CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Monday, April 23rd
Daphne trudged up the stairs to her apartment and wondered if Selah was going to be around. She hadn’t been home much over the weekend and she wanted to catch up with her sister and see how things were going.
After their successful evening last week, she was hoping it might happen again but knew it wasn’t anything she could push. Selah hated it when she got too needy, so she had learned to play it cool with her a long time ago.
Opening her door, she heard the TV and smelled something delicious.
Aliens had landed and taken over because that was the only explanation for Selah being home and cooking.
Schooling her features, she walked in and dumped her bag. “Hey, sis.”
Selah waved from the kitchen and slid her hand on her hip. “Did Captain America finally set you free?”
“Ha, ha.” She took the pins out of her bun as she sat on a stool and inhaled the delicious scent. “Is that goulash I smell?”
“Yeah, for some reason, I’ve been craving it and decided to make Gram’s recipe. I used turkey instead of beef and I hope it’s still good.”
“Yum. I’m hungry and that sounds perfect.”
Selah slapped her hand to her chest and looked from side to side. “What – no plans with your man?”
“You’re a laugh a minute and, no, I don’t have plans with Bryce this evening, so you’re stuck with me.”
“Not sure I’ll survive, but I suppose I’ll have to manage.”
Running her hands through her hair, she massaged her scalp. “I hate bobby pins.”
“How in the hell do you wear a uniform every day and adhere to such strict rules? Just seeing your uniforms makes me itchy.”
Hitching her shoulder, she shrugged. “I don’t mind the uniforms because I never have to worry about clothes and the rules about my appearance don’t really bug me, except for the hair thing. Considering how much I love my job, I figure it’s a small price to pay.”
“I guess.” Selah pulled out a bottle of wine and poured two glasses, passing one to Daphne. “The further I can get away from rules, the happier I am.”
“And the closer I can get, the better I feel.” Lifting her glass, she waited for her sister to do the same. “Thanks, Mom and Dad, for all that you’ve given us.” They clinked glasses and both frowned as they took a sip. “Are you going to invite them to your wedding when you marry boy wonder?”
Choking, she looked up and tried to see if her sister was serious. When she decided she was, she drank down some wine and shook her head. “No, I see no reason to.”
“Wow, I would’ve guessed the opposite.”
“Why?”
“Since you still take their occasional phone call, I assumed you were interested in having some sort of relationship.”
“Not at all. The truth is, I have very few feelings for them other than pity. I’ve never been able to accept the way they treated us after we were attacked in Columbia and, as far as I’m concerned, they are no more than distant relatives who I speak with once a year. For a long time, I thought there was something wrong with me because I felt so little for them, and I’ve often wondered if I was broken. It didn’t seem that I had the capacity for closeness or deep abiding feelings and I figured the abandonment we experienced as young children broke something in me.”
“Until Bryce?”
She looked into her wine glass and nodded. “Yeah, the things I feel for him tell me there’s nothing broken about me. I was just waiting for the right person to come along.”
“You sure it’s not lust and hormones?”
“Oh, there is a ton of lust and hormones, but underneath that is a feeling that he’d be a hell of a man to go through life with.”
“It hasn’t been a month.”
“I know and I’m not asking him to marry me tomorrow, all I’m saying is that I want to build something with him and see where it leads because there was a moment of connection on Saturday that felt like we were inside one another.”
“Not sure if I want to gag or not.”
“Do whatever you feel is necessary because it’s probably going to get worse from here. I’m all about sappy love right now, so dig deep, sister, and get your boots out because we’re going to be wading in all kinds of unnamed emotions in no time.”
Selah shuddered and then turned around and checked the pot on the stove. “It’s ready and we better eat before all your love talk makes me lose my appetite.”
“Certainly a good idea because if you sit still long enough who knows what will come spilling out of my mouth.” Seeing her sister’s disbelief did little to the confidence she felt deep in her gut about what was happening between her and Bryce.
