Navy SEAL Romance: MC ROMANCE: Axel (Bad Boy Alpha Male Military Romance) (Military Suspense Protector Romance) (5 page)

*****

After a fourteen-hour shift, Samantha was exhausted and she tumbled through her front door before collapsing on the sofa. She loved being a nurse, adored it even, but she had to admit that it really took the wind out of her. The long days and meager pay often left her deflated, but she wouldn’t do any other job, no matter what the money was.

There was something so thrilling about saving lives, yet so gentle and simplistic as caring for someone. It didn’t matter who her patients were, she tried her best to love each one of them equally and always gave them her undivided attention.

However, now that she’d returned home she was desperate for a break and a long snooze, but first she needed a glass of wine. With all her strength she dragged herself from the sofa and staggered into the kitchen with her sore feet padding on the thick carpet.

“Ugh….”

She leaned against the fridge door and yawned before reaching into the cupboard for a glass and a bottle of her favorite red. With some considerable effort, she ripped out the cork and let the aroma of the fruity wine drift around the kitchen. It instantly made her relax and she took in a deep breath, her nostrils twitching at the tangy scent.

Samantha didn’t have many vices. She ate healthily, partied rather moderately and didn’t smoke. She occasionally savored the occasional nibble of chocolate and loved the feeling of frosty air against her cheeks during a three-mile run. Nevertheless, if she had to have a vice it would be a toss-up between a full-bodied red wine and a hard-bodied man.

She couldn’t help it, she adored men and she especially had a penchant for the muscled bad boy who liked to always get their way. Walking through to the bedroom, she kicked off her shoes, pulled off her scrubs and relaxed into bed. Looking at the clock she saw it was almost midnight. She took a large gulp of her wine, set the glass down on the table and picked up her favorite book.

Of course, she’d read it almost fifty times already, but it was one of her favorites and she always returned to it when she needed to relax and escape. It was a short but sweet tale of a princess who ran away from her castle in order to sample the ordinary life of the peasants in the nearby town. The princess, however, never imagined she would fall in love with a young, brawny farm hand, but she couldn’t resist him. Soon there was a baby on the way and the young royal could never return home.

Samantha always felt giddy when she reached the part where the princess met her love for the first time. There was something so animalistic about attraction and she imagined herself right in the princess’ shoes with her heart skipping a beat when the two lovers kissed.

As she read, she felt a tingling sensation in her gut like she always did. There was something so romantic about running away with someone and escaping to a completely different life. No matter how much Samantha loved her job, she always dreamed that someone strong and loving could whisk her away to paradise.

Taking another sip of her wine she settled a little further under the covers wishing she had someone with her to share the warmth. She let out a long sigh then drained the glass before letting the book slide from her sleepy fingers.

She was on the brink of falling asleep when something startled her. Her phone was ringing from somewhere in the apartment but she didn’t’ care to get up to find it, not until it rang for the third time.

Ambling her way to the hall, she found her discarded bag and coat and rifled through her things until she found her phone still ringing with the jarring sound grating against her tired mind.

It was her best friend Julie and she answered it with her usual upbeat voice, “How’s it goin’?”

“Have I got some gossip for you?” Julie got straight to the point.

“Gossip? I thought there was something wrong. I mean nobody would phone over and over again for nothing now would they?” Samantha couldn’t hide her sarcasm.

“Hey…. Don’t be a grouch. Listen, you know Sandra who works in cardiology? The skinny brunette with the bushy eyebrows?”

Samantha yawned and nodded her head. “Yeah I know her. We used to use the same gym.”

“Well, I caught her and Adam together this weekend! You know Adam? The porter who usually works on the basement level?”

“Yeah….”

There was an awkward silence as Samantha waited to get off the phone. She was too exhausted to gossip and as much as she loved Julie, in the moment her rainbow colored personality and bubbly enthusiasm were too much.

“You ok?” Julie asked. “You don’t sound like your usual self. What’s up?”

“Ah nothing. Just tired,” it was almost the truth.

“Just tired? That’s all?”

“Yuh…. Just tired.”

Another long silence.

“Sammy, how long have we known each other?” Julie’s voice was now stern and Samantha imagined her on the other end of the line in one of her power stances.

“Forever Jules, since before time,” and she had to at least raise a smile to that. “Why?”

“Because I know everything about you and I can tell you’re lying.”

“I’m not really lying. I mean I am just tired,” she exhaled.

“Hmmmmm….”

“Well…. I guess there is something else,” Samantha confessed.

“I knew it!”

“Alright Jules, calm down.”

“I knew something was wrong.”

“You’re as intuitive as ever.”

Samantha expected her best friend to start rambling once again but she was surprised to hear her keep quiet. On the other end of the line she could hear the sound of a candy wrapper being twisted and pulled apart and she guessed Julie was in it for the long haul. So, knowing she was in for a lengthy conversation, she wandered back to bed while grabbing a pack of cookies on the way.

