Chapter Fourteen
S ilver’s eyes kept drifting toward Addy as they drove home. She was taking the environmental destruction of her rental in stride. They’d just landed back in the United States, then rushed to support her brother during Sam’s frightening labor. After that, she discovered someone had defaced her cottage, something he’d known about for hours but didn’t disclose. Yes, he’d forgotten with everything going on, but she hadn’t blamed him for not saying anything in the least. She was strong as they came yet was flexible enough to roll with the obstacles life threw in her path.
He couldn’t believe she was at his side. The chemistry between them was intense, but it was more than just their physical connection. Addy was trying to offer him support at every turn, from how she acted during their mission—ready to do whatever was needed—to the offer of letting him eat before they got back on the road.
“What are you thinking so hard about?”
He shivered when the tips of Addy’s fingers brushed down his arm, leaving goose bumps in their wake.
“How lucky I am.” He turned his head to look at her as they slowed at a red light. “It’s going to sound dumb.”
“Nothing you say could be dumb.” She intertwined her fingers with his, giving him more of her warmth and encouragement.
He’d never been so open with his feelings as he was with Addy. “For some people, telling me to park so I could enjoy what I was eating instead of scarfing it down while driving wouldn’t seem like much, but not to me. And that’s only one small example. When we got back from the mission, you were worried about me when you were the one who was blistered in bites. Same on the boat. Aside from my parents, I’ve never been put first in a relationship. Maybe it’s the career. People assume because we’re used to being tough and in control that we don’t need that consideration or softness. Hell, we believe that, too. Until now, I didn’t realize how good it felt to be part of somebody’s priorities.”
Her expression softened. “Just like how you supported me when Julian didn’t think I was qualified for the mission, or cleaning and treating my bug bites, or being level-headed and rational during Sam’s labor. You have no idea how important you are to me. How much I want to give you. Not material things, because neither of us are people who put a lot of stock in possessions, but the things only I can give.”
The feelings that kept rising in his chest were frightening and so fucking beautiful. He didn’t think he could hold in his emotions much longer. She needed to know that he was in love with her, and he suspected—based on her words and actions—she was right with him. If he was wrong, his heart would quietly shatter, but he’d respect her wishes. Trying to be just friends with her would suck, but he’d rather have her as part of his life than nothing. Maybe that made him a dope, but he didn’t care. He was way past caring what anyone thought when it came to Addy. Done caring that he was older. Or that she was way too good for him. When he’d been deep inside her, he’d witnessed something in those incredible hazel eyes. An expression that made hope kindle in his chest. Made him believe she might feel the same profound emotions that he did. Sure, he was still scared, probably always would be, of something happening to her, but now that he’d fallen for her he’d always be petrified of harm coming her way, whether they were together or not.
He couldn’t wait to pull her close and get the rest they both desperately needed. They’d get a few decent hours of sleep and then they could check out the damage to her rental. His shoulders relaxed as they turned onto his street, and the breeze from his cracked-open window carried the scents of freshly poured mulch, the sweet pink and white flowers that everyone on his street seemed to have in abundance from hanging baskets to overflowing planters.
Between Addy and the familiarity of his neighborhood, the tension of the past few hours seemed far away. He sighed in contentment as the truck rolled into the driveway. A glint in his peripheral vision made him glance out the driver’s-side window, and he froze. Any thoughts of the destruction to Addy’s windows being an isolated incident were snuffed out. There was a baseball-sized hole in his front window. The remaining glass was splintered into jagged cracks.
“Oh my God, Archer.” She looked at him with wide eyes. “This has to have something to do with the windows in my house, right?”
“Seems like too much of a coincidence,” he offered, tone grim.
“Wyatt.” She nodded her head decisively before tugging at her bottom lip with her teeth. “Something was off during the mission. I’ve never seen him so dysregulated, especially in the field. The way he acted…”
“Don’t worry, sweetheart. We’ll figure it out. My main concern right now is making sure you’re safe. No clue why my cameras or motion sensors didn’t trip the alarm, but we’ll figure it out. One of my cameras had to have picked up something. If it is Wyatt, just know he’ll never touch you. Nothing will. Not while I’m breathing.”
