CHAPTER ELEVEN
Marilisa tried not to think about the nightmare. It didn’t matter. She couldn’t remember anything. She never could. On the boat out to G.R.I.P., she held her face to the sun and took deep breaths, enjoying the fresh air and good weather.
For her, the glitch in the night was normal and would fade until the one tomorrow. But for Saint, it might not be so easy. She knew that.
“He loves you,” said Victoria. “He’s not going to leave you because of a nightmare.”
“I know that,” she nodded. “In my heart, I know that. I just wonder, when does it all become too much for them? I mean, we’re a lot to handle. First, it was just the few of us kidnapped and sent to a factory for the agency. Now, it’s these other people. What if it’s more than just high intelligence and strange gifts?”
“We know it’s more than that,” said Victoria. “But they don’t seem to care, and neither do I anymore. If these people are coming for us, we all need to be prepared for it. I want to keep Hayes safe, wherever he is, and hopefully, be married one day.”
“Have you heard from him?” she asked the young woman.
Younger by only about eighteen months, Victoria seemed much younger because of her lack of experiences outside the gates of Belle Fleur. A genius at just about everything except life.
“Not really. Once in a while, if he has access, he’ll text or e-mail, but Luke and the others say that’s normal.”
“I wonder if Kane could reach him? I mean, if he’s like all of us, we heard him, so he might be able to hear Kane as well.”
“It could be worth a shot. Maybe I’ll ask him tonight at dinner.”
When she was working, Marilisa was singularly focused on what was in front of her. The ability to concentrate no matter what was happening around her made others envious of her.
In spite of the nightmare, she’d actually slept better than she had in months. Saint’s presence made a difference for her whether he knew it or not. Feeling a familiar tap on her shoulder, she turned to smile at Doug, hugging him.
“You good?” he asked.
“I’m good.”
“Seems like you and Saint finally got your heads on the same train,” he smiled.
“I guess we did,” she laughed. “I’ve always loved him, Doug. I knew when I first stepped foot on this property, even as a little girl.”
“I know, honey,” he nodded. “Whatever the magic is here, it affects everyone. When you love someone, there’s no running from it. You can try, but you’ll damn sure be miserable.”
“Is that what happened for you and Miguel?” she asked.
“No,” he laughed. “I was in love with Grip.”
“Oh,” she whispered. “I’m sorry, Doug.”
“It’s alright. He did what he was trained to do. He saved our girl, Montana. Because of that, I met all these beautiful people and got a second chance at love. Few people get that.”
“No, I guess they don’t.”
“When Grip started to appear in his spirit form, it was nice to laugh with him and talk about old times with Miguel. At first, I was angry that he hadn’t told his teammates about us, but over time, I’ve learned to understand why. I’m not angry any longer. I’m happy for us both.”
“I’m glad, Doug,” she smiled. “You both deserve that happiness.”
“Hey,” said Ryan, walking toward them both. “How are we doing on the prototype? This is one of the last contracted things we have for the DOD. I think we’d all like it gone.”
“I know,” nodded Marilisa. “They’re asking for some unusual things in the specs. They also want a live demonstration by the team in Virginia when it’s ready. I don’t feel good about this.”
“No,” frowned Ryan. “I don’t feel good about that either. Who else is on this with you?”
“Victoria is handling a lot of the programming. Wyatt, Brady, Nigel, and Spencer have all helped with functionality, build, planning. Then, of course, the team out here full-time.”
“Yes. But that’s all our little resident geniuses,” said Ryan, frowning. “You listed everyone except Hayes, who isn’t here, and Chelsea and Katelyn.”
“Actually, Katelyn did help with this,” said Marilisa.
“Don’t promise anything,” he said, nodding to her. “I want to let Luke and the others know what’s being asked of us. There is no way they’re going to let you, or anyone, demo this live.”
“I’m not sure Saint would be happy about it either,” smirked Doug.
“Oh, he damn sure wouldn’t, and I can’t blame him,” said Ryan.
“Why are all you men like that? Why do you all put on this alpha male, overprotective, don’t touch my woman attitude? If I did that to Saint, he’d laugh at me.”
“Honey, we are all that way for good reason,” said Ryan. “Our work is dangerous. The work that our fathers, uncles, brothers, and friends did in Special Forces was even more dangerous. Like what happened out at the animal sanctuary, men don’t forget. We’ve had too many close calls. Including calls that lost some of us a limb.”
“I’m sorry, Ryan. That was insensitive of me.”
“No. No, it wasn’t. You asked a good question. Hold on,” he said, holding up a finger. He called for Paige, his beloved wife, and she walked over, kissing him. “Honey, would you mind giving Marilisa the advice that the women give while I go heat up our lunch?”
“I’d love to.”
“Advice?” smirked Marilisa.
“It’s great advice, and I’m lucky enough to know the original version from Erin and the version that Ajei and Kate came up with. Ready?”
“All ears,” she smiled.
“Okay. Erin version first. These men, these men protect so fiercely, so devoutly it’s all-consuming. And they love the same way. All-consuming. It’s remarkable to watch and a blessing to be a part of it. If you want my advice, don’t question anything. Just let yourself feel. These are special men, and if you don’t mind me saying so, it will sound a bit conceited on my part, but it takes special women to be with them.
“Ajei and Kate’s advice is similar but uniquely theirs. Love is so very hard to find, that when you do, recognize it as the gift it is. You should hold it gently. Don’t squeeze too hard, but don’t let it go. These men are different in every way. Their lives have been entirely about protecting others, with no thought as to who would protect them.
“Expect that they’ll be overbearing, alpha in every way. But recognize how unbelievably special that is and that they’ve chosen us to be by their sides. He will protect you, but you will protect him as well. He will drive you mad with his overprotection, but he will soothe you with his love and adoration of you. And there is nothing like the love of one of these men.”
“So, what you’re saying is that I should just be happy that he’s always going to protect me, hover, be overbearing, and overprotective.” Paige laughed, nodding.
“Yep. That’s what I’m saying. Just love him, honey. The rest you’ll learn to live with.”