Authors: Aliyah Burke
―You know my meeting I had this evening?‖
He laced his fingers under his chin and watched her toy with her
bowl. Her hands never stopped moving.
―I go once a month.‖ Her eyes were full of indecision as they looked
at him. Shaking her head, she stopped.
Ernst fought back his need to touch her, offer her strength. The
amount of torment on her face made him want to weep. Tense moments
passed as she tried to find a way to keep talking.
Standing, he walked around the table, took the spoon from her
hands, and led her to the couch. ―Don‘t shut me out, Kacy, please let me in,‖
Ernst whispered as he rubbed her back. ―I can‘t help if you don‘t tell.‖
―It‘s a battered women‘s group.‖ Her words were mumbled into his
bare chest.
Ernst‘s eyes were harder than permafrost and colder than absolute
zero in seconds. His body surged with bloodlust. ―Who?‖ he gritted out.
―A guy I used to date. Used to be in a relationship with.‖ She kept
her face buried in his chest, refusing to look at him.
Well, that explains the hesitation she has. God damn it! I want to hurt some-
thing!
―This is why you are hesitant about us,‖ he stated.
―Yes.‖ Her response was so low, he almost didn‘t hear it.
―Kacy,‖ he breathed into her ear. ―I would never raise a hand to you.
I swear it. I know we will disagree and argue, but I would never,
ever
, hurt
you.‖ Those arms of steel held her close.
―I want to believe that, and I‘m trying, but I can‘t get him out of my
head!‖ She sat up away from Ernst and began hitting the heels of her hands
on her temples. ―I can‘t forget him!‖ she cried.
Immediately, he grabbed her hands. ―Stop that,‖ Ernst ordered as he
tucked her back tight to his chest. ―Let me help. Make it so I‘m the one you
see when you close your eyes. Make it my voice you hear.‖
I am going to kill
that bastard!
―Trust me, Kacy.‖
Wiping away her tears, she said, ―I‘m sorry. I just relive the past
more when I go to the meetings. Some nights are worse than others.‖
His lips brushed her forehead. ―Thank you for trusting me enough to
tell me.‖
―Ernst?‖
He could hear the exhaustion in her voice. ―Yes,
liebling
?‖
―Could you just hold me for a while?‖ Kacy asked in a shy voice.
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―For as long as you want,
schätzchen
. Are you comfortable?‖
Kacy pushed him so he was lying down on the couch and she tucked
herself between the back of his couch and him. Her face buried in his neck,
her hand resting on his bare chest, she sighed as he locked his arms around
her. ―Perfect. Don‘t let go.‖ She yawned a bit. ―What does it mean? Those
words you keep saying to me?‖
I don’t plan on ever letting you go.
―I won‘t.
Liebling
means beloved or
darling, and
schätzchen
and
schatzi
mean ‗little treasure‘,‖ he said, glad the
only light on was the one in the kitchen. He closed his eyes and fell asleep,
listening to her deep even breaths.
Hours later, Ernst awoke with unoccupied arms. ―Kacy?‖ his sleep-
laden voice asked. ―Where are you?‖ No response.
Climbing off the couch, he padded throughout his apartment only to
come up empty. She was gone.
The dishes in his kitchen were clean and he saw a sheet of paper
taped to his coffee pot. Immediately he pulled it off, opened it, and read:
Ernst:
Thanks for the drinks…well the ice cream.
Thanks most for listening. If you‘re still around
Sunday the offer is still open for the ride.
I‘d love to have you join us.
Thanks for last nite.
You have no idea what that meant to me.
~Kacy
Looking around his kitchen, he had no clue how she‘d left without
alerting him. ―You have no idea what it meant to me, either,
liebling
.‖ Ernst
made his way to his room and changed into running clothes.
When Ernst got back from his run, he wanted to call her, make sure
she was okay. All day that feeling was with him. As he went to the base and
worked out, her image was foremost on his mind.
―Hey, Chief,‖ a voice reached him.
His artic eyes swung over to meet the dark-brown ones of his team-
mate, Osten Scoleri, better known as ―Baby Boy.‖ ―Scoleri,‖ he responded
with a smile.
―Wanna spar?‖ The men kept in top fighting shape.
