ROMANCE: Mason (Bad Boy Alpha Male Stepbrother Romance Boxset) (New Adult Contemporary Stepbrother Romance Collection) (97 page)

“He was tall like you, but tan darker….and his hair might be short, it was under a hat.” 

“Like Daddy’s hunting hat?  Camouflage?”

“Yes.”  She nodded emphatically. 

Vince looked at Sydney, but she had left the room, presumably to call Annette. 

“Honestly, Syd, I didn’t think any more about it!” 

Sydney stopped pacing and looked at Annette with bitter eyes.  “The day after Vince receives a death threat, you didn’t think any more about it?”

Annette twisted his full lips and crossed her arms and legs at the same time.  “Look, mothers and fathers bring their kids to that very park all the time!  He was obviously in desert camo clothing.  Camo pants, hat, and a tan shirt.  I didn’t like the fact that he had singled Dakota out, so I took her by the hand and led her to a different spot!  We didn’t see him again!”  By the end of her explanation, her eyes were glaring.  “What else do you want me to say?” 

Sydney unfolded her arms, allowing them to drop by her sides.  Vince thought she looked like a deflated balloon. 

“Annette, we don’t blame you.  We just need as much information as possible, so we can…so we can…”  He looked to Stanley for help. 

“So we can know what to report and how best to proceed from here.” 

Sydney sat on the couch next to Annette, placing her arm around her shoulder.  She tried to give her a penitent look, but Annette wouldn’t look at her. 

“Look, I’m sorry.  This has been hard, and to think that someone who wants to hurt my husband may have contacted my daughter or had someone contact her…well, it makes this all the more dangerous.  It means…”  She couldn’t bring herself to finish.  Annette looked at her sidelong, her face softened. 

“It means someone is watching you.”  Annette’s voice was a quiet breath against Sydney’s cheek. 

“We need to go back to Captain Tillman.”  Stanley was already putting on shoes.  He looked at the women sitting on Sydney’s couch.  “Keep the doors locked.  Don’t try to go home, Annette, until I come for you.” 

The two men walked into the sunlight in silence.  They got in Vince’s car and drove across base, both feeling different things.  Stanley stared out the window and rubbed his hands together. 

“Bet you were wondering why she knows so much about the park since we don’t have a child to take there.”

Vince hadn’t been wondering, but since Stanley mentioned it, he was a bit curious. 

“I’ll tell you why.”  Stanley said, his voice changed to weary disappointment.  “She goes there to live vicariously.  She wants a baby so bad, but the doctor said the chances of having one are next to none.”  Vince could feel Stanley’s face turn, his eyes boring into him.  “She even wanted to hire a surrogate.  I said no.” 

“Why?”

“Because if it can’t be from me and her, I don’t want it.  I’d rather adopt.”

“What does she say to that?”  Vince found a parking spot at the administrative building where Captain Tillman’s office was located.  He cut the engine, looking at Stanley, waiting for an answer.

Stanley cocked his head to the side.  “She says if it can’t be from me, she doesn’t want it.” 

Vince blew air through puffed cheeks.  The car was heating up already, but he knew this was important.  He turned the key backwards and pushed the button to let the window down.  Salty sea air instantly filled the car. 

“I hope she changes her mind soon.”  Stanley said with a grin.  “I’m tired of eating at Chuckie Cheese once a month.”

Vince grinned back.  “Why on earth every month?”

“She takes a little boy from that church she attends sometimes.  His mom is having a really hard time, financial hard times.  She does it to give him hope.”

“I don’t understand.”

Stanley rubbed his chin, his eyes distant.  “It gives him hope that not everyone is abusive.  It gives him hope that there are fine times to be had, even when life is throwing punches.” 

“Who abused him?”

“His dad.” 

Vince was speechless.  “Why haven’t you ever told me?” 

Stanley shrugged and opened the car door.  “Don’t know.” 

Vince followed him from the car, pushing the key fob until the car chirped.  “How old is he?”

