Protected by a Hero

by Susan Stoker, Cristin Harber, Cora Seton, Lynn Raye Harris, Kaylea Cross, Katie Reus, Tessa Layne

  The harsh words woke Ghost up early the next morning. He carefully extracted Rayne from his arms—neither of them had moved from their positions the night before—and eased out of the bed without waking her up. He didn’t say a word, but bent down and grabbed his boots and gestured with his head to the hallway.

  It looked as if Rayne’s friend, Mary, had arrived and she was pissed, just as Rayne had warned him she would be. Sometime between her brother letting the cat out of the bag, so to speak, and him arriving last night, Rayne had spoken to her friend and told her what she’d found out.

  As soon as the door closed behind them, Mary lit into him. “You have some nerve showing your face here. She’s been in a funk for six months. Six months. You obviously didn’t even care enough to try to see her before, but here you are. All touchy-feely and wanting to stay by her side. Where were you four months ago when she tripped stepping off a curb and twisting her ankle? Or two months ago when she was trying to break up a fight on a flight and got elbowed in the face? I know she agreed to sleep with you, she told me all about it, but you still shouldn’t have done it. She told me about your conversation about how she’s a romantic. No matter what she said, you should’ve known after spending the day with you in London she would’ve read more into sleeping together than you would. She doesn’t do one-night stands, assclown. You shouldn’t have taken advantage of her like that, she—”

  Mary’s words were cut off by a large hand covering her mouth from behind. Ghost looked up to his teammate, Truck, with amusement.

  “If you think that’s gonna stop her from saying what she wants, I think you’re sorely mistaken.”

  “It’s early, she’s too loud. People are trying to sleep.” Truck shrugged, easily controlling the now-struggling woman in his arms. “Maybe you should take this outside.”

  Ghost stood up after tying his boots. “Good idea.” He looked at Mary, who was shooting daggers out of her eyes. “Shall we go and talk about this rationally? Or will my friend, Truck, here have to carry you outside?”

  She mumbled something behind Truck’s palm and nodded. He lowered his hand and stepped around Mary to introduce himself.

  He held out his hand. “Truck. Good to meet you.”

  She glared at him, seemingly ignoring his scary countenance, refusing to shake his hand. She poked his chest with her finger as she spoke. “Whatever. If I find out you had anything to do with him,” she pointed her thumb at Ghost, “ignoring my friend, you’re in just as much trouble as he is.” With that, she stomped down the corridor, obviously expecting Ghost to follow her so she could finish speaking her mind.

  “Looks like you have a fan, Truck,” Ghost told him teasingly.

  He shrugged. “At least she didn’t seem to care about the ugly mug.”

  “Wanna come with me and play backup?” Ghost asked.

  “No way, Ghost. You’re on your own there.”

  They both chuckled as Mary hissed from the other end of the hallway, “You coming?”

  Ghost made his way toward the slender woman standing with her hands on her hips, knowing he had to appease Rayne’s best friend before he could even begin to make any more headway with Rayne herself.

  They headed outside to a set of picnic tables. Ghost sat on the tabletop and rested his forearms on his bent knees.

  Before Mary could light into him again, he said quickly, “First things first, I haven’t slept with anyone since her.”

  That seemed to take the wind out of Mary’s sails, but she climbed up next to him and asked only slightly less belligerently, “Why should I believe you? You lied about your name, it’d be easy to lie about something like who you’ve slept with.”

  Knowing nothing he said would get through to Rayne’s friend as well as show-and-tell, Ghost leaned down to untie his boot for what seemed like the millionth time in twelve hours. He’d found showing his tattoo to Rayne’s friends and family was the quickest way to make them believe his sincerity.

  “I never expected to ever find a woman who fit me. Who ‘got’ me like Rayne did. But by the time I realized what I had, I’d already lied to her. If it makes you feel any better, I’ve been struggling against what I know I should do versus what I wanted to do for the last six months.”

  Mary didn’t look moved in the least. She merely raised her eyebrow as if to say, “So?”

