Page 35 of Redeeming Violet

I pulled up to my house and grabbed my mail and tossed in on the kitchen table without bothering to sort it. I had a bag packed with fresh clothes, making sure I brought a few extra tees for her to sleep in. It was sweet torture seeing her in my USAF shirt. Her large breasts filled out my shirt and her nipples poked the U and the F of the black lettering. My body reacted every time I saw it. Hell, my body reacted every time I even thought of her.

I locked up my house, got back in the company SUV, and wished I could bring Violet here. I wondered what she’d think of my house. When I started working for Zane, I bought an old colonial in a well-established neighborhood not far from the downtown Annapolis office. The old house was a labor of love. I glanced at the exterior of the house and remembered when my brother Cooper had taken a week’s vacation to come help me put up the new siding and shutters. It was humid as fuck, as summers tend to be in Maryland. But the two of us bullshitting and working side by side was the best week I could remember having with my brother.

Between my combat duty and filth and scum he saw daily as a LAPD SWAT officer, there was always an underlying burden simmering just below the surface. Both of us shouldered the knowledge of evil, living a double life between the criminal underbelly and a civilized society, knowing when to slip into our roles as menacing door kickers and when to shed our true selves and only show the side humanity wants to see. I’ve yet to find a woman that could take on or would want the side of myself that’s not what’s considered socially acceptable. No one wanted to take her man to a dinner party after he’d flown home from across the ocean, with blood and dirt still under his fingernails and the stench of death still deep in his pores. Not only would no woman want that, I couldn’t ask that of anyone.

My phone vibrated, reminding me I had a meeting with Zane and Eric. The sooner this was over the better. I was getting too close to Violet. Last night in the dark, I’d almost talked myself into believing when this was done we could continue to have a casual sex-only relationship. There was no room for those types of fanciful thoughts, she deserved better than me, half of a man, always hiding my true self from her.

“Yeah,” I greeted.

“We found the Flower,” Zane clipped.

It took me a moment to realize Zane was using the nickname Benny had told us Declan’s team had used.

“No shit. How long I got until wheels up?” I asked, hoping I had enough time to swing by the barn to say goodbye to Violet.

“No need. What’s your ETA to the barn?” he asked.

“Five, seven minutes if I hit traffic.”

“Good. I’ll see you in ten. This is need to know.”

“Copy that.”

Zane hung up, his meaning clear. He didn’t want Violet to know we found her brother. For some unknown reason my gut twisted. I didn’t like keeping the information from Violet, but it was more than that. As I made my way the short distance to the barn, the stronger the feeling got. I learned a long time ago to trust my instincts. And my instincts were screaming that shit was getting ready to go sideways. There’s a saying, situation normal all fucked up. I had a twisting feeling we were walking into a SNAFU.

I waited outside for Zane to show up and I didn’t have to wait long. If he didn’t want Violet to know we’d found Declan, I didn’t understand why he’d want to meet at the one place she couldn’t leave. Zane parked beside me, and I noted Eric was in the passenger seat. Both front doors of the vehicle opened before the back-passenger door opened. A man I’d never seen stepped out. Khaki colored 5-11 tac pants, a pair of Salomon XA mid boots on his feet, he wore a flannel shirt, and his hair was too long to be in military regulations even though he was very obviously a military contractor. This must be Declan.

“Jesus fuck, Z, I didn’t know you meant he was present and accounted for,” I said.

“Seems the Cranston twins weren’t taught personal boundaries. Unlike his sister, he didn’t give the courtesy of a call first.”

It was then I noticed the swelling on the side of Declan’s face and the cut to his lip.

“Bet that was the most fun you’d had in at least a week, huh, LT?” I couldn’t stop the chuckle. Declan didn’t seem to find the humor in my statement.

“Don’t worry, Garrett said he’d pull the building security and make sure we all get a copy,” Eric added, and Declan’s scowl deepened.

“You mind if we cut the bullshit?” Declan asked. “I believe we have more important things to discuss. And for the record, I had you dead to center for twenty minutes from across the way. I could’ve taken you out a hundred different times. You should close your curtains.”

“Right. Because I’m wet behind the ears and didn’t have the glass replaced with polycarbonate ballistic acrylic,” Zane returned.

Eric rolled his eyes and said, “Great. Are the two of you done measuring dicks? I’d like to get inside.” He didn’t wait for answer as he unlocked the exterior door and moved through the security protocol. The last lock clicked open and he pushed open the door.

The three of us walked in and I hoped to God Violet had not been watching the security feeds since we pulled up.

“Did you call in to Jasmin and tell her to turn off the CCTV?” I asked. Zane shot me a are you fucking dumb look, and didn’t bother answering in the affirmative. “I gotta say I don’t think this is a good idea, just walking him down there; she’s gonna be blindsided.”

“You saying that as an operator or the man that’s fucking her?” Zane asked with an ugly smirk pulling up the corner of his mouth. There was one thing Zane loved, and that was the element of surprise, in all forms. He gave zero fucks if what he said was rude, obnoxious, or downright offensive. He’d blurt it out simply to see your reaction. There are a few tried and true combat scenarios that work in the private sector beautifully; an agent will always go back to his native tongue while in extreme pain, and the most honest reaction is given the second after a man is offended. Even the best agent needed a millisecond to school his reaction.

In this case, I didn’t bother masking my dislike for Zane’s comment. “One human to another, what you’re getting ready to do is fucked. As an operator, I understand needing her reaction.” I took a deep breath hoping it would calm my nerves, but it did nothing to help. I went on. “Man to man, you talk about my woman like that again and you’re gonna find my size twelve boot up your ass.”

“I’ve said it once, I’ll say it again. Another one bites the dust.” Zane shook his head and turned to Declan. “Meet your new brother-in-law. That is if he can pull his head out of his ass and your sister can keep her mouth shut and out of prison.”

“Christ,” I murmured, wishing yet again that I had duct tape to shut him the fuck up.

“Believe it or not, I’m doing what I think will be easiest for Violet. She’s expressed twice her not wanting us to tell Declan she knows he’s her brother, and that she’s involved. If you tell her Declan’s here, she’s going to have a mental come apart. She’ll work herself up for no reason. Declan’s been briefed. I think once the shock wears off, she’ll be fine. And if she’s not? That’s why you’re here.”

Dick.