The Lost and Found Series

by Amanda Mackey

  Pivoting to face the front, a hot rush blanching my neck and cheeks, I meekly asked, “Where are you taking me?”

  Turning the ignition on and easing out of the garage, he answered, “Nowhere you have to worry about too many people.”

  Attempting to conjure up an image of where I was going, I came up blank, figuring most places had people. Sinking into the seat, I let him take me. In silence, we drove. Funnily enough, it wasn’t awkward. We’d come to some form of a truce earlier and it felt…nice.

  We didn’t travel far. Turning into Matthaei Botanical Gardens, my brows rose in bewilderment. “Out of all the places we could have gone, you brought me to the Gardens?”

  Slipping into a parking space, he killed the engine. Angling himself toward me, he shot back, “You have a problem with our town’s gardens?”

  I couldn’t help it. I smiled. For the first time in days. “No. It’s just not where I pictured a big, badass soldier would want to spend time.”

  His face became guarded. “Like I said, you don’t know me.”

  I truly didn’t. But I wanted that to change. Keeping things light, not wanting to spoil the mood, I sang, “Okay then. Let’s go immerse ourselves in nature.”

  His lips twitched. “Let’s.”

  When my hand found the door handle, he ordered, “Don’t.” Startled, wondering why he didn’t want me to get out of the car, I blinked twice, catching his back as he threw back at me while getting out, “I got it.”

  Well. Things were taking a different turn. Chivalry wasn’t dead, and who would have thought a man who had been nothing but mean to me, now offered to open my door. I wasn’t about to voice my feminist ways. Let him do it. Rocking the boat when we were sailing nicely wouldn’t solve anything.

  Opening my door, he lifted his hand to help me out, so I took it. Not needing it, but wanting it. I soaked up what he offered while it lasted.

  The gardens were beautiful. Being a weekday, most people were working, so we only had to share it with a few.

  Strolling leisurely, we enjoyed the bonsai section before finding a gorgeous rocky pond surrounded by the greenest shrubs I’d ever seen. It was a natural man-made oasis. Immediately I relaxed into the surroundings, feeling my shoulders sag and my breath lengthen.

  “It’s beautiful. So quiet and peaceful.”

  Even though the quiet at Viper’s house had caused me to go into a tailspin, this was different. I had company, and nature proved once again how powerful it was. Birds twittered and leaves rustled, the sun catching us as it emerged from behind a cloud.

  “You’ve never been here?”

  “Not to this part. It was years ago I came. I think I was still a teenager.”

  “Let’s find somewhere we can sit. You want a coffee?”

  “Thank you. I’d love one.”

  Walking down another path, we found a park bench overlooking a larger waterhole.

  “Sit and I’ll grab the drinks.”

  Before I could reply he was off. Strange man. Still, this was one of the best things I’d done in a long time. With work taking up most of my life, I’d forgotten to stop and smell the roses.

  Only a ten-minute drive from home, I needed to come here more often.

  A noise to my right in some bushes made me stiffen. My blood began its loud roar in my ears. For a moment, I’d forgotten about my fears of being alone but suddenly without Viper, I panicked. Spinning around, I searched for the source of the sound, afraid someone would jump from the nearby bushes.

  In a second, everything came hurtling back. The gun at my temple. The acrid breath near my ear. The threat of blowing my brains out. Fear rooted me to the spot. Beads of sweat pebbled on my brow. My legs became nothing more than burning pillars as adrenalin heightened. Tears pricked the corners of my eyes and then I realized I was shaking.

  Finally, my brain sent a message to my legs and I ran. I needed to leave. Now. Searching the park, I couldn’t even remember where Viper had parked. Paranoia clouded my judgment. What if they’d come back looking for me? To finish me off? What if they’d been watching me all along?

  Rounding a bend, twisting to see if I had been followed, I plowed into something hard.

  A grunt, followed by “Oooof.” And then, “Fuck!”

  Jarred from the impact, I latched on to steady myself, realizing I’d crashed into Viper, and he didn’t look too happy. A lid had come off one of the coffees he carried and some of the hot liquid had spilled down the front of his shirt, probably scalding him.

