by Dale Mayer
“So am I,” he whispered. He opened his mouth to say something else, but she never heard it for the sound of rapid machine gun fire splintering the air. She jumped to her feet, but Brett was already sprinting toward the house.
She raced behind him, screaming, “Oh my God, the children. Where are my children?”
The gunfire ceased for a moment only to erupt in another part of the house.
Glass shattered and she heard swearing. And then there was the sound of a vehicle ripping away.
Dear God, please let them not have taken her children. She bolted inside trying to avoid the glass as she headed to the kitchen. As she didn’t know the layout of the house, she didn’t have a clue where the kitchen was.
“Over here,” Brett yelled running down a long hallway. She followed in a panic.
Several of the other men joined them. In the kitchen she burst through the double doors to see Dave sporting a lot of blood dripping down his head, two guns in his hands, standing in front of both children. They might have been crying at one time, but at the moment they were more concerned about the ice cream in their hands.
The relief damn near killed her. She swung them both up into her arms ice cream and all.
Jimmy cried out, “Dave has guns. He has big guns.”
“Yes he does. Nice for him.” Her arms were shaking so badly she didn’t know if she could carry them very far. There was a very large circular set of chairs in front of a window off to one side. She walked over and collapsed.
She didn’t think she could take another step. Neither was she ever leaving these children alone again. She glanced at the men who were huddled together talking. Then they split up and disappeared.
Dave arrived at her side, the guns nowhere in sight, a wet cloth pressed to his head. He sat down and asked, “How are they? Are they okay?”
Tears flooded her eyes as she nodded. “Thanks to you.”
“I don’t think they were after the children. But I do think they were after you.” He studied her intently. “There has to be a good reason why.”
She shook her head. “I don’t have a clue. I didn’t do anything. I wasn’t there long enough to get involved in anything. I pointed out the one man I’d seen but that was it.”
She stopped and looked at him. “Well and the woman…”
His gaze sharpened and he leaned forward. “What did you see?”
“I just remembered when I saw her. It was the first evening we were there. I went to the dining room and sat by the doorway. There was a group of men at the corner who didn’t notice me. They were talking about plans.” She shook her head. “I didn’t really understand any of it. I was so happy to be there but still nervous. I just wanted to go back up to my room with the kids. The woman from the video came from the kitchen. She spoke to them briefly and then laughed. Before she left her gaze swept the room and she looked at me.” Ceci sat back and stared at Dave. “Would that matter?”
“It might. That woman is part of the military splinter group. They are trying to take over the government.” He nodded thoughtfully. “She must consider you a loose end.”
“Wasn’t there just a coup here recently?”
Dave grinned. “Absolutely. Just a couple of months ago, but new government takes time to solidify. So another coup right now makes sense.”
“And she’s leading that group?”
Dave nodded. “She is. But she can’t be associated with the attack on the embassy. That would be a traitorous move and she can’t show her hand yet. Timing is everything, particularly in a coup. There’s been rumors about her for years.”
“There has to be a lot of people who saw her at the embassy though,” Ceci protested. “I’m nobody.”
“You’re exactly what she can’t allow to have happen.” He leaned back. “Think about it. The only ones who survived the attack are right here at the house.”
She sank back deeper into the chair, her mind consumed with the mess. “How quickly can I leave? Get away from all this?”
“We could possibly have you home tomorrow night.” He paused. “But did you consider that going home may not be any safer than here?”
She shook her head. “No, surely not.”
“They have your personal information.”
She turned and looked at him and bit her lip. “I just want to go home.” She turned to study the group of men walking forward. “Anybody hurt?”
“Two guards. The attack was to break out the intruders from last night and take down Amanda.” He gave a thin smile. “The men were handed over to the authorities this morning, and Amanda was moved an hour ago.”
“So we have nothing?”
All the men stared at her. It was Mason who piped up and said, “That’s not true. We have you.”
*
Brett was taking the first watch with Ceci and the children. But he knew there was going to be two of his unit within distance at all times. He wouldn’t want it any other way.
The second attack had come too close to the first. Too fast. Bullard was having a fit. Not only was he doing surgery on his injured men, but his place had been attacked. And he wanted answers as to how and why. If there was one thing Bullard hated it was to be shown to be inferior in any way. He would get to the bottom of it and fast.
In the meantime Ceci and the kids, although they’d never really been alone, would now be under constant guard.
He hoped they could get her home as soon as possible. That wasn’t going to guarantee her safety though. It might be easier to keep her safe at home. On the other hand, once back into her normal routine, she’d become complacent because she was removed from the situation.
And that he didn’t want to happen. She must never lose her sense of awareness. Her guard must always be up until this was dealt with.
And dealing with it wasn’t going to be that easy.
Chapter 17
When she finally slipped the hidden spare key into the lock of her own house and walked inside there was such a sense of overwhelming relief it brought tears to her eyes – yet again. Hadn’t she cried enough this last week? After the last attack, all attempts had been made to get her back as fast as possible. The decision being that as long as she was over there everyone else was going to be a target. And that it would be easier to protect her on home soil.
