Forever Devoted

by Kathleen Brooks

  “What’s the new bet?’ Layne asked, bending down and kissing her grandmother’s cheek.

  “Why, you are, dear.” Grandma Marcy grinned.

  “You and that fine muscled man of yours,” Aniyah said so loudly the entire café turned and looked at Layne. “You sure move fast. From condoms to marriage. You go, girl.”

  The door opened and Walker stepped in looking as if he might possibly be lost. Layne felt her mother and grandmother’s eyes go from her to Walker and then chaos erupted.

  “Twenty on November first!” her mother screamed as she launched herself halfway over Aniyah to hand Poppy a twenty.

  “I got the first of November and the original bet of January thirtieth,” Poppy called out.

  “December twenty-fourth. A beautiful Christmas wedding,” Grandma Marcy said, waving the twenty as she patted Layne’s hand. “Close your mouth or you’ll catch flies. You knew it was coming.”

  “But . . . but . . .”

  “Hey,” Walker said, bending and placing a kiss on her cheek, which only caused the betting to reach frenzied level. “What’s going on? And what about January thirtieth?”

  Layne swallowed hard. Well, it had been nice having a boyfriend for a day or so. “They’re placing bets on when we’re getting married. Somehow they skipped right over the engagement. They said it was a sure thing.”

  “Ah,” Walker said, taking a seat as Kenna Ashton shoved her best friend and princess, Dani Ali Rahman, out of the way to get her bet placed first.

  Layne looked at him with shock. He wasn’t running. His face wasn’t pale. In fact, he didn’t seem upset at all. Warmth flooded her at the idea, and her heart skipped a beat as Walker kissed her grandmother’s cheek before taking a seat at the table and placing his hand on Layne’s thigh as he began to look over the menu.

  Layne’s mom was at her sisters-in-law’s table with their heads huddled together as things finally began to calm down. She knew they had noticed his hand on her leg even though it was hidden under the table.

  “I heard from cousin Gavin,” Layne said before repeating their conversation. Her heart broke as her grandmother sniffled.

  “Oh no she didn’t!” Aniyah yelled as she practically shoved her chair to the ground to get to Marcy. She wrapped her in a hug and took the seat next to her. “Why would your mama do such a thing?”

  Her grandmother patted Aniyah’s manicured hand and let out a sigh. “It was a different time. Daughters were a trial while sons were a blessing. My mother never cared about me. I don’t know why, but I was more of a servant than part of the family. I knew I would be cut off when I chose to stay in Keeneston to marry my Jake. It was worth it though. I knew she didn’t support my marriage to Jake. I had to wait until I was eighteen to marry him so I wasn’t forced to move to South Carolina.”

  “Why that Mother Faulkner!” Aniyah cursed.

  “Thank you,” Marcy said, patting her hand again. “But that is my mother you’re talking about. Dirty language isn’t needed.”

  Aniyah nodded her head. “I know. That’s what I said. You are a mother and you were a Faulkner, but you’re no Mother Faulkner.” Layne snorted as she tried to hold back the laughter. Aniyah was on a roll. “Trying to take you away from the love of your life. Why if she were here, I’d shoot that Mother Faulkner.”

  “You mean you’d miss shooting her.” DeAndre chuckled as Aniyah leaned back and swatted him.

  “That Mother Faulkner needs Jesus,” Aniyah said, patting the cross necklace that hung to her cleavage twice with her hand before lifting her hand to God.

  “Amen,” Walker said so seriously it caused Layne to snort down another round of laughter.

  * * *

  Feeling more human after his morning with Annie and the rest of the Davieses, especially after getting much-needed clothes, guns, and a phone, Walker left the farm truck he was borrowing in front of the Blossom Café and headed to Lexington with Layne for an afternoon of physical therapy.

  “How are you feeling?” she asked as they drove through the countryside on their way into town.

  Walker hadn’t felt this much a part of a group since Hell Week. In a way, being the new guy to Keeneston was similar. He never knew when he’d be jumped and interrogated. Only this time, it wasn’t instructors yelling an inch from his face; it was little old ladies with cookies or an aunt with a gunroom. Even though he managed to get out of the Blossom Café without admitting his feelings for Layne were becoming more involved, he somehow felt as if he’d failed since the rate of bets only seemed to increase.