  “Shit. I’m so sorry!”

  “What the hell were you doing? You looked like you had a tornado on your tail.”

  Feeling suddenly idiotic, I went to reach my hand out to his stained shirt. Why? I had no idea, but gripping it, I pulled it from his ripped abs as if that might stop the burn.

  “I…uh…heard something.”

  He was a statue of godly proportions, all tense and unforgiving. His shirt quickly stuck to his stomach again and as I looked up, I took a step back. Gone was the nice man from moments ago. A hard veneer now coated him. His green eyes, blackened marbles.

  “You heard something? Jesus, Red…”

  He’d been about to blow his top, but noticing the stray tear which had rolled down my cheek, he let go another curse on the crest of a heavy breath and turned.

  “Car. Now.”

  And so ended the peaceful afternoon. All because I’d freaked out at a noise which had probably been nothing more than a bird.

  Hurrying to keep up, I observed his gait. Warrior. He’d switched into the persona that suited him best.

  Reaching the car, he handed me the full coffee, walked to a trash bin, downed what was left of his, and threw the cup away.

  He stalked to the driver’s side. I heard the click of the locks and climbed in, needing the safety of the SUV.

  What I didn’t expect next was to see Viper pull his shirt off and climb in, throwing the ruined garment into the backseat. Holy hotness. The air had suddenly been sucked from the car. My eyes zeroed in on the red mark caused by the scalding coffee and guilt gripped me.

  “We need to go to the drugstore and get some burn cream for that.” Gazing up, I collided with fire and ice. His brows drew together and then a smirk formed.

  “You think I need cream for a little burn? Seriously? I’ve been shot, stabbed, starved, and beaten, and you’re worried about some spilled coffee?”

  Well, I was just trying to help. Nursing experience told me some burn cream would soothe it.

  “Fine. Put up with the pain then. I really don’t care.”

  “Oh, you care.”

  “What?”

  Starting the engine, he pulled his seatbelt across his red welt and drove. “You heard me. You care. Admit it.” He wolfishly grinned now and I could have slapped him. We were officially back to our bantering. At least his anger appeared to have receded for now. Man, talk about flipping a switch. The guy was all kinds of hot and cold.

  Facing the front on a huff, I spurted out, “In your dreams, Rambo.”

  He laughed. He actually laughed. Hearing it for the first time threw me off. I gaped at him as if he’d just admitted to being half alien. The deep, rather loud rumble filled the car, and before I knew it I was grinning along, unable to help myself.

  He slanted me an amused look, lines forming at his temples. It totally transformed his face, and if I didn’t know who sat beside me, I’d swear it was a different person. His eyes glinted and his all-American smile warmed me. He became…normal, and not a special, elite soldier.

  Realizing he’d made me forget my earlier fear, I turned when he pulled into the garage at his house. I faced him fully. He took a pause as he almost opened his door, waiting for me to say something.

  “Thank you,” I offered. I meant it.

  “For?” His face angled my way.

  “For making me forget.”

  He knew what I meant. I could see it in the depths of two green irises. Almost like someone had done
the same for him at some stage. I’m sure they had, given what he’d endured. Presenting me with a quick nod, he exited and I followed, glad we were back home and he was with me. I felt safe. Like having my own personal weapon of mass destruction.

  “What do you want to eat, Red?”

  Dinner time already? Huh. Not wanting to be a freeloader, I had an idea. “I’ll cook.”

  “You cook?” He balked.

  “Hello! How do you think I’ve survived on my own for so long?”

  “Ah, ramen noodles?”

  Seizing the dishtowel, I threw it at him. “Jerk.”

  “That’s me.” He fished around in the fridge and pulled out a beer. Holding it up, he asked, “You want one?”

  A cold beer actually sounded pretty good. “Yeah. Thanks. Now go and do whatever it is guys do so I can cook.”

  Giving me a precise military salute and a “yes, ma’am,” he strolled into the living room.

