Chapter 12

CHAPTER TWELVE

Kevlar ran a hand through his hair in frustration. It had been a full week since he’d seen Remi. Since he’d dropped her off at her door and kissed the hell out of her…and since he’d lost his mind and refused to go into her condo. He didn’t know what had come over him, it was obvious she was inviting him in to do more than talk. But as he stood there, he’d had the overwhelming urge to slow things down. To not rush into being intimate with her.

The last thing he wanted was for her to think they were having a short fling. A one-night stand. That wasn’t the kind of man he was any longer. With Remi, he wanted more. He wanted it all.

Seeing her with his teammates, with Wolf’s wife and her friends, with Blink, he’d realized that he was on the cusp of something special, and he didn’t want to do anything that might mess it up. So he’d come up with the asinine idea to put off having sex, so she’d know for certain that wasn’t all he wanted from her.

But now, a week later and with the universe conspiring against him, he was regretting not taking what she’d offered when he had the chance. He knew better. Knew his schedule was unpredictable. Knew the bad guys of the world could act out at any time and screw up his well-planned intentions.

Fifteen calls. What a joke. He’d talked to Remi at least double that by now. But he’d made no headway toward the other items they’d agreed on before taking the next step in their relationship. It was hard to meet her parents and her best friend’s family when he couldn’t get away from work other than way late at night or too early in the morning.

He was frustrated, and missing Remi, and tired, and sick of the petty arguments Howler kept initiating in their planning and intel meetings. He’d been almost insubordinate throughout the last week—and Kevlar was done. He needed to find out what was up his friend’s ass. Now.

Sighing, Kevlar looked at his watch and winced. Eight-thirty. He’d had no idea it was so late. He’d gotten to work around eight that morning and was still there. This was the first time he’d had a chance to breathe. He and his teammates were wrapping up their intelligence gathering for the mission to Chad. Their commander, along with a couple of captains and even a rear admiral, had been included in their briefings today. Kevlar hadn’t even had more than a few moments to text Remi and let her know he was thinking about her.

The longer he went without seeing her, the more worried he got that she’d rethink everything between them. Being told he would be gone a lot and experiencing it firsthand, before they’d gotten a chance to really cement their relationship, were two very different things. And the last thing he wanted was her calling it quits before they’d barely even begun.

He couldn’t help but recall all the things Bertie had said when she’d broken up with him. How she’d felt abandoned. How he hadn’t been there when she’d needed him the most. The echoes of her words rattled around in his head, and it was almost enough to make him throw in the towel and forget about attempting a relationship with anyone.

“We’ve been at this for hours. Take tomorrow morning off,” their commander said after the rear admiral had left the conference room. “We’ll meet up again after lunch. Maybe then we’ll have better evidence on where the HVT is holed up and we can make concrete plans.”

The break was much needed. Kevlar wondered if he could somehow manage to see Remi in the morning before he had to get back to the base.

As if his thoughts had conjured her, his phone rang and her name appeared on the display.

Smiling, Kevlar answered. “Hey, I was just thinking about you.”

To his surprise—and concern—all he heard for a moment was yelling. Then Remi said his name in a shaky voice. “Vincent? Are you done with your meetings for the day?”

“What’s wrong? Who’s yelling?” Kevlar asked.

“It’s Douchecanoe. He’s here. And he’s really mad.”

“He’s where?” Kevlar asked.

“Here. At my condo. He wanted to come inside and talk but I wouldn’t open the door. Now he’s pissed and won’t go away.”

“I’m coming. Do not open that door.” Safe and Howler were the only two members of his team still left in the room. He put his hand over the phone and said urgently, “I need you guys.”

To his relief, both men immediately nodded. Things between him and Howler had been strained, so Kevlar was a little surprised when he didn’t even hesitate to have his back, no questions asked.

“I’m not planning on opening the door, but he’s pounding pretty hard,” Remi said.

Kevlar could hear the pounding loud and clear over the phone line. He could also hear the fear in Remi’s voice. He was already on the move, his friends at his heels. “What’s he mad about?” he asked, needing some answers.

“He’s claiming I called the cops on him. Says they came to his job and accused him of trying to kill me. He says if he gets fired, it’ll be my fault.”

“All right, take a breath, honey. Did you call nine-one-one?”

“No, I called you first.”

