18. Strike
Strike
The walk across Bear and Liss’s land was exactly what they needed. With Liss’s family money and Bear’s savings, along with extra from Bodyguard Corp, they’d converted a medium-sized farm into a safe rural headquarters.
The air was fresher here, and being away from prying eyes eased the tension in his shoulders.
Strike’s lips lifted as Millie and the dogs ran across the field near Bear’s house, her hair flying behind her.
Her giggles as Roy bounced around her like a kangaroo reduced the heaviness in his soul. Jeff was like a puppy again.
He’s not the only one.
Another hour in the gym that morning had only added to his stress, but five minutes with a happy, giggling Millie made him feel like he was a marshmallow bobbing on hot chocolate. He should have sought her out sooner.
“Can you stay closer so I can keep you safe?” he shouted.
And because I need you close.
She ran back. Her face flushed from the spring air had him fighting the smile wanting to stretch across his face.
“Thank you for this. I really needed to be away from the stresses. Bear and Liss are lovely, but I love this, and I miss Benji,” she said, referring to her old dog.
“We had a lot of fun with him, didn’t we?”
When she smiled, happiness and light filled him, easing the tension in his chest.
“We did,” she shouted. “Do you remember the time he escaped the garden and chased that cat? He scared it so bad it cowered in a tree and wouldn’t come down.”
“Of course I remember it. You made me climb the tree to get it.”
“And it hissed at you and scratched you because you scared it.”
Strike elbowed her gently. “I didn’t scare it. You and Benji did when you made kissy noises at it. It thought you were tricking it and beckoning it to its doom.”
“I still feel bad that it swiped your face so hard it made your lip bleed when you rescued it.” She touched his lip where it had bled. “I didn’t think I’d ever stop the bleeding.”
He trembled as her finger lingered on his lip. “Your parents were pissed when they returned home and found you tending my wounds.”
Millie’s smile dimmed, and she pulled her hand away. “It probably wasn’t wise to straddle you while I did it.” He sucked in a breath at the throaty way she said straddle. “They lectured me for hours about how you were trouble and we shouldn’t hang out.”
“Imagine if they’d known we were secretly dating.”
“Or that it was then I realised I didn’t want to study medicine. I enjoyed psychology, but I wasn’t certain about a career in it until that day. Although I’m better now, I couldn’t stand the sight of blood.”
“What?” His jaw dropped. “But you loved the idea of medicine, and you decided not to go to university and study it because you wanted to be with me. That’s what you suggested the morning after we slept together.”
“I continued questioning myself. Changing from medicine was a big step, as it was what my parents always wanted me to do. But I thought that if I said I’d study where you were, it’d get me out of medicine. I wasn’t logical at that point. I was giddy with love and sex.”
He froze.
If he’d known this, he would’ve talked to her and not let slip to her mum when he’d bumped into her that day that Millie was considering ditching medicine. If he could revisit that day with his adult confidence and ability to be less impulsive, it would’ve been so different.
“How did your parents take it when you said you wanted to change your subject?”
Millie shrugged as she walked away. “Mum and I argued a lot.” Strike forced himself to walk at her pace.
“They said it was a whim. After we learned you’d left, they waited for me to change my mind.
Mum suspected you’d put the idea in my head.
When I got to university, I was scared I’d made a mistake.
But I volunteered with the student helpline and knew. ”
“All those times listening to me when we were growing up were great practice for you.” His laugh was hollow.
The secret of why he’d left was like a furball clogging his throat.
There was also the mystery of the letter.
In the chaos of Randolph’s call the day before, she must have forgotten he’d mentioned it.
Millie rubbed his forehead like he’d rubbed hers. He pressed himself against the morsel of sweetness she offered. “You’re not the robot they say you are. Your distress is obvious. What are you thinking?”
He took her hand from his forehead and held it in his as they walked. “Let’s focus on a plan to get you home.”
“I’m listening.” She squeezed his hand, although her huff carried on the breeze swirling around them. She was so soft. He needed that to dull his hard edges.
He cleared his throat. “You, me, and Cam will drive to the police station and meet Casey.”
“Cam is coming because?”
“It helps to have two people covering all bases. It means we can keep you safe.”
Strike sensed her staring at him, but he kept his focus forward.
“So we’ll go to the police station, and I’ll give my statement, and then this will all be over.”
“Yep. Happy with everything?”
She scratched her neck with her other hand.
“We can change the plan if you want, Mixie. Whatever works for you.”
She stuttered, “No, it’s great. I can get home, and we’ll never see each other again. Perfect.”
“Exactly,” he replied, his head dropping as all the joy from the past few days dispersed to be replaced by the darkness that always ate at him.
The dogs ran to the edge of the field to roll in the mud. Liss would kill him, but she deserved payback.
“And what does normal life look like for you?”
“Working until I drop and getting annoyed with Liss and Bear.” He shrugged. And scrolling your social media once a month.
“You’ve not got women to get back to?”
He shook his head as Jeff screeched in pain. The sound wrenched through him. Millie ran before he could stop her or assess the situation.
“Stop!” But she fixated on the dogs. Desperation to join her tore at him, but he did a visual assessment, like he should’ve done as they spoke, before he took off behind her, catching her quickly. “When did you get so fast?”
“I kept up with those drills you made me do when I was a teenager. You loved telling me what to do even then,” she panted as they reached the dogs.
Roy whined, and Jeff squealed every time he lowered his paw.
Millie knelt, covering her leggings in mud as she studied Jeff’s paw. He tried to pull away.
“Let me,” Strike said, joining her. Jeff licked and nibbled at his hand as Strike investigated the source of the pain.
Millie held Roy close as she stared. Strike’s need to comfort and protect the whole group was like a lump of rock stuck in his chest.
“He’s got a thorn in there. I need to get him back so I can remove it with tweezers.” He’d experienced so much pain and death in combat, but having this dog, the one who always sat with him when he visited, squealing and hurt left him shaking.
He gritted his teeth and forced the robot to take over, but it wouldn’t.
His heart thumped and his vision blurred as he fought to keep memories of his last manoeuvres in the SAS buried.
“Surely, a bodyguard always carries tweezers,” Millie said. Her tease was like a life ring as he drowned. The softness of her hair skimmed his skin as she ran her nails up and down his neck. He sucked in a breath and immersed himself in her.
Light flitted through the darkness, and he could see clearly again. His chest eased at the release.
“How shall we get him home?” she asked, her nails still against his neck.
“Climb on my back.”
“The fuck? How will that help? I could just walk.”
“Nope. I’m carrying Jeff home. With my hands busy, I can’t protect you in the way I’d like.” And I want you close. I want your heart beating against me so I can keep the darkness at bay. “And it will just help me, okay?”
“But you can’t carry me and the dog. He’s a freaking labrador, and I’m hardly a feather.”
“Doc, I’ve benched double you. I’ve trained for this moment all my life. So get on my back before I toss you over my shoulder.”
Her blush was the perfect reward. As she climbed on, he added, “Hurry up, then.”
“I’m already on your back, dickhead.”
“And yet I don’t feel a thing. Maybe you’re a feather, after all.”
“Just get us home,” she replied, her lips against his ear.
With a thickening dick and covered in mud, he lifted Jeff and walked toward the house with Roy by his side.
“You’re going to need to talk to me so I know you’re safe.”
And because I need to hear your voice before I say goodbye forever. Even if I have to face your questions.
“Millie?”