by Anthology
“Got a lot more to lose now, though,” he says, looking around the warehouse.
“Only if I get caught.”
“You’re threatening my life? I may need to talk to the cops about this.”
“I didn’t hear any threat.” I look at Don. “Did you hear a threat?”
“No, ma’am,” he says emphatically.
“Get out,” I say to Bean. “Not just out of my house, but out of this city. I never want to see you again.”
Don gestures towards the door and moves his hand to the gun he wears in a waist holster. Bean looks like he’s burning to say something else, but starts walking towards the front of the warehouse. In the doorway, he turns and looks at me.
“Was there ever a chance for us? Before you met…him?”
“No, Bean,” I say softly. “I loved you like a brother, but there was never anything more.”
His eyes fill with tears and he leaves. For just a second, I feel a stab of remorse. I hate that things ended up this way, but he chose this, not me.
Once Bean is gone, I walk out to the garage and get in the waiting town car. Roy always wanted to drive a Lincoln Town Car, and as soon as Andrew found out, he bought two—one as a gift to Roy and another for Roy to drive us in.
“Everything okay, Mrs. Wentworth?” Roy asks, looking at me in the rearview mirror.
“Yeah, it’s fine. Just got an unexpected visit.”
“Ah.” He looks out the windshield as he drives out of the garage. “Well, you look mighty disappointed.”
“This trip couldn’t be coming at a better time,” I say, looking out the window.
“Mr. Wentworth just texted and said he’s got a chilled bottle of Ruinart waiting.”
“He’s on the plane, then?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
I sit back against my seat and exhale deeply. “I can’t wait to get there and see him.”
It’s another forty-five minutes of traffic and airport inspections before that happens. Andrew is standing at the top of the private plane’s airstair, waiting for me. He’s wearing a pale blue dress shirt with the top button undone and pressed khakis.
“You okay?” he asks, jogging down the stairs to meet me as I approach.
I mumble that I am and practically fall into his arms, closing my eyes and breathing in his warm, familiar scent.
“Don called me,” he says in my ear. “It must have been a shock to see Bean after all this time.”
“It was.”
“I put a man on him.”
I pull back and look up at Andrew. “To follow him?”
“Yes. Actually, it’s more than one man because it’s around the clock. Just to keep tabs on him. I don’t want you worrying about anything on our trip.”
I smile. “Thanks. I can’t wait to get there.”
He takes my hand and leads me up the stairs. “Let’s get in the air, then, Mrs. Wentworth.”
“I still look for your mother every time you say that, even after a year of marriage.”
Andrew takes a bottle of gold champagne from an ice bucket, opens it and pours us each a glass.
“Here’s to many, many more,” he says. “I love you, Quinn.”
“I love you, too.”
The flight attendant closes the staircase and tells us to put on our seatbelts. We’re sitting side by side, hand in hand, as the plane’s engines fire up.
“You sure you’re okay?” Andrew asks me, his brow furrowed with concern.
I lean over and kiss him. “Yes. I’m good. I actually feel a sense of closure now that I didn’t have before.”
“I’m glad to hear that.”
“You know what’s funny?”
“Hmm?”
“I’m not scared of him or worried he’ll do anything. I just felt sorry for him.”
“Sorry? The bastard tried to kill you, Quinn.”
“I know. But he has nothing and no one. I have you and Bethy. I just feel extra grateful for you both right now.”
“I’m grateful for you, too. You helped me change for the better. We’ve got many more memories to make together.”
The pilot announces our takeoff and I squeeze Andrew’s hand.
He leans close to me. “Like sex on the beach. I’m looking forward to making that memory.”
“You mean the drink?” I arch my brows and grin. “I’ve always wanted to try that one.”
“I sure as fuck do not mean the drink. But we can try that too, if you want.”
“They both sound pretty amazing.”
I tip back my glass and finish the champagne, then settle in against Andrew’s side for the long flight.
I don’t think I’ll ever stop celebrating what we have. He makes me feel safe and cherished, but I also know he respects my mind and my tenacity. With him, no dream seems unreachable.
This life is the rainbow after my storm. And I’ll always see and appreciate every vibrant color in it.
About the Author
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Susan Stoker
Rescuing Emily bonus chapter by Susan Stoker - See what happens when a Delta Force Operative, Fletch, takes single mom, Emily, and her daughter, Annie on an all-day date.
Renting out the apartment over his garage shouldn’t be a life-changing decision, but when Delta soldier Cormac “Fletch” Fletcher meets Emily Grant, he feels an instant connection. He can’t stand the thought of Emily and her young daughter living anywhere unsafe. Offering cheap rent is a small price to pay for their safety…and Fletch’s peace of mind.
