Greeley's Spyce (10 page)

Ernst hostage at knife point before he‘d recovered his memory. He‘d gotten

into a car accident into Montana and while there had met the woman of his

dreams, but couldn‘t even remember his name. When the Megalodon Team

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Aliyah Burke

had gone up to rescue him, Ross had thought they were threatening the

woman he‘d come to love. Ernst held no animosity toward him for it; he

knew, without a doubt, he‘d protect Kacy to the same extent. Ross had only

done what‘d he been trained to do.

Waving off the apology Ernst said, ―There is no need to be formal

here. Call me Ernst. Or Ghost. I know you didn‘t mean to do it and no harm

was done.‖ Ernst liked the newest member of the Megalodon Team and his

attitude about their work.

―I‘m not keeping you from anything, am I, Ghost?‖ Ross asked as he

looked over the nice clothes Ernst wore. Everyone knew he was a jeans and

tee shirt–man.

―No, I got stood up.‖

―Kacy?‖ Ross asked, unsuccessfully hiding his grin.

Glinting eyes narrowed. ―Yes, Kacy.‖

―What happened?‖

―Before or after I slept with her?‖ Ernst blurted out.

Ross leaned back in his chair and looked at the highest-ranking non-

com on the Team. Normally so composed, seeing the raw confusion on Ernst

was shocking. Covering his mouth with one hand, Ross asked, ―Y‘all slept

together?‖ He was struggling to keep the grin off his face.

―Yes,‖ Ernst admitted. ―But then she tells me it was only a one-night

stand kind of thing. I guess she meant it since she cancelled dinner.‖

Ross nodded but remained silent, allowing Ernst to continue his ex-

planation.

―Dammit, Ross! There just isn‘t that kind of passion and emotion be-

tween two people if there isn‘t a deeper connection.‖ Ernst slumped back on

the couch. ―It wasn‘t just sex…
damn
good sex. It was more than that. Way

more.‖

Sitting up, he looked directly into the gray eyes of his friend. ―And

no matter what she says, I know she feels something. She keeps a picture of

the two of us under her pillow.‖

Ross observed and stayed quiet.

―I want to lock her up in the house and keep her to myself. She gets

hit on at jobs she does.‖ At Ross‘s raised brows, Ernst clarified, ―She‘s an

electrician.‖

―An electrician. That‘s impressive,‖ the Southern drawl said.

―This guy hit on her right in front of me,‖ Ernst snarled. ―It was like I

didn‘t exist!‖

Fighting a smile, Ross asked, ―What are you going to do?‖

There was silence in the room as Ernst thought. He rose and grabbed

two beers from his fridge. Still silent, he handed one to Ross and retook his

seat on the couch. After taking a healthy swig he said in a disgusted tone, ―I

don‘t have any idea.‖

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―Do you think she has an issue with the race thing?‖ Ross wondered

as he took a drink.

―She‘s scared.‖ Ernst told him. ―Of what, I‘m not sure yet. But there

is something in her past that has her spooked.‖

―Maybe she‘s scared of her family‘s reaction,‖ Ross suggested.

Ernst shook his head. ―She grew up not knowing them.‖

―In an orphanage or with foster parents?‖

―Jesus, I don‘t know. Man, I want to ask her so many things, but she

is so private. It‘s like I can see the walls go up and the doors closing around

her.‖

―Well, aren‘t you a SEAL? You are supposed to be able to go where

others can‘t.‖

Ernst frowned. ―So treat it like an Op?‖

―Not exactly,‖ Ross said. ―Look, I could be wrong here, but you

sound like a man in love. Like Harrier and Cade do when they talk about

their wives. Be her support and help her break down those walls.‖

―So put my experience to use and persevere,‖ Ernst translated.

―Basically. We‘re stubborn, hardheaded, and sometimes that is what

it takes to get the woman we want.‖

―How‘d you get to be so smart about women?‖ Ernst teased, know-

ing a lot of the trouble Ross was going through to get Dezarae to be his

woman in every sense of the word.

