Chapter 2
I went home after I finished talking to Undertaker. I knew I’d go stir-crazy, but I refused to breathe down Makayla’s neck while she worked. And if I stayed at headquarters, that was what I’d do.
I briefly considered calling Ben, but he was at work. I had the next week off. It wasn’t unusual after a prolonged assignment, especially one where I’d more or less been in work mode day and night, to have time to rest and recharge. I dismissed the idea of calling him.
Back at my condo, I looked for things to do.
Other than washing my laundry, which wasn’t a whole lot because I’d taken so little with me, there was nothing.
The place was clean and neat. I tried to watch television.
It lasted ten minutes. I got out the book I’d been about to read before I left to find Justin.
I read the first page four times before I gave up.
Then I turned on some music, hoping it would soothe me.
It did nothing. I was left to pace, and my place was too small to do that.
So, I changed into running clothes, made sure I had my phone, and went outside to run.
My feet pounded the pavement, and the miles sped by underneath my feet.
I kept going. I let the steady beat lull me into a trance-like state.
Sure, thoughts of Danae were still there, but I had enough distance not to go stark-raving crazy.
It was like being back in boot camp and special team training all those years ago.
To survive, you push yourself to feel no pain, to keep going no matter what.
By the time I was too exhausted to run anymore, I was soaked with sweat, my feet throbbed, and I was breathing hard.
Glancing at my watch, which was one of those smart ones that kept track of how far you walked or ran, I noted I’d busted out ten miles.
The return trip to my condo was done at a walk.
I needed to cool down slowly. When I entered the door, I headed straight to the kitchen to get a bottle of water.
I’d been stupid and gone without anything to drink.
I knew better. I guzzled down a thirty-two-ounce bottle within moments, then opened a second one before I headed for the shower.
I needed to wash the sweat from my body.
My soaked clothes went into the dirty clothes hamper while the water heated in the shower. I sighed as the water poured down my face and body a minute later. I had the phone close, with the volume turned up as high as it would go. I didn’t want to miss Makayla’s call if she reached out.
Unfortunately, by the time I finished, she hadn’t called.
After drying off, I lay sprawled on my bed, not wearing a stitch of clothing.
I closed my eyes. Images of Danae entered my mind.
I remembered how she looked that last morning when she woke up, smiled, and sent me off with a kiss.
That couldn’t be our last moment together.
If it were, I wouldn’t be able to stand it.
My mind recalled that last night together, the two of us making love.
She was so goddamn responsive in bed. She was always open to whatever I might want.
Even if she hadn’t done it before, she trusted me enough to keep her safe, to give it a try.
If we discovered she didn’t like something, I never asked her to do it again.
If she was hesitant, we took things slow.
No woman in my past had ever made me feel as acutely as she did.
And it wasn’t just from a sexual satisfaction standpoint, though she was the best there, too.
It was the emotional side of things. I refused to allow women to get close to my heart.
I was closed off, and I knew it. Danae had broken through that wall as if it were made of paper.
And while it had been scary, I never wanted to go back to what I had been or have her stop.
That was one of the big reasons I knew she was the only woman for me.
A long-buried sense of terror welled up inside of me.
One I thought I’d conquered long ago. Imagining that she wouldn’t be my future, I gasped and choked to draw in a deep breath.
My breathing stayed strangled. My heart beat out of control.
My hand came up to clutch my heart. I panicked and wondered if I should call someone when I was dragged out of the first panic attack I’d had in years by my phone ringing.
I jacked up in bed and fumbled, bringing my cell phone up to see who was calling me. My heart skipped a beat for a different reason. It was from a Dark Patriot number.
“Hello,” I said loudly as the call connected.
“Hi, Heath, it’s Makayla. I hope I didn’t call at a bad time. I thought you’d want to know I have an address for you,” she said calmly. There was no smugness in her voice, just a matter-of-fact tone. The clock told me it had been three hours.
“I’m good. Tell me,” I said.
I reached for the notepad and pen I kept on my nightstand for things like this. Makayla rattled off the address without missing a beat. When she was finished, I blew out a breath.
“Is there anything else you want me to find for you? I only checked into her address, but I can discover other stuff if you need me to.”
