Soar high, p.9
Soar High, page 9
When he gave her a worried look, she laughed, kissed the tip of his nose, then poked him in the tummy. “And all full, too.”
He giggled—and wasn’t that amazing?
Hawk ruffled Aric’s hair. “Time to get back.”
As they rose, Kit realized the two men seated nearby had been listening—and were watching her. Probably not PZs, though. The pissers weren’t the kind to wear suits.
One of them nodded at Hawk. “Calhoun.”
Hawk gave him a chin lift and hoisted Aric back up onto his shoulders. “Hang on, kid.”
With a huge grin, Aric gripped Hawk’s thick hair and gave a bounce.
Envy rose inside Kit. From Aric’s expression, he’d discovered being with Hawk was the safest place in the world.
She knew just how he felt.
Chapter Seven
If you think you are too small to make a difference, try sleeping with a mosquito. ~ Dalai Lama
* * *
Late Saturday afternoon, Kit had a chance to see what Hawk had meant about teamwork.
When Bull announced that he and his brothers planned to celebrate the solstice today with combat games, Kit had politely mentioned that solstice was two days ago. And what were combat games anyway?
Bull had simply laughed.
Shaking her head, Frankie told him she was a civilian and staying home to taste-test a new recipe. Kit had planned to help her until Hawk showed up to get Aric.
Her son. Playing war games.
Like she’d let him do that without her to supervise. Uh-uh.
Hawk had loaded her and Audrey, the noncombatants, into his pickup. Everyone else piled into the truck bed for the short drive down the dirt road to the forested area.
“This is crazy,” Kit muttered. She and Audrey were sitting in camp chairs in the pickup and holding umbrellas because—of course—it was pouring rain.
Aric would be fine. He was bundled in a dark sweatshirt, heavy jeans, with a camo stocking cap on his head.
After the four brothers, JJ, Regan, and Aric had loaded mini-water balloons into belt pouches, they’d jogged into the forest.
“It is crazy,” Audrey agreed.
Kit glanced at the blonde. “You could have played. I wouldn’t mind.”
“I join them for games I enjoy. Sneaking around in a muddy forest in the rain? I decline.” Audrey snorted. “I’m a librarian, not a soldier.”
Kit grinned and leaned forward, trying to see what was going on. What with the rain and the murk of the forest, she could only catch mere glimpses of the combatants.
As far as she could tell, the adults were going easy on the children—but not much. Her boy was holding his own, and Regan was excellent.
Except the girl had been caught by Bull, and he’d sat her down beside a tree and was tying her wrists. “I can’t believe he—” Kit squinted. “Is that toilet paper?”
“Isn’t it funny?” Audrey laughed. “Gabe said it’s Aric’s turn to save someone. The last couple of times, Regan rescued him, but now he knows what to do.”
“Oh, won’t he just feel amazing if he gets her free.” What a lovely way to build up her boy’s confidence.
Kit watched Hawk send Aric creeping forward. Sneaking around a forest kind of looked like fun. “I’d like to try. Maybe. When I can actually move.”
Audrey gave her a sympathetic smile. “You’ll have a chance. They love games like this. The snowball wars last winter were great—and I got surprisingly good at tactics.”
Tactics? “Is a war different from a snowball fight?”
“Mmm, less of a free-for-all. They’ll set up a flag for a target, and the defenders will try to keep the invaders from capturing the flag.” Audrey laughed. “At least we can see them today. In the winter, the sun goes down so early, we play in the dark. It’s a little eerie.
“I bet. Oh, look, there’s Aric.”
Her son crawled forward so carefully the underbrush barely moved with his passage. He reached Regan, then pulled a knife.
“Tell me that isn’t a real knife.” They wouldn’t; surely, they—
“It’s so soft a rubber that it bends if you look at it hard,” Audrey said. “I think the guys bought some last Halloween.”
Aric sawed at Regan’s “ropes” with his fake knife, and the already wet toilet paper dropped off her wrists. Dropping the knife, Aric covered his mouth with his hands—so obviously trying not to giggle that Kit started to laugh.