―I‘m not. I don‘t know a damn thing about ‘em, except that their

rules change all the time.‖

C H A P T E R N I N E

Kacy pulled into her driveway and jumped out of her older model

Volkswagen van, entering her house through the front door. Stopping in the

kitchen to brew a pot of coffee, she soon was standing under the pounding

spray of her shower. Rolling her shoulders, she touched the silver Ankh that

she had around her neck, its simple design bringing her comfort.

As much as she‘d wanted to see Ernst again last night, fixing the elec-

tricity in the orphanage was much more important. They had food that

would begin to spoil and children who were scared of the dark.

Having been one of those children, Kacy always put them first. It had

taken her a while but she had gotten the electricity back on, but her tired

body had taken the nuns who ran the orphanage up on the offer for a free

bed. Nevertheless, the cots there were not comfortable at all. She‘d slept for a

few hours before waking at five, eating with the sisters, and double-checking

her work.

The nuns had wanted to pay her for her work, but Kacy would never

take money from them. She would pay out of her own pocket first.

Dry, clean, and dressed in another set of clothes for work Kacy,

poured herself a cup of coffee in her travel mug and walked into the garage

to gather equipment to reload her van. She was going to pick up two genera-

tors for the orphanage and take them to them, then she would come home

and focus on the other jobs she had.

As the door slid up, Kacy stood in the empty spot her van usually ac-

companied and watched as a pair of jean-encased legs turned into a hardened

torso covered by a black shirt and led to a head that had short-cropped blond

hair and eyes that were a supernatural blue. Ernst Zimmermann.

It was seven-thirty in the morning and Kacy was obviously halluci-

nating. Shaking her head to clear her vision, she took two steps and froze. His

truck was parked next to her van in the driveway.

―What are you doing here?‖ Kacy asked as she hit the automatic lock

on her van. ―What do you want?‖ She set her coffee down and began to put

things in her van.

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―You know what I want,‖ he reminded her in a low tone.

―I have to go pick up a few generators. I‘m sorry about last night. Did

you get my message?‖ Kacy shut the van and moved back into the garage to

grab her briefcase and coffee.

―Yes,‖ his answering growl reached her. ―I got it. An emergency?‖

His doubt-filled gaze fell upon her.

Kacy answered immediately. ―Yes. It was an emergency.‖

―And I suppose you got hit on?‖

―Can‘t say that I remember, maybe by a guy named Adam.‖ Kacy

turned around and waited for him to get out of her garage.

Ernst was beside her in seconds. ―I forgot something.‖

Her brows converged in confusion. ―Forgot what?‖ She didn‘t see

him put anything in the garage.

―This.‖ His mouth was on hers until she sagged against him. Then

and only then did he pull away. ―Does Adam make you tremble?‖

Defiance flared in her gaze. ―I don‘t think that‘s any of your business.

But you can meet him if you want.‖

Ernst accepted and climbed into the passenger side of her vehicle. ―Is

he before or after the generator?‖

Kacy climbed in the van and looked at the blond next to her. ―Do you

want your truck in the garage?‖

―I think it will be fine. You have a nice neighborhood.‖

―It‘s your truck,‖ she replied with a shrug.

Rubbing his hand over the stubble on his chin, he said, ―Maybe

you‘re right. Give me a second.‖ Ernst jumped out and got in his truck,

moving it into her garage. He smiled widely as he got out, putting his

baseball cap on his head.

He walked back to where Kacy sat in her van waiting. Easily, he

swung in beside her, ―Ready.‖

―Don‘t you have to work today?‖ she asked, backing out of her dri-

veway.

―I just got here, trying to get rid of me already?‖ he teased.

―No,‖ Kacy said. ―Just curious.‖

―I‘m all yours unless I get paged back.‖

Sipping her coffee, she remained silent as she drove. Pulling into a

home improvement warehouse parking lot, she glanced at him. ―I see.‖

Grabbing her briefcase and one last gulp of coffee, she got out of the van,

setting the alarm she‘d installed as she and Ernst walked inside.

Although Ernst wished she would talk, he understood she was work-

ing and probably thinking over things. So he watched as they walked,

particularly the sway of her hips in the jeans she wore; observed the number

of masculine eyes that fell upon her as she passed; noticed the way her hair

swung in time with her full strides.

