War Tears: A Military Mountain Man Romance (A Rock Hard Mountain Man Romance Series Book 2)

by Kylie Parker

  “Thanks a lot for that, by the way,” He smirked, as Jake obliged.

  “Why, Austen?” Jake inquired, fixing his gaze on Rivers’ face. “Killing a fellow officer? Sending pictures to my girlfriend?”

  “Jensen had to go,” Austen groaned. “Maybe not the way he did but…” He paused. “I had to make it look personal. I wanted you behind bars. When that went south, I wanted to make you feel the same way I felt, when your girl here shot me down. Pull her gag off. She’ll tell you all about it.”

  Intrigued, Jake did as told.

  “It’s true,” Allison gasped, turning to him. “He hit on me once, while we were in Iraq. I didn’t want to tell you. You’d get into a fight with him. Fights among officers are punishable by law. We saw each other again, on my flight home.”

  “My first leave in more than three years,” Rivers interjected. “Same deal. I asked her out, she turned me down. She said she wanted to see you.”

  “And you want to kill us for that?!” Jake roared in rage, narrowing his eyes at him, as Allison gently wept.

  “He’s obsessed with me,” She sniffled. “Please, don’t talk to him.”

  “Why not you little whore?” Rivers yelled, leaning over her. At that very moment, their attention was drawn by a loud, banging sound. The door flew open and hit the wall behind it. It was Clay, with a shotgun in his hands and a face stone-cold determination.

  “Put the gun down, motherfucker,” He grumbled, cocking his weapon, as he lifted it to his face. “I’m not going to ask twice.”

  Out of the blue, Rivers’ thin lips curled into a devilish smile, as he stared down at the barrel. Then, he glanced up at Clay, before bursting into loud, evil laughter. Jake tried to take advantage of his distraction, but, as he attempted to sneak up on him, he sensed Allison’s gaze fixed on him.

  “No,” She silently mouthed to him.

  “Do I amuse you, asshole?” Clay groaned, tightening his grip on his weapon.

  “Hell, yeah,” Rivers giggled. “I’m a US marine, you stupid fuck: Sergeant First Class.”

  “Sergeant,” Clay smirked. “I reached major. I put on the uniform before you were even born. Now, do what I said, or I’m going to smear your brains all over the fucking wall.”

  All of a sudden, Rivers stopped laughing altogether. Jake and Allison watched, as he tried to lift his gun to aim at Clay. He was too slow. Clay pulled the trigger. The powerful, deafening blast sent Austen’s body flying over them. He was thrown against the wall, before landing on a computer monitor, shattering the panel to hundreds of pieces. Relief rushed through Jake. Clay pulled a small knife out of his pocket and threw it to him, as the distinctive rumble of Harley exhaust pipes tore the silence.

  “You kids should get out of here,” Clay advised. “My boys and I will take care of this.”

  “I can’t thank you enough, man,” Jake stated, as he cut Allison loose.

  “Take the blonde and get out,” Clay insisted, the barrel of his shotgun still smoking, as he loosened his grip on the handle. “Go!”

  Simply nodding to his friend, Jake walked out of the room, as Clay’s comrades made their way towards the flourmill. At last, his ordeal was over, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that his friend’s troubles were just getting started. He leaned his back against the driver’s seat, as Allison opened the passenger door.

  “Sick, twisted bastard…” She mumbled, as he ran both hands through his hair. “Jake this, Jake that… I thought he’d never shut up.”

  “Of all the goddamn people,” a bitter smile spread across his face.

  “I should have told you about him,” Allison spoke in a lazy tone.

  “Look, it’s late,” Jake said, leaning forward. “You can spend the night in my place.”

  “Just take me to the ‘Aztec’ hotel,” She suggested, turning her head to the left to face him. “Thanks a lot for the offer, though.”

  “No, Allie,” He rejected her idea, his voice calm and steady. “I feel responsible for what you’ve been through. You’re not going to a hotel: period.”