  However, each person had also vowed to keep an eye out for strangers and had been shown a picture of Jud. Cade walked in with Layne’s father and Ahmed after a while and had given him a new cell phone. Cade might have grumbled about the teasing Miles was giving him for being knocked out by Walker, but Cade had still patted Walker on the back and dared him to step into the ring with Layne.

  “Not too bad. I can feel the stitches itching and pulling more than anything.”

  “You’re healing. You’ll be a whole new man by next week,” she said before parking the car in her spot.

  “Layne,” Walker started. He didn’t know exactly what he wanted to tell her, but he felt as if there were things left unsaid. “About last night.”

  Layne smiled at him then. “Yes?”

  “I want you,” he said simply. It wasn’t a declaration of love, but that didn’t come easy for him.

  “I’ll let you in on a secret,” Layne said, lowering her voice. “I want you too.” Then, before she let him tell her he didn’t know if he could be anything more to her, she was out the door and leaving him to catch up to her.

  “Layne,” he said again, rushing after her.

  Layne hit the elevator button and waited for the doors to open. She turned and shook her head. “Stop it. I can see you thinking. I’ve seen that look on my cousins’ faces too often to not realize what it is.”

  “And what’s that?” he asked her as the doors to the elevator opened.

  “It’s the we’re just having fun, don’t expect anything more, the timing isn’t right speech.” Layne gave him a look that pinned him in place. Killing someone with a spoon wasn’t the only thing her father taught her. “And I don’t play those games. You either want to be with me or not. The rest is about as helpful as a screen door on a submarine.”

  The doors to the elevator closed, and Layne pressed the floor button. She didn’t push him. She didn’t try to talk about it. No, she just looked at the changing floors. She was leaving it up to him. Walker watched numbers change from a one to a two and before it turned to a three he had made up his mind.

  He spun and hit the emergency stop button. “You’re right.”

  “What are you doing? Right about what?” Layne asked as they jerked to a stop.

  “Worrying about everything else is a waste of time. I know what I want, and what I want is you.”

  Walker met her lips in a crushing kiss. He used the sheer size of his body to back Layne up against the wall of the elevator as he devoured her mouth with his. Layne wasn’t a simple participant. She didn’t let him take the lead, and that was one of the things Walker loved about her. Her hands were tangled in his hair, her tongue battling his as their bodies moved against each other. Walker placed his hands against the wall on each side of her head to steady himself as he pressed his body against hers. They were toe-to-toe, hip-to-hip, chest-to-chest. They were equal in every way, which was everything he’d ever wanted in a woman. The timing was horrible. The situation was stressful. He wasn’t in a marriage frame of mind. And none of that mattered. He was already in love.

  At the realization, Walker pulled his head back enough to look at Layne. Her hazel eyes were greener with desire than they normally were. He liked that he was getting to know these little things about her.

  “Well,” Layne said primly, “I’m glad we had this discussion. Now, as much as I’d like to carry on, the fire department will be called soon.
And if my cousin Colton shows up . . . well, you know Keeneston.”

  Walker smiled, and she smiled back. He turned off the emergency stop, and the elevator began to move. “As much as I love your breasts, I’m not too fond of the idea of Aaron getting a look at them.”

  Layne looked down and noticed her blouse was open, then back up at him. “When did you do that?” she asked, buttoning her shirt.

  “DeAndre has his secrets, and so do I,” Walker said as he sent her a wink over his shoulder before walking off the elevator.

  19

  Walker paced the house they’d been staying in for the past two weeks. Nothing. No sight of Jud or any stranger for that matter. He’d heard nothing from Edie or from Jud, and he was beyond worried for his sister. Walker took a deep breath to calm himself.

  “This is what Jud wants,” Miles said from the couch. Layne was at her office. Her cousin Sophie and her husband, Nash, were with her. After physical therapy with Layne at the Desert Sun Farm gym that morning, Walker had stayed and worked out with Miles and Ahmed after Nash promised to keep an eye on Layne. For as much crap as Miles gave him, and a number of bruising punches, Walker liked the guy.

