rest of his life.
“Hey, our women are tough. Jaqui will come out kicking ass and taking names,” Kai said with conviction.
Kai’s woman was one hell of a woman. She’d been beaten within an inch of her life by a crazy ex-boyfriend, then kidnapped by a crazy female. If she could overcome that, and still love Kai without fear, then maybe he and Jaqui had a chance.
The rest of the trip was made in relative silence. Once they landed at the Navy base, each of them cleaned up and changed. Feeling a little more human, they loaded up and headed to the hospital. He was too keyed up for small talk. His friends understood, keeping to themselves what they were all thinking. None knew if Jaqui had been violated in the worst way a woman could be. Physical injuries a body could heal from. It was the mental ones that only time could take care of, and even then, it wasn’t a given. No matter, Tay swore he’d be with her every step of the way.
“You need to put your game face on, man. That look right there will make children run screaming for their mommy and daddy,” Coyle said from beside him.
Tay raised his brows. “What the hell are you going on about?”
Coyle made a face. “See that? Did I just look like I was gonna rip your head off and shit down your throat?” He pointed at his own mug before continuing. “Well, that is what you were looking like. You go in the hospital like that, and not only will the hospital staff freak, Jaqui will get upset. You need to go in all chill and shit.”
“When did you become an expert on Jaqui?” Tay got in Coyle’s face.
“Back the hell off. Coyle’s right. None of us need to go in with anger, or pity showing. She’d kick us all out. Least of all you, Tay. You go in and be anything other than the man who she needs, and you could make whatever progress she’s done crumble. She’s one of us. Hooyah,” Kai yelled.
The other guys echoed his yell, but it took Tay a few seconds to pull himself together. In his mind he understood what his friends were saying was true. Hell, Kai had seen firsthand what his woman had gone through. However, all of that was before he’d met her. Taking a deep breath, he let it out.
“I’m sorry, Coyle. I fucked up with Jaqui a while back. If I don’t get a chance to make it right with her now...I,” he swallowed audibly. “She’s the best thing that ever happened to me, and I walked away like a fucking pussy.”
Coyle punched him in the arm. “First step is admitting you were wrong and apologizing. Women love that shit.”
“Yeah, grovel and beg. They love it when you do that, too. Or so I’m told. Not that I’m ever wrong or anything,” Dallas Holt said from the driver’s seat. The demolitions expert was filling in for Oz, and had a wicked sense of humor.
They parked the large SUV in the parking garage, exiting the vehicle with caution. Each of them aware the cartel could already be in America. Since they already had Jaqui’s room number, they bypassed the information desk, and went straight toward the bank of elevators. The five of them made a few heads turn, but most people there were used to military men and women.
A little boy with a toy train stood with his mother by the elevator, looking up at Kai, the thumb of one hand in his mouth. When the elevator opened the mother stepped in, but the kid hung back, his gaze looking at each of them. Tay wondered if the boy’s father was a patient.
“Timmy, come on, baby,” the mother said, grabbing the little boys arm.
“Are you GI Joe?” The boy asked Kai.
Coyle laughed.
The woman gasped, trying to tug the kid into the elevator. Seeing her dilemma, Kai and the rest of them moved forward as well, leaving the kid no choice but to enter.
“Nope. GI Joe is in the Army. I’m in the Navy.” Kai ruffled the kid’s hair.
“Oh. I like the army.” The boy turned to his mom and held his hand out for her.
Tay nudged Kai. “I guess we don’t measure up, bro,” he whispered.
The
“Hey, our women are tough. Jaqui will come out kicking ass and taking names,” Kai said with conviction.
Kai’s woman was one hell of a woman. She’d been beaten within an inch of her life by a crazy ex-boyfriend, then kidnapped by a crazy female. If she could overcome that, and still love Kai without fear, then maybe he and Jaqui had a chance.
The rest of the trip was made in relative silence. Once they landed at the Navy base, each of them cleaned up and changed. Feeling a little more human, they loaded up and headed to the hospital. He was too keyed up for small talk. His friends understood, keeping to themselves what they were all thinking. None knew if Jaqui had been violated in the worst way a woman could be. Physical injuries a body could heal from. It was the mental ones that only time could take care of, and even then, it wasn’t a given. No matter, Tay swore he’d be with her every step of the way.
“You need to put your game face on, man. That look right there will make children run screaming for their mommy and daddy,” Coyle said from beside him.
Tay raised his brows. “What the hell are you going on about?”
Coyle made a face. “See that? Did I just look like I was gonna rip your head off and shit down your throat?” He pointed at his own mug before continuing. “Well, that is what you were looking like. You go in the hospital like that, and not only will the hospital staff freak, Jaqui will get upset. You need to go in all chill and shit.”
“When did you become an expert on Jaqui?” Tay got in Coyle’s face.
“Back the hell off. Coyle’s right. None of us need to go in with anger, or pity showing. She’d kick us all out. Least of all you, Tay. You go in and be anything other than the man who she needs, and you could make whatever progress she’s done crumble. She’s one of us. Hooyah,” Kai yelled.
The other guys echoed his yell, but it took Tay a few seconds to pull himself together. In his mind he understood what his friends were saying was true. Hell, Kai had seen firsthand what his woman had gone through. However, all of that was before he’d met her. Taking a deep breath, he let it out.
“I’m sorry, Coyle. I fucked up with Jaqui a while back. If I don’t get a chance to make it right with her now...I,” he swallowed audibly. “She’s the best thing that ever happened to me, and I walked away like a fucking pussy.”
Coyle punched him in the arm. “First step is admitting you were wrong and apologizing. Women love that shit.”
“Yeah, grovel and beg. They love it when you do that, too. Or so I’m told. Not that I’m ever wrong or anything,” Dallas Holt said from the driver’s seat. The demolitions expert was filling in for Oz, and had a wicked sense of humor.
They parked the large SUV in the parking garage, exiting the vehicle with caution. Each of them aware the cartel could already be in America. Since they already had Jaqui’s room number, they bypassed the information desk, and went straight toward the bank of elevators. The five of them made a few heads turn, but most people there were used to military men and women.
A little boy with a toy train stood with his mother by the elevator, looking up at Kai, the thumb of one hand in his mouth. When the elevator opened the mother stepped in, but the kid hung back, his gaze looking at each of them. Tay wondered if the boy’s father was a patient.
“Timmy, come on, baby,” the mother said, grabbing the little boys arm.
“Are you GI Joe?” The boy asked Kai.
Coyle laughed.
The woman gasped, trying to tug the kid into the elevator. Seeing her dilemma, Kai and the rest of them moved forward as well, leaving the kid no choice but to enter.
“Nope. GI Joe is in the Army. I’m in the Navy.” Kai ruffled the kid’s hair.
“Oh. I like the army.” The boy turned to his mom and held his hand out for her.
Tay nudged Kai. “I guess we don’t measure up, bro,” he whispered.
The
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