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Aliyah Burke

Ernst saw her grab at a flatbed and beat her to it. ―I‘ll get that.‖

Nodding, she pointed to the left. ―Generators are back here.‖

He walked beside her, glad to be in her presence. She seemed com-

fortable. Relaxed. At ease.

A masculine voice broke into his musings. ―Hey, Chief.‖

Stopping, Ernst looked and saw another Chief from the base whom

he had drinks with on occasion. ―Chief Anderson. How are you?‖ Ernst

reached over and shook the man‘s hand.

―Pretty good. Frustrated. Who‘s this with you?‖

―This is Kacy Travis. Kacy this is Chief Anderson,‖ Ernst said watch-

ing, her reaction to the man.

Kacy put out her hand. ―Nice to meet you, Chief Anderson.‖ The

man was shorter than Ernst but stockier. He had a pair of sparkling brown

eyes and dark-brown skin with a shaved head.

―And you,‖ Chief responded with a grin.

―I‘m gonna go get the generators,‖ Kacy told Ernst as she grabbed

the flatbed.

―I‘m coming,‖ he told her.

―No, stay and talk. It will take me a bit. I have to grab some other

things as well. I‘ll meet you by the generators in a while.‖ She patted his arm

and began to stride off, not realizing or caring that both men were watching

her.

After a brief conversation, Ernst left his friend and sauntered in the

direction Kacy had gone. Rounding the end cap, he stopped when he saw

Kacy and four other men all talking and laughing. Fighting back his initial

jealous reaction, he moved upon the group.

―But, it‘s better now. That‘s where I am taking the generators,‖ Ka-

cy‘s sultry voice was saying.

―Hey, Kacy,‖ Ernst said, standing at the edge of the group and want-

ing desperately to be a part of it.

Copper eyes smiled as they looked at him. ―I‘m ready.‖ She turned

back to the group, ―Hey, guys, this is Ernst. Ernst, meet the guys. Tom, Paul,

Bill, and Howard.‖ They all said hello. ―I gotta go. Great seeing you again,

guys.‖

―Bye, Kacy,‖ Howard said.

―Don‘t be late to see Adam,‖ Paul teased.

―I don‘t plan on it. Bye, y‘all.‖ Kacy waved at them and pointed to a

full flatbed. ―This ones mine.‖

Ernst took control of it and as they moved down toward the register

he asked, ―Are they electricians too?‖

―Nope. They are independent contractors. Sometimes I wire the

houses they work on or build.‖

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The sigh of relief that left him surprised Ernst. They walked past the

lighting and fan section when they saw his friend again. He appeared

extremely frustrated as he stood in front of the ceiling fans.

―What is he doing now?‖ Ernst wondered as he pushed the full cart

to where his friend stood. ―What‘s going on, Anderson?‖

The look on his face was comical. He seemed close to tears. ―Ernst,

man, I am supposed to be installing fans but you know me. And I like these,

but man, I think they are a bit fancy for me.‖

―What happened to that guy you had doing it?‖

―He skipped out with the money,‖ Chief Anderson snapped.

―Man, I‘m sorry about that.‖ Ernst said.

―We have that thing tomorrow and she is going to kill me if I don‘t

get them in, so I am going to put them in and just not turn them on,‖ the

perturbed man said.

Ernst patted him on the arm. ―I don‘t know what to tell you.‖

Kacy stepped up and said, ―They aren‘t that hard to install. It looks

worse than it is.‖

―Hon, I am so bad when it comes to electricity it ain‘t even funny,‖

the Chief said.

―How many are you getting?‖ Kacy asked.

―Three. Why?‖

Kacy looked at Ernst who watched her with a gentle gaze. ―Do you

know where he lives?‖

―I know where he lives,‖ Ernst answered.
Is she really about to offer to

do what I think she is?

―I can install them for you later in the afternoon, say around three to

four,‖ Kacy told the bald man before her.

―Are you for real?‖ the man asked.

―I‘m an electrician,‖ Kacy said, not batting an eye.

―What‘s it gonna cost me?‖ he asked, Ernst nodding over her shoul-

der.

―Nothing.‖ She pulled out a card from her briefcase and handed it to

him. ―If you want to take me up on it, call my cell number. I have to go.‖