The Hero Read online

  “And she was there in Russia,” Callie pointed out.

  Wyatt didn’t seem totally convinced, but Natalie couldn’t decide if it was just because it was a habit to take the opposite path of Callie or not.

  “I’ll head to Dallas and catch a flight to Delaware to pay Mia a visit,” Cullen said.

  “I can call in a chopper,” Callie said.

  Cullen shook his head. “It’s better to keep visits here to a minimum.”

  “Agreed,” Owen said.

  “Fine. What will I be doing?” Callie asked.

  Natalie closed her eyes, wanting to rest them as she listened to different ideas being batted around. She could stay awake. It was just that her eyes hurt so badly.

  “We need to know where the Russians are,” Owen said.

  The next thing she knew, she was floating. The fingers of sleep pulled her deeper, even as she knew she should wake. Somehow, she managed to crack open her eyes and she saw a firm jaw and a shadow of a beard.

  Her head rested comfortably against a thick shoulder while strong arms held her. She knew without having to look that Owen carried her.

  The room he walked into was dark, as light from the other quarters barely filtered in. He sat, keeping his hold on her. And she was in no hurry to get away.

  How she’d missed his warmth, his strength. He was silent. Natalie could hear the others talking, so she knew she was still in the base.

  His shirt was soft against her cheek, his muscles incredibly firm. He held her as if she weighed nothing. His hold was gentle but secure while his heartbeat filled her ear. She took in the sight of his strong jaw and the wave of his hair.

  She drew in a deep breath, letting his masculine scent fill her. He smelled of the outdoors, of Texas, and all man.

  “I missed you.”

  Natalie wasn’t sure if he wanted a response or not. She hadn’t moved, so he could think she still slept, which could be the only reason he spoke.

  Then he shifted and looked down at her. Their gazes clashed, held. “I never apologized. Leaving you the way I did, Nat, it was horrible. I’m sorry.”

  “Forget about it. It was a long time ago, and we were young.”

  “Not that young.” He touched her cheek tenderly. “I never expected to see you again.”

  She briefly looked down at his mouth, then jerked her gaze back up. Because staring at those lips was a dangerous endeavor. “I assumed when you left that you’d never return.”

  “Fate brought us back together.”

  It would be so easy to allow her heart to get tangled in Owen’s web once more. She wanted someone who would never leave her, who loved her and only her. And who would never stray.

  But did a man like that even exist?

  Damn, it was difficult to resist Owen. He’d always had power over her. It hadn’t diminished over the years. In fact, it felt as if it had intensified.

  His fingers caressed down to her neck before his hand slid around to her nape, delving into her hair. Natalie knew he was about to kiss her. She could halt everything by getting off his lap.

  Yet she remained. Waiting—eagerly—for his lips to touch hers.

  “Nat,” he whispered and lowered his head.

  Her heart missed a beat as his soft mouth brushed against hers. Then his lips were atop hers, firmly, his tongue sliding against them.

  She sighed and flattened a hand against his chest. He kissed her softly, sensuously. He kissed her ruthlessly, mercilessly.

  It was a kiss that claimed her breath.

  A kiss that stole back whatever tiny piece of her heart had turned against him.

  He moaned and deepened the kiss as she wrapped her arms around his neck. It was as if the past fourteen years hadn’t happened, as if he hadn’t left her behind.

  The passion ran high, the fire rekindling quickly. She loved how he could stop her world with just a kiss. And she hated him for it, as well.

  Why did she still want him? Why hadn’t her heart forgotten him as she’d tried desperately to do? What was it about him that didn’t allow her to move on? No other man had ever had such a hold on her.

  He kissed her as if he were a starving man and she a feast. And it was glorious. She held him close—knowing deep in her soul that her heart would be hurting soon.

  But to pass up something so wonderful was a sin. Whatever the past had been, and whatever the future held, the one thing Natalie knew was that she still cared for Owen.

