FIRE (Elite Forces #2)(29)
“Well, shit. I’m dying to meet him. I’ll need to see with my own eyes if he’s good enough for my daughter.” I laugh at my dad’s joke. He’s the basic nobody's-ever-going-to-be-good-enough-for-my-daughter kind of dad.
“This makes my heart swell, sweetheart. I can’t wait to meet him. And don’t pay your dad any attention. It won’t matter if you marry the man and have a handful of babies. No one will ever be good enough for you in his eyes.” Oh, good god. Marriage and babies. “Shit. Mom. Marriage isn’t even in the picture.”
This joking banter between the three of us is exactly what I need. I’m laughing and carrying on with my parents for the longest time, and it feels as if no time has passed by us at all. I’m more comfortable than when I showed up unannounced at their house several weeks ago.
We say our goodbyes, then I try a few times to get a hold of Mallory, but it goes to voicemail every damn time. I leave one last message for her to call me back while my mind wonders where the heck she is. She knows I had to take off, but we both talked about getting together once I returned. It’s not like her to ignore my calls.
“Where are you, Mallory?” I ask out loud like she can hear me.
CHAPTER TWELVE
KALEB
I sit on the front porch and listen to Jade talk to her parents. The sound of her laughter coming from my kitchen brings a much-needed smile to my face. I’m so glad she has a great relationship with them now. It’s something that’s important to me, so I need it to be important to the person I chose to be with forever.
Someone up above must be paying a bit of attention to know that hearing her flit around my house, banging the cupboards, and the sweet sound of her voice is a necessity for me right now.
She’s everything to me. The way she pushed me to take out my anger on her in a much-needed f*ck, no less than broke me. I love nothing more than to f*ck her sweet body and pound us both into a stupor. And I will many times in my life, but never again when my mind is out of control. When I feel like I’m going out of my goddamn mind with worry and fear over where the f*ck Ty is and what the hell he has planned.
He’s coming. I can feel it to the deepest part of my bones. There was a warning in his eyes that shot straight to my heart. He f*cking knows about her; I damn well know he does. The idea of letting her out of my sight even for just a blink of an eye sends a chill down my spine so deep it frightens the hell out of me. And I’m a man who isn’t afraid of anyone or anything, but him. I can’t even comprehend what he would do to her if given the chance. She’s staying right here. I’ll tie her up and leave Harris behind if I have to. There’s no way in hell she’s going on this personal mission with me. I won’t take a chance when it comes to her.
Speaking of Harris, I need to call him. What I need to talk to him about should be said in person, but being that he’s not here, a phone call will have to do.
I push myself up from the wooden steps and snatch my phone from my pocket. I find his name in my contacts and slowly make my way toward the office as it begins to ring.
“Maverick,” Harris answers on the second ring.
“You make it back to the ranch or you still climbing out of the pile of shit the Army has you in?” He laughs loudly on the other end, and a slight smirk spreads across my face.
“No shit slinging here, dude. Paperwork up the ass though. All of you make it to the compound okay?” He sounds out of breath, and I wonder if he’s working out. Lucky f*cker. I’d give anything to be able to pump some damn iron right now.
“Yeah. We're here.” I pause.
“You good, man? If you are, I’ll file that paperwork for my medal.” He laughs.
He might be joking about the medal. However, I couldn’t agree more. He deserves more than my simple thank you for taking it upon himself to stay with her in Mexico. Jade told me how he told her he was there for her, just to make sure she went nowhere alone.
“I’m getting there. As far as saving my ass, that’s one of the reasons why I’m calling. We saw the tapes. I know what you did. You put your life before mine, man. I’ll never forget that.” At the time it all happened, I couldn’t comprehend anything around me except her voice. I had no idea who was with her.
I can almost hear the cocky smirk that I know spreads across his face. Even though his next words are like a surprise uppercut to my jaw. I know he means them.
“You’d do the same for me.” Damn right, I would.
“Just don’t go looking for trouble so I have to.” Before he can reply, I hear a female hollering his name in the background.
“Is that Mallory?” I ask suspiciously.
“Yeah. I’m at their place. The ranch will have to wait a while. It’s back to the grind for me. You mentioned another reason for calling.” His voice is hesitant.
“He’s alive,” I say, knowing damn well I don’t have to say more. “Keep an eye on Mallory. You got me?” I run my free hand down my face. The tension building across my neck and shoulders is growing the more I think about all the people we need to protect.
“You let me know the plan and I’m there, Kaleb.” I should have known he would be willing to battle and take down the f*cking devil himself. The last thing I say to him before I hang up is, “You know I will.”