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Exhaling, I hunkered down, planting the bunny on my knee. The one thing I’d learned over the years being a big man was that I could use it to intimidate easily. I also knew that it was best to get some to someone’s level if necessary. At least it worked on dogs. Children? I had no freaking clue, but I was about to find out.
She couldn’t have been more than four or five, but she strutted toward me with such attitude I almost laughed. I’d be damned if she didn’t remind me of Sassy with her long copper-colored hair and sassy little manner.
When she was within a few inches, she stomped her foot then threw out her hand. “I’m Lily Masters.” While she stared me in the eyes for at least five seconds, the light initiated a fire in her as she shifted her gaze toward the bunny.
I glanced at the couple and chuckled, seeing they were both smiling. “It’s very nice to meet you, Lily Masters. I’m Hunt Masters.”
She wrinkled her little brow, trying to figure out if she knew me. Then she rubbed her hand across my jaw. “You need a shave.”
Carrie couldn’t hold back the laughter, finally turning away and returning to the kitchen.
“Lily. This is your uncle,” Frank told her.
“I didn’t know I had an uncle. What’s an uncle?”
I cocked my head and kept a smile while the ache inside continued to grow. She reminded me of my brother when he was younger, dimples and all. “Your daddy was my brother.” I had to admit that she was cute as a button, but there was no way I would be able to handle her.
“Okay. Is the bunny for me?” She reached out then snatched her hand away.
“It sure is. But you need to take good care of her. She’s delicate, just like you are.”
She giggled hysterically for several seconds. “Daddy told me I was rough and tumble, not very ladylike.”
I heard Carrie gasping but kept my gaze locked on the cutie pie in front of me. “It’s okay to be a tomboy, Lily, but it’s also perfectly acceptable to like girly things.”
“Hmmm…” She wrinkled her entire face then grabbed the stuffed animal, holding it against her chest. “Can we go get Princess now?”
I could already tell the little girl with the big attitude was going to be a ballbuster when she grew up.
Just like someone else I knew.
* * *
“Go,” I whispered, sweeping my arm so my men would advance. We had two units surrounding portions of the city, but from what I’d been able to ascertain, not enough. This smelled of an ambush.
I waited until the other soldiers advanced, surrounding one of the buildings. The objective was clear. Capture the man who’d led an army of insurgents, terrorizing innocent people for months. The destruction had included two Army bases, the loss of life significant. We’d been tracking the asshole for sixty days after he’d gone quiet, finally catching a break. Today was do or die.
As I gave the order, I rushed toward the door, kicking it in, moving into the shadows. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught movement.
And I fired.
Death had never bothered me, at least not until the war. Even the death of my parents hadn’t been as troubling as watching the men I served alongside getting killed, their faces blown off. Then there were the injured soldiers. I’d had three of them beg me to shoot them in order to put them out of their misery. I’d been tempted once, the kid barely twenty years old. He’d had his whole life in front of him and he’d gotten his legs and one arm blown off.
I hadn’t been able to do it, but sometimes at night his screams continued to haunt me. I’d thought about looking him up after my discharge, but I hadn’t found the stomach to do much of anything but drink.
Until I’d found another method of relieving my rage. Joining the Silent Kings had saved me but had also cemented the anger and hatred inside of me, continuing to build over the years. But at the time I’d joined, I’d finally felt like I fit in.
Then I’d gotten damn good at killing, my conscience vanishing the moment I’d returned, disgraced, dishonored, and unable to cope with the anger that continued churning inside, building to the kind of crescendo that had almost resulted in shoving the barrel of my gun into my mouth. Four days later I’d met Cage in a bar, several of the Kings guzzling back booze as if they were celebrating. He and I had gotten into a fistfight, the reason nothing I could remember.
I’d broken his nose. He’d cracked my finger. In the end we’d shared several shots of tequila. Then he’d preached to me about the benefits of becoming a member. The friendship was the one thing I’d miss about leaving North Carolina. Everything else would fade into the shadows like the majority of my life.
The memory troubled me, but I had a feeling the reason it had suddenly appeared was because of the anxiety I’d felt over the last week. It was getting worse, enough so I was concerned that certain aspects of my personality would come back to haunt me. That couldn’t happen now, not for a single moment. I had responsibilities that I would take seriously. Changing my ways was necessary, at least to a point. I glanced into the rearview mirror, the weight of the next few years crushing. I knew nothing about being a father. At least she didn’t seem scared of me. I smirked. The kid didn’t know me yet.
Kids were different in the way they handled grief. Carrie and Frank had taken a few minutes to brief me about how Lily was doing. While the little girl appeared to understand her father was now in heaven, just like her mother, she never talked about either one of them. The only way they’d known she was troubled was by her nightmares, which occurred at least three times a week.
Warm milk and a story read to her calmed her down. I cringed at the thought.
Lily continued to fidget in her car seat, talking mostly to herself or one of two stuffed animals she’d been allowed to take with her. Thank God Carrie had a car seat for her. What the hell did I know about children’s safety? Imagine if I’d pulled up on the damn bike wearing a patch for the Silent Kings?