It felt incredible that the first person she wanted to call for help when she felt threatened was him, but he was too damn far away. It would take at least ten minutes for him and his friends to get to her condo. “I need you hang up and call the police,” he told her. It was one of the hardest things he’d ever done. He wanted to keep her on the line, know that she was all right. But he needed her to be safe more.

“Okay.” She sounded lost. And so very far away.

“I’m coming, Remi. Hear me? I’m coming. I’ll be there soon, but the police can get there faster.”

“Yeah,” she agreed.

“If you need to hide, do so. Do you have somewhere you can hide?”

“Not really. The bathroom maybe.”

“Then go there. Lock the door. Stay low.” He wanted to tell her to grab a weapon, but he didn’t want to think about her having to use it. Didn’t know if she could.

“Right. I’m taking a knife from the kitchen too.”

So much for him thinking she couldn’t defend herself. To his relief, however, being told what to do seemed to give her confidence. Now that she had some sort of plan, her brain seemed to be kicking in.

“I’m sorry I bothered you. I wasn’t sure what to do.”

“You could never bother me, sweetheart,” Kevlar told her firmly. “Now get upstairs. Call the police. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

“Okay. Drive safe.”

He wanted to laugh. There she was, scared out of her mind, with her ex yelling at her and pounding at her door. She felt threatened, worried enough to call him for help, and she was telling him to drive safe. “Hang on, Remi. Stay strong.”

“I’ll try,” she whispered, then she hung up.

He’d jumped into Safe’s Jeep Wrangler while he’d been talking to Remi, and Howler had gotten into the back. Safe was driving like a bat out of hell, which Kevlar appreciated.

“Sitrep,” Howler said as soon as Kevlar lowered the phone from his ear.

“Remi’s ex is at her condo, not pleased that the cops came to question him about Hawaii,” he said succinctly. “She’s calling nine-one-one now.”

“She called you before the police?” Safe asked, taking a second to glance at Kevlar.

“Apparently.”

“You’re so in there,” he said with a small grin.

“Don’t give a shit about that, just want her to be safe,” Kevlar said between clenched teeth.

“When we get there, we should split up,” Howler said. “I’ll go to the front with the ex. Kevlar, you and Safe can head around the house to make sure he doesn’t try to get away. Maybe there’s a back door that’s unlocked, so you can get inside and deal with Remi’s hysterics. Once the tango’s out of commission, we can figure out our next steps.”

“No fucking way,” Kevlar told his teammate. “There’s no need to go around the house if Douchecanoe is at the front. And there’s no need for you to confront him alone. I don’t know shit about this guy. I don’t know if he’s a fighter, if he’s armed. The three of us can take him down easier together. Then I’ll call Remi when it’s safe, so she can come downstairs and unlock the door. But I’m hoping the police will already have the situation under control by the time we get there.”

“And if they don’t?” Safe asked.

“Then we’ll assess at that point. There’s no fucking need to skulk around the house like a bunch of bad B-movie actors. I have a feeling when he sees us, this asshole will just piss his pants and try to get the hell out of there.”

He hoped. The closer they got to Remi’s condo, the more nervous Kevlar became. He had no idea what they’d find when they arrived. He hoped like hell the cops would already be there, as he’d told Howler, and have things under control.

Safe made a hard turn onto Remi’s street and, to Kevlar’s relief, they could see blue and red lights swirling in the dark night. They couldn’t park close to Remi’s condo because of all the cop cars, so Safe pulled into a parking spot near the entrance to the lot, and Kevlar was out and moving before he’d even stopped the vehicle.

“I’m on your six,” Howler told him as they ran.

Kevlar barely heard him. All he could think about was getting to Remi. Making sure she was okay.

There was a man face down on the grass with an officer’s knee in his back. Miles, he assumed. He was yelling that his rights were being infringed upon, that he hadn’t done anything wrong. Even as Kevlar ran by, the officers hauled Miles upright, his hands now cuffed behind him, and led him toward one of their vehicles.

“Damn, we missed all the fun,” Howler complained.

Kevlar wanted to protest that this wasn’t fun, not at all, but he’d arrived at Remi’s front door and didn’t get the chance.

“Stop!” the officer standing there ordered.

“Where’s Remi?” Kevlar barked.

“You can’t go in there,” the same officer told him sternly.

“Officer, that’s my girlfriend in there.”

