Page 38 of Crucified By the Dark
“What makes you say that?”
He shrugged his shoulders, a motion that was so him. “Because I see the dark clouds in your eyes, and they are troubled. You’ve lost your faith.”
“How can you not have doubts,” she whispered, then took another sip of water with the next bit of food.
“Because when we get out of this place, I plan on marrying you. That is reason enough to make sure that we never stop putting one foot in front of the other.”
She smiled. “Marrying me? Is this your formal proposal?”
“Oh no. I have a grand proposal planned. You’ll be so embarrassed, but you’ll smile and blush and love every moment of the attention you claim to hate,” he said. Little butterflies took flight, and her heart felt lighter as TK continued. “I was thinking of a wedding on your dad’s property. Do it right with a big old tent, and we’ll invite all these assholes.” TK nodded toward the group that was at different stages of eating or already sleeping. “Oh, and I was thinking Kyle could be the ring bearer. You’ll look stunning walking down the runway in your sexy little mini dress and combat boots.”
She stifled the laugh. “Okay, I think you’ve entered fantasy land.”
TK smiled as he stared into her eyes, and slowly, they became serious. Reaching up, he ran his thumb over her cheek. “You don’t even realize how beautiful you are. You steal my breath away.”
She touched the large bandage covering the wound where shrapnel had hit her cheek. “Yes, I’m sure having your wife looking like she tried to pull the Joker on her face is exactly what you always dreamed.”
TK grabbed her hand and linked their fingers together. She couldn’t have stopped the swelling of her heart if she’d tried. They’d been friends for two years before Andrew pulled his porno act and announced his cheating to her and those closest to her. They’d remained friends for another year before they caved and started sleeping together. She realized before this mission that she was in love with TK, and it terrified her. Everything in her gut told her not to fall for him, but her gut and mind had no control over her heart, and it thumped hard for him.
“This scar should always be worn with pride. No, scratch that. All the scars from over here, whether we can see them or not, should be worn with pride, and never forget that.” He leaned his forehead against hers. “I love you, Morrianna Waters, and when we get out of here, I am marrying you and never letting you go.”
“I love you too.”
The sound of something scratching woke her up. You didn’t just wake up in the desert. You woke up prepared to fight. Her eyes snapped open, and even though it was still dark out, she could see the two camel spiders sitting on her chest. One of them was scratching at her top like it was trying to get at her stomach. Normally she could keep her shit together, but instead, she squealed as the second stepped up her chest toward her face. Morry jumped to her feet in a flash, and the relatively harmless spiders dropped to the ground and scurried away.
A hand grabbed her shoulder, and she jumped at the sudden contact. “Morry, stay down. What are you doing,” TK asked, his voice hushed.
She looked over her shoulder at his worried expression. “Shit, TK. Did you see that?” She pointed to the spot where the spiders had taken off. She looked back the way they had gone and shivered, rubbing her arms from the creepy sensation of having them sitting on her.
The whizzing sound was subtle, but the wet sensation that hit her in the back of her neck was not. Whipping around, she stared into TK’s eyes and the hole in his neck. He grabbed at the wound as he went to his knees. She dropped to her knees with him.
“No, no, no…TK. Trev, I need you. Wolf? Anyone?” She placed her hand over the hole and pinched off the wound as best she could. Everyone stirred and came rushing over. “Don’t you dare die on me. Don’t you do it. I can fix this…I just need my bag. Trev, get me my kit,” she ordered as TK grabbed her arm. His hand was bright red with his blood, and he squeezed her arm.
“Don’t look at me like that. You can’t propose and then die on me, dammit.”
“I. Love. You.”
The tears streamed down Morry’s face, and her body shook as she tried to get the story out. Jeremy’s eyes stung with unshed tears as the pain of her loss filled him as if it had been his own. He held her tight and let her cry it out.
“I stood up,” she mumbled through the tears against his chest. “You don’t stand up.” Morry lifted her head, her eyes found his, and Jeremy’s heart broke for her. Grabbing Morry under her arms, he pulled her up to kiss her lips, trembling and wet from her tears.
“It’s not your fault, Morry. It’s not your fault,” he said.
“The universe is punishing me for getting him killed,” she said as she gulped in a breath.
“Trust me, I don’t think it works that way, but why do you think that?”
Morry wiped at the tears on her face like she was angry with them. “You know that new kid I asked you to take a look at tomorrow?”
“Yeah.”
“His name is Stephen Kekewich,” Morry said.
He still wasn’t making the connection and waited for her to fill in the blanks. Running her hand through her hair, she sighed, and it sounded like the weight of the world was sitting squarely on her shoulders.
“TK stood for Tyler Kekewich. Stephen is his younger brother.”
“Oh, damn.”
