Eagle

by Janie Crouch

  “We know Stellman has some law enforcement in his pocket, so we’re not sure who can be trusted,” Henry responded. “That’s why the major wanted to come to you guys. He knows you can’t be bought.”

  Major Pinnock nodded. “When the time is right, and we know who can be trusted, law enforcement will very definitely be involved. But all I wanted to see from you guys today is if you’re even interested. We don’t have specifics on the when or where yet, but we will soon. If you’re not available, I need to find someone else.”

  “We’ll help.” Aiden was quick to jump in. “Whatever it is you need, you can count on us. You know that, Major.”

  Zac and Finn agreed. This man had commanded them at their best, worst, most wounded, and their most triumphant. Finn in particular. If it weren’t for Major Pinnock, Finn probably would’ve been court-martialed and dishonorably discharged eight years ago.

  “Yeah, Major, we’re in.” Finn grinned. “Even if Uncle Sam has an Army man like you working at an Air Force base. What’s up with that?”

  The major stood, shaking his head ruefully. “Trust me, I’d much rather be back in Stuttgart or Fort Bragg, but all in all, working with the airmen—guys like Henry—isn’t too bad. We’ll be in touch soon with more details.”

  Henry stood also. “If everything follows true to form, this shouldn’t interfere with your jobs or the day-to-day running of Linear Tactical. It will be more nighttime work—probably a lot of nightclubs. So far that seems to be where Cline is setting up meetings. It may result in just showing up and keeping your eyes and ears open.”

  Finn, Zac, and Aiden got up to walk Major Pinnock and Henry to the door. The major slapped Finn on the back. “You guys can get in and out of places around most of this part of the state without anyone batting an eye.”

  “Just let us know what you need, and we’ll be there,” Zac said, and once again everyone nodded. They all shook hands.

  The major’s car had barely left the drive before Finn’s son, Ethan, came zooming around the corner, followed by little Jessica. At four, Jessica was three and a half years younger than Ethan, but she was big for her age and he was small, so the age gap wasn’t very apparent.

  Except to Finn.

  He didn’t give a shit if his son’s best friend—that his only friend—was a girl. In his mind, that just proved the kid had good taste. But the fact that Ethan needed someone so much younger to relate to. . .it ate at him. Ethan never wanted to play with kids from his own grade, even when Finn tried to arrange play dates.

  Ethan only wanted to be around Jess. Granted, she was one of their closest neighbors and her mom worked at Linear, so Jess was around a lot. Were they so close because of that or the intellectual challenges facing his son?

  “Come on, Jess,” Ethan said. “Dad’s done. Let’s go build Legos!”

  Jess roared her answer in a voice twice as loud as Ethan’s. “Yeah, Legos!”

  On his way out, Zac laughed and waved as, without even stopping the children streaked past Finn and Aiden and into the office in the back room where the toys were kept. A German shepherd puppy, which Ethan had named Sky—short for Skywalker—scrambled in after them.

  A few seconds later Jessica’s mom, Peyton, rounded the corner, looking tired and worn out. “Sorry, Finn.” The pinched look that always seemed to blanket her features was even more pronounced than usual. “They got away from me while I was cleaning the sparring area.”

  Finn smiled. “No harm. We were already done. Plus, I’m pretty sure babysitting Ethan is not included in your agreed upon duties.” Peyton was, for all intents and purposes, Linear’s janitor. She came in four days a week and cleaned a different area each day.

  Her smile was brief and tight. Her eyes darted back and forth across the yard, as if she was on the lookout for something. “But keeping my Jess under control is.”

  “They’re in playing Legos, so I think we’re all safe for a while. I’ll make sure they don’t burn down the place, so no worries.”

  “Okay, thanks.” She grabbed her bucket of cleaning supplies and turned toward the large barn they’d turned into a sparring and workout area when they’d first opened.

