| |
Matt
Matt descended into the old chambers, taking comfort in the isolation they offered. They’d once been used as hidey-holes during the days of the Underground Railroad, and then Matt’s grandfather had turned them into an expansive bomb shelter in the mid-1900s—when every decade brought with it another global conflict and the threat of nuclear war became a reality.
Matt’s father had taken things a step further. Sam Winston’s friendship with two of the very first Navy SEALs, Charlie Malone and Jack Callaghan, had given him the know-how and technology to ensure fresh water and air sources were available in the underground chambers, as well as how to incorporate renewable energy sources for heat and power. In the event of an emergency, everyone currently residing at Sanctuary could move below ground and reside indefinitely.
That peace of mind was part of the allure that had been drawing him underground for the better part of his life.
While his Sanctuary partners knew there was a series of tunnels and chambers running beneath the estate, they didn’t know about this. Matt would tell them—eventually—but for now, it was his private sanctuary. The place where he went when he needed a break from being everything everyone else expected him to be.
In fact, there was only one other person alive who knew of its existence. Someone who had once needed the sanctuary it provided a hell of a lot more than he did.
That was why he sat there now, waiting patiently, wondering if she would seek it out again once the moon rose high in the night sky. Would she remember?
Seeing her in town had certainly brought a lot of his memories to the surface. Memories and feelings and ...
Matt shook his head and reached for the discipline that made him a good SEAL. Those memories, the good and the bad, had been made years ago—when they were both just kids. He wasn’t the same person now. Nor was she.
That didn’t mean that what they’d felt wasn’t real. Or that it didn’t still sit, buried deep in his chest. In all the years since, he hadn’t met a single woman who incited even a fraction of the feelings in him that Hayley had.
He reminded himself that she had walked away suddenly and hadn’t looked back.
It was the why of it that he’d never figured out, though he believed she wouldn’t have if she’d had any other choice. He would find out and sooner rather than later, when—if—Hayley decided to make an appearance.
He knew, thanks to digital sentinels Ian and Cage had put on his records, that Hayley had spent a good part of the afternoon using her DOJ security clearance to research him. Him. The fire. His career. And most recently, Sanctuary.
It suggested that she hadn’t done so before, and he didn’t know how to feel about that.
Had she been able to forget him so easily? To lump him in with the things from her past she wanted to leave behind? Was she only doing so now as background info for the case she was working on?
Or had she not wanted to know, afraid of what she might find?
Lord knew, he was. Every time he sat in his office late at night, searching for information, it was with the fear of discovering that she’d been hurt in the line of duty.
Or ... had taken up with someone.
Oh, he knew she hadn’t been living the life of a cloistered nun. He hadn’t exactly been celibate either, especially not in those first couple years. But those encounters, they had meant nothing in the grand scheme of things.
Nothing had come close to that one night by the lake under a Thunder Moon.
He doubted anything ever would. If he closed his eyes, he remembered everything about that night. He could still hear her soft moans. Feel her petal-soft skin. Scent the heady fragrance of her shampoo.
He’d come to the realization a long time ago: Hayley Freed was the only woman he ever wanted to spend his life with. He wondered if she’d come to the same conclusion.
He didn’t know, but he knew what he wanted to believe. That everything Hayley had done, she had done with good reason, and eventually, she would come back to him.
Matt rose and paced around the space, his restlessness getting the better of him as time continued to chip slowly away at the night.
Keeping his distance and not making his presence known had been difficult, especially when Hayley picked up takeout from Franco’s and drove out to meet with Daryl. He hadn’t planned on heading back to town, but he hadn’t tried too hard to resist the urge either.
Going alone out to Daryl’s had been a bold, risky move on her part. Matt didn’t worry too much about Daryl, but the people he’d unwittingly climbed into bed with? They were bad news. If word got out that Daryl’s sister was in town and if they knew who Hayley worked for or suspected her true purpose, the situation could reach clusterfuck level in a heartbeat.
That was why, after he scoped out the perimeter of the Freed property and assured himself there were no surprises awaiting Hayley, Matt spent the rest of her visit in a tree with one of Heff’s sniper rifles, just in case.
Overkill? Maybe. But he wasn’t taking chances, and Hayley didn’t have to know.
Matt remained at his self-appointed post until Hayley was safely off the property. Daryl got in his truck not long after. Matt followed him to the prepper compound, one of the locations where he’d been stashing illegal weapons and ammunition.
He wasn’t the only one who followed Daryl. Matt was far enough back that he’d seen Hayley pull out from a side road, placing herself between him and her brother.
When Daryl turned on the private road that led to the compound, Hayley kept going. Matt pulled off to the side, out of sight, smiling when he saw Hayley cruise by the entrance again, slowing down to take in the No Trespassing and Private Property KEEP OUT signs as well as the security cameras that had been mounted above the gates.
She was gathering information. Putting the pieces together.
If she wanted information on the compound, Matt could help her with that. Sanctuary property bordered the Freed land, and he and his guys had been closely monitoring the situation since Daryl’s son, Dwayne, had decided sabotaging Sanctuary was a good idea.
After her second drive-by, Hayley didn’t go back to the bed-and-breakfast. Instead, she drove around for a while and then took the mountain road that led toward Sanctuary.
Toward him.
That had been hours ago. Matt was beginning to think he’d miscalculated when he heard the quiet sounds of a hand testing the latch. He stilled and held his breath.
Hayley entered, her eyes searching the space, her expression hopeful. Her features softened the moment they landed on him.
