and I carefully slid off his bike and moved to hand his helmet to him. As I did, he grabbed my arm, pulling me closer and capturing my mouth in a deep kiss. The helmet hung suspended loosely from my fingers as he slowly ended the kiss with a smile.
“How do I get to your place, baby? I need to run by the clubhouse and check in first. Then I’ll head over. I’ll only be a few minutes behind you.” He ran his thumb along my bottom lip, and I wanted to grab it between my teeth.
There I go, again! Ugh! I was hopeless!
After I gave him directions, he nodded and winked at me before pressing his bike into gear and roaring off with a burst of the throttle. I stood listening to him work through the gears as he raced off, the rumble of his bike fading as his taillights became specks in the distance. I touched my lips where he had kissed me and squealed like a school girl. I couldn’t believe it! Things were falling into place.
Was this really my life?
As I backed out of the parking spot and pulled up to the stop sign, a pair of headlights behind me pulled me out of my musings. Crap, I hoped I hadn’t been sitting long at the stop sign lost in thoughts. They probably thought I was an idiot.
As I headed out to the edge of town toward home, I called my mom to give her a heads up that Colton would be coming, and she assured me Remi was still wide awake and waiting for me to get home. I thanked her and told her I would see her soon. As I slowed for the turn and rolled up my parent’s driveway, I was surprised to see truck headlights turn in after me. Wonder what Sam was doing here again… I parked and Sam pulled in behind my SUV. When I got out, his headlights blinded me. Dang, Sam, you ass! I held my hand over my eyes, waiting for him to get out so I could tell him I had talked to Colton.
I heard the truck door open and slam shut.
“Sam, you don’t have to be pissed anymore. I talked to him.” I lowered my hand in time to be pushed up against the back end of my SUV. My head hit the rear window and bounced off. What the heck? When my vision cleared I saw Michael glaring at me with gritted teeth bared in rage.
Oh God, oh God! I tried to scream, but he grabbed tight around my neck with one hand and shook me hard. My head whacked against the window again.
“I cannot believe you! You would barely let me touch you, but you are all over some nasty-ass biker? I saw how you looked at him when you watched him ride off. You fucking slut! You’re fucking him, I know you are. Don’t even try to deny it! How could you do this to me? To us? I was good to you! But you ran off to this little shitty town to hook up with a dirty-ass biker!” He looked like a crazed maniac with spittle flying out of his mouth and his eyes wild and angry. I was terrified. Where was Colton? Please, God, let him get here soon and please don’t let anyone bring Remi out to meet me.
“Michael! What are you doing here? How did you know where I was? I just needed to get away for the weekend. That’s all. I wasn’t running off, honest!” My words were raspy as he continued to hold my throat. I desperately clawed at his fingers as I tried to placate him and get him to calm down. I was afraid he was going to really hurt me before anyone even knew I was out here struggling. I had no idea how he had found me. That, in itself, was terrifying. How long had he been following me?
“I was worried about you walking home late at night after work, so I installed an app on your phone. I just wanted to keep you safe, Steph. You and Remi are so special; I just needed to protect you and watch out for you.” Holy Jesus, he was insane! How could he think something like that was okay? I wondered what else he had done besides stealing my key and tracking my phone.
Just then, I heard the rumble of a motorcycle and saw a headlight come around the curve of the driveway before suddenly skidding to a stop. The bike was still running as I suddenly felt Michael’s hands ripped from my neck as he flew backward.
I was shaking and felt nauseous as I dropped my hands to my knees, breathing ragged breaths. Looking up through the curtain of my hair and the dust billowing from the bike’s sudden stop on the gravel, I saw a fist connect with Michael’s jaw. He staggered back before catching himself and charging toward my rescuer.
“You sonofabitch! Don’t you ever touch her again!” I heard Colton rage before he grappled with Michael again. They were evenly matched in height, but Michael had insanity behind him, while Colton had sheer power and a fighter’s instinct. I watched them struggle before they fell to the ground, Colton straddling Michael, beating him over and over with his fists. As I ran to stop Colton before he killed him, I heard the front door bang open and my father yell out to me. He scrambled down the front steps and wrapped his strong arms around me before I could get to Colton.
“No, Dad! I can’t let Colton kill him. He’ll go to jail! I need him! I love him! He’s her daddy!” I was frantic and thrashing in my dad’s arms to get loose.