“Yeah, well, that guy claims he’s her boyfriend too,” the officer said with narrowed eyes, gesturing toward the police car where Douchecanoe had been led.

“He’s her ex. Please, I need to see her,” Kevlar begged.

The officer must’ve heard something in his voice, because his next words were a little gentler. “We’re clearing the house now. Making sure there aren’t any perpetrators inside, just in case. When we’re sure it’s clear, we’ll talk to the victim, see if it’s okay to let you in.”

Kevlar wanted to push inside and go to Remi, but he felt a hand on his arm, pulling him away from the front door. The urge to shrug his friend off was strong, but he knew he needed to stay calm. Remi needed him, and he couldn’t risk pissing off the police officers and having them detain him as well.

“We totally could’ve taken him,” Howler muttered from Kevlar’s other side. “Wouldn’t have been an issue if we got to him first.”

For the first time in a week, Kevlar agreed with his teammate.

Time seemed to pass in slow motion as he waited for the all clear. Finally, a policewoman stuck her head out of the front door of Remi’s condo and asked, “Is one of you Vincent?”

“I am,” Kevlar said, stepping forward.

The woman nodded. “Ms. Stephenson’s asking for you.” She gestured for him to come inside.

“We’ll be here in case you need anything,” Safe said.

“Why should we stay? She’s good now, and tomorrow’s our first morning off in ages. I was gonna head to the bar.”

As he entered the foyer, Kevlar heard Safe smacking Howler’s head, and normally that would make him smile, but all his concentration was on getting to Remi. Seeing for himself that she was all right.

He followed the officer into the main living area. Remi was sitting on her couch with a blanket around her, and she looked…small. Her shoulders were hunched and she had a blank stare on her face.

“Remi,” he said.

She turned her head at hearing his voice, and the lost look was swept off her face, replaced by one of such relief, it made Kevlar stop in his tracks. She flung off the blanket and hurried toward him, throwing herself at him.

He wrapped his arms around her so tightly, he wasn’t sure he’d ever be able to let go. “Shhhh,” he murmured as he felt her shaking against him. “You’re okay. You’re safe.”

But he couldn’t get her look of relief out of his mind. As if she wasn’t all right until the moment she saw him. He’d never been a harbor for anyone before. Had never been anyone’s safe place. It was scary and heady all at the same time.

He felt her take a deep breath, then she nodded against his chest. She leaned back but didn’t let go of him. “You came,” she whispered.

“Of course I did,” he told her. “If it’s within my power, I’ll always come.”

She closed her eyes at that, and when she opened them again, she seemed to have a better hold on her emotions. “Thank you,” she whispered.

He opened his mouth to apologize for all the times in the future that he wouldn’t be able to be there when she needed him, but an officer behind him spoke before he could.

“We need to get a statement from Ms. Stephenson.”

Remi turned, but Kevlar didn’t let go of her. They walked back to the couch and, after she’d sat, he picked up the blanket and wrapped it around her shoulders.

“Tell me what happened tonight,” the man ordered.

“I was hanging out, watching TV, when there was a knock on my door. I wasn’t expecting anyone, so it startled me. I went over and looked out the peephole and saw it was my ex.”

“His name?”

“Douchecanoe,” Remi said without hesitation.

Kevlar’s lips twitched, before he said, “Miles Barton.”

He thought he saw amusement in the other man’s eyes, but he banked it and gestured for Remi to continue.

“He said something about knowing I was home, which is creepy because he had to have been watching me or looking in my windows, which I wouldn’t put past him. Anyway, I told him to go away, that I had nothing to say to him. He kind of lost it, yelling at me that if I didn’t open the door, he’d break it in. That he had plenty to say to me. Then he went off on some rant about the cops coming to his job to talk to him about what happened to me in Hawaii, how they were accusing him. He wanted me to call off ‘my goons’, said he knew they were watching him. I don’t know what the hell he was talking about, because I didn’t hire anyone to follow him. I just want him to go away.”

“Hawaii?” the detective asked.

Remi sighed. Then she spent the next ten minutes telling the officer about breaking up with her ex, the trip they’d planned to Hawaii, how angry he’d been when she went without him, and finally, about being left in the ocean on the snorkeling trip.

