She Loves Me, She Loves Me Not (The American Soldier Collection 8)

“I’m sorry, but only one of you can fit in here,” the paramedic stated.

“Seno, you go in the ambulance. Stay with her, and we’ll meet you there,” Justice told Seno. He nodded his head and got into the back of the ambulance with Ellie.

“Is it over, Justice? Is she safe now?” Hunter asked.

“Unc is dead. Sentinel, if he lives, is going away for a long time, and Paul can’t ever hurt her again.”

“Paul was in there?” Hunter asked.

“Unc killed Paul. I guess he kept his body around to show Ellie.”

“Jesus, she’s going to need us. All of us,” Mace stated.

“And we need her. Let’s go be with the woman we love,” Justice said and smiled.

Chapter 14

Ellie opened her eyes to find Seno staring at her.

The last few days lying in bed trying to recover from everything had been a blur. Riding in the ambulance, seeing the tears in Seno’s eyes, and knowing that he felt to blame for her abduction tore at her heart. Looking at him now, bloodshot eyes, a dark expression and lost look, she knew she needed to set the record straight. She had overheard Hunter and Justice talking about Seno wanting to write his resignation. He felt that he failed at his job and he failed her.

Hunter was asleep behind her, and she didn’t know where Justice and Mace were. But she knew not far. They hadn’t left her side.

“Okay, Seno, you need to get your shit together.”

His eyes widened and he sat up on the side of the bed. “What do you mean?”

She sat up, being sure not to disturb Hunter, but knowing her men were retired soldiers, they all seemed like light sleepers. There wasn’t much anyone could push past them.

She lifted the cast on her arm and rested it on her leg.

“I hope you weren’t foolish enough to hand in your resignation and quit because of Unc?”

He turned to look at her. Well, more like glare at her. None of them liked mentioning Unc’s name. Well, she didn’t either, but this needed to be said.

“I should have recognized the signs. I should have noticed his personality that night in Ray Ray’s. I ignored a gut instinct, Ellie. I’m a criminal analyst.”

“Right. So in thirty minutes of meeting Unc, while we drank wine and joked around, you were supposed to look at him as a criminal? Sure, that makes total sense,” she stated sarcastically.

He stood up and turned toward her, raising his voice. “You don’t get it. I should have followed my gut and said no when he called to take you to lunch. I didn’t like it. I didn’t want him to. I knew something was wrong.”

She stood up, wearing only an olive-green, marine T-shirt of Hunter’s.

“You didn’t want him to because yo

u were jealous and being protective of what’s yours. Listen, Seno, we all can go back and take a look at a lot of things we missed in many situations in our life. Hell, I knew the man for so many years and never once did the whole ‘creepy guy’ vibe go off. I trusted him with my life. Do you get that? He killed my uncle Brian. I had no idea. I never in a million years would have believed that, but it’s true, and Unc told me. We mourned my uncle together. Unc was there for me after Paul assaulted me. Even months later, after counseling and everything, I still never got any vibe from him. That’s not because I was naive, or blind, it was because Unc was that good at living a double life and deceiving all of us. You’re not the first criminal analyst by profession to not recognize the signs of a criminal in your personal life. So get over it, and stop blaming yourself. I don’t blame you. Your brothers don’t blame you. So cut the shit, tear up the letter of resignation, and start focusing on this relationship and how much I love you and need you in my life.”

He stomped toward her, pulled her into his arms, and immediately covered her bare ass with his palms. Squeezing them, she stood up on tiptoes and held his gaze.

“You sure you forgive me?”

“There’s nothing to forgive, Seno. Now, take me to bed and make love to me. For some reason fighting with you guys makes me horny.”

She heard the chuckles behind her as Seno lifted her up and brought her to the bed, laying her down on the edge.

As he parted her thighs with his palms and began to kiss her inner thighs, she looked back toward Hunter.

“Don’t look so smug. You’re next,” she teased, and Seno licked between her pussy lips, making her gasp.