to both be there for them. I lost my mom young and I don’t want our children to go through losing either of us. I know how much it hurts, and I don’t want that for them.”
He felt his heart pound in his chest. He had every intention of seeing that happen, but what he had to do, what he was about to do, could go either way. He was like a tiger going on the hunt, but at the same time, he would be hunted too. There was a chance he wouldn’t make it back alive. He wouldn’t tell her tonight, because he couldn’t. Tonight would be just about them, the baby, their love. Tomorrow morning he would tell her what she needed to know. He would tell her he was going to war with a demon from his past. She knew he had been planning for this, waiting for it, but he also knew that a part of her secretly hoped that day would never come. She was willing to remain the lifetime girlfriend in order to keep him from putting his life in jeopardy again…but he couldn’t walk away from this. He wouldn’t walk away from this. He vowed to himself right then and there, he would make it home to her. He didn’t have any other options but to fight, to survive and come home to her—there was no other way.
Come morning, he could talk to Thena about what he had to do, but he wouldn’t do it tonight. Tonight he just wanted them to be in the moment, live in the moment, and know that for this moment they had each other and their child, safely inside their home. Tomorrow he could tell her he was going to leave on a mission he had been preparing for for over a decade now. She wouldn’t like it and he knew that, but she knew from the beginning that this day might come, and now it was here. Like it or not, she would have to accept that he was going to go after Sabian with a vengeance. This vendetta would end, and it would end now. He wouldn’t keep hunting this bastard for another ten years. He was going to stalk his prey and then, like a tiger, he was going to go in for the kill.
Chapter Five
“I know you weren’t expecting me to come home and tell you that I have to leave,” Mike exhaled slowly. Dealing with Zenya was never a huge problem for him, except for when he was trying to keep her safe and she was too stubborn to accept his help. The woman had a bad habit of putting her obligations first and her own safety second, and he had made a serious effort to help her change that. She was working on it, but she hadn’t fully made the turnaround.
“I’m worried,” she said. “I know about sitting at home waiting for a man to come back from a mission. My dad is an admiral so I know what it feels like, but this is different. You’re my husband and this isn’t a military mission. This is something so dangerous and you won’t have help.”
“I’ll have help,” he said. “Drake will be there. Thomas will be there. Gavin,” he said. He knew what she meant. She was thinking he wouldn’t have a group of SEALs to back him up should something go wrong, but he trusted these men. He knew what Drake was capable of doing and he knew that Gavin was a force to be reckoned with. From what he heard of Thomas, before his injury he was on the fast track to becoming a member of the Blue Squadron—an elite military team with the highest honors.
“I’m worried,” she said. “But I know you have to do this. I know you told me from day one so it’s not like you ever lied to me. But…I’m still worried.” She placed her hand over her belly. “I’ll have my parents. You know that already.”
“I talked to your father.”
“You talked to my dad before talking to me?”
“Oh boy,” he sighed. He had to set her straight before she ripped into him. In reality he was just trying to help. “I wanted to make sure he could be here for you, honey. You’re going to have our baby and I want to be sure while I’m out there that you have somebody to help you here. It will help ease my mind a
He felt his heart pound in his chest. He had every intention of seeing that happen, but what he had to do, what he was about to do, could go either way. He was like a tiger going on the hunt, but at the same time, he would be hunted too. There was a chance he wouldn’t make it back alive. He wouldn’t tell her tonight, because he couldn’t. Tonight would be just about them, the baby, their love. Tomorrow morning he would tell her what she needed to know. He would tell her he was going to war with a demon from his past. She knew he had been planning for this, waiting for it, but he also knew that a part of her secretly hoped that day would never come. She was willing to remain the lifetime girlfriend in order to keep him from putting his life in jeopardy again…but he couldn’t walk away from this. He wouldn’t walk away from this. He vowed to himself right then and there, he would make it home to her. He didn’t have any other options but to fight, to survive and come home to her—there was no other way.
Come morning, he could talk to Thena about what he had to do, but he wouldn’t do it tonight. Tonight he just wanted them to be in the moment, live in the moment, and know that for this moment they had each other and their child, safely inside their home. Tomorrow he could tell her he was going to leave on a mission he had been preparing for for over a decade now. She wouldn’t like it and he knew that, but she knew from the beginning that this day might come, and now it was here. Like it or not, she would have to accept that he was going to go after Sabian with a vengeance. This vendetta would end, and it would end now. He wouldn’t keep hunting this bastard for another ten years. He was going to stalk his prey and then, like a tiger, he was going to go in for the kill.
Chapter Five
“I know you weren’t expecting me to come home and tell you that I have to leave,” Mike exhaled slowly. Dealing with Zenya was never a huge problem for him, except for when he was trying to keep her safe and she was too stubborn to accept his help. The woman had a bad habit of putting her obligations first and her own safety second, and he had made a serious effort to help her change that. She was working on it, but she hadn’t fully made the turnaround.
“I’m worried,” she said. “I know about sitting at home waiting for a man to come back from a mission. My dad is an admiral so I know what it feels like, but this is different. You’re my husband and this isn’t a military mission. This is something so dangerous and you won’t have help.”
“I’ll have help,” he said. “Drake will be there. Thomas will be there. Gavin,” he said. He knew what she meant. She was thinking he wouldn’t have a group of SEALs to back him up should something go wrong, but he trusted these men. He knew what Drake was capable of doing and he knew that Gavin was a force to be reckoned with. From what he heard of Thomas, before his injury he was on the fast track to becoming a member of the Blue Squadron—an elite military team with the highest honors.
“I’m worried,” she said. “But I know you have to do this. I know you told me from day one so it’s not like you ever lied to me. But…I’m still worried.” She placed her hand over her belly. “I’ll have my parents. You know that already.”
“I talked to your father.”
“You talked to my dad before talking to me?”
“Oh boy,” he sighed. He had to set her straight before she ripped into him. In reality he was just trying to help. “I wanted to make sure he could be here for you, honey. You’re going to have our baby and I want to be sure while I’m out there that you have somebody to help you here. It will help ease my mind a
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