  Standing on the wrap-around porch, Finn could hear Ethan and Jessica talking in the playroom. Was he perpetuating the problem by allowing Ethan to spend so much time with the preschooler? School was out for summer, so his son was relatively happy spending all his time with Jess, Finn, or Finn’s mom. But things would change when school started again in the fall.

  Ethan hated school. Finn knew it was because his son felt like a failure when it came to learning, particularly reading. He was too young to understand that part of the problem was because of choices his mother had made when she’d been pregnant and when Ethan had been a baby, before Finn had even known he had a son.

  “What’s that look about?” Aiden asked.

  Finn rubbed the back of his neck. “Ethan. Knowing that school will start in the fall and he’ll still be behind.”

  “What about that tutor Ethan’s teacher found?”

  Charlie. Finn had spent the past month specifically trying not to think about her. “Yeah, that didn’t work out.”

  “Ethan didn’t like her?”

  Finn shrugged. “He never actually met her. I found out the tutor was my ex. . .” Ex what? Love of his life? Woman he thought he would spend forever with? “. . . girlfriend. Just thought it would be better to forget the whole thing.”

  “The rich ex-girlfriend?”

  “Yep. The princess of Oak Creek.”

  “You think she’s not good at her job?”

  To be honest, Finn couldn’t imagine Charlie as any sort of education specialist, particularly working with kids with disabilities. But he’d never been able to think straight when it came to her. “I think Charlotte Devereux is unreliable. She might be okay as a tutor, but it won’t take long before she gets bored and takes off. What happens when Ethan comes to depend on her and she decides this little hobby isn’t worth her time? I don’t want her near Ethan at all.”

  Didn’t want her near him either.

  Liar.

  Finn pushed that voice out of his mind the same way he had the thought of her the last few weeks. But like it or not, the fact was, Ethan needed help. They’d been working with Mrs. Johnson, the county special ed coordinator, all summer, but it wasn’t enough. Ethan needed someone who specialized in his particular learning disabilities.

  Nobody in Teton County had really been able to make a difference for Ethan. Hell, that was true even for the people they’d traveled outside of the county to see. And now there was talk about putting him in a special class. When the kid had heard that, he’d just about lost it.

  Ethan had already been through so much in his short life and had come so far. Both Finn and Mrs. Johnson had tried to explain to Ethan how a special class might help him, might make things easier for him to learn. But Ethan didn’t want that. He just wanted to be a normal kid in a normal class. He didn’t want to be someone the other children made fun of.

  Kids could be cruel.

  But Finn couldn’t let him just continue to flounder academically. He was going into third grade, and his learning problems would compound if they didn’t manage to teach Ethan some coping strategies. Soon he wouldn’t be able to successfully pass each grade.

  His kid needed help. Finn scrubbed a hand across his face again. If Charlie could possibly provide that, didn’t he owe it to Ethan to give her a chance?

  Maybe. But he just couldn’t see Charlie having the patience and tactics to provide Ethan that sort of help.

  He didn’t even know if she was around anymore. He hadn’t seen her in Oak Creek since that day at the Frontier Diner a little over a month ago. She may have already gotten bored with her little foray into special education.

  “I’m sure you’ll figure it out, man,” Aiden said. “You are coming out to The Eagle’s Nest tonight, right?”

  “Are you kidding? Annie would kill me
if I didn’t. Plus, my mom already agreed to let Ethan stay overnight. So yeah, some adult shenanigans sound good.”

  He was happy for Zac and Annie, he really was. His friend had finally found happiness, even if it was with someone Zac had never expected to wander back into his life.

  Finn just didn’t hold out any hope it would happen the same way for him.

  Charlie needed a third job. Although, honestly, as there’d been no more tutoring opportunities since the one with Finn’s son had gone down the drain, it was only a second job.

  She didn’t want to take a full-time job during the day because it would mean having to say no to any tutoring jobs. If any actually ever came her way again.

  Nothing quite like trying to keep a dying dream—one gasping its last breath—alive. Yet she couldn’t bring herself to put it out of its misery. Every day she prayed another call would come. Another chance. But, so far, nothing.

