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V ee was vibrating with excitement over the idea of helping with the baseball team. Between her wide grin and sparkling eyes, there was nothing he could deny her, and fuck if he didn’t secretly love the idea and the enthusiasm pouring off her.

“Sure, you can,” he chuckled, surprising himself. He wasn’t sure when the last time was he’d spontaneously laughed. “Welcome aboard.”

“Thank you!” He wasn’t sure if she lost her balance or simply launched herself at him, but her body was suddenly flush against his. Her hands were wound around his neck, supple breasts pressed into his chest. His hands found her hips, steadying her. “Sorry about that.” The breathless note in her voice had him hard as a pike.

When she leaned back and those depthless blue eyes trained on him, the pulse at the base of his erection pounded and blood rushed in his ears. Her cheeks were flushed and the longer she continued to stare at him, the larger her pupils became until black nearly eclipsed the blue. He moved his hands from her hips to her arms and gently pushed her back, standing up from the couch so fast he nearly lost his own balance. She’d just told him her fiancé had violated her and expressed how much she trusted him. He wanted her to continue feeling safe around him and that meant he needed a moment to walk off this sudden, intense attraction.

“I want to check out your feet. Let me grab the first aid kit.” He walked directly out of the room, releasing a long breath when he was out in the hall. He scanned his key card and opened the door.

Silver was leaned back against the head rest, his cell phone pressed against his ear. “Hey, I’ve got to get going. Be safe and we’ll talk soon, yeah?” The other man tossed his phone down on the bed and sat up. “You okay?” he asked. “I thought you were checking on, Viv, but you’re breathing like you’re halfway through Hell Week.”

“Getting the first aid kit. Gonna check her feet.”

“Want me to do it?”

His question was innocent enough but the thought of Silver’s hands on Vee burned in his lungs. He fought to keep his voice steady, even as his breath became coarser. “I’ve got it. Call your girl back.” Before Silver could make any other comments, he left the room, pausing in the hall to get his shit together. He’d never been a jealous man, so why was he now over a woman who wasn’t even his? A woman who saw too much of what he was trying to hide. When she’d asked if he told himself lies to make himself feel better, he’d been disappointed, thinking she was judging him. Solitude was his companion for good reason. He bottled his feelings about Scooter’s death up tight and locked that shit down, but it was always part of him. The turmoil of his failures a bitter coating on his tongue.

When something triggered him, a sound, a memory, a nightmare, and he couldn’t take anymore, that bottle burst open, and it took him weeks to recover. She hadn’t been forming her own opinions of him though, she’d been sharing a part of herself. Recognizing the insecurities she felt were present in him as well. She was far braver than him. Admitting what she felt instead of closing herself off. Offering him comradery in his thoughts. She was wrong though. The lies he told himself weren’t to protect his heart and soul, they were to safeguard others against getting close. Of thinking he could offer them something when he was only a shell of his former self. He released a long breath and walked up to Vee’s door. It opened before he had a chance to knock.

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to hug-attack you.” She stepped back allowing him room to pass.

“Hug-attack?” He’d never heard those two words used together in the same sentence.

“Sometimes I get so excited, I just kinda…” She made a jumping motion, arms outstretched, but didn’t move from where she was standing. Why does she have to be so damn adorable? “Anyway, I didn’t mean to cut you off from answering my own question. Do you want me in the bathroom?”

Fuck, she was killing him. “Yeah, Vee. Up on the countertop.” She boosted herself up, so her legs were dangling off the side. It was then he recognized his error in judgment. Their reflection made his mouth go dry. He was standing over her. All that thick pale hair cascading down her back beckoned him to fist his hands in deep. If this was his reaction to her after a couple days, he needed to work on removing himself from her life as quickly as possible. He sat on the closed toilet and lifted her ankle, so her heel was resting on his thigh. Her bare legs were smooth as glass, and he had to force his gaze to her wrapped feet. He removed the sock first, then the gauze he’d wrapped them up in this morning after her shower. The score marks from branches and sharp rocks looked unnatural on her soft skin.

“You didn’t answer my question earlier because I rudely interrupted. What things can’t be fixed, Iron?” she asked while he applied more medication to the bottoms of her feet. “Why deem yourself beyond repair while being so open to differences in others?”