The two had known each other for so long that they often joked they were telepathic, but it was times like these when it didn’t seem like such an outlandish idea. Julie waited for the sound of the familiar squeaky bedsprings to signal Samantha was cozied into bed.

“When you’re ready gorgeous,” she soothed.

“Right…..ready,” Samantha wriggled to get a little comfier. “It’s just that I’ve been feeling really down lately. And I don’t mean just, you know, feeling blue I mean…. Just so lonely,” and as the words left her mouth the tears began to fall.

Julie could sense her sobbing and wished she could hug her through the phone.

“I know it must have been so difficult for you,”

“It was,” and she pulled the covers up over her head.

The split up was still raw in Samantha’s mind and no amount of working overtime or wine could distract her from the pain, but no matter how much she cried, she always felt at the back of her mind that she was partly to blame. She always picked the wrong guys, always went for the ones her friends warned her about. Gradually each and every one of them broke her heart and left her, but she thought Steve was different. Well, at least he pretended to be.

As she cried to Julie she thought back to the first time she met him. She’d been walking to work to catch some early morning rays of sunshine and he’d been speeding past on his motorcycle. She saw him pass twice before he eventually came round a third time and braked just ahead of her.

She didn’t have to see his face to know he was attractive. With his muscular back bulging out from his leathers and his tattooed hands on the handlebars, she knew he was just her type.

“Hey there Miss,” he pulled off his helmet and she looked into the most piercing, blue eyes.

“Hello,” she giggled coyly.

“Now what would a pretty girl like you be doing walking around at this ungodly hour?”

Then he’d looked her up and down and noticed the scrubs and the satchel she clutched under her arm.

“Going to work,” she wanted to move her eyes all over his body but she nervously looked to the ground instead.

It was love at first sight, for her anyways. He rode that way every morning and so Samantha made sure she was always walking to work at the same time, a habit she still kept to this day.

He was everything she’d dreamed of, a strong bad boy with a heart of gold. He treated her well and was always sensitive to her needs. But the most appealing side to him was his body. Well-built with a disciplined stamina he could pleasure her for hours…and then some.

Even now she often fell asleep dreaming of his tattooed skin pressing up against hers. She loved the feeling of his bulky arms as they cocooned her and the way his scars felt ragged against her soft fingertips. She would do just about anything to have him back, but she knew that wasn’t possible. Her friends and family would never allow it but more than anything her dignity wouldn’t either. It had been two months since he’d been incarcerated for attempted murder but that was after he cheated on her.

“You sure can pick ‘em,” Julie lamented while chewing on a piece of chocolate herself.

“Oh God I’m just awful aren’t I? I just love them rough, I really do.”

“Yeah, bad boys run in your family too,” Julie joked.

“It seems so,” she thought about her father and brother who both boasted lengthy criminal records.

“But I still don’t understand why you’re so heartbroken over Steve. He was a God damn brute Sammy,” Julie continued.

“But… his eyes…. and the way he spoke to me as if I was the only girl in the world. He had a real soft side to him, Jules you gotta believe me. He could be so sweet and lovely when it was just the two of us, and when we had those long afternoons stretched out ahead of us,” she bit her lip as she remembered, “we’d have just the best time of our lives!”

“That’s all very well but he wasn’t so soft and sweet when he beat that guy around the head with a pool cue.”

“I guess not,” Samantha admitted. “I know I’m better off without him, but I just have to keep reminding myself that.”

“I understand,” Julie sighed as she reached her hand into the empty candy box. “Men…. they’ll tear our hearts inside out and we’ll let them, just to hear them say they love us.”

“It’s crazy,” Samantha yawned, finally feeling better that she’d had a girly chat. “I better get some sleep. I have to be up in six hours and it’s going to be here way too soon.”

“Ooh brutal. I’ll swing by tomorrow and give you a big hug.”

“That would be awesome.”

“Kisses!” Julie signed off with her signature goodbye and hung up.

Samantha meanwhile was back in bed with only the silence to keep her company. She reached out for one last cookie and then she felt her eyes grow heavy as she snuggled under the covers. Images flashed in her mind, strange abstract visions of faraway places that showed she was reaching a deep dream state.

For a moment, she was certain she heard the phone ring again, but that couldn’t be because Julie had called already but as her eyes were forced open and her mind became adjusted to being awake once again, she realized her phone was ringing by her head. Assuming it was Julie again she rolled over and tried to let sleep take hold, but the ringing wouldn’t stop and so she had no choice but to answer it.

“Hello?” her voice was groggy and angry.

“Is this Samantha Richards?” a serious man’s voice wasted no time with polite introductions.

“It is,” she hesitated for a second. “Who is this?”

“This is Detective Cooper, NYPD. Are you Anthony Richards’ sister?”

*****

The tears were dripping from Samantha’s cheeks and landing in the palm of her upturned hands. A tissue, which she’d torn to shreds, was tangled between her fingers and she pulled it apart and watched the little white pieces fall to the ground.

