by Kaylea Cross
He took a step forward, intending to bend down and grip her jaw between his fingers so he could stare into her eyes, but his foot slipped on something. Looking down, he saw the wet sheen on the old wooden boards near the edge of the mattress and nearly gagged before he jerked away from the puddle of piss.
“For Christ’s sake, clean her up,” he snarled to Antonio, retreating to the doorway.
Disgusted, he limped down the steps and wiped the bottom of his shoe on the grass. Fucking nine-hundred-dollar Italian leather, and now he’d have to throw them out. No way he’d wear them again, now that they’d been tainted by that bitch’s piss.
When he turned around, Antonio had dragged a hose out from behind the shed.
Standing in the doorway, his chief enforcer opened up a jet of cold water on the bitch. She shrieked and ducked her head to try and shield her face, but that was all she could do to protect herself.
Antonio held the flashlight in one hand as he continued to hose her down from head to foot, leaving her dark hair plastered to her head and naked body gleaming on the soaked mattress. Carlos’s dick hardened and a bolt of excitement flashed through him. Even half-starved she had a body on her that would net them thousands.
He would use her before they sold her, once his men had enjoyed her for a while, but not now. He would never touch her when she was so filthy and repulsive. When he was ready for her he’d have her scrubbed clean first, waxed, her makeup and hair done up, and wearing some sexy lingerie he could cut off her with the blade he always carried with him.
More blood surged to his swelling cock as he imagined the expression on her face when he pulled the knife out and advanced toward her while she was bound and helpless. It had been a long time since anything had excited him half as much.
When she was prepared the right way, and tied to a bed in some luxury hotel in New Orleans, then he could savor every tiny cringe as he unwrapped her, enjoy her terror and loathing as he did whatever he pleased to her. Whatever pleased him.
Only after he’d taken his fill would he sell her, so that he could have his revenge and show her the price for exposing him, plus make a profit on her.
And if she died before that happened, it wasn’t the end of the world. One less loose end for him to worry about.
Smirking as Antonio finished hosing her down and shut off the water, Carlos stalked back up the steps, his cane loud on the wood in the enveloping silence. The bitch wasn’t so gutsy now, soaking wet and shivering in her miserable prison, pinkish rivulets of blood trickling down her wrists and ankles from where the rope had cut into her flesh during her struggles to free herself.
“That’s better,” he said, standing at the edge of the waterlogged mattress to tower over her. He liked seeing her helpless and shivering. Not so brave now—
She whipped her head around and spat at him, the wad of saliva landing with a revolting splat on the toe of his left shoe.
He clenched his jaw as primal rage roared through him. No one disrespected him that way. No one. He took a menacing step toward her, cane raised, ready to bash her sneering face in, then stopped at the last moment because of the look on her face.
Acceptance. Relief.
He saw it in her eyes. She knew he was going to kill her. Wanted him to use the cane and put an end to her torment.
His hand shook on the cane as he sucked in a shuddering breath. He refused to end her torment so easily after what she’d cost him. He wanted her to suffer a lot more yet before she eventually died in some hovel of an Asian bordello when her pimp decided she no longer was worth the cost of keeping her alive.
A slow smile curved his mouth, and he reveled in the first hint of fear that crept into that dark, bruised eye.
“Get Javier,” he said softly to Antonio. “Might as well not let her go to waste, now that she’s all clean again.”
Pivoting on his heel, he limped back down the sagging wooden steps and across the overgrown lawn, the music from the house getting louder and the rage-filled screams from the shed growing fainter behind him.
Chapter Four
Reid pulled up in front of Tess’s hotel twenty minutes after dropping Autumn off at her mom’s place, trying to think of a way to stall. Or even pondering asking Tess out, which didn’t make any sense because they lived in different cities.
Although that could be a good thing, too. The thing was, he hadn’t expected to enjoy Tess’s company so much, and now he didn’t want the evening to end.
He wanted more time with her, to get to know her. And if part of it was because a tiny bit of him was desperate to stave off the inevitable moment when he was left alone with his demons as the anniversary of his best friend’s death loomed like a black hole before him… Well, he was far from perfect.
“Thanks for letting me tag along on your father-daughter night. I had a good time,” Tess said to him, reaching down to unbuckle her seatbelt.
“Yeah, me too.” Watching her undo that belt and prepare to get out of his car made dread congeal like a cold, hard lump in the pit of his stomach.
The idea of going home alone to his apartment right now rattled him enough that his heart rate kicked up. This time of year was always the hardest on him, as well as the Christmas holidays.
This past Christmas he’d been at Bagram with his teammates, and had plenty of things going on to keep his mind occupied. Until Khan had eloped a few months ago, Reid had spent a lot of time with him, in part because his teammate didn’t drink. Now, Reid was on his own with downtime on his hands, and the urge to hit up the nearest liquor store just to numb the memory of Jason’s death a little was like a living thing inside him.
“And thanks for dinner. Next time, my treat,” Tess added.
It encouraged him that she was open to a next time. “Sure.” Things had gone way better tonight than he’d anticipated. The movie had been pretty good, then he’d taken them to Autumn’s favorite Italian place for dinner. He’d expected to suffer through a couple hours of awkward pauses during the meal since they didn’t know each other, but that hadn’t happened.
