Croc's Return (Bitten Point, #1)

“You need to know the truth. About why I left.”


And that quickly, the soft smile on her lips faded and her body tensed. “What happened to you can’t tell?”

“I can’t. At least I’m not supposed to. But…” Caleb sighed as he leaned back against the post that held the plumbing for the shower. He shrugged and smiled. “I never claimed I was a good boy. Sometimes, rules need to be broken.”

“Will you get in trouble?” She touched his cheek. “You don’t have to tell me if it might harm you.”

“The people I swore to, they’re not around anymore. And even if they were, they already did their worst when they took me from you. Fucking bastards, using me and lying to me, they never gave a damn about me, only what I could do for them.” He caught her gaze. “But you gave a damn. You loved me, and instead of respecting that, I chose to keep a promise to some asshats who probably wouldn’t piss on me if I was on fire.” On the contrary, after the embarrassment of their mission overseas, most would have preferred he died, keeping their secrets intact.

She traced a finger down the scar until the tip of her digit ran across his lower lip. He nipped it. As if he could resist. “You don’t have to tell anymore. I know you, Caleb. I might have been angry, but deep down, a part of me knew you wouldn’t have left unless you had a damned good reason.”

“I did. I murdered someone. Or thought I had.”

He waited for it. The recoil, the horror, the quizzical…

“And?”

And? He blinked at her. “And I said I killed someone. Or at least I thought my croc had.”

“Thought? Is there doubt about what happened?”

“More like a revelation.” He explained quickly what he thought had happened and then Wes’s version. All the while he got them out of the shower. He procured two towels from the weather-proof chest beside it.

Wrapping Renny first, he carried her to the picnic table and seated her on its top. He didn’t move far away, but rather paced in short strides in front of her.

He couldn’t explain the relief that she was listening instead of running. He’d expected several reactions from her, hell, he’d experienced many himself as he lived the past few years, but Renny took his tale without flinching.

When he finished, she tilted her head to look at him. “Sounds like it was a rough time.”

“Very.”

“But I have a question for you. How could you have thought you killed a man for no cause? I know you, Caleb. You would have never done something like that.”

“Wouldn’t I? Every time I let the croc out, it feeds. On live things. From the moment I met you, I was afraid I’d scare you off, that the beast would repulse you.”

“It’s part of who you are.”

“A part I always struggled with.”

“Why didn’t you tell anyone?”

He shrugged. “Tell who? My mom? She already had enough stress without me whining about being weirded out by my croc’s antics.”

“What about your friends? Their fathers?”

“In case you’ve forgotten, I’m a guy. Asking for help is like asking for directions. We just don’t do it. Especially back then. I was an arrogant little fucker. I didn’t want to ask anyone because I didn’t want to look weak.”

“Nobody would have thought that. Actually, I take that back. Wes would have mocked you, probably Daryl, too, but they were your peers. They would have teased, but they would have helped.”

“Wes was never my peer.” Rival, yes, and one Caleb never admired, even if he bought the same studded leather coat within a day of hearing about the gator’s.

“Whatever you want to call those guys, they would have had your back.”

“I know that now.” Hindsight was more than twenty-twenty. It was a bitch that taunted.

Renny wasn’t done. Her brow knitted into lines as she thought aloud. “According to Wes, it was a setup, and I’ll be honest, a pretty obvious one, it seems. I mean, didn’t you think it was weird that those guys who stopped you knew so much about you and what happened?”

“Well, yeah, it seemed strange, but things went so fast.” He’d also still been reeling at the time, from the shock and, he now realized, lingering effects from drugs making his thought process murky. “They said they knew what I’d done. They threatened to arrest me. To expose me, as a matter of fact.” You’re a monster that should pay for his crimes. “Unless I would agree to a deal.”

“A deal that involved you fighting for them.”

“Obey. Fight. Kill. The choice was join the military and depart immediately for a mission or have not just myself exposed, but my family, too.”

Caleb had stopped to stand in front of her. It was simple for her to lean forward so she might cup his face with both hands. “Oh, Caleb.” Moisture brightened her gaze, and he could feel his throat tighten.