Second Chance SEAL(124)

We drove in the big rig truck for a bit. I couldn’t say anything. I felt so damn stupid, so very stupid. I had put us all at risk, nearly gotten my mom killed. Her kitchen was full of blood and dead bodies now, all because I brought Culver down on them.

“It’s okay,” he finally said, breaking the long silence.

“It’s not okay,” I said. “I’m sorry, Travis. I should never have done that.”

“Yeah. You’re right,” he said, grinning at me. “But it’s still okay. We’re still going to win this.”

“How? They’re going to notice Culver is missing.”

“Eventually, but we’ll hit them before they realize it.”

“You should just leave me behind. Do this without me.”

He sighed. “Listen to me, Hartley. I get why you did what you did. It was stupid, but it was brave.”

“Doesn’t feel brave.”

He shook his head. “It was. You knew you were running off into danger. You did it because you feared for your parents.”

“My parents were fine, though. Culver just scared me.”

“Yeah, he did, which was what he was trying to do from the start. He shouldn’t have been surprised when you actually believed him and ran off.”

“But he was.”

“Yeah, he was. That was his fault. You’re not used to men like this threatening your family.”

“And you are?”

“More than you, sure. My job is to try to kill men before they kill me. When you do that enough, you start to be able to read people.”

“What’s your read on me?”

He paused for a second as we slowly maneuvered onto the highway. From there, it was more or less a straight shot back to Knoxville, but we had a few hours to go.

“You really want to know?” he asked finally.

“Yeah, I do.”

“Okay then. You’re brave, but you grew up in a very small world. You’re smart and strong, but you’re afraid you’re not smart or strong enough.” He glanced at me. “You’re funny, and fucking sexy. I’ve never quite met anyone like you.”

I bit my lip and looked at him. All of those feelings I’d been repressing for him came flooding back, feelings I couldn’t quite name. His body was strong and hard, and I wanted to run my tongue down his abs. I wanted to feel his lips against my ear again as he whispered dirty things.

But I didn’t deserve any of that. I had fucked up big time, and now Travis was cleaning up after me. Actually, this whole thing was Travis cleaning up after me.

“You don’t have to say that,” I said finally.

“I fucking mean it, girl. Just listen to me for once in your life.”

“Okay,” I said, surprised.

“Damn right. You’re doing great, Hartley. You’re fucking holding on. That’s more than most people could say in your position, so own it.”

“Thanks, Travis. For everything.”

I surprised myself by reaching across the seats and putting my hand over the top of his. He surprised me more by taking my hand and squeezing it, and not letting go as he drove.

I still didn’t feel like I deserved the simple comfort of him holding my hand, but I needed it anyway. I was beginning to feel out of control, like I was spiraling and wouldn’t find the ground anytime soon. Touching him made me feel centered again, or at least less like I was stuck in a tornado.

He had that ability. He centered me, calmed me, made me better. He elevated me when I needed to be elevated, and he made me see that I had it in myself to become better than I was.

He brought out the best self in me, even in spite of my mistakes.

I needed that in this moment. After feeling like I had destroyed everything, I needed him to tell me that it was going to be okay. I needed him to take control, to fix things. I was way in over my head, and I knew that only Travis could do this.

And I was going to do it with him. I was going to get myself together and make it happen.

He squeezed my hand and grinned at me. I felt that thrill run through my body, the same one I always felt when he looked at me.



The ride back to Knoxville melted by. We drove straight through, and I must have fallen asleep, because at one point I closed my eyes and when I opened them we were home. Travis parked the big rig in an empty parking lot a few blocks away from the dry cleaners, and then we walked back together.

As we got closer, I noticed two men standing outside the apartment door. They were both tall and broad like Travis, both with dangerous looks in their eyes. One had dark short hair and bright green eyes, and he was grinning at me. The other had close-cropped brown hair and gray eyes, and he looked more serious.

Instantly I tensed up. It surprised me that the sight of strange men would do that, but it made sense after what I had seen. Travis put a comforting hand on my arm.