  29

  Jake’s head spun uncontrollably as he drove them back to his house. Unable to fathom why a man he considered his friend would harm him in these ways, his mood left him only enough energy for a quick shower, and enough sense to get some much needed rest. Allison’s mood didn’t rank much higher; plus, her abduction had exhausted her. The usually talkative, cheerful blonde had turned into a grumpy woman who was virtually silent.

  He Jake gave Allison a white shirt to wear to bed, and showed her to his bedroom, but she didn’t like his idea. Instead, Allison decided to take the couch. Emotionally drained and way too tired to fight, Jake did not argue with her. He said “goodnight” to her and lay in bed while the events of the night swirled around in his mind in an unending loop…

  “So, Austen Rivers had been obsessed with Allison. How in the world did I miss that one? It’s as if I woke up in the middle of a nightmare. The “Honorable” marine was nothing more than a sick prick who had wanted her at any cost. I bet he had called his feelings ‘love’. He was like most psychopaths who think they’re in love with their desired obsessions. Here’s some headline news, guys: it’s not love. Aah, why do I even care? Rivers is gone. I hope Clay doesn’t get accused of his murder. It was clearly self-defense. I would testify to that, but I doubt it will ever go to trial. Allison’s supposed to be dead and the guy who kidnapped her is a man in uniform. The Secretary of Defense would be humiliated, and the Armed Forces would take a devastating blow. The American people will become aware of his crazy plan, and, let’s face it; a marine that’s proved to be a psychopath will have a negative effect on the general opinion of the military.”

  Jake’s thoughts came to a slamming halt as his bedroom door flew open. He was stunned into stillness.

  “Your couch is way too uncomfortable,” Allison declared as she came barging into his bedroom. Jake opened his eyes wide in disbelief, as she strode across the room, his shirt billowing around her. “You don’t mind, do you?” she added, as she raised the sheets and crawled under the covers. The first thing that ran through his mind was to get up and leave, but, unfortunately for him, he had on no clothes.

  “Oh, crap…” he whispered to himself, putting his hand over his eyes.

  “What?” Allison chirped, rolling over onto her left side.

  “Never mind,” Jake hummed, taking his hand off his face. His eyes snapped open, however, as he sensed her tender hand on his stomach. Slowly, it started to travel further down. As quick as a striking cobra, he grabbed her wrist and held it away from his body.

  “You still sleep naked.” Allison’s feminine voice turned into a low, husky whisper, as she tried to twist her hand out of his grip. “I guess some things never change.”

  “Allie...” he let out a long, frustrated sigh, shutting his eyes as she leaned over towards him. “Don’t.”

  “Just one last night,” she whispered in his ear, “for old time’s sake. You know we were always good together.”

  Allison’s sexy voice sent prickly heat down every nerve in his body, as she kicked the covers away. She tried lifting her leg over his body while looking down into his eyes. He could see her pussy as she maneuvered around on the bed. As she sat up beside him and pulled the shirt up and over her head, she had no bra on, either. She had planned for this seduction to happen.

  “One hot night,” another whisper escaped Allison, as she bent her body down. The tips of her breasts brushed against his chest. Jake was vulnerable; it would be so easy to just not think, lose control, and let his little head rule the day. But, is that really what he wanted? Even though he had been hurt by a lack of trust, did that give him the right to break trust in return?

  No. Jake still loved someone else, so this could never be right. He let go of Allison’s wrist, rolled away from her and got out of the bed. He looked down at her with a mixture of anger, frustration, and sadness in his eyes and shook his head.

 
“No, Allison,” he intoned. “This is not happening tonight or any other night. We had our time. You had your chance... and you threw it away. I’m not doing the ‘one last night’ ride. In the end, it will only end up hurting us both. Don’t you see that?” Jake turned his back on her, and walked towards his dresser to find some sweatpants to pull on his body.

  Allison replied hotly, “No. I don’t see that. I’m not with anyone. And as far as I know, neither are you. So what’s the big deal? We’re two adults who’ve known each other since middle school and who were together for most of our adult lives. Why can’t we have a night of comfort from one another?” Allison stared at Jake’s back, as he still wouldn’t face her despite having put on a pair of faded USMC sweatpants.

