Page 113 of Tabitha

I brush my lips against his in a quick kiss, loving the way he leans closer, as if seeking more. Much too soon, he pulls back, and I give a hum of disappointment.

“Come here, baby doll.” River swings his arm over my shoulder, then tucks me against his side. “If you want, we can fulfill his last wish and bury him for you. You don’t need to see him go into the ground.”

But I’m already shaking my head as I snuggle against his side. “While I appreciate the offer, I need to see it for myself. To make it real.”

He sighs and kisses my temple. “Then let’s go lay your father to rest and leave this shit place.”

Just as we head for the door, a frantic barking comes from outside. The beast scratches at the door, as if desperate to get inside, and my heart picks up a beat. “Rocky?”

I scurry toward the front door and wrench it open—only to have Rocky launch himself at me. His paws land on my shoulders, and I stagger under the weight, unable to fend him off as he tries to lick me to death.

Tears prick the back of my eyes, and I hug him close, noticing his wounds are healing. He’ll be okay. Bast whistles sharply, and Rocky obediently pulls back, landing on all fours. He charges across the room, his claws scrambling for purchase, his butt wiggling so much, I’m surprised that he’s able to walk.

Bast scratches him behind the ear, while Gage crouches to give him a hug, not even trying to dodge the beast’s tongue. River kneels, opens his arms, and Rocky nearly bowls him over as he excitedly tries to crawl into his lap.

A vehicle honks from the driveway, and I whirl to see a slim man inside the cab wave. Bast nods, then gives some sort of gesture that has the man driving off. I look up at him in question.

“Delta team finished their assignment early, so I called them in to do the cleanup and take lead on the mission.” He draws me close, wrapping his arms around me, as if he couldn’t be near and not touch me, and I rest my chin on his chest and look up at him. “You need us more, and none of us want to leave your side after how close we came to losing you.”

I should be pissed he’s making decisions without me, but I’m actually glad they want to remain close. I’m a little too clingy to let any of them out of my sight for a while. Bast gives another whistle, which brings Rocky rushing to his side.

The men turn serious as we all head toward the door.

It takes us twenty minutes on the back of ATVs to reach the location. I ride with Pierce while the guys take care of transporting the body. Rocky runs next to us, never straying too far, despite the tempting wildlife scurrying along the undergrowth, wary to stray too far from us, and I can’t blame the pup after what happened last time. As we turn off the four wheelers, the silence is almost too loud.

The dilapidated building looks even worse up close, a large tree growing in the center of the cabin. The roof is completely gone, the walls crumbling, the wood of the porch buckling. Moss and vegetation spills throughout the interior until it resembles a jungle. The air is still, almost heavy with expectation. I wait for memories to drag me back to the nightmare I barely survived, but it doesn’t come, the men by my side pushing all the bad away.

“This way.” I lead the men around back, stopping underneath a massive willow tree. Seeing it brings back memories I thought I’d long since forgotten. I look up at the sweeping branches as they sway in the breeze and find myself blinking back tears. “My father planted this here. I thought it was to make sure that she never left, but I think he did it so it would watch over my mother. I think he loved her in his own way.”

More and more memories flash through my mind. “My mother was always sick. I think they both looked after each other the best they could. I don’t think either one of them was capable of raising a child. I was an afterthought to them. I think, when my mother died, the loss triggered my father and sent him off the deep end.”

“In his broken way, you think your father was trying to protect you?” Pierce sounds skeptical, knowing some of what I went through, but I can’t get over my dad’s letter.

“I do.” I should be bitter and resentful at what I was forced to endure, but I accepted it a long time ago.

I survived.

“We can do this if you want to go.” Bast stands like a sentinel, all big and strong and ready to slay my dragons. While I’m more than capable of taking care of myself, I appreciate the gesture.

I pat his chest, my hand resting over his heart. “Thank you.”

His brows furrow. “For what?”

“For caring.” I lean up and kiss his cheek, then thread my fingers with his much bigger ones. “I’m good. Let’s get this done.”

Much to our surprise, a marker for my father is already in place. The guys don’t waste any time. They grab the shovels tied to the backs of the ATVs and immediately begin digging. Rocky helps, flinging dirt wildly behind him, sticking close, hyper protective of us.

With the four of them digging, it’s not long before a solid, metallic thud echoes through the clearing. I stand up straighter, stepping closer. The men still and look at each other, then peer at me. I lift my hands and shrug, just as baffled. “What is it?”

River’s brown eyes gleam with excitement, and he flashes me a dangerous smile. “Buried treasure?”

I roll my eyes, and the rest of the guys shoot him disbelieving looks, but none of his excitement dims and he goes back to shoveling, revealing a three-by-six-foot box. It takes all the guys to lift it, each of them grunting under the weight.

They lay it at my feet, but I can only stare at the case, a little leery of what might be inside. It’s too small and narrow to be a coffin. “What is it?”

River lifts the shovel, handing it over to me, but I shake my head. “You do it.”

He wedges the tip under the lid and wood screeches as he pries off the top, revealing a gleaming pile of gold. None of us move as we gaze down at the raw ore.

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