Page 21 of The Rough Ride (Sanctuary, Inc. #3)

N ick landed one last ruthless upper-cut to the punching bag and stumbled forward, grabbing it for support as his chest heaved. He’d danced with this freaking bag non-stop for over an hour, landing blow upon blow, kick after kick. Another ten minutes at this pace and he’d fall flat on his face.

Yeah, he’d feel it tomorrow. But honestly, if he could find his wind again, he’d go another round with the sucker. He swung a towel across his shoulders and wiped his dripping face. Even his feet oozed inside the boxing shoes.

The phone buzzed. He answered as he turned out the lights in the gym. At least a shower was only an elevator ride up the two floors to his loft.

“This is Nick.” He was still breathing hard from the workout.

“Dude.”

“Derek. How you doing, man?” He smiled for the first time in hours.

“I’m pulling out of my driveway now. Got time for a break? ”

“Need a shower first. Where you going?”

“Anywhere I can be with a brother. Mother-in-law kicked me out. She said I was hovering. Maggie said I needed to go take care of me for a while and have some fun. Three generations of women in the same house for a week. I need a pool table and a beer. Wanna join me?”

Aww, hell. Any other night of his life he’d be on board, but now? “Not sure I’d be the best company tonight, bro.”

“Yeah? Why not?”

“I had a battle with Liz earlier. I just spent over an hour showing the boxing bag who’s boss.”

“Wow, sorry about that. I’m heading your way and turning onto the interstate. Let’s meet at that tavern by your house. I’ll show you pics of my baby girl, and you can tell me about you and Liz. We drink too much; I’ll crash on your couch.”

Nick hesitated. The last thing he felt like doing was socializing, even with Derek. On the other hand, it’d be nice to gnaw the bone with a friend. And D was a brother.

“Yeah, okay. But we might want to pick a different bar.”

“Why? That one’s got two pool tables and three sports TVs.”

“The bar honey hangs out there.”

Derek’s snicker didn’t go unnoticed.

“You’re gonna run into her sometime. At least you’ve got a wingman with you tonight to chase her off if necessary.”

“Very funny, D. Give me thirty. I’ll meet you there.”

The tavern was a throwback to the previous century with its dark, glossy wood and brass rails.

The slow beat of country music twanged from a DJ in the corner, while the waitresses all wore their emblematic pushup bras and cleavage.

“Congratulations on the new baby. What’d you name her?

” Nick shoved a slice of lime down the neck of a Corona.

“Catherine Annabelle, a family name on Maggie’s side.

That’s the long version. We both agreed on Catherine.

I’m hoping for Catie . Life’s too short to have a long name.

I’ll admit, though, I’d have let Maggie name her whatever she wanted after watching what it took to bring our little girl into this world.

I’ve never been so terrified and happy at the same time. ”

Nick’s thoughts snapped to Liz and Ella. She’d brought that baby into this world all by herself. “I’ve heard it’s intense.”

“Intense? Dude, I’d have jumped in there and pushed for her after the half hour mark.

I just kept doing whatever Mags asked me to do.

Rub her back…wipe her face…get the ice chips…

I’d be surprised if she ever has sex with me again.

” Derek laughed. “One minute, she collapsed onto the pillows and said she couldn’t do it anymore, and two minutes later, Catie was born. It was dope, man.”

Nick swigged his Corona. “Who’s she look like?”

“Herself, I guess, but that hair comes from Maggie’s gene pool. It’s thick and black. Sticks out all over her head. Girl’s got a set of lungs, too. Nobody sleeps when she’s hungry. That’s enough about me. What happened with Liz?”

Nick twirled a french fry in the ketchup on his plate.

Derek elbowed him in the ribs. “C’mon, dude, you guys fight over something stupid and break up again?”

Nick shifted in his seat. “We’ve only broken up once, and that was high school.”

“True, but there was the Paris thing if I remember—”

“Liz had a baby.” Nick dropped the french fry on the plate and grabbed his beer .

Derek pulled the burger out of his mouth without taking a bite and turned to face him. “You’re shittin’ me.”

“I’m serious, bro.” I wish I wasn’t.

“How the hell did she have a baby without any of us knowing? I mean, the woman has some serious contacts and friends. I haven’t heard a whisper about this. We just saw her a few weeks ago during the Reardon Sanctuary rescue. She didn’t look any different.”

Oh yes, she did. Those curves. “The baby’s name is Ella. She’s six months old. Liz’s had a chance to bounce back. Arlene, her mom, has been helping her.”

Derek’s eyes softened, and he lowered his voice. “Did she say who the baby daddy is?”

“A single officer who told her to handle it.” Nick clenched and unclenched his fist on the bar top.

“A one-time thing.” He caught the bartender’s eye and held up two fingers.

“This conversation is confidential, okay? The last thing she needs right now is a bunch of emails congratulating her and prying for details.”

Derek crossed two fingers against his heart. “Not a soul, man.”