She didn’t care about their reasoning.
She was home. She wanted to dance and sing for joy. Instead, she had two cranky children to settle first. Brett, who had been at her side steadily for the last two days, was busy unloading the luggage. Bullard had sent them home with several outfits the kids had worn at his place and Dave had loaded them up on toys and treats. The last day had been tense. She hadn’t relaxed until she got onto the flight, and at that point in time the children had lost patience and were miserable.
She dropped her purse on her table, kicked off her shoes and quickly stripped off Jennifer’s coat and shoes. Her poor little girl was exhausted. It was very late. The flight had been uneventful. They’d even managed to get their luggage and clear customs in record time. But still the traveling was hard. They were all tired and ready for bed.
In Jennifer’s bedroom she quickly changed her clothes and tucked the little girl up in bed. She barely made a whimper before she succumbed to sleep.
Jimmy wasn’t quite so easy. He was too wired and at the same time stressed. But she got him into pajamas then carried him out to the kitchen for a warm glass of milk and a snack.
It was Brett who finally picked him up and carried him into his bed. She followed, dropping a kiss on his forehand and tucking him in.
As she stood in the doorway, dirty clothes in her hands, she smiled down at her son. Thank God they were home, but that did not mean she got to rest. Not with her kids. She went to the washing machine and loaded the clothes they’d brought home. In the kitchen she found Brett rummaging through the fridge.
“We’ve been gone for weeks. There’s no food,” she reminded him.
He nodded. “Any problem with me ordering pizza?”
“Go for it.” What she really needed was a shower. Food could wait. She headed to her bedroom and turned on the light. Her room was exactly as she’d left it. There was a certain amount of comfort in that.
She stripped down to her skin and stepped under the hot water. And almost cried out in joy.
After scrubbing her hair twice she got out of the shower, wrapped herself up in a towel and padded, still damp, into the bedroom where she opened up her double closet doors and smiled at the contents. Finally, she had clothes of her own again. She quickly pulled on her pajamas, added her dirty clothes to the laundry and started the machine before walking back out to the kitchen still brushing her wet hair.
Brett was in the process of opening a box of pizza. She hadn’t even heard the doorbell ring.
“Wow, how did you get that so fast?”
He just smiled at her and said, “Do you want a piece?”
Hell yeah, she wanted a piece. She cheerfully munched through two. When she was done she stood up and asked, “Are you planning on staying here tonight or are you going home?”
He froze, shot her a glance and asked in a humorous tone, “Is that an invitation?”
She shook her head, “No, it’s not. But I wasn’t sure at what point in time the security detail was over.”
“Are you nervous?”
She shook her head and laughed. “No. It feels marvelous to be home.”
“Good. Get a good night’s sleep. I’ll crash on the couch.”
“That’s not going to be very comfortable.” She frowned. That was hardly the way to treat someone who’d done so much for her.
“Don’t worry about me.” He reached across and picked up another piece of pizza and took a bite.
She watched him eat with such obvious enjoyment. That was another thing about Brett she had always loved. He could enjoy the little things in life. Where she got hung up on worrying about every little detail, he had the ability to let most brush off his back and just enjoy.
“I’ll find blankets and pillows for you.” She walked back to the bedroom closet for the bedding. A moment later, she returned, her arms full and stared at the small couch. That was not going to work.
She would love it if he’d sleep beside her in her bed, but she didn’t want him to think she was ready for more. Because she wasn’t. Not yet. Maybe not ever. How long had it been since she’d made love and how awkward she already felt at the idea. A warm hand landed on her shoulder. “I’ll be fine here. Don’t worry about it.”
“It’s awfully small,” she warned.
“Unless you’re offering a half a bed to sleep in, the couch is what’s available. Besides, we’re both tired. I won’t have any trouble sleeping here.”
Making a sudden decision she turned, looked him square in the eye and said, “You’re welcome to half the bed to sleep in, if you want. It would be much more comfortable than this.”
He raised his eyebrows and grinned. “I wasn’t planning on more, you know. Not if you weren’t.”
She winced. She had emphasized the sleep aspect a little too much.
She brushed that off. “We both know we’re heading toward a relationship,” she said. “I just need you to know I’m not ready for that part.” Her tone was flat, cool. But when she felt his hands grasp hers and lift her clenched fists, she realized she still really wasn’t dealing with this well.
“We’ll have to talk about this one day. And yes, thank you. I will accept half a bed. I could use a good night’s sleep,” he confessed. “And if I get a chance to just hold you in my arms then that would be a blessing too.”
He tucked her into his arms and just held her, dropping a kiss on her temple and resting his cheek against the top of her head.
Hot tears burned her eyes. It felt so good to be held by someone who made it obvious he cared. She was a fool. And an exhausted one. She smiled up at him and stepped back.
“I’m going to bed now,” she said. “I’ll leave a light on for you. Feel free to come in when you’re ready.”
At the doorway she called out, “Good night.”
