Captain
Shit. I stood staring at Rose as she walked through the door and into the dining room. She was right. It was Brad who had been flirting with her. I’d been watching them all night, and I could tell that when Patricia told him that Rose had said they were just friends, he hadn’t liked it. Figured he couldn’t wait to discuss it with her until after closing.
The fire in her eyes, even behind those glasses, reminded me of Addy. When pushed, Addy had that same fire. That same determination. My chest ached. It always ached when I remembered her, and Rose made me remember all the damn time. The memories were only getting worse. There was no gun in my hand and no revenge in my plans now. I’d left that life behind.
And my mind was once again open to the good parts of my life. The best part. Even though we’d been living through hell in that house with my parents, Addy had made it perfect. She had made everything worth it. I had thought I was saving her, but she’d saved me. She’d given me a purpose. She’d shown me what real love felt like.
Then, after all she’d given me, I’d failed her in the end. I hadn’t saved her after all. Loving me was what had killed her. Finding Addy and me in bed together had sent my insane mother over the edge. It hadn’t been our first time—Addy had given me her innocence months before, and it had been the most beautiful moment of my life. Our time together had brought us closer and forged a bond that I thought could never be broken. In a way, I’d been right; Addy’s hold on me was still there. Still strong.
“Shit, looks ace out there. No need for you to be in here scowling.” Major’s voice brought me out of my thoughts.
I focused on the man in front of me and shoved my memories and my issues with Rose aside. “I’m ready to move on. This ain’t my thing,” I said simply. Because it wasn’t. I needed more solitude.
Major cocked his head and studied me. “You saying you want to come back? DeCarlo would shit a brick, he’d be so happy.”
“No. Said I was finished, and I am.”
Major shrugged. “Got it. But it’s exciting. That thrill you get. The hunt. You don’t miss that?”
He might have looked like a pretty-boy player who was always ready for a good laugh, but Major Colt was a fucked-up dude. Maybe not as fucked-up as Cope, who I wasn’t sure even had a soul, but at least you knew what you were getting with Cope. Major could fool anyone. Even his own family. Which he did, brilliantly.
I glanced around, making sure we were still alone, before replying. “I did it to survive, not because I enjoyed it. I was seeking something I never truly found.”
Major smirked. “So you’re saying I’m a sick fuck.”
“Yeah,” I said.
Major chuckled. “Naw, just like the game.”
Life wasn’t a game. It was a gift. And choosing to take that gift from another person wasn’t easy. What we did—what he did—would never be right. Didn’t mean I’d change it. Every time I pulled a trigger, I knew the costs. I knew what it meant. And although I wasn’t God, and choosing who got to live or die wasn’t my job, I chose anyway. I corrected the wrong shit in the world, hoping each time that I was saving someone’s Addy.
“Why are you still here? Job should be done,” I said, moving past Major and toward the door.
“It’s complicated. This one ain’t cut and dry. DeCarlo wants some answers first. Lucky me, I get to fuck around with a smoking-hot babe to get those answers. God, I love this job.”
I stopped at the door. “I’m leaving here soon. But I want you out and DeCarlo’s job done before I go. Don’t want this shit near my sister and her family. Forget about the pussy, and focus on the task.”
I didn’t wait for his response before I opened the door to go back out into the dining room.
“You think Mase told Reese about what DeCarlo did?” Major asked in a low voice.
I paused. I’d wondered that myself. She was one of the reasons I had been in Texas before I came to Rosemary Beach. I didn’t talk to Reese now that my job for her was done, but Mase and I touched base every once in a while. Killing the man who had molested and raped Reese when she was a child had been one of my greatest moments of success. He’d ruined a young woman’s life with his sickness. I would have done anything to make sure he never touched another girl. DeCarlo was her real father, and he had wanted that man’s death more than anyone. His daughter had been a fighter. She had made it through hell, then walked right into the arms of Mase Colt Manning. A guy who would cherish and love her for the rest of her life. She’d been one of the lucky ones.
“No. I think if he’d told her, DeCarlo would know.”
Major nodded. “Yeah.”
I didn’t wait for more. I went to check on the dining room. I needed tonight to be a success so I could leave and figure out the rest of my life.
• • •
Arthur was happy. Customers were happy. And I was fucking glad it was over. Soon this place would be handed over to Arthur’s friend’s son, Jamieson Tynes. All I had to do was train him over the next few weeks and then let him have it.
It was well after midnight before I locked up my office and headed toward the back exit. The thought of my bed had never seemed so damn good. Today had started before dawn and hadn’t slowed down once.
“Captain,” Elle called out, and I jerked my gaze over to see her standing just outside the dining room. I’d been doing my best to stay the hell away from her.
“Yeah,” I replied in a no-nonsense tone. I didn’t want any drama with her. Especially not tonight.