Selah handed her a steaming bowl and she lifted it, inhaling the rich peppery fragrance. “Smells like Gram’s kitchen on Wednesday nights.”
“I remember how much you loved Gram’s weekly schedule of meals and how much I hated it.” Grabbing a loaf of bread, she brought it over to the table along with her own bowl.
“Thanks for cooking; this is a nice treat.”
“It’s not a big deal and, considering you’ve let me crash with you, it’s probably way past due.”
“How are things going at the shop?”
“Fine, I’ve moved my hours around so I’m working more during the day.”
“Are vampire hours getting old and you find a need to see daylight occasionally?”
“Something like that.”
She took a bite of her food and studied her sister and knew she was holding something back, which wasn’t unusual, considering that Selah was prone to keep her own counsel. Especially after that summer in Columbia.
After they came back and went through the counseling that Gram had insisted on, things were never the same between them. As often as she asked Selah what was going on was as often as she was met with silence. Beyond the obvious trauma of being sexually attacked, there seemed to be something else that her sister was dealing with, and she never got a clear answer.
“This turned out pretty good,” Selah commented.
“I think it’s great and switching out the turkey was a good call.” Giving her sister a smile, she went back to eating and decided not to probe. It had never worked in the past and she figured today wasn’t the day it was going to change. “Bryce’s brother is going to be in town tomorrow and you’re invited to join us for dinner if you’re free.”
“And what does Captain America’s brother do and why is he visiting?”
Bruce is the light heavyweight MMA champ and he’s in town for meetings with some sponsors.”
“No shit, MMA?”
“Yeah, I guess he’s a big deal and the reigning world champ.”
Leaning back, Selah grabbed her phone. “What’s his name?”
“Bruce Andrews.” She watched her sister type in the name and then smile when her screen lit up. “Let me see.”
Selah held it against her chest and grinned. “Bruce is one fine looking man and looks nothing like his baby brother.”
“What?” Making a grab for the phone, her sister kept it out of reach. “Bryce is drop dead gorgeous, so if his brother is good looking, they must look alike.”
“Nope, Mr. MMA champ has a shaved head and tats.” She held up the phone and grinned. “Feast your eyes on the better-looking brother.”
She leaned forward and studied a picture that was taken at a gym and saw Bryce shared the same eye color with his brother and little else. “He’s okay, but nothing like my Bryce.”
Snorting, Selah studied her phone. “I will definitely be available tomorrow night because I’d like to see his tats up close. Whoever did them is seriously talented and I’d like to find out who it is.”
“Are you sure it’s just his ink you’re interested in and not the man beneath it?”
“Absolutely. I’m never interested in a man who’s got women chasing him from morning till night. He’s probably got a cage hussy offering all kinds of kinkery and that’s not a world I need to be a part of.”
“Almost sounds like you’re interested in having an exclusive relationship.”
Selah set her fork down and folded her hands. “I don’t know that I am, but I’m getting burnt out on assholes and have decided to take a break.”
“Did Don the biker turn out to be one asshole too many?”
“Yeah, I thought he was cool, but it turns out he’s crazy and weirdly possessive. When I told him I wasn’t into it anymore, he lost his shit. He showed up at the shop a couple of times and tried to hassle me but got kicked out by security before he got too far.”
“Jeeze, you should’ve told me.”
“Why, what are you going to do about it?”
“For one, I’ll take you down to the base this week and make sure you remember some self-defense moves, and the other thing I’ll do is find out everything there is to know about him and then see where his weakness is and then make a plan to neutralize him, so he doesn’t get any ideas about continuing to harass you.”
Sitting back, Selah let out a laugh. “Damn, sister, didn’t know you were going to go all Tasmanian on his ass.”
Wiping her mouth carefully, she then folded her napkin. “You’re all I have in the world and Don the dick will be lucky if Tasmanian is all that happens.”
Selah stood and grabbed the bottle of wine and then refilled their glasses. “And people think I’m the strong sister.”
