Read Online Conard County Marine by Rachel Lee - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Rachel Lee
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friends since. Poaching? He tried to tell himself he was being ridiculous, but the anger wouldn’t subside.
He climbed out of his car and followed. It was as if a cord linked him and Kylie, a cord he could cut only one way.
*
Glenda had clearly been nervous about this walk, but she hadn’t protested. With her arm through Coop’s, tight to his side, Kylie felt his strength like a huge wall around her. He could keep her safe from almost anything, she thought.
“I hadn’t realized how much I missed being out in the dark,” she said.
“Not making you too nervous?”
“A little, but not as bad as I feared.”
He tightened his arm, bringing her more firmly against his side. “Good.”
She took another few steps, then asked, “What’s it like for you?”
“Being out walking in the dark, you mean?” He paused, evidently giving it some thought. “In my job, light conditions are extremely important. Nighttime provides cover, both for me and for the enemy. So I’m cautious about it. But I still like it. That’s why I take so many walks. I guess it’s a kind of immersion therapy. The more I do it, the less nervous I get about it.”
She thought that over, and decided it might be the only way she could handle all these pointless fears. The breeze rustled the spring leaves gently, like the whispering voices of nature. The air smelled fresh and alive. To miss this for the rest of her days? No way.
But they’d barely rounded the second block when she froze in place, her skin crawling.
“Too much?” Coop asked immediately.
She didn’t want to sound crazy but blurted it out, anyway. “Do you ever feel like someone is staring at you?”
“How so?” He faced her now, his face in shadow despite the streetlights.
“I don’t know. It’s just... I keep feeling watched. I thought it was just my nerves, but now I’m not sure. That’s crazy, right? We’re in town. Anyone could be watching.”
She was right about that, but he silenced his other thoughts, nearly every one of them a screen to keep away the memories that so often haunted them, and opened his senses in a way he tried to avoid when he was home. Living on constant alert only made him dangerous to innocent people.
He felt it. Eyes were on them. He couldn’t believe he hadn’t felt it immediately. Turning his head slowly, as if glancing around casually, he tried to see another soul. The street appeared empty. No one stood at any of the lighted windows he could see.
Imagination? Combat experience had taught him never to ignore the feeling. But he wasn’t in combat and he had a woman to reassure.
“I don’t see anyone.”
“I’m probably imagining it, then.”
But he didn’t want her to dismiss such feelings. That could be dangerous, too, even if he didn’t believe her to be facing any real threat right now.
“I never ignore that feeling,” he admitted.
“Are you having it?”
“Just a bit,” he said honestly. “Let’s keep walking and see what happens. It’s probably just someone else out for a walk.”
But her arm tightened around his and he was sure she didn’t quite believe it. Years of experience had taught him not to quite believe it, either, but he kept reminding himself with each step that they were in Conard City, a safe little town, a place where threats didn’t stalk every shadow and corner, unlike too many places he’d been.
She’d brought it back, he realized. All the buried things, all the instincts that had no place here. She felt watched, and as soon as she said it he had wanted to kick himself because he’d been ignoring the same feeling on purpose, telling himself it was nothing to worry about.
But what if it was? That was the devil in the instincts he had learned the hard way. You couldn’t just put them on a shelf and ignore them because you thought you were safe. Safety was never guaranteed, and he knew it.
But he didn’t want Kylie to feel that way. He gathered from his cousin and Glenda that
He climbed out of his car and followed. It was as if a cord linked him and Kylie, a cord he could cut only one way.
*
Glenda had clearly been nervous about this walk, but she hadn’t protested. With her arm through Coop’s, tight to his side, Kylie felt his strength like a huge wall around her. He could keep her safe from almost anything, she thought.
“I hadn’t realized how much I missed being out in the dark,” she said.
“Not making you too nervous?”
“A little, but not as bad as I feared.”
He tightened his arm, bringing her more firmly against his side. “Good.”
She took another few steps, then asked, “What’s it like for you?”
“Being out walking in the dark, you mean?” He paused, evidently giving it some thought. “In my job, light conditions are extremely important. Nighttime provides cover, both for me and for the enemy. So I’m cautious about it. But I still like it. That’s why I take so many walks. I guess it’s a kind of immersion therapy. The more I do it, the less nervous I get about it.”
She thought that over, and decided it might be the only way she could handle all these pointless fears. The breeze rustled the spring leaves gently, like the whispering voices of nature. The air smelled fresh and alive. To miss this for the rest of her days? No way.
But they’d barely rounded the second block when she froze in place, her skin crawling.
“Too much?” Coop asked immediately.
She didn’t want to sound crazy but blurted it out, anyway. “Do you ever feel like someone is staring at you?”
“How so?” He faced her now, his face in shadow despite the streetlights.
“I don’t know. It’s just... I keep feeling watched. I thought it was just my nerves, but now I’m not sure. That’s crazy, right? We’re in town. Anyone could be watching.”
She was right about that, but he silenced his other thoughts, nearly every one of them a screen to keep away the memories that so often haunted them, and opened his senses in a way he tried to avoid when he was home. Living on constant alert only made him dangerous to innocent people.
He felt it. Eyes were on them. He couldn’t believe he hadn’t felt it immediately. Turning his head slowly, as if glancing around casually, he tried to see another soul. The street appeared empty. No one stood at any of the lighted windows he could see.
Imagination? Combat experience had taught him never to ignore the feeling. But he wasn’t in combat and he had a woman to reassure.
“I don’t see anyone.”
“I’m probably imagining it, then.”
But he didn’t want her to dismiss such feelings. That could be dangerous, too, even if he didn’t believe her to be facing any real threat right now.
“I never ignore that feeling,” he admitted.
“Are you having it?”
“Just a bit,” he said honestly. “Let’s keep walking and see what happens. It’s probably just someone else out for a walk.”
But her arm tightened around his and he was sure she didn’t quite believe it. Years of experience had taught him not to quite believe it, either, but he kept reminding himself with each step that they were in Conard City, a safe little town, a place where threats didn’t stalk every shadow and corner, unlike too many places he’d been.
She’d brought it back, he realized. All the buried things, all the instincts that had no place here. She felt watched, and as soon as she said it he had wanted to kick himself because he’d been ignoring the same feeling on purpose, telling himself it was nothing to worry about.
But what if it was? That was the devil in the instincts he had learned the hard way. You couldn’t just put them on a shelf and ignore them because you thought you were safe. Safety was never guaranteed, and he knew it.
But he didn’t want Kylie to feel that way. He gathered from his cousin and Glenda that
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