Читать книгу A Soldier's Devotion - Cheryl Wyatt - Страница 13

She had some nerve.

Vince stormed from the back room. His team tensed. Petrowski stepped between him and Miss Distraction. Mass distraction rather. A weapon of mass distraction. Yeah. That’s what she was.

And he wanted no part of her.

Vince didn’t care why she’d come.

Only cared to see to it that she didn’t come back.

He let incisive anger fly from his eyes as he surged purposefully toward her.

Fear came alive in her face, making him pause momentarily. Her expression slammed memories back of seeing his sister’s face like that when their dad came crashing home in one of his drunken rages. Vince halted, unable to unleash the verbal lashing his tongue longed to give a hot moment ago.

As if sensing his sudden calm, his team inched away, except for Joel and Aaron, who no doubt hung out either from curiosity or at the risk of seeing if they’d have to step in and referee.

Vince unclenched his fists. “Why are you here?”

“I—I came to say I’m sorry.”

“You already did. About seven hundred times. Doesn’t change anything.”

“What can I say to that?” She raised her arms loosely and let them fall hard at her side. “I just hoped it would make a difference this time.”

Pure frustration. Not put on.

Honest. Tough. Vulnerable.

How she was all three at the same time, he had no idea. He just knew she was.

He notched his chin up. “What do you want from me?” He’d said it so calmly, the surprise in her eyes mirrored how he felt inside.

Thick black lashes on gorgeous gray eyes fluttered. “I—I don’t—I’m not sure.” Backing toward the door, she eyed the clock behind him. “I’m sorry that I came. I didn’t mean to make matters worse.” She turned and fled as fast as her high heels would take her.

She looked back only once. Regret sliced through him. Her trembling hands told him he’d scared and humiliated her.

Same way his old man used to do to him and his siblings. And he got the idea Miss Distraction was like his sister in the way of tears. Rarely did Victoria Reardon cry.

Vic. How he missed her.

Double remorse slugged his gut.

Once for his sister, Victoria.

Once for Valentina Russo.

A protectiveness normally reserved for his sister rose up in Vince for Miss Distraction. He started after her.

Petrowski’s strong arm swung out, blocking him. “No. She’s upset. Let me go.”

Knowing Aaron operated more diplomatically, and not wanting to scare Miss Distraction further, Vince planted his eager feet to the floor and nodded.

On Aaron’s way to the door, he paused to peer at Vince. “You didn’t hear Stallings explain her reason for the accident, did you?”

“No.” In fact, he hadn’t wanted to hear. So he’d poked his iPod nubs in his ears and jammed up the volume on his rip-your-ears-off hard rock.

But the terse look in Petrowski’s eyes told him he needed to know.

Vince shifted. “What?”

“Her aunt toppled down stairs on a medical scooter. Miss Russo received word of the accident seconds before entering that intersection.”

Compassion trickled past the hard earth of Vince’s anger. “She all right? The old lady, I mean?”

“Not sure yet. Stallings said she’s in surgery again today. So the young woman’s understandably under intense pressure right now. Last I heard the aunt was swinging between grave and critical condition.”

Petrowski didn’t need to say the rest. That Vince needed to go easy on her.

Sorrow settled in. “Aaron, I didn’t know, didn’t try to. I’ll make it right.”

Halfway out the door, Petrowski nodded. “I know you will. Mad as you are, your true colors can always be counted on to come through.”

That statement stunned Vince. Mostly because he didn’t see himself that way and didn’t feel he deserved the grace and understanding riding Petrowski’s words as he headed to the lot.

In fact, he’d been a complete jerk to Miss Distraction. And for the first time since the wreck, he felt a wiggle of wrong about it.

Vince moved to watch Petrowski leaving out the massive wall of windows that offered a breathtaking panoramic view of the sky he loved to languish in.

An inviting brilliant blue today, it canopied the vast acreage of Refuge Drop Zone’s grounds. It housed miles of public and private areas in which they did things as a team for hours each day. Things ranging from rigorous exercise to practicing nighttime military HALO jumps and daytime training to all-out fun with leisure landings.

Adjacent to that closed-off area resided the acreage where they conducted classes meant to train novice skydiving patrons proper body mechanics before they learned to solo or tandem skydive.

The space between Miss Distraction and Petrowski closed rapidly as Aaron sprinted to catch the woman, still rushing across the large lot to her car. She was liable to break her ankle wearing those spiked heels in the gravel part beyond the enormous asphalt section.

