Page 24 of Knight's Fall

Her confidence renewed, she marched out of her house, her friendliest smile lighting her face. She made it to the steps leading up his deck, her eyes focused on his back door. Shifting her gaze to watch her feet climb the steps, she froze. Her legs were rooted to that spot in the grass as her heart picked up its pace. Her stomach dipped then clenched, and she wondered if she was about to throw up. Her voice trapped in her throat, so she couldn’t scream or call out or even whisper.

Her luck had taken a definite turn toward hell and was taking her along with it.

∞∞∞

Wings guided the paint brush down in a smooth stroke before leaning back to look at his handiwork. His leg throbbed, but he forced himself to ignore the pain. He was determined to be productive in some way, and today he chose to add a coat of white paint to the trim in the living room. He was only able to hit the high points since his injury made kneeling ill-advisable, but he was satisfied with what he’d done. It meant he wasn’t completely useless, at least with his fixer upper. He’d been to the office, but he hadn’t done very much since he wasn’t cleared for operations.

He hobbled through the kitchen into the utility room at the back to wash his brush in the sink. He thought back to earlier in the day when he’d talked BB into taking him to KSI. The Alpha Team had a new case, and he wanted to be there when they were read in even if he wouldn’t be working it. Isobel was filling in for him, and she fit in with the team seamlessly. It wasn’t her first time to do that. She was what they called a floater. She worked primarily as an investigator, but with her skills, she stepped in with the Alpha and Delta Teams on a regular basis when the work called for it.

The case was cut and dry — certainly not as volatile as their mission to Haiti. He had little to offer as they strategized. Though his teammates told him how happy they were to see him, he felt like an outsider. He hadn’t been out of work long, and during most of that time, the team had taken a break from missions after their intense work in Haiti.

His feelings didn’t make sense, but they were there all the same. He was tired of feeling like less of a person, like he was too useless to do his job anymore. It was a shitty feeling, so when BB dropped him off, he found the most manageable task he could come up with and worked until it was finished.

On his way back through the kitchen, he grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge. Tossing it back, he downed half of the cool liquid before his eyes drifted to the window. He lowered the bottle and took a step closer to get a better look through the pane. His neighbor stood in his backyard with a box in her hands. She was bringing him another delivery from the diner. He’d told her she didn’t have to continue, but he had to admit he liked getting the delicious meals without having to think about it himself.

Courtlyn wasn’t moving. She wasn’t even blinking. He smirked, thinking she was too intimidated by him to complete her approach. She was attracted to him. He knew the signs — the flush to her cheeks as she talked to him, her clumsy awkwardness that was more pronounced in his presence, and her profound embarrassment during all the times he discovered her at less than her best. He guessed that was her motive behind taking care of his lawn and sending food his way.

She was cute enough, with her curvy figure and shiny hair that was probably as silky to touch as it looked, but she wasn’t his usual type. She wasn’t as polished or smooth. She was the type of girl you married, and he was more about the type who was looking for a good time before moving on.

He would have to put the brakes on her attention before he unintentionally led her on and hurt her feelings. For now, though, her infatuation was flattering and boosted his battered ego. He decided to meet her halfway and take some of the pressure off of her making a move. He was becoming more adept at using his cane, so he was able to step outside quickly.

“Oh,” she muttered breathlessly, her eyes widening in shock at seeing him. Her arm shot up, and she pointed at his feet without saying a word.

“Hey, what’s—” He finally dropped his eyes and saw what had her paralyzed.

Boy, he’d misjudged this situation. She wasn’t intimidated by seeing him; she was frozen in fear by the long snake raising its head to hiss at his intrusion. He recognized the scaly head, the sleek black body, and the off-white belly that tapered into a mottled color toward its tail.

Growing up in South Carolina, he’d seen his share of rat snakes. They were as common as magnolia trees and completely harmless. He reacted without thought, and with a big sweep of his cane, he scooped the snake up by its body and flung it to the outer edge of the yard, where it slithered off into the trees. He then moved down the steps to stop in front of Courtlyn.

She hadn’t moved, and her face was pale. His free hand reached out to lightly touch her upper arm. He lowered his head to peer directly into her face.

“Are you alright?”

Her movements were wooden as she raised her head before shaking it slowly. He softened, his hand lightly caressing her arm as she came out of her shock.

He never knew the kind of fear that seized a person until she was unable to think or move, but she had at least tried to warn him. She obviously didn’t know or didn’t care that the snake was nonvenomous, and she still tried to keep him from getting hurt. She may not be his type to date, but she would be a good friend to him. And his philosophy was a man could never have too many good friends.

“It’s okay. He’s gone. He wasn’t poisonous, I promise. He’s already off to find a rat or something. He won’t be back here. Come on. Come inside for a minute. Is the box for me?”

She didn’t move right away, and he waited. He didn’t want to rush her and risk her pulling away. His priority was to make sure she was alright.

“I need a minute.” Her voice was low but at least sounded normal, so Wings relaxed.

“Take as many minutes as you need. What can I do?”

She shifted her gaze away from him and just stared in front of her. Wings wasn’t sure she was even aware of what she was seeing.

“I know the sn—it was harmless. I-I know the difference. I learned that stuff a long time ago. I-it’s just—it’s hard to shake…you know. Some fears are just ingrained. You can’t shake them even when common sense tells you otherwise.”

“Makes sense. I had a buddy in flight school who was afraid of heights. He said he hoped flight school would help him overcome his fear, and it seemed to work. He’s one of the best damn pilots I know.”

Courtlyn exhaled a shaky breath. “I’ve never been that lucky.”

“Think you can come inside? We can share whatever it is inside that box that smells so good.”

She nodded, and he took her by the elbow as they walked into his house together. He wasn’t expecting her skin to feel so smooth under his touch, and he couldn’t resist lightly rubbing his finger over the spot just inside her arm. He was playing with fire, considering her crush on him, but he figured a little touch couldn’t do any harm, especially since she was still reeling from her near encounter with the snake.

“Want some water?” He motioned for her to sit at his kitchen table.

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