by Honor James
“Huh. I will have to ask him.” She was likely the only person that could get away with asking Elliott about the song and not be beaten for asking that question. “Thank you,” she said as he helped her out of the car. “I like you. I should tell you that now. I liked you before I met you, even more when Elliott told me that the two of you would often tag team your women and now.” She smiled up at him with happiness in her heart. “Just you being you. I adore that you are the man you are.”
She watched as a blush rose on his cheeks and he shifted on his feet. “Thanks, I think,” he muttered. Craig wrinkled his nose up a little as he shot her a look. “Timmons always said you were blunt, and said what was on your mind. I have to say it’s a slight novelty to me. Never had anyone just blurt things out like you do. It’s refreshing, don’t get me wrong, just not what I’m used to in the least.”
“Well you need to get used to me because he’s right. That’s exactly what and who I am. I do tend to blurt out whatever might be on my mind at any moment in time. That’s a good thing, right? You will always know what is on my mind, what I’m thinking and all that.”
“Oh it’s definitely a good thing, Clara. New, but all good. I’ll get used to it I’m sure in time, just try not to bury me under a bunch of things,” he teased. Taking her hand he led her to the pub, and pulled the door open for her. “I scare easily.”
“I somehow seriously doubt that.” She walked into the pub before him and waited with him at her back for them to be led to a table. Once they were seated she scooted close to him and sighed when he wrapped his arm around her shoulders. She liked the way that felt, a great deal.
“I’m not kidding,” he said with a laugh. “I even screech like a little girl. Or so Harker claims,” he told her. “Some things don’t even make me flinch, but put a mouse or rat anywhere near me and I’ll damn well climb over everyone to get up on the ceiling. Hate the blasted things, absolutely hate them.”
She shivered. “With good reason. Seriously those things are creepy. Even the mouse in Florida makes me all wigged out. I do not understand why people love that mouse so much.” A life-size talking and walking mouse, no thank you! “So what else do you dislike?”
“Let’s see,” he said, drumming his fingers on the tabletop lightly. “I don’t particularly like birds, more specifically crows and ravens. They creep me out, but birds in general are not on my top list of favorite woodland creatures. Oh, I absolutely despise ice cream. I know, who hates ice cream? I do, but it all resulted from a childhood trauma of a bully, a tub of ice cream, and getting the chilled version of a swirly. I even see it, and I have the urge to curl into a ball.”
“Oh, honey.” She reached out and squeezed him. “Well don’t worry, we won’t have any ice cream anytime soon. Promise. We will instead have something else. Something warm as a dessert. Maybe mousse? That’s not warm I know, but that’s okay. Right?”
“It’s definitely not warm, but it works for me,” he said. “How about you? Turnabout’s fair here, what else wigs you out?” he asked her. A waitress stopped by their table to hand them menus, and let them know she’d be back in a minute with water, and to take their orders.
“Bats, but those are a given being that they are just winged mice.” She was thinking for a moment, her finger tapping on the table. “I think one thing that bothers me, other than mice that is.” She hesitated and then when she had enough time to think it over she leaned in and whispered, “Being alone.” The thought of being alone made her want to curl up and die.
His arm tightened around her shoulders as he squeezed her closer. “You’re not alone, Clara. Never will be alone especially since you have Timmons in your life, and me, too, now as well.” Rubbing her arm lightly, he rocked her gently. The waitress returned with glasses of ice water and asked if they were ready to order. Thankfully, Craig asked for a few more minutes to decide, and she quickly rushed off to another table for the moment.
“I’m also afraid to let people see the real me,” Clara blurted when their waitress walked away. “I’m afraid that if people saw who I really was they would run. I play dumb at work and my co-workers can’t stand me because they think that I slept my way into my position.” She saw his confusion and explained. “I have an IQ that is off the charts, but it’s something that I’ve learned to hide. Computers and anything electronic seem to talk to me and I can make it do just about anything that I want it to do. People look at me as if I have two heads, and sometimes I even question if I do as well. Hence why I’ve learned to hide all that I can do.”
“Well let me assure you that you definitely don’t,” he said. “Besides, they are only jealous of all you have going on. They wish they had it as together as you did. They don’t so they turn all their inner disgust with themselves outward onto those undeserving. Personally I like to offer helpful tips when a hater gets going in my direction. Something profound, confusing, and that also has a hint of smack talk included if I can manage it. Being smart is a gift. Don’t bury what you’ve been given just because others are too ignorant to understand how amazing a gift it is.”
“You sound just like Elliott back in the day,” she mused with a grin. “However, you aren’t lacing just about every other sentence with curse words or something like that. You are uniquely you and I think that the you that you are, is a man that I could see myself liking, a great deal. I’m glad that we were able to get this time out, together. Just the two of us. It’s good to have you alone I think.”
“He doesn’t swear a lot anymore, unless he’s having trouble with a computer,” Craig said. Squeezing her closer to him, he nodded slowly. “I am glad we were given this opportunity to have some time to get to know one another better. I’m enjoying it greatly so far. The fact that we are having a decent conversation that doesn’t revolve around weaponry, machinery, and the like. Not saying Timmons doesn’t have his moments, but it usually devolves into some breakthrough of thought on an outstanding problem he’s still attempting to resolve.”