  “I know, but I’m worried about my sister. I want to do something. I hate just sitting and waiting.”

  “You are doing something. You’ve prepared for his arrival, and you’re working hard on healing. You’re barely limping anymore.”

  Walker looked at his leg. The stitches had come out last week, and he’d been stepping up his physical activity. “Layne’s doing things to my leg that hurt, but then a couple hours later it feels fantastic. I can feel my strength returning. Layne’s amazing.”

  “Yes, she is,” Miles said quietly. “You know, I don’t like this.”

  “I don’t either,” Walker said, stopping and dropping into the chair across from Miles.

  “No, I mean you and Layne.”

  “Oh. Is it because I didn’t get to the killer spoons?”

  Miles cracked a smile. “No. I daresay you even gave Nash a run for being a badass. I won’t like any man Layne brings home, but you are the only one who hasn’t run . . . yet.” Miles shrugged. “But I guess you can’t run, being shot in the leg.”

  Walker smiled at the man he’d come to not only respect but like. “I won’t let anything happen to her.”

  “I know you won’t. It’s the only reason I’m letting you stick around. Now, my wife has an idea I want to run past you. I thought it was crazy at first, but now I’ve come around.”

  “What is it?” Walker asked.

  “Morgan runs a PR company. She handles companies in crisis, and that’s what you basically are. And you’re in this position because Jud has made himself into a hero with the media. They don’t know any better because the narrative is only coming from him.”

  “You want me to talk to the media?” Walker was pretty sure that was the worst idea he’d ever heard.

  “No. It means maybe it’s time Jud gets asked some serious questions.” Miles handed him a folder. “Nabi and Nash put this together.”

  Walker opened the file. There were pictures, both old and new, both posed and from surveillance, that showed Jud in an unflattering light. “That’s him and Darrel in Afghanistan,” Walker said, looking at an old picture.

  “Look at what’s next.”

  Walker put down the picture and picked up a classified report detailing the drug bust and their suspicion that Darrel was not acting alone. There had been traces of drugs found in Jud’s room, but Darrel had claimed he’d been in there borrowing a movie when he dropped his stash. Some must have spilled out. “Where did you get this?”

  “It’s better you don’t know. There’s more.”

  There was a picture of his old girlfriend with a split lip and a confidentiality agreement between them in return for a payout. She had cited disputes over money and drugs as the basis for the fights that led to her beatings.

  “Why wasn’t he kicked out of the service?” Walker asked, looking over the internal reports.

  “Next page,” Miles said as Walker flipped to Jud’s birth certificate.

  “Melville is his mother’s maiden name.” Walker’s gaze stuck on Jud’s father’s name. “Thomas Rudy is his father,” Walker muttered with disbelief.

  Miles nodded. “Admiral Thomas Rudy. Jud changed his last name when he was eighteen after a drug charge that went away provided Jud enter the military under his father’s command.”

  “Drugs again. Can this whole thing be about drugs?” Walker asked as he continued to read through the file.

  “Partly. I think Jud was in with some bad people, and he found a way to make some fast money and get out of the military. He was declared a hero, wrote a book, got a movie deal, and there was no one left on his team to contradict his story. Jud would be the hero who was too famous to serve. He could retire and go on tours, talking about his bravery while sitting on a fortune of stolen items from the ship.”

  “We need to find those items. Have they hit the black market yet?” Walker asked, handing the file back to Miles.

  “Not that we’ve seen. Ahmed has some people on it. What should I tell my wife?” Miles asked.

  “Tell her to go for it. Let’s put the screws to Jud and see if that pushes him to make a mistake.” Then, hopefully, he could find his sister and finally come out from hiding.

  * * *

  Layne looked past Aaron to Sophie and tried to signal for help, but her cousin had put her head together with her husband as they looked at something on his phone. Having Walker in the office daily had spurred Aaron to increase his pursuit, something Layne had told him over and over again wasn’t going to happen. She thought he’d understood it, but now she wasn’t sure.