―Sure,‖ Ernst said, following him inside the ring not and paying at-
tention to the other teammates who settled around the ring.
Lord knows I’m
still spoiling to hit someone.
―How‘s things?‖ Osten asked as he threw the first punch.
Dodging it easily, Ernst tossed a jab back and said, ―Shitty.‖
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Aliyah Burke
―Why do you say that, Ghost?‖ A few more quick thrusts were tossed
his way.
―Just found out some bastard‘s been beating up my woman.‖ All the
men there got wide eyed at Ernst‘s words. Osten was so stunned he didn‘t
put up his hands and so took an uppercut to the chin knocking him back onto
the mat. ―Hell, you okay man?‖ Ernst asked, crouching beside him.
Osten sat up, his dark eyes still wide. ―Kacy is in an abusive relation-
ship?‖ he asked, totally disregarding Ernst‘s question as the blond helped
him out the ring. Ernst knew he would be answering questions for a while.
The rest of the team circled around to hear his response. ―Yes, damn
it. Well, not any more, but she was. She goes to a battered women‘s group for
meetings once a month.‖ Ernst did a spinning back kick at the heavy bag he
passed. ―I just want five minutes with that motherfucker,‖ he swore as he
began to pound the bag.
His teammates looked at one another. All of them wanted to hurt this
person. They might not know Kacy well, but they loved how she affected
Ernst; and when he‘d told them what she‘d done for another chief on base,
they liked her even more.
―What does that mean for the two of you?‖ Tyson asked.
―I don‘t know. She wanted to tell me before I decided if I wanted a
relationship with her or not.‖
The men laughed, for they all knew he had decided that after that
first date in Hawaii. Perhaps after he had run into her on the street that first
day. Kacy Travis didn‘t stand a chance.
―I found out she grew up in an orphanage—St. Lucia‘s here, but she
was born in Hawaii. There is a little boy at the orphanage that she goes to see
every week, and I am going riding with them on Sunday unless we are
elsewhere.‖ Ernst wiped the sweat off his face and looked around the gym at
his close friends.
―I‘m in love.‖ Ernst threw a glove at Maverick who groaned in dis-
may. ―I am. I want to be with her all the time.‖ He took off the other glove.
―Get this—I sleep so well with her I didn‘t even hear her leave this morning.‖
―At the risk of having you shoot me, when did y‘all start sleeping to-
gether?‖ Scott asked, barely keeping the smirk of his face. The rest of the men
openly laughed.
―A hell of a lot sooner than you and Lex did!‖ Ernst snapped back
playfully.
―Well, it would have been sooner if she would have stopped tossing
those damn rules and regulations in my face,‖ Scott growled, remembering
his obstacle filled path to get to his woman who was also Navy.
―Oh, hell, you are going to make me sick,‖ Maverick groaned again.
―Who wants to spar with me?‖ Hondo took him up on it and soon they were
in the ring fighting. Ernst stayed near Scott and Tyson.
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―What are you going to do?‖ Tyson asked as he watched the two
men in the ring.
―Be there for her. Support her and try my best not to kill the man
who dared lay a hand on her,‖ Ernst said honestly.
―We should have a get-together, the whole team. You bring Kacy and
she can meet our wives and girlfriends,‖ Scott said.
―I will run it past her,‖ Ernst said. ―Hey…thanks.‖ One side of his
mouth quirked up in a smile.
―Well, it sounds to me like she is about to be family,‖ Scott said with
a grin.
Ernst nodded. ―That is my intention.‖
―We should make her feel at home then. Talk to her and get back to
us on it.‖ Scott slapped him on the back.
―I have to get going,‖ Ernst said.
―Hot date?‖ Tyson teased.
―God, I hope so,‖ Ernst replied even as a soft grin stretched his face.
Ernst showered, changed, and left to the hooting and hollering that
his team sent his way. Waving over his shoulder and simultaneously giving
them the finger, he strolled out of the gym and headed towards his truck. It
was after five. He waited until he was all the way home before he called her,
not wanting to be distracted by traffic.
She should be home or on her way there. Dialing her home phone
first, he got the machine and hung up without leaving a message. Then he
called her cell.
