Kristen Ashley - Games of the Heart

His Ma was right. It flipped him out to see how pissed Mr. Haines was when he hit the backdoor of Reesee’s house but Aunt Dusty, being Aunt Dusty, smoothed the way and even got Mr. Haines to allow Fin actually to go up to Reesee’s bedroom. And it flipped him out even more, once he got there, to see what he’d done to her. It was written all over her face, what he’d done playing games of the heart.

But his Ma was right. He’d fixed it. He just had to tell her why he did what he did and Reesee forgave him right away.

Now it was warm, it was May, the crop was in, it was growing, things had settled down and when school was out he was looking forward to bringing Rees here in her bathing suit.

“I love you, Finley.”

Fin blinked at the creek but he felt his body go stone-still.

Then he whispered, “What?”

She lifted her head off his gut, got up on her forearm in the blanket and her eyes locked right on his. Right on them. Straight up. No hiding.

And he saw it there. What he’d been seeing for a while. What he’d been seeing almost since the beginning.

Then she gave him the words that went with what he saw in her eyes.

“I love you,” she repeated.

God. Jesus, fuck. God.

That felt good.

He braced his weight against one elbow, lifted his hand, cupped her jaw and whispered back, “I love you too, babe.”

She smiled at him and, God, Jesus, fuck, God her smile felt good too.

Then she moved until her hand was flat and warm on his tee over his chest and she whispered, “Please don’t ever do that to me again.”

Not knowing why he did it, his hand moved to her neck then around to the back and he put gentle pressure there. She felt it and moved to him until her lips were on his. He touched them in a soft brush and released the pressure on her neck so she move back an inch.

“I promise you, Reesee, I’ll never do that to you again,” he whispered back.

“Thank you, Fin.” She was still whispering.

“Thank you for taking me back.” He wasn’t whispering anymore but his voice was weird, low and rumbling.

Her lips quirked in that sweet smile of hers before she remarked, “We were broken up for all of about half an hour. I didn’t have time to build up a grudge.”

“Thank God for that,” Fin muttered.

Her full smile shone through.

Seeing it, his eyes dropped to her mouth.

Then his hand put pressure on her neck.

And when her lips hit his again, the kiss he gave his girl was not a brush.

The next day…

Mike walked out of the closet through the room lit by the early light of dawn to the bed.

Layla watched him.

Dusty didn’t. Her eyes were closed but he knew she wasn’t asleep.

He wrapped his hand around the side of her neck, bent in and kissed her temple.

“I’m calling the networks,” she muttered as he pulled away, eyes still closed, face partly smushed by the pillow. “They need to make an announcement that crime needs to sleep in. Especially on Sundays.”

Mike stared down at her.

Then he ordered, “Don’t leave the house or farm all day.”

He watched her eyes scrunch to close hard as her brow furrowed then she opened her eyes and turned her head on the pillow to look up at him.

“Sorry?” she asked.

“Don’t get in a car. Stay close to the house or farm all day. I don’t know how long this’ll take me. Just promise you’ll stick close and you’ll keep the kids close too. I’ll write them a note before I go.”

She pushed up to an elbow and held his eyes.

Then she asked quietly, “Why?”

Why?

He had no fucking clue why.

All he knew was that weight was heavy in his gut. Like a rock. And that morning, the minute he got the call to go into the Station and deal with some shit, he felt it start burning.

That day was a black day. He didn’t know how it was going to happen. He just knew it would.

He was missing something. There was a threat out there. He thought it was LeBrec but he’d called Rivera just the day before and Rivera reported that LeBrec had a new woman now. LeBrec had moved on.

So it wasn’t LeBrec.

But it sure as fuck was something.

“Just please, honey, do as I say,” he said instead of answering.

“Is everything all right?” she asked.

“No,” he answered.

She pushed up further. “What’s wrong?”

“I don’t know. Just a feelin’. And I gotta go. So do me a favor, help me out and promise me you and the kids’ll stay close all day.”

She studied him through the dawn light.

Then, just like Dusty, she gave him what he needed.

