AllFreeNovel
Share Us
She finally stopped, came to the steps and walked out, water dripping off her body. His gaze caught on one line of water running between her breasts. It slid between the thin strip of fabric, down her ribs and over her belly, dipping into the front bottom of her swimsuit.
He shuddered, then lifted his gaze to her face. She’d stopped in front of him, grabbed the towel in the chair next to him and took a seat.
“What’s the deal between Grange and Pete?”
He arched a brow. “What do you mean?”
“I saw a moment between them. Something emotional about Grange being there for Pete during a rough time in his life.”
Jed shrugged. “Not my story to tell. You’ll have to ask Grange or Pete.”
She sighed. “More secrets. Great.”
“Pete lost his wife in the Beirut Embassy bombing in 1983.”
Elena put her hand on her heart. “Oh, no.”
Jed nodded. “Yeah. Pete and Grange were both Marines, both of them stationed in Beirut at the time of the bombing. Dina worked at the embassy. Grange was close to both of them, loved Pete’s wife like a sister. I think it hit him as hard as it did Pete.”
“I can’t even imagine how tragic that must have been for Pete.”
“Yeah. Grange said he questioned his own dedication to the military at that point, but Pete was determined. He was a strong sonofabitch, and he refused to let Dina’s loss cripple him. He served honorably and has dedicated his life to bringing down the bastards who preyed on his country and on the weak. When he left the military, he did some time with the CIA, then special ops work, tracking missing persons, mercenary jobs, anything that served his country in whatever capacity they needed him to. And through it all he and Grange have stayed in touch and remained friends. They’re like brothers.”
Elena leaned back. “Wow. It’s good that Pete had Grange to lean on. What a terrible loss for him. So he never remarried?”
“No. Grange said Pete always felt Dina was it for him, and no other woman could come close.”
Elena sucked in a breath and stared out over the water and the jungle beyond it before turning back to face him.
“Okay, Jed. Tell me who you really are.”
He swung his legs over the side of the chaise to face her.
“I grew up in Maryland. Went to Georgetown. Wasn’t the best student, but I got by. I liked to party and gave my parents a hard time. They were good to me, sacrificed a lot to give me a good education. I didn’t appreciate it. They died in a car accident when I was in my second year of college.”
She gasped, leaned over and grabbed his wrist. “Oh, God. I’m so sorry.”
He stared down at the water dripping on the ground between them, the memories thick as fog rising up to swallow him. “I don’t remember much about that time. I tried to bury it like I buried them. My dad had a distant cousin who tried to step in and help, but I didn’t want anyone. After my parents died, I lost it at school. I’d barely had the drive and ambition to start with. I dropped out of school and wandered aimlessly for a year, doing a lot of drinking and navel gazing. Then I pulled my head out of my ass and realized I wasn’t going to honor my parents by becoming an alcoholic. So I joined the Marines, did two tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan. After that I joined the FBI.”
She squeezed his hand.
He lifted his head. Her eyes shimmered with tears. Sympathy, not pity. He knew the difference. Thank God. He couldn’t handle anyone feeling sorry for him, had had enough of it to last him a lifetime.
“The FBI was okay but boring. No challenge in it, no action. That’s when Grange found me and offered me a job with the Wild Riders.”
She arched a brow. “That’s what his organization is called?”
“Yeah.” He quirked a smile. “They’re a wild bunch, all right. But good people. Great agents. And I like the job so far. I’
m still new at it, but it gives me a taste of adventure and some action instead of desk jockeying or paper pushing.”
“You’re an adrenaline junkie.”
He shrugged. “Maybe a little. I just want to do something to serve my country. And maybe help people.”
She grazed her thumb over his hand. “Your parents would be proud of all you accomplished.”
Hearing her say that made his heart clench. “I’d like to think so.”
