Page 26 of The Soul of Archer
Chapter 12
Alora poured herself a cup of coffee, then faced the three men at the kitchen island. “Anyone else want a cup?”
“I’ll take one.” Lance answered, while Ethan and Gage shook their heads no.
Alora fixed Lance his and then joined them. “So, what do we do?”
“Well, I’m just guessing here, but I don’t think that Malconi is aware that you are staying here with Lance. You’ve been keeping your car in his garage, right?” Alora nodded. “Then we can assume he thinks you’re still staying at your house.”
“I’ll talk to Danny and see if he has a man or two that can do surveillance on your house. If he’s been watching you at your shop, there’s a good chance he or one of his men have been watching your house too.” Gage spoke up.
“What if when I go to the shop in the mornings I go to my house first? You know, leave here early, and then leave my house for the bakery. At the end of the day, go back to my house then Lance can pick me up from the park where I sometimes jog. It could also tell us if he’s watching the house. I know all my neighbor’s cars. So, if I see a car that’s out of place, I can tell you guys and Danny.” Alora suggested.
Gage, Lance and Ethan looked at her with a bit of surprise on their faces. Suddenly, feeling shy, Alora cast her eyes downward and sipped her coffee, a blush creeping up her neck and burning her cheeks. She nearly jumped when Lance took her chin and lifted it, so their eyes met. He wore a slight smile and what looked like pride flashed in his eyes. Licking her lips, she waited for him or one of the others to speak.
“That’s a hell of a plan Alora and I think it could actually work.” Ethan said. “I’ll call Danny and run it by him.”
“Monday I’ll go over our other team’s rosters and see if we have one or two bodies that we could add in with Danny’s guys.” Gage added.
Lance released her chin, but when he spoke he was still looking at Alora. “Sounds like a plan.”
Feeling both flustered by Lance’s intense stare and being the center of attention, Alora cleared her throat and slipped from the room. Oh, sure she was used to being the star when it came to baking stuff but having three sets of eyes from three extremely attractive men on her was a completely different feeling. Plus, adding in the thoughts still tickling the edge of her mind when she was leaving the bar between Lance and Gage didn’t help. She heard the back door close as she sank into the sofa in the living room. Alora looked up when she sensed Lance. How was it possible that she could do that? They had only known each other a week and a half and while yes, he was an amazing lover, was that enough for her to sense him coming into a room?
“What’s on that beautiful mind of yours Tigress?” he asked, sitting beside her.
“What makes you think I’m thinking about anything?”
“You get this look in your eyes when you’re thinking. I saw it that day we installed your security at the shop. You were deep in thought as you worked. You have that same look now. Does it have anything to do with that smile you had when we left the bar?”
She sat her mug on the coffee table and took a slow breath. “Kind of. When I suggested my plan, it was kind of intimidating being the center of attention like that. But…”
“But what?”
“Well, when we left that bar and I was between you and Gage, well, oh fuck.” Frustrated, she got to her feet and began pacing. “My mind started wondering what it would feel like. You know, me with two men.”
What happened next shocked her. Lance’s face got this strange expression and it looked like he was shaking. He was on his feet and stormed from the room in the blink of an eyes. Alora jumped when the back door leading to his deck slammed hard enough that the windows rattled. What had she said?
***
Lance clutched the rail, eyes squeezed closed, trying his damnedest to keep the memories at bay. Memories of the second worst memory of his life. The day he came back from a training opt and caught his then fiancée. His eyes snapped open and he whirled around when the back door opened. Alora stood before him. She looked like a deer in headlights as the fading light of the day cast long shadows over the deck and the backyard. He watched her open and close her mouth a few times before she finally spoke.
“I…I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you mad. I think I’ll call Krista and have her come get me. It’s probably best if I leave.” She stuttered.
When she turned to go back inside, Lance moved. He grabbed her arm. Her body tensed, shit he had scared her. Gently he turned her to face him. She wouldn’t look up at him. Christ, seeing her scared of him hurt. Like a sucker punch to his gut and his heart. Slowly, almost reverently, he pulled her into his arms and held her. It was several moments before she started to relax, and her arms came around him.
“Alora, I’m not mad. Not at you anyway. Look…” he paused. Lance scooped her into his arms and walked off to one of his deck chairs. He sat and adjusted her on his lap. “You were right. In the bar. I came close to getting married once. Her name was Tegan. We had gone to school together and when I joined the Marines, we were still dating. I had been in for about four years when I was recruited by MARSOC. After I got in, I proposed, and she said yes. Six months later I came home from a week-long field op and swung by her apartment in town. When I walked in she…”
Alora cupped his face. “Hey, hey it’s okay Lance. You don’t have to tell me.”