“I would never want that. Not if you could get hurt. You’re too important to me.” She paused for a moment, glanced down at her hands and looked back up. The expression in her eyes made his heart drum in rapid beats. Made the pulse jump at the base of his neck.
“Let’s get out of here.” He threw the car in reverse, yanking the steering wheel with one hand, while grabbing hers with the other. “What about Pretzel?”
“I’m coming back with Ransom after I drop you off with Brynn. I’ll get her then.” He loved that cat and everything it stood for, but no way in hell was he risking Addy’s safety. He didn’t want to bring trouble to one of his teammates’ doorsteps, but he also knew his friends would have his back. He took the direction toward Ransom’s sprawling ranch. Their team leader was armed to the teeth and his home security rivaled that of a naval base. As Silver wove in and out of traffic, he hit a button on his steering wheel to give his friend a heads-up.
“You’re on speaker. Addy’s here, too.”
“Find more trouble?”
“Yep. Addy and I got home to find my windows shattered, too.”
“Shit,” Ransom swore. “Guess that rules out punk kids, then.”
Addy cleared her throat. “Something was off with Wyatt on the mission. I have a bad feeling.”
“Wasn’t too happy to learn Addy and I were together, either.”
“Wyatt said something about how he thought we were headed toward being a couple,” Addy said.
“Bullshit.” Ransom’s voice filled the front seat, disbelief riding his tone. Jacob’s belly laugh was audible in the background.
“Kid loves swears.” Silver chuckled despite his concern over the situation.
“Yeah, wait until he starts to spell them in his AAC device. I can’t believe that jerk-off thought he was good enough for Addy. Come straight to my place and let’s figure out a plan. I’m not too worried about going up against an arrogant anthropologist.”
“Same, but where Addy is involved, I want to prepare for the worst.” He hit the button to disconnect and tightened his fingers around the wheel. It didn’t take them long to pull into Ransom’s driveway. Their team leader stood on the wheelchair ramp in front of the stone, wood, and glass exterior of the home. His teammate scanned his gaze past the lush green lawn and meticulously arranged garden beds, to the wooded area across street, searching for signs of danger. He began walking off the ramp in their direction, going straight to the passenger side. He looked around for trouble before opening Addy’s door. Silver got out of the SUV and rounded the hood. He flanked Addison’s other side as they walked toward his friend’s home.
“If this really is Wyatt, he’d be going after Archer, not me. We should be on either side of him.”
“There will never be a time I let you stand between me and danger, sweetheart,” Silver said, wrapping his arm around her waist. Even though she was much smaller than him, Addy fit into side perfectly. Despite the situation, the rightness of having her close expanded in his chest. He would protect her with his life. He’d been training and honing his skills to guard his country. Now he was going to use them to protect the one he loved.
“Oh my God!” Brynn said, swinging up in the front door. “I’m sorry about what happened, you guys.”
“I told you to stay inside, baby. Might not be safe.”
Brynn raised a dark eyebrow, giving Ransom a cool stare. Her husband ignored it, kissing her hard on the mouth. The usual pang of envy that he become accustomed to when witnessing the love between his teammates and their women didn’t hit. If anything, a surge of warmth washed over him. Addy was in his life. There was nothing more he wanted. Nothing more he’d ask for. When they were inside, Ransom shut the door and engaged the dead bolt.
“Come into the living room,” Brynn said, ushering them down the hallway. “And let me get you both something to drink. I brewed a pot of coffee and have the kettle on. Believe it or not Jacob actually fell asleep. He was wired when we got home from the hospital, and then crashed.”
“He is a livewire. Coffee sounds amazing. I’ll help.” Addy turned to him and went up on her tippy toes, giving him a soft, intimate kiss. “Be right back,” she whispered and followed Addy. He caught himself smiling after her. He sat on the couch and within moments, the jangle of dog tags sounded down the hall.
