The Choice (36 page)

“Well let’s do it.” Sam lifted Marcie, crutches and all. And carried her to the open truck door and eased her into the back seat. “We’re staying on Las Seta.” That was all he said when he closed Marcie’s door, climbed in the driver’s side and started the truck.

“So is this where we go rehash whatever that was we heard?” Richard was being crass with a silent Maggie, chewing her fingernails, perched on his lap.

“No, this is where we go to formulate a plan, Richard. With all the secret information, each one of us knows about Dan, Lance Silver and their drug operation. And then we’re going to put it all together and figure out what the hell we're going to do.”

Marcie’s eyes flickered open, warmed by the late afternoon sun splashing a pool of soothing light over her. Even though she slept deeply on her double bed, she stretched past the blossoming weary ache infiltrating all her muscles.

Her soothed stomach was content from the bowl of homemade bean soup Sam had heated on the propane stove. Everyone had crowded around the table, rehashing their outrageous morning, what they’d heard, while eating lunch. But Marcie didn’t listen. Her eyes struggled to stay open with each bite, and when she was done, Sam slid her bowl aside, caring and attentive as he gently lifted her and carried her to bed, laying her granny’s quilt over her while she drifted off to sleep.

Marcie breathed in the peace and tranquility, a constant here on this property. Maybe the visit to Sally sparked awareness to the importance of respecting and honoring her given gifts.

She could hear muffled voices drift with relative calm from the kitchen. It was comforting. She closed her eyes and pictured the five of them, sitting around the kitchen table, plotting out their plan of action. Five honorable people she loved, respected and felt deeply connected to.

What an odd mix they were. She took a moment to offer gratitude for each one of them before tossing back the quilt and fumbling out of bed. She clunked her way down the hall and stopped outside the kitchen. Her friends were gathered around the kitchen table with maps and papers askew, deep in discussion. Maggie was first to look up.

“Maggie, you’ve been dragged into the middle of a mess I’m responsible for. Whatever plan we come up with, she needs to stay out of it. Lily and Ryley need you, and you need to be with them.” Marcie declared.

She had everyone’s attention. Even Richard dropped the hard-ass-give-nothing-away demeanor to something that reflected deep concern.

Sam scraped back his chair and strode to her side. “I didn’t know you’re awake.”

“You mean I didn’t wake the dead with the ruckus I made hobbling in here?”

“Nope, but our heads are elsewhere.”

She allowed Sam to lead her over to his empty chair. Without argument, she gave him the right to help her sit. His gentle touch glided up her back and sent a warm buzz tingling from her head to toe. His hand lingered on her shoulder, a protective gesture, which spoke of a deepening link continuing to blossom between them. When her eyes met his uneasy gaze, she saw something else hidden in the shadows.

“We’ve already discussed the matter while you slept. Lily and Ryley will be moved here tomorrow. Just so you know, Marcie. You, Maggie and the kids are out of it from this day forward. Jesse, Diane, Richard and I’ll be doing what needs doing. We’ll be taking the risks, making the decisions.”

She couldn’t believe it. Leave it to a man, a whole pack of alpha males and one alpha female, to believe they knew best. When she looked at Richard, Jesse and Diane, they appeared to flank Sam, unified, leaders who lorded over the group. A plan had been developed, outlined and executed all while she’d slept. When she glanced over to a silent, tormented Maggie, her tummy kicked up a pang of suffering, filled with fear and uncertainty. Her skin prickled with awareness and for the first time in years, she sensed the turmoil that belonged to someone else. Then Marcie did something unexpected, while reaching for Sam’s hand. “I think that’s a good idea.”

Before dark set in, Jesse drove Diane, Richard and Maggie to the dock. They’d agreed to return with the kids in the morning. Besides, they needed supplies, not just food, but also the kind only Diane could get. Ammunition, radios and gear for surveillance.

