Chapter Nine
S era glanced over and studied Corey’s profile as he expertly maneuvered his big truck through the snow.
She’d never placed her full trust in a man before, but something about him felt solid.
Reliable. Honorable even. Maybe it was the fact he was former military.
Or maybe it was how he seemed so confident and in control.
He’d handled those armed men with ease while she’d fallen apart in the cellar.
How humiliating. But the darkness, the guns, the memories… Sometimes the fear reignited, and she’d succumbed.
“So where exactly are we going?” she asked, trying to make out his features beneath the thick beard. He’d mentioned his friend’s place but hadn’t been very specific.
“My buddy Brandon’s bar, Old Glory,” Corey answered.
She nodded, imagining what he’d look like cleanly-shaven. Probably twenty years younger with an angular jaw and those prominent cheekbones on full display.
“It’s still early, so they won’t be open yet. But the guys are coming.”
“You said your team,” she reminded him. “What kind of team?”
He hesitated, adjusting his gloved grip on the steering wheel. “That’s…classified,” he finally said. “Just know we’re all former military. Well, except Xander. But the less you know, the better.”
“Okaaaay.” Sera shifted in her seat, drawing the word out as she wondered if she’d just jumped from the frying pan into the fire. Maybe she shouldn’t be so quick to trust him. If he and his team were involved in covert missions, she might end up in even more trouble.
Like that’s even possible, she thought dryly. Already, she had men hunting her down with nefarious purposes. And we all saw how well I handled that—curled up in a ball and sobbing in the dark.
He glanced over at her, the sunlight making his blue eyes glow like twin icicles. God, she couldn’t get over how beautiful they were. And comforting. Something about his gentle gaze was reassuring in a very lovely way.
“We’re the good guys, Sera. If you trust us, we can help you.”
Her heart tightened. She wanted to believe him. Something about him simply inspired faith. And that’s something she’d lost after seeing innocent people die for no reason.
Don’t go there, Sera. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying hard to regroup. Don’t go to the dark place.
Snow crunched beneath the truck’s big tires as they continued to make their way down the mountainside. Corey was an excellent driver, obviously used to driving in treacherous conditions. The wheels only slid once—when they reached the bottom—and Corey easily straightened them out as he braked.
“I’m not sure how you can drive in all this,” Sera said. “It barely rained in San Diego, and when it did, people literally forgot how to drive.”
“I’m used to it. Is that where you grew up?”
She nodded. “How about you? Are you from here?”
“No. I moved here after separating from the Navy.”
When he didn’t elaborate, she decided not to pry. It was none of her business and, from the way his body tensed, she could tell he didn’t want to talk about it.
“We’re here,” he announced, pulling into a freshly-plowed parking lot.
Sera looked out the windshield at the bar.
A circular sign with “Old Glory” written in Old English font and surrounded by red and blue stars hung in the window and probably lit up at night.
It looked like every other hole-in-the-wall bar she’d ever seen.
Small and unobtrusive. Definitely unpretentious, unlike some of the trendy bars in Cali that tried far too hard to be hip.
She slid out of the truck, not sure what to expect.
Though Old Glory looked unremarkable from the outside, Sera immediately liked the atmosphere the moment she stepped inside.
Other than a large, worn-looking flag hanging over the back of the bar, decor was minimal.
A large stone fireplace sat in the corner, giving the place a cozy ambience.
The flames crackled, quickly warming her up, and she unzipped the coat Corey let her borrow.
A group of people sat at the large table beside the fireplace, and Corey led her over. A man with soft brown eyes stood up right away and bumped knuckles with Corey. She glanced down, noticing his prosthetic limb, but it didn’t seem to hold him back because he moved with practiced ease.
“I’m Weston Murphy, but you can call me Wes,” he said.
“Cor and I were on the same SEAL team back in the day. And this is my wife, Ellie.” Sera couldn’t miss the adoration she saw when Wes looked at Ellie.
She had no idea how long they’d been together, but they appeared very much in love.
A twinge of yearning shot through her. What would it be like to have a man look at her that way?
As though he cherished her above all else.
“Nice to meet you,” Sera replied.
“Everyone, this is Sera…” Corey’s voice faltered. “I don’t know your last name.”
“It’s Darling. Sera Darling.”
“Oh, I love that!” a woman with bouncy, blonde curls exclaimed. She exuded a bubbly charm that immediately put Sera at ease. “It sounds like a Disney character, doesn’t it?”
The big man beside her smirked. “If anyone around here is a Disney Princess, it’s you, Sunshine.”
“That’s Chaz Madden and his wife, Lottie.
She works here,” Corey said, pulling out a chair for her.
Sera gave him a shy smile before sitting down.
Suddenly, she felt overwhelmed as she looked around the table.
She’d never considered herself much of a social butterfly and, instead, she much preferred to observe than participate.
But she had a feeling all these alpha-looking men possessed larger than life personalities, and their women were no wallflowers.
“Speaking of which…” Lottie murmured, rounding a hand over her protruding belly, and eyeing the rugged-looking man across from her. “We need to find someone to cover for me when I go on maternity leave.”
