Page 80 of Her Chosen Protector

I’m not going to scream.

I might cry.

Leland Hines came back down the stairs from inside the plane. “Eden, you need to get onboard.

He really can’t tell you anything. Let me help you.”

She gave one last pleading look to the big man. “I’m begging you.”

“I’m sorry, I can’t,” Max said gently.

“Come with me, Eden,” Leland said as he touched her shoulder. She slowly limped up the stairs and onto the plane.

“God, you have the hardest head in the entire damn world.”

Asher winced, but he refused to bend over like his body was aching to do. Really, he shouldn’t have yelled.

“You’re the stupid ass who climbed up a muddy hill when he just got out of a hospital,” Lawson said as he continued to sit on the dilapidated sofa with his boots propped up on the handmade coffee table.

“In my opinion, Ash, that makes you the one with the hardest head.”

Asher looked around the cabin. It looked like Lawson had made himself at home. “How long have you been here?”

“Just four days. I was going to go home in two days, but I was into this book.” He held up a biography of General George C. Marshall. “It’s my final book on generals.”

That took Asher a moment to process. Maybe all wasn’t lost. Still…

Lawson set down his book and grabbed Asher’s duffel off of his shoulder. “You really are a stubborn son-of-a-bitch. What the hell were you thinking coming up here? You know I have a satellite phone. You could have gotten ahold of me. Hell, I just saw you two weeks ago, for God’s sake. If you wanted to talk to me again, you could have just asked if I was okay, or waited until I was back at Pendleton. What do you want?”

“It’s a twofer.”

Lawson helped him to the couch. Unfortunately, Asher kind of needed a little bit of help. He felt

like shit.

“Okay, let’s get number one out of the way, then we can focus on number two. There’s tomato soup on the stove.”

Asher gave his brother a sideways glance. It was a step up that he wasn’t sucking down pea soup.

Lawson grinned at him.

“Food first,” Asher said. “I’m starving.”

On the small little stove, Lawson managed to whip up grilled cheese sandwiches and pour out some tomato soup for both of them.

“If you were like Maman, you would have made a Croque Monsieur,” Asher teased.

“You know, if you don’t like it, I’ll eat your sandwich,” Lawson said without heat.

Asher laughed before changing gears and becoming serious. “So, how are you dealing with Xavier’s death?”

“Suicide, Ash, suicide.”

“I know.”

“How?”

Law shot up from the table.