  Ghost wrenched his pant leg up and tilted his calf towards Rayne’s friend. “I got it three weeks after I got back from London.” He heard Mary’s in-drawn breath at the sight of his tattoo. Figuring she got the meaning, he lowered his pants and set to work putting his boot back on…again.

  “She tried to tell me it wasn’t a big deal, but I knew better.” Mary’s voice was less caustic now, but still accusatory. “It was a shit thing to do.”

  Ghost was getting sick of being accused of being the bad guy. He knew he screwed up, but he’d suffered just as much as Rayne had. “Look, cut me some slack, all right? She knew going in I was a one-night kind of guy. Shit, I told her enough…and she agreed. I never would’ve done it if she hadn’t.”

  “But you pushed.”

  “I did, but you know as well as I do that I didn’t have to push very hard. Rayne’s refreshing and I knew she was something special. Mary, her favorite part of our trip around London was looking at a fucking balcony.”

  Mary chuckled, loosening up for the first time. “Yeah, she made me look at the pictures of that damn thing a million times.”

  They shared a smile before Mary got serious again. “She’s my best friend in the world. I’d do anything for her. She was by me every step of the way when I had cancer. When I got depressed, she pushed and pushed until I sucked it up. I think she was happier than I was when the doctor’s said it was in remission.”

  “I’m very glad you kicked cancer’s ass, Mary. You’re the kind of friend I want Rayne to have. Loyal to a fault and protective as all get out,” Ghost told her honestly.

  “Thank you. When the airline called her emergency number, and got me, and I found out she was neck-deep in whatever was going on over there in Egypt, I panicked. I don’t know what I’d do without her. I miss my old friend, Ghost. I miss her laughter and her easygoing ways.”

  “I’ll be honest with you, Mary—”

  “That’d be a first.”

  Ghost ignored her snarky interruption and continued, “I wasn’t going to come after her. She deserves more than I can give her. I won’t be able to tell her where I’m going or what I’m doing. I could be gone for weeks at a time, it depends on our missions.” Before Mary could interrupt him again, he quickly continued, paraphrasing what he’d told Rayne’s brother.

  “But…finding out she happened to be one of the hostages I was sent over there to rescue changed my life. I mean, what are the odds? There had to be some sort of divine intervention and I’m not an idiot. I’ll protect her with my life, I’ll keep her safe from others who might want to take advantage of her. I’ll be her friend and her lover. I’ll do whatever I can to make it work between us.”

  “Is she moving down here to Killeen?”

  Ghost shrugged. “I have no idea. I haven’t even talked to her about this shit yet. But you obviously need reassuring and I’m not going to do anything to get between you two. She’s gonna need you when I’m gone on missions. It won’t be easy being with me, but I hope to Christ she’s willing to at least try.”

  “Have you seen her tattoo? I mean the additions to it?”

  Ghost nodded solemnly.

  “I think she’s willing to try.”

  “I mean it, Mary. Whatever you guys need, I’ll do it.” Ghost looked Mary in the eye.

  “Do you love her?”

  “I don’t know,” Ghost replied immediately. “I think it’s too soon for that.”

  “Good answer, slick.”

  “I wasn’t trying to be slick, but I’ve only been with her for about twenty-four hours. But I can tell you this, she’s touched me deeper than any woman ever has before.
The thought of her being sick, or wounded, or what almost happened to her over there makes me want to kill someone. Fuck, I did kill someone for her.”

  Ghost regretted the words as soon as they left his mouth. Shit, he knew better than to talk about his mission, but apparently it was the right thing to say.

  “Good. Fuckers. I wanted to ask her about it, but was afraid it would bring up bad memories for her. I only talked to her for a little bit yesterday when she called, and I’m sure I’ll hear more details later, but if you killed the motherfucker who was going to become a ‘man’ after raping her, all the better.”

  Ghost nodded.

  “As much as it pains me to say this, because I was all ready to hate you for lying to my best friend, I think I like you…whatever your name really is.”

  “Keane Bryson.”

  “No wonder you go by Ghost.” Mary’s words were said as an aside.

  Ghost chuckled but didn’t respond.

  “Anyway, as I was saying, I think I like you…but I have to say, my feelings could still swing the other way, so watch yourself, Keane Bryson.”