“We both are; otherwise, we never would’ve survived.” Lifting her glass, she tipped it against her sister’s and then started thinking about how she wanted to neutralize Don. The Ross sisters were done being victimized, that was for damn sure.”
***
Bryce closed the door to his cage and saw Logan walk into the ready room. “Hey, man, you want to grab something to eat and catch a game?”
“Did your girl cut you loose for the night and grant you a hall pass?”
He flipped Logan off and then crossed his arms. “Something like that. She told me I should hang out with my friends tonight, so that’s what I’m trying to do. Are you in or are you out?”
“I’m in; give me ten and I’ll be ready.”
Ace and Caid walked in and he tilted his head in acknowledgment. “We’re grabbing some chow and watching the game; you guys want to come?”
“Yeah, why not?” Ace replied. “But I pick the place to eat because you can’t be trusted.”
Bryce held up his hands and shook his head. “Whatever. Far be it from me to get in the way of you and your food.”
Grinning, Ace knocked fists and walked over to his cage. “Smart man.”
“I don’t know why you encourage him,” Caid said irritably. “The more he gets his way, the worse he gets.”
“I don’t want to listen to him bitch and complain through a whole meal, so this is easier,” Bryce replied.
“Let’s go to the Quad Alehouse in downtown. They have a great brisket sandwich and decent ribs,” Ace said as he leaned against the gun table.
“I took Daphne to Moonshine Flats on Friday night and we had supper before we danced, and the bar-b-que was decent.”
Caid punched him hard in the arm and clicked his tongue. “Are you telling me that pretty lady is still keeping company with you?”
“Yeah, and she will be for the foreseeable future, so remember that when you say anything about her.”
“Damn,” Ace said as he punched him hard on the other arm. “The kid is legit and staking a claim.”
“Damn right because that’s what a smart man does when he finds a treasure.”
Logan closed the door to his cage and headed toward the door. “Let’s head out before y’all start exchanging recipes.”
“Jealousy doesn’t look good on you,” Bryce replied as he followed his friend out and saw his middle finger reply. He let out a snort and didn’t care what anyone thought. He’d found his woman and the last thing he was going to do was act like it wasn’t a big deal because, as far as he could see, it was the biggest deal there ever was.
Bryce sat next to Logan and watched him track a red-haired waitress across the restaurant and wondered if he was thirsty or interested. “What do you have in your sights?”
“That red-headed beauty. I swear I know her from somewhere, but I can’t pinpoint it.”
“Good luck with that because I know you’ll go crazy until you figure it out.”
“Exactly.”
His phone buzzed and he slid it out of his pocket and saw it was from his brother, confirming their plans tomorrow. He typed out a quick reply and then slid it back in his pocket.
“Your woman checking on you?” Caid asked.
“No, my brother is coming into town tomorrow and we’re getting together in the afternoon and then having supper with Daphne and her sister.”
“You should have him come down to the base so we can get in the cage with him,” Logan said.
Shaking his head, he let out a snort. “Yeah, a world champion doesn’t need to do that.”
“I heard he hosted several assault teams up at his gym and schooled them on the most lethal takedown moves,” Ace said as he studied the menu.
“Yeah, he does it at least twice a year and has come down here a bunch of times to work with the guys.”
“Was that before or after he collected those shiny gold belts?” Ace asked.
“Both, he hosts training camps for kids and anyone in the service who’s interested. In fact, when I’m not deployed and have leave, I usually go up and help him out with the kids’ camps. Nothing better than helping kids find some discipline early on.”
Caid nodded and then fist bumped him. “Right on, let me know when the next one is, and I’ll join you. Getting kids on the right path early is not a joke and, considering how close I came to going down the wrong one, I’d be happy to help out.”
“Absolutely,” Bryce replied. His phone buzzed again, and he pulled it out and saw a picture of Daphne pop up. “Excuse me.” He stood and heard the guys hootin’ and hollerin’. “Idiots,” he mumbled as he hit the button and heard Daphne’s voice. A bolt of happiness shot through his gut and he knew she’d always have that effect on him.