It had cost Joel a huge chunk of his savings putting that asphalt in when he’d bought the place after their team stationed in Refuge. Now the team was raising and saving money to help Joel pave the rest.

Why had Miss Distraction parked so far from the building? For exercise maybe? He could tell she did that regularly, too, because a woman didn’t get those shapely legs and toned arms solely by being a desk jockey. Not that he’d noticed. Really.

Miss Distraction indeed.

His nickname for her held sudden duplicity. Sure his sarcastic mind had made it up initially because her distraction was the cause of his disaster. But, watching her move in ways he couldn’t help but appreciate as a man…Miss Distraction took on a whole new meaning.

Vince grew aware of the increasing weight of his teammates’ gazes. Choosing to ignore them rather than contend verbally or mentally with what their curious and knowing expressions insinuated, he went to the back room and grabbed his helmet and the keys to his old bike.

“Where you going, dude?” Chance stepped inside the doorway.

“To check on the lady’s aunt. I feel bad now for what I said.”

“Rain’s in the forecast. I’d feel better if you didn’t ride your old bike. Le’me drive you.”

“Sure you don’t mind?”

“Nah. Be glad to. Haven’t had lunch, anyway. We’ll grab some grub after we go see about the young lady.”

“Correction. Her aunt.”

Chance jangled his car keys and grinned. “Right.”

Vince cradled his helmet in the crook of his elbow and hawkeyed Chance. “Don’t make more out of this than it is, Garrison.”

Chance’s dimples deepened but he pressed the palms of his hands gently in the air. “’Course not.”

“I mean it.”

Chance laughed as they stepped into the sunshine. He eyed Vince and coughed out a couple more laughs.

Irritation dogged Vince. “Mind telling me what’s so funny?”

“She’s got your mind all twisted up.”

“Does not.”

Chance paused, snorting. He dipped his head toward Vince’s arm. “Then why do you still have the helmet? My driving’s not that bad.”

Vince pressed his lips together to form a worthy excuse or a solvent retort, but nothing came to mind.

Instead, he felt his own sudden grin give way to an out-loud laugh. His earlobes heated.

Chance stopped. “Wow. Dude. This is a first.”

Vince scowled. “What?”

Chance leaned in with focus. “I think you’re actually blushing. Wow. The abominable Vince has feelings.”

“So what? Everyone gets embarrassed sometimes.”

“Really? You’ve been embarrassed?”

He laughed. “Once.”

“When?”

When was the last time he’d been embarrassed? “Eighth grade when snooty girls in class teased me for wearing the same sets of outdated clothes every week, that’s when.”

“Ah, dude. Kids can be so mean.”

“Yeah, well, when there was not enough money for food, new clothes weren’t even on the radar.” Not on Vince’s lawn-mowing and paper-route salaries.

One of the snooty schoolgirls’ dads owned a law firm in town, too. Figured.

Sympathy showed in Chance’s normally serene eyes. “Sorry, man. I had a good upbringing and loving parents. I can’t imagine how hard your childhood was.”

The pity in his friend and fellow teammate’s voice caused Vince’s stomach to ball up into a cringe. “Look, whatever. I’m just…distracted these days.” Vince set his helmet on the floorboard of Chance’s red Cherokee.

Same shade as Miss Distraction’s glimmery lipstick today.

Not that he’d noticed.

Chance tossed his head back and laughed. Good to hear it. Honestly, the guy was so quiet normally it took a vocal excavator to get anything out of his mouth.

The youngest PJ on the team at twenty-five, Chance was painfully shy, but for some reason, not so much around Vince. The two of them plus Brockton, who was a year younger than Vince’s twenty-seven, were the only three remaining single guys on the team, so they tended to band together and hang out more these days.

“You know you really shouldn’t have thrown that cute little bear.”

“Cute?” Vince pulled a face. “You know I’m not into cutesy things.”

“Not even the woman?” Chance navigated the Jeep from the DZ lot.

“Not even.” Besides, not that he’d admit it to Garrison yet, but the woman was beyond the realm of cute. Make-a-man-gawk gorgeous was more like it. Intelligent eyes. Soothing voice. Authoritative demeanor.

