Page 5 of Tactical Lies

Chapter

Two

August 16th

12:09 P.M.

Connor had been unprepared to hear the venom in her tone. Hear her tell him that she wanted absolutely nothing to do with him. Hell, she couldn’t even stand for him to touch her.

Stupid of him.

Of course, he should have expected Becca to hate him.

Why wouldn't she?

Panic coursed through his body. What if this wasn’t fixable? What if the damage he’d caused ran too deep and there was no chance that Becca could forgive him? He could handle not being part of her life—barely—if she didn't want to become friends again, but he couldn’t handle this.

Couldn’t handle her hate.

As he watched her storm across the small schoolhouse it was hard to remember why he’d waited so long to track her down.

Only then she stumbled again as she reached the door, and it was all he could think of.

Shame.

That’s what had held him back all these years. Facing Becca meant facing what he’d done head on, facing the deep running guilt and shame that consumed him. Over time, it had dulled a little, and there had been plenty to keep him busy, keep his mind occupied, but it was still there, and looking at Becca made him realize how far in denial he’d really been.

“Becca, wait. Please,” he begged as her hand shoved open the door bathing her in a stream of light. She was so beautiful it hurt to look at her and know she was no longer his to touch, to pleasure, to worship.

Shockingly, she did stop, but he wasn't sure it was because she actually cared to hear anything he had to say, or she was merely so thrown by the fact that he was here in Cambodia standing in her school.

Whatever reason he’d take it.

He was not leaving until he had made things right with her. His family had things handled back home. With the threats hanging over their heads from the three other men involved in their mother’s assault, Cassandra had gone to stay with Prey’s Delta Team, a group of men with scarily unnatural abilities. Since she was the product of their mother’s rape, they had to protect her because once they got a hit on her DNA or compared it to a suspect, they could bring the entire conspiracy surrounding his mom and stepdad’s deaths tumbling down.

With Cassandra safely tucked away, Cooper was protecting his new girlfriend, Willow, and Cole was looking after his new girlfriend, Susanna, and helping her heal from her recent ordeal. Together, Cooper and Cole continued working with their oldest brother, Cade, and stepbrothers, Jake and Jax Holloway, to unravel the conspiracy.

His family had business at home handled so he could be there.

They knew he wasn't coming back until he’d made things right.

However long it took.

For the foreseeable future Becca was his priority.

Which was exactly what his parents would have wanted. While he’d lost his parents when he was thirteen, six months apart, and hadn't started officially dating Becca until he was fourteen, they’d been unofficially together since they started middle school, and both his mom and dad had loved her. Even back then, they’d seen the writing on the wall, knowing that she was the only woman for him.

No other woman could ever live up to Becca Marsden in his mind. So even though he wasn't expecting a miracle, wasn't expecting her to take him back as her lover and partner, Connor already knew that it was reunite with Becca or remain single for the rest of his life.

“What are you doing here, Connor?” she asked, her voice hard, unyielding, but he caught the underlying threads of pain because he knew her better than he knew himself. “Are you here for work?”

Work was the furthest thing from his mind.

Eagle Oswald, founder and CEO of Prey, had been exceptionally patient and understanding with Charlie Team’s need to prove their parents weren't traitors, and in between official ops for the company, he made sure all resources were available to them for their hunt for answers. Eagle had also been more than accommodating this past couple of months as dominos fell and answers appeared, and he had approved this time off for him to come to Cambodia.

“No. Not here for work,” he answered.

“Why then?” She still hadn't turned to face him, but he didn't need to see her expression to know she one hundred percent believed there was no possible way he could be there for her.

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