Chapter 12
Chapter Twelve
“Zarek, stop whatever you’re doing and get over to my house, I need your help.”
“Sure, man. What’s wrong?”
“We need to plant some trees.”
“What the hell are you talking about? It sounded like you had some kind of emergency. Chloe still hasn’t answered my call. I’m not about to leave the house until I get hold of her.”
“Take your cell phone and get the hell over here.”
“I’m not leaving until you tell me what is going on.”
I heard the defeated sound in Zarek’s voice, which convinced me even more that he was the right guy to tap to help me plant trees at Fallon’s parents’ house. He needed out of his head and out of his house.
“Zarek, Fallon’s mom bought a couple of big dogwood trees that need planting. Fallon called for some manpower. You, me, and Bruno are it.”
“If you and Bruno can’t handle it, then you need your man-cards taken away.”
“You’re not thinking straight.” And wasn’t that the truth? “I need you and Bruno doing the work, so I can spend my time trying to get back in Fallon’s good graces.”
“Haven’t you accomplished that yet? Where’s the Rankin charm that I know and admire?”
“I’m too far up shit creek, and not only do I not have a paddle, I don’t even have a canoe, so help a brother out. I really need you and Bruno doing the heavy lifting so I can sweet talk Fallon.”
“I can’t believe I have to be the one to tell you this, but you are missing a prime opportunity.”
I could feel my frustration growing. “What are you talking about?
“Today is hot. This is your chance to work up a sweat and take off your shirt and tempt her with all your manly muscles.”
“Huh.” I thought about it for a moment. “You know, you might have a point.”
“Of course I do. That’s why I’ve been your wingman for so many years.”
I winced. “I’d appreciate it if you wouldn’t mention that to Fallon. And anyway, I haven’t needed your wingman services for at least two years.”
“I’ve noticed.”
“Now, are you going to come help me out, or what?”
“I will.”
“How soon can you get here?”
“Give me twenty minutes.”
“Make it fifteen.” I said, then I hung up.
I pulled bottles of water out of my fridge and shoved them into my gear bag. Then I grabbed one more for me to drink. I leaned back against my quartz countertop and looked around my kitchen. It was just the kind of kitchen that Fallon had mooned over when we had put money down on our forever home nine years ago.
Huh.
It even had four bedrooms. Same as the other house.
Of course, this was new construction, with builder upgrades, so it didn’t have anything that was personalized, not like the other house had had. None of the cool old light fixtures, or all the different paint colors in the different bedrooms. But the bones of the house were the same. I think subconsciously I had bought this house with Fallon in mind. Had I been hoping for a second chance all along?
I finished the water, then went back into the fridge and pulled out some melons. I cut them up and put them into a plastic container and shoved that into the gear bag as well, then headed for the bathroom. I was just coming out when Zarek was letting himself in.
“What’s the point of having your fancy-assed security system if you don’t bother to lock your door?”
I shrugged. “I’m not thinking that Daddy Dearest will be coming at me on a Wednesday afternoon when half the retirees in the neighborhood are out watering their lawn.”
Zarek gave me a dark look. “You should take this shit seriously.”
“I do take this shit seriously. I want my mom and dad protected.”
“I read the note he sent to you. You told me it was your testimony that sent him to prison. He’s gunning for you, Michael. Don’t think otherwise. Lock your goddamn door and set your fucking alarm from now on.”
I held up my hands. “Fine. I will. Geez, Zarek, mellow out.”
“I won’t mellow out. You know just how precarious life is. You’ve seen it during your time in Afghanistan. I had a front row seat when Chloe and I lost two of our babies before they had a chance to live,” he choked out.
I hadn’t heard him sound like this since the last miscarriage.
“You’re right, big guy. I’m sorry. It won’t happen again,” I whispered.
“It better not. When’s Bruno getting here?”
“He’s not. He’s meeting us there. He’s doing a last walk-thru at his brother’s house to make sure the kitchen remodel is up to snuff.”
“How are Jace and his family settling in?”
“From what I’ve heard so far, good. Now, that’s been from Roan. He’s high on Jace joining Onyx Security. Bruno will have a better feel for him. My guess is that somebody who’d been with the SEAL teams as long as Jace had, and then got boarded out, it had to have hit him hard. I don’t know how long he’d been with his particular team.”
“What’s boarded out?”
“It’s just slang for having gone through the Medical and Physical Evaluation Board. The process sucks ass,” I explained.
Zarek nodded. “I could see that.”
“You ready to head out?”
“I see you’re wearing a dark shirt. Good call. You’ll be getting hot in that in no time.” Zarek grinned.