Being a single mother is difficult at best, but renting the extremely affordable space from Fletch makes Emily’s life a lot easier…until it doesn’t. Suddenly all the money she’s saving thanks to Fletch’s generosity is going into the hands of a blackmailer. And what little food Emily can afford goes to her daughter, Annie, so the girl doesn’t go to bed hungry…leaving Emily weaker and weaker.
When miscommunication has Emily assuming Fletch is in on the blackmail, he not only has to gain her trust, but also deal with a man holding a grudge against Fletch and his entire Delta Force team. A task made more difficult when the dangerous man gets his hands on Emily and Annie.
**Rescuing Emily is the 2nd book in the Delta Force Heroes Series. It can be read as a stand-alone, but it’s recommended you read the books in order to get maximum enjoyment out of the series.
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This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons living or dead is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2016 by Susan Stoker
No part of this work may be used, stored, reproduced or transmitted without written permission from the publisher except for brief quotations for review purposes as permitted by law.
This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, please purchase your own copy.
Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
Edited by Kelli Collins & Missy Borucki
Manufactured in the United States
Bonus Chapter 17
Emily kneeled down by her daughter and pretended to brush some wrinkles out of her T-shirt. She really just wanted to be eye to eye with Annie so she could best gauge her reaction.
“Are you excited about today?”
“Uh-huh.”
Emily looked into Annie’s eyes for a long time, trying to make out what the little girl was thinking. They were headed down to Austin for the day…Fletch had wanted to take them on a double date. Emily had tried to talk him out of it, saying Annie would be just as happy to go to McDonald’s with them one day, but he’d knocked any further argument out of her by saying, “If I’m willing to spend the time and energy on her mom, why wouldn’t I want to do the same for Annie?”
But Emily had more concerns than just her daughter getting a sugar high and spazzing out all day. Annie was already extremely attached to Fletch. It was one thing for Emily to get hurt if their relationship ended, it was another thing altogether for Annie to get hurt if things didn’t work out.
“Remember when I went on a few dates with Rodney?” Emily asked her daughter.
“When we were at the other place,” Annie said with a solemn nod.
“Right. And you liked him too. But adults sometimes date each other and don’t get married. I know you like Fletch, and you want us to get married, but that doesn’t always happen.”
“Rodney told me once that when you and him got married, that I was gonna be sent off to a boring school,” Annie told her mom seriously with absolutely no hint that she was kidding.
“What? He did? When?”
The little girl nodded. “He was there to pick you up for a date to the funny singing place and you weren’t ready yet.”
Emily felt the tears behind her lids, but controlled them. She put a hand on Annie’s cheek. “The opera?”
Annie nodded.
Emily felt sick inside, knowing exactly when Rodney had said that to her child. She’d been upstairs finishing getting ready before he’d arrived to pick her up. She never would’ve guessed that he’d say something so horrible to her daughter. “I would never send you anywhere, baby. We stick together. Always. I’d never send you off to a boarding school. Ever.”
Annie nodded solemnly. “I know. I told Rodney that. He laughed at me.”
Emily brought Annie into her embrace, hating that she was just learning about this now. She pulled back and held her daughter’s shoulders tightly. “Annie. Listen to me. I love you. You’re everything to me. I don’t like that you kept this secret from me.”
“I know, Mommy.”
“Did he tell you not to tell me?”
She shook her head. “No. But it’s okay. I was gonna tell you, but then you stopped going on dates with him, so I didn’t have to.”
Emily eyed her daughter critically. There was still something she wasn’t telling her. “We only went on one more date after that.”
“I know.”
“What’d you do?”
Annie bit her lip and looked away from her mom.
“Annie. Look at me.” Emily waited until the little girl had looked her in the eyes again. “What’d you do?”
“I didn’t want to be sent away. I didn’t think you would, and I could tell you didn’t really like him. He smelled funny, like fried food. And you always say that fried stuff wasn’t good for us. Your boss called and you went into your room to take his call.”
“Go on,” Emily urged when Annie paused.
“I just told him how hard it was being a kid,” Annie protested, her little eyes tearing up, obviously afraid her mom was going to be mad at her. “I told him about the time I got the lice bug things in my hair, and how you had to help me all the time with my homework. And that time I got sick and barfded all over my bed and you. But then I told him how much I love to sing in public, and that I couldn’t wait to be able to be old enough to have a sleepover with all ten of my best friends, and how Chuck E. Cheese’s is my favoritest place to eat in the whole world.”
Emily wanted to laugh, but held it back. She’d already decided that things with her and Rodney weren’t going to go any further than they had, but it seems her daughter helped him break up with her, rather than the other way around.
“Ann Elizabeth. You know better than to do something like that.”
Annie pouted and looked at the ground. Her words came out in a small whisper. “I didn’t want you to love him more than me and send me away.”
