“This better be fucking good.” My eyes close as silence meets my words. “Nol?” Typically, the man never shuts up.
“It’s Lake.” Those two words freeze every cell of my being as I bolt up to a standing position.
“What happened?” I snarl, ready to kill anyone who gets in my way of leaving.
“A chopper will be there soon. Get on it.” The line dies before I can grill him, and it’s probably for the best because how the fuck am I supposed to wait on the endless red tape it’ll take to get me the fuck out of here if I know details.
Guilt eats at me over what could have happened. A million scenarios run through my mind as I imagine what’s happened and how bad it could be that Nolan had Danny-Boy and Dimitri pull strings to get me back to Florida.
What I could never imagine is what greets me when I finally make it to the hospital. Lake looks like she’s been put through a meat grinder. Bruised flesh, bandages everywhere. Fear in her eyes, her pores, the tense way she lies when anyone enters her room.
Never has she been afraid of me, and I don’t like that she is now. She’s not the sweet girl I left six months ago, with a contagious laugh and curious nature. She’s a shell. A broken version of herself that shouldn’t exist.
The memories of when I came home haunt me continually. The look in her eyes, empty and terrified, while she shrank away from anyone who had ever loved her, that was my undoing.
Retiring was an easy choice after that. My squad tried their best to get me to stay, but there was nothing left for me there. Nothing in the world would ever get me to leave Lake again. I made her a promise that day, and I’ll never break it.
Her safety and happiness are the only crucial things in my life right now. Next to that belief, however, is the moment we had yesterday—a brief moment where I implied that we would have children. Whether we do or not doesn’t matter; all I want or need is Lake. Nonetheless, I am curious what life with a child who looks just like her would be.
Is that something Lake would want? If she does, I’ll give it to her. But I’d be satisfied with being the protective uncle to all the nieces and nephews in our family as well.
Before leaving the house, I send Lake a quick good morning text, feeling weird because I’ve never sent one to anyone in my life before. Expecting her to be asleep, I’m surprised to receive a speedy response.
Sweet Haven: Morning
Sweet Haven: What are you doing today?
Me: Making you dinner.
Sweet Haven: Oh! What are we having?
Me: It’s a surprise…
There’s a pause in texting, so I get in my truck and drive into the city to shop. She sends me little emoji texts that I have no idea of their meaning or what to do with, and I finally pause in the middle of the grocery store, which happens to be in the aisle with condoms.
Without much thought, I grab a box marked “top-rated” and toss it into the cart. Moving on to the baking aisle, I decide on brownies and ice cream for dessert, with chocolate and caramel syrup.
Wandering around the store searching for my other items, I halt when I spot a newly-familiar face, laughing and joking with a woman I assume might be his mother.
Caleb Underwood.
Lake hasn’t told me what each guy did to her, so I’ve been left to assume they all did the same things, and right now, I don’t think it would really matter what he’s done. His death remains imminent.
He turns around mid-laugh and stops when he notices me staring holes into his head. Imagining all the ways I could kill him right here and just how much blood would be left in his wake.
Fear enters his eyes, and he audibly swallows hard. The woman with him notices his attitude change and turns towards me. She pales and seems to back away slightly, like she knows she could be a casualty of my revenge.
“Lake Sutton.” My tone is low but no less deadly than if I’d shouted in his face.
Caleb vibrates with alarm and shakes his head, like he can’t believe that someone knows what he did. Unfortunately…well, at least for her…when the woman speaks, another soul is added to my list. “Is that the girl you boys…?” She doesn’t finish as a ferocious growl expels from my lungs.
The only thing holding me back from lunging and killing them both is that I have a date with my woman tonight, and she’d be disappointed if I wound up behind bars because I couldn’t control myself in public.
CHAPTER 14
Lake
Saint asked to pick me up, but I wanted to surprise him, so when he pulls into his driveway and doesn’t notice me at first, I can tell something is bothering him. The scowl on his face would be terrifying for anyone else, and it still makes me nervous, but I know he’d never hurt me.
