MILITARY ROMANCE: The War Within Himself (Alpha Bad Boy Marine Army Seal) (Contemporary Military Suspense & Thriller Romance) by Claire Branson Page B
Authors: Claire Branson
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say that his ghost never made it home, but the ghosts of his family, buried in the graveyard out back, didn't have the same problem."
Clearly, someone else should have written the script.
Over their heads, there was a crash. Lily jumped so sharply that she almost fumbled the camera. Three pairs of startled eyes turned upward.
"If you can hear that," her uncle whispered urgently, "there appears to have been some sound upstairs. We'll go that way."
He turned around, gesturing Lily to follow, and started back out into the main room where there was a set of stairs along the wall with a curving banister of black wood, leading up to the second floor. Lily supposed she was at least grateful that the stairs were in decent shape and she didn't have to worry about falling through any weak spots. She was following her uncle and Fred up toward the second floor landing when something tapped her on the shoulder.
Startled, she spun around, staring into the dim grey room, but there was nothing behind her. Her heart hammered against her ribs in a way that made her wish she hadn't come on this expedition. What if she had been wrong? What if there really was something in the old house? She turned again to hurry after her uncle and Fred, but they were already nearly at the top of the stairs, and as she raised her foot to follow again, there was another tap, this time against the small of her back.
Lily was sure she made some kind of noise, a high-pitched little gasp, as she turned. She didn't carry a flashlight, not with the camera. She had been using night vision at her uncle's request, and she looked down at the display, but there was nothing out of the ordinary, only the room below with its neatly covered furniture.
When she looked back up the stairs, her uncle and Fred were gone, and she took a deep breath to try and calm the way her hands were trembling. How had they not noticed she was left behind? She took the stairs two at a time, hoping the sound of her feet on the wood would alert them that she was following, that they needed to wait for her. But when she reached the top of the stairs, she couldn't see them down either hall, couldn't even hear her uncle's constant narrating murmur. She turned to the left, walking slowly down the narrow passage. All of the doors were closed. It looked as though the hall ran the length of the house, and at the end there was a window and another turn. Maybe it ran all around the top floor.
Lily followed the hall as it curved, and she found herself looking down the length of it toward a large door of unpainted oak.
The sound of feet suddenly running behind her made her spin around, but there was nothing to see, even when—breathing fast and trying to keep it silent so that if there was anything there it couldn't hear her—she looked carefully around the corner. She saw light jump against one of the walls, and moved to follow, certain the sound of running feet had been her uncle and Fred, but, abruptly, found her way blocked.
Chapter Two
"What are you doing here?"
Lily took a step back, fumbling for the light on the top of her camera and never mind the night vision. She had almost thought for an instant that she would find a security guard, but when she turned the light toward the floor just enough to keep from blinding him, she found herself looking up at a tall, dark-haired man with the bluest eyes she had ever seen, dressed in a button up rolled to his elbows, and a pair of black slacks.
"I... God. I'm sorry. Is this your house? We didn't know anyone lived here. The door was unlocked. It wasn't really my idea. My uncle—" She realized she was babbling and shut her mouth, taking a step back.
"This is, in fact, my house," the man's smooth voice said from above her. "You should not have trespassed."
Lily's heart, she was quite sure, dropped directly into her stomach. She hated upsetting people. Hated feeling like she'd done something wrong. In the dark, she felt her cheeks flush
Clearly, someone else should have written the script.
Over their heads, there was a crash. Lily jumped so sharply that she almost fumbled the camera. Three pairs of startled eyes turned upward.
"If you can hear that," her uncle whispered urgently, "there appears to have been some sound upstairs. We'll go that way."
He turned around, gesturing Lily to follow, and started back out into the main room where there was a set of stairs along the wall with a curving banister of black wood, leading up to the second floor. Lily supposed she was at least grateful that the stairs were in decent shape and she didn't have to worry about falling through any weak spots. She was following her uncle and Fred up toward the second floor landing when something tapped her on the shoulder.
Startled, she spun around, staring into the dim grey room, but there was nothing behind her. Her heart hammered against her ribs in a way that made her wish she hadn't come on this expedition. What if she had been wrong? What if there really was something in the old house? She turned again to hurry after her uncle and Fred, but they were already nearly at the top of the stairs, and as she raised her foot to follow again, there was another tap, this time against the small of her back.
Lily was sure she made some kind of noise, a high-pitched little gasp, as she turned. She didn't carry a flashlight, not with the camera. She had been using night vision at her uncle's request, and she looked down at the display, but there was nothing out of the ordinary, only the room below with its neatly covered furniture.
When she looked back up the stairs, her uncle and Fred were gone, and she took a deep breath to try and calm the way her hands were trembling. How had they not noticed she was left behind? She took the stairs two at a time, hoping the sound of her feet on the wood would alert them that she was following, that they needed to wait for her. But when she reached the top of the stairs, she couldn't see them down either hall, couldn't even hear her uncle's constant narrating murmur. She turned to the left, walking slowly down the narrow passage. All of the doors were closed. It looked as though the hall ran the length of the house, and at the end there was a window and another turn. Maybe it ran all around the top floor.
Lily followed the hall as it curved, and she found herself looking down the length of it toward a large door of unpainted oak.
The sound of feet suddenly running behind her made her spin around, but there was nothing to see, even when—breathing fast and trying to keep it silent so that if there was anything there it couldn't hear her—she looked carefully around the corner. She saw light jump against one of the walls, and moved to follow, certain the sound of running feet had been her uncle and Fred, but, abruptly, found her way blocked.
Chapter Two
"What are you doing here?"
Lily took a step back, fumbling for the light on the top of her camera and never mind the night vision. She had almost thought for an instant that she would find a security guard, but when she turned the light toward the floor just enough to keep from blinding him, she found herself looking up at a tall, dark-haired man with the bluest eyes she had ever seen, dressed in a button up rolled to his elbows, and a pair of black slacks.
"I... God. I'm sorry. Is this your house? We didn't know anyone lived here. The door was unlocked. It wasn't really my idea. My uncle—" She realized she was babbling and shut her mouth, taking a step back.
"This is, in fact, my house," the man's smooth voice said from above her. "You should not have trespassed."
Lily's heart, she was quite sure, dropped directly into her stomach. She hated upsetting people. Hated feeling like she'd done something wrong. In the dark, she felt her cheeks flush
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