Page 57 of Fighting Salvation

Joy lit her eyes and Novem started to shovel food into her mouth.

Later, as they cleared up and Lotus took Novem upstairs to braid her hair and give them space to make a call, he got a flash of who her eyes reminded him of and it shook him to his core.

Chapter 16

“So this is where you used to play rugby?”

Val had been surprised by his sudden need to go visit his old club, but she shouldn’t have been. This was a link to the past and she knew it had started here for him and Hansen.

He grabbed her hand as he walked Val around the field, towards the clubhouse. “Over there is where I dislocated my shoulder going in for a tackle, and that’s where I was first knocked unconscious when an overly eager pass got me a knock to the head.”

She winced at his words and he grinned. “It’s fine. Not too much sense got knocked out of me and it’s part of the sport.”

Val cocked her head to look at him and he had a far-off expression on his face, pensive and lost in thought.

“Do you miss playing?”

The question seemed to snap him out of his fog. “I guess sometimes, but the bad memories associated with it have kind of ruined it for me. In any case, I don’t have time these days.”

“You should replace them with good ones then. Talk to Jack and Zack Cunningham from Fortis. Maybe you could set up a mini-league and play against each other. They strike me as the kind of men who like their sport with a touch of violence, and I know Rafe would be up for it.”

Bás snorted. “Yeah, your brother just wants an excuse to punch me in the face and get away with calling it an accident.”

Val shrugged and laughed. “Maybe, but that’s brothers for you.”

“I guess it is, and that actually sounds like a really good idea. When we get home, I’m going to do that.”

Val smiled wide knowing that they were making plans. Even though they didn’t directly include her, it showed his desire for a future that didn’t just limit him to work all the time. That was progress in itself.

Bás knocked on the door of the clubhouse and poked his head inside. They hadn’t called ahead, not wanting to give anyone the heads up. The office was empty but the desk was covered in papers and an empty coffee mug. Trophies and certificates hung on the wall as they stepped inside to take a quick look around.

“This place has hardly changed at all.”

She peered closer at the pictures on the walls, hundreds of faces looking happy and proud as they posed with medals. She hunted, scanning the faces until she found the one she loved. His wide grin was open with none of the guardedness she was familiar with. He looked happy and handsome with his whole life spread before him. She wondered what that boy would think now if he knew what he’d have to face.

“That’s me and that’s Hansen.”

She hadn’t felt him come up behind her when he pointed at the image.

“You both look so young.” She could hear the wistful note in her voice.

“We were. Barely in our teens.” He glanced at her and she didn’t see the pain she was expecting but something else. “What do you think, mo chroí, would you have been smitten with me then?”

“That implies I’m smitten with you now.”

She loved teasing him, this side one only she got to see. He was still brash and grumpy with others but with her he was different.

He grasped her around the waist and turned her to face him. “Oh, you’re hooked, baby.”

“Is that so?” Her voice was husky but she didn’t care if he saw her lie. She was head over heels for him and wouldn’t deny it.

“Yeah, mo chroí, it is.”

She loved it when he called her that. Her heart felt giddy with joy and it calmed the fear that still clung to her when she thought of all the ways this mission could go wrong.

“Yeah, it is.”

He dipped his head and kissed her, tangling his tongue with hers. She knew she should feel guilty for taking these stolen moments with him when their friend was at the mercy of such a vile man as Hansen, but she couldn’t. Who knew if these moments were all she’d get and she wouldn’t deprive either of them.