Page 22 of Securing Samantha

Music from the bar thumped in the night. A live band played, and the sound of the crowd escaped down the sidewalk. Wondering if she made the right decision to drive all the way here on her own when Whiskey clearly hated crowds, her gate slowed. She entered through the outside patio and scanned the room. The people crowded the bar made it hard to see through the throng of bodies. She stood on her tip toes and searched the booths. Bodies shoved against her, knocking her off balance as she walked through the place. When she didn’t see any sign of her husband, she turned around and headed back to the door.

A whistle pierced her ears making her wince as she shoved her way out. The annoying man kept whistling and she turned irritably wishing someone shut the drunken man up. Then she saw him. Whiskey sat at the bar with a beer in his hand. A woman stood wrapped around him. He smiled up at her and whispered something in her ear making her laugh. Samantha’s body went numb. She watched as his hand slid down the woman’s shapely ass and stroked her leg. The blonde woman’s eyes gazed at her husband as his hand slid up and under the short skirt caressing her leg. She pressed her body closer to him as she whispered something in his ear. Whiskey smiled up at the woman before picking up the rest of his beer and chugging it down.

The woman stepped back as Whiskey laid money on the bar. He wrapped his arm around her and headed to the front entrance. Samantha pushed her way off to the patio side, hoping to intercept him. Fury lit through her body as she pushed her way through the opening. A lump caught in her throat as Whiskey pulled the woman to him as he once held her. He pushed the woman’s hair back from her face and whispered in her ear. Samantha felt the tear run down her cheek as she imagined what he said to the blonde who smiled before he grabbed her hand and led her to his truck.

Samantha didn’t remember how she made it back to her car. She unlocked the door and climbed inside before locking the door again. She screamed, letting out the unfairness of it all. Why did he come back if he only intended to torture her? She leaned her head against the steering wheel and sobbed. A vision of the night before he spun up on his last mission filled her head.

Her belly popped out. When they finished cleaning the dishes in the sink, he turned the music back on and slow danced to “You’re the One” before picking her up, easily making his way to their bedroom. He laid her on the bed and took time to spread out her hair. “I don’t know how one woman can hold this many variations of color in her hair. You truly resemble the sun. A star sent from heaven meant only for me.”

“You’ll always be mine. I only shine for you, Liam. Wherever you are, watch the sunrise. Never forget I’ll always burn bright lighting your way back home to me.” she told him as he slid gently next to her and placed a kiss on her swollen belly.

“Only death would keep me from coming home to you,” he whispered.

She remembered how her body shivered at his words. Maybe her mind knew and tried to warn her. She clung to him tightly as he caressed her from head to toe. His large hands strong, yet he treated her gently as if she represented the most precious thing he possessed. He owned her soul. She willingly gave him every part of her, and he gave her his heart.

Her body racked in misery as she finally accepted what Whiskey told her all along. Her Liam died. He wasn’t coming back. He’d rather die than hurt her. The man she saw tonight tore her heart in two. He went home with a stranger instead of seeking refuge in her arms. Instead of letting her help, this man pushed her away. He didn’t want her. Or her son. She needed to let go and say goodbye. She wiped her eyes and felt the sorrow of losing him and her friends. She texted Shadow to let him know she found Whiskey and to call off the search. Her phone rang as Shadow’s name appeared on the screen. She silenced the phone. From now on, she needed to focus on her future, alone.

Whiskey walked into the bar. His hands clenched in fists as he forced himself to walk into the crowd and to the end of the counter.

Sharkey spotted him right away and slid a beer in his direction. “It’s good to see ya, son. Where’s your team?” Sharkey scanned the area behind him for Leo, Saint, Taco and Shadow.

“It’s only me tonight. Needed a moment to myself,” he replied.

He slowly acknowledged the beer in front of him and tipped it toward Sharkey who nodded before turning to his next customer. The noise blared around him, and he sat determined, fighting himself to keep from running back to his truck and hauling his ass back to the serenity of the mountain. A pretty blonde stood next to him and flashed a smile in his direction.

“I haven’t seen you here before,” she stated.

“I dropped in for old times’ sake,” he told her.

“My name’s Amanda,” she told him.

The crowd made it hard to hear and when she said her name it sounded as if she said, “My name’s Samantha.” His gut churned as he wondered if Samantha got the divorce papers yet. He knew the moment she received them; she’d try to confront him. He stealthily planned his escape.

He woke up and requested Leo take him to renew his license. When Leo dropped him off at the team headquarters before leaving for the job he and the team landed, he jumped in his truck and headed toward the cabin. He placed the phone on the counter knowing the team tracked them, and he got back in the vehicle and drove until he found himself in Sharkey’s parking lot.

At first, he listened to his gut. He hated crowds. Even before he went missing, he enjoyed a drink with the boys before he jumped in the truck and drove home to the love of his life. Bars held no appeal when his Sunshine waited for him at home. This time, she wouldn’t run into his arms or whisper, “Hello, my flame.” It felt like a secret love language between the two of them. He didn’t care how corny it sounded because he knew deep within himself, she lit him up like nothing else in this world. He lived for her. His heart beat faster when she neared, his blood thrummed through his veins reminding him how blessed he was to live his life with her in it.

He took another sip of beer as the blonde moved closer. “My name’s Whiskey,” he told her.

“You seem a bit tired. Did you return recently?” she asked innocently.

“Yeah. You could say that,” he replied.

“Do you mind some company?” She smiled at him.

The churning in his gut felt like a warning but he pushed it down. Samantha and LJ remained forever lost to him and he needed to accept it. His hand moved to the woman’s waist as she pressed herself closer.

The band began playing. The music beat inside his ears painfully causing him to wince.

“Are you okay?” She leaned over to his ear and asked over the noise.

“Yeah, the music’s loud,” he explained.

“I don’t live far from here. Want to go to my place and enjoy a nightcap?” she suggested.

His hand moved to her ass and down her legs. She pressed closer, encouraging him. He swallowed the knot in his throat. His body went numb when he signed the divorce papers and handed them back to the attorney. The desire to feel something, anything, to prove he could live a life without his Sunshine drove him forward.

“Let’s go back to your place,” he told her. He laid the money on the bar and pushed through the throng of people as she led him out the front entrance. When they managed to get outside, he led her to his truck. She hopped in, showing him a good portion of her thigh. He swiped at his beard wondering if he made a mistake. His mind shoved the thought away.

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