  Even as she sank deeper into the kiss, she knew that it wasn’t worth the inevitable heartache and anguish she would endure when he left her again.

  That’s when she made a vow that she would be the one to leave him. This time, she would be the one in control.

  The kiss ended all too soon. He looked into her eyes, but she couldn’t discern his thoughts. He’d always hidden them well, but now there was a wall there, preventing even a glimpse.

  “There’s sadness in your green eyes,” he whispered. “Please tell me I’m not to blame.”

  He was, but not for all of it. And it wouldn’t be fair to blame just him. Her life had been molded because of the decisions she’d made—as hard of a pill as that was to swallow.

  There was much in her life she was proud of, but there were some parts she wished had never happened.

  Natalie put her hand on his cheek, feeling the scruff of his whiskers. “You have the most beautiful chocolate eyes, but they’re dead. I don’t know where you’ve been or what you’ve done, but it’s taken your soul.”

  “Are you happy?” he asked, ignoring her statement.

  Neither wanted to answer a question, which was why they kept changing the subject. “Are you?”

  “I’m making a difference in the world.”

  She smiled. “That’s not an answer.”

  “I gave you more than you gave me.”

  Natalie swallowed and ran her thumb over his bottom lip. “Happiness is a state of being. I’ve worked a long time to find mine.”

  “But someone hurt you.”

  Unable to help herself, Natalie slid her hand into his hair and let the thick, silky strands pass through her fingers. “The past is the past.”

  “The past shapes us.”

  She got the courage to climb out of his lap before she jerked off the black fatigues right then and there. She faced him with her decision made. His face was in shadows, but her eyes were adjusted to the dark. She saw the way he watched her carefully.

  “I’m here with you because I called Callie that day when I saw Ragnarok. Orrin was always nice to me, making me feel welcome, as did your aunt and uncle. Even if the Russians hadn’t been following me or come after me, I’d want to help.”

  “I know. You’re very much like my mother in that regard.” Owen slowly rose to his feet and gave her a soft kiss on her cheek. “Get some rest.”

  She watched him walk from the room. After a minute, she climbed into the cot where he’d sat and curled onto her side. Sleep was the farthest thing from her mind, though.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  Owen ate some jerky and scanned the surrounding area from his post. It took all of his years of training to stop replaying his kiss with Natalie and focus. Remembering her life was on the line got him in gear.

  “Owen,” his name came over the comm in his ear.

  The more he found in his father’s base, the more he was impressed. Whether the gear was funded by the government—which wasn’t likely—or his father had bought it himself, it was the best.

  “Yes,” he answered Wyatt.

  “Just heard from Cullen. His flight for Delaware is about to take off.”

  “Good to know. Dad could still be there, you know.”

  “They didn’t take him back to Russia. Not only did Callie check, but I also called in a favor from an old friend. No private plane or military plane has departed the east coast for Russia.”

  Owen considered Wyatt’s words for a moment. “You know as well as I, they could’ve gotten out one wa
y or another.”

  “That’s true. Callie’s going to continue checking flights that landed in Moscow and even St. Petersburg.”

  That was good news, at least. “It’ll be easier to get to Dad here rather than in Russia.”

  “They want the vial. They’ll use him as leverage if he’s still in the States.”

  Owen frowned because Wyatt’s voice was coming through the earpiece, but also around him. He looked down from his spot in the tree to see his brother.

  “It’s time,” Wyatt said by way of explanation.

  Owen climbed down from his perch. “You have everything?”

  “Callie made sure of it. If I hadn’t reminded her to get clothes, I think she’d have left without them.”

  Owen smiled at that. They started back toward the barn. Despite not having seen his brothers in years, once they’d come together, it felt good to have them around.

  And though it was Owen’s idea to split everyone up, he wasn’t happy to see his brothers leave. There was no doubt they could all take care of themselves, but if he were honest, his hesitation was because they’d felt like a family again.

  Something he hadn’t realized he missed.