“I know, and as happy as I am for you two, I’m dreading you leaving.” He turned his attention to Sera. “I’m Brandon Ward. This is my fiancée, Julia Evans.”
Julia had dark red hair and a friendly smile. She and Ellie appeared to be in their forties, around her own age maybe. Lottie seemed younger with fewer smile lines and, of course, a baby on the way.
“And that’s Jayson Knight, Lex Battle and Xander Hawke,” Corey said, finishing introductions.
Lex leaned across the table and scooped her hand up, cradling it in his much larger one. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Darling. I hear you need some help. I volunteer as tribute.”
Sera felt herself flush because the man was obviously an outrageous flirt. When he continued holding her hand longer than necessary, she noticed Corey frown.
“Don’t molest her, Battle,” Corey growled, and Sera pulled her hand free. “She’s been through enough.”
“Yeah, no need to scare the poor woman further,” Jayson added, hazel eyes dancing.
The men all chuckled. Well, everyone except for the one with the dark hair, Caribbean blue eyes and the moody look on his handsome face.
Xander Hawke. What a name, she thought, noticing the cross hanging around his neck and the slight scowl flattening his lips.
She’d had no idea what to expect when she walked through the door, but it wasn’t the immediate warm welcome she received—well, other than from Xander, who hadn’t said a word.
He’d just given her a slight head tilt. Everyone else’s smiles and greetings seemed genuine, and she began to relax.
Despite knowing barely anything about him, having Corey beside her helped, too.
He comforted her in a way she couldn’t quite explain.
“So, Sera, can you walk us through what happened?” Brandon began, focusing his attention on her. Beside him, Julia gave a nod of encouragement.
Clasping her hands together, Sera took a deep breath, squared her shoulders and launched into her story starting with what had happened the night she fled San Diego and how she’d wound up in Montana at the rest stop.
She shared her intense encounter in the bathroom, how she’d pepper sprayed the man, then ran.
“Oh, my gosh, that must’ve been so scary,” Lottie interjected. “I had someone run me off the road before, and my heart almost burst from my chest.”
Chaz twined his fingers through hers, pulling her closer. “Let’s not talk about that,” he murmured.
“I’m fine,” she said softly.
“Thank Christ,” he grunted.
“How did you and Corey meet?” Ellie asked, her sea-colored eyes bright and inquisitive.
“I waited until daylight then hiked through the woods and ran straight into his cabin. He was lying unconscious in the snow.”
“What?” Wes barked, and everyone started talking at once.
Corey sighed. “I had the flu, but I’m fine now.”
“You should’ve called, Cor,” Wes said, clearly annoyed. “What if she hadn’t stumbled onto you. You’d still be lying out there.”
“Then I guess we’d have a Corey popsicle,” Lex stated. “A Corsicle?”
“Storm was with me.”
“I’m surprised that beast didn’t start eating you,” Chaz said in a dry voice, and Corey glared at him.
“If he was going to eat anything, it would’ve been my cat,” Sera interrupted. “But he didn’t.”
“That’s because he’s a good wolf,” Corey stated, and Chaz and Lex snorted.
“Anyway, no one was eaten,” Brand said, getting them back on track. “But you said the men showed up at the cabin later, right?”
“That’s right.” Corey glanced over at her, and Sera remembered how she’d fallen apart in the cellar. She cleared her throat, hating that moment of weakness.
Looking from Julia to Ellie to Lottie, she had a feeling none of them would’ve broken down.
They all seemed so strong and confident.
And happy as hell. God, she envied them.
At one time, before the incident that changed her life, she’d smiled so much more and believed in good triumphing over evil. But now, not so much.
“I have a feeling they’ll be back, too,” Corey said grimly.
“I’ll put a call in to Mitch,” Brand announced. “See if he has any intel on J&J Shipping.”
“Who’s Mitch?” Sera asked.
“My dad.” Julia smiled. “He works in D.C. and has access to all sorts of intel. In the meantime, Sera can come upstairs with me and the girls. I have some warmer clothes you can borrow, if you need some.”
“Are you sure? I don’t want to take your things.”
“Not a problem,” Julia said, standing up. “You can borrow whatever you need.”
“C’mon,” Lottie said, also getting up with Chaz’s help. The big man doted on her like nothing Sera had ever seen. It was…incredibly sweet. A fierce ache filled her.
Ellie also hopped up and pressed a quick kiss to Wes’ lips.
They all seemed so close, like a little family, and Sera longed for that.
To belong to a group. Losing herself in work had seemed like the answer until recently.
Now, however, she knew that wasn’t the case.
Because when she’d needed help, no one had been there for her.
Until Corey.
She realized he was watching her, and when she met his ice-blue gaze, he gave her a nod and her heart thumped harder. He didn’t have to say anything. The reassuring look on his rugged face told her everything she needed to know.
He and his friends were going to help her. She didn’t have to keep running scared. Relief flooded through her as Lottie linked an arm through hers and led her toward a back room and staircase.