Chapter Ten
Crew often got in his head about that tragic day when Conner lost his life. But for once, that wasn’t weighing on him as much as some other things.
His sister Callie had texted him several times this week about their weekly ritual. For months, they’d been watching the same TV series, and getting on a video call to discuss it in real time made them both feel connected. But he hadn’t answered her at all this week.
He’d also skipped out on poker night. Pope had cornered him twice about it, but his friend stopped asking after that, and that weighed on Crew. The guys expected him to show up, and he was letting them down.
Now, he shouldn’t just be walking Fern to the community garden. He should pitch in to do the work alongside her. After her fright over the car breaking down, he wanted to stick close to her, but he needed to talk to the security team, and the sooner the better.
As he strolled across the grounds beside her, their steps were unhurried. She had her arms wrapped around herself, but she gazed at the beautiful view of a pale blue sky and the darker blue mountain hovering over them like an ancient sentry.
They didn’t speak, but he didn’t detect any strain between them. Just…a shared ease like they’d been together for years.
The sounds of the ranch—birdsong, the hum of insects and the occasional lowing of a cow in the pasture—were familiar things that grounded him. He filled his lungs with the scent of hay and grass and Fern’s sweet perfume—fresh and light.
As they rounded the barn, the community garden came into sight. She slowed her steps even more, stare fixed on the dark, rich topsoil they’d managed to spread a few days back.
After she jumped out his window.
After he spread her thighs and made her gasp out his name.
She drifted to a stop at the edge of the garden. “I can’t wait for the rock and pavers to be delivered. Getting the paths in is going to make such a difference. It’s really going to come alive!”
He couldn’t help but smile at her enthusiasm, thinking of how her eyes had lit up when she approached the checkout with all those dead plants in her arms like they were precious babies. And to her, they were.
Her eyes had the same shiny look now, and a smile toyed around the corners of her plump lips. Unable to stop himself, he turned to her. Closing his fingers around her waist, he swung her toward him. In one step, she slipped into his arms, body flush against him.
He stared down at her. “I wish I could work on the garden with you.”
She rubbed her cheek against his chest with so much trust that his heart flexed. “You’ve done so much for me already. Thank you, Crew.”
“No thanks needed. I’d do a hell of a lot more. It’s just that I need to talk to the security team.”
She leaned back enough to meet his eyes. “Felicity sounded eager to lend a hand. She’s changing into work clothes now.”
“Good. She’s a great person. Gabe is a lucky man.”
He brushed his thumb over the crest of her cheek. And I’m lucky as hell too.
“God, you’re so beautiful.”
A fresh pink blush bloomed under his thumb. She settled her hand over his where it lay along her cheek.
“You’re not so bad either.”
They shared a grin that left him with no doubt she was thinking about being in his bed. Before he could do anything remotely like ripping off her clothes and wrecking the straight lines they spent so much time mapping out in the dirt, Felicity appeared at the edge of the garden.
Fern immediately stepped out of his arms, and he let her go, squeezing her hand once. When she tossed a look back at him, her eyes were shining with that same joy he’d seen when she looked at the garden.
He watched her bounce over to Felicity, already chatting about the garden plan.
He watched her for a beat, trying to force back the feelings rising inside him, as thick and disorienting as fog.
Connecting with a woman hadn’t been on his radar, and he wanted to shirk all his other obligations—to his sister, his friends and even the Black Heart Security team—to spend more time with her.
But that wasn’t an option while she was still being threatened.
Each step he took toward the security office, his mind shifted away from tender looks and passionate touches…to all-out war.
By the time he entered the conference room, his hands were balled into fists at his sides.
Some of the Malones were out of the office on various security details, but Gray, Theo and Colt were here, along with Decker, a former vet from the program and a man Crew called friend.
Decker’s hand was planted on the table, and he leaned over his wife, Willow. She looked up at Crew’s entrance, and the energy instantly grew charged.
Gray nodded toward the chairs, but Crew was too keyed up to sit. He gripped the back of the chair at the foot of the table. “We should get the police to pay a visit to Fern’s ex,” he said without preamble.
His announcement was met with a throb of silence. Then Theo grunted. “Great minds, man. I already made the call.”
His chest inflated. “And?”