  “How about dinner?” Aaron smiled down at her from where he’d put his hip on her desk next to her chair.

  “Aaron, I’ve told you, I’m not interested in dating. We have a good thing going here, and I’m not going to mess it up with getting personal.”

  Aaron bent his head closer to hers. “That’s just it, Layne. We are a good team. Can you imagine how much better we’d be as a couple?”

  “It’s not going to happen. I’m not interested in you like that. I’m sorry,” Layne said as kindly as possible.

  Aaron’s mouth tightened. “I look forward to proving you wrong.”

  “Wrong about what?”

  Layne looked up to see Walker standing with his arms crossed. Her father stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Walker, his arms crossed too. Both men glared at Aaron.

  “Uh,” Aaron sputtered as he stood up so quickly he almost tripped over her chair, “I have to get going. Yeah, I have patients.”

  Layne tried not to laugh as Aaron headed for the door, but neither her father nor Walker moved. Aaron tried to dart around them, but their shoulders blocked the door. Aaron looked like a scared rabbit trying to find a hole to hide in before ducking his head and pushing through the middle of her dad and Walker. The two guys made Aaron push a little before they moved enough for him to get through.

  “I thought you were watching her?” Walker shot at Nash, who shrugged.

  “We were placing a bet. Besides, I’ve seen what she can do with a spoon. I figured she was safe from some pretty boy snob.”

  “What bet?” Layne asked as she got up from her desk to join her father and Walker. In the past week, Walker and her father seemed to reach some kind of truce. Maybe her father knew they weren’t sleeping together. Well, they were sleeping together in the most literal form of the word. Every night she asked Walker to join her in bed, and every night he pulled her to his body and fell asleep when sleep was the last thing Layne wanted to do.

  “On when the baby is due,” Sophie answered with a wicked gleam to her eyes.

  “Hasn’t everyone already placed their bets on Sienna and Tammy?” Layne asked before kissing her dad’s cheek and slipping her hand onto Walker’s muscular forearm.

  “Oh, it’s not Tammy or Sienna. It�
��s a new candidate.”

  “What the hell?” Miles snarled as looked at the Blossom Café betting app before he suddenly shoved Walker. Oh. Well, she’d hate to disappoint the betting pool, but there was literally no chance of her being pregnant. And if marriage hadn’t sent Walker running for the hills, this probably would.

  Walker stumbled back and held up his hands. “Hey, if it matters, I placed my bet for eighteen months from now.”

  Layne’s mouth dropped right as Miles charged Walker. Walker dodged her father and sent her a wink. Nash leapt up as Aaron ran back into the office. He screamed five octaves higher than Layne thought possible when he thought Miles was charging him and looked ready to pass out.

  “You got her pregnant?” Miles shouted, bringing Jill running in from the front office.

  “You’re pregnant?” Jill gasped, ignoring Aaron, who had collapsed to the ground and was now in the fetal position. “No wonder you had me cancel your appointments. But who’s the father?”

  Aaron’s head shot up. “Yeah, who’s the father?”

  “I am.” Walker grinned as Nash and Sophie held on to Miles.

  “I’m not pregnant! You of all people should know that,” Layne said, wide-eyed.

  “Ha,” Aaron crowed as he got himself off the floor. “She can’t be with you. It’s unethical.”

  “Do I look like someone who cares about ethics?” Walker snarled as he got into Aaron’s space and looked down at him. “Besides, I fired her.”

  Aaron squeaked and her dad chuckled. “Told you he was a wimp,” her dad said smugly.

  Jill hid a laugh under a cough. “So, baby shower or no baby shower?”

  “No baby shower!”

  “There better not be,” Miles growled at Walker, who only grinned.

  “Well then, I’ll give you this delivery and let you get back to your family discussion.” Layne took the overnight envelope from Jill with a shake of her head and ripped it open. It took a second to comprehend the image. A woman was in the corner of a cement room on a bare mattress on the floor. Her scraggly hair covered half her face as she hung her head. She turned the photo over. See you soon was written on the back in red marker.