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“That’s it. Feel the rage, it’s inside you. Part of you,” he pushes like he’s enjoying the fury running through me. “Show your woman where her place is.”
Something snaps inside me, and I lunge across the floor, slamming my fist into his face. Over and over. Every bruise my mom had flashes through my mind and it’s my job to make sure he feels the pain she did.
I’m yanked off him, thrown to the side of the room, landing on my ass. An intense need to ravage him has me clawing on all fours to get to him, but I’m held back.
“Kase, if you don’t back off, I'll pull my gun out and shoot you,” a voice barks, pushing me back again.
My chest heaves and I stare down at my raw, bleeding knuckles then look at my lifeless father, his face already swollen, smeared with blood. What did I do?
Sheriff Jake Cole glares down at me. Everly’s father. His hand resting on his holster. Tears sting my eyes as the reality sets in.
“Don’t move,” he snaps, and I nod. He leans down over my father, feeling for a pulse. When he shuts his eyes and shakes his head, I already know. I killed my father.
I cover my head with my hands, leaning in between my legs as my head spins. “He wouldn’t stop,” I wail. “He said I was just like him.” I lift my head and stare at Jake. “I’m nothing like him.” Nausea wreaks havoc on my stomach and I leap up, running to the trash can right before I lose my airport lunch.
“I’m not like him,” I cry over and over.
“Kase, I’m kinda stuck here,” Jake sighs. “I have to take you in.”
My entire future crumbles before my eyes. I’ve lost Everly and now I’ve lost the military. I'll spend the rest of my life in jail.
Jakes stands above me, his hard eyes studying me. “Son, I’m only doing this because I know how much you meant to my daughter.” I swallow, my mind racing, searching for what he'll say. He hates I was with his daughter, so I’m surprised by his words. “Nobody will miss your dad. Leave town and never come back. Not for my daughter, not for anything.” His words are slow and calculated. My thoughts scramble to understand what he’s saying.
“What about…” I pause, looking at my dad’s lifeless body.
“I’ll take care of it. Do we have a deal?”
I’ve already lost Everly, so leaving this town and never returning is an easy decision. But what if Everly's memory returns? I won’t be able to explain myself, leaving right now will be the end of Kase and Everly. I squeeze my eyes shut. What do I do?
“Kase, you need to decide. I called backup when I got here and heard you fighting. They’ll be here any minute. The offer is off the table once they walk through that door.”
I scramble to my feet. “Okay.” Everything moves in a slow-motion blur as I grab my bag and run out the door. I glance back at the house knowing it might be the last time I’ll ever see it and then look to the sky.
“I’m sorry, Momma.”
Chapter Five
Kase
10 Years Later
“Why’d you leave the Navy?”
It’s a question I’ve been asked a lot. The lie I’ve told everyone else almost slips out. Except, this is Max Shaw. Former FBI Agent, known for his behavior expertise, who has built a security team of only the best. To be sitting here is an honor. He sits forward in his chair, leaning his elbows on his desk and watches me closely. I clear my throat and sit up taller. I haven’t been this nervous since… hell, I can’t even remember ever being this nervous. He knows the answer; he’s just testing me to see if I will tell him the truth.
“It was time to do something else.” His eyebrow cocks up. He bought that as much as he buys bullshit from a grocery store. I hate talking about this. It's a secret I've tried to forget since I left home almost ten years ago. “My trust becomes available this year.” I look past Max, out the large window behind him to the vast open ranch. His chair squeaks as he sits back and I meet his eyes.
“So, why are you looking to work? Why not just kick back and enjoy being rich?”
“Because that’s not me, sir.”
Max shakes his head, dropping his head for a second. “Stop calling me sir.”
“Sorry, Mr. Shaw.”
“Max. Call me Max. You make me feel old. I’m only two years older than you.” His chuckle makes me relax. I’ve heard so many stories about Max and his elite team. It shouldn’t have been a surprise when I received an email responding to my application, but it was. I know I’m the best, it just reinforces my thinking when other people think so too.
“I’d like to learn from you and someday open my own security firm. There are stipulations in my trust I won’t be fulfilling anytime soon, so I won’t receive the entire amount of money. Plenty to get me started in my new life though.”