“I was with her,” Kevlar finally interjected. “We were both left. I have no doubt a detective probably did talk to him about what happened and his possible role in it—he did tell Remi he hoped she was left in the ocean on her snorkeling trip, which seems too specific to be coincidental. But as a Navy SEAL, I’ve got some connections who’ve been trying to find out if it was her ex, or mine, who was behind that stunt. So far, they haven’t come up with anything concrete. I doubt my contacts would be careless enough to hire someone who would let themselves be spotted while following a mark, so I’m thinking Miles is simply paranoid. Pissed that Remi broke up with him. Lashing out at her as a convenient target.”

The officer had jotted several notes as Kevlar talked. He finally looked up, his gaze studying Kevlar, then softening a bit as he looked at Remi. “Yelling isn’t exactly a crime,” the man said after a moment. “Did he threaten to hurt you?”

“No,” Remi said with a small shake of her head. “But he was so angry. Kept ordering me to open the door so he could talk to me. Telling me if I didn’t call the police and tell them he had nothing to do with Hawaii, he could lose his job and his reputation and it would be all my fault. He swore he had nothing to do with it.”

“Do you believe him?” the officer asked.

Remi pressed her lips together. “I don’t know.”

“Right. So, here’s where we’re at. We can cite him for disturbing the peace and, if you’d like, tomorrow you can file a restraining order against him so he has to stay one hundred yards away from you at all times. But since he didn’t specifically threaten to do you harm, we can’t arrest him.”

Kevlar stiffened. “Didn’t threaten her? He was pounding on her door, trying to break it down. He outweighs Remi by at least fifty pounds. If he’d been able to get in, he would’ve hurt her, I have no doubt of that.”

“But he didn’t,” the officer said calmly.

“It’s okay,” Remi said, putting her hand on Kevlar’s thigh.

It wasn’t okay. It was anything but okay.

“Stay alert, and call us if anything else happens. If he comes back tonight.”

“I will. Thanks,” Remi said softly.

The officer stood up from his chair, and Remi did the same. Kevlar had no choice but to stand with them. He walked with Remi to the door and was glad to see Miles was nowhere to be seen.

Howler and Safe were still there, along with a few other officers. Most of the neighbors had gone back inside, now that the excitement seemed to be over.

“What are they doing here?” Remi asked, looking up at Kevlar.

“Who?”

“Safe and Howler.”

“Oh, Safe drove me here, and Howler was still in the conference room when I got your call and offered to come.”

“Did I interrupt your meeting?” she asked, her brows furrowing.

“We were done,” Safe reassured her, as he and Howler approached.

“And we have the morning off,” Howler said with a grin.

“Oh. And you guys got stuck in my drama. I’m so sorry.”

“We aren’t stuck anywhere,” Safe reassured her. “Nowhere else I’d choose to be. In fact, I’m guessing the other guys’ll be pissed they hadn’t still been there when you called, so they could be here for you too.”

“I mean, I might rather be at the bar,” Howler mumbled.

Kevlar stiffened, but Remi simply chuckled. “Well, I appreciate you being here anyway. You can go now, though. I’m okay.”

Howler nodded and turned, immediately heading to the parking lot and to Safe’s Jeep.

But Safe didn’t budge. “You sure?” he asked.

“Yeah.”

“Because I’m happy to hang outside, keep watch and make sure that asshole doesn’t come back after all the cops leave.”

Remi tilted her head as she frowned. “You don’t want to go to the bar with Howler?”

He scoffed. “No.”

“And you’d be willing to sit in your car, in my parking lot, for a few hours to watch for Douchecanoe?”

“Not a few hours. All night,” Safe countered.

“Why?”

“Because you’re important to Kevlar, so you’re important to us. Besides, I don’t like bullies. And your ex sounds like a big fucking bully.”

“I…um…wow.”

She stepped away from Kevlar and approached Safe. When she hugged him, Kevlar wanted to laugh at the look of surprise on his friend’s face. He awkwardly returned her embrace, but she didn’t even seem to notice that she’d shocked him. Remi backed away, and Kevlar pulled her against his side once more.

“I appreciate the offer, but you’ve been working really hard and have to be exhausted. I’m sure Douchecanoe is too freaked out to come back tonight. He’d be an idiot to do so anyway. Go home, Safe. Get some sleep. Enjoy sleeping in.” She grinned. “You need to continue to plan to save the world tomorrow.”