“Because differences aren’t what I struggle with.” He placed new gauze around her foot, then slipped on a clean sock. His fingers lingered against her smooth ankle as he waited for her next question. Vee was curious about everything. Not in a nosy way, but as someone who was engaged and interacting with the world around them.

“Then what?” Her fingers rested on his bicep. The way they’d held hands from the start, offered each other comforting touches wasn’t lost on him. There was a connection there. One he would have to sever. He gathered his thoughts as he wrapped her other foot and slipped on the sock. She wasn’t going to stop pressing until he told her. Wasn’t going to stop looking at him like a hero if she didn’t know what he’d done. If anyone deserved the truth of who and what he was, it was her.

“Demons. The kind that never leave. I’m responsible for the death of my teammate. A man I promised to protect. I can’t live with it, so I don’t. I go through the motions. I also can’t live without it, because that would be too much like forgiveness when I deserve none.” He stood up prepared for her rejection. Maybe he was hoping for it. He looked away, focusing on the door, anything but her sweet, vulnerable face.

Then her palm was against his turned cheek, angling his gaze back toward her. She added her other hand to frame his face. Her steady gaze soothed something acidic inside him. “I’m so sorry that happened to you. That you carry that guilt. But you should know it doesn’t make me want to get to know you less. The man I want to know is the one who feels that emotional weight. Who loved his friend so much, he doesn’t want to live a full life because the man he lost doesn’t get to.” Her fingers slowly traced his cheekbones, moved down his jaw. “I want to know the man who believes he deserves isolation yet is brave enough to care for a woman he barely knows.”

“I know you.” His voice was so hoarse, the words barely made it past his lips. Her eyes were currently trained on his chest, but her thick brown lashes lifted, revealing eyes glazed with tears. She’d made his pain her own. Feeling that turmoil right along with him. “I might not know the small things, but I know you’re far more courageous than you think. I know you have a high level of emotional intelligence by the way you speak. The way you treat others. I know I feel a connection with you, and I’m going to do everything in my power to help you get on your feet.” What she didn’t need to know was that she was a threat to him. She’d already gotten under his skin. He’d failed Scooter, but what if he ended up failing her too? That would leave his soul so fucking bleak he’d never recover.

He slipped one arm around her waist and the other behind her knees, lifting her off the counter. She felt so right tucked into his chest. He brought her to the bed and set her down on the plush mattress. “Night, Vee. I’m going to open the connecting door, so when I go to the other room, I can come in here and lock the dead bolt and door stopper.”

“I don’t mind doing that.”

“I just cleaned your cuts. They’re going to be sore as hell. I can lock the connecting door when I’m done.”

“Actually, I’d prefer to have it open.”

“Okay.” He started to turn when Vee reached up and grabbed his hand. “Will you tell me about him someday?”

He closed his eyes and nodded, unable to speak with the thorns of regret pinching off his airway. Releasing her hand, he stepped away. He could feel her eyes on his back as he left the room.

*

Branch called them at noon the next day. They’d been on the road since the break of dawn. The closer they got to their small Virginia Beach suburb, the more the ride seemed to drag. Or maybe that was because Silver had offered Vee shotgun, complaining he was tired of his own company.

“Hey,” Silver’s voice boomed through the interior of the SUV. “You’re on speaker. How is Hannah?”

“She did great in surgery. They expect to hold her for two to three days, and then we’re out of here.”

“Any more trouble?”

“The Days haven’t come to the hospital again. Hannah filed a restraining order. We did hear from Iron’s friend from the special ops task force in California.”

“Glad he reached out.” Red had texted Iron to let him know he’d be in touch.

“Wasn’t a phone call though.” The speakers crackled as he spoke. “He’s here in Texas.”

“I had no idea he’d be making a trip.” He hadn’t mentioned going in person to contact Branch, but he appreciate that Red was there.

“He said he just happened to be crossing the border when you messaged him. Spent nearly three months in Mexico infiltrating a new drug ring. His teammate, Sully, is here too.”

“Sullivan Carter?” There was a tingling sensation through his chest and shoulders and the hair on the back of his neck rose. After his last mission when he’d been honorably discharged from his role as a SEAL, he never expected to cross paths with so many of his former brothers from that fateful mission. They tried to keep contact with him, but he just wanted to be forgotten. He was a coward and facing them was like reliving his mistake repeatedly. He’d met Red in a military hospital after his amputation. Was his roommate when they both left the ICU for the recovery floor. Red had been shot multiple times on a core mission to the US embassy in Sudan. Unlike Iron, Red had returned to active duty when he recovered from his injuries.

