The Way You Are

by Carly Fall

  “Garrett, please go get her some Motrin and a glass of water. I have a feeling she’s going to need it.”

  He nodded as he headed to the kitchen, barely able to see past the images of her naked curves clouding his vision.

  Chapter 12

  Ruby slowly came to consciousness, her head throbbing. She lay on a bed, a blanket over her. Thomas and Garrett stood to the side, both staring at her. What had happened?

  She remembered unpacking her suitcase, and then getting undressed to take a shower.

  Oh, no. When she’d opened the bathroom door, there had been a raccoon. She had been so startled, she’d backpedaled out of there, slipping on a rug. She remembered hitting her head, and then she must have passed out.

  Which meant that now, since she lay in bed, these men had seen her naked. Her cheeks heated and she wished a tornado or hurricane would come through so she didn’t have to face their stares.

  “Are you okay, Ruby?” Thomas asked.

  She had a headache, but overall, she felt okay. “I think so.”

  Garrett stood next to Thomas, leaning against the wall, his thick arms crossed over his chest. His features were calm, but his stormy, honey-colored gaze bore into her. His eyes blazed, but what caused it, she didn’t know.

  “Good. I’m going to make you some tea. I’ll be right back.”

  She glanced around the room as Thomas left, trying to look anywhere but at Garrett.

  “Did the raccoon scare you?” he asked, his voice gruff.

  “Yes,” she whispered, picking at the blanket covering her. “I’m such a klutz.”

  “The raccoon was my fault. I aired out the house earlier and forgot to shut the window. I’m sorry about that.”

  “Did … who found me?” she asked, wanting to know who had seen her naked, and who hadn’t. She might die of embarrassment.

  “I did.”

  A beat of silence ensued as she wondered how many of them it had taken to lift her to the bed? She wasn’t going to ask that. Oh, God. Where was that tornado?

  “Why are your cheeks so red?” he asked. “Are you feeling okay?”

  “I’m just embarrassed,” she mumbled, wishing he wouldn’t talk to her in such a harsh tone.

  “Nothing to be embarrassed about, Ruby. I’ll leave you alone so you can get dressed.”

  She nodded and watched him leave. Broad shoulders covered in a white t-shirt tapered down into a tight waist, a very nice butt, and long legs that carried him with confidence and purpose. She bet he’d never end up passed out on the floor after meeting a raccoon.

  The door clicked shut and Ruby sat up. She winced as her head pounded, and she felt the knot in back.

  “What a way to make a good first impression,” she mumbled as she stood. “Nice one, Ruby. Nice one.”

  Chapter 13

  Garrett sucked down a beer as he stood in the kitchen, staring out into the dark night, the visions of Ruby’s nakedness still front and center in his mind. He had the urge to fuck, plain and simple. He didn’t know if his bear was responsible for the primal desire, or if it was Ruby.

  “Did you check in on her?” Zach asked.

  He caught his friend’s reflection in the window. “Yeah. She’s sleeping.”

  “Did you want to take shifts on monitoring her tonight?”

  Before leaving, Thomas had said that Ruby needed to be woken every hour just as a precaution. Tomorrow afternoon, Joe’s personal physician would arrive to check her out.

  “Yeah, probably. Why don’t you take the eleven, and I’ll do midnight. I’m going to need my patience with her tomorrow.”

  Zach went to the refrigerator and grabbed a beer. He popped the top and leaned against the counter. “Why do you need patience? She seems like a nice person.”

  “She’ll show her true colors at some point.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “It means that she’s just playing nice right now. I’m sure under there is a raving bitch.”

  “You’ve spoken maybe a few dozen words to her, spent about an hour with her, and you can come to that conclusion?”

  Garrett sighed and turned to Zach. “Look, I’ve known people with money like her, and I’ve never met a nice one. All are snotty douchebags who look down on everyone else.”

  “You aren’t being fair to her, Garrett. You know nothing about this woman. Your assumptions could be completely off.”