Safe chuckled, then sobered. “You sure?”

“I’m sure.”

He looked at Kevlar. “You need me to stay?”

Kevlar shook his head. He was on the same wavelength as Remi on this one. Miles had been pissed while on the ground in cuffs…but more than that, he’d been completely freaked out. He wouldn’t risk actually getting arrested by coming back.

Besides, Kevlar had no intention of letting Remi stay here. Miles might know where she lived, but he had no idea where his apartment was.

“We’re good,” he told Safe.

His teammate gave him a chin lift, then turned and headed for his Jeep, where Howler was waiting.

The officer told them once again that if they needed anything, not to hesitate to call, before heading to his car, along with the few remaining cops.

Kevlar locked the door behind him and Remi and took a deep breath before he pulled her into his embrace. He held on tight, probably too tight, and sighed in relief as she seemed to hold on to him just as desperately.

“You scared the shit out of me,” he mumbled into her hair.

“I’m sorry.”

“No,” Kevlar said, pulling back so he could look into her eyes. “You need me, you call. You can’t get in touch with me, you call Safe. Or Smiley, Preacher, MacGyver, Flash, or Howler.”

“I’m thinking Howler might not like to have his latest booty call at the bar interrupted,” she joked.

But Kevlar wasn’t in any mood for teasing. “I mean it, sweetheart. As much as it pains me to say this, I won’t always be here when you need me. But if my team and I are unavailable, I’ll make sure you have the numbers of at least a dozen other SEALs who won’t hesitate to drop everything to get to you.”

“I’m okay. Really. I’m usually much more…unflappable than I was tonight. I just…after Hawaii…I think I’m feeling my mortality a little more. And since we don’t know if it was Douchecanoe or your ex who arranged for us to be left in the middle of the ocean…I don’t know. I got scared.”

“You did the right thing. There’s no telling what he would’ve done if he got inside.”

“I know.”

“We aren’t staying here.”

“What?” she asked.

“I’m taking you to my apartment. It’s not as nice as your condo, but Miles doesn’t know where it is. You’ll be safe there.”

“I don’t want him to chase me out of my home,” Remi argued.

“He’s not. He won’t. This is just for tonight. You need to sleep, and if you stay here, every little noise will keep you awake. You’ll wonder if it’s him.”

“That ever happen to you?” she asked, with a little too much insight into his psyche.

He could’ve lied. Made a joke. But he didn’t. She was too important. “Yes. After intense missions, it’s sometimes hard to come home to normal life and get used to the everyday sounds out my window. Loud bangs, kids yelling, dogs barking, they all mean different things when I’m safe in my apartment than when I’m in SEAL mode.”

“I bet. Okay.”

“Okay what?”

“I’ll come to your apartment tonight. But if I refuse to leave tomorrow because I feel safe there, don’t blame me.”

Her words had a profound effect on Kevlar. The thought of her moving in and never leaving sounded…perfect.

The thought should’ve freaked him out. He normally didn’t bring women to his place, period. Even Bertie had never stayed the night in the entire year they’d dated. Of course, the few times he’d had her over to his apartment, she wasn’t impressed with the area and was visibly uncomfortable in his plain, utilitarian space. She couldn’t leave fast enough. Kevlar spent most of their time together at her frilly, overdecorated apartment.

But the thought of Remi in his space, his bed, had a deep longing surging through him.

“Pack as much as you want, sweetheart. You want to stay a week, a month, forever, you won’t hear me complaining.” The words came from his soul. From his heart. From the place he’d thought had long since given up on finding someone to spend his life with.

“Vincent,” she whispered, sounding overwhelmed.

“Stop thinking. Just go pack,” he ordered.

She smiled at him before nodding and backing away.

Kevlar watched her until she disappeared up the stairs, then he took a deep breath. He had no idea what just happened, but there was a definite shift somewhere deep inside him. He’d been content to go slow. To wait. To see how things played out between him and Remi. But that changed the moment he’d heard her frightened voice on the phone. When he’d realized she was in danger.

Life was short, he knew that better than anyone. And it wasn’t guaranteed. One day you could think you had your whole life ahead of you, and the next, you could be lying dead on the street.

He wouldn’t rush Remi, but he’d let her know in no uncertain terms that he was ready to move their relationship forward. That he wanted everything she had to give.