Transparent faith, something he secretly respected in anyone, even if he didn’t share it. Bold, heartfelt prayers. She’d talked to God like Joel and Aaron and the rest of the Christians on his team did right before missions. Like God was their friend or something.

Yeah. Miss Distraction was all that. And probably more.

And suddenly, Vince wanted to know the “more.”

But, remembering the hurt and humiliation in her vulnerable eyes back at the DZ, he’d likely bombed the foundation of any amicable bridge with her.

And if she were anything like his sister, she’d never cross it on her own. He’d have to make the first move.

Never ever had he such a strong desire to risk those shaky first steps.

“Never ever,” Val seethed on the way to her car. Never again would she subject herself to this. She blinked back angry tears.

She’d only seen the man down. The lethal creature storming from the back room looked nothing like the vulnerable one on the road that day in the rain. He’d been intimidating enough that she’d taken two steps back for every step he’d taken toward her.

The man who’d said he was Sarah’s fiancé had shaken his head at Vince. Subtle, yet Vince stopped in his tracks. But the look in his eyes said he was none too happy about her being there.

Never would she look back.

Trust Me.

“How? When he can’t even stand to look at me?” She flung her rental-car door open and threw herself in the seat. Her hand twisted the key when a knock caused her heart to jump. She removed her hand from her throat and rolled down the window.

Sarah’s husband-to-be leaned in. “Miss, I apologize on behalf of Vince.”

“He has every right to be angry. I shouldn’t have come.”

He knelt. “Maybe. Maybe not.”

Why did the compassion in his voice cause hers to clog? “Give Sarah my regards. And tell her thank you.”

Aaron eyed the DZ then Val. “You could tell her yourself.”

Val eyed her clock. Two minutes more and she had to leave. She shut off the ignition. “What are you proposing?”

“Sarah’s also new to town. She could use a friend.”

“How do you know I’m new?”

“West Coast accent for one thing. For another, your license plates are out of state. Saw your car when I took Vince to check on his bike.”

She nodded. “How’d he swallow seeing it?”

Aaron grinned. “How do you think?”

“Probably like a big bowl of razor blades.”

He laughed and handed her a business card with caricatures on it. “Give Sarah a call. And give Vince time. His bark is worse than his bite. Most days, anyway.”

She laughed. “And that’s supposed to make me feel better?”

He smiled. “There are barbecues every weekend at my place or Joel’s. Sarah’d love to bring a friend. All the other guys’ wives and girlfriends have a good friend. Though they include her, Sarah is shy and feels like a fifth wheel. That she spoke to you at all proves she felt a connection with you.”

“Interesting. I felt that with her, too.”

“I’ll let her know you’ll be calling.”

She shielded her eyes from the southern Illinois sun and met his gaze. “Why do I get the feeling you want me to try to get through to Vince?”

A confident gleam entered his eyes. “Probably for the same reason that I get the feeling you can.”

His words paused her heart and soul.

Get through to him she wanted to. But only God could move the mountain of this man’s anger toward her and all that she stood for. Vince’s face flashed in her mind.

No matter how hard, she would obey.

“I’ll give Sarah a call.”

“And I’ll give her a heads-up that you’ll be coming to the barbecue.”

“Hey, now. All I said was that I’d call.”

“Prayerfully consider it. It’ll mean a lot to her to have another woman to pal around with.”

“How do you know I pray?”

He snorted. “Trust me, Vince let us know.”

“Speaking of Vince, will you be warning him that I’m coming? You know, in case he wants to stay home or fling himself in front of a moving planet or otherwise orbit himself out of his misery.”

Aaron chuckled. “What he doesn’t know won’t hurt him.” He knuckled her door frame. “Besides, he drowns his misery in Michelob.”

“Ah. The old alcohol vice.”

“Yeah, he pretty much never leaves home without it. He always drinks at the barbecues, which means he’s normally more subdued, which could be good for you. And as long as he doesn’t try to drive himself home, we don’t give him too much grief. We know God’ll change him when Vince finally gives himself over to Him.”

“If I show up without warning he’ll know he’s been set up.”

“So be it. But you have no less than seven third-degree black-belted bodyguards, guaranteed.”

She laughed. “That should make me feel better.”

His grin faded and his face turned serious. “He might scare the daylights out of you. But he’d never in a million years hurt you. At least not physically.”

What did that mean? Vince was a heartbreaker?

“Well, I have no intention of getting close to him that way.” He’d never let her, for one thing. For another, he far from acted like a Christian.