“Yeah, introduced himself as Sully Carter. Said he’d served with you and Ransom.”

Branch let the words hang and for a moment the car was silent except for the slow thud of his heart. “Not only that but they’ve had us in contact with a former SEAL who runs the special task force for the Department of Homeland Security dedicated to human trafficking specifically from Mexico to the United States. The three of them are going to investigate Thalia’s entry into the US and her disappearance. Right now, it looks like ICE has no record of an adolescent coming into the country under that name.”

Iron reached his hand through the gap between the passenger seat and the door and gave Vee’s arm a quick squeeze from his seat behind her. She was worried about her best friend, and he couldn’t imagine how the words human trafficking along with the absence of records were making her feel. There was an uncomfortable twinge in his gut. One that told him they’d uncover more secrets when they began digging into how Thalia came to work at the Day estate. Later he wanted to ask Vee about the other staff her family employed.

“Branch, please tell Hannah and Collin I love them. I promise not to trash the house.”

“I will and stay safe, Vivienne. If one of you guys wants to stay at the house, too, as an extra precaution, feel free to use the couch.”

He wasn’t sure if Branch was making the offer because he sensed an elevated risk of danger or if he was thinking about the comfort level of his woman’s sister. By the time they ended the call he could smell the saltwater air from along Virginia’s coast. He’d grown up in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, and had been stationed in Virginia after BUD/S. When he left the military, he stayed in the state, needing the reprieve of his small oceanside bungalow. He wondered what Vee would think of it if she ever visited. It was small but it was right along the coast. So close he had trouble keeping sand off his deck. One of the biggest transitions of having a prosthetic was learning how to walk along the uneven surface of the beach. Sometimes he’d sit in his Adirondack chair and watch the ocean for hours. He could picture sitting out there with Vee. The thought jarred him. Bringing her to his home would only draw him deeper.

“This is Hannah’s street,” Silver was telling Vee as they took a left onto a quiet residential road with small but well-maintained ranch-style homes. They pulled into the driveway and Silver turned off the engine. “I’m going to do a walk through, then you can get settled while one of us picks up groceries.”

“You don’t have to do that.” Vee’s voice was overly bright, like she was trying to convince them she was okay when she really wasn’t.

“Gonna do it anyway, darlin’.” Silver unbuckled, and the seat belt retracted into the interior siding. “I’ll be right back.”

“Are you okay?” Iron asked the moment the car door slammed shut. He unlatched his own seat belt and moved into the middle, so he could see her.

“How do you know I’m not?” Her voice was a low whisper.

“Because I know you, remember?”

“The important stuff,” she said softly. It pleased him far too much that she recalled his words from the night before.

“Your voice is shaky, but your body is far too still. Your skin is paler than it was at the last rest stop. I’m not going to leave you. Not until you’re 100 percent comfortable or Hannah gets back, okay?”

“I feel so weak. I don’t know if I’ll ever stop needing other people’s help. Hannah left home at eighteen, pregnant with Collin and alone. Did you know that?”

“I didn’t,” he answered and reached out to touch the thin sweater covering her arm.

“She put herself through school. Became a flight medic. Cared for Collin. She’s amazing, and I’m not sure I’ll ever measure up.”

“No one in our circle is going to be measuring anything. No one expects you to be Hannah because you’re Vivienne. You’ve gotten through a lot more than you give yourself credit for. An emotionally and physically abusive childhood that turned into an equally abusive adulthood. A sexual assault from someone who should’ve cherished you. You escaped, too, Vee. Don’t forget that. Tomorrow we can start the process of filing restraining orders against your parents and Scott. Then we can contact the bank and Ransom’s lawyer.”

When Silver began pacing down the driveway, he instantly recognized something was wrong. “I’m going to talk to Silver. Hang tight, okay?”

She nodded and he got out of the back seat and shut the door. “What is it?”

“Door was open. Nothing looks out of place on the inside, but there are scratches around the keyhole.”

“Fuck. Someone broke in. This can’t be a coincidence. Her family is looking for her and Hannah’s place would be a logical starting point. They knew the direction we started heading because of those tracker apps.”

“They might’ve heard more than we thought at the hospital too. We were talking about Viv leaving Texas when they let themselves into Hannah’s room.”