  Hopefully she could get a job at The Eagle’s Nest. A few day shifts per week would be flexible enough to allow her to take any education assignments that came her way. She was here now on a Wednesday night, thinking it might be a good time to talk to the manager. The bar shouldn’t be very crowded, and maybe they’d let her go ahead and start tonight.

  Because she needed money desperately. It was the first of the month, so the payment was due next week, and once again she wasn’t sure she was going to have enough.

  Forty-five hundred dollars, an amount that at one time she wouldn’t even have batted an eyelash at, was now the sole focus of her day-to-day life.

  She realized her mistake the moment she walked inside the bar. It might be Wednesday, and The Eagle’s Nest could definitely use some waitressing and bartending help, but it was way too crowded for her to be able to talk to the manager.

  Some sort of celebration was going on. A guy was sitting at a booth near the front, arm in a sling, a big grin on his face even though he looked like he was in a little bit of pain. Everybody was stopping by his table, shaking his hand, and generally cooing over him. It was packed.

  A lot of these people were ones she remembered from high school. Just for a minute, her reality seemed to shift.

  This would’ve been her life. This was what she had envisioned for her life. She would’ve been one of the gaggle of women buying shots, planning to flirt, dance, and drive the guys a little crazy. She would’ve been one of those hugging, smiling, and bumping hips casually with others as they walked by, laughing out loud at a joke that wouldn’t even seem funny tomorrow. This would’ve been her tribe. This town would’ve been her home. They had been meant to be hers.

  But they weren’t.

  She walked over to the bar, grabbing a stool in the far corner, ignoring whatever was roiling and twisting in her gut. She sat, just watching.

  Just wishing.

  It was Riley Wilde, the little tomboy who had grown up into a gorgeous woman, who saw Charlie and waved to her. Before Charlie could even decide how to respond, Riley was making her way over.

  “Charlie Devereux! Come join us for shots!” The woman already had some sort of bright blue concoction in a glass in her hand.

  But damn if it wasn’t nice to have someone just pull her right into the fold like that. Maybe Riley had already had a couple, or she was just as friendly as she had been when they were younger. But either way it was nice to be invited. To not be on the outside.

  What the hell, ten dollars’ worth of drinks wasn’t going to make the difference in whether she could make her payment this month or not.

  She slipped off her lightweight jacket and let Riley pull her into a group of other women. They all started talking to her and seemed to be celebrating something to do with Anne Nichols, who was evidently a doctor now and had said more in the last two minutes than Charlie had heard her say during the entire four years of high school. Anne looked so pretty, soft, and happy. A glass of the blue stuff in her hand, she glanced over at a table across the bar. Her pretty features softened even more with happiness as she did.

  Charlie followed Anne’s gaze, a shot glass in her own hand now, to see what the other woman was looking at.

  Not what. Who. Zac Mackay. Anne wasn’t just pretty, soft, and happy, she was in love. And Zac—unable to tear his eyes away from the woman—was obviously just as in love with her.

  It was sweet and beautiful and made Charlie want to drink in their honor.

  “Let’s go make the guys drink these, ladies!” Riley yelled, and the others agreed.

  “Where?” she yelled over the din.

  “There!” Riley pointed toward the table where Zac was sitting.

  She hesitated. But maybe it would be okay. Zac didn’t have a problem with her, she didn’t think, even though he was Finn’s best friend. She could stay for a little while. Be part of a life outside of just surviving.

  Then someone moved, clearing her view. Zac was sitting with a bunch of guys.

  Including Finn.

  His eyes met hers and she couldn’t look away. She didn’t know what to do, didn’t know how to breathe.

  But she couldn’t stay.

  “Riley.” She grabbed the younger woman’s arm. “I just remembered something I have to do. I’ll catch you guys next time, okay? Don’t let those drinks kill you.”

  Riley was caught up in the women’s march toward the table. She yelled something back, but Charlie couldn’t hear it. And it didn’t matter anyway.