“Ten.  Just turned ten while you and I were still overseas.  His name is Danny.” 

Vince grinned.  “That’s awesome, man.  Good deeds aren’t easily forgotten when children are concerned.” 

“Yeah.  I just wish sometimes that his mother would just sign him over.  She has two other children, both have different fathers, and both are under four.” 

Vince whistled low.  “Annette met her in church?”  He knew he shouldn’t judge, and churches shouldn’t necessarily either, but a line had to be drawn sooner or later.

“She was a guest of someone else, and only came for about a month or two.  By then Annette was already attached.  Danny would sit with us for some reason.  Maybe it was because there weren’t many black families there, or maybe it was because Annette had mints and gum.”  He grinned again.  “Probably was the mints and gum, but he doesn’t seem to mind that I’m white.”

Vince slapped him on the shoulder.  “Yeah, I don’t mind that you’re white either.”

They started walking towards the building. 

“Good, because I don’t mind that you’re neither white nor black.”

Vince could only snicker. 

Captain Tillman ran a hand lightly over his stomach.  The stress was killing him.  His sweet little wife was going to find him dead in bed one morning, or maybe he would be one of those bizarre cases where he died of an aneurysm while on the john.  That end wasn’t working too well of late either. 

Vince and Stanley stared at him, and tried to decide if he was thinking, or just thinking about puking. 

“Sir?”  Vince finally asked, sliding an elbow onto one knee. 

Captain Tillman slid his eyes back to them cautiously, as if he had hoped they were ghosts that would just disappear. 

“Maybe someone knew, and told your little girl.”  It was weak.  It was weak and the two men in front of him knew it too.  Their hard eyes told him so.

“Sir, that mission had very limited outside intelligence.  You said the White House didn’t even know what we were doing.”

“Yes, that’s true; it’s often true!  My God men, we can’t let every part of the administration know what we do!” 

Vince and Stanley looked at each other briefly.  Neither knew what to say.  Captain Tillman pressed on, a fine sheen of sweat appearing along his upper lip. 

“Maybe you should go back over there, and see what the problem is.”

“Are you serious?”  Vince roared.  “We just got home!” 

Captain Tillman narrowed his eyes ever so slightly.  It didn’t give the desired effect, it simply made his recently growing cheeks look fatter.  “Vince, I believe you are up very soon for contract re-enlistment.  Perhaps you should consider getting out of the game altogether if you aren’t willing to do the job.”

Vince stood and saluted, his face a mask of sarcastic irony.  Stanley slowly followed suite.  They left without another word. 

Captain Tillman picked up a pen and tapped it on the desk.  He stared at the empty doorway the two men had just exited.  His stomach gurgled as he jerked his desk drawer open and pulled his personal cell phone from the drawer.  He needed to make a phone call, but wouldn’t make it there. 

“What will you do?”  Sydney asked.  She had cleaned the little house from top to bottom, a catharsis often employed in times of stress, and she was still wiping an already spotless kitchen counter.

“I don’t know.  Maybe he’s right.  Maybe I should get out while I can.”

“You love being a Seal.”  Inside she felt hope spark and flame to life.  It would be so good if he would get out. 

“I do, but I love my life and my family more!”  He cut his eyes in annoyance, quickly making the look vanish.  Things were getting better, at least between the two of them, and he wasn’t about to put a rut in the road.  “There’s other things I can do.” 

Sydney slowed her wiping, finally tossing the rag into the sink.  They still had kitchen chairs positioned as if the table still existed, and she sat in the one directly across from him.  “You always talked about opening a firing range or military surplus.  We could look into that.” 

Vince nodded.  His head ached and he wished he could just shed his clothes and run wild in his wolf from through the base.  He knew he’d be dead within sixty seconds. 

“I might take a drive.” 

Sydney perked up.  “Great!  I’ll get Dakota dressed after her nap!” 

Vince cringed.  He had meant alone, but he being alone and they being home alone probably wasn’t the best idea at the time. 

