Chapter 93
1 knew the perpaution
in the leg of what was happening during the meetings. He had also reported back that She hadn’t broken denen once. The fut got a determined hen the questions got harder and more personal. But I knew she must be when we talked on the phone. I credit bew the tiredness in her voice and how the seemed less of herself each day. That’s who I decided to surprise her traday with my pathetic excuse for a home cooked demer. I had managed to make hamburgers and fries, I had not expected Hana in barst mit crying Neither had I expected the profession she was giving me on hêne the was feeling I was formen that she en forced to feel like that.
“Hans, there is nothing ugly about you: Not yet rettide and definitely not your inside,” I told her and made her look at me. The tram minning down her face broke my fucking heart. As I tried to wipe them away, she shook her head.
The
about me. About things that happened when I was promper.
“know you sweetness. I don’t need to know every single thing that happened in your past. I kerne abus y
are a good perum. You have a beg heart, you are kwal and when you add someone to senu group of people, yeni take care of them. Was are a brilliant human being and my life in better each momen
as 1 picked her up and took her into the bathennes. I made sure the water seat hot while the undressed. I knew she liked her thomers scolding, but I needed to be able to join her. So I art the best to post under Lers. I took off my own clother as the gut into the shower. I not in behind her and wrapped my arms mound her waist. “Petter?” Lasked:
“Yes, thank you” she told me as she stood with her free formed into the water. I kissed her shoulder
“A couple of years before I left the marines, my und was stationed somewhere. One day onders came in that said a terrorist cell had been identified in a village How to where we were based. Our orders were to clear out every adult in the settlement. There was no way to know who was a terrorist and who were civilium and according to intel, they were part of planning a strike against civilian targets back home. We had been in the settlement before, as part of us building relationships with the local population. We know there were good people there. But orders are orders. My unit went in during the night and when dawn henke, there wasn’t an adult person left alive. We left behind a village of children and young teenagers to fend for themselves. We sent investigators to the village after it had been cleared. From the report, it was three of the people in that settlement that had formed the cell. The rest of them were ordinary people, trying to survive and raise their
milies. It wasn’t the only mission of its kind. I have the blood of innocent people on my hands, Hana. To protect the many, we sacrifice the few. It was one of the reasons why, when we retired from official duty, Jason and I started our company. Now we are in charge of who we help We don’t have to take on missions that we don’t agree with. That doesn’t mean my past doesn’t haunt me. I still see faces of people I have killed in my dreams. We all do. I don’t talk about it, because part of me hasn’t forgiven myself for the things I have done and I don’t want prople to see that part of me. I don’t want you to see that part of me and look at me in that light,” I told her. Hana shifted in my arms until she was facing me. Her face held sorrow, but also so much compassion and love that it took my breath away.
“I see you Hunter. I see who you are and 1 humbled and overwhelmed me.
I don’t blame you for your past. You had orders, you had to follow them,” she said. Her acceptance of my darker sides
“We do things to survive that we aren’t always proud of. And a lot of the time we have to choose between doing them or perish. I don’t judge you for your past, Hana. You are a survivor and I’m grateful for it. It let’s me be with you now.”
“Thank you, Hunter. I needed to hear that. I’m still ashamed of it, but I feel better about it,” Hana said and wrapped her arms around me so we were both holding on to each other.
“Would it make you feel better if I promise not to be there when you testify?” I asked. She sighed.
*No. Everyone else will know. I don’t want you to be the only one who doesn’t know. And I will feel better if you are there,” she told me.
“Then I will be there,” I promised her. “Do you feel better? Do you think you are ready to
to eat?”
“Oh, dinner. I have ruined it. And you have been cooking for me,” she said, looking up at me. I chuckled.
“It’s just burgers. The fries may
by be a little cold, but I think it will be okay. You are more important, I told her and placed a kiss on her wet hair
“Can you stay?” she asked as we got dressed.
“You try to get me to leave and I will show you how stubborn I really am,” I sa
said.
“I don’t have any desire to test that tonight. I want to eat and then spend the rest of the evening with you.”
get bebind that,” I said as I plated our food while Hana fixed Cuddles dinner. Cuddles came walking, loudly telling us dinner was late and he had been starving. He walked between Hana and myself, rubbing against our legs and talking to us. I bent down and scratched his head. “Don’t go tripping me as I put food on the table.” I told him and gently nudged him towards Han
“Here, Cuddles. I have your dinner,” she called and walked over to
er to the place the had set up for his food and water. The cat happily trotted along and dived into the bowl of food. Both Hana and I chuckled as we sat down with our own food. I could see Ilana relaxing through the dinner. By the end, I coaxed a genuine laugher from her and it eased the worry in me. I put Hina on the couch with a mug of tea while I cleaned up, and then I joined her. She had cuddled up under the lilac, fluffy blanket I had got her and that was now one of her favourites. Cuddles was curled up on her lap, lazily purring. He opened one eye to look at me as I took my
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Chapter 93
place next to her and made her lean against me. We watched a cooking competition in silence. It didn’t take long before I felt Hana relax into me and I looked down to see she had fallen asleep. I took the mug from her hands, but remained seated on the couch. We were all comfortable and I saw no reason to more. I needed to talk to Seymour, we needed to discuss if there was a way to make this easier for Hana. I hated the stress all this was putting her through. This had all started because we wanted to protect his. Now it just seemed like we put her through hell I couldn’t imagine sitting through hours of someone digging into my past, asking questions about things I wanted to forget, poking at old wounds. She was so much stronger than she thought she was. I picked up Cuddles and he objected.
“You can walk to bed on your own little paws,” I told him as I put him on the ground. I saw him getting ready to jump up again and reached down, turned him around and gave his ass a little pat. “OIT you go. We are right behind you.” The lock he gave me was pure indignation. I stood up and lifted Hana. She cuddled closer. as trattied her into her bedroom. She had put on one of my t shirts after the shower and nothing else. I put her under the covers and stripped down to my boxers
me joining her. As I pulled her into my arms and she found her spot, I made a promise to myself to do a better job at protecting her.
