“Guess,” I started, out of breath, “something to do with that SUV and... stop. I need to stop.”
“No need. You're slowing me down more than helping anyway.” He didn't conceal his taunting smile as he wrapped an arm around Bradley's waist in replacement of the help I was offering. “Knowing how to haul a grown man fully loaded down with gear out of harm's way is military 101. We perfect it in boot camp.”
Right. New Brenton was a soldier.
A sexy soldier.
Summoning the little energy I had left, I jogged to the truck as I asked over my shoulder, “You did remember to get my gear out of the old truck before you sold it, right?”
The incredulous glare he shot back had me running faster. By the time I had the bag filled with various bandages and supplies, Brenton was climbing the front porch, hauling Bradley up stair by stair.
My stomach dropped at the squeak of the screen door opening and the sight of the man standing in the doorway.
Great, just what we needed.
“Rebeka, what the hell did you do?”
“What did she do?” Brenton grunted, stopping a foot in front of Daddy. By his flushed cheeks and sway, he'd already had too much tonight. “You think your daughter is capable of beating your son to shit?”
“Mr. Graves,” Daddy grumbled in greeting. “This is none of your concern. Sorry my daughter dragged you into another family drama. Leave the boy here and we'll take care of it.”
It, not him.
It.
I held my breath, waiting for Brenton's response.
“I'm right where I need to be.” With that, he shoved past Daddy into the house.
“Second room on the right,” I said at his back. A vice grip around my bicep held me just over the threshold.
“What happened?” Daddy seethed inches from my face in a spray of beer and saliva.
“I don't know. I wasn't there. Now let go of me.”
His grip tightened instead. “Your little incident with that boy almost ruined my job here before. Don't fuck it up again.” Instead of releasing my arm, he gave me a hard shove, forcing me to stumble a few steps.
I shouldn't care what he thought or said. Shouldn't give a rat’s ass about his words or his tone or his annoyed look. But he was my dad. How could I not?
Tears welled as I shuffled back to Bradley's bedroom. Before stepping inside, I stood outside the door to shake out my trembling hands and take a deep breath to face Brenton.
His intense, narrowed green eyes greeted me the second I entered and tracked my every movement toward the bed where he’d laid Bradley.
“Beks.” The restrained anger in that one word wrenched my wounded heart.
“It's fine,” I whispered.
“It's not fucking fine.”
“Not now. I need a few wet rags to get the blood off. It looks like his cheek split, but that's all I can see at this point.” Behind me, he lingered close a few seconds before squeezing my shoulder and disappearing out of the room. “What happened to you?” I whispered to my unconscious brother.
A minute later, cool droplets of water coursed down my back. Without turning, I reached for the rag, which Brenton gently sat in my waiting palm. Each swipe of the clean cloth across Bradley's face revealed a different cut or bruise. Across his right cheekbone was the deepest gash; everything else was superficial, but it would take several days before he'd be able to see from his right eye or move without terrible pain.
Not daring to stitch him up without numbing medicine, I placed several Steri-Strips along the gash to close it as tight as possible. Brenton stayed silent as he played nurse, taking the dirty rags and returning with clean ones. Not once did Daddy come in to check on the progress.
Finished with doctoring his face, I prodded along his collarbone, checking for breaks before moving down to his ribs. A few places I poked drew a gasp or moan.
“A few cracked ribs, but nothing is broken that I can tell.”
The brooding man in the corner gave no response.
“I don't know what’s going on. Ryder mentioned some people were looking for him, but I didn't think—”
“Didn't think I needed to know that? Hell, Rebeka. Those men were here. They were near you. What if you hadn't been out with me? What if you'd been in that barn when...?” Not finishing, he turned to glare out the window.
“I'm sorry.”
“You're sorry.” His sarcastic tone reopened the wound Daddy had left.
“I'm a disappointment. I get it. Don't have to remind me.”
