Special Forces_Operation Alpha_Burning Skies Read online

  “Bye, Dad.” Elle wrapped her arms around his middle.

  He tugged her close as he kissed the top of her head, holding on for as long as she’d let him. “I love you.”

  “I love you, too,” she said, backing away.

  He strapped on his helmet, kicking his leg through the seat. One of the reasons he’d bought this particular luxury bike over a roadster had been the backrest for him, and a safer back seat for his daughter.

  “I’m still going to try to get someone to cover my shift.”

  “Suit yourself.” Scarlet turned on a dime, her son on her hip, taking Elle by the hand. “I thought my aunt was kidding when she said your dad was overprotective.”

  Chapter 2

  Scarlet settled on a bench in the neighborhood park just three blocks away from the sexy Air Force fireman’s home. Actually, Jax exemplified pure raw human sexuality at its finest. His dark hair, while cut short, still showed off thick, soft waves. His eyes, the color of the best bottle of bourbon, cast a sense of honor wherever his gaze landed. His body, the way it filled out his dark T-shirt and loose-fitting jeans was more like a temple needing to be worshiped.

  Her breath had gotten stuck in her throat when she’d touched his arm, feeling his thick muscles twitch.

  When he’d rode off down the street on his Harley, she’d clutched her chest and let out an audible sigh that didn’t go unnoticed by her son or Elle.

  She pushed the vision from her head and waved to her son as he pumped his chubby, little legs back and forth on the swing, reminding herself that a man, no matter how attractive or sweet, wouldn’t solve her problems. If anything, a man would make them worse.

  Elle pushed Rusty on the swing, all the while talking to him, and he smiled like he hadn’t a care in the world, as it should be for a three-year-old.

  She was going to have to split whatever Jax paid her with Elle because she did more work playing with Rusty, than Scarlet had taking care of Elle. Of course, Elle was quite mature for a ten-year-old and smart, too. She’d rattled off all sorts of information during lunch about the area and its wildlife.

  “Watch, Mommy!” Rusty jumped off the swing while Elle did her best to make sure he didn’t fall.

  “That’s great!” She clapped enthusiastically, fighting the tears that came with loving a child. She needed to do better by him. “Elle is teaching you a lot of things today.”

  “I love Elle! She’s so much fun.” Rusty ran to the slide, Elle tagging along right behind him. A dozen or so other children ran around the park, or hung from the jungle gym, and a couple had settled into the sandbox. A group of women, who could be mothers or nannies, gathered under a big tree, chatting, occasionally looking in her direction. A few of them had said hello to Elle but didn’t bother with more than a nod to Scarlet.

  That was fine by her. She had a job to find. No way would she stay at her aunt’s house for more than a month. It had been hard enough to tell her she’d been evicted from her trailer and that Rusty’s deadbeat father, Daniel, had taken off and hadn’t paid child support in over six months. Without that money, she couldn’t afford daycare and her rent, let alone make sure Rusty was properly fed.

  Shame heated her cheeks. Her father would have been so disappointed in how her life had turned out. Pushing the negative thoughts away, she focused her attention on her iPad and finding a job. She immediately scanned the secretarial section. She stayed away from any listing regarding social work. She’d only had one year of college with the intention of majoring in social services, but that dream died when she could no longer manage working, paying a babysitter, and going to school, especially when Daniel didn’t do his share when it came to Rusty.

  Glancing over her tablet, she eyed Elle and Rusty, now settling into the sandbox with a little girl that looked about Rusty’s age, and who seemed to know Elle. Scarlet had to give props to Elle for being so attentive with Rusty when there were a couple other girls at the park, her age, who had bugged her to go play with them a few times. Scarlet offered Elle every opportunity to dump Rusty back to her, but Elle said she’d prefer to play with him.

  A tall, slender woman with long, blond hair, pushing a high-end baby stroller, handed the little girl in the sandbox a couple of buckets and shovels, telling her to make sure she shared with the other children. This woman wore a pair of red Bermuda shorts and a white short-sleeved shirt that appeared to be designer. Not that Scarlet had any contact with expensive clothing, but this lady’s outfit looked pricey.

