Chapter 2 #4
Four and a half minutes later, all four women turned to look at the door as it slowly opened. Before Mary could blink, Truck was there. He pulled her up from the floor where she’d been sitting, holding Emily’s hand, and had her in his embrace.
He buried his face in her hair and backed away from Fletch, Ghost, and Beatle as they reached for their own women.
Mary’s feet weren’t touching the floor, but the only thing she could concentrate on was Truck and the way he felt and smelled.
His arms were like steel bands around her back.
With a flash of insight, Mary realized that there was nowhere in the world she felt safer than right here in Truck’s embrace.
When he held her, she felt as if nothing and no one could hurt her.
The epiphany was a bit late, considering how long she’d been living with him, but it was no less heartfelt.
He smelled amazing too. The body wash he used was nothing fancy, but it permeated every inch of his apartment, even his sheets. Mary frequently switched his pillow with hers right before he came to bed so she could have his scent in her nostrils as she fell asleep.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” Truck murmured in her ear.
Mary nodded. “The second I realized something was going on, I got all of us in here and closed the door.”
He eased her away from him and put her back on her feet. Mary felt a twinge of remorse at losing his arms around her, but he grabbed her hands and held on as they talked, making her feel a bit better. “How did you know to come in here?”
“Training,” Mary said immediately. “We’ve had a few security experts come in and teach us the best things to do and what not to do in case of a robbery.
Corporate had this vault outfitted with an external phone line.
The expert said it was an almost perfect place to hole up since it has its own climate control, soundproofing, and phone line. ”
“Thank you,” Ghost said from next to them, obviously overhearing her explanation. “I don’t know what I’d do without Rayne.” He looked down at her and squeezed her waist affectionately.
“And my thanks too,” Beatle piped in from next to Casey. “You thought fast, and I’m grateful.”
Embarrassed now, and not used to people praising her, especially not lately, Mary simply nodded.
“I told you, I’m fine,” Emily complained from the floor behind them. Everyone turned in time to see Fletch pick her up as if she weighed as much as a child, rather than a seven-months-pregnant woman.
“And I heard you, but you’re still going to the hospital,” Fletch countered.
Emily rolled her eyes, but didn’t complain further as her husband carted her out of the vault and into the bank on his way to an ambulance.
“You want to meet the other Delta team?” Truck asked Mary.
“Hell yeah!” she exclaimed. Mary was fascinated by the dynamics of the Special Forces teams. The men were the best of the best and they were extremely loyal. To each other and the Army. She’d never pass up the chance to meet more men like Truck.
They walked hand in hand through the lobby of the bank, which looked remarkably normal. There were only a few papers on the floor and a couple of handbags, but otherwise it could’ve been any other day. Mary didn’t see any of her coworkers or her boss.
Seeing her confused look, Truck informed her, “Most of the employees and some of the customers were taken to the hospital. They seem to be okay, but some had elevated blood pressure and the paramedics just wanted to be sure they didn’t have anything else going on.”
“And my boss?”
“She went too.”
“Oh. Okay. I should stay and lock up then…I guess,” Mary said.
Truck kissed the side of her head. “No, the manager called in someone from corporate. I think that’s him over there.” He motioned to a man in an expensive three-piece suit standing next to a group of police officers.
“Already? That was fast,” Mary commented.
“I guess when your bank gets held up by armed thugs, damage control is implemented immediately,” Truck said dryly.
Mary shrugged. “I guess.”
“Come on, the others are over here.”
Mary let Truck lead her through the parking lot toward a group of men standing on the outskirts. As she got closer, she snorted in disbelief.
“What?” Truck asked.
“Seriously?”
“What?” he repeated patiently.
“They’re all hot. I mean, really hot. What is it with you Special Forces people? Are you all good-looking?”
Truck chuckled. “I don’t know about that, but we’re all in shape. We kinda have to be, considering what we do for a living.”
“It’s not just your muscles,” Mary protested. “It’s everything. You’re all tall, handsome, and built. Shit, you could all be movie stars.”
“Present company excluded,” Truck said, gesturing toward his face.
Mary stopped abruptly and put her hands on her hips as she scolded him. “Don’t. That scar on your face does nothing to take away from how hot you are, Ford Laughlin.”
Instead of frowning at her, Truck smiled indulgently.
