Payton was no stranger to wounded vets. Her dad worked with them all the time. He’d helped many find employment after they came home and could no longer do their job. He couldn’t help them all, and unfortunately there were too many, but he helped as many as he could.
“Don’t ever let his girlfriend hear you say that. She’s very protective of him. Charlie hates people’s pity over his scars too. Savannah, she’s with Bennett, she’s a doctor and found some plants to help dull out the scarring. He also has a beard that covers some of it.”
“Is that all of them?”
Alex chuckled like only he was aware of an inside joke. “Not even close. There are seven of us. There’s Daniel, he’s the serious one of us. Ortiz, he’s the baby of the group at only twenty-six, then there’s Tony, he’s also dating a doctor. Lastly there’s Vincent, he’s the, well, used to be Casanova of the group.”
“Let me guess, he fell in love.” Playboys didn’t play at love forever, and those were the ones that fell the hardest. Or at least they did in romance novels and movies.
“Oh yeah.”
“Does everyone have girlfriends, other than you?”
“Yep, I’m the remaining bachelor.”
He almost sounded proud of that.
“And you’re not jealous of them all having someone to go home to?”
Something flickered in his eyes, but it was gone just as quickly as it came. “No, I like my life simple as it is.”
“Sounds lonely.” She would know. Payton didn’t have anyone to come home to. No one to ask how her day was or offer to cook her dinner or hand her a beer. It was just her.
“What about you?”
Payton glanced up at him then away, feeling her cheeks heat. She really needed to learn to keep her mouth shut. “I’m single.”
“And you don’t find that lonely?”
“I have to be home long enough to feel alone.” Alex cocked his head like a dog that was waiting for a command or treat. “I don’t have a regular nine-to-five job. I work eighteen-plus hours a day. When I’m in the middle of a case, it’s not uncommon for me to sleep at the station.”
“And your superior allows this?” He almost sounded upset about that.
“I’ve earned the nickname Bloodhound. When I’m on the trail, I don’t stop until I’ve caught my suspect.” Her supervisor didn’t really allow and not allow her anything. He didn’t mind her workaholic tendencies when it brought in results.
His eyes widened in understanding. “That would explain why you’re working yourself to death to find your dad.”
“I get my tenaciousness from him.” She was proud of that fact. When she went after something, she didn’t let anything get in her way. It had helped her many times in her life, including getting through the academy when everyone was working against her.
“I can see that, but your health is still important.”
“Are you saying you take breaks when you’re out on missions?”
“This isn’t about me,” he sputtered.
“So it’s okay for you to question my work ethic, but I can’t question yours?” Payton closed her eyes and counted to five. She was tired, frustrated—physically and emotionally—and lashing out. “I’m sorry. I’m going to go to bed.” She quickly retreated to her room.
~
Nick’s arms ached as they hung from a chain above his head. He’d been like this for hours. His fingers had lost feeling a while ago from the bad circulation. Whoever tied his wrists bound them too tightly. However, he’d rather lose his arms then tell his jailors that it was too tight.
He tried to shift his weight and groaned in pain when he jarred his knee. If the car accident hadn’t banged him up enough, the two goons that turned him into a punching bag had left him a bloody mess. There wasn’t a part of him that wasn’t bruised or bleeding. His only consolation was that his enemy wouldn’t get what they wanted. And they never would.
He’d known something was fishy and had hidden things so only a select few would find them.
Payton being the main person.
He prayed he hadn’t made a mistake in letting himself be captured to keep his enemies away from her. She was his one weakness. His enemy knew he’d never let anything happen to her. Thank goodness Alex would come. He’d become a hell of a soldier.