Iron’s gut clenched. “Change of plans, then. She’ll stay with me. I have no connection to your team unless they dig deep. If they do come looking, I’ll be the last stop.”

“You have no connection to the team? You know that’s bullshit right?” Silver stared him down, searching his eyes with an incredulous stare. “You’re part of our team. We might not be actively serving together, but that’s where it ends. You stepped up for Sam, my teammate Joker’s fiancée, when she needed a car that wasn’t going to leave her stranded. You didn’t hesitate to go to Texas to help Branch. You’re less isolated than you think. I don’t know everything that went down during the mission that took your leg, but when you pushed Ransom and the other men on your team away, they all felt that deep. Not only did they lose Scooter, brother, they lost you too.”

The burn in his chest scorched through his entire body. He’d never meant to hurt his teammates by withdrawing. They didn’t know the entirety of what he’d become when left to his own devices. He’d become an amputee and an addict.

He’d hid it well, but it took him two years to admit he was taking opioids even when the phantom pain in his nerves had dulled to a point where a few Advils might’ve cured it. He’d layer the pills with alcohol and sink into oblivion. No one knew about his addiction because he’d pushed everyone out of his life. No one knew when it started, and no one knew when he sought treatment to help pull him from that dark place.

“Are you sure you want her in your space?”

“What do you mean?” He wasn’t sure what Silver was insinuating. He just knew he didn’t like where this conversation was leading them.

“I haven’t missed the way you hold hands sometimes. How she looks at you while you’re looking away. Reaches for you the minute she feels uncomfortable. Then there was last night when you came back into the room to get the first aid kit. Something happened, didn’t it?”

“I needed to put some space between us.” He stared off toward the house, imagining what would’ve happened if he had kissed her.

“Right.” Silver leaned his hip against the car and crossed his arms over his chest.

Iron’s gaze snapped back to Silver. “She’s safe with me.”

“Don’t doubt that. Don’t think there’s anywhere safer for her now, but I’m not thinking about Vivienne. I’m thinking about you. You’re the first person to admit you like your space. That woman in there is bright and beautiful and if you let her, she’s going to turn your world upside down. You ready for that?”

“No, because it’s not going to happen. Every person in her life has used her. I won’t be one of them. I’m fucked up, and I’d never let that bleed onto her.”

“So, what’s your plan then? You going to let her walk away?”

“That’s exactly what I’m going to do.” And fuck it was going to hurt when she left. He knew every word Silver was saying was the truth. At first, he thought Silver was insinuating he was going to take advantage of Vee. He wasn’t sure how he felt about Silver looking out for him instead. For some reason, the SEAL looked almost disappointed in his answer. “Look, I’ve seen the way you react when you get a text message. How you pull over to the side of the road and smile like an idiot when you respond. Maybe you shouldn’t let her walk away either.”

“Shit,” he muttered. “That’s fair.” Silver’s response only made him more curious about the woman he’d been communicating with. “Guess we’re two fucked-up peas in a pod.”

They got back into the car, but this time, he got behind the wheel and Silver took the back.

“Everything okay?” Vee’s eyes darted around the property before landing on him.

“Looks like someone tried to pick the lock.” He reached across the console and took her hand. Her skin was cold and clammy to the touch.

“Do you think it has something to do with me?” She was looking all around again, squeezing his hand.

“Viv, we’ve got your back,” Silver said. “But part of that is being honest about what is going on so you can make the best decisions to protect yourself.”

“That’s a yes then.” Her shoulders were so tight, she looked fragile enough to shatter.

“It’s too much of a connection to write it off as random. Maybe it’s nothing, but we want to proceed like there’s a threat so we can prepare for anything.” There was a pang in his heart when she shut her eyes and dropped her chin to her chest. “If it’s okay with you, I’d like you to stay at my place until Hannah gets back. That work?” Her eyes slowly opened, and her body relaxed, melting back into the seat. He didn’t deserve the faith she placed in him, but for whatever reason, staying close to him comforted her.

“I’d like that, as long as you really don’t mind.” She leaned back and closed her eyes. Absolute trust and it scared him to death. He kept glancing over at her during the ride. She was so still, she might’ve fallen asleep, but he wasn’t sure. Even if it had looked like she was taking the news okay, it didn’t mean she was. She’d had a lifetime of learning how to mask her emotions. Regardless, he’d make sure she felt safe at his house. Make sure she was safe with him.