When Jesse returned, he didn’t linger in the kitchen. He dumped his coat on the back of a kitchen chair and said goodnight, taking the bed in Granny’s room. Marcie felt clumsy and foolish facing Sam alone in her cozy kitchen. She wanted to reach out but the fear of rejection hammered her in place. Sam shoved his hands in his pockets and then took them out again. He too apparently shared her case of nerves.

“There’s only my bed left, unless you want the sofa that’s too short for you or to crowd Jesse in that small double bed.” There, she said it. But then winced and started to back pedal before he rejected her. “What I meant to say…”

“I told myself when you snuck out. You deliberately lied right to my face. That you told me what I wanted to hear, and you’d been waiting for the first opportunity to slip away and go back to Dan and your marijuana. I felt betrayed. If you had stuck a knife in my gut, it would’ve been kinder. I wasn’t going to be used again. I questioned my good sense.”

She lingered in the archway, wearing the baggy sweats she’d pulled on earlier. “I can see how you’d come to that conclusion, except my mind doesn’t work that way.”

Sam angled his head. “No, you’re an up-front, extremely naive woman who’s a little out there.”

“A little? Isn’t that like saying the moon’s a little round?” She leaned against the wall.

Sam stepped closer. His arms still crossed in front of him, but a glint of humor now rested on his face. “You’re not ashamed of who you are. And I don’t remember ever knowing a person to hold themselves accountable for the bad things they’ve done, even before you truly knew you’d done something wrong. To say they’re sorry countless times and mean it. It’s unsettling.”

She pushed away from the wall and would have taken an evasive step back but was hampered by her cast.

Sam solved the problem of keeping her still by placing his hands on the wall, one on each side, by her head.

Her heart hammered so hard, her thoughts scattered. “I needed to apologize to you, to make it right. You’re a good man. You’ve never left me, even when you were angry, and you had every right to be.”

He raised his eyebrows. “There you go again.” His face was so close, full tempting lips she knew all too well—ones so skilled, they knew how to kiss a woman.

“Your heart’s pounding; listen, can you hear it?” He moved closer, his voice a smoky whisper. He placed his hand on her chest. Her breath trembled from her loss of control, becoming sharp and shallow. He spread his fingers and smoothed it over her breast. Her knees weakened. She must have weaved because his hand slid behind and gripped her hip, holding her steady.

“So I guess the couch is out?”

He lowered his head and nipped her bottom lip. Her fingers reached into his hair, pulling him closer, and he finally covered her mouth with his. He toyed with her nipple straining the cotton shirt. She let her tongue dance with his, but he set the pace, and when he pulled back, she nearly moaned until he scooped her up and carried her to the bedroom.

He kicked the door closed with his black boot and laid Marcie gently in the middle of the bed. Something broke loose deep inside her. A control she’d always had, except with Sam. Her thoughts scattered when his warm mouth found hers again. She shivered. He was driving her mad, the way he worked his mouth down her jaw to her neck. And his magical hands with long, wide fingers slid under her shirt, skimming the curve of her breast. She pulled at his shirt, fumbled his belt buckle, but he pulled away.

“Sam, I don’t need all this seduction.”

“I do, and I plan to have you naked under me. And you’ll be glad I took the time to do it right when I’m done.”

Her whole body trembled as he knelt down and removed her one shoe and then the sock. He took care not to bump her injured ankle even when he slid off her pants. His fingers practically melted off her shirt and bra. He pulled the covers back and helped her under. The air was chilly but neither appeared to notice.

Sam stepped back and watched her with dreamy blue eyes. He wanted to touch every part of her, to taste her and the bright innocence that openly welcomed him. He took his time, pulling off his shirt, removing his clothes, and then he climbed in beside her. Skin to skin, he tasted and touched every curve, his hands faster, maybe a little rough. But by God, the woman responded in a way that was driving him half blind.

She was small—but strong. His mouth on hers became hotter, more demanding when he moved between her legs. She wrapped one around his waist. The injured ankle, he was mindful not to touch.