He was at the window one second, then had me in his arms, pressed against his hard chest the next. Not caring about how I smelled or the blood still on my hands, I wrapped my arms around his waist and held him even tighter than he held me.
“That's not what I'm saying, Beks. You've never disappointed me. I'm pissed those men were on my property and I didn't do anything about it. Now you're in danger and....” His chest ballooned out with a deep breath. “I'll hire a security firm tomorrow. No one gets on this property without approval. I can't do much after I'm gone, but I can at least do this to protect you.”
Right. For a minute there, safe in his arms, I'd forgotten.
Releasing my hold, I stepped back and tucked a lock of hair behind my ear.
“What that fuck?” said a loud, angry voice from the doorway.
Our wide eyes focused on Kyle scowling from the doorway.
“The hell are you doing here?” I stepped farther out of Brenton's hold, which he noted with a directed scowl.
I rolled my eyes to the ceiling. Enough of these men today.
“Me? What the hell is he doing here?”
The two men moved toward each other.
Instead of watching the pissing contest that was about to commence, I stepped between them with both arms outstretched. “Stop it, Kyle. He helped me get Bradley in here and while I fixed him up. Now answer me, what the hell are you doing here? Where's Ryder?”
Still glaring at Brenton, Kyle inclined his head out the door. “Your dad called me. Said you needed help, and I was close by.”
I tossed both arms in the air and cursed, startling both men.
“Why in the hell did he call you?” Brenton asked while keeping a cautious eye on me.
“Because Daddy wants me to marry someone like Kyle. Hell, maybe even Kyle himself.” Kyle gave a nervous laugh while Brenton stayed stone-faced. “I've passed my time of finding a good husband, and I'm nothing without one of those. So there you have it. I have a fucking degree from Texas A&M, and I'm nothing without a set of balls by my side guiding me through life.”
“Ah, Beka—”
I cut Kyle off with a raised hand. “I'm over this.” Cutting my eyes to Brenton, I nodded in the direction of the barn. “Be ready in thirty minutes if you still want to come with me tonight. If not, I'll see you when I see you.”
Chapter 13
Brenton
DAMN, THAT WOMAN WAS stronger than most men I knew.
On their own, my gaze fell to Beks’s ass as she stormed out of the room, shoving past the Kyle guy. I needed to figure out what was going on with her dad. The fucker would find his ass out on the street if he touched her like that again. Can't believe Pappy kept a bastard like him around.
After she was out of sight, I glanced up only to find the asshat staring me down.
“What?”
“Stay away from her,” he said with a hint of anger. “You did enough damage the last time around. I'm not going to sit back and watch you do it again.”
“What's going on between us is our business. Stay the fuck out of it. Now, what do you know about the guys who did this?” I asked with a nod to the unconscious man on the bed.
For the first time since he walked in, Kyle’s eyes dropped. Watching the carpet, he shifted on his boots. “I don't know if I should tell you, but hell, you might be able to solve the problem. Through my sources, I've heard Bradley here owes his suppliers some money. And rumors are some of what
he owes is left over from your brother.”
A knot built in my gut and tension crept up my spine. “How much?” I gritted out. Shit, I could not pass out. Focusing on the wall behind the idiot, I took a deep, calming breath in.
“I'm not sure on the exact amount.”
Deep breath out.
“Ballpark it,” I said through clenched teeth, making it sound more like a hiss.
“Over ten grand. Hey, man, you okay?”
Fuck.
The edges of my vision darkened, and I leaned against the wall to use it for support. “Fine. Didn't drink enough water today, I guess. Fucking hot out there.”
“That's a Texas summer for you.”
“I'll cover what he owes, but I need to know who they are.” Thinking back to Beks and how those men could’ve been there when she was made the tension worse. “I'll make the payment and make it clear that if they step one foot on my property again, I'll shoot first.”
“And ask questions later.”
“No. Bury their asses where the cows will shit on their graves.”