“Okay, babe,” she whispered.

He replaced his hand on her neck, bent back in as he pulled her to him and gave her another touch of the lips.

Then he let her go and moved away.

Layla, as if sensing he wanted her where she was, didn’t move from her position at Dusty’s feet.

At the door, he looked back and saw she was still up, now on a hand, her long hair mussed around her shoulders, her eyes on him.

“Love you, Angel,” he told her.

“Love you too, Mike,” she replied.

He stared at her with his dog in his bed, unconsciously memorizing the view.

Four hours later, he would be glad he did.

* * *

Three hours, forty-five minutes later…

Standing by Fin close to Mike’s back gate in the big side yard between the farm and Mike’s row of houses in the development, I smiled at No and Rees galloping Blaise and Moonshine around the big space, Layla dashing between them.

“Like she’s been born on one,” Fin muttered and I looked to him to see his eyes were glued to his girl and his lips were curled up.

“She’s been taking lessons from you for a while now, Fin,” I reminded him.

He didn’t take his eyes from Rees when he replied, “She’s still way good at it.”

I looked from Fin to Rees to No and noted they both were but Fin had no praise for No.

I decided not to point that out, let my lips twitch but didn’t smile and asked a stupid question, “Things solid again between you two?”

“Yup,” he replied instantly and in a way that didn’t invite further discourse.

My lips twitched again.

Then I told him, “Smart women know when to forgive.”

Fin had no reply.

“Though, if it happens again, smart women also know when to stop being stupid.”

Slowly, Fin’s eyes cut to me.

I pressed my lips together.

Okay, clearly that conversation was over.

As if he intended to make this point even clearer than he’d already done, Fin walked toward where Rees was wheeling Moonshine around at the top of the yard closest to the corn.

No was at the bottom of the yard closest to the street and he was galloping their way.

And that was when it happened.

I heard the roar, my eyes went to it and saw a suped-up muscle car turn at high speed into the lane.

Then it turned off the lane and drove through the yard.

For a second I stared.

Then two heads popped out of windows.

Even at a distance, I recognized those two heads.

And I saw in their hands they had guns.

I turned and shouted, “Go!” at the top of my lungs right when the first gunshot rang out.

Layla started barking. I saw Fin’s body jolt, his head whipped around toward the car then he started sprinting to Rees.

More gunshots as I ran across the field and screamed, “Go, go, go! Into the fields!”

Fin got close to Moonshine and Rees, reached out and jerked the reins. Moonshine halted and in a flash Fin had a hand to the saddlehorn and heaved himself up on the horse’s back behind Reesee who’d yanked her feet out of the stirrups. Fin shoved his in, wheeled Moonshine around, dug his heels into her flanks and Moonshine shot toward the corn. No was already within five feet, Blaise in full gallop.

Layla had run to me.

“Get inside, Dusty!” No shouted over the continuing gunfire.

“Inside, Aunt Dusty!” Fin yelled as he took Rees into the fledgling corn, No hot on their heels.

But I was already running.

Then I wasn’t.

This was because pain and fire ripped through my thigh and I went down hard on my palms.

“What the fuck, Troy?” I heard screeched but I was crawling, Layla moving with me, alternately barking fiercely and whimpering while nosing me. I was trying to gain my feet but my right leg kept collapsing from under me.

I heard the roar of the car and I lifted my head to look up at the house. That was when I saw Mom and Rhonda there, coming out the backdoor.

I lifted up a hand and waved sideways toward the house, screeching, “Inside! Lock the doors. Call 911!”

“Dusty!” Mom shrieked and made as if to come out to me but Rhonda caught her at the waist and yanked her roughly in the house.

Thank God.

Thank you, God.

Thank you, Rhonda.

I kept crawling at the same time trying to gain my feet, Layla with me, whimpering and barking. The pain was excruciating. I felt wetness all around my leg, a lot of it.

Blood.

Shit.

Shit!

Layla started growling.

“Troy!” I heard screamed just as I felt a boot in my side and I had no choice but to go in the direction it took me.