“And don’t laugh at me!” Mary told him huffily.
“I can’t help it. You’re so fucking cute,” Truck told her.
“Whatever. I am not.”
“You’re right. You’re not. You’re hot. Beautiful. Gorgeous. Not cute.”
Now Mary knew she was blushing. “Hush. I thought you were going to introduce me.”
“I was. Now I don’t think I will. Not when you think they’re all hot,” Truck told her, turning to walk back the way they came.
Mary grabbed his arm and looked up at him, expecting to see him smiling at her.
But he wasn’t smiling at all. He looked completely serious.
Mary spoke without thinking, wanting only to reassure him. “I don’t have eyes for anyone but you, Truck. The first time I saw you, I knew you were trouble. That you could be the man to break me.”
“I don’t want to break you, Mare,” Truck said quietly.
“I know.” She reached up and put her hand on his scarred cheek. “I don’t want anyone but you,” she said softly, opening herself up, just a tiny bit, for the first time.
He understood exactly how much her words meant too, because his eyes got heavy and one hand came up to rest on her nape. “Yeah?”
Mary nodded. “I’m scared.”
“Of me?”
“Yes.” When he frowned, she quickly said, “But not how you think. I haven’t told anyone other than Rayne that I loved them since I was sixteen years old. And believe me when I say, that didn’t go so well. It’s hard for me…but I’m trying.”
Truck closed his eyes and rested his forehead on hers. “Thank you, baby. You have no idea how much that means to me.”
They stood like that for a moment longer, before Truck straightened and took her hand in his once more. “Come on. I’ll introduce you and then take you home.”
“Don’t you have to get back to post and report in or something?”
“I do, but that can wait until I get you settled and make sure you’re okay.”
“I’m okay.”
“Humor me, Mare. Let me take care of you. Hearing you say that you were in the bank when it was being held up by men with guns knocked me for a loop. I need to make sure you’re home safe and sound before I get back to work.”
What could she do other than nod?
With that, he started toward the group of men once more. They all turned to face them as they approached.
“Hey, guys. I’d like you to meet my wife, Mary.”
She startled at that. It was the first time Truck had introduced her that way to anyone. They’d been keeping it a secret for so long, she hadn’t thought about the fact that, now that everyone knew, they didn’t have to keep their relationship on the down low any longer.
One by one, she shook the seven men’s hands. They were all tall, as she’d observed, and good-looking. She could tell they were muscular even though they were wearing their long-sleeve BDUs.
Their nicknames were just as crazy as those in Truck’s group, but she didn’t comment on it. Trigger, Lefty, Oz, Grover, Lucky, Brain, and Doc. They greeted her warmly, and Mary’s head swam trying to keep them all straight.
“So you guys are headed off at the end of the week too, huh?” she asked, trying to make conversation.
“Yup,” Trigger said with a wink. “Truck and his team decided they needed us to show them how things are done.”
Mary rolled her eyes. She knew he was teasing but couldn’t resist messing with the other man. “Yeah, Truck mentioned that. Said they needed someone to flush out the bad guys. You know, like when hunting dogs run into the field and make the birds scatter so the hunters can shoot them?”
Lefty and Oz—at least she thought that was their names—threw their heads back and laughed, while the others simply smirked at her.
Feeling uncomfortable, like maybe she shouldn’t have shown her snarky side immediately upon meeting the other men, Mary did her best to smile gamely back at them. Truck pulled her against him and kissed the side of her head once more.
“Here’s some advice, Trigger. Don’t go up against my wife in a game of wits. She’ll win every fucking time.”
“She thinks we’re the dogs,” Lefty said between chuckles. “But you’re the ugliest dog out of all of us.”
And just like that, Mary’s humor vanished. She stepped out of Truck’s light hold and marched up to the other man. She poked him in the chest, punctuating each word with a finger to his sternum. “That’s not funny.”
“Hey,” Lefty said, taking a step away from the pissed-off woman and holding up his hands in capitulation. “I didn’t mean nothin’.”
“Then why’d you say it? Truck has a scar.
Big fucking deal. It’s not okay to make fun of him for it.
If Brain over there lost his leg, would you start calling him Crip instead?
No. You’d respect him and everything he went through.
Don’t make fun of the way Truck looks. It doesn’t make you cool. It makes you an asshole.”