The bartender set two more beers on the counter and added two shot glasses and a bottle of tequila.

Nick shook his head. “No shooters tonight.”

“I don’t know, bro, it seems like a good time to indulge. My wife gave me permission to have some fun, and you just got kicked in the nuts.”

“I’ve got to keep my eye on that weather channel up there. That hurricane that hit the Gulf states? Mason’s already packed up. He’s on standby to deploy with the Guard. I need to know if and when it happens so I can get a replacement over to the Richardson’s. ”

Derek nodded. “How’s he been doing with them?”

“Just fine. He’s a solid guy. Still settling in. You’ve only been gone nine days.”

“Feels like a month to me, but I’m wading through new territory on the home front. I wish I could help if Mason goes south, but my mother-in-law is leaving later this week, and then the fun begins. I gotta be there to help Mags, even if I just vacuum and get the groceries or some carryout.”

“Yup. I get it. Family leave was in the incentive package I offered you.” Although right then, he’d pay triple to get Derek back on the job.

“What are your thoughts about Liz and the baby?”

Nick tightened his hand on the bottle. “She told me it was her body, her decision, her life. I’m not running away, but I can’t imagine being much help to her. I’m scared to death of even picking up that little girl. And I’m burning mad that she cut me out of the process.”

Derek took a swig of beer and turned toward him. “Well, bro, we’ve both seen injured vets turn inward and seal themselves off from the rest of the world while they’re recovering. We returned home whole. She didn’t. And it isn’t like you were married.”

Nick’s stomach clenched. “We’re not married on paper, but in here—” He knocked a fist on his chest. “We’ve belonged to each other forever.”

“Yeah, I get it. Maggie and I were the same way. But we’ve all known for years that kids aren’t your thing.

Don’t you think that weighed on her mind when she found out she was expecting?

Hell, I wouldn’t have wanted to tell you.

” He shook his head. “I’m thinking she did the best she could with a shitty situation. ”

Nick grimaced. “Yeah, but to hide a baby that long? It just cuts at the foundation of our trust.”

Derek squirted vinegar on the leftover fries and popped one in his mouth.

“And we’ve circled back to the injured vet needing time to put their life back together.

Remember Smitty? He lost an arm. I visited him every week for eight months.

He never smiled, gave me one-word answers, wouldn’t go anywhere but rehab.

Just about the year mark, he called me out of the blue wondering if I wanted to go bowl with him.

Smitty laughed and said he still had his bowling arm.

Something just clicked, and he got back to living. ”

“You’re probably right. I guess I think of Liz as being so fierce, she would’ve plowed through all that shit.”

Derek nodded. “You pissed it’s somebody else’s?”

Nick shook his head and turned to face his friend.

“You’re a plain-speaking man, D. What a loaded question.

Yes. No. I don’t know. I can’t give her a baby.

If you’re asking if I’m mad she slept with somebody?

I’m not happy about it, but I’ve got no right to point a finger. I need some time to think it through.”

Derek tapped his empty plate. “Don’t take too much time, bro.

A lot of brass would crawl in their dress whites to hook up with retired Purple Heart recipient First Lieutenant Elizabeth Nelson.

I was at her heart ceremony, and the room overflowed with officers who respect the crap out of her, and you know, she’s gorgeous.

There were lots of divorced majors looking to start over, stuffing their business cards in her hand, and a baby just makes the package more appealing to some.

She’s always been up front that you’re in the picture—so hand’s off—but word gets out that she’s single? ”

Nick stopped nursing his beer and barked a laugh. “Are you trying to make me feel better or worse? ”

Derek laid a hand on his friend’s back. “I’m just telling you like a real friend, dude. I stepped in three times and took her elbow, steered her toward the punch and cake table.”

“Well, thank you for the heads up. I mean it. One of them already sent flowers to her workplace. He didn’t sign his name and made her feel damn uncomfortable.”

Derek glanced behind him. “I’m thinking it’s time to blow this joint. The place is filling with ladies. I miss my girls. I’m going home. I’ve got five more weeks of penance until I get to visit Maggie’s holy of holies again, and I don’t need to be looking at women flaunting their goods.”

Nick pulled out his wallet. He turned his head. “You can deal with a little celibacy. We lasted longer than five weeks overseas.”

“In Iraq, I didn’t sleep next to a rosewater-scented woman. Maggie’s fragrance gives new meaning to playing with my rubber ducky in the shower,” Derek added with a wry grin. “You going home?”

“Naw. I think I’ll drive back to Liz’s. I hate leaving it the way I did.” And Derek’s words she did the best she could with a shitty situation echoed in his head. D was probably right.

Derek looked at his watch. “Pretty late, man. What if she’s already asleep?”

“Then I had a drive to clear my mind, I guess.” Nick slapped a tip on the bar countertop and stood. But if he knew his Liz, she’d be up reading some book on military analytics or espionage during World War II.