Page 49 of Fighting for Valor
“Did something happen?” My chest tightens, and all I want is for him to hold me and tell me everything’s going to be okay, but whatever has him so worried won’t let him. “I’d never put you in danger, Ripper. At least not…on purpose.”
If I let go for even a second, I’ll start crying, and when my voice breaks, it seems to shock him out of this gruff, detached persona. “Fuck. I’m sorry, sunshine. I should have known…” He’s down the steps and has his arms around me in a single breath, and the dog presses his big body against our legs with a little whine.
I have to tell him. I can’t keep my secret if it’s going to hurt him. Or even make him think—for a second—that he can’t trust me. “The past few days, you’ve seen the real me. But…there’s another me.” My entire body shudders as I realize what I’m about to do. “I have secrets, Ripper. An old life. And all day, I’ve been worried that old life is going to catch up with me.”
He releases me slowly but keeps hold of one of my hands. “Mine has,” he says quietly.
Across the street, another bus pulls up to the curb, the hiss of the brakes and the creak of the suspension making both of us stand up a little straighter. A group of laughing college-age kids heads south, while a man dressed in a pair of black pants and a black jacket, a baseball cap pulled down over his eyes, stands across the street, his phone pressed to his ear.
He takes two steps north—in our direction—and now I know I wasn’t imagining things all day. As I turn to Ripper, he tightens his grip on my hand. “Cara, we’re leaving. Right now.”
Ripper
I first saw the man through the bus window. Standing up front, by the driver, he peered across the street, right at us. I could have ignored it—if it weren’t for how he moved. Like me. And Ry and Dax and Trevor. He’s been trained. Not a sound from his shoes, a casual air to him, but he’s hiding his eyes and heading right for us.
Holding tight to Charlie’s leash, I rest my other hand at the small of Cara’s back and urge her down the street, taking a left on forty-second, cutting through an alley, and coming back out onto University. Here, the crowds from college starting back up again will help us blend in and disappear.
Cara didn’t hesitate. As soon as I told her to move, she did. I can feel the tension radiating off her, and I take her arm and pull her into the overflow crowd from one of the more popular bars. Charlie stays pressed to my side and whines at me like he knows we’re in deep shit.
“Stay, Charlie,” I order, and he stills. Draping my other arm around Cara’s shoulders, I pull her close and pretend to kiss her neck so I can peer behind her. “I don’t see him.”
“Are you sure?” Cara asks, her voice shaky.
“As sure as I can be with this many people on the street. We need to get out of here.” She’s shaking, despite the press of people around us, and I draw her closer. “This is the warmest sweatshirt I own, you know.”
With her cheek to my chest, her words are muffled, but I think I’d hear them no matter what. “I’m sorry. I…should have given it back.”
“Nah. Looks better on you anyway.” At my side, Charlie starts to fidget, and then his growl rumbles against my leg. Pressing the leash into Cara’s hand, I tip her chin up so she meets my gaze. “We’re going through the bar. I doubt they let dogs in here, so we’re going fast. As soon as we move, put the hood up, don’t let go of Charlie’s leash, and stay right behind me. Got it?”
She nods, a little noise escaping her throat, and then ducks her head. We dart forward almost as one, weaving through the crowds, among the tables, and towards the back door. Charlie doesn’t lose focus for a second, staying right next to Cara despite the smells and the people and the food all around him.
As we burst out into the alley, Cara shoves Charlie’s leash at me. “You don’t want to follow me, Ripper. It’s too dangerous.” Before I can react, she darts away, so fast she’s at the corner before I can take two steps.
Charlie whines, and I shake my head as I pick up the pace, breaking into a jog. When I come up next to her and take her hand, she tries to pull away. “Cara, stop. You’re only going to draw attention to yourself. We’re going to stroll through the University quad, just like two people—and a dog—on a date.”
“Ripper, don’t. Please. I’m just putting you in danger.” Despite her words, she tightens her fingers on mine. The contact shouldn’t steady me, but it does, and I lean down so my lips are close to her ear.
“Cara,” I nuzzle her neck, savoring the scent of her skin. Fuck. She tastes like salt and rain, and if we weren’t being chased, I’d do more than just pretend to kiss her. “You know what I used to be. Special Forces fight for those who can’t fight for themselves. I don’t know what the hell is going on here, but I’m not leaving you to deal with it on your own. Do you trust me?”
Her free hand cups the back of my neck, and I remember how good it felt the other day, just having her hold onto me. “I trust you.”
“Then let’s go. Is there anything at your apartment you need tonight?” Before I draw back, I plant a single kiss to the delicate skin behind her ear, and she shudders, goosebumps rising on her skin.
“No. I have my meds with me. Enough for two days, at least.”
The stoplight changes, and we amble hand-in-hand across the street, up a well-lit path, and all the way to the center of the quad. I never stop looking around, pausing every fifty feet or so to thread my fingers through her hair under the hood, or cup her cheek, or slide my hand around her waist.
More than once, my attempts to fake a kiss end up with my lips close to hers, and fuck. My jeans are painfully tight. Against me, even though the thick sweatshirt, I can feel her nipples pebble, and for the first time in years, I remember what it’s like to have…needs.
But I can’t let myself give in. As soon as we get to my apartment, I’ll call Ry, and he’ll know what to do—how to protect her. And maybe then, I can convince my broken body and soul to walk away.
“I don’t see him anywhere,” I say after twenty minutes. “But keep the hood up. We’re going to my place, and after that, you’re going to tell me what’s going on.”
She nods, tears shining in her eyes. Whatever it is, she’s terrified, and I know in my heart, I can’t ever walk away from her.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Ripper
