Page 32 of How You See Me (You and Me Duology #2)

Hayes

H ey, Mom.” The words almost stick in my throat. I called her to center myself before I potentially shatter two relationships I care about with one phone call.

“Hi, sweetheart. How’s it going?”

“Good.” Better than good, really, but the lightness I felt when I dialed her number is already slipping away.

“How’s Josie?”

“Well, she’s why I’m calling.” My stomach tightens. “I need to talk to her brother about a few things.”

Silence hums on the line, but I can feel her amusement. “It’s about time,” she says with a laugh. “Did you finally admit your feelings?”

“Yeah, but it can’t go any further until I talk to him.”

“That’s considerate of you, son.”

Another twist in my gut, and I rub a hand over my abs, trying to calm it. “Hope Jordan agrees. Any advice?”

“You don’t need it.” Her steadiness almost convinces me. “If Jordan is the friend you think he is, he’ll be happy. Not angry. Who’s a better man for his sister than you?”

“You may be biased.”

“Not even a little bit. You’ve saved his life, how many times?” She’s joking, but there’s a fierce undercurrent behind the words.

"I don't know." I pace from tree to tree, my nervous energy too erratic to remain stationary. “It comes with the job.”

“At least twice—and that’s the ones you’ve told me about.

You’ve also grown closer since Jordan left the service.

He’s more like family to you now. And you don’t give yourself enough credit, Hayes.

” She pauses, her voice softening. “Any woman, including Josie, would be lucky to have you. Jordan will know that, too.”

Closing my eyes, I absorb her faith in me. Damn, I hope she’s right.

“How’s Ava?”

“Fighting for every minute, but she’s okay. She had a rough day and went to bed early. I’ll show her the s’mores and fossil photos tomorrow.”

“Okay.” The thickness in my throat pulses. Everything else feels even more fragile now. “Tell her I’m thinking about her. ”

“Sure, but I won’t mention you and Josie. She’ll want to hear that from you. Make sure you video call when you tell her, so she can see the joy I hear in your voice.”

“Thanks, Mom. Love you.”

“Love you, too. Shoot me a text after, but I’m not worried.” She hesitates, then adds, “I’m happy for you and Josie. She’s caught herself a good man.”

The call ends, and before doubt can creep in, I thumb over to Jordan’s name in my contacts and tap CALL.

The line rings once. Twice.

“Hi, buddy,” he greets, excited to hear from me, and guilt pangs in my chest. “Thanks for the photo of Josie. How’d you get her to do that?”

The awe in his tone makes me chuckle.

“It took some coaxing, but she had a blast.”

“Good. Maybe you can get her in a real vehicle next.”

“That’s the goal.” I suck in a long breath, trying to calm the buzz under my skin. “Baby steps.”

“Did you make it to Oklahoma City?”

“Almost. We stopped to enjoy the park about an hour out.”

A beat of unbearable silence falls over us.

Jordan’s voice drops, sharper now. “Why does it feel like you have something on your mind?”

I force a laugh. “You can feel that over the phone?”

“You know I can’t come get her, right?” He laughs, thinking I’m tired of dealing with his sister.

Quite the opposite, in fact .

“No need for that. She’s been a great traveling partner . . . once we came to understand each other.”

“Not many people truly understand her.” Another pause. “What’s going on?”

I rake a hand through my hair, searching for the right words.

“Are you two . . .?”

“No,” I say quickly. “Nothing like what you’re thinking has happened.” My heart’s pounding harder than when I’m under fire. “But—” I clear the knot in my throat. Damn it. “We want your blessing to explore what’s building.”

He’s quiet longer than my nerves can handle. They’re an army of ants high on energy drinks under my skin right now.

“Josie wants my blessing?”

“Actually, she wanted to take the more straightforward route. I’d like your blessing.” My jaw clenches against the sting of anticipation. I can still feel his grenade-laced glare from when Josie and I danced last fall. “You’re my best friend. I don’t want to fuck that up.”

“But you want to fuck my sister?”

The question lands like a slap, and I stagger for a response. “Dude.” All the oxygen rips out of my lungs. I’m drowning and making a bigger mess of things. “I’ve been nothing but respectful. I—”

He barks out a laugh, cutting me off. “I’m messin’ with you, man. Damn, Hayes. You really thought I’d be pissed?”

“It seemed like the only plausible reaction.”

“Anyone else? Sure. But you?” A long exhale filters through the line. “If she likes you, you’re the lucky one and have my blessing. Not that you needed it.”

