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CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

Vera missed having Frizz around. She wished they lived closer to each other so they could see each other at least once a month. It would be at least half a year before they ended up together again.

Ben had a busy week ahead. His chain of command had informed him that they should expect to have a lot of late days. She planned on getting caught up on work and maybe get ahead. She needed to do some planning for a future product release but hadn’t had time. This would give her the extra hours.

On Monday and Tuesday, she was already asleep when Ben came home. She actually saw him on Wednesday, though he came home late and left early on Thursday. When he called on Thursday afternoon and told her he had to stay late at work and might not be home until Friday morning, she decided she needed to get out of the house and be around people.

She called her friends and asked if they wanted to meet for drinks that evening, and Remi and Ellis said yes. They planned to meet at Aces bar, but she needed to get out before then, so she headed to a coffee shop to sit and work amongst other people just for a change of scenery.

The coffee shop she picked had a delicious quiche that made her wonder what she’d done to find food so good. If she could have eaten another slice, she would have bought one. The food was so good she didn’t start work until she finished eating. She vowed to come back for lunch or brunch. She figured Ben would enjoy how this tasted.

After the quiche, she worked for a few hours until it was time to head to Aces. She thought about using a shared ride, but the bar wasn’t too far. Before she stepped out, she checked her texts, making sure Thario hadn’t texted anything about Logan leaving Texas. Her notifications were clear, so she headed out and walked the three blocks to Aces.

The weather in San Diego was so good, she didn’t mind walking so much. Eventually she would buy a car, but she enjoyed being able to take walks without feeling like she was melting. Moving to San Diego had worked out much better than she’d expected. She loved the area and had found love with a man. Everything seemed to be going her way.

Logan couldn’t believe his eyes. He’d come out of the shop, and there she was, walking down the street. He stayed in the shadows of the alcove, hoping she didn’t look his way. How the heck had he found her after almost giving up?

Nothing he’d done had gotten him close to Vera, and yet here she was, walking down the street in front of the crappy shop he’d had to visit today to collect money owed to his dad. What were the chances?

After she passed, he stepped out and followed, deciding that alerting her to his presence would only make her run. She turned down the next block and stopped outside a bar. He checked the name, Aces. He watched as she hugged two women before they entered the building together. She would be there for a while based on how they were acting. He decided to go get his car and then sit outside Aces bar and wait for her to come out.

This was an opportunity he couldn’t pass up. So what if he was hungry or needed to piss? He could pee in the cup he’d gotten when he’d ordered a burger earlier. This had to be a sign. He would make her pay now that he’d found her.

Seeing Remi and Ellis made her day. Both Kevlar and Trip had to stay late, so they were both appreciative that she’d called to get together. The bar wasn’t busy, and she guessed it was because a lot of the guys were still at base.

“I do sometimes wonder what they are doing when they stay late,” Ellis said.

Vera nodded. “I didn’t like them being gone last time. But I’m trying to get used to it.”

Remi took a sip of her drink and nodded. “Yeah. I get that, but you’ll get used to it. It’s nice when they are home, though.”

Ellis nodded. “I do love them being home.”

“It’s good to hear that I’ll get more used to it. I guess I don’t really mind it, but I really do like having Ben home.”

Both Ellis and Remi replied with, “Same.” The guys were great. And Ben went out of his way to be attentive when he was around. He really was a good partner, much better than she’d ever had before.

Remi smiled, and her eyes sparkled brightly. “So, what are you all doing when they get leave this year?”

Vera cocked her head to the side. “Leave?”

Ellis nodded. “Yeah. This year they’ve done so much extra time. Trip has six weeks.”

Vera shook her head. “We haven’t even talked about it.”

“It is a few months away for Kevlar and his team.”

Ellis opened her phone and clicked on the calendar. “It’s six months from now for Trip and Hop, so it will be a while. But we’re saving up money to go to one of those resorts in the Caribbean.”

Remi clapped her hands. “Oh, that sounds exciting.”

Ellis laughed, a smile covering her whole face. “We deserve some fun.”

“You do.”

Vera narrowed her gaze. “Gosh. I hadn’t realized they get so much time off. I don’t have that much vacation.”

“Most of the guys don’t go on vacations for that length of time. They do projects at home, like building fences or putting up sheds in their backyard. Some do intense yard work, others go camping together.”

Vera didn’t know what Ben thought about the time. Maybe he hadn’t discussed it with her because they hadn’t really been together for long. She hoped their relationship was strong enough that he wanted to spend time with her. She wanted to be with him.

Ellis reached over and took her hand. “You shouldn’t worry about it. Trip didn’t tell me for a while, and someone was talking about it. He said he forgot about the time off because, before me, it wasn’t really special for him. It was just time he didn’t have much to do.”

“Yeah, some of the guys hate it. They want to work. Kevlar told me he enjoys his time off more with me in the picture. I mean, he did go to Hawaii alone, so he likes doing things alone to a point, but he made me feel really special when he told me how nice it was to travel with me.”

Ellis nodded. “I sometimes can’t believe how much Trip likes having me around. I never thought any guy would want me this much.”

Remi nodded. “They are great guys.”

Vera took a sip of her drink and nodded. “I really like being with Ben. I can’t believe there are guys like him.”

Remi and Ellis nodded. They really were lucky to have found such good guys. She finished her drink, knowing she probably should head home before the sun went down.

“I’m also glad dating Ben has allowed me to meet you both. I like that I have friends out here, and I’ve only been in California for a few weeks.”

They both nodded, but Ellis spoke. “I’ve lived here a while, but it’s always nice to have new friends.”

Remi squeezed Vera’s arm. “That’s true. It’s always good to have some great friends like you two.”

Ellis checked her phone. “I should head home. I don’t want to be out too late after dark.”

Remi stood. “I need to head home, too.”

“Thank you for showing up.” Vera hugged both Remi and Ellis as they gathered their things and called for a shared ride.

Vera arranged her ride, thinking tonight she would take a bath and watch a movie. She needed more time to unwind and relax. Maybe she would watch a rom com and enjoy some alone time.

She stepped out of the bar, waving goodbye to her friends as their ride arrived. She watched the screen of her phone, seeing that her car was only a block away.

A strange feeling slid down her back, like maybe someone was watching. She glanced around, trying not to look too obvious as she searched for something off. There was nothing she could see. No one was around watching her. She needed to stop being so paranoid. Logan wasn’t close. If he’d left Texas, they would know about it. Thario would have told her. A panicked thought hit. But what if there wasn’t a record of him leaving? What if he slipped out without any notifications pinging them? She needed to stay vigilant, or disaster would happen.

Logan couldn’t believe his luck. Vera was leaving alone. He pulled out behind the car she’d gotten into. She was stupid. She had no idea she was being followed. She was making this so easy.

He felt like a real gangster or a private investigator following after the car she was in. When the car pulled over in front of a one-story bungalow, he memorized which one and drove down the block, slowing to watch her in the rearview mirror. She entered the house and turned on the light on the porch. Was she waiting for anyone else?

Since he knew where she lived, he headed to a fast-food joint to get his hunger taken care of. He would go back later to get her. He could use the tire iron on anyone else in the house. He would have her, and nothing would stop him.