“He does get rather focused doesn’t he?” she asked and took a drink of her water. “I’m sure that he’s been swearing a great deal when I left the breadcrumb trail for him huh?” She hadn’t meant to show her hand, not initially, and then when she realized what she had done she knew she needed to see him. If at least once more. “I can’t apologize for doing it by the way. For hacking your systems.”
Craig paused with his glass of water hovering over the table where he was about to set it down. “Excuse me?” he asked, looking her way. Settling the glass down he turned more to face her. “That was you? Son of a bitch, Timmons never said it was just that he’d resolved the issue and it wouldn’t be a problem again. Even Michael didn’t question him though I’m sure he wanted to. Michael does not like unknowns loose to fuck up his plans.”
“I thought you knew?” she asked with wide eyes. “I’ve been hacking and following Elliott for years. Once I realized where he was I hacked your guys’ comms systems and video systems. I kept watch over you and more than once gave you guys the tip that there was a bombing coming your way.” She watched him and the myriad of emotions that moved through him. “That’s how I knew who you were. I admit that you and Elliott starred in more than one of my naughty dreams. And I never, ever would have done anything that would have put any of you in harm.”
“No, I didn’t know, he didn’t tell anyone,” Craig muttered. He waved a hand slightly before sitting back to look at her with a slight frown on his face. “I know you’d never cause any of us harm, that’s not who you are. But I’m definitely going to have some words with your man about keeping secrets like that. I’m betting he had a reason, but it still would have been rather nice to know before you dropped that bomb.” Shaking his head, he mumbled something under his breath she didn’t quite catch.
“He was likely just protecting me. He does that, a great deal. Protects me that is.” She reached out and put her hand on his. “You aren’t upset with me are you? I know that Elliott was pre
tty upset when I finally let him find me. Then again, it was a good thing as well because it brought the two of us back together and put me into your life as well.”
“No, I’m not upset with you,” he said. Pulling her in close again, Craig rested his cheek to her hair. “I may have to beat up your boy Elliott, though. Just a little, and I swear I won’t damage him overly much. Now enough of this, time to figure out what you want to eat and drink. And turn our discussion to other things so I don’t find the need to call him and bitch him out right now.”
She gave him a side hug and then pulled back. Grabbing the menu, she looked it over and decided what she wanted. “I like food, I should tell you that now.” She was going to order the steak with baked potato as well as fried pickles and the jalapeno poppers that he was talking about. “And please don’t call him and bitch at him. He’s on a job right now and he might not want everyone knowing that I’m the one who hacked you guys.”
“If I call him it’ll be on his cell, and the others wouldn’t hear the conversation. Besides I’m sure I can get my point across without letting anyone know what I actually mean. But I’ll wait until tomorrow during our training session. Then I’ll just pummel the snot out of him,” Craig said. Slipping the menu from her fingers, he gave it a look before lifting it in a signal to the waitress.
When the woman came around, he let Clara order first before putting in his own order for pretty much the same as her except for fries with gravy, and no pickles. He also ordered a pint of dark ale for the meal before handing the menu off. “Did you want a drink for the meal or just the water, honey?” the waitress asked Clara.
“I will take a glass of Cabernet Sauvignon if you have it. If not a merlot would be good please.” She wasn’t much for ale or beers but did like her wine occasionally. “No more than two glasses through the meal, though, if you will both please remind me?” Otherwise she would forget and order a third and then a fourth and more.
“I’ll keep you in line,” Craig said with a smile. He thanked the waitress before returning his attention to Clara. “Tell me about the very first time you saw or met Timmons, will you? I’m curious to know how you know one another, and what sort of mischief you two managed to get into. Beyond the couple of stories he’s shared he really hasn’t told us anything about you.”
“I was three when I first met him. I know, I’m weird, but I was walking and talking at that age. The family moved into his neighborhood and no one was watching over me so I walked next door to meet the neighbors. Thankfully it was Elliott and his family,” she said with a smile as she recalled meeting Elliott and his family for the first time. “He was out back on the swing so I joined him. I immediately started to talk to him and he pushed me on the swing that he vacated for me. We became instant friends. I don’t know why, we just seemed to click.” Which had made her happy. “And from there it’s all history. Mostly.”
She grinned as she continued. “I was having dinner with him and his family before mine realized that I was gone. Bad I know, but they took turns watching over me. They had told me that I was an exhausting child. They kicked me out of the family when I was nineteen and came home to tell them I had two boyfriends. I was thankfully already through college by then, but they had fits. Seriously they told me I was no longer part of the family.” And she hadn’t looked back since. It had been nine years and she hadn’t once looked back at the family that put her away like yesterday’s trash, not when they treated her like that most of her life.