  She couldn’t stay. She should’ve known that from the second she walked in. And definitely recognized that a job here was out of the question.

  She slipped her jacket back on, consciously not looking over at Finn, and headed straight for the door.

  She made it across the parking lot to her car before releasing the breath she’d been holding. She’d escaped without another showdown with Finn. Good. She didn’t have the energy.

  “You running and me chasing after you. Seems about par for the course.”

  She squeaked and spun around. “Damn it, Finn, you shouldn’t sneak up on people like that. It’ll get you punched in the gut.”

  “Punched in the gut is pretty much what I expect from you, princess. Believe me, I’ll never be stupid enough to leave my guard down for it again.”

  She couldn’t blame him for that.

  They stared at each other for a long minute before he took a step forward. She eased back, finding herself trapped between him and her car. Something over her shoulder caught his attention.

  “This yours?”

  “Yeah.” The BMW 3 Series was old but paid off. She didn’t want to explain why she was driving it. He probably expected her to have something much newer and fancier.

  But that wasn’t what had caught his attention.

  “Geez, princess, what the hell is all this stuff?”

  An icy panic seized her. Explaining an older car was much easier than why everything she owned was split between the trunk and back seat.

  “Finn. . .” She searched for words, lies, for anything to get out of telling the truth.

  But he just laughed. “What, are your maids on vacation? If not, you need to fire them. They are doing a piss-poor job of keeping this car clean.”

  He thought she was a slob, too lazy to clean out her own car. That was better than him knowing the truth, but it still cut at parts of her she didn’t want to acknowledge.

  “Just leave me alone, Bollinger. Go back to your friends.”

  That was a challenge. One of those sexy, dark eyebrows rose. “You know this is where I hang out.” He stepped closer, trapping her further. “You following me, Charlie?”

  “Don’t flatter yourself.” He was too close. All she could do was breathe in the woodsy, leathery scent of him. He still smelled the same even after all these years.

  She should leave, get some distance between them. But she couldn’t seem to force herself to do it.

  “Don’t you have a husband at home wondering where you are?” he finally asked.

  She shoul
d tell Finn yes, she was still married, that Brandon was in fact waiting at home for her. It was the surest way to get Finn to leave her alone.

  But once again she couldn’t. “No. We divorced four years ago.”

  “Ah, ‘the course of true love never did run smooth.’” He didn’t even hide his smirk.

  Asshole. She responded with her own weapon. “Isn’t Shakespeare a little above your pay grade, soldier?”

  His eyes narrowed. She’d scored a direct hit. His lack of college education still ate at him. Of course, she’d helped rip open that chink in his armor eight years ago.

  He rebounded quickly, as he always had with their verbal sparring. He may not have gone to college, but it hadn’t been because he was stupid. “Why are you here, Charlie?”

  “I came in for a drink—”

  “No, in Oak Creek as a tutor. You never mentioned wanting to help kids when we were together.”

  That was because she thought she’d have half a dozen kids of her own. It had never occurred to her that she might want a job helping someone else’s children.

  Yet another thing she was never going to tell him. She crossed her arms over her chest. “We haven’t seen each other in almost a decade. I think we can agree that people change in that time. I got a master’s degree, found something I was good at. Is that a sin?”

  He took that final step so all the ways he hadn’t been touching her, he now was. He was pressed against her from thigh to shoulder. Again, she should move away.

  Again, she didn’t.

  She had the strength to survive what would bring others to their knees, but not to move away from Finn Bollinger. She’d done it once, and it had nearly killed her.

  “Sin,” he whispered, his mouth so close to hers. “You mentioned that last time I saw you. This is the only sin I think about when I’m anywhere near you.”

  His hands started at her elbows and slid all the way up to her shoulders. She shuddered inside her thin jacket even though the night was mild. His fingers kept trailing up, along her collarbone, then to her throat. He tilted her chin higher as he bent toward her.

  And then his lips were on hers, like they belonged there. And maybe they did. She gripped his wrists and held on as the heat surrounding them crackled in the air.