Throughout dinner Autumn had chattered to Tess like they were old buddies, and Tess had kept up with every shift in the conversation, talking to and treating Autumn as a little adult rather than a child. That earned her major points right there. Too many adults talked down to kids, and kids could always sense that forced fakeness a mile away.
Not Tess. She was kind, with a good sense of humor, and clearly had a soft spot for kids. More points for her.
It was actually kinda funny—he’d avoided introducing Autumn to the few women he’d gotten involved with since the divorce, and here Tess had forged a connection with his daughter right off the bat. Not that he and Tess were involved, of course.
But he was starting to think he’d like to be. And he wanted the chance to see how much more than just physical attraction was going on here. Because shit, yeah, their chemistry was powerful.
Tess popped the passenger door open and shot him a questioning look. “See you at HQ tomorrow, maybe?”
“Maybe.” He’d only be called in if something big came up because the team was scheduled to have the day off.
She gave him a little smile and started to slide out, and a spurt of alarm shot through his chest at the prospect of being alone with his memories the rest of the night. He’d been dry for almost nine years now, but it was a constant battle. Not a day went by when he didn’t crave a drink, even though he’d gone through programs and had a fellow vet for a sponsor. Days like this were even worse. And he was the kind of recovering alcoholic that if he had a single drink, he’d likely fall headfirst off the wagon and not even realize what happened.
“You wanna go for a walk or something?” he blurted. He told himself he wasn’t being selfish, wasn’t using her as a distraction or a crutch. He genuinely liked and was drawn to her. Although as far as distractions went, Tess was a goddamn powerful one. “There’s a nice promenade in front of the hotel that goes along the waterfron
t.”
She stopped and faced him, her hazel-green eyes searching his.
He liked the way she looked at him. Direct. Nothing coy or practiced or calculated about her. Tess was classy. Mature.
Real.
Maybe that’s what it was that drew him so hard. She wasn’t trying to be anything other than her authentic self. As someone who was still learning to be comfortable in his own skin without alcohol, he admired that a lot.
He was pretty sure she felt the pull too, or at least he hoped there had been a gleam of interest in her eyes a time or two across the table tonight. But no flirting from her, not even after they’d dropped Autumn off. He’d always enjoyed being the pursuer, and it had been a damn long time since he’d needed to be, let alone felt the urge to.
The idea of enticing Tess was arousing as hell and excited him in a way he didn’t even understand. His instincts were urging him to pursue her, and for once, he didn’t question them.
A grin spread across her face. “Sure. A walk sounds great.”
Inwardly, he sighed in relief. Perfect.
He got out with her, locked up the car and fell in step beside her as they headed around the north side of the hotel and onto the brick-paved path that ran along the bay. Antique lampposts lined the walkway, spilling warm yellow light onto the path and surface of the water, making it ripple with a million sparkles.
To stem the urge to touch her, he stuck his hands in his front jeans pockets. “I’m glad you came with us tonight. Autumn was thrilled.”
Tess tucked a lock of golden hair behind her ear as the breeze blew it around her face. “I’m glad I did too. And she’s a great kid.” She shot him a sidelong grin. “Like a fifty-year-old woman in a little body.”
He laughed at the spot-on description. “Exactly. It’s just…”
She tilted her head to the side. “What?”
It had been bothering him for a long time now, and he didn’t feel stupid telling Tess about it. She was easy to talk to. “Sometimes I think she’s way too mature for her age. And she worries too much. Way more than a little girl should.”
“About what?”
“Everything.” He wished Sarah had honored his request and kept her from watching the news, but that was yet another battle he’d lost in the raising of their daughter and there wasn’t much he could do about it since Autumn lived with Sarah eighty-percent of the time. “And a lot of the time she worries about me.”
Tess didn’t say anything, just kept glancing at him as they walked.
He let out a breath. “Not sure if she told you, but her mom and I split a long time ago.”
Tess nodded. “She mentioned it.”
“Well, to be honest, things didn’t end well.” And how did he put this without sounding like an asshole? “My ex is still pretty angry about it.”
“So the divorce wasn’t by mutual agreement?”
“Sort of. She was the one who finally filed, but I guess some part of her thought I’d never actually go through with it.”
“Ah.”
He glanced at her, curious. “You married?” She didn’t wear a ring, but that didn’t mean anything.
“No, widowed, actually. I lost my husband a few years ago.”
Oh, shit. “I’m sorry.”
“Thanks, me too. He was a good man, and I was lucky to have him as long as I did. We met in college.”
Silence followed her response, and for the first time that evening, it was an awkward one. He wasn’t sure whether he should ask more about it, change the subject, or shut the hell up.
“What happened?” he finally asked, going with his gut. He wanted to know her better, and losing a husband must have had a big impact on shaping the person she was.
“He was killed in combat in Afghanistan. His squad’s helo was shot down.”