  Chapter Eleven

  Viper

  Something had shifted. Possibly in the park when Red’s panicked body had plowed into mine. Everything in me had fired up on instinct. I’d been ready to murder, but the fear in her eyes had simmered me down. She would be jumpy for a while after what she’d been through, so I needed to respect that. By being a dick to her, it would only serve to screw her up more. I didn’t want to be the one to push her over the edge. Never thought I’d say that, but here we were, in my home, me sitting with my feet up, beer in hand, Red in the kitchen as if we were some freaking married couple.

  It had been a long time since I’d done…normal. Hearing her rifle through my cupboards looking for stuff made my chest flutter. Taking a long pull from my can, I willed the sensation away. It brought too many hard emotions back of a life I’d been mapping out with the girl I’d loved, only to have it ripped from under me. I couldn’t go there again. Wouldn’t.

  Once Char had recovered, she’d be moving back home and I could get on with things.

  Reaching for the remote, my private military cell pealed out, causing me to pause and stiffen. It never rang unless something was going down or Dec was in trouble and needed me urgently.

  I kept it on me at all times, so after fishing it out of the pocket of my black jeans, I took a deep breath before answering.

  “Go.”

  Military. Another mission. Leaving in two days. “Roger that.”

  I sat, taking in the words of my superior. It seemed I was heading back to Afghanistan. Char would need to stay with Mac. The idea of leaving her vulnerable twisted my insides. At the same time, the familiar rush of a battle looming ignited my dark psyche, flooding my brain with endorphins similar to a high. I wondered if Dec got a call. Unlikely, considering his recent near-death experience.

  Still, after finishing the military call, I dialed the number on my regular cell, I had to find out for definite. Char needed someone to protect her.

  It rang three times.

  “Hey bro.”

  “Hey. How’s it going?”

  “Good. You? You two murdered each other yet?” His dry chuckle actually served to irritate me for some reason.

  “No. Not why I’m calling. Did you get a call from base?”

  “Ah, not happening. I lost my military cell when I ended up bleeding and shot in the alley remember? Besides, I’m still deemed unfit for duty.”

  Forgetting he’d had it stolen, a quick thought came to me, barreling and picking up speed.

  “Jesus!”

  “What?”

  “That’s it!”

  “Ah, you’re not making any sense, man.”

  “Your goddam cell. Whoever tried to kill you had your freaking phone. It all makes sense. The reason our men didn’t storm the warehouse to help us save Mac. Whoever stole your phone had it that day. My guess is they used it to contact base and call off our team. Shit.”

  Silence on the other end, and then heavy breathing. “Fuck me. It hadn’t entered my head. Now that you mention it, you’re right. Didn’t you ever follow it up with Sarge, though?”

  “He said he’d look into it. Must have been higher up. I didn’t get a reply back. Figured he was still attempting to find out what went wrong.”

  “Let’s just hope you blew the fuckers away.”

  “Yeah, let’s hope.”

  “You never did tell me how you got me out of that situation.”

  Recalling how I’d sent Mac to the hotel to keep her safe before risking it all to save Dec, I verbalized the memory, perhaps now ready to speak about it.

  “I thought you were gone, man. I didn’t know how the hell I would be able to take down three armed men on my own and not get shot.”

  “You’ve taken down more than that before. I had faith in you.”

  “Yeah, but with you it was different. I had more to lose. Plus, I didn’t know if they’d called for backup after they left the room. For one of the first times in my life…I was scared. Scared I’d already lost you.”

  Hadn’t that been a fact? It had all but killed me when he’d turned himself over to save Mac. Not that I’d wanted Mac to be killed, but if I had to choose between both of them, it would be Dec every time.

  “So how did you manage it?”

  “It wasn’t as hard as I imagined. Once they had you outside, they let their guards down. Someone had knocked you out, and so two of the assholes had to carry you to the car. I waited until you were in the trunk and made my move.”