  Glancing around, she noted that most everyone in the park dressed better than she had with her jean shorts that had to be a good five years old since she remembered wearing them during her senior year of high school. Her shirt she’d bought in a second-hand store when she’d been shopping for new-used clothes for Rusty. One day, hopefully soon, she’d be able to spend a few extra dollars and get something special for him. Something brand new, meant just for him, no one else. Every little boy deserved at least one thing like that.

  Scarlet went back to the four jobs that looked appealing, but she hadn’t the qualifications for any of them, even though she knew without a doubt, she’d be able to perform them as well as anyone else. She understood computers and knew how to use all the major software programs, and what she didn’t know, she’d be able to pick up quickly. All she had to do was get one of these people to take a chance on her, and she’d prove they’d made the right decision.

  “Hello.” The graceful woman from the sandbox made her way across the park, and the stroller bumped uneasily over the grass. “I’m Claire.”

  “Nice to meet you. I’m Scarlet.” She pushed to the side of the bench, making some room. She didn’t feel like being social, but her father and grandmother, rest their souls, taught her to be polite and kind. No reason to hog the seating.

  Claire looked to be about thirty, at best guess. A few wrinkles had started to develop around her eyes, but other than that, her skin looked radiant with the way the sun hit her face. “I don’t mean to be rude, but my son doesn’t always share well, and I’m not sure the young lady—”

  “Elle is perfectly capable of taking care of both children while we watch from a safe distance, despite what her father says.” Claire lifted the flap of the stroller where a plump baby, of maybe a year old, slept peacefully.

  “You know Jax?”

  “My husband is in the Air Force and a fireman with Jax.”

  “Oh, you’re the Claire he gave me contact information for,” Scarlet said, biting back a smile. His overprotective ways warmed her heart.

  “Yep, and the idiot asked me to come check on you.” Claire shook her head. “Jax is a great guy and an even better father, but he’s the biggest worry wort I’ve ever met for a macho fireman.”

  That might be true, but she was a perfect stranger to Jax and his daughter. Lots of parents these days used nanny cams and other devices to make sure their children were getting the best possible care. It really didn’t matter that her Aunt Mauve had been Elle’s nanny since Elle had been eight weeks old and loved that child as if she were her own. Mauve would never put Elle in danger intentionally, and that included making a recommendation for a replacement while she had to be away, but she could understand Jax’s reservations.

  “I’ve texted him with my every move,” Scarlet said, glancing at the sandbox, her heart swelling at the vision of her son playing nice. He was a good boy, but being an only child, he often struggled with sharing, something she understood well.

  “He wanted me to just watch you, but no way would I do that, plus my daughter would have run to Elle, and I didn’t want to put her or Elle in a tough situation, so I thought I’d just come introduce myself.”

  “Thanks,” Scarlet said, tucking her iPad in her purse. She’d have time to send in her resumes, after she proofed them one last time, this evening. “Do you live around here?” God, she hoped so. She’d feel bad if Claire had to drive any distance with two small children just to spy on her.

 
“We live in Indian Harbor Beach, just a few miles south of here.”

  “Nice area.” Scarlet had driven through the neighborhood, admiring the larger homes with their fancy landscaping and perfectly lined palm trees. The homes weren’t overtly pretentious, but they were expensive compared to where Jax lived, which was a good neighborhood, with nice people, but the cost of housing substantially less.

  Her aunt had been trying to get her to move to the area for a year, telling her to stop trying to force her ex to have a decent relationship with their son. Part of Scarlet wanted her son to have the family she hadn’t, with two parents who worked together to raise their children. The other part knew Daniel would never step up to the plate and be a real father.

  “We like it there. It’s close to work for Hunter, and I have a home office over the garage.” Claire spoke with a certain grace to her voice. The way she pronounced each syllable gave way to not only style, but intelligence, and not in a way that put anyone off.

  “What do you do? If you don’t mind me asking.” Scarlet craved adult conversation more than she realized. For the last few months, she’d worked double shifts and what few hours of free time she had, she’d spent every second with her son. Her throat closed with guilt. The majority of her life, she’d lived with her dad, only visiting her mother occasionally, who was now on husband number seven.