  “The group that hit here are likely to be back,” Wyatt said. “It’s what I’d do.”

  He nodded. “I’ve set up guns at multiple locations for just such an event.”

  “Did you think it might be better to take Natalie away from here?”

  “Briefly,” he admitted. “I thought about the city where there are thousands of people, but any one of them could be her killer. We’d be trapped in a small space. Here, I have the advantage.”

  Wyatt checked his pistol—a Beretta M9—and returned it to the holster at his hip. “I can be back at any time.”

  “I know.”

  “We’re the girls’ only defense.”

  “That we are. You going to be all right alone with Callie?”

  “Why wouldn’t I be?”

  He glanced at Wyatt. Then hesitated because he wasn’t sure what to say. Even if he did bring it up, Wyatt would refute anything he said.

  “I know you don’t want Natalie to see any of this, but there’s no choice,” Wyatt said.

  “It’s going to get nasty. I don’t want her to see the violence, the blood, and the death that are coming right for us. She’s not involved in our life, and I want it kept that way.”

  “Do you?”

  Wyatt asked it so softly, that Owen swung his gaze to his brother, frowning. “Excuse me?”

  “Owen, you’ve always been smart. You constantly managed to remain focused on whatever it was you wanted. You didn’t get derailed or change your mind. Few understand our family’s need to serve our country, and that never bothered you. You had the right plan all along. You just screwed up one area.”

  He glared at his brother because he knew what Wyatt was getting at. “What?”

  “Natalie. From the first time I saw that goofy grin of yours after you asked her out, I knew you two were destined to be together. She understood and accepted you like no one ever has. Or ever will,” he added after a brief pause.

  Owen looked away. He couldn’t think of this. Not now. “She wouldn’t have liked the places I had to go. She would’ve been alone more than she would’ve been with me.”

  “You’ll never know. You left her behind without giving her a choice.”

  “I didn’t want to repeat history.”

  Several minutes ticked by as they walked in silence before Wyatt responded. “You wouldn’t let that happen. Orrin never thought his work would follow him home. You’d prepare for just such an occurrence.”

  “You give me too much credit.” He removed his cap and ran a hand through his hair as they drew closer to the house and barns. “We can’t do anything if we aren’t there, now can we?”

  “Did you know she got married?”

  He clenched his jaw. Natalie wasn’t the type of woman to spend her life alone. He’d always known she’d find someone. He just hadn’t expected it to hurt so damn much.

  “The divorce happened about two years ago,” Wyatt continued. “She was married for four years and living in Dallas. Seems the asshole had multiple affairs.”

  So that was why she had that hint of sadness about her. How conceited of him to think he was the cause. Now he felt like an utter fool.

  “She still loves you.”

  He didn’t want to hear any more. “Enough. Just leave it alone.”

  “I saw the kiss.”

  He didn’t respond. What was there to say? He hadn’t expected to give in to his need to sample Natalie’s sweet lips again. He just couldn’t control the urge to see if she tasted as good as he remembered.

  What was worse was that she tasted even better.

  “Don’t let her go a second time, Owen.”

  He glowered at his brother. “You really want to give me advice? The one of us who didn’t date anyone? The one who rebuffed any and all women?”

  “I’m giving advice. Take it,” Wyatt stated in a hard voice so much like their father’s.

  Owen wouldn’t mention that. If he did, he’d likely get punched in the mouth. They reached the house where three vehicles waited. Callie’s red Dodge Challenger, Virgil’s green Chevy truck that was older than Owen, and Orrin’s new Chevy.

  This was the part he didn’t like. The time he had to leave Natalie alone. It wasn’t for long, but a second was too long when someone wanted her dead.

  He realized why Wyatt had given him that guidance as his brother watched Callie. “You wished someone would’ve given you that advice.”

  Wyatt looked his way and then turned his head away again. But the truth hung between them. While Cullen flirted with anything in a skirt, and Owen was smitten with Natalie, Wyatt put every waking moment into his studies, the ranch, and honing his shooting skills.