  Ghost nodded. “Now that we’re done with this little heart-to-heart, can I please get back inside to Rayne before she wakes up and doesn’t see me there and panics, thinking I left her again?”

  Mary immediately hopped off the bench. “Shit, that’s exactly what she’ll think. Why didn’t you say something sooner?”

  Ghost shook his head as he followed Mary back into the hospital. She was a prickly thing, but dammed if he didn’t like her too.

  * * *

  Later that afternoon, Rayne was sitting up in her bed, laughing at the tension between Mary and Truck. Ghost had been at her side when she’d woken up that morning, along with her best friend. Surprisingly the two had seemed almost chummy, when Rayne was sure Mary would’ve ripped him a new one. She’d been pissed the day before when they’d spoken over the phone and Rayne told her about Ghost.

  Ghost had left that morning not much longer after she’d woken up, saying he had “shit to do,” but that he’d be back later in the evening. But he hadn’t left her alone. Apparently his teammate, Truck, was on babysitting duty, and at first it irritated Rayne, but now she loved the entertainment he and Mary had provided all afternoon.

  They’d argued about what to get her for lunch, they’d argued about what to watch on television, they’d even argued when Mary told him to scat because she wanted to talk girlie shit with Rayne. Truck refused to budge, saying that if Ghost wanted him here, watching over his woman, then that’s where he was going to stay.

  Truck was as intimidating as anyone she’d ever seen. The nurses didn’t waste time when they came in to see how she was doing or if she needed more pain pills. With Truck sitting in the corner, arms crossed over his chest, his natural scowl on his face, they made a quick retreat.

  But Rayne didn’t mind him being there, he was actually comforting to her, no matter how scary his countenance might be. And Mary wasn’t intimidated by anyone; she took him on, figuratively, toe-to-toe.

  “When can we get you out of here and back home?” Mary asked Rayne.

  Rayne shrugged. “I’m not sure when I’ll be discharged. The doctor said my wounds were looking better this morning, but he still wants to keep me at least one more night, maybe two.”

  “You can stay here, with Ghost,” Truck said.

  “No way, Trucker,” Mary argued immediately, grinning when he narrowed his eyes at her nickname for him. “She can go home with me.”

  “She isn’t up for traveling yet,” he returned.

  “Why not? You’re not her doctor; we’ll wait and see what he says.”

  “Guys,” Rayne protested, holding up her bandaged arms. “Stop, please. You’ve been fighting all day and while it’s amusing as hell, it’s getting pretty annoying.”

  Mary huffed out a breath and relented. “Okay, but I’m still not sure why he’s even still here.”

  Both women looked at Truck expectantly.

  “As I already told you guys, Ghost asked that I stay and keep an eye on Rayne, to make sure there was nothing you needed until he got back.”

  Rayne tried not to think it was really sweet of Ghost, but failed. It was very nice to be on the receiving end of such attention. Especially after no interaction with him for so long.

  She had no idea what she was going to do when she was discharged. Most likely she’d go back up to her place in Fort Worth. She’d called her boss at work and had been granted three weeks or so of leave and she planned to take every second of it. The thought of getting on a plane and resuming work held no appeal for her whatsoever. And if she was completely honest with herself, the thought of flying into another foreign country was even less appealing.

  Why Ghost would even want her to stay with him was beyond her. They didn’t know each other. There was no way she’d stay with him…was there?

  As if their conversation about Ghost conjured him up, the man confidently strode into her hospital room. “Thanks for staying, Truck. Any issues?”

  “What issues could there have been?” Mary griped, standing up with her hands on her hips. “We’re in a public hospital on an Army base, for cripes’ sake.”

  Rayne giggled. Mary had always been a bit brash, but it was amusing to see her standing up to both Ghost and Truck as if she could make them do something.

  “Calm down, Mary, just wanted to make sure Rayne was good.” Ghost came up to her bedside, leaned over, and kissed her on the forehead. Looking into her eyes, he asked, “You all right? Not in too much pain?”

  Rayne shook her head in bemusement. “I’m good.”