  “I run a private foundation and a charity to help battered women and children find safe places. We focus on education and helping them get on their feet so they don’t go back to their abusers.”

  “Wow. That sounds amazing and stressful.” Scarlet had volunteered at a shelter when she’d been in high school as part of her service project. All she ever wanted to do was help people, only she never could manage to help herself. One bad decision after the other left her alone and broke. She literally had a hundred dollars to her name.

  “It’s both, but I’ve got an amazing team.”

  An alien ringtone echoed from inside Claire’s purse, and she jumped. “Oh my God. I hate that sound. My husband is constantly changing my ringer, thinking it’s just hilarious.” She dug into her bag and pulled out a cell. “I’m sorry, I’ve got to take this.” Claire stood, taking a few steps away from the bench.

  Scarlet’s gaze went between her son and the little boy stretching in the stroller. Life here seemed so much easier. Peaceful. Something she hadn’t felt since before her father died. Since that day, her life was a constant, uphill battle where just as she was about to climb to the top, something shoved her down, sending her rolling out of control.

  “Sorry about that. One of the hazards of being the boss is I never really get a day off,” Claire said, tossing her phone into the bag before bending over and resting her hand on the baby’s tummy. “This little fellow sleeps more than Annabelle has in her entire life.”

  “How old is he?”

  “He will be a year next week. We’re having a birthday party. You should come and bring your son. Looks like he and Annabelle have hit it off.” Claire pointed across the park to where Annabelle had wrapped her arms around Rusty.

  “I’m shocked he hasn’t pushed her away.” Scarlet watched in amazement as Rusty hugged the cute little girl with curly, blond locks like her mother.

  “I wish we could stay longer and let the kids play, but I’ve got to get back to my office. My assistant is moving in a couple of weeks, and I haven’t found a replacement yet, so I need to meet with a couple potential applicants.”

  Scarlet sat up straighter. Her heartbeat increased over the idea she’d even ask this stranger for an opportunity to interview for the job. “What does your assistant do, exactly?”

  “There is a lot of office work, but also helping me create new programs, assessing current ones, and making recommendations to improve them.” Claire tilted her head. “Are you looking for a job?”

  “I am,” Scarlet admitted with butterflies in her stomach. “This is obviously temporary until my aunt returns.”

  Claire held out a small business card. “Send me your resume, but focus on any volunteer work you might have done. Also, include any education/course work you’ve had. I’m not looking for someone with a degree necessarily but knowing what you’ve taken helps me see your interests. My assistant would spend a fair amount of time with me visiting shelters, talking with the very people I’m trying to help. And on the flip side of that we also do various charity events seeking financial support of our programs.”

  This had to be too good to be true. Scarlet swallowed. “I’ll get it to you by morning.”

  “Great. I’ll look it over and set up an interview. I can’t promise anything.”

  “I know, but I appreciate the opportunity.”

  “My pleasure.” Claire stepped behind the stroller. “I’m glad I came out here today. I look forward to reading your resume, and I hope to see you at my son’s birthday party this weekend. I’ll send you the information regarding the position when I get your resume. Or just get it from Jax.”

  “I wouldn’t want to impose.” Scarlet rose, collecting her things and walked with Claire back to the sandbox. She wanted friends, and friends for her son, but she didn’t think it would be smart to become too friendly with a potential boss.

  “You’re not.” Claire scooped up Annabelle, who protested wildly, wanting to stay and play longer. “I’m going to insist you come.”

  Rusty joined right in, standing up and dancing in circles, flapping his little arms.

  “Someone is tired,” Scarlet said.

  “Mommy!” Rusty wailed.

  She bent down, holding her son by the shoulders. “I see you met a new friend.”

  “Yes, and I want to play more,” Rusty said, wiping his tired eyes.

  “How about we set up a play date?” Claire said, holding Annabelle, while the child squirmed. “Would you like that?”

  “Yesssssss!” Annabelle waved.