My dad sat me on the steps, telling me he would take care of it and not to move as he ran to grab Colton.
“Son! Stop! My girls need you! Don’t do this!” My dad tackled Colton in a bear hug. I watched Colton fight my dad’s hold, and I prayed he wouldn’t hurt my dad in his blind fury. Something seemed to finally click in his mind, and he stopped struggling, but he was still panting in great heaving breaths. He held his bloodied hands up to my dad to signal he was calm and wouldn’t continue to fight.
As my dad and I walked Colton toward the steps and into the house, blood dripped from his hands. It was also splattered across his face and chest. I noted Michael rolling around on the ground, groaning. I pulled out my phone to call the sheriff once we got Colton inside and cleaned up. Jesus, I prayed my mom had Remi distracted somewhere.
I was about to call the sheriff when I heard a truck roar to life and gravel spraying as it spun out of the driveway and down the road. Thank God. I debated having the sheriff take him in and put the fear of God in him, but I was pretty sure he would think twice before messing with me after the beating Colton just gave him. I was surprised he could still drive.
Asshole.
“Son, let Steph get you cleaned up and put some ice on those hands.” My dad looked up at me, giving me a nod to take him inside. I wrapped my arm around Colton’s waist and walked him into the kitchen.
“Baby, I’m fine. I just need to wash my hands. Really. Honestly, I’m okay.” Colton closed his eyes, taking a deep breath before he placed his hands under the cold water I had started. I saw him suck in a sharp breath when the water hit the small nicks and cuts on his knuckles. He used some dish soap to scrub the blood from his hands and arms until the water ran clear.
My dad walked in and handed him a clean white T-shirt and reached out his hand to shake Colton’s.
“Son, I owe you a debt of gratitude. I don’t know how to thank you. If my intuition is correct, I would say that was the young man who has been giving my daughter a hard time.” He turned to me with a questioning look to confirm of his statement. I nodded yes. “I was in the shower and Stephanie’s mother had Remi watching a movie, so I didn’t even hear anything until your bike pulled up.” My dad looked slightly defeated, and I knew he felt he had failed me.
“Dad! It’s not your fault! I had no idea he was here either. I actually thought it was Sam pulling in behind me, or I would have gone straight into the house. Do not blame yourself.”
I filled plastic zipper bags with ice and wrapped them in a towel as Colton changed out of his leather cut and bloody shirt into the shirt my dad had handed him. I saw my dad’s eyebrows raise when he took in Colton’s tattoos, and I gave him a silencing glare just as Colton’s head was popping through the tee. My dad just smiled and raised his hand in acquiescence to me.
I felt Colton’s eye boring into mine as I placed the ice on his hands while he rested them on our kitchen table. I knew we were in for a long, uncomfortable discussion after tonight was wrapped up. Great. Nothing ever went as planned with this man and me. This was not exactly how I intended on telling him about Michael.
“Do you still feel up to seeing Remi or do you want to wait until tomorrow?” I was worried after everything that had happened tonight. What if he hated me for having his daughter around a man like Michael?
“I don’t want to wait, baby. I think I’ve waited long enough.” He pulled a hand from under one of the ice bags to tuck my hair behind my ear. His cold fingertips caressed my cheek as he slowly pulled his hand away. Stepping back, I grabbed his dirty shirt from the floor and gave him a small smile before I turned to place it in the washing machine off the kitchen.
“I’ll go get her… if you’re sure.” He raised his eyebrow and his expression said What do you think?
I went through the hall and up the stairs to my parents’ room where Remi was contentedly watching an animated movie with my mom. I stood soaking in my precious baby girl for a quiet moment. Her silky dark hair hung in fat ringlets against her rosy round cheeks. Her blue eyes, so like her father’s, reflected the flashing colors of the movie that held her attention. They seemed wise beyond her young years. It wasn’t long before she realized I stood in the doorway.
“Mommy!” She jumped up to her knees, jumping up and down on the bed when she saw me. My mother chuckled and paused the movie. Remi stood and walked across the bed with my mother prepared to catch her if she fell. She jumped in my arms and wrapped her little arms around my neck. “Wemi miss you, Mommy!” She gave me a big kiss.
“Mommy has a big surprise for you, my bugga-boo,” I said to her as I smiled at my mom over her shoulder, waving her to follow, and turned to head back downstairs. Lordy, I felt as nervous as a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs right about now.
Here goes everything….