  “No, I’m right.”

  Zach grabbed a cookie out of the cabinet. “Do you remember when you and I went out to Jake’s Lounge when we came back from our second tour in Afghanistan?”

  Garrett thought a moment and realized he’d spent a lot of time at Jake’s as there wasn’t a certain time that stood out. “Not really.”

  “We got shitfaced, Garrett, and we had a brief moment of clarity and decided to walk home instead of drive. Two white women were walking toward us, and then they crossed the street before they reached us. You said they did that because you’re black, and white women always thought of criminals when they saw a black man walking down the street at night.”

  He vaguely remembered the incident. “And?”

  “We got into a fight about it because I noticed they happened to walk into a restaurant on the other side of the street, and them crossing had nothing to do with you.”

  It all came back to him. “Yeah, I remember that now. And I still think they were trying to avoid me.”

  Zach waved his hand in front of his face, as if to clear the air. “I’m not going to fight with you over something that happened four years ago. But I will tell you this—you are doing exactly what you accused those women of doing.”

  He opened his mouth to argue, and then shut it.

  “You’re making assumptions about someone you don’t even know.”

  “This is different.”

  “No, it’s not.”

  “I know these types of people, Zach.”

  “And I could say that those women knew that all black men are big, bad, scary criminals and that’s why they crossed the street.”

  He crossed his arms over his chest, hating Zach’s sound argument.

  “Don’t base your decision on a person on past slights, Garrett,” Zach said as he shoved another cookie in his mouth and left the room.

  Sighing, he studied the floor. Yes, he had made assumptions about his new client, and maybe that had been a mistake. He tried to relax and clear his head of what he expected from this woman and just be open to who she was, and he wished like hell he’d never seen those perfect, milky white curves.

  The door to Zach’s bedroom clicked shut, and Garrett felt the familiar hum within him. He needed to shift.

  He silently went out the front door and took off his clothes. Despite it being spring, the night air still held a chill and he shivered.

  Closing his eyes, he allowed the beast to emerge. His bones cracked and snapped as they grew and reshaped, then his muscles stretched. He remembered the first couple of times he’d gone through the transformation, and it reminded him of the Alien movies when the extraterrestrial emerging from the human’s stomach. His skin tingled with pins and needles, and he fell forward as the bones in his face shifted and grew, and he landed on the palms of his hands. He grunted in pain as the final transformation took place, and then opened his eyes.

  Still totally alone, he meandered off the porch and headed for the forest.

  He had about an hour before he needed to wake Ruby. Maybe scrounging around for berries and leaves would take his mind off of her.

  Something had to, or it would be a long week.

  Chapter 14

  “Come on, Ruby. Open your eyes.”

  She rolled over and let out a sigh. It seemed that just as she drifted off, either Zach or Garrett woke her. This may very well be the longest night of her life.

  She opened her eyes and gazed up at Garrett. He loomed over her dressed in a white tank top and black sweatpants. She couldn’t help but notice the defined muscl
es in his arms and across his chest.

  “I’m fine,” she mumbled.

  “Have to make sure,” he answered, his voice so curt, it bordered on rudeness.

  Just before she drifted off, she’d wondered what she’d done to make him so short with her. Perhaps he acted that way because he also had to get up every couple of hours to wake her, and it angered him.

  “I’m sorry, Garrett.”

  His forehead wrinkled as he stared at her, the light from the bathroom casting shadows over his face. “For what?”

  “For whatever I did to make you so angry at me. I’m guessing it’s because you have to get up every other hour to check on me. Or maybe I said something rude. I don’t know what it is, but I’m sorry.”

  He crossed his arms over his chest and let out a long sigh. “I’m not mad at you.”

  His smooth, quiet voice reminded her of jazz crooners and had changed distinctively from the harsh tones he had previously used with her. It seemed as if he had been talking to her in what she deemed his ‘military’ voice, and now, maybe this was his civilian tone?