  “When you come to the interview, bring him. I have a babysitter for when I’m working, so they can play. No problem,” Claire said.

  “I’m babysitting Elle all this week, except Wednesday.”

  “Oh, goodie. A day at Uncle Hunter’s house,” Elle said, kneeling next to Rusty. “He’s got a pool!”

  “Elle, you just gave me a great idea,” Claire said, tucking Annabelle into the stroller. “I know the team has a day off in two days before doing an overnight rotation. I think you, your dad, and Scarlet and Rusty should come over for dinner.”

  “Oh no. Really. That would be too much.” Scarlet could deal with bringing her son on an interview where a babysitter was provided, but no way would she do dinner and a birthday party. Hell, she wasn’t going to do either and not just because she wanted to keep Claire at a safe distance just in case she got the job, but she wouldn’t last five minutes in the same room with Jax and not act like a teenage groupie.

  “It will be fun. Let’s say we all meet at my house around two, and we’ll do hamburgers and hot dogs on the grill around five.”

  “I really—”

  “I’m not going to take no for an answer.” Claire waved her hand in the air dismissively, before pushing the stroller. “I have a good feeling about you, Scarlet.”

  “Looks like you’re going to dinner,” Elle said, taking her hand. “Uncle Hunter says Aunt Claire is a force and whatever she wants, she gets.”

  “I bet your uncle is dead right on that one.” Scarlet kissed Rusty on the forehead as he nuzzled his face in her neck, breathing deeply, moments away from a long overdue nap. While he napped, she’d make something for supper and find the perfect excuse not to go to Claire’s, but after she had the interview… no, that would be rude.

  Damn, she was going to dinner.

  Chapter 3

  Jax snagged the beer that Hunter offered and took a healthy swig while he watched his daughter do a flip off the diving board, biting his tongue when he wanted to tell her to be careful. Everyone kept telling him he needed to lighten up when it came to Elle. While
he knew they were all correct, it was impossible when you were both the mother and father.

  Rusty and Annabelle sat in the round plastic kiddy pool, pouring water over his knees and laughing. Rusty certainly wasn’t a shy kid, but he did tend to be reserved around men. It had broken Jax’s heart when he’d returned from work the first day, and Rusty had said, “You came back and you’re keeping your promise.” The second day, when Jax left for work, Rusty got a little teary-eyed and again was surprised he’d come back. Elle told him that Rusty asked her if he came home every day.

  That poor boy. To have a father who popped in and out whenever he felt like it, but didn’t care enough to be a real dad was something Jax couldn’t comprehend. It pained him every day that Eleanor had. She’d only been nineteen and had her entire life ahead of her. Jax might not have loved her, but he knew he’d been the same kind of father he was now. The only difference would be he’d be sharing time with Elle’s mother.

  “Kisses, Daddy!” Annabelle stood up in the pool, opening and closing her fingers.

  Hunter bent over and gave her a big kiss. “Hey Elle, mind coming over and watching these two crazy love birds while I talk to Jax?”

  “Not at all.” Elle climbed out of the pool, wrapping a towel around her waist, which Jax noticed was starting to change. On the way over, Elle had mentioned that one of her friends had gotten her first training bra, and she was thinking she needed one, too. Jax nearly died right there.

  He stood, Rusty holding onto his calf, looking up at him with sad, blue eyes. “You want a kiss, too?”

  The little boy nodded.

  How could Jax refuse? He scooped him up, planting a loud raspberry kiss on his cheek like he used to do when his daughter had been that age. Rusty squirmed and giggled, kicking his little legs. If Jax ever met the boy’s father, he’d punch him before he got the chance to say hello.

  “Be a good boy for Elle.”

  “I will!”

  He set Rusty down and followed Hunter to a table near the deep end of the pool. It always amazed Jax how rich Hunter and his wife were, yet, for the most part, they lived a modest life. They could have a ten-million-dollar home, but instead, they lived in a middle-class neighborhood, drove middle class cars, and both worked. The only real difference, besides their net worth, was they put their money where it counted: helping people who didn’t have the same luxuries. And Claire actually made a difference in the world.