A second later, both children disappeared back into the underbrush.
“That was so cute.”
“It was. But it’s not always like this.” Audrey frowned. “The games can get kind of intense. Maybe scary. Aric’s pretty little.”
“That’s what I was afraid of. My son is very good at sneaking around and hiding”—Kit’s mouth twisted bitterly—“because it was the only way to keep from being hurt. But Gabe and Hawk said it might help Aric if he realized those skills can be used for fun. Even for offensive action as Hawk called it.”
Audrey tilted her head in consideration. “They might have a point. And throwing water balloons isn’t exactly frightening.”
“That’s what I hoped, but I wanted to be here…just in case.” Gabe had thought she shouldn’t come, what with her ribs and all.
But Hawk had agreed with her. When he’d said, “She’s a good mom,” she had to blink back tears.
Farther down in the forest, Aric emerged, then crouched behind a shrub, almost vibrating with excitement.
Regan knelt behind the next bush over, cleverly hidden from Bull and Gabe, the defenders of the flag. Turning, the girl grinned at Aric.
He grinned back, obviously still having fun.
After creeping up behind Aric, Hawk knelt and made a gesture, like breaking a stick. Then he pointed at JJ who was sneaking away to the right.
Aric nodded and started forward again.
“I think he’s going to be fine,” Kit said, almost whispering. “Look at him crawl.”
“He’s so little, he’s almost invisible,” Audrey murmured.
Standing behind a tree, Hawk exchanged grins with Caz as they watched Aric squirm his way toward where Bull and Gabe guarded the red flag.
“I saw Aric yesterday with Sirius on his lap—I swear the cat is almost bigger than he is. Aric was petting him and singing a lullaby,” Audrey said. “And Sirius was eating it up. Despite what he’s been through, your boy has a gentle heart.”
Guilt swept through Kit. It was her fault he’d been through so much. “You know, when I married Obadiah, he kept pushing Aric away, and I was furious with him. Then he moved us to the compound—and I was so relieved that Aric was in the children’s barracks and escaped most of his abuse.”
“Asshole men,” Audrey said under her breath.
“Listen to you.” Kit laughed. “You’ve been around the Hermitage guys too long.”
“Mako’s sons are foul-mouthed creatures,” Audrey agreed, then leaned forward, trying to see. “You know, if Aric didn’t have his hair covered, he’d be a lot easier to spot.”
“My little blond. I love his hair.” Kit smiled. “He got my face, but his coloring is his father’s.”
“Your first husband?” Audrey flushed. “Sorry. Frankie mentioned Obadiah was your second husband.”
Everyone was curious; of course, they were. And it wasn’t like her past needed to be a secret. Kit didn’t mind sharing. “When I got pregnant with Aric, I wasn’t married. I was just having fun. As it happens, condom effectiveness isn’t one hundred percent.”
Audrey snickered. “I did research for a women’s group presentation—so I know the stats. Ninety-eight percent only if you’re perfect. Effectively, it’s more like eighty-five percent.”
“Exactly. Now, I’d have told Aric’s father about him, but he was in New York for only a few days, and I never even learned his last name.” Kit blew out a breath. “I regret that, because I can’t tell Aric anything about his birth father.”
“You could do a DNA test to locate familial connections. When he gets older, he might get cranky about the whole no father around thing, but he’ll manage.” Audrey wrinkled her nose. “My mother went for artificial insemination, and I don’t know anything about my sperm donor. Well, aside from Mother saying he was brilliant.”
Kit’s mouth dropped open. “Um. Did you get…cranky?”
“As a teenager, I expressed my negative views about it. Or I tried. She was unconcerned about my opinions, so that was a failure.” The sadness in Audrey’s expression was fleeting. Her lips tipped up. “So was Frankie around when Aric was little?”
“We were roommates, and she was my birthing coach.” Kit rolled her eyes. “You should have heard her swearing when she thought the obstetrician should have been more helpful. Thankfully, no one understood the names she was calling him.”