C H A P T E R T H I R T E E N
Kacy had an extremely busy day. As she was finishing up her last job
of the day, her cell phone rang. ―KT Electric.‖
―Kacy, you got a minute?‖ the masculine voice asked.
―Sure, Brett,‖ she replied easily, recognizing his voice. ―What‘s up?‖
Kacy quickly reattached the faceplate and stepped back to view her work.
―I‘m at a job and it is a fuckin‘ mess. Can you give me a hand?‖
Slipping her cordless drill back in its holder, she asked, ―Where are
you?‖ She and Brett often referred people to each other if they were over-
loaded.
Brett sighed with relief and gave her directions. ―Thanks so much,
Kacy.‖
―Hey, no worries. I‘ll be there as soon as I clean up here.‖
―I owe you for this. I‘ll give you half.‖
With a smile Kacy said, ―See you in a few.‖ She hung up the phone,
gathered all her equipment, and put it in the van. The house was ready for
the inspection. With a groan, she locked up behind her and climbed into her
van. ―I‘m so hungry. Oh, well, I‘ll get something after.‖
Kacy drove listening to the radio, and just as she was almost to
Brett‘s site, her phone rang. Not even looking at the number she answered,
―KT Electric.‖
―Hello,
liebling
.‖ His words thrummed through her body.
―Ernst,‖ she mumbled. ―How are you?‖
―Wondering why you snuck out on me last night? Missing you.‖
―I had to get home; my day started pretty early. I left you a note.‖
―I know I got it. I wanted to wake up with you,‖ Ernst admitted.
He sounds like he is pouting.
―Sorry,‖ she said lightly. Kacy turned off
her van and climbed out. She waved at Brett as he walked towards her.
―What about dinner?‖ Ernst asked, stretching out on his couch.
I am so frickin’ hungry.
―I can‘t. I‘m at another job.‖ She paused. ―Hey,
Brett, be with you in a sec,‖ Kacy said before speaking to Ernst again. ―And I
don‘t know how long I‘ll be.‖
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―Brett?‖
―Yep. He called and asked for my help. I‘m really sorry about dinner.
Maybe tomorrow?‖
―Sure,‖ he said with forced lightheartedness. ―Tomorrow.‖
―Good.‖ She smiled wistfully. ―I gotta go, I‘ll talk to you later.‖ Kacy
hung up the phone to meet Brett‘s amused gaze.
Brett arched a black brow. ―Who was that?‖
Kacy blushed. ―The guy from Hawaii.‖
―Hawaii? That white guy on the pier?‖ he questioned.
―That‘s the one. He lives in Suffolk.‖
―And you‘re dating?‖ Brett helped her grab some things he knew she
would need. There was brotherly mischief in his eyes.
Were they? He hadn’t asked again after she told, but considering what he
said previously…maybe they were.
―Kacy?‖ Brett was waving a hand filled with conduit in front of her.
―Huh?‖
―Are you two dating?‖ He cocked his head at her. ―I lost you for a sec
there.‖
―Sorry, yes, we‘re dating.‖ Kacy hooked on her tool belt. ―Let‘s go;
fill me in.‖
They walked into the old building and Brett showed her to the
breaker box. ―Okay, see the main is off but…‖
―But there‘s still power,‖ she finished for him. Pulling a device off
her belt she said, ―Well, get your signal tracer and let‘s go find where some-
one rerouted some power.‖
―I‘ll go this way,‖ Brett said, pointing upstairs.
―Okay, I‘ll start basement and work up.‖
―Great.‖ They each headed off to their designated areas.
For a while they worked in silence until Kacy hit a signal. Pressing
the button on her phone she used the walkie-talkie feature to contact Brett.
―Found one, Brett. Here in the basement, there is another small room.‖
―Sweet. On my way,‖ he responded. Moments later, he appeared in
the dark and semi-damp basement; they could hear the water dripping
somewhere. Brett whistled. ―They didn‘t say anything about this room and I
didn‘t see it. How‘d you find it?‖
―Don‘t know for sure,‖ Kacy said as they both moved into the small
room.
―I think this is it,‖ Brett said, following the signal he was receiving.
Kacy glanced around and tried to contain a shiver. The lone light
bulb only added to the eerie feel she got.