“No, that’s not necessary. Thank you, Makayla. I owe you. Anything you need, let me know.”
“You’re very welcome, Heath, but there’s no debt. I’m happy to help. If you find you need anything else, let me know. I’ll let you go so you can follow up.”
I said a brief goodbye on my end, and the line went dead. Without missing a beat, I rose to my feet and went to get clothes. I wasn’t waiting. If she were at work, I’d wait for her to get home. Since it was Thursday and two o’clock in the afternoon, that was almost a guarantee.
???
The GPS took me somewhere I wasn’t expecting to go.
It wasn’t another apartment complex in Hampton.
Instead, I ended up in Hartlett, about fourteen miles from Hampton.
The address was outside the city limits, technically in the country, where neighbors didn’t live right on top of you.
You had room to breathe without every move you made being watched and scrutinized.
I came to a stop on the paved road that ran in front of the address. A small house sat back on the property. It was in good repair, though something made me think it wasn’t a new build. It had the feel of something that had been here for a couple of decades, though lovingly cared for.
Noting this wasn’t the only thing I saw.
Danae’s car was parked outside the two-car attached garage.
Why was she home? Shaking away that thought, I let off the brake, then continued to the driveway and up it.
I parked behind her car. My palms were sweaty as I got out.
I had to wipe them on my jeans. I took two deep breaths, then walked up to the door.
I knocked briskly twice then waited. After almost thirty seconds of silence, I did it again, louder.
“Danae, it’s Heath. I know you’re in there. Please let me in. We need to talk. I came to explain what happened,” I called.
I waited a full minute before I raised my fist to pound again, but I didn’t get the chance.
Instead, the lock clicked, and the door swung inward.
What I saw wasn’t what I expected. Standing there wasn’t my woman.
It was a man. He appeared to be about my age.
He scowled and crossed his arms over his chest. He was a big guy, along the lines of me.
My first thought was that Makayla had messed up and the car in the driveway belonged to someone else.
As I stood there, processing that possibility, I noticed movement behind and to his side.
Then Danae’s face peeked out past him. Anger hit me like lightning.
“Danae, who the hell is this guy?” I barked.
She cringed. The man’s scowl deepened.
“You don’t fucking yell at her. She doesn’t owe you a goddamn explanation. What the fuck are you doing here?” he snapped.
My anger changed to rage. I stepped forward, bringing myself closer to him. The guy didn’t back up, though his arms dropped to his sides. My fists were clenched.
“I’m not yelling at her. I want to know who my woman is with. Why is she here and not in the apartment she used to live in? We have things to talk about,” I replied.
“I think your actions said it all when you up and left her, promising to see her later, and then ghosting her for two months. You shouldn’t be shocked she moved. Or that she’s living here… with me.” The man smirked.
My fury broke free. Letting out a roar, I charged him, swinging my fist at his hateful face.
I’d beat that smirk off his mug. I heard her cry out in denial.
The guy deflected my blow, threw a punch of his own, then, as I blocked it, I saw him gently push her further behind him.
Seeing him touch her, protect her from me, only made me crazier.
It was my job to safeguard her. I shoved him backward, which, when he stumbled, allowed me to step over the threshold. I would get past him and go to Danae.
“Johann, don’t fight!” she shouted.
The concern in her voice, I couldn’t tell if it was for him or me. But hearing her say his name infuriated me more.
“Danae, tell him to back off. If he doesn’t, I’ll make him, and he won’t like it,” I warned.
“Heath Rugger, don’t you dare hurt him! You aren’t welcome here. Leave!” she shouted.
“No. Not until you let me explain. It’s not what you think, baby. I didn’t abandon you, even if it seems that way. I swear,” I pleaded as I kept my eye on Johann. He was watching for an opening, and I wasn’t giving him one.
“Fucker, you’re trespassing. If you don’t leave, then I’ll call the cops after I beat you half to death. I’ll tell them I was defending her and our home from an intruder,” Johann snarled.
“Try it,” I egged him on.
“Stop it, both of you. You’re being ridiculous. Heath, leave. I’m not interested in your lies. We’re done. I’ve moved on.”