Across the desk, Detective Cooper was looking at her, taking note of every little move she made. For a second he noticed how pretty she was, but he reeled his thoughts in fast. This was a time to be professional, not chat up beautiful women. Although she did have that special shade of hazel in her eyes, the one that was so rare and that Cooper loved so much. He shook his head to bring himself back to reality.

“I’m so sorry for your loss Miss Richards. It must have come as such a terrible shock to you.”

“Not really,” she sniffed. “I always guessed something like this would happen.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, Anthony was always in trouble. Ever since I can remember he was always going against the grain and doing everything he knew he shouldn’t. You know when he was eight years old he used to steal neighborhood kids’ bikes and sell them,” she smiled at the memory. “He was a real entrepreneur, though, gotta give him that.”

“It sounds like he was a real character.”

“Yeah, that’s one way of putting it.”

Cooper offered Samantha another tissue which she gladly took before also ripping it to pieces. Her eyes were red and raw as she dabbed at them but Cooper still thought she looked like a sweet girl. It was then that she noticed the clock on the wall behind the detective and stood up.

“Shit! I start work in forty-five minutes!” and she reached for her coat and bag.

“No please, I don’t think you should go in today. Take it easy. I can call in for you.”

Cooper walked around his desk to comfort her. Placing his hands on her shoulders he urged her to sit back down and relax.

“Don’t worry. Just stay here, you don’t have to go anywhere.”

Samantha nodded with her mind numb and her body still in shock. Meanwhile, Brookes got up from his desk and proceeded to get her some coffee, nodding to his partner as he hurried down the hall.

“Now, if you let me know where you work I’ll go and give them a call. My partner will be with you in just a second,” Cooper tried to sound as understanding as possible.

After she handed over the number she slumped back in her chair with the grief washing over her in waves. Her body sagged in misery as she wiped at her face and she shivered as exhaustion took hold of her. It wasn’t long until Brookes returned with a steaming cup which she took gratefully, holding the warmth between her hands and letting the steam cleanse her face. She took a tentative sip of her coffee and when she looked up next, she saw the two detectives on either side of the desk with their eyes bearing down on her. For the first time since she arrived she felt as though she was about to be questioned and she looked up to Cooper with her wide eyes, mentally pleading that he’d let her go home to cry.

“I’m afraid I have to ask you some questions, now that we’ve had some time to get acquainted,” he began.

Samantha slumped and resigned herself to having to talk about Anthony and all the terrible things he’d one.

“That’s ok,” she sighed. “Better get it out the way.”

“I’ll try to be as quick as I can. Firstly, can you tell me, when was the last time you saw your brother?”

“Almost a year ago,” she remembered sadly. “We were at a family barbecue and well…it didn’t go so well.”

“Oh yeah?”

“He turned up drunk and high as always and it wasn’t long until a fight broke out between him and my Dad.”

“Your Dad?”

“Yeah,” she saw the suspicious look in Cooper’s eyes. “Why?”

“It’s just that people usually have their spouse or parents as their next of kin. It’s rarely a sibling.”

“My parents and him…. It’s complicated,” she explained. “For a long time, I was all he had. But we had a close bond you know? Even growing up I was always on his side when no one else was. As adults, I was always lending him money, letting him crash at my place. I did everything for Anthony I really did!” and her sobbing overcame her once again.

“So what happened? How come you hadn’t seen him in so long?”

Samantha took a moment to regain her breath. Nibbling on a broken nail, she tried to steady herself before continuing.

“That was his choice, not mine. Well, kinda… After the fight at the barbecue, he disappeared for two days. I was worried out of my mind, we all were. So when I got an email from him I assumed it was because he wanted to say sorry. But instead, he said he wanted nothing to do with any of us. Said my parents were abusive to him as a kid and that’s why he was so messed up. Then he said I sided with them.”

“Did you?”

“What?”

“Side with your parents?”

“Weren’t you listening? I was always sticking up for Anthony. Always trying to do my best for him, but in his crazy drug-fueled, paranoid state he was scared and angry with everyone. He pushed us all away, despite how much we loved him.”

The detectives remained quiet for a moment to give her a moment to collect herself. Cooper hated this part of the job. He couldn’t cope with the idea that his words could tear someone’s world apart. Nevertheless, it was something he had become used to and he’d lost count over the years of how many people he’d had to call with bad news.

It was then that his mind went into overdrive as it scanned the faces of every person he’d ever met on the job. There were too many to remember, but distinct faces always stood out and it was always the worst that stuck in his memory. His thoughts drifted to a serial killer who had preyed on teenage boys when he was a rookie. He was one of the unlucky cops who witnessed one of the crime scenes. To this day, he could still smell it.

“Detective? Hello?”

It was then he realized he hadn’t noticed Samantha talking.

“Sorry, what was that?”

“I said I can’t believe Anthony put me down as his next of kin. Kinda makes me feel a bit…. not happy, but glad he was thinking about me.”

Cooper gave her a weak smile.

“I’m pretty sure he would have never forgotten about you.”