  She sat up in bed and pulled the covers up to her chest. “It seems that way.”

  “Why?”

  “You’ve just been awfully short with me since I got here. I’m sorry I’m such a klutz and you have to get up. You really don’t need to, though. I’m fine.”

  He gazed at her, his light eyes piercing her, sending a chill down her spine.

  “I didn’t mean to be rude. I’m sorry.”

  She nodded. “Have I done something?”

  He shook his head.

  “No, you haven’t. I guess sometimes, things aren’t quite what I think they are.” He pushed himself off the wall and headed for the door. “Goodnight, Ruby. See you in a couple of hours.”

  Chapter 15

  Ruby woke the next morning with a headache and feeling a little tired. Being roused every hour had driven her crazy, but she understood why they’d done it. People with concussions could slip into unconsciousness while asleep and never wake up again.

  She felt certain she didn’t have a concussion, though; just a nice knot on the back of her head. In fact, her pride hurt worse than her head did. Why couldn’t she have received at least a little bit of her mother’s grace? Her stunt with the raccoon made her feel like a hippo in the ballet.

  Sighing, she rolled over and was surprised to see the clock read just after noon. Apparently, after a night of waking her all the time, her protectors had decided to let her sleep for a while.

  She got out of bed, used the toilet, and splashed some water on her face. She took a couple of Motrin and pulled on her jeans and t-shirt that simply read Cowgirl, then her sweatshirt. Her mother hated the t-shirt, and Ruby always felt a little jolt of defiance when she wore it.

  Slipping on her sneakers, she took a deep breath before opening her bedroom door. She simply had to get over last night’s fall, not to mention the fact that Garrett had seen her naked. They were all adults, for God’s sake. With Garrett’s good looks, he’d certainly seen plenty of naked women. And they all probably look a lot better than you do.

  Sighing, she couldn’t do anything about what had happened last night, and like every other embarrassing thing that had happened to her in her life, she just needed to smile and move on. She’d been able to do just that when she’d bent over to pick up the chalk and her pants had ripped up the butt in front of her algebra high school class. Or how about the time she had tripped over the corner of the rug and spilled tea down the front of the Saudi Arabian ambassador? Or the time her father had chartered a yacht and she’d jumped off the side, only to lose her bathing suit top and have to climb the ladder half-naked in front of everyone while they laughed? Yes, she’d get past this humiliation, as well.

  She strode down the hallway into the kitchen. Garrett stood at the sink washing dishes, and Zach sat at the table, Savannah by his side.

  “Hello, Ruby,” Zach said, and Savannah came over and nudged her hand while wagging her tail.

  “Good morning,” she said, stroking the soft fur.

  “You should say afternoon,” Garrett said, looking over his shoulder.

  Was that a little smile on his lips? His voice seemed a little less harsh, but it didn’t carry the smooth tone she remembered from the night before.

  “I supposed I should.”

  “Are you hungry?” he asked. “We can feed you breakfast or lunch—whichever you prefer.”

  “I’ll just have some coffee for right now, thanks.”

  She sat at the table with Zach, and Garrett poured her some coffee.

  “How are you feeling today?” Zach asked.

  “I’m fine. I’ve got a bit of a headache, but that’s it.”

  “Good. Glad to hear it,” Garrett said, also taking a seat.

  As she sipped her coffee, she could feel his gaze on her. She glanced over at him, his honeyed eyes piercing.

  “The doctor called this morning, and he’ll be by late this afternoon to check you over.”

  “I’m fine. Really.”

  “Better to be safe than sorry.”

  Oh, how sick she was of hearing that. Frankly, she was tempted to throw all caution to the wind and head straight for the ‘sorry’ side of things. Garrett still stared at her, making her uncomfortable under his scrutiny. She cleared her throat, sucked in her stomach, sat up straight, and set down her cup. “The coffee’s delicious, Garrett. Thank you.”