“I don’t know what to say.”

“The fact that you were this worried about it shows how much you care. I know you’ll treat her right, protect her heart, and never let her down. And she’ll do the same for you. Probably better.”

“She already has. Thanks, man. I’d protect her with my life.”

“I know.” Another pause. “That’s what you do. Be safe.”

The call disconnects, and for a long moment, I just stand there under the stars, the tension bleeding from my body in heavy, crashing waves.

Part of me can’t believe how easy he took it.

The other part—the one deep-down that knows Jordan and all we’ve been through together—isn’t surprised.

I just couldn’t risk getting my hopes up.

Every piece of me needs to keep exploring whatever Josie and I have started. It feels too good. Like I’m emerging from the cocoon that my life choices and pressures have locked me inside.

I need to take her in my arms and tell her the news.

Breaking into a jog, heart pounding for an entirely different reason now, I race back toward the campsite. Back to her.

◆◆ ◆

Sliding to a stop beside the van, confusion overshadows my excitement. The fire smolders from lack of attention. It’s too quiet. Void of Josie’s energy.

“Josie?” I call, scanning the shadows.

Nothing.

Louder, I try again and begin searching the surrounding area. Maybe she went to the restrooms or struck up a conversation with other campers nearby. It’s uncharacteristic but possible.

No answer.

A prickle sprints up my spine. I reach for my phone to call her, but a scream rips through the darkness and detonates my heart.

Josie.

Before the sound dies, I’m running, instincts taking over. The world narrows to a single point—find her, keep her safe.

Nothing else matters.

Branches slash at my arms, rocks tear at my boots. The raw terror in that scream still echoes in my head, numbing me to my surroundings.

As I near the showers, urgent voices snap through the trees. Something hard slams against a wall—or maybe a tree trunk—and the noise rattles into the night. I move faster, cloaked by darkness. A sliver of light pierces through the trees ahead, barely illuminating the clearing.

The scene soon comes into view, and I go lightheaded with fury.

Three men stand near Josie, her limp body sprawled across a bench like a discarded doll.

They’re arguing, oblivious to anything else.

One waves a small knife, the others shift nervously, faces shadowed by oversized hoods.

I force myself to stay hidden, to breathe, to think.

I can’t storm in and leave room for one of these bastards to escape.

Snapping several photos, I fire off a text to 911, including our exact location. I check for the service at every stop, hoping I never have to use it. I don’t have time to talk—don’t have time for anything but ending this.

A groan from Josie cuts through the din. She’s waking up and every second I waste is a second too long. One of them sits beside her, rummaging through her bag.

No more waiting.

I explode from the shadows, grab the two assholes standing close by the back of their heads, and slam them together with a satisfying crack.

They collapse like puppets with their strings cut, the knife bouncing off the gravel trail.

I kick it away as the last asshole bolts.

He trips a few yards away, face-planting on the rough ground.

I stalk after him, checking in with Josie on the way by. “I’m here, babe. Don’t move. I’ll be right back.”

The jerk gets one shaky foot under him as I drive a punch into his jaw, sending him sprawling again. Blood drips from several cuts on the left side of his face and into his eye. Pathetic.

This time he stays down, stunned and blinking up at me in terror.

Good .

I want him awake. I want him to remember. To feel the same fear he caused Josie and probably others.

Grabbing a fistful of his sweatshirt, I yank the hood off his head.

“Try that shit with anyone again . . .” I reach into his back pocket and slide his driver’s license out of his wallet.

“Elijah Miller, and I will find you. I have fifteen years of combat, surveillance, and martial arts training and will enjoy hunting you down to deliver your ass to the cops . . . in pieces if I have to.”

Sirens wail in the distance, slicing through the haze. Backup’s coming, but I don’t take my eyes off him. Not until he knows he’s nothing but prey now. I slam a palm into his temple to knock him out, then rush back to Josie.

Scooping her up, I hold her against me and hope she feels safe.

“Where does it hurt, baby?”

She shakes her head, barely a whisper of a motion, and clutches at my neck, her entire body trembling.

“Okay. It’s over. I’ve got you.”

As I lower to the bench, she curls against me, burying her face. The smell of dirt clings to her, and I tighten my hold, shielding her from everything I couldn’t stop soon enough.

Emergency vehicles soon swarm the scene, a blur of bodies, voices, and swirling light. It doesn’t take long for one of the deputies, a tall man with a wide stride, to approach us.