Any trace of laughter Emily might’ve had was washed away in an instant. There were times she honestly forgot that Annie was only six years old. She put her fingers under her daughter’s chin and raised her head until they were looking into each other’s eyes. “I will never send you away. No matter what. I love you, baby. You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me. No man will ever come between us. Ever.”
Annie sniffed and ran the back of her hand over her nose. “Promise?”
“Pinky swear.” Emily held out her hand and smiled when Annie hooked her smaller finger around hers. “Now, about today. I like Fletch, and I’m pretty sure he likes me back. But adults sometimes like each other, and when they’ve been dating for a while, decide they don’t like each other as much anymore.”
“Like Tommy’s parents. They don’t live in the same house anymore. He spends school days with his mom, and weekends with his dad.”
“Sort of like that, yes,” Emily agreed.
“But you’ve been on four dates with Fletch. I think he likes you.”
Emily smiled. “I want you to have fun today, but I just want you to realize that we aren’t getting married. At least not right now. The last thing in the world I want is for you to be disappointed if it never happens. Okay?”
“Okay. But Mommy?”
“Yes, baby?”
Annie leaned into her mom and whispered, “I have a good feeling about Fletch.”
Emily laughed and shook her head. She’d tried. She stood up, wincing at the creak in her knees as she did. “What are you most excited about for today?”
They were going to the Millennium Youth Entertainment Complex in East Austin. It was a huge building that had a movie theater, bowling, roller skating, food, and even an arcade. Emily knew it was going to be an exhausting day, for both Annie and her, but when Fletch had suggested it—and seemed so excited to have thought of it—she didn’t have the heart to turn him down. The man had no idea what he’d gotten himself into. None. He’d first suggested laser tag, but Emily had vetoed that. As much as she knew Annie would love it, she thought her daughter was still a bit too young to be running around trying to shoot people.
“Roller skating. I’ve never done it before,” Annie said.
“You think you can stay up and not fall?”
Annie shrugged and turned to the mirror, grabbing her brush and running it through her hair. “Don’t know, but Fletch will be there to help me.”
Emily couldn’t argue with that. “What about bowling? You like bowling.”
“Yeah. Me and Fletch have a bet.”
“What? What kind of bet?” Emily demanded. It looked like she was going to have to have a talk with Fletch about a few things.
“I guess it wasn’t really a bet since you told him he wasn’t ever allowed to bet in his entire life. But he said you and me together couldn’t beat him by himself.”
“Oh he did, did he?” Emily asked, leaning down to hug Annie again. She put her face next to her daughter’s and they both looked at each other in the mirror. “You didn’t tell him that I’ve been taking you to the free family bowling night since you were three, did you?”
“Nope.”
They grinned at each other.
“He’s so going down,” Emily told her daughter.
“Yup.”
Mother and daughter smiled at each other. This was gonna be fun.
Emily watched as Fletch “instructed” Annie on how to bowl. They’d arrived at the entertainment complex and had started with some food. It wasn’t a long drive to Austin, but of course Annie was hungry. Ever since Fletch had found out how little they’d been getting along with, food-wise, he’d made it his mission in life to always have healthy snacks around and to prepare nutritious meals for the two of them. He vowed that neither of them would ever go hungry again.
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After making quick work of an order of nachos, Annie declared she wanted to bowl first. Emily knew it was because the little girl was gonna burst if she couldn’t “trick” Fletch soon.
They had exchanged their shoes and found an empty lane. Fletch was standing behind Annie, showing her the holes in the ball and pointing down the lane at the pins. Emily tried to hide her smile behind her hand. Fletch happened to look back at her right at that moment.
“What?”
“What what?” Emily asked, trying to sound innocent.
“What are you smiling about?”
Emily thought fast. “I just love seeing you with Annie.”
Fletch leaned down to the little girl and said something to her. Annie smiled back and nodded.
Walking back toward Emily, Fletch had an intense look on his face, one Emily couldn’t read. He came right up to her and put both hands on her waist. He leaned in and said in a voice only loud enough for them to hear, “You’ve raised an amazing child, Em. She’s funny, smart, and sensitive to the feelings of those around her.”
Emily beamed. There was nothing that made her feel better than hearing someone compliment her daughter.
“She’s also sneaky, underhanded, and a cheat. Just like her mom.”
Trying not to laugh, knowing he was right, Emily did her best to play it off. She pouted and tried to look hurt. “What do you mean?”
“Don’t give me that hangdog look. You know what I mean.” Fletch turned them so he was standing behind Emily and they were both watching Annie at the bowling lane. He had one hand on Emily’s stomach and the other at her hip. He pulled her back into him, and Emily snuggled in close.
“Go on, Annie, see what you can do,” he called out to the little girl, who was practically dancing in place, anxious to throw the ball down the lane for the first time.
They both watched as Annie confidently strode up to the line, she held the ball, granny style, and lined it up.
