Chapter 30
Ty stood behind her, rubbing her arms. “Relax, Scarlett. We’re only practicing,” he murmured close to her ear.
“Take the stick. When you hear a noise, I want you to point in the direction it came from. When you feel me or Rocker close to you, I want you to hold up the stick. See, no danger involved.”
“It depends on whether Rocker pisses me off anymore,” she growled.
“Come on. It’s not the first time I’ve made you mad,” Rocker taunted. “Let’s get this party going.”
“Remember, I’m right here, sort of. You know what I mean. I have a surprise for you when we return home. Show me what you can do, Sparky,” he encouraged.
“Sparky?” Rocker made a gagging sound. “Who the hell calls you that? Oh, I get it. You’ve forgotten your sass. You’d better earn your title back, because Sparky sounds like a name for your dog.”
“Get close enough to me, Rocker, please. Didn’t they tell you I hit my head and have memory loss? I’ll forget to point my stick in the air and pop you with it,” she threatened.
“We’re starting. No more talking, Scarlett. Concentrate,” Ty ordered.
He watched as she gripped the pretend weapon in her hand. He knew she felt nervous, but this exercise might help alleviate her anxiety.
He signaled to Rocker, who threw a rock toward the middle of the field. Scarlett pointed.
Another sound came from the opposite direction. She signaled she heard it. A sound from behind her startled her, and Rocker grabbed her from behind. Scarlett stomped on his foot, elbowed him in the gut, and went for his junk. He swerved out of the way, laughing.
“Nice try, Sassy P. Don’t let me get close enough to grab you,” he instructed.
They continued again and again. Each time, Scarlett improved. She got into position again and waited. Sounds came from all directions and Ty’s scent gave him away. Throwing the stick up in the air, she grinned.
“You’re impressive,” Ty complimented her. “Leo called about ten minutes ago. Since we turned our phones off to practice with you, I’ll call him back.” He placed a bottle of water in her hand. “Hydrate, Sparky. We’re not done yet.”
He walked away from her, and Rocker kept her company. “You know, I gotta give it to the guy, he has a point. When he first suggested this, I thought him crazy. You’ve grown more confident with each turn,” he said.
“I gave him grief about it, but it can’t hurt,” she said, twisting the lid off the drink and guzzling it.
“He seems to care about you. Sledge told me you’re getting close. It’s a damn shame he resembles Quasimodo.”
Scarlett spit out her water and punched him in the arm. “Shut up,” she said, shaking her head. “I seem to recall a few of the barflies you took home. Besides, I know he’s not ugly.”
Rocker grunted. “You hit like a mosquito. You need to start working out again. How do you know what he looks like?”
“He let me touch his face,” she admitted.
Rocker paused. “You serious about this guy, Sassy P?”
Scarlett bit her lip. “I like him a lot. He’s funny, you can’t beat his cooking, and he cares about his community.”
“I’ve known you long enough to hear the ‘but’ in there,” Rocker murmured.
“I’m blind. It’s new and I come with a lot of baggage.
Why does a man like him want someone who clearly has issues?
He can have anyone, and yet he’s opened his house to me.
Ty makes me feel safe. How do I know I’m with him for the right reasons?
It’s not like I can see his face and realize he’s attracted to me or flirt with him.
What if it’s me wanting it to prove I can still get a man?
” Scarlett asked him earnestly. “I don’t trust myself or my instincts these days. ”
“The man follows you around like a love-sick puppy dog. Obviously, after my asshole self stuck my foot in my mouth about this team, I’m not his favorite person.
Yet, he came to the guest house and explained what he wanted to try with you and why.
From what I can see, the man cares a great deal about you,” Rocker said.
“It scares me,” she confessed.
“When we ran missions, I felt nervous as hell. What if we got ambushed? I glanced at my team and wondered who might not make it back. You ordered the airstrikes, but you became our lifeline. I heard this strong, confident voice in my ear, telling me to get my ass moving. You always watched our six. Sometimes, things got dark, and you became the only light to guide us home,” Rocker said quietly.
“Ty has your six. As your brother, I want to put you in a bubble to protect you. He refuses to let you live in one. If that doesn’t tell you what kind of man he is, I don’t know what to tell you. ”
“He owns and operates a restaurant and a ranch. I don’t want to become a burden. He takes his time to describe everything to me. Even Ice takes time. Ty works hard, and it’s not fair to ask him to take me on, too.”
“Doesn’t he get a say? After all, it’s his life. And if I ever hear you call yourself a burden again, I’ll be so far up your ass, you’ll walk funny.”
“The attack turned my world upside down. I felt you pulling me away from the flames when I couldn’t see. It terrified me. Sometimes, I still feel like I’m back there and I can’t see past the smoke,” Scarlett whispered.
“Then you go to therapy. Join the groups with the other veterans, pick up the phone, and call me and Sledge. Confide in your partner. Ty has seen and done it. He’ll understand. What do you plan to do about this interview with Leo?”
“I don’t know. My parents expect me to return home. When you brought me here, staying never occurred to me. I like it here, but I don’t want a pity job. I loved my old one,” Scarlett said sadly.
“You won’t know what Leo plans to offer you if you don’t speak with him.
You saved four kids. No one feels sorry for you.
They’re in awe,” Rocker explained. “Ty has you pegged. You’ve lost your self-confidence.
If you have the courage it took to run into a burning building, find enough to bring yourself through the fire. ”
“Leo wants us to come to the facility,” Ty interrupted.
“Did they catch Jeremy?” she asked.
“Yeah. He claims he stayed at home with Ben all night,” Ty said, angrily. “Ben even vouched for him.”
“What about me identifying him as the one who attacked me?” Scarlett said in dismay.
“The police reasoned the scent Jeremy uses can be purchased at the local drugstore. You didn’t see him attack you,” he broke the news gently. “Leo’s incensed and wants to speak with you. He invited Rocker to attend, too.”
Scarlett felt Rocker squeeze her hand. She put the lid on her water and nodded. “Hopefully, Leo has a plan.”
“I’ll clean this up and then head over,” Rocker offered.
“Thanks,” Ty said as he helped Scarlett mount Hank and mounted behind her. “Don’t let this discourage you. We’ll find a way to prove he did it,” he said vehemently.
“Hank, take us home,” she commanded. The horse began to trot. Scarlett leaned against Ty, considering Rocker’s advice. Jeremy deserved to pay for killing Debbie. She refused to let him get away with tormenting her new friends in the town.
Sometimes, the only way to extinguish a fire is to drop a bomb and deprive it of oxygen. Maybe Jeremy needed a taste of his own medicine.