She brushed her teeth and climbed into bed. She wanted to fall asleep, she needed to, but she was too keyed up knowing he’d be joining her soon. It was foolish. She’d slept with him for over two years. He was a hugger. At night he’d often hold her and she’d loved it. The comfort of knowing she was part of a special twosome.
There was no feeling like it.
*
Why did it feel strange to sleep with a woman he’d had a long-term relationship with? He knew it was different now. He knew she was too, as was their relationship. Obviously those were givens, but there was an awkwardness he hadn’t expected. He didn’t like it. She’d always been natural about sex. She was more uptight about her physical appearance now. And there was a lot going on in her head. He suspected a lot of it wasn’t terribly healthy. She hadn’t said she regretted marrying Jimmy, but neither had she said she’d been happy with him.
Then he was a realist. Marriage like everything else took work. There were good days, bad days, highs and lows. The thing was right now she was single again. And she had two beautiful children. He’d already slid past the point of questioning whether they were children he could live with because they were children he wanted to live with. It was too early to know more than that. But he wanted to take that journey and see what more there was to feel. It was all new again. It was as simple as that. He quickly cleaned up the kitchen and walked into the bedroom. Sure enough, she’d left the light on. She lay facing the window leaving more than half of the bed closest to the door. Just like old times. He stripped down to his boxers and crawled under the covers grateful for a good night’s sleep himself.
She lay stiff on the far side of the bed.
He lay back and let out a heavy sigh. He wanted to drop off to sleep but there was something about her rigid spine that spoke volumes. He couldn’t leave her like this. He reached an arm around her waist and tucked up against her spoon style. She gasped softly, but after a few seconds her hand crept down to cover his. And slowly she relaxed into sleep. He smiled. Perfect.
He didn’t know if she understood or not, but he was never one to slide back and lose the gains he made. As far as he was concerned, now that he was sleeping in her bed, that was where he was going to stay.
Chapter 18
She woke to the birds singing and a sense of comfort and peace in her heart and soul. A feeling of time having reasserted itself – of life finally being back on the right track and moving in the proper direction. As if a mistake made a long time ago had been corrected.
Brett’s arms were wrapped around her and hers were around him as she lay with her head against his chest.
In a weird knowing, she understood another truth. She’d finally come home.
His hand gently stroked up and down her back. “Good morning to you. Did you get some sleep?”
She smiled and propped herself up on one elbow to stare down at his beloved face. “I did. Did you?” She reached up and stroked the dark shadow across his chin.
He winced. “Sorry. I’ll have to unpack my shaving kit.”
“Not an issue.”
She tried to sit up but he pulled her down and said jokingly, “What, no morning kiss?”
She knew it was dangerous. Knew she’d be playing with fire. They were in a bed after all, but she also had children likely to be waking up. Although it was still very early. She reached down and dropped a kiss lightly on his lips. “There you go.”
“Not quite.” He slipped a hand up her neck and through her hair to urge her head back down. Just before his lips touched hers he murmured, “This is a good morning kiss.”
And he proceeded to kiss her thoroughly, heat fired up to envelope them both in a warm cocoon.
When he finally released her head, she looked at him in bemusement and sighed with contentment. “If you scramble my brains in the morning, how am I s
upposed to get through the day?” She rolled off the bed and went to the closet to pull out clothes.
“You could come back to bed.” He pushed himself up to lean against the headboard, the bedcovers resting down to his waist.
She didn’t dare look. As a male specimen he was unbelievably gorgeous. And she was not immune. Hell, her body hummed with pleasure just from his kiss. “The children will be up soon.”
“Sure, but they aren’t up yet.”
With her back to him she quickly dressed. Her movements efficient and practical. She could sense him watching her. As he’d watched her millions of times before. But when his husky voice cut across the bedroom she froze.
“You’re really beautiful, you know that?” he said. “Before there was an air of innocence around you. But now after giving birth, there’s maturity and a ripeness that’s even more attractive. I didn’t think it was possible for you to be even sexier – but you are.”
With her bra and shirt clutched to her chest she turned slowly to stare at him in shock. And saw only sincerity on his face. And heat. Lots of it. Something she never thought to see in a man’s eyes again. Certainly not in Brett’s. Her body flooded with warmth, but her stomach cramped with uncertainty. She wanted to shake her head at him for being so blind. To point out the stretch marks that had ruined her belly and gave her breasts a rippled look. They were fuller, heavier. The truth in his face said he didn’t see any of those things. That he didn’t care about any of them.
And he never would. Because it was who he was. She’d been a fool to not have realized that before.
She walked closer to the bed, her heart in turmoil. Her mind confused. Unsure of her next step. He threw back the covers and stepped out of bed to stand before her. He wore boxers but there was no hiding the erection straining the material. She swallowed hard. Dear God, she wanted this…him.
“I can see the insecurity in your face. The fear that you’ve changed, that you’re not as beautiful now as you were before. That things are different now that you are a mother…” He tilted her head toward him. “It is different, you are different. I’m here to tell you that honestly…you’re even better.”
