Page 41 of Marked for Execution
The small nap we took at Eliseo’s house only did so much. Some of the guys didn’t even look like they caught any sleep at all, only merely closed their eyes.
Hannah came by to scream at Samuel for leaving her again. It was heartbreaking to see. She really did seem like she loved him.
“Didn’t you just come back, Sam?” she whined.
“What am I supposed to do, Hannah? I don’t control this shit.”
“You can say fucking no and stay home!”
Samuel grabbed her by the upper arms, rubbing his hands up and down to try and calm her. She melted into his chest, and they embraced.
My face flushed from such an intimate scene, and I turned and walked away, unable to watch anymore. Reed followed after me, finding me in the back of the house running my finger along some of the cabinets in the house.
“Hey. You alright?”
“Yeah. Why wouldn’t I be?” I turned to look at him with my arms crossed.
His eyes softened as he walked up to me. I tilted my head back to look at his face. He was almost as tall as Eliseo. All these men towered over me.
“If you need someone to talk to, you know you got me, right? I’m a good listener.”
Reed touched my arm the way Samuel touched his girl and I flushed. It was a strange comfort, his warm hand on me. I was surprised I didn’t flinch like I usually did at a touch, but then again, the men of this team made me comfortable in their presence, took me as I am.
The sun went down a few hours ago, and we waited for the community to settle into their homes before we took leave. The air had already become crisp, sending a slight shiver down my body, when a breeze came through the window.
Reed came impossibly closer, and I could feel the warmth radiate off his skin. He was not as scarred up as Eliseo and looked at least a decade younger. The wrinkles around his eyes when he smiled made me want to smile back.
“I appreciate it. My memories are in pieces at best, most of them not happy ones. Maybe this trip will help me put the pieces back together?” I said hopefully. I wanted to know what caused my mind to be this way.
Both of his palms cupped my face, and my breath caught. My nipples pushed against the oversized shirt I was wearing, and I cast my gaze down.
“Don’t. Don’t do that. It’s just me,” he whispered.
We could hear Samuel’s and Hannah’s fight get louder until the door slammed and it got quiet. Was that what it was like to care for someone? I looked into Reed’s eyes with all my mental questions, too timid to voice them aloud. When did I become this girl? My memories hazed in my mind every time I tried to see if I ever had any relationships in the past. The only ones that came to the forefront of my mind were my parents, and the bloodshed.
I was so lost in my mind, I didn’t realize that Reed was slowly leaning down. Not until I heard an angry growl, and my head snapped up.
“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” Eliseo stood a few feet from Reed, veins popping out of his neck.
My eyes took in his hostile stance and stepped away from Reed. I didn’t need these guys to kill each other over me. I was the newest addition to the group. Guilt stabbed me in the chest.
Gunner walked by and saved the awkward moment by shoving Eliseo to the side. The men’s eyes never left each other, and suddenly I was feeling claustrophobic.
I left the room and found Samuel sitting on one of the chairs. “Hey.”
Samuel looked up at me, his face looking tired. “Hey. Sorry about that. Hannah’s kind of…”
“Worried,” I supplied.I get it.
“Yeah, you can say that. She’s also not happy with the fact that our mission includes another woman. But I told her she had no say in how we operate our team.”
I sat down on the couch, checking the weapons I had in my boots. “I bet that didn’t go over well.”
“Such is life. We all gotta deal with something. We ready? Where are the other guys?” he asked, standing up.
Sighing, I stood up too. “Cooling down Eliseo.”
Samuel chuckled and hollered, “Hey, old bastard! Let’s get going!”