A small smile pulled at the guy's lips. “Damn. I might like you after all, Graves. But you do know that girl out there is stubborn as hell and won't let Bradley take your money.”
No shit. Thinking through the different ways to present the option to Beks lessened the darkening fog. Wow, just thinking about her cleared everything, which meant whatever was going on with my head was tied to her, but more than just our past because I'd remembered that part. Well, most of it. There were still pieces I didn't know.
I glanced at my watch and cursed. If I was going to make her new time frame, I had to hustle.
“I'll make it work. Listen, watch him and don't let that bastard of a father in here.” At the door, I gripped the frame and turned to look over my shoulder. “She won't tell me everything about what happened. Can you fill in any of the gaps?”
Kyle looked past my shoulder into the empty hall. “All I know is for some fucked-up reason she's still hung up on you. What happened that night is y'all's story, not mine. She'll tell you when she's ready.” He paused to look me straight in the eye. “When she is, you better be ready to hate yourself as much as we all do.”
Chapter 14
Rebeka
BRENTON MUST HAVE SENSED my foul mood, as not a word was spoken while we packed up the supplies and coolers in the Gator before heading out a little over thirty minutes ago. The last of the sun’s rays had dipped beneath the horizon, cloaking the property in the unending darkness. Dark clouds sprinkled the sky, but a few patches of stars still shone through.
Sliding a hand off the wheel, I cradled my growling stomach. Skipping dinner in exchange for the time to take a shower was not the brightest idea I’d ever had. But a tiny piece of me hoped Brenton would make good on his promise from earlier, so a shower was the priority over food just in case. Having his gorgeous face between my thighs would make this never-ending day a lot less awful.
To the east, flashes of light sparked across the sky, amplified by the billowing thunderheads. The weather channel reported the storms would stay east of us by a few counties, so we would be okay—if they were right for once.
“Is it as pretty up there as it seems it would be?” I asked, breaking our comfortable silence and nodding to the sky. “Not sure how it would be possible.”
He sighed and leaned back to perch his new boot on the dash. “Hard to believe, but yeah, it is. At sunset, it's almost like you can reach out and run your fingers through the colors pouring through the clouds.”
“Do you like it? The flying?”
“I like the control and sense of accomplishment it provides, plus the pride in serving my country. Every deployment, every successful mission... I can't describe the feeling. It just feels fucking fantastic, like nothing can touch me. It's how I used to feel at the height of a high.”
My grip tightened on the steering wheel to maneuver the deep hog ruts in the makeshift road. “So you traded one high for another.”
“I guess, but this one isn't illegal or harmful.”
I lifted a shoulder in noncommittal agreement. “Maybe. Depends on what you have to keep doing to get to that high. How many more times will you reenlist? What will happen if you can't?”
His lack of response told me he’d never thought of it that way.
“You mentioned you like control,” I mused.
“I don’t like control. I need it.”
“Why?”
“Because I remember what it’s like to have none, and I won’t let that happen again.”
“I can see that. Wonder if maybe Caleb's death left you feeling helpless because you couldn't stop it, couldn’t control the outcome. Not only that, but you weren't there when it happened, which made you feel even more impotent.”
“Choose a different damn word.”
The Gator bounced down the temporary road, shifting us side to side. Our thighs brushed, sending a jolt of warmth to spread. Damn, I was so on edge that if he just kissed me, I might explode.
“Fine,” I said with a grin. “That could be it, but there's only one way to find out, and I have an idea.”
He groaned and let his head fall back against the hard seat. “I don't know if I can take any more revelations from you today.”
My growing smile fell.
If he only knew.
“Hey.” Reaching over, he grabbed my upper thigh and gave it a tight squeeze. “I didn't mean that. You can tell me anything. I'm dramatic.”
“Can I get that on record?” I chuckled. “Fancy pants and dramatic. You've been in Dallas too long.”
Instead of pulling his hand away, he inched it higher and slid his fingers inward to tuck them between my pressed thighs.
Hell.
“How can we test this theory of yours?”
