Page 5 of Hayes (Voodoo Guardians #37)

“Okay, then we cross off work as a motive for this,” said Eric. “Has anyone spoken to the others? Katelyn, Chelsea, Marilisa, Victoria, all of the genius kids.”

“Does that include me?” said the big, deep voice at the door. They all turned, smiling and shaking their heads at Hayes.

“I’ll be damned,” laughed Eric. “What the hell has the Navy done to you?” They all hugged him, welcoming him home.

“To answer your question, it’s not just the Navy. I’m a SEAL now,” he grinned.

“Are you fucking kidding?” smirked Luke. “Why wouldn’t you tell us that? Why didn’t you call us and ask for help?”

“No, sir. I wanted to do this on my own. I knew that’s what I wanted to do. Your training when I was here got me there. I’m still part of intelligence but through the SEAL teams.”

“Why are you home?” asked Hex.

“I had leave coming, and I wanted to see Victoria. I know she’s been nervous about me not communicating with her. I’ll be home for a few weeks, then gone again for a while.”

“Well, as long as you’re here, any thoughts on why someone would want to kill Stephanie?” asked Brax.

“She’s the girl who was the clone, right?

Victoria told me. I never met her, but I can only imagine that it has everything to do with the fact that she is a clone.

I mean, that alone makes her more unique than the rest of us.

We’re all geniuses, but she’s a genius clone.

Can you imagine if someone figured that out and wanted to make dozens like her? ”

“Fuck me,” muttered Luke. Luke tapped a message to Riley and Suzette, asking them to come to the offices. It was only Riley who was able to come down.

“Hey, what’s up?” she asked.

“Thank you for coming, Riley. Can you explain the cloning process to us?” She stared at them, then burst into laughter.

“On that note,” smirked Hayes, “I’ll go see the love of my life.”

Hayes found Victoria in the little workspace where she was able to hide from the world whenever she wanted. She was so incredibly beautiful, and yet she still looked like a child in many ways.

“Hi,” he said quietly.

“Hayes!” She jumped up, leaping into his arms. He loved the way she felt in his arms, the way their bodies connected and molded together.

“How long are you home for?” she asked.

“For the wedding at least,” he smiled. “I hope to be home for a longer period of time, but we’ll see.”

All his grand plans of convincing her to come with him were dashed over and over again. While trying to speak with her rationally once again, she began crying and pushing away from him. In the distance, he saw Stephanie and Brax walking toward them.

“Hi,” said Stephanie. “I’ve been looking for you. Will you walk with me to the cafeteria, Victoria? I need to ask you some questions.”

“Uh, yeah. Sure. I don’t have all the translations done yet,” she said, wiping her tears. Brax waited until they walked off and then looked at Hayes.

“It’s not what you think,” said the younger man.

“What is it you think I think?”

“I wasn’t going to hit her.”

“Fucking right you weren’t, but it damn sure looked like you were angry enough to do it.”

“I wasn’t. I swear. It’s her obsession with not leaving the property. I mean, she’ll do short little trips into the city if Angel, Miller, or Trak are with her, but that’s all.”

“She’ll get there, Hayes.”

Brax was angry at the young man. He could tell that his emotions were overruling his common sense and worried that he might lash out at Victoria in an act he would regret.

“I want to get married and have her living with me off-base,” he frowned.

“Why?”

“Why? Because I love her,” he scoffed.

“No. I mean, I know you love her, but why would you do that to her? You bring her across the country, away from everything she knows, leave her in an apartment by herself with nothing and no one. Why?”

Hayes frowned, shaking his head.

“You’re fucking selfish, that’s why,” scolded Brax. Hayes stared at the other man, offended by the statement. “That’s right. I said it. It’s selfish of you to want that. What you want is a woman there for you when you are home. Someone easily accessible to satisfy you.”

Hayes said nothing, continuing to get soaked in the rain.

“Are you tempted?” frowned Brax. “Are you thinking of cheating on that girl?”

“No! No, I’m not,” he said quietly. “Girls approach us all the time, but I haven’t done anything.”

“Yet.”

“It’s not like that, Brax. I don’t want anyone except Victoria, but I need her to not be afraid to get off the damn property now and then. I want a life with her, but I want a life where we can travel together, do things other than walk the gardens here.”

“Hayes, that girl has had a miserable life. Just like you. But she’s absolutely terrified that someone out there will know who she is and take her. She’s watched all the others, Marilisa, Katelyn, Chelsea, and now Stephanie. Their past followed them.

“She sits here worrying herself to death over you every damn day. She tries to keep track of where you are, but you’ve obviously figured that out and turned off your tracking devices on occasion.”

“I have to,” he frowned.

“Bullshit. The military can’t see them or find them. You do it because you don’t want her to know where you are. Let me guess. Strip clubs? Bars? Partying with the boys?”

From Hayes’ silence, Brax knew he’d hit a chord. It wasn’t that he blamed him. He was a twenty-four-year-old young man, alone, with urges. He was doing what every young man in the military tended to do.

“Listen to me, Hayes. If you’re gonna fuck around, you tell that young woman that you need a break. You want a break from her, and you need her to date other people to be sure that you’re actually the one.”

“Date other people! No fucking way!”

“Oh, I see. So, you want to play with the strippers and hookers, but she’s not allowed to have dinner with someone?”

“I’m not seeing hookers and strippers!” he yelled. Before they knew it, six men were standing around them. Luke, Cam, Hex, Eric, Pax, and Saint stared at the young man. Luke pointed across the path.

“Office.Now.”

“I haven’t done anything,” frowned Hayes, shaking off the water from his hair and clothes.

“Yet. You haven’t done it yet,” said Luke. “You’re obviously tempted.”

“Of course I am! Weren’t you?”

“No,” said Luke. “I was not. I knew that the only woman for me was Ajei. End of story.” Hayes looked at Eric.

“Sorry, buddy. Sophia Ann was always the woman I loved.” He looked at Cam.

“I was a man-whore,” he said, frowning. “I’m ashamed to say it now, but it’s the truth. I was lucky that Kate saw the real me and loved me. I’m grateful.” He turned to Hex.

“I was an older man when I found Gwen. I’d been with other women, but not while I proclaimed love for one back home.”

“Well, I guess you’re all boy scouts,” he frowned.

“We didn’t say that, Hayes. Listen, you’ve had some time out there in the world now without anyone hanging over your shoulder,” said Luke.

“We get it. We get being tempted. The problem with that is that Victoria hasn’t been out there in the world.

She doesn’t know how beautiful she is, how enticing.

We see it when the men at The Well look at her. ”

“You take her to The Well?” he yelled.

“Fuck, yes. The girl needs to get away from here. We agree with you on that,” said Eric.

“But there is always a half-dozen men around her when we go, and she does not move. She won’t even take a piss without two women going with her and a man outside the door.

She is terrified, Hayes. Have you thought about that at all? ”

“Of course I have! I mean. I know she’s scared, but she has to get over it.”

“She really doesn’t,” said Brax. “You need for her to get over it, but she doesn’t have to. She loves her life here, Hayes. She loves living with all of us and working here, and she loves you. But asking her to do something that will cause her immeasurable pain before she’s ready is not okay.”

Hayes stood and shook his head, heading toward the door.

“What will you do?” asked Brax.

“I don’t know. I have no fucking clue, but I can’t be trapped in one place forever, and I can’t live without her.”