She buried her face against his throat. Her tiny hands skimmed down his back, grabbed his hips and pulled him toward her. “Sam, now, please, for God’s sake.” Her voice wavered as she struggled to catch her breath. He took both her hands and rested them above her head, linking his with hers, and sank into her, deep, in one smooth motion. He muffled her cry of shock and pleasure with his mouth, as he moved inside her. He watched her in the moonlight. Her eyes lightened, changing color to a deeper and darker hue of blue. Her eyelids widened, fluttered, as her breath deepened. Her grip tightened when he increased his rhythm harder, faster. He watched her open and felt her come apart around him, no secrets between them, only pure honest loving. He buried himself deeper and held on until she peaked and bucked under him, and then he let himself go while he buried his face in her scads of glorious hair.

She’d drifted off. For how long she didn’t know, as she lay sprawled across the bed, blankets strewn everywhere, and Sam still on top of her. He must have sensed her stirring because he rolled off, tucking his arm under her, pulling her with him until she rested her arms on his chest. Sam reached down and pulled the covers around them. She touched a soft wayward strand of hair dangling upon his forehead and absorbed the soft rhythm of his breath.

“What’s wrong?” His sleepy voice scratched with gravel. He twirled strands of her thick hair through his fingers.

“I was just thinking of how I keep screwing up. And you don’t leave.” This time she didn’t shut her eyes to block out the intensity of his watchful gaze. “I was thanking God and my angels and Jerome for every stupid thing I did that brought me to you. Sam, maybe we should just leave, go somewhere far away. Where you’ll be out of Dan’s reach, Lance’s too.”

He pressed his firm lips to hers. “We’re going to fix this Marcie, here, we’re not running away. And we’ll bring Dan and Lance Silver’s little empire down. You need to trust me.”

“I do trust you, with my life. Who I don’t trust are Dan and Lance.” He pulled her head down to rest on his chest, surrounding her with his arms. “Go to sleep. Tomorrow, we’re going to fix this.”

Marcie basked in a solid sense of protection, the first time ever, in the new beginning of something good. Of being a part of a magical life filled with more goodness, hope, grace, joy and love than she thought was possible. She was with her Mr. Right. She rolled over, a little awkwardly, hindered by her cast, and snuggled her back against his chest, allowing his arm to drape over her. His fingers linked with hers, a sizzling connection, which comforted and soothed her to sleep.

He waited in the light. This time her awareness was acute in this dreamlike state. Brilliant radiance poured around them with gigantic waves crashing in the background. Marcie continued to move forward on the wooden deck of a tall ship surrounded by the vast blue-green ocean rippling around them. Jerome and his golden locks stood behind the helm. His eyes on the horizon, wearing a gleaming white shirt and tan canvas pants tucked into tall black boots.

Marcie instinctively moved toward her tall, gentle guide. Her long white gown flowed around her. Up each smooth wooden step while the sloop swayed beneath her bare feet. He never turned his head but stayed straight on course. Eyes forward, his powerful hands maintained a steady hold on the wheel.

“Marcie, you’re starting to understand. What you’re up against is reversing a course of events set in motion before your time. It’s like this wheel. The direction isn’t cast in stone. The forces of nature have the ability to throw you off course and change direction. You’ve already started, all of you. And what you need to do is step back and let Sam, Jesse, Diane and Richard go forth with their plan.”

“So it’ll be all right, I don’t need to do anything?”

“I didn’t say that. You need to stay with Maggie and the children when they arrive tomorrow. You also need to be ready and listen to the signs around you. Dan will come again. You’ll know what to do when he does. But one word of caution, do not give voice to the doubts that’ll flood you, or they’ll take root. That’s what he’s counting on. Remember, the choice you make will be the one that turns the tide and breaks the chain of the dark entities’ continuing cycle.

This dark element has grown stronger with each incarnation. And it rose from little more than the sludge of oil spills contaminating mother earth.”

Marcie saw sadness lurk in the shadows around him. He was long dead and gone. “He took your wife and raised your son.”

His eyes bore into her. “He plans to take you from Sam and destroy you both.”