“I like this cunning side of you. Keep it up, I’m going to need it.”
Really, did he really need to take off his shirt? I mean it was hot out, but Bruno and Zarek had kept their shirts on.
Shit, Michael looked good. He’d gained weight from the last time I’d seen him shirtless, and it was all muscle.
So many beautiful muscles.
And they were all gleaming with sweat. Thank God I had sunglasses on, otherwise everybody would see my eyes popping out as I ogled the man like he was some stripper in Vegas.
Down girl.
But seriously, I’d only had two lovers since Michael, and neither one of them had really done much for me in the bedroom, not compared to Michael. Now here I was, face-to-face with my favorite fantasy, and it was even better than I had remembered.
“I think we need to plant some pansies at the base of the trees, don’t you?”
Huh?
“Are you listening to me?”
I looked over to where my mom was setting out a tray of glasses to go with the homemade lemonade. I don’t think I had seen her this happy since I’d been home. I looked closer at her face, but no, she wasn’t ogling Michael; I think it was just all the attention her yard was getting.
“Pansies. Yeah, I heard you.”
Kind of.
“Actually, geraniums would be better since they do well in the shade. I know I have some that I bought last week that are still in their containers back near the shed. Can you go get those along with some mulch and a trowel?”
“Sure. I’ll go check on Dad first.”
“I just did. He’s asleep.”
“Oh, okay.” I nodded. I pushed my sunglasses on top of my head and walked to the side of the house where the shed was. Because I grew up with Mom, I was able to easily identify which flowers were the geraniums amongst all the different flowers she had recently purchased. I turned to the shed and stopped short. The combination lock wasn’t on the shed. I looked down on the ground, and it wasn’t there either.
What the hell?
I couldn’t imagine Mom unlocking the shed and then pocketing the lock, but then again, she’d been awfully stressed lately. I opened the door wide to let in light and ducked my head to get inside. I knew the mulch was on the back shelf, and the trowel was with the gardening tools on the right next to the door. I grabbed the partially filled bag of mulch and started to turn when something scraped my ankle.
“Ouch!”
I turned, expecting to see some barbed wire or a thorny branch.
Nothing.
I took two steps toward the tool shelf, but my leg started to give way. Pain bloomed like a wildfire, hot and searing. I started to panic.
What the fuck?
That’s when I saw it. A copperhead slithering out of the shed’s doorway, its thick, patterned body moving with an eerie grace. I sucked in a deep breath—or tried to. My pulse shot up as I saw another one a few feet outside the shed, coiled like it was waiting for me.
I took a step backward, but my leg faltered as fire erupted in my veins, spreading upward. I whimpered; the sound barely audible to my own ears. I dropped the bag of open mulch and dirt dripped down my front, adding to my misery, as it finally fell on my foot.
“Ow.” My voice wavered, weak and small. Was that even me?
I looked out again and the snakes were gone. I stumbled out of the shed, my legs trembling. The grass waved like the ocean in a storm. The geraniums didn’t just shimmer in the sunlight, they glowed like neon lights in Vegas.
I took one more step, then crumpled onto the flowers.
“Michael!” I tried to scream, but his name came out as a hiss from my swollen throat. Could he even hear me? Could my mother?
I opened my mouth to try again, but pain ripped through my ankle and when I glanced down my gut clenched. My ankle was gargantuan and red. The lava inside was going to make it explode if I didn’t get help.
“It hurts,” I whispered as tears blurred my vision.
“Michael! Help me!” Was I louder? Please God, let him hear me this time . My breath hitched, my chest tightening. The air seemed thinner, harder to draw in.
“Fallon!”
Michael.
My eyes closed in relief.
“Baby, what happened?” His voice was in my ear, so close, but so far away. Was he really here?
“Talk to me, Fallon.”
“Fire,” I hissed through clenched teeth. The world spun as his shadow loomed over me.
“Snakebite,” a voice said. “Look at her ankle.”
A hand brushed against my swollen skin. Pain exploded. A scream ripped from my throat, or maybe it was just in my head. Darkness started to seep along the edges of my vision.
“Fallon, stay with me.” Michael sounded frantic. “Zarek, she’s going into anaphylactic shock! Get the med kit from my truck. There’s EpiPens in it. Move!”
He sounded scared. I wanted to say something. Anything to make him feel better, but the words wouldn’t come. My lips felt thick, and my tongue was too big for my mouth. Michael’s hand stroked my hair. I didn’t know who he was trying to comfort, him or me.
But the fire inside was too much.
“Fallon. Baby. You have to stay with me. I’m begging you. Please.”
These were the last words I heard as the darkness swallowed me whole and the sun winked out like a dying flame.