“I’m sorry that your family was unable to see beyond the constraints of what society deems acceptable. If more people broke the mold we’ve been forced into over the last few centuries, maybe it wouldn’t be so taboo. You sound like you were a very adventurous little girl. Though you are very lucky it was Timmons’s family and not someone intent on harming you.”
“I am. While I was growing up I spent more time with his family than my own. And yes, I was an adventurous child. I’m an adventurous adult as well,” she teased him. “You are right, though, if more people would break the molds life would be better. I am happy being different, though, especially since it brings me into your life as well.”
“Different is good. Too many think that being the same is the only way to get through life. But we’re all born unique so why do so many try to follow in others’ footsteps. Life is meant to be a journey of discovery, not only of who we are, what we want, but of life itself.” He took a sip of his water. “You found part of what you needed in life early. A very lucky thing indeed. So many waste time looking for the wrong things, in all the wrong places, because they don’t know what’s truly in their hearts. You do know what you need, want, and desire. A very smart woman to say the least.”
“Thank you,” she said with a bow of her head. “And yes, I learned early in life what I wanted and needed. Thankfully Elliott explained to me why he had to leave me without a word. I was heartbroken when he left in the middle of the night.” At his look she explained. “We were kids. There was a neighborhood kid that was being abused and the father kept getting away with it. So.” She flushed and took a drink of her water. “I hacked the police station and ensured that the paperwork wouldn’t get lost. I wasn’t as good as I am now and they backtracked to Elliott. He had been given a choice, from what he told me, either jail or the military and he chose to go into the military. He wasn’t able to call me and tell me what happened and his family refused to talk about it. I didn’t know until yesterday that he had given up his freedom to keep me safe.”
“Now that sounds like Timmons,” he said. “He’s always been protective toward those he worries can’t, or won’t, look out for themselves. Doesn’t always work out for him, but he keeps on trying. We’ve always teasingly called him a Boy Scout for all the do-gooder ways he has. Almost thought it would stick until he saved Harker’s life in battle one day. It was early on in our team days, the getting-to-know-you phase I suppose you’d call it. Everyone thought he was just this nice guy, too smart for his own good, living inside his head more often than not. Then he went all badass and totally shattered our illusions about him. The funniest thing was as soon as he did what was necessary, and helped Harker to his feet, he then wandered back over this equipment like nothing out of the ordinary had occurred.”
That had her smiling. “That sounds just like him.” She took another sip of her water and asked, “What about you? Elliott said that the two of you met your first day in basic? What brought you his way? What brought all of you at Nightshade together now that I think of it?”
“Believe it or not I was this scrawny little kid who thought joining the Marines was the only way to gain my parents’ approval. I was the sort of kid that got picked on a lot growing up until my father taught me martial arts. Then I was the kid that could get through a fight without ever throwing a punch, yet putting the bully to shame. Not always the brightest of plans honestly since they tended to remember that little detail.”
He paused while the waitress set their glasses down, and took a sip of his ale before continuing. “I always felt like I was this huge letdown for my parents. So I joined the Marines and thought fighting for my birth country would put me in a different light in their eyes. Didn’t quite work out that way, but that’s a whole other story. First day of basic you get yelled at by a Drill Sergeant. Big, mean guy who is there to weed out the wannabes from the truly dedicated. Everything you thought you knew about life is tossed out the window, and a whole new set of rules are laid out for you. You are no longer under your parents’ rule, but that of this much larger entity. Timmons and I were bunkmates. We both were absolutely terrified, had no clue what we were doing, and bonded over it. We made a pact to keep the other one going no matter what the instructors threw at us.”
Craig chuckled slightly and shook his head. “They threw a lot at us, testing us mentally and physically each and every single day. Once through basic, we were shipped out for more training because of skills we both had. That’s when we met Harker, and Cu
tter. We ended up in a bar fight because of Cutter, and because we stuck it out, helped them out, it created another bond. More training followed, and we were shipped overseas. This is when we met the rest of the team. Michael was a platoon leader at the time. Harker, Cutter, Timmons and myself were assigned to his platoon. Connor, Markham, Bradley and Jacobs were already a part of it along with a bunch of other guys. We got an even bigger crash course on things not to do than anything in training had prepared us for. A few years passed and we were all selected for a unique opportunity. It was the corps’ version of a SEAL team to keep things simple for you. Each of us had a specialty we brought to the table, a key component essential to the survival of the team. And from there the rest is history.”
“I love that you all have as much history together as you do. I think that it’s fabulous that you have all kept together for as long as you have and haven’t killed each other. That and you all came together and have created a business together. The fact that you are all in the protection industry still, I think that it’s pretty fabulous.”
“Well we do have a rather specific skill set,” he pointed out. Laughing, he shrugged slightly. “It made sense. We all have honed how we work together to a razor’s edge, so why not keep doing it? We’re all protectors, some a little different than others, but at the core it’s who we are. This way we can do what we were trained to do, on our terms, and by our own rules. It’s worked out pretty well so far for us. Yes, we’re still getting going, but the number of connections we have from over the years will keep us in business likely longer than any of us could ever have thought possible.”