“I can imagine.” Audrey pulled out her phone and displayed an Italian/English translator. “I’ve looked a lot of those swear-words up. The ones they’ll list.”
“Clever.” Kit checked her son. He was sneaking through the trees, moving very slowly. So patiently. “When Aric was almost three, I married a sweet man, and we moved to Texas. But Brenden died. And before I really got over him, there was Obadiah.”
Two husbands in two years. She was certainly doing things wrong.
No, don’t think that way. Brenden had tried his hardest to stay clean; he just hadn’t been strong enough.
Obadiah was simply a lying abuser.
“I know this might sound bad”—Audrey pulled in a breath—“but I’m really glad that jerk Obadiah is dead, and you’re free of him.”
Kit blinked back tears. It was exactly what she needed to hear. “Thank you.”
As they turned to watch the game, Kit saw that Caz and Hawk had moved far apart, approaching the target flag from different sides.
Bull and Gabe spotted the two men, but the children were also creeping forward. Down low where there was more cover.
“I saw you planting seeds into trays. More veggies for the garden?” Audrey asked.
“No, they’re flowers. I’m going to make autumnal hanging baskets to thank the people in town who saved us from the PZs. I think they’ll flower right around the beginning of August.” Kit shook her head.
“You know you don’t have to thank anyone.” Audrey smiled. “But they’ll love it if you do.”
As the wind carried a spray of rain under the umbrella, Kit frowned and leaned forward. “Where’d the children go?”
Audrey pointed. “There’s Regan.”
The girl was crouching behind a bush. Farther away, something crashed.
“Was that JJ over there?” Audrey asked.
“I lost track of her.” Kit noticed Gabe and Bull turned toward the noise too.
Regan sprinted forward and threw her water balloon at Gabe.
The police chief dove to the ground, only half escaping her excellent pitch.
Bull threw at the same time Regan tossed a balloon at him—and both hit.
A high scream of victory ran through the forest. “Got it, got it!” Having grabbed the flag, Aric waved it over his head, yelling and bouncing.
Everyone cheered. Gabe set Aric on his shoulders, Bull did the same with Regan, and moved close enough the children could exchange fist-bumps with each other and their other teammates.
And they headed out to the road where Kit and Audrey waited.
“Did you see me, Audrey?” Regan was yelling. “JJ was the first di—diversion, and I was the second, and I got Uncle Gabe and Uncle Bull anyway.”
“You showed awesome skills,” Audrey agreed.
Laughing, Gabe lifted Aric from his shoulders and set him in the pickup bed. “Aric and Regan are an amazing team.”
“I did it, Mama,” Aric boasted.
He sounded so much like he used to that her words could barely escape the thickness in her throat. “You did. You were amazing.” She held out her good hand to get a fist-bump from him, lost her battle to restrain herself, and pulled him in for a hug.
His giggle was high and infectious, and when she let him go, his face was flushed and his crooked smile simply huge. “We was all good. Cuz Hawk ‘n’ Caz moved fast so they’d getted looked at ‘n’ JJ made a big noise ‘n’ Regan was a-tillery.”
“Artillery,” Hawk corrected.
“That’s me,” Regan agreed and gave Hawk a big hug.
When his blue-gray eyes turned soft, and his hard face turned gentle, Kit’s heart went to mush. The man might present himself as a hardass, but he loved that little girl—and Aric.
“Crew.” Bull’s laugh was deep and hearty. “Frankie said, if Aric and Regan’s team won, they’d get cupcakes.”
More cheers echoed off the trees.
Even as Kit’s mouth watered, she was appalled. Frankie’s sugar-loaded, sprinkle-covered frosted cupcakes?
They’d never get the children to calm down tonight.
“While we eat, we’ll debrief—what we did wrong, what we did right, and what we can do better next time.” Gabe punched Bull’s shoulder. “Neither of us expected a four-year-old to sneak past us.”
“True that.” Bull eyed Hawk. “You’ve been working with him, haven’t you, bro?”