  The only female he’d ever tolerated was Callie, but that only lasted a short time. Then Wyatt treated her worse than he did anyone else.

  The hatred Callie had for Wyatt was deep and acute. That kind of loathing meant something had happened between them. He narrowed his gaze on Wyatt as he tried to recall memories of their childhood.

  It all kept coming back to Callie.

  Owen knew he would get nothing from Wyatt. He turned and headed to the base. The entire walk back, he searched his memories about Callie. She’d worshipped Wyatt, following him around as if he were the center of her world.

  Wyatt had been annoyed, to say the least. Owen halted as an image of Wyatt teaching Callie how to throw a knife flashed in his mind. Callie had been laughing. And Wyatt … he’d been smiling, his gaze locked on her.

  How could he have forgotten that? Wyatt never smiled. And yet, his brother had been grinning like a man smitten.

  He would have to pay closer attention to Wyatt and Callie to see if his suspicions were on the mark. Wyatt wasn’t exactly the type of man others enjoyed being around. He was sullen and closed off from anyone and anything.

  Where had it come from? Owen had been beside him when they’d found their mom. He’d been sitting next to Wyatt when their dad came home. Owen had a scar on his soul that would never fade from the murder of his mother. And yes, in a lot of ways, he blamed his father.

  But he didn’t despise him as Wyatt did.

  He’d hated him for a while, but it was hard to hold on to that anger for his father when Orrin had been lost without his wife. Orrin forgot about his sons as he struggled to find his way.

  Owen, along with Wyatt, kept Cullen away from most of that. They couldn’t shield him from everything because they were all in the same house, but they’d protected him from seeing the worst.

  Owen headed to the barn. There, he checked the two rifles hidden at either entrance. Natalie was a crack shot. If she needed them, they would be close.

  His gaze moved to the house. So much tragedy had occurred within those walls that it was difficult for him to recall the times of laughter and happine
ss.

  But those times had existed. His mother had made sure of it. Her entire life had been centered around her husband and her boys. She’d always had a knack for making an ordinary occasion special without even trying.

  Memories long forgotten rose to the surface. Perhaps it was returning to the ranch after so many years. Maybe it was because of the death of Virgil and Charlotte.

  He turned to the left and looked at the oak tree on the hill, its branches thick and stretching out wide in all directions. He remembered helping his dad and brothers set up a blanket and picnic as an anniversary surprise for their mother.

  A smile formed as he recalled how he, Wyatt, and Cullen had been in charge of the fireworks. They’d nearly missed the signal because they’d been spying on their parents kissing, laughing, and cuddling together.

  While Melanie had looked at the fireworks with a huge smile, clapping and oohing and ahhing, Orrin only had eyes for her.

  Owen didn’t recollect how the night had ended. Most likely, he and his brothers had run off since their parents were preoccupied. It was a nice memory, one he wished he would’ve remembered sooner. How could he have forgotten how much Orrin loved Melanie?

  “What are you thinking?”

  He turned at the sound of Natalie’s voice. He hadn’t heard her walk up. He pointed to the tree on the hill. “Dad surprised Mom on their anniversary with a picnic there once. We were in charge of the fireworks.”

  “That sounds so romantic.”

  “Yeah. It does.”

  Natalie chuckled and walked to stand beside him, looking at the tree. “You sound surprised.”

  “I never thought about it being romantic until now. Though I do recall how Dad couldn’t take his eyes off her. Looking back, he went to a lot of trouble to make that night special.”

  “He loved her.”

  Owen turned his head to her as she looked at him. “Everyone used to say how much Melanie loved Orrin. She did. Without a doubt. But he loved her just as much. There were times I swear they forgot we were in the house.”

  Natalie smiled and crossed her arms over her chest. “How?”

  “Dad would come home for leave. We’d have a family dinner and talk. It was afterward, when we were supposed to be in our rooms, that we’d sit on the stairs and watch them.”