“They’re on their way now. In about…” he glanced at his watch, “ten minutes, we’re going to know if he is at home or in Willowbrook stalking Fern.”
It took more effort to breathe than it should. Crew had felt a lot of things in his life—devastation, grief and guilt being a few. But he’d never felt this all-consuming rage scorching through his entire body.
“If it is her ex, you need to know I’m going to put a stop to it any way I see fit.” His jaw popped from gnashing out the words.
Willow exchanged a look with Decker, her brow furrowed.
Decker pulled out a chair, the legs scraping on the hardwood, and dropped into it. “You should sit too, Crew.”
He considered the request for a beat before he huffed out a breath and sank into a chair. Bracing his forearms on the table, he leaned forward. “While we’re waiting for the cops to reach Fern’s ex, let’s talk about me working with the team.”
Another silence crashed over the group, this time louder and thicker than before.
Gray eyed him. “You deserve to be here, Crew. But are you sure you’re ready for it? You get in the trenches, you gotta be prepared to fight.”
“I’m ready.” Until now, being here was all about feeling normal. But protecting Fern couldn’t feel more right. He wasn’t sure if his decision would be worthy of the veterans board, but it felt like the right step for him.
He met Gray’s stare, bearing his scrutiny for a solid minute.
Finally, as though he’d come to some conclusion based on what he saw in Crew’s expression, Gray nodded. “He’s good.”
Colt’s brow ratcheted up. “You sure, Crew? There’s no shame in letting us take the reins. We’re trained—”
“I’m trained too, dammit. I want in. I want to know if the ex even farts.”
Gray’s lips twitched. Theo chuckled outright. Colt sat back, a smile on his face and respect in his eyes. And Decker and Willow traded a grin.
“We in agreement?” Crew swept a look around the room. Before they could answer, he said, “Good. Let’s talk about Fern’s customers.”
They settled to work. Willow brought up a photo of each person Fern had worked for.
Small pins on the map marked their locations.
Crew studied it, looking for any connections, but the pins were all over the map, not centered in one area.
And soon they discovered that the clients were only loosely connected by all living in Willowbrook, with no ties beyond that.
As they reached the final person on the list, Theo’s phone buzzed. He looked straight at Crew, and he knew without a doubt that this was information on the ex.
“Put it on speaker.” His voice was as gritty as a cowboy movie star’s.
The officer on the line delivered the news in brief sentences.
They arrived at Chris Calder’s place of residence.
He answered the door and admitted the officers.
He answered their questions freely, and claimed he didn’t know where Fern Foster was living.
He confirmed that she left months before, leaving no note.
She stopped going to work, changed her phone number and broke contact with everyone, including him. He’d moved on with his life.
With every revelation, Crew’s fists clenched tighter until the veins roping up his forearms bulged.
His new tattoo hadn’t even been bandaged, he left in such a hurry.
His artist had been blowing up his phone about covering it while it healed, but he’d ignored them all because he had other priorities at the moment.
Now, seeing the fresh ink grounded him.
Getting inked used to be something he loved—a new tattoo for every milestone in his life. The anchor when he joined the Navy. The skull and wings for when he completed NASC—Naval Aviation Schools Command.
After Conner, the tradition stopped. So getting a new piece felt like he was joining the land of the living again, not just moving beyond his past.
“Thank you, Officer.” Theo’s statement brought Crew to attention. “We appreciate your cooperation and will be in touch if we have any more concerns.”
After the call disconnected, Crew thumped the table with his fist. “If it’s not her ex, it has to be someone in town.”
Gray shifted his shoulders as if his shirt had grown too tight during the call. “It’s possible. It happened to Willow.”
He nodded. He’d heard the story from Decker’s own mouth. An employee at the hardware store began stalking Willow, which ended in kidnapping and terrorizing her.
He shoved away from the table and shot to his feet so fast, his chair screeched across the floor. “I won’t let that happen to Fern.”
“We’re doing everything to prevent that, Crew.” Gray pitched his tone lower to defuse him. “We’re going to stay vigilant.”
“It’s important that she keeps working.” He rubbed his knuckle across his upper lip, creating a rasping noise on the stubble. “She needs her independence after what her ex did to her.”
They all nodded in agreement.