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We toss the ball around for a while, Skye joins us for a bit, then we break to refresh our drinks. Brando pulls me out of the water with one hand. I lay on my towel, glad that Tina stayed in the water with Garrett.
Luke sits next to me, and I get a closer view of the new tattoo on his chest that I’ve been eyeing since he took off his shirt. My breath catches and he frowns. “What’s wrong?”
I bring my hand up and trace the wings of the sparrow in flight, sitting over his heart. It’s a life like replica of my necklace. “When did you get this?”
He smiles and I meet his eyes. “Right after you left.”
I gape at the gorgeous artwork. Red feathers lace through the wings. It spreads from the edge of his left shoulder and down his pec, the background blending in with the Marine Corps tattoo on his right. It’s such a fragile little bird, but the design makes it seem as fierce as an eagle.
“Luke… it’s gorgeous,” I whisper.
He takes my hand and presses it over the sparrow and his heart. “You’ll always be a part of me.”
His heart thuds under my palm. His lips curve up in a soft smile and he presses his lips to my knuckles. Every time he’s kissed my hand in the past flashes through my brain like a movie on fast-forward. There are hundreds. And I react the same now as I did back then.
He drops my hand and stands to jump in the water. I watch him swim away and can’t hide the disappointment that he didn’t stay to spend more time with me.
Dylan drops next to me on the towel, dripping water everywhere. “I was wondering if he was ever going to show you the tattoo.”
“I didn’t realize you guys were so close. You seem to know everything about him.”
“I’ve technically been with him longer than you have,” he grins and I laugh. His smirk slips and he straightens. “Fox and I have spent a lot of time with him trying to figure this shit out.”
I never thought about that. Of course, Luke is still battling his enemies. He doesn’t have the luxury of running away from his problems. I love it here in Texas, but my friends are right. This was never a permanent solution.
“Why didn’t Fox come?”
“He’s visiting family since Luke has all of us here.”
“Can you tell me what you’ve found?”
He sighs. “There’s not much to tell. They’ve been around a long time, and they wanted something James had. They think Luke has it now. Whoever these people are, they’re dangerous, and have an incredible number of resources to maintain their anonymity.”
I look over at Luke, who’s tossing the ball to Jackson. He’s been through so much. The thought of losing me too must have been his breaking point. I suppose I can relate. I jumped in front of a bullet meant for him because I couldn’t stand the idea of losing him, either.
“Any advice on how to handle this?”
He chuckles. “Why? Thinking about diving right back into danger?”
“Maybe.” I bring my knees up and rest my chin on them, wrapping my arms around my shins.
He goes quiet and I move my gaze over to his.
He’s smiling. “You are one of a kind, Princess.”
I roll my eyes and return to watching Luke. Vera cheers them on from the edge of the dock nearby with Skye. “Yay! Go sports!”
“Since you’re asking, my advice is to stay vigilant. This enemy is a dangerous combination of patient and cunning. They know more than you think they do, and they’ll use it against you. Above all else, trust your intuition. It will never lie to you.”
“It’s led me astray before.”
“How so?”
“It told me I could trust Luke.”
“That wasn’t a lie. Sure, he ended your relationship. But did he ever stop taking care of you?”
I press my lips together. “It wouldn’t kill you to be wrong every once in a while.”