  He studied her for a moment, as if trying to decide if she was telling the truth or not, finally murmuring, “All right.”

  Truck got up to leave and shook Ghost’s hand. “Same time tomorrow?”

  “Nope, got everything I needed to get done today. I’m off tomorrow. I’ll be here.”

  “Sounds good.”

  “The colonel will be talking with you tomorrow though,” Ghost warned his teammate. Since he’d taken the day to go over what had happened in Egypt, it would be Truck’s turn to say what went down as well. It was procedure for the colonel to talk to them all separately, to make sure he got all angles of the mission for his final report.

  “Gotcha. No problem.” He turned to Rayne. “It’s good to see you up and alert. Can’t say carrying you out of that fucked-up situation was my idea of a good time.”

  “Mine either, but thanks, Truck. Seriously. I don’t remember all of it clearly, but I do remember feeling safe in your arms.”

  Obviously pleased, but not wanting to make a big deal out of her words, Truck turned to Mary. “Want to get some dinner?”

  She looked shocked for a moment before recovering. “Sure, why not? It’ll be amusing, if nothing else.”

  Truck smiled, and held out his hand toward the door. “After you.”

  Mary went to Rayne’s bedside and gave her a quick hug. “You’ll be okay? I’ll see you in the morning?”

  “Of course, I’ll be fine. Go on, you’ve been here all day. Get out and get some fresh air. You’re going home tomorrow, right?”

  Mary made a face. “Yeah, I have to work. I couldn’t get out of my shift. But I’m free the next two days after that so I can come back and get you if the Doc discharges you. Just let me know when you’re being released and we’ll make arrangements.”

  “I’m sure Chase can bring me home.”

  Mary waved her hand. “Whatever is best for you, Rayne.” She hugged her again, a bit longer and harder this time. “I’m very glad you’re all right. Take it easy and don’t let this guy take advantage.” She gestured to Ghost as she straightened up.

  Rayne laughed. “Okay. See you tomorrow before you go?”

  “Definitely.”

  “Have a good dinner.”

  Mary smiled with an evil look in her eye. “Oh, I’m sure it’ll be entertaining.”

  Rayne rolled
her eyes and watched her best friend leave the room with Truck.

  She turned to Ghost. “Your friend is in big trouble. I hope he knows what he’s doing.”

  “I think he can take care of himself.”

  “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

  Ghost sat down in the chair Mary had been occupying for most of the afternoon and leaned his elbows on the bed.

  “You really doing okay? How’s the pain? And be honest.”

  “It’s much better than yesterday. I don’t have shooting stabs of fire going up my arms and legs anymore.”

  “Have you taken any pills?”

  Rayne shook her head. “No, I’ve graduated to taking just Tylenol, thank God.”

  “Let me know if it gets worse.”

  Rayne studied Ghost carefully before asking in a serious tone, “What are you doing here, Ghost?”

  He cocked his head but didn’t say anything.

  So Rayne continued, “I mean, we had a one-night thing. You said you didn’t do relationships. But here you are, putting a guard on me for whatever reason, spending the night here, sleeping next to me…I don’t understand. I thought you would make sure I was all right, then get on your way again. You rescued me, thanks for that, but we’re at the same place we were six months ago. We met as strangers and we’re strangers still.”

  “You don’t feel like a stranger.”

  Rayne tried to reject Ghost’s words, but he was right. He didn’t feel like a stranger to her either. At least in some ways. “In a couple of days, maybe tomorrow, I’ll be out of here and back home in Fort Worth. You’re here. I’m there. What do you want out of this? Another night of fucking?” She made sure her words were shocking; she was feeling raw and confused and wasn’t sure what was going on.

  As soon as the words were out of her mouth, Ghost was leaning over her. “What we did was not fucking and you know it. We made love in that hotel room. We worshipped each other.”

  Rayne tried to control her wildly beating heart. “I’m sure you’ve worshipped lots of women since then. I’m nobody special.”

  Ghost looked her in the eyes and willed her to believe him and told her what he’d confessed to both Chase and Mary. “I haven’t been with anyone since you, Princess. Any orgasm I’ve had has been with my own hand and memories of you.”