Page 99 of Recovering Ivy

I picked up the .308 bullet and handed it to her.

“Why does it say Lewis on it?”

“It’s an old superstition. You know the saying, a bullet with your name on it?” I waited for her to nod. “Well, I have the bullet with my name on it. I have one for all my men.”

She reached down and grabbed the second bullet from my desk. “Wheeler?”

“Eric’s bullet. Gretchen was cleaning the shelves last night and his bullet fell out of his flag. She didn’t know where it went.”

“Tell me about him.”

Fuck, it still hurt to think about him. “He would’ve loved you. You think the other guys give me shit? Eric would’ve led the pack. He was a good soldier and a better friend. He volunteered more than anyone I know. He donated to the battered women’s shelter, Toys for Tots, vets’ charities, you name it. But it was more than just money. He rode with the honor guard and offered his time to anyone that needed it. You’d never know he’d seen the perils of war up close. He was burned and scarred from head to toe, yet he kept his sunny disposition. Unless you mentioned the Russians.” I chuckled, remembering all the times we’d get a new case and the first thing he’d say was, the fucking Russians did it.

“It’s not your fault,” she whispered.

“I know it's not. But the what-ifs still play in my head. They always will.”

“That’s what makes you a great leader. You always think of others before yourself. Just as long as you remember I’m here to help carry the burden.”

It hasn’t been easy but it also hasn’t been as hard as I thought it would be to open up and allow Ivy to see what I’d kept hidden away for so long.

“I know.”

“We’ve come a long way, haven’t we?” She settled back with her head on my chest.

“We have.”

“You barely freaked out last week when you saw me and Leo coming off the track.” She giggled.

Leo had thought it would be a good idea to let Ivy test drive one of the new high-performance cars I’d added to the fleet while we were at our training facility on the Eastern Shore. I’d purchased some farmland and turned it into a commando’s playground. I’d also had a two-mile driving track installed for high-speed maneuver drills.

“Don’t do it again,” I commanded, uncaring I sounded like an asshole. It wasn’t safe.

“What? He’s a good teacher.”

“Did he let you drive?”

“Yes.”

“Then he’s a suck-ass teacher.”

“He spent an hour going over safety drills and another hour on technique before he let me drive. And he made me stay under one-hundred-and fifty,” she taunted me.

“Goddamnit, I’m serious.”

“I know you are. But a bit of advice. Next time don’t threaten a spanking by way of punishment. It only makes me want to do it more.”

“You’ll be the death of me.”

“But you love me.”

“Damn right, I do.”

I lowered my lips to hers and opened immediately. Gone was the unsure woman I had met; my Ivy was confident in all things. Sure and strong.

“Knock, knock,” Jasmin both called out and banged on the office door.

“What?” I barked, breaking the kiss.