Being a single mother is difficult at best, but renting the extremely affordable space from Fletch makes Emily’s life a lot easier…until it doesn’t. Suddenly all the money she’s saving thanks to Fletch’s generosity is going into the hands of a blackmailer. And what little food Emily can afford goes to her daughter, Annie, so the girl doesn’t go to bed hungry…leaving Emily weaker and weaker.
When miscommunication has Emily assuming Fletch is in on the blackmail, he not only has to gain her trust, but also deal with a man holding a grudge against Fletch and his entire Delta Force team. A task made more difficult when the dangerous man gets his hands on Emily and Annie.
**Rescuing Emily is the 2nd book in the Delta Force Heroes Series. It can be read as a stand-alone, but it’s recommended you read the books in order to get maximum enjoyment out of the series.
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Copyright © 2016 by Susan Stoker
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Bonus Chapter 17
Emily kneeled down by her daughter and pretended to brush some wrinkles out of her T-shirt. She really just wanted to be eye to eye with Annie so she could best gauge her reaction.
“Are you excited about today?”
“Uh-huh.”
Emily looked into Annie’s eyes for a long time, trying to make out what the little girl was thinking. They were headed down to Austin for the day…Fletch had wanted to take them on a double date. Emily had tried to talk him out of it, saying Annie would be just as happy to go to McDonald’s with them one day, but he’d knocked any further argument out of her by saying, “If I’m willing to spend the time and energy on her mom, why wouldn’t I want to do the same for Annie?”
But Emily had more concerns than just her daughter getting a sugar high and spazzing out all day. Annie was already extremely attached to Fletch. It was one thing for Emily to get hurt if their relationship ended, it was another thing altogether for Annie to get hurt if things didn’t work out.
“Remember when I went on a few dates with Rodney?” Emily asked her daughter.
“When we were at the other place,” Annie said with a solemn nod.
“Right. And you liked him too. But adults sometimes date each other and don’t get married. I know you like Fletch, and you want us to get married, but that doesn’t always happen.”
“Rodney told me once that when you and him got married, that I was gonna be sent off to a boring school,” Annie told her mom seriously with absolutely no hint that she was kidding.
“What? He did? When?”
The little girl nodded. “He was there to pick you up for a date to the funny singing place and you weren’t ready yet.”
Emily felt the tears behind her lids, but controlled them. She put a hand on Annie’s cheek. “The opera?”
Annie nodded.
Emily felt sick inside, knowing exactly when Rodney had said that to her child. She’d been upstairs finishing getting ready before he’d arrived to pick her up. She never would’ve guessed that he’d say something so horrible to her daughter. “I would never send you anywhere, baby. We stick together. Always. I’d never send you off to a boarding school. Ever.”
Annie nodded solemnly. “I know. I told Rodney that. He laughed at me.”
Emily brought Annie into her embrace, hating that she was just learning about this now. She pulled back and held her daughter’s shoulders tightly. “Annie. Listen to me. I love you. You’re everything to me. I don’t like that you kept this secret from me.”
“I know, Mommy.”
“Did he tell you not to tell me?”
She shook her head. “No. But it’s okay. I was gonna tell you, but then you stopped going on dates with him, so I didn’t have to.”
Emily eyed her daughter critically. There was still something she wasn’t telling her. “We only went on one more date after that.”
“I know.”
“What’d you do?”
Annie bit her lip and looked away from her mom.
“Annie. Look at me.” Emily waited until the little girl had looked her in the eyes again. “What’d you do?”
“I didn’t want to be sent away. I didn’t think you would, and I could tell you didn’t really like him. He smelled funny, like fried food. And you always say that fried stuff wasn’t good for us. Your boss called and you went into your room to take his call.”
“Go on,” Emily urged when Annie paused.
“I just told him how hard it was being a kid,” Annie protested, her little eyes tearing up, obviously afraid her mom was going to be mad at her. “I told him about the time I got the lice bug things in my hair, and how you had to help me all the time with my homework. And that time I got sick and barfded all over my bed and you. But then I told him how much I love to sing in public, and that I couldn’t wait to be able to be old enough to have a sleepover with all ten of my best friends, and how Chuck E. Cheese’s is my favoritest place to eat in the whole world.”
Emily wanted to laugh, but held it back. She’d already decided that things with her and Rodney weren’t going to go any further than they had, but it seems her daughter helped him break up with her, rather than the other way around.
“Ann Elizabeth. You know better than to do something like that.”
Annie pouted and looked at the ground. Her words came out in a small whisper. “I didn’t want you to love him more than me and send me away.”
Any trace of laughter Emily might’ve had was washed away in an instant. There were times she honestly forgot that Annie was only six years old. She put her fingers under her daughter’s chin and raised her head until they were looking into each other’s eyes. “I will never send you away. No matter what. I love you, baby. You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me. No man will ever come between us. Ever.”
Annie sniffed and ran the back of her hand over her nose. “Promise?”
“Pinky swear.” Emily held out her hand and smiled when Annie hooked her smaller finger around hers. “Now, about today. I like Fletch, and I’m pretty sure he likes me back. But adults sometimes like each other, and when they’ve been dating for a while, decide they don’t like each other as much anymore.”
“Like Tommy’s parents. They don’t live in the same house anymore. He spends school days with his mom, and weekends with his dad.”
“Sort of like that, yes,” Emily agreed.
“But you’ve been on four dates with Fletch. I think he likes you.”
Emily smiled. “I want you to have fun today, but I just want you to realize that we aren’t getting married. At least not right now. The last thing in the world I want is for you to be disappointed if it never happens. Okay?”
“Okay. But Mommy?”
“Yes, baby?”
Annie leaned into her mom and whispered, “I have a good feeling about Fletch.”
Emily laughed and shook her head. She’d tried. She stood up, wincing at the creak in her knees as she did. “What are you most excited about for today?”
They were going to the Millennium Youth Entertainment Complex in East Austin. It was a huge building that had a movie theater, bowling, roller skating, food, and even an arcade. Emily knew it was going to be an exhausting day, for both Annie and her, but when Fletch had suggested it—and seemed so excited to have thought of it—she didn’t have the heart to turn him down. The man had no idea what he’d gotten himself into. None. He’d first suggested laser tag, but Emily had vetoed that. As much as she knew Annie would love it, she thought her daughter was still a bit too young to be running around trying to shoot people.
“Roller skating. I’ve never done it before,” Annie said.
“You think you can stay up and not fall?”
Annie shrugged and turned to the mirror, grabbing her brush and running it through her hair. “Don’t know, but Fletch will be there to help me.”
Emily couldn’t argue with that. “What about bowling? You like bowling.”
“Yeah. Me and Fletch have a bet.”
“What? What kind of bet?” Emily demanded. It looked like she was going to have to have a talk with Fletch about a few things.
“I guess it wasn’t really a bet since you told him he wasn’t ever allowed to bet in his entire life. But he said you and me together couldn’t beat him by himself.”