  “I have to go over the rules while you’re here,” he said, his gaze never wavering.

  “Okay.”

  “I meant to do this last night, but there then the raccoon issue presented itself.”

  Her cheeks flamed in embarrassment. Don’t remind me.

  “There’s really only one—don’t go outside without an escort. When the bathroom windows are closed, the place is very secure, even from rodents.”

  She smiled and tried to act normal, not like an embarrassed schoolgirl. “Good to know.”

  “What are your plans for the day?” he continued.

  Shrugging, she realized she hadn’t given it much thought. “I guess I’d like to take a walk, look around outside.”

  “We can handle that. Anything else?”

  “What are my options?”

  “We’ve got an extensive library, some movies, a few TV channels, and hiking trails. That’s about it. This place is all about the peace and quiet.”

  She heard the Blue Jays squawking outside through the screen door as a small gust of mountain spring air wafted through. “It’s really pretty here.”

  Garrett nodded. “Yeah, I suppose it is if you’re into nature.”

  “And you aren’t?”

  He shrugged. “I’m a city boy, but I do have to admit, the mountains are growing on me.”

  “What city?”

  “New York.”

  “You don’t have an accent.”

  “I know. I just never developed one.”

  “What about your parents? Do they have accents?”

  Garrett’s face grew very hard, as if she’d touched on a sensitive subject.

  “I-I’m sorry,” she stammered. “It’s none of my business.”

  “No worries,” he said, getting up from the table. “Let me know when you’re ready for that walk.”

  Ruby put her head in her hands and sighed as Garrett moved down the hall. “I touched a raw nerve,” she mumbled.

  “You did, but don’t worry about it. His father died in prison while serving a sentence for murder, and his mother left him when he was very young. His Nana raised him, but she passed away a few years ago. There’s no way you could have known,” Zach said.

  She studied Zach. His strong features made for a very good-looking man, and she wondered what had blinded him. Had he been born that way, or had he been in some type of accident? Perhaps it was genetic? After upsetting Garrett, she decided it wasn’t worth questioning him. She didn’t need both of them mad at her.

 
“Thank you for letting me know,” she said. “I won’t bring up his family again.”

  Suddenly, she heard what she thought was a whinny. She glanced at the front door, waiting for the sound again. A moment later, there it came again.

  “You have horses here?” she asked, her hopes soaring.

  “Yes, there are horses on the property.”

  “I love horses! Can we go see them?”

  “I don’t see why not. Savannah also likes to visit them, but from what Garrett has told me, she finds their waste a delicacy.”

  She laughed and stroked Savannah’s head. “My dog while growing up used to love horse poop, as well. “

  “Let me tell Garrett we’re heading to the stable and I’ll meet you out front.”

  “Sounds good. Thank you, Zach.”

  Chapter 16

  Garrett paced his bedroom, waiting for Joe to call. He’d texted earlier that he’d received a little more information on Group Nine, the people who kept tabs on the rest of the unit that had been affected by the accident in Guatemala. They were a nasty group of killers who operated in the black parts of the world where laws didn’t apply to them because they simply didn’t exist. The government used them for clandestine operations they needed completed that had to be carried out in secrecy. Very few people knew of their existence, and those who were aware would only deny their knowledge. The government needed them to do their dirty work, but wouldn’t admit to their existence.

  More determined than ever, Garrett knew it was only a matter of time before he got to all the men in his unit and brought them under Joe’s umbrella of protection, as well as giving them new lives. When he accomplished that, he would hunt down, torture, and kill every member of Group Nine until he found the person at the top who had ordered the experiment that had left all of them significantly altered. He simply wouldn’t rest until he had the answers he craved so desperately.

  He’d made it very clear to Joe that he had no problem with the dirty work and would be more than happy to get his hands bloody if needed, as he’d been responsible for the fate of all the men under his command at the time of the explosion. He at least owned them a life out from under the thumb of Group Nine.