  Slowly, Jake finally turned around and looked into Allison’s eyes for some time. She held her breath, wondering what he might be thinking; what he might do next. She wanted to believe that he would look at her and still want her; however, when she checked, he wasn’t even hard for her. She felt herself flush with the knowledge, but she made no move to pick up the shirt to put it back on her body. She still thought she could tempt him if she could get him to look at her long enough.

  “I’m not so sure, yet, that I’m single; I think that decision is up in the air and up to me,” came Jake’s thoughtful reply. “That being the case, there is no way I’m going to trash my possible future by trying to recapture my impossible past. You should know me better than that: I don’t mess around. That’s just not me. I didn’t think it was you. I’m beginning to think I never knew you, Allie. What the hell happened to you, that you would go for a one night hook-up with an ex? Especially when you know that ex is in love with someone else?” Jake just shook his head in confused hurt.

  Allison hung her head, but whispered, “God, I just want you so bad! Even if it is for just one more night, I think I could deal with whatever comes next. I just feel so stuck right now. You are so close, but you’re a million miles away and I can’t touch you.” Slow tears started to leak from Allison’s eyes. Seeing them, Jake didn’t know what to do. Should he go physically comfort her, or would that send the wrong message?

  Leaning over the bed, Jake snagged his shirt and walked around to the other side. Turning it right side out, he placed the shirt over Allison’s head and over her body, helping her get her arms in the sleeves. Then he sat behind her and pulled her into a gentle hug and murmured, “We’ll always be friends, Allie. But that is all we can ever be from now on – friends. A part of me died when I thought you had died; I couldn’t even stay in Boston. I had to come live here in the mountains to find what little peace I could. For some reason, I was also gifted with the chance to fall in love again, and I’m not going to throw that gift away. I know I’ve already had to weather some tough times because of this new love, but as the song says, ‘Love Hurts’, but it’s damn worth it. If there is even a millimeter of a chance that I can make my happiness with Holly, I’m going for it.”

  Allison thought over what Jake had just said. Then she asked him, “So, are you going to forgive her for everything she’s done wrong? And if you can forgive her, why can’t you forgive me?” Allison was determined to keep pushing her case forward.

  Jake weighed the issues carefully in his head and finally answered Allison. “I think what it comes down to, Allie, is responsibility, timing, and regret. A lot of what happened with Holly happened before we even met. I didn’t know her when she had a gambling issue. I certainly didn’t know her when she owed money to a loan shark and was trying to pay him back. And I wasn’t the one who tried to nail her to the wall with a problem that she had worked hard to fix and manage for a while now. Despite all of that, she owned up to what had happened and what she had done without batting an eyelash. You, on the other hand, didn’t come out of that situation smelling so great. I place a great deal of personal stock on trust – and in that case, she trusted me quite a bit. You, however, tried to manipulate me, just like you did tonight.”

  Allison’s stomach churned with sadness and frustration, but then something hit her. “Jake? What do you mean if you have a ‘millimeter of a chance’? Aren’t you two together?” Could I still have a chance with Jake, even if this is just one more rejection? How long can he actually hold out?

  Jake sighed heavily, trying to decide how much of the truth he wanted to disclose. Finally deciding that full disclosure would hurt no one, he just opened his mouth and let the words spill out. “Short answer; no.”

  “What’s the long answer?” Allison asked.

  “Well, it’s still no, but with a clarification. You know the pictures I accused you of sending to Holly?” Allison nodded. “Well, she thought they were real, and she broke up with me. I was able to prove they were faked, and she came and apologized for not believing in me.”

  “Let me guess. You turned her away for not trusting in you. Am I right?” Allison asked softly.

  Jake sighed heavily, nodded, and replied, “Yep; that’s it in a nutshell.”

  Silence settled between the two for several minutes. Finally, Allison pulled away from Jake and turned around to face him. She looked him straight in his eyes and stated slowly and clearly, “Well, if I were you, I wouldn’t leave the ball in my court forever; she might find it’s easier to wait on someone else to make a play. After all, we women aren’t like men: we can’t be perfect all the time; we’re only human,” she ended sarcastically.