“Yeah, do that.  Pack an overnight bag too.”  He looked at her steadily.  “I was hoping to have some time to run.” 

“Bring sweats, and…”  She stopped when his passive face told her that he didn’t mean a nice jog.  He wanted to shift.  Her throat constricted. 

You did tell him you wanted all of him.   “Oh.  Sure.  You should do that.”

Vince could smell the nervousness coming off of her.  He knew this would be an internal struggle for her, but a promise is a promise.  He said the one thing he could to reassure her.  “I’ll wait until Dakota is down for the night.” 

Sydney nodded, a faint smile ghosting her lips.  “Thank you.” 

“What about Bridgette coming tomorrow?”

Sydney rubbed her upper arms.  “She wasn’t coming until four.  She was coming for dinner, but I can just do something simple.” 

“I’ll let Stanley know we’re going out so he can drive by the house at least once.”  He paused and looked at her rapidly paling face.  “You alright?  Things squared with Annette?”

“Oh yeah.  We’re good.”  Her large eyes stared up at him.  “It’s just…we have never felt the need to ask anyone to check the house.” 

Vince kissed the top of her head, wishing for the thousandth time since that blasted phone call, that he could have spared her all of it.  “It’s going to be fine.  If things get too bad, and we aren’t getting socially acceptable help, I’ll call in the less acceptable.” 

“You haven’t talked to your pack in two years.”  She said doubtfully, allowing her eyes to fall to the floor. 

“They are still my pack, Syd.”  He lifted her to her feet.  “Get the bags ready.  I think we might just go an hour or so away.” 

“Let’s go to the beach.” 

“Won’t get much swimming done.  It’ll be dark in a few hours, and the water is already getting cold for the season.”

“Walking the beach at night is romantic.”

Vince laughed.  “Not with a three year old!” 

“She’ll be four next month.” 

“Ooh!  Like that makes a difference!” 

Two men talked on separate cell phones.  One far away.  One close enough to almost smell Sydney Torres’s perfume.  Definitely close enough to see the Torres child running through the living room with an ugly doll tucked under one arm. 

“This better be worth the trouble.”

“It will be more than worth the trouble.”

“What if she fights?”

“Then pick one to kill, but it’s better if we have two.”

They ended the phone call without saying goodbye.  Sydney Torres appeared momentarily in front of the living room window.  The man lowered his binoculars, afraid she might have seen him.  Yearning filled his body.  She was a lovely woman. Pity. 

Virginia Beach wasn’t crowded, but there was enough people around to give Vince doubts about his time to shift.  A momentary suspicion crossed his mind that Sydney picked the beach on purpose just for that reason, but he soon dismissed it.  It was October after all; not exactly the peak time for beaches this far north on the east coast.  He would just have to wait until later in the nighttime. 

He still had the nagging feeling that they had been tailed at least part of the thirty minute drive there.  He kept seeing the same dark blue Ford Focus in his rearview mirror.  He saw it several times at a far away distance, but too often it was only a car length or two behind.  The man looked non-descript, dark hair and sunglasses, but the feeling was still nagging him, even though the car had taken the exit before theirs.

“Ooh, Pickles!  Look at our pretty room!”  Dakota cooed, climbing onto one of the two double beds. 

“Look, Pumpkin, you can see a little of the ocean from our balcony!”  Vince said, motioning for her to come see. 

Sydney smiled as Dakota climbed off the bed and ran onto the balcony.  She went into the bathroom, shutting the door on Dakota’s chatter.  She just needed a few moments alone.  She just needed period.  What she wasn’t sure.  Maybe it was a need for the constant flutter in her stomach to still.  Maybe it was a need for change in their lives. That change may be a nearby possibility.  She looked at her reflection.  Her light complexion was naturally contrasted nicely by her black hair and dark eyes, but now there was an added contrast: dark circles under her eyes.  She was surprised Vince hadn’t noticed.  She was waking more and more often just sitting in the darkness listening, or leaning over to watch him sleep.  Her life was taking on a dream like quality that was frightening.