I sit on the front porch and listen to Jade talk to her parents. The sound of her laughter coming from my kitchen brings a much-needed smile to my face. I’m so glad she has a great relationship with them now. It’s something that’s important to me, so I need it to be important to the person I chose to be with forever.
Someone up above must be paying a bit of attention to know that hearing her flit around my house, banging the cupboards, and the sweet sound of her voice is a necessity for me right now.
She’s everything to me. The way she pushed me to take out my anger on her in a much-needed fuck, no less than broke me. I love nothing more than to fuck her sweet body and pound us both into a stupor. And I will many times in my life, but never again when my mind is out of control. When I feel like I’m going out of my goddamn mind with worry and fear over where the fuck Ty is and what the hell he has planned.
He’s coming. I can feel it to the deepest part of my bones. There was a warning in his eyes that shot straight to my heart. He fucking knows about her; I damn well know he does. The idea of letting her out of my sight even for just a blink of an eye sends a chill down my spine so deep it frightens the hell out of me. And I’m a man who isn’t afraid of anyone or anything, but him. I can’t even comprehend what he would do to her if given the chance. She’s staying right here. I’ll tie her up and leave Harris behind if I have to. There’s no way in hell she’s going on this personal mission with me. I won’t take a chance when it comes to her.
Speaking of Harris, I need to call him. What I need to talk to him about should be said in person, but being that he’s not here, a phone call will have to do.
I push myself up from the wooden steps and snatch my phone from my pocket. I find his name in my contacts and slowly make my way toward the office as it begins to ring.
“Maverick,” Harris answers on the second ring.
“You make it back to the ranch or you still climbing out of the pile of shit the Army has you in?” He laughs loudly on the other end, and a slight smirk spreads across my face.
“No shit slinging here, dude. Paperwork up the ass though. All of you make it to the compound okay?” He sounds out of breath, and I wonder if he’s working out. Lucky fucker. I’d give anything to be able to pump some damn iron right now.
“Yeah. We're here.” I pause.
“You good, man? If you are, I’ll file that paperwork for my medal.” He laughs.
He might be joking about the medal. However, I couldn’t agree more. He deserves more than my simple thank you for taking it upon himself to stay with her in Mexico. Jade told me how he told her he was there for her, just to make sure she went nowhere alone.
“I’m getting there. As far as saving my ass, that’s one of the reasons why I’m calling. We saw the tapes. I know what you did. You put your life before mine, man. I’ll never forget that.” At the time it all happened, I couldn’t comprehend anything around me except her voice. I had no idea who was with her.
I can almost hear the cocky smirk that I know spreads across his face. Even though his next words are like a surprise uppercut to my jaw. I know he means them.
“You’d do the same for me.” Damn right, I would.
“Just don’t go looking for trouble so I have to.” Before he can reply, I hear a female hollering his name in the background.
“Is that Mallory?” I ask suspiciously.
“Yeah. I’m at their place. The ranch will have to wait a while. It’s back to the grind for me. You mentioned another reason for calling.” His voice is hesitant.
“He’s alive,” I say, knowing damn well I don’t have to say more. “Keep an eye on Mallory. You got me?” I run my free hand down my face. The tension building across my neck and shoulders is growing the more I think about all the people we need to protect.
“You let me know the plan and I’m there, Kaleb.” I should have known he would be willing to battle and take down the fucking devil himself. The last thing I say to him before I hang up is, “You know I will.”
Tucking my phone back into my pocket, I make my way back to the office. Pierce is just hanging up the phone, and Jackson is sitting on top of the desk with a beer in his hand, staring blankly out the window.
“Fuck, man. You alright?” Both of them stand. Jackson walks to the small fridge and grabs a beer, handing it to me before I even have the chance to sit down. I unscrew the cap and damn it, the cold, refreshing brew feels good as I tip the bottle and chug a good half of it down.
“No.” There isn’t anything remotely alright about any of this, except for the fact everyone I care about is safe for now.