  Jake stared at her with wide eyes. Am I really making Holly live up to an impossible standard? I know I call her my angel... am I really expecting her to be as pure and perfect as an angel as well? What right do I have to be the judge of her? And if I can get over my hurt – and myself – will she even want me back?

  Jakes thoughts were in turmoil again, only now they were centered on his present and his potential future. There was a very real possibility that he had ruined his chances with Holly by not forgiving her. No one could ever know what that one word or action could be that would break a person. His only hope now rested upon believing that Holly’s strength would sustain her until he could make his way back to her. He wished he could run to her right then, but something still held him back. Jake realized his own weaknesses and fears were holding him back, but at the moment, he could not see any way around them. Perhaps he was just too physically, emotionally, and spiritually spent. Perhaps tomorrow would bring more clarity.

  “Well...” Jake slowly sighed, “contrary to popular belief, men aren’t all that perfect either. In fact, we fuck up quite a lot – so much so you would think we took classes in it.”

  Allison chuckled at that. “You can be pretty silly sometimes, you know? But if you can see where you went wrong, there might be hope for you yet. Just like I’m hoping there might be hope for me. If nothing else, I’ll still have the Corps.”

  “And you’ll still have me,” Jake responded. Allison cocked her head quizzically to the side. “I’m serious, Allie. We grew up together. We were there for each other for a long time. That doesn’t just go away. You’ll always be a close friend to me if you want me as such. I can’t not care about you. For heaven’s sake; I named my bar after you. In a way, we’ll always be stuck with each other.”

  Then the quiet moved into the room again, allowing both marines to contemplate the past

  “Sometimes, I wish I could turn back the clock,” Allison’s murmured, her voice filled with sadness, as she reached over and squeezed Jake’s fingers. “Then, I never would have volunteered for that damn mission and we would still be together.”

  “I still don’t know why you did that,” Jake said in his baritone, sucking in a deep breath, still sounding perplexed and hurt.

  “Because I was stupid,” she admitted bitterly, using a self-deprecating tone, “stupid enough to believe it could end the war. But I soon realized there was nothing I could ever do that would put an end to that atrocity. They don’t want it to end, Jake. Some people are making too much money out of it.”

  “I couldn’t
have said it better myself,” he agreed. “Anyway, I should let you get some rest.”

  “Oh, no, you don’t,” Allison smiled, grabbing his hand. “You’re not going anywhere, mister.”

  “I hope this is not part of some…” Jake paused, “crazy plan to win me over again; to try to get me into bed and sleep with me so you can be with me again. Is it?”

  “It’s not,” she assured him, as sorrow returned in her voice. “I’m not going to try again; not anymore. Why should I? You were right. I should have been honest with you. I live nine hours away from you, and you have a life here, too. On top of all that, you’re clearly in love with that deputy. So, stay here. I’ll go back to the couch. I have slept on a lot worse in the field and you know it.”

  “Well, we’re both adults. There’s no reason we both can’t be comfortable. Let me grab you a pair of my boxers and we’ll just both crash in the bed; but only if you promise to keep your hands to yourself, missy,” Jake scolded playfully.

  “Sir, yes, sir,” Allison responded with a giggle and a salute.

  Well, Allison, our love is gone forever; may our friendship live on forevermore.

  30

  Two weeks went by after the night that Clay shot and killed Austen Rivers. As one would expect, the Sheriff’s station was, once again, occupied by federal agents investigating his disappearance. Of course, the bikers had not left the body there. They had loaded it into a van and buried him miles away from the spot. They also burned the flourmill to the ground, destroying any evidence. Clay had informed Jake about everything. As much as he didn’t like it, he didn’t have a choice but to keep his mouth shut about the whole thing. Yes, his friend was only defending himself, but a possible investigation of him would probably reveal his involvement in criminal activities. By the end of that investigation, Clay and his crew would most likely end up behind bars.