  “Never let your guard down,” Dec said as if thinking out loud. It was one of the first things we’d been taught as soldiers and something we’d had to train our minds into. In the zone and focused at all times. When mastered, it was a key weapon in taking down the enemy who weren’t trained in mind control. A hard thing to perfect, but necessary to be a cut above the rest. Patience was another taught virtue. Many soldiers struggled with it, but in times of intense watching and waiting for the green light to proceed, it sporadically proved their downfall or death.

  “Exactly. Anyway, the rest is pretty self-explanatory. I took one out the second he shut the trunk, and in the blink of an eye the other two had bullet holes in their heads.”

  “Nice. Thanks, dude. I really mean that. I’d be dead now if it weren’t for you.”

  Taking in a lungful of air, happy with the outcome, not wanting to think of the alternative, I changed the subject.

  “Anyway, I’m heading out in two days. Going back to Afghanistan. I hoped you were staying behind. I need you to keep an eye on Char while I’m gone.”

  “Yeah? Awesome, man. Good to know one of us will be over there kicking butt. Don’t worry about it. Mac and I will make sure she’s safe. How is she?”

  “Not good. Freaking out at the smallest things. Took her to the park today and something scared the hell out of her.”

  “Sounds like you actually care.”

  Care? Hardly. I didn’t care for much, although Red had grown on me since I’d had to bring her back from the brink of a breakdown more than once. I knew the gutsy woman had balls, so to see her so timid and afraid worried me. I wasn’t sure if that was the same as caring, but I sure as shit hoped not, because I didn’t really need any extra emotional weight dragging me down.

  “Nah. Just doing my job like you asked. Keeping her safe and all that, so I’ll need you to take over when I leave.”

  “Done. Just make sure you come back in one piece.”

  “You know it.” Hearing a sound behind me, I turned and noted Char standing three feet behind me, her brows drawn in. Not sure how much she heard, I said to Dec, “Gotta go, man. I’ll call you when I’m ready to head out.”

  “Stay safe, brother.”

  Ending the call, I rose from the sofa. Before I could speak, Red began.

  “You’re leaving? In two days? How long have you known? Were you going to tell me?”

  Her voice had risen, fright etched into her face. I didn’t know whether to move forward or remain where I was. I chose the second option. She’d obviously hear
d most of my conversation.

  “I only just found out. Another mission came up. Dec will keep you safe.”

  Initially, she’d wanted to stay with them but now, the look on her face told me otherwise.

  “Ahh, I thought you’d be happy. You didn’t want to stay here, remember?”

  She blinked, looked down at the floor, and then hooked me with her stunning eyes. “I guess…well…it’s not as bad here as I thought. I’m just shocked you’re going into battle again.”

  She turned her back on me and strode into the kitchen. Damn it. Following, I saw she’d dished up some chicken and made a salad. Dinner could wait. I needed to clear the air.

  Striding closer to where she had stopped with her back to the sink, feeling my body burn the closer I got, I stood toe to toe, peering down at her. “You don’t want me to go?” My voice sounded odd. As if a morsel of hope clung to it. Hope that she’d say, “don’t go,” but she didn’t. Instead, she pursed those damn, adorable lips and found her backbone.

  “I didn’t say that. You think I don’t want you to leave? Please! That’s crazy talk. Of course I’ll be happy to go with Mac. You just threw me, that’s all. I mean, I didn’t think I’d be leaving quite so soon.”

  Yeah. She had unspoken words in that sentence. I wasn’t stupid. Her eyes said things she couldn’t.

  When her head tilted downward again, I grasped a wad of hair and pulled her face back up. I wasn’t done with her yet. For some stupid reason, I needed her to be totally honest with me.

  “Red, admit it. You’ll worry about me when I’m gone.”

  “No. I’ll be glad to see the end of you.”

  A fire lit in her gaze, and damn if it didn’t stoke my own embers. This was the woman I loved to hate. I could deal with our constant bantering and bickering. It was when she became all soft and vulnerable that I floundered. As broken as she’d been earlier, she still had a kick of fire when she needed it.

  Pulling harder on her hair, wondering why she wasn’t cowering away from me after her attack, I held firm, not willing to hurt her further. Still, I needed to know what went on in that head of hers.