The tip of my ponytail swiped across my shoulders as I shook my head and pointed ahead. “We're almost there. Let’s set up, eat something before I gnaw my arm off, and then we can test my theory.”
I parked the Gator at the edge of the herd we'd been with earlier and slid out to get the gun set up.
“That's one sweet weapon,” Brenton said in awe as he took the AR from my hands. “Is that a night vision scope?”
With a nod, I gently pulled it from his grasp and went back to situating the muzzle on the end of the barrel. “And a silencer. Wild hogs have become a problem on the property the past few years, and this gun, plus the gadgets, help Bradley take down several a night instead of one or two. It's the only way to attempt to control their growing population.”
The hard plastic of the tailgate dug into my ass as I situated myself to reach into my cooler.
“I can feel it,” Brenton said beside me.
As I dug through the contents of my hastily packed cooler, I said, “What's that?”
“The peace being out here offers.” He flicked on a flashlight, momentarily blinding me. “If you're hungry, I had Mrs. Hathway pack extra food. I assumed you weren't in the mood to eat earlier after patching up your beat-to-hell brother.”
I eyed the contents of my cooler again. An old package of Pop-Tarts, a half-opened bag of chips, peanut butter crackers, and five packages of Little Debbie Zebra Cakes stared back at me. His light moved to my face, and I shielded it from my eyes with a raised hand. “Yeah, that'd be great. I didn't pack as much as I thought I did.”
As he pulled out the two sandwiches and waters, I kicked my legs back and forth beneath the tailgate and smiled in the dark. His warm hand lingered on my lap when he set the food down.
At the first bite into the homemade club sandwich, a moan escaped around the somehow still crispy bread.
“Did you moan about a sandwich?”
Between ravenous bites, I said, “It's like a fucking orgasm of flavors in my mouth. Damn, I wish I was rich.”
His loud laugh echoed through the sparse trees and caught on the breeze. “An orgasm of flavors.” He chuckled and took another bite of his sand
wich.
I flipped the flashlight off and looked up to the cloudy sky. “Huh.”
“What?” he asked around a mouthful of food.
“The clouds seem to be getting closer than I expected. Are you ready for my enlightening thought on your condition now?”
“We're hunting a cat. Shouldn't we, I don't know, stay quiet?”
“Fine,” I grumbled as I polished off the sandwich and tossed the trash into my cooler. Using my palms as leverage, I scooted back into the bed to lean against the cab. AR resting on my lap, I became transfixed on the surrounding darkness, looking up every so often to the few visible stars.
“I wonder if the stars are up there talking about us.”
“Huh?”
“The stars. Some of them are old enough to remember us doing this as kids. I wonder if they're up there jumping up and down that we're back enjoying the peace they offer for free, or if they’re turning their back and pouting because we've been away for so long, taking their eternal beauty for granted.”
Another gust of wind whipped around us, shifting my hair to the side and sending a chill down my bare arms.
“I think,” he said after settling beside me, “they're proud they can still burn bright for people like us. Kids who grew up needing their light and have come back to appreciate them, maybe even thank them.”
As we sat there gazing, more clouds rolled in, covering what few stars were left for us to watch.
“Between your dad and mine, we used those stars, didn't we?” I breathed.
We both paused at a loud snap nearby. Gun pressed against my shoulder, I situated the night vision scope against my eye and swept the area, searching for the source.
“Huh.” I set the gun down across my lap and leaned forward for the flashlight. Shining it toward the herd, I showed Brenton what I'd seen and found odd.
The entire herd was lazily moving as a group toward the direction of the main barn.
That was when I felt it. A low pulse settled in the back of my skull at the quick barometer shift just as the wind shifted with a strong gust.
“Fuck,” I shouted and jumped from the Gator to dismantle the gun accessories. “We need to get out of here. The damn weather guys got it wrong. Again.”
Memories of Us: A Second Chance, Amnesia Romance Novel Page 10
