He didn’tgetjealous.
Pulling away from her, he looked around the room, not surprised to see Zeus twirling his blades through his fingers, Terry standing with his hand behind his back where Big Country knew a tranq gun was at the ready. London had relocated to the heavily plated reinforced steel door still sealed shut and was leaning against it with his arms and ankles leisurely crossed as he winked at Stormy.Shit-starting bastard.
What made him pause was seeing Mama and Lynx look at each other, then at him, as if they were cats that ate the proverbial canary. Usually they were the first ones to be at his side, trying to pull him back from the chasm.
They are really starting to weird me out.
Choosing to ignore them all, to ignore what could’ve just gone down, he walked to the wall panel, opened it, and left the room.
Less than thirty minutes later, he’d showered and dressed, reclaiming his normal levity as he put his weaponless to-go bag in his truck and helped Stormy step back up into the passenger seat before completing his goodbyes.
Lifting Mama off her feet, Big Country wrapped her in a bear hug and held on.
“You sure you don’t need me to come with you?” Mama asked anxiously. “I’ve dealt with your family before. I’ll gladly do it again.”
He rested his head against the side of her neck and closed his eyes for a moment before setting her back down on her feet. “I’m a big boy now, Mama, I’ll deal with this situation just fine.”
“Well…call me if you need me. You know I’ll come running.”
“You always have, and I’ll cherish you for it always.” He kissed her on the forehead and placed her back on her feet.
Terry joined them and wrapped an arm around Mama’s shoulder, extending his free hand. They clasped each other by the forearm and held on.
“Don’t let them pull you off your path, son. You’ve become more than they ever wanted you to dream of being. Guard your heart and soul,” Terry said, eyes flicking toward the truck. Big Country took in Terry’s words as if they were his lifeline. “…And if push comes to shove, Almaya’s right, call us and we’ll come, and by the time we’re done with those bastards the world will forgot they ever walked upon it.”
Big Country grinned and wondered just how Mama had made a good man like Terry go so bad. He knew it was her doing.
Walking to his truck he hopped in, turned the ignition, and rolled down his window, hanging halfway out the truck as he backed it up, grinning like he was on his way to his first rodeo. “Y’all don’t let Bride practice no more of her interrogation skills. We’ll need the saint to find out who Delilah is and whoever she’s working for.”
“Dude, we got this,” Lynx called out. “Just take care of my woman out there in Hicksville USA.”
His woman. Big Country lifted his arm and gave Lynx the finger until he was out of sight and heading down the narrow dirt road. He looked over at Stormy. “You ready for this, darlin’?”
She cocked a brow and looked him up and down. “Question is…are you?”
He winked at her; he liked that she hadn’t folded and run, but she still wasn’t ready.
She hadn’t been prepared for this. Her emotions were making her reckless…and there were repercussions.
Time was running out. She could feel that window of freedom shrinking on a cellular level and wanted to be on the other side before it disappeared. She didn’t want this life the Good Shepherd had chosen for her anymore; she wanted Lucas, wanted all the reckless emotions he made her feel: love, happiness, desire. They were her reward for enduring.
She checked the time on the gold watch encircling her wrist. With its shiny diamonds at the twelfth, third, sixth, and ninth hours, the beautiful piece of jewelry was a gift from the dead elderly couple’s locked cache of valuables.
She ran her finger over the face of the watch which clearly denoted the lateness of the Patron’s emissary. She had been forced to sit on the cold metal bench and wait for over ten minutes for the information that would provide her with the answers needed to secure her future.
She didn’t like waiting. It didn’t matter that the California sun was warm upon her skin, or that the trees surrounding the paved park trail rustled gently with the passing breeze. The rippling waves on the surface of the manmade lake did not inspire her toward tranquility. Time was running out. Soon she’d have to act, either with or without the information the Patron’s emissary provided.
When a man in a business suit came around the curve of the trail carrying a suitcase, she knew it was God’s blessing for her patience. Standing, she tightened the belt of the cream-colored mid-calf trench coat and smoothed her hands down her thighs, sliding them inside the deep coat pockets. Before she could offer a greeting, he sat down on the bench and made a show of unlocking the leather briefcase.
She smiled and sat beside him, placing her purse on the outside of her right thigh while crossing her legs at the ankles.
“Mr. Kragen is not pleased with the attention you’re receiving. This priest of yours—”
“Shepherd,” she corrected. “The Good Shepherd. You will respect his calling.”
He barely schooled his impatience…with her…was he not the one who’d been over ten minutes late?
She continued to smile kindly.