“Most dogs have some kind of food radar when you open the refrigerator. Oscar knows when someone sits on his couch.” Their big mutt lumbered into the room, tail slowly ticking back and forth. Oscar didn’t need an invitation, he simply hopped up and draped himself over her Silver’s lap like a heavy weighted blanket.
“Things are going well, I take it?” Ransom’s lips curved.
“More than.” He absently stroked the dog’s sleek coat. “What’s your take on Wyatt?” Silver asked, leaning back against the plush pillows.
“I’d never met him before this mission so I can’t say for certain if he had some kind of personality shift, but we can ask the lieutenant commander when we debrief tomorrow. He might have gotten to know him during the hiring process. The guy seemed strung tight during the mission.”
“I’ve been going back over things in my head. Wyatt seemed almost possessive of Addy. Every time she left a room at the barracks, he was asking where she’d been. Didn’t really pick up on it then. Thought it might be his overinflated sense of superiority. Now I’m wondering if it was because of his feelings for Addy the whole time.” The hair lifted on the back of his neck. A lot of shit had gone down in the past year. He had to stay alert and on top of the situation.
“Well, you know you can stay here as long as you need to while everything is being sorted out. After the shit that’s happened with Brynn, Sam, and Hannah you better believe we’ll be keeping a close eye on Addy.”
“Thanks, man, but I think a road trip might be the way to go. It’s my mom’s birthday in a few days. If Addy agrees, I’d like to take her to meet my parents.”
Ransom ran his hand over the top of his close-cropped hair. “The way I’ve seen her look at you the past few days? Yeah, she’ll agree to it. That’ll give the team time to do some research into Wyatt and the organization. He was damn persistent about taking that tributary, which would’ve led us right into the people he was hired to help us avoid.” Ransom’s frown deepened.
“Maybe it’s not just feelings for Addy, then. Maybe he was hoping to gain something additional from the mission that he wasn’t transparent about.” He was on edge, the muscles in his neck and back stiffening with stress.
“If he was willing to put the indigenous people at risk, then it must have been important. Or maybe caring is just an act,” Ransom said.
The thought of something happening to Addy made him physically ill. He scratched the dog behind the ears more for his comfort than the dog’s enjoyment. Oscar let out a short chuff and nuzzled his head more firmly against Silver’s stomach.
“I should say don’t worry and it’ll all work out,” Ransom began. “But at this point, we all know better. We’ll stay sharp and one step ahead. I don’t know what’s going on, or if there is any substantial threat, but that’s how we’re going to treat the situation right now.”
“Appreciate it. I’m not going to debrief tomorrow. I’ll contact the lieutenant commander and give him a heads-up.”
“Then you’re going to bring Addy home to meet your folks?”
“Yeah, that’s the plan.” They were going to love her. Maybe bonding with his mother would soothe some of the ache in Addy’s heart over the abandonment she’d faced. She didn’t talk about it often, but the experience had been a painful one. He had no doubt it had shaped her into the woman she was today. But by some miracle, Addy was steadfast, selfless, kind, and loyal. All the things her mother was not.
“She’s it for you, huh?” Ransom leaned back in his chair, clasping his hands over his stomach. He had a satisfied look on his face, like a mama bird whose chicks had all flown out of the nest. Once Ransom and the others had dropped like dominos, falling fast for their women, they became as bad as a gaggle of old women trying to play matchmaker.
“Fuck, yes. Never thought I’d find someone like her. Or feel this way about another person,” he said. The dog’s body rattled with a bellowing snore. It crossed his mind to open up to Ransom about Quinn, and in time he would.
“It’ll knock you off your feet. Scary as hell.”
“The only thing that’s scary right now is the threat to Addy. After that, I’m getting my ring on her finger.” He made a conscious effort to force the tension out of his limbs. Addy was the most important person in his world, and he wasn’t going to lose her. They had too much to look forward to together. Too many moments they’d yet to experience. He’d be damned if he lost a single second with the woman he loved.