“Hi, Matt.”
He didn’t make a conscious effort to move. One instant, there’d been the length of a room between them. The next, she was in his arms. He wasn’t sure who had moved first, but it didn’t matter. Nothing mattered, except the feel of having her in his arms again.
Exactly where she belonged.
It was as if the last fifteen years hadn’t happened. She lifted her face to his. His lips came down on hers, and he lost himself to the blinding sense of absolute rightness. It was the same feeling he’d felt long ago but so much more powerful now. He’d been too young to fully appreciate it then. Too cocooned to understand how rare it was.
But he wasn’t now.
His hands cupped her head, adjusting the angle for an even deeper kiss. She pressed her body closer to his, melting against him. A hiss escaped his throat when her hands slipped under his shirt and her nails scraped his skin.
He had loved this woman before he knew what love was.
Then, the door opened behind her, shattering his lusty fog and instantly sending him into protect-and-attack mode. He twisted, putting Hayley behind him, and faced the intruders.
“Oh, sorry, Church.”
Heff didn’t look at all sorry. The fucker was grinning like an idiot. Cage at least had the decency to try to hide his smile.
“We’ll just ... yeah.” Cage grabbed Heff by the arm and hauled him out of the chambers, taking a moment to close the door behind him.
Matt sighed.
In retrospect, he should have warned them that Hayley might trip the perimeter alarm on the way in, creating alert notifications and prompting a swift response. Now, his secret, private sanctuary was no longer secret or private, and he had some explaining to do. More importantly, the moment was gone.
Hayley stepped to his side, her eyes on the now-closed door. “Friends of yours?” she said, her beautiful, kiss-swollen lips curling up in a smile.
“Not at the moment, no.”
She laughed softly. Her skin was flushed, her eyes bright. Still so fucking beautiful. No longer a girl, but all woman. His woman. She had been his, ever since that first day on the playground. She just hadn’t known it. It had taken him most of his youth to get her to give him the time of day.
“It’s been a while, huh?” she said softly. Her hands cupped his jaw, and sympathy replaced passion in her eyes. “I’m so sorry, Matt. I didn’t know.”
“I know.”
She stepped away. His first instinct was to pull her right back, but he tamped it down. He’d waited fifteen years. He could wait a few minutes more.
He changed the subject. “I was wondering if you remembered this place.”
“How could I forget?” She turned in a circle, checking the place out.
It didn’t look different than it had then—when he offered up the place for her to escape to when things got to be too much at home. Her books still sat on the shelves. Her zip hoodie was still draped over the chair, awaiting her return.
She smiled wistfully when she spotted the plush bear he’d won for her when the traveling carnival came to town for Community Days.
“I’m sorry,” she said again, another apology. This one, he knew, was for leaving the way she had.
“You had your reasons.”
She nodded and crossed her arms, wrapping them around herself as her lips turned downward. He knew in that moment that he’d been right. There was a lot more to her swift and sudden departure than a change of heart.
“The important thing is, you’re here now.”
Her eyes lifted to his. So expressive. Saying so much. More apologies. More regrets.
She didn’t have to say anything. He understood what she couldn’t bring her lips to say—that she hadn’t come here for him. Frankly, he didn’t care. Something had brought her here. Now, it was up to him to give her a reason to stay.
He shoved his hands in his pockets to keep from reaching for her again. “I know why you’re here, Hayley,” he said quietly.
Disbelief clouded her eyes. “Matt,” she began.
He stopped her before she could continue. “The illegal arms deal with the cartel. Luther Renninger’s disappearance. I know that you’re a US deputy marshal, and the DOJ sent you here under the radar to get answers.”
He heard her swift intake of breath. Instantly gone was the soft, reflective woman. In her place was the DM who kicked ass and took names.
Her hands dropped to her sides. “How do you ...”
“I know everything about you, Hayley,” he said softly.
Her eyes widened. Those plump lips parted. In her eyes, emotions paraded by. Hope. Confusion. Regret. And finally, suspicion.
“Daryl was right, wasn’t he? You ... this place ... it’s a lot more than it seems.”
Fucking Daryl. “No ... and yes.”
“Explain, please.” She crossed her arms over the lush curves of her breasts, drawing his attention and splintering his focus.
He wanted to uncross those arms and bury his face there, making her forget everything except him and the things he could make her feel.
He moved to the small table and sat down in the hopes that it would help him focus. “Sanctuary is exactly what we say it is. A safe place for returning vets to find their footing and reacclimate back into civilian society.”
“But?” she prompted.
“But ... we are aware of what’s going on. Pretty hard not to notice when it’s happening right in our own backyard.” Literally. Daryl’s minions had been storing part of their cache on Sanctuary property without realizing it. Morons.
Hayley started to shake her head and then stopped. He could see her mind working. Sense where her thoughts were going. She wanted to believe him.
“I have no reason to lie to you, Hayley. The situation reeks, and you know it. Luther’s dug a hell of a big hole, but he couldn’t have done it without Daryl. The DOJ sent you in because they’re desperate. If things go south—and I can almost guarantee they will—the DOJ is going to be more concerned with saving their own asses than yours. You wouldn’t be here on a personal leave if they weren’t.”
Hayley’s lips thinned. He wasn’t telling her anything she didn’t already know. She’d weighed the risks and accepted them, and that pissed him off.
“I know you, Hayley. This is about more than getting an inside track on the cartel for you. And I get it—I do. But I will not stand by and watch you sacrifice yourself again because of him.”