Chapter 13
13
HOPE
I marched back to the kitchen. “Did you hear that?” I hissed. “He said he’d kill my boyfriend.”
Dee tossed the filter full of coffee grounds into the trash. “Stop your whining. You don’t have a boyfriend.”
“He doesn’t know that.”
“You made your choice not to go to Montana; now you have to live with it.”
I flung my hands in the air. “I chose not to fly to another country with some madman I just met. I didn’t choose to let him live with us. He can’t stay here.”
“Why not?”
“Because he’s…he’s…infuriating. And dangerous.” And because he made me want things I should never want from a man like him.
I could barely stand being in a room with him for five minutes without wanting to kiss him or kill him. How was I supposed to live with Vaughn? This was a disaster.
“Infuriating, you can tolerate. And sure, he’s dangerous, but not to you. If trouble comes to town, you want that on your side. No doubt about it, God sprinkled an extra dash of crazy when he made him, but that can be useful when it’s pointed in the direction of your enemies.”
“God didn’t make him.” I stabbed my finger toward Vaughn in the front yard. “That’s all the devil’s doing. And he used more than a sprinkle of crazy. Beelzebub unscrewed the lid of the shaker and let its entire contents out.”
“You told me how he handled those guys at Javi’s. He can protect you.”
“I don’t need protecting.”
“Vaughn thinks you do.”
“What are you? The grim reaper’s groupie?” Dee collected the remaining dirty mugs, and I followed her to the sink. “He’s unstable.”
“You’re saying that to someone who started a whole new life in another country because she had a breakdown and made crappy life choices.”
Daphne would never forgive herself because of her past. The licensing board had pulled her medical license when she’d made a mistake that had led to the death of a patient. A follow-up investigation had uncovered Dee’s opioid addiction and how she’d stolen from hospital supplies to feed it. There were no excuses for what she’d done, but the board had never asked how she’d become addicted in the first place. If they had, they’d have learned that she’d self-medicated to manage the daily trauma of her job. Had Daphne sought treatment, her medical career would’ve been over and the stigma of addiction with her for life.
I sighed. “You’re not an addict anymore.”
“Sure I am. I’m just an addict who’s keeping clean.” She tied her curly hair up in a messy ponytail. “Vaughn’s attitude is a front.”
“What do you mean?”
“Think about it. This job he’s doing? Rescuing women from sex slavery and wiping out cartels? He’s not a bad person, which means he’s using all that snark to build a wall around himself.” She gave me a meaningful look. “He’s been through stuff.”
“What stuff? What did he tell you?”
“I don’t know exactly. He didn’t share details. But you’re stuck with him for now, so maybe you should try being civil and see if you can get him talking. I have a feeling he’ll be more inclined to open up to you than me.”
“I doubt it.”
For whatever reason, Dee and Vaughn had already bonded. If he didn’t elaborate with her, there was zero chance for me.
Daphne propped her hand on her hip. “You wanna know what I think?”
I matched her stance. “No.”
“You like him.”
“I loathe him.”
“You know what they say about hate and?—”
I held up my palm. “Don’t you dare utter another word about what I think of him.”
“This ought to be good,” said Vaughn.
Both of us turned as he dumped a heavy duffel bag on the floor. Crap . I’d been distracted and hadn’t noticed him approach.
Daphne sidled up to me. “Play nice,” she said in a low voice. “That one bites.”
I flicked my hair over my shoulder. “So do I.”
“Yeah, but I’ll bet he likes that.” She failed to hide her grin as she limped out of the kitchen. “Hope will show you to the casita.”
I will?
Why did I get the feeling Dee was tossing me into shark-infested waters?
Vaughn picked up his bag and tried to hand it to me as if I were his goddamn bellhop. With a roll of my eyes, I turned my back on him and headed for the sliding door to the yard.
“It’s a pity all the kennels are taken,” I said.
The dogs barked with excitement as I led Vaughn across the lawn to the casita. When I opened the door to the disused room, dust motes along with a musty, stale scent tickled my nose. He could air it out if it bothered him.
Along one wall were clear plastic tubs filled with blankets and towels we used in the kennels and clinic. I pushed aside an old box of odds and ends and dragged the flimsy, ancient fold-out bed to the middle of the room. I unlatched it, and it sprang open in a cloud of dust.
“Good luck sleeping on that.” I kicked the rickety frame and aimed a smug grin at Vaughn.
“I’ve managed with far worse.” He dropped his bag onto the mattress, sending up another gray plume.
“Let me guess.” I folded my arms. “In prison?”
He went to the window and unlocked it. It took some effort to slide open, and I definitely wasn’t staring at his broad shoulders and biceps as they strained beneath his Henley.
“Gatita, there are places that make prison seem like an overwater bungalow in Bora Bora.”
The smirk dropped from my face as I remembered how Daphne had alluded to Vaughn experiencing some kind of trauma. Did it have anything to do with his job?
I leaned against the doorframe. “How did you become a mercenary?”
“Spent a bunch of years in the navy, special ops, and then…other stuff.” Vaughn pulled the cord on the ceiling fan, and it slowly spun to life, making an annoying ticking sound and wobbling like it might tear itself from the rafter. “Got sick of being a pawn for the government, and all their goddamn rules. Now, I have a say in where our team goes and how we run our ops. Pay is better.”
Vaughn’s answer made sense but was vaguer than I’d hoped. I wondered what the other stuff was. I doubted he’d go into details, which left me guessing what horrible thing had happened to Grim to make him hate the world.
“How’s your head?” he asked. “Did the doc look at it last night?”
“Um.” I touched my hair around the tender spot.
“You didn’t tell her you were hurt, did you?”
“Dee fusses over me. I didn’t want her to worry any more than she already does. I’m okay, though. Really.”
Vaughn made a disapproving grumble.
I patted Titan, who’d followed us into the casita. “I have to exercise the dogs now, but we can call your people after that.” I backed my way to the door. “I’ll leave you to settle in.”
Or in other words, Stay here, and give me some space so I can catch my breath.
“I’ll come with you.”
“To walk the dogs?”
“Yeah.”
Oh no. “You don’t have to do that.”
“When I said I’m not letting you out of my sight, I meant it. This isn’t a game, Hope. We’ve been chasing your father for over a year, and finding you has been the first lucky break we’ve had. I can’t risk anything happening to you.”