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Chapter Twenty-Eight
Holly
Reid lay on top of me until my toes went numb, but I didn’t dare ask him to move. This strong, arrogant man needs me just as much as I need him, if not more so. His vulnerability is captivating.
We laid together as Reid whispered promises into the night until exhaustion finally pulled us under, the intensity of the day finally catching up to us.
-
“Holly, Miss Holly.” Heat burned my skin and a thin layer of sweat made me feel sticky all over as I stood alone and listened for the innocent calling of a familiar voice.
Standing in the grand entrance of the plantation house, my eyes finally landed on him at the landing of the second story, at the top of the stairs.
“Hey, you never told me your name.” I spoke but he ignored me, his eyes transfixed on something behind me.
“Be careful Miss Holly. I tried to warn you.” His face held no expression as the words left his mouth, his stance somber.
Panic began to fill my chest as his words resonated with me. “What do you mean? What warning? Who are you?” He slowly shook his head back and forth, still refusing to make eye contact with me but acknowledging me none-the-less.
“You said it yourself, death is just as inevitable as life. I’m sorry.” My heart raced as he turned to leave. Those words were never meant for his ears. How?
“Wait!” My breathing came quickly as I sprinted up the stairs, but when I got to the top, he was gone.
-
“Holly!” My name was a shout as it rang through the night and woke me from the darkness that clouded my mind in sleep.
“Holly, wake up! What was that?” My eyes adjusted to the darkness to find Reid standing over me with a gun firmly held in his right hand.
“What the fuck, Reid? Really? A gun?” I watched the heavy rise and fall of his bare chest as realization set in over both of us and he looked to his hand, setting the gun down gently beside the bed.
“You scared the life out of me. Your mumbling woke me up, and then your breathing picked up. Before I knew it, you were screaming for someone to wait. I didn’t know what was happening, I reacted.” He shrugged as if that should be explanation enough, glancing to the gun. I rolled my eyes, and sat up in the bed, trying to recall the details of my dream from the haze of my memory.
“It was the boy. The boy I told you about, from the gate. He was there, in my dream, but it seemed so real. He kept saying something about a warning and apologizing. I was scared, but it’s ok. I’m fine now, it was just a bad dream.” I grabbed his wrist with my hand, needing him to calm down. We’re both on edge, and it’s probably early morning at this point. We won’t sleep tonight; we need to be rested.
“That’s easy for you to say, my forever was just reduced by about twenty years. I’m going to make some calls and try to get some research done. There’s no way I’m going back to sleep. You get some rest, and when the sun’s up, we’ll get started.” Reid leaned down and placed a kiss on my forehead, running his hand through his disheveled, dark hair before he turned to leave and walked out of the bedroom.
I’m not tired, not anymore, but I didn’t follow. I could sense his need for time. Reid thrives on being in control, and my being here means that his priorities are now split. Whether he realizes it or not, he’s doubting his ability to juggle all of the balls he has up in the air, and this case is something he’s been working on his entire career. So many lives are at stake, and it all ends tonight.
???
“Hold your wrist steady and lift your right elbow just slightly.” Reid’s firm body presses up against my back as he guides my hands with his gun, aiming in the distance towards a makeshift target he set-up for the training that he insists that I have.
I’ve never really had a reason to learn how to shoot a gun. Although, given my family history, it’s shocking that I can’t even recall touching one in my lifetime. My family may be mafia, but I will give it to my father, he didn’t leave weapons lying around the house.
I was hesitant at first, but the minute Reid slid in behind me and gripped my hands in his, I decided that learning to shoot might not be so bad after all. We’ve already shot over one hundred rounds because Reid is adamant that I know what I’m doing. I’m a quick learner, and we probably could have stopped a while ago, but I might be playing dumb…just a little.
Shooting with Reid is an aphrodisiac I didn’t anticipate, and I’m not ready for it to end yet. I know our time is limited, and I can only train so much in twenty-four hours, but I’m soaking it in. I’m trying to pretend that maybe this isn’t as serious as I know it is. I’m trying to enjoy these moments with Reid before all hell breaks loose and things get dangerous.
“Focus Holly, you don’t have to be exact. If your situation is serious enough that it requires you to point this gun at anyone, you always aim with the intentions of taking down your opponent. If that means someone dies, well, they shouldn’t have been an asshole in the first place. If you felt like the danger warranted a gun, then someone was going to die anyway, and it’s not going to be you. Shoot to kill.” Reid’s words were like sex on his lips as they raked over his dry throat. He didn’t go back to sleep, neither one of us did, but I gave him the space he needed. I let him work while I tried to come to terms with the hand I’d been dealt yesterday. How has this become my life? It still seems so surreal.
We watched the morning sun as it rose over the trees of the forest. I fired shot after shot, the loud sound echoing through the abandoned property.
“When do I get to throw the grenade?” I turned my head slowly so that my lips brushed against Reid’s stubbled cheek as I spoke.
“Handing you a grenade scares the shit out of me woman. I will show you how to initiate it, but we aren’t playing with explosives today. We don’t have the right equipment, and I need you not to be deaf when everything goes down tonight. If you have to use the grenade, things have gotten bad; if things are that bad, we’re in survival mode. The grenade is your last resort.”
“The rest of your team, will they be here?” I asked as I handed Reid his gun back and reluctantly stepped out of his hold.