“I hear you were the one who dropped those three,” he says to me, a thick Oklahoma accent drawing out every word.

“Yeah.” My voice is gravel. “They deserved worse.”

“Your restraint is admirable. Those hoodlums have been robbing tourists for months. They don’t usually assault their victims, preferring to be elusive little cowards and getting away quickly with money and valuables.

But they picked on the wrong victim tonight.

” He nods toward the paramedic behind him, holding a bag of supplies.

“Mind if she checks you both while I take your statement?”

“Fine,” I agree since I’m not letting Josie out of my sight.

The paramedic coaxes her to sit beside me, wrapping a blanket around her. Josie leans into me immediately, her fingers clenching my sleeve as if I might vanish if she lets go.

“Thank you. Can you tell me what you saw when you arrived?” The deputy scribbles in his notepad while I recount the scene and my response. It’s not helping bring down my blood pressure or Josie recover.

“Ex-military?” He points the pen at my dog tags.

“Active. Staff Sergeant. Marine Corps.”

He whistles low. “Explains a lot. Where are you stationed?”

“Quantico, Virginia.”

“You’re a long way from home. What brings you this far west, Staff Sergeant?”

“Road trip to Las Vegas. ”

He huffs out his amusement. “Getting married?”

Josie lifts her head just enough to flash me a wavering grin, piecing my battered heart back together.

“Not this trip,” I manage, brushing a kiss to her hair. “She has an art show there.”

“That’s cool,” the paramedic chimes in, pulling a roll of medical tape and gauze from her bag. “You must be pretty good to get a Vegas show.”

“She’s amazing,” I answer without thinking, and Josie squeezes my arm.

“You lucked out with this one,” the paramedic says as she secures a bandage over the cut on Josie’s elbow. “He’s your hero tonight.”

A shaky breath leaves Josie’s body, like the tension finally releases. She shakes her head. “He’s my hero every day.”

“I need a statement from you, Miss Jones,” the deputy says, saving me from trying to respond to Josie’s comment. There are no sufficient words. “Can you tell me what happened, or do you want to come to the station tomorrow when you’re feeling better?”

“I’ll do it now,” she says, her voice raw but steady. “Then, I want to forget this ever happened.” She reaches for my hand. “I’d walked away from our campsite to get a photo of the full moon.”

“For a painting?” the paramedic asks as she takes my blood pressure, visibly excited.

“Yes. I didn’t realize how far I’d gone to get the shot until I turned to go back.

I was lost and didn’t have my phone. When I came to this area, I waited, hoping to run into someone who could help.

” She swallows hard. “They were the first to appear, and when I realized what they were planning, I tried to get away. They grabbed at my bag and I clung to it, yanking me off my feet. I guess I hit my head. I don’t know what happened after that. ”

“Do you feel bruising or soreness anywhere other than the obvious?”

“They didn’t mean to hurt me,” she says, cutting through the implied questions in the deputy’s tone.

And she’s too good to see the vile nature of dirtbags like that.

“Thank you both.” He jots down our contact information and moves on, the paramedic following closely behind.

Before I can ask Josie how she’s feeling, she crawls into my lap. “Can we go?”

I wave my thanks to the others waiting nearby before cradling her in my arms. “Whatever you want tonight. It’s yours.”

“I just want to stay like this. With you.”

“Okay.”

The paramedic catches up to us, holding Josie's bag and a cracked and mangled camera. “You forgot your things.”

Josie’s emotion finally gets the best of her, and tears spill over.

I rush her back to the van the same way I came, and she falls asleep as soon as her head hits the pillow. Gently, I clean the dirt off her skin with a wet rag and get her into clean clothes.

She looks peaceful tucked under the blanket, and I hope she feels the same when she wakes up.

“You’re safe now. And I swear to God, you’ll stay safe.”

She sleeps on, unaware of the dam breaking inside me.

Sinking to the floor, I pull my knees up and cup my hands over my mouth to stifle the sobs. I didn’t feel the emotion raging until it ripped through the numbness.

I couldn’t hold it back even if I wanted to.

Earlier today, I had hope again, laughter, and light.

And in a blink, it was nearly stolen. I went from suffocating with worry over Ava to finally breathing again to seeing the woman I’m falling for unconscious from another man’s hands.

I haven’t had time to process that rollercoaster in a healthy way, and it has nowhere to go but out.

Regret, anger, helplessness—it all crashes down on me until the world tilts sideways and darkness drags me under.