“Some.” Hawk pulled Aric’s cap off and ruffled his hair. “Caz is up next.”
“He has skills.” Caz nodded. “I’ll take him when Regan and I go out.”
Regan grinned. “Papá is the best.”
Kit eyed the combatants and saw they agreed. Sneaking was Caz’s skill—and he’d work with Aric. They were playing to their strengths. Building on them. Working together to achieve the goal.
She could hear Hawk’s voice when he’d talked to her after the firefight at the cave. “A team is stronger than a person alone.”
What would it be like to be part of a family who felt that way?
It was something she’d never know. And all too soon, she’d be moving away from the Hermitage.
But maybe if she and Aric stayed in Rescue, they’d still be friends. Aric could have their support in growing his skills. She’d have Frankie—and maybe Audrey and JJ too.
She just needed to find a job.
I can do that.
Chapter Eight
There will come a time when you believe everything is finished. Yet that will be the beginning. ~ Louis L’Amour
* * *
On Monday afternoon, Hawk was in his armchair reading while listening to the murmur of the kids. Seated on the floor, Aric and Regan were clicking pieces together to create a marble run. Each new twist, chute, tube, or spinner involved a discussion.
Perched on a chair, Sirius supervised. Regan’s oversized fluffy cat was probably just waiting for the marbles to start rolling.
At a tap on the door, he looked up to see Kit on the deck. She’d been in town for her PT and counseling appointments.
Without rising, he waved her in and pointed at the kids. “Building isn’t done.”
Aric scrambled to his feet and ran over to hug her—a sight that never failed to make Hawk smile…and feel a bit of envy.
“Can I finish, Mama?”
“We’re almost at the end,” Regan called. “We want to see a marble go through.”
“I…” She glanced at Hawk.
He pointed her to the couch. Now he’d have to talk with her. It wasn’t as if he was unwilling, too much the reverse. She was easy to talk with. And far too fucking appealing.
Clicking a spinner piece into place, Aric let out a squeal of victory. Regan clapped her hands for him, and Kit let out a low laugh.
Jesus. Hawk frowned, realizing he had three people in his house, none of whom was a brother. The isolation of the Hermitage was coming to an end.
So was his, it seemed.
He tried to find anger or irritation, but what the hell, all he felt right now was an odd sense of contentment.
Hard to object to a pretty woman in his home.
Kit’s face was tender as she watched her son.
A while back, Regan had taken a picture of Kit and Aric. Aric had given him a copy, and Hawk had tucked it into his wallet. Because somehow, the girl had captured the soft look of love.
Hawk could vaguely remember his own mother having the same expression…before his father had taken notice of him, and his childhood had gone straight to hell. He and Aric had a lot in common.
He watched the boy for a minute. The kid was recovering.
Hawk had helped with that—and the knowledge was immensely satisfying. Far more than anything he’d felt in the military or the mercenaries.
Being back here with his brothers made him…happy. Having children around? Hell, it was amazing.
That was why he was ignoring the job offers from various merc units, security firms, and even old combat buddies. This was his life now, and he was damned glad of it.
A soft sound of pain drew his attention.
Brace off, Kit was wiggling her fingers
“New exercises?” he asked.
“Yes. I wanted to run through them once to make sure I remember what the therapist said to do.”
“You’re moving better.”
“I am.” She beamed. “As soon as I get a little more flexibility and strength, I can look for a job. Well, a job that isn’t too physical.”
As he watched, she finished the exercise and started to massage her hand, stroking upward. What with only being able to use the one hand, her efforts were ineffectual.
“You’re not getting anywhere.” With a huff, he sat beside her and took over the massage. He tried to apply enough pressure to be therapeutic, but not so much he hurt her. Fuck knew, he had strong hands.
After a minute, the silence registered.
She was staring at him, immobile with terror.
Hell. She’d been in his helicopter. Had lunch with him. Hugged him. He hadn’t thought she was afraid of him any longer.
He stopped. Considered moving away. But no. “I won’t hit you,” he said quietly, returning his attention to the massage. “Or hit on you.”