Petrowski studied her so carefully that the urge to win the case of convincing him overpowered her.

“Trust me. You don’t have to worry about me falling for the guy or him falling for me. He strikes me as the type who goes from zero to mad in three-point-five seconds. And I’m so laid-back I’m horizontal.”

She shook her head and started her car. “The Mississippi would move backward before the two of us would fall for one another.”

Petrowski laughed. “It’s happened before, you know.”

“What? A woman like me falling for a man like Vince? Or a man like Vince falling for a woman like me?”

“I meant the Mississippi running backward.”

“Really, now?”

“Yup. During an earthquake along the New Madrid fault.”

Even so, it was going to take something stronger than her to run the river of this man’s rage away from her rather than toward. After arriving home, Val set down her briefcase, called to check on Elsie, left Sarah a voice mail then climbed into bed.

Creator of heaven and earth, move the mountain of this man’s anger.

The next day at the hospital, violent shaking rattled Val’s water glass off the table beside Elsie’s bed. She shot up, eyeing Val with fear from her transfer chair.

“It’s okay, Elsie.” At least Val hoped so. The floor swayed several inches left and right and left and right. She pushed Elsie toward the doorway barely comprehending what this was.

Earthquakes in southern Illinois? She’d experienced—even expected them—in California. Never in her wildest dreams would she have thought they’d have them here.

The early-morning shimmy concluded by the time she crouched in the doorway beside Elsie’s chair and knelt with her Bible to her chest. She hadn’t even realized she’d grabbed it. The pendulum-swinging floor paused. Elsie drew a relieved breath and relaxed her grip from the chair.

Val exited Elsie’s room to find people in the hall looking bedraggled and confused. “Earthquake?” Val asked.

A family member to Elsie’s hospital neighbor to the left approached. “Yeah. Worst one I recall in years.”

“So this isn’t normal?”

“Not really. Quakes that size are extremely rare.”

Val recalled her conversation with Aaron.

And burst out laughing.

A single mom Val recognized from her neighborhood and who had a teen named Logan approached. “You probably think we’re amateurs because you’re from California, huh?”

Val wondered what the woman was doing at the hospital. “No, that’s not it. I just found it ironic that I had a conversation mere hours ago about earthquakes.”

Earthquakes…a woman like her falling for a man like Vince.

Never happen. Not in a million years.

Petrowski’s and her words wafted back into her mind. Val eyed the sky through the window back inside Elsie’s room. I hope this isn’t a foreshadowing of things to come. But I’ll consider myself sufficiently warned. Elsie eyed her curiously but didn’t ask.

After waking before her alarm clock in the morning, Val flung the covers off and prepared to go visit Aunt Elsie again.

Her phone rang. A number she didn’t recognize popped up. “Hello,” she answered, not giving her name. Since she was a prosecutor, she kept her name, numbers and addresses unlisted.

“Yes, I’m Sarah Graham and I’m returning Val Russo’s call.”

“Sarah! Hey, this is Val.”

“I wanted to catch you before you rushed off to work. I hope it’s not too early.”

“No, today is Wednesday so I work through client files from home.” Val caught sight of her hair in the mirror on the way to get her clothes. “Ew! What a fright.”

“The files?”

Val laughed. “No, I know better than to go to bed with wet hair. But frankly, yesterday left me mentally and physically exhausted.”

“Aaron told me.”

Val developed an instant liking to Sarah and was determined to build a friendship. She got ready as they chattered on and on.

“Hopefully today will be a better day for Elsie,” Val said into her cell to Sarah on her way out the door.

“And for you,” Sarah said with a chuckle.

Val adjusted her rearview mirror. “As long as I don’t have another run-in with a certain tall, dark and dangerous special operative who’s homicidally livid over losing his bike, I think I’ll be okay.”

Sarah laughed. “I better let you go since you’re heading to the hospital. And we know what happened the last time you drove while talking on a phone.”

Val sighed. “Yes, but thankfully I have a hands-free now. Still, I better sign off. Promise to call you later.”

“Especially since I have a feeling you will see Tall, Dark and Dangerous again.” Sarah made an exaggerated throat-clearing noise.

“Is that a drastic hint that you know something I don’t?” Val pulled out of her driveway.

“Yes, but this time, you don’t need to be afraid. You’ll want to hear what he’s coming to say.”