It’s rough. Sweaty. Smelling of salt and oil.
“You fucking bitch,” he grits out. “I’ve been waiting years for this. And now you’re finally going to get what you deserve.”
Twisting my head to escape his punishing grip, I keep fighting. Kicking. Squirming. Using any part of my body as a weapon, just as I was taught.
You’re a freaking Green Beret,I tell myself. You can beat this guy. So what if he’s bigger? I used to wrestle with my teammates, and they were all bigger than me.
But for every move I make, Davis seems to anticipate it. Because one thing I do remember about him is that he wasn’t just a regular soldier, but Spec Ops, just like I was.
Was. Because despite my five-times-a-week workouts, I’m not as strong as I was three years ago. And the longer Davis’s hand covers my face, the less air I have and the weaker I’m getting.
But why? Why is he doing this?
Was he indoctrinated by the enemy, sent to punish me for escaping?
I want to ask. I want to reason with him. I want to tell him this isn’t the way. That whatever he thinks I did, it’s not true. That the only thing I’m guilty of is surviving when two of my teammates didn’t.
“Bitch,” he repeats. “Fucking whore. You’re going to regret what you did.”
I keep trying to fight back. But my movements are slow. Weak. Uncoordinated.
Black creeps into my vision.
With one last burst of energy, I reach for my phone, so close I can feel the smoothness of it with the tips of my fingers. If I can just reach it, call 911, call Ace…
Davis laughs; a cruel, poisonous sound. Then he snatches up the phone and throws it across the room. “I don’t think so,Yara,” he sneers.
And then, as the darkness closes in, he adds in a darkly satisfied tone, “This is going to be fun, Sergeant Alves. I can’twaitto get started.”
CHAPTER 8
ACE
“You’re wrappingthings up early today, aren’t you?”
I get up from my desk and sling my laptop bag over my shoulder before replying to Rafe’s question. He’s standing in the office doorway, watching me with an amused expression while holding a gold-wrapped box I’d put money on being a gift for Eden.
With a smirk, I retort, “I could say the same about you. Unless that gold box contains the diagrams for our next system install. Which would be an interesting way of storing them.”
Rafe chuckles. “It would be. But no.” He turns the box so I can see the wordGodivaprinted on top of it. “Eden mentioned she’s been in the mood for chocolate. So I thought I’d surprise her with some.”
“Nice.” I give him an approving nod. “And yes, I’m done for the day. I don’t work until six or seveneverynight, you know.”
“Just most nights,” he replies. “I can’t remember the last time I saw you finishing up work before five.”
“And?” I push in my chair and head towards the doorway. “Your point?”
Rafe grins. “None. I’m just giving you shit.”
“I know.” As soon as I’m within reach, I punch his shoulder—not hard enough to really hurt, but enough for him to feel it. “And you’ve decided to bust my balls about my work schedule, why?”
Falling in beside me, we start to make our way down the hallway. “Because I saw you packing up your laptop,” he answers. “And I thought, what better time to give Ace shit than now?”
I try to punch him again, but this time, Rafe dodges it. “Thanks,” I reply dryly. “Wouldn’t want to miss that.”
“That’s what I thought,” he agrees amiably. “Anyway. Aside from giving you shit, I wanted to know if you were up for a bowling tournament tomorrow night. Eden wants to order pizza and wings and make a whole evening out of it. What do you think?”
We exit the hallway that leads to the business side of the Blade and Arrow building and into the shared living space—a large, lofted living room that connects to a kitchen slash dining area we use for special events and team gatherings. It looks like someone—Bea or Eden, at my best guess—has already started putting up holiday decorations. White lights line the floor-to-ceiling windows that face out to the front yard, and the fireplace is adorned with garland and lights to match. In one corner of the room, there’s a trio of birch reindeer, each one with a red bow tied around its neck.