He winced. “God.” She must think about that every time she climbed into the cockpit. And when he thought of their near escape during that firefight in the mountains back in January, he felt even worse for her. That had to have stirred up a hell of a lot of shit for her, but he’d never have guessed that when he’d spoken to her right afterward. She’d seemed perfectly calm, standing there next to her shot-up aircraft.
“Yes. Anyway,” she said with a wave of her hand. “You were talking about Autumn worrying too much.”
“Right.” It was a relief that she changed the subject again, since he felt uncomfortable and tongue-tied and had no idea what else to say about her loss. He wasn’t good with that kind of stuff, emotional stuff. One of the many faults Sarah had found in him. “She’s only nine, but she’s smart, and she can tell things aren’t good between her mom and me.”
“In what way?”
Every way. He couldn’t say that aloud, though. Not without sounding like a bitter douche. “My ex bears the brunt of the parenting because I’m away so much. I get why she’s mad about that, but she tends to, ah, interfere with my efforts to maintain a good relationship with Autumn.”
“Really?” She sounded surprised.
He nodded but didn’t elaborate. He didn’t want to bitch to her about his problems. “Autumn sees it and tries to run interference whenever she can. I don’t want that for her. And when I’m away, even for training, she constantly worries that something will happen to me. If I don’t text or email her every day, she thinks the worst.”
“It’s because she’s bright. She understands the risks of what you do.”
“Yeah, and I don’t know how to keep her from worrying.”
“I don’t think it’s something you can protect her from, Reid. It’s one of the ways she expresses her love for you.” Tess aimed a soft smile at him, and damned if it didn’t set off a burst of warmth in his chest. “She told me all about the trip you guys just took. She’ll remember it for as long as she lives.”
He hoped so. “It was awesome to spend so much one-on-one time with her. I never get more than a couple days at a time with her at most.”
“And your ex agreed to let her go, so that sounds promising.”
He grunted. Not really. I had to fight like hell to make it happen. But enough of him bitching about his problems like a little pussy. That was the opposite of sexy, and he was trying to get Tess interested, not turn her off him for good. Though he’d sworn off relationships since the divorce, he could see himself trying something like that with Tess. They clicked on so many levels.
“What about your family?” he asked.
“My parents, older sister and her three girls live back in Nevada. We’re pretty close and I fly home to visit whenever I can. You?”
“Just my aunt, who raised me.” She was watching him again, and he sensed her silent question so he continued. “My mom’s sister. She and her husband raised me, down in Pascagoula.”
“Oh. Did you spend much time with your parents?”
He shook his head. “Never really knew them. They were both killed in a car wreck when I was ten months old, and my aunt wound up taking me in. She was sixteen years older than my mom, so she’ll be eighty-five this year. She’s really slowing down lately.” It was going to hurt like hell when she went. She was his last living link to the family he’d lost.
“Why did you join the DEA?”
“I wanted to stay in the action, and I wanted to make FAST. I’m not exactly a desk job kinda guy.”
She chuckled. “No, I can’t imagine you behind a desk. You were SF before, right?”
He nodded, surprised. “You been asking about me?”
The hint of a smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. “Maybe. You worried?”
“No.” Pumped that she was interested enough to ask about him, more like it.
“I’m former army too.”
He smiled at her. “Hooah.”
“Hooah,” she said with a laugh that made something swell in the center of his chest.
He couldn’t remember ever connecting with a woman like this before, or so easily. Not even Sarah, who he’d married and had a child
with. Before everything had gone to hell.
He told her a couple funny stories about his SF days, enjoying making her laugh.
Tess shook her head as they kept walking. “You sure haven’t had it easy, have you?”
He half-smiled at the teasing note in her voice. “Guess not.” Although a lot of the shit he’d gone through was self-inflicted. “But not as tough as a lot of people have it.”
Up ahead, a jazz group was playing in a lookout built into the promenade, the slow, sultry strains reminding him of home as they drifted on the warm night air. “You want to sit and listen for a bit?” he asked, gesturing to a bench nearby.
“Sure.”
She sank down on it next to him, the outside of her thigh pressing against his and her delicate pear scent swirling around him in a delicious cloud. They listened to the music for a while. A few minutes in, Reid glanced over and caught the vestiges of a bittersweet smile on her face. “You okay?”
“Yes, it’s just this song. It was one of Brian’s favorites.”
Oh, great. He hadn’t meant to upset her. “You want to head back?”
“In a little while. It’s good to remember him. Hurts more if I don’t.”
Her words were like tiny daggers in his heart. Because she was dead on about that.
She frowned slightly, turning more fully toward him. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” He cleared his throat, glanced toward the band before turning his attention back to her. “How long ago did he die?”
“Three years ago.”
He nodded slowly, his heart beating faster. Another connection they shared. He was starting to lose count of how many they had. “It never really goes away, does it?”
Her gaze sharpened on his. “No.”
“And it’s tough to move forward, because if you do, it feels like you’re forgetting the person you lost, and the guilt is just as hard.”
Tess stared at him in astonishment for a moment. “Who did you lose?”
It shouldn’t have surprised him that she was so perceptive. He hadn’t wanted to talk about this, but she’d just opened up to him, so he had to give her something in return. “My best friend. Jason. We served together in the same A-Team. He was like a brother to me.”
