“And Cayenne?”
“You met her. She was raised in a tiny cell. Never had a family, raised only on rations. Used only to train in situations of life or death. She wasn’t treated very well ever by anyone. Trap was the one who got her out, got her clear. She came back and helped Wyatt and Pepper get the little girls clear, but none of us knew if it was because she felt bad for the girls or if she was repaying Trap. Then she disappeared. Rumors started about a thief robbing some bad people of money on their way home from the bars. They never could remember much. Trap became convinced it was Cayenne. He was right.”
“How terrible for her. She must have been so frightened.”
“I guess she was. We were all a little afraid of her. She was lethal, Amaryllis. She knew how to use her silk and her venom, and she didn’t hesitate. She could paralyze and she could kill. Naturally, Nonny felt bad for her. She would have taken in every lame duck in the swamp that needed a home if Wyatt had let her. But it was Trap that found a way to bring Cayenne in.”
“It couldn’t have been easy.”
“No, especially because Trap didn’t trust anyone either. He’s on the autism spectrum and everyone he’d ever loved had been ripped away from him—murdered. Many of his family members by his own father. It has always been easier for him to retreat into his head and just push others away with rude behavior. If someone does act as if they want him, it has always turned out it’s for his money, which he has plenty of. Cayenne had to rely on him for everything, and that in turn made him a better man. He had to learn to adjust, to talk, to give her his best. He made a lot of mistakes in the beginning and he still makes them, but he makes them only once and then he doesn’t again because she’s his entire world.”
“I saw that. It looked like she thought he was her world.”
“She does think he’s her world, that’s for sure,” Ezekiel said. He sighed and stood up, stretching. “This is going to be a very long, hard road, Amaryllis. It won’t be easy for Malichai. I believe this is the one thing he’s always feared.”
“He’s strong. Nonny whispered that to me when we were out in the waiting room. She said he’s strong and that I needed to be as strong or stronger for him. I am and I will be,” she said resolutely. “You don’t have to worry, I’ll stand with him.”
Ezekiel came to the other side of the bed and leaned down to brush his brother’s cheek with his lips and then he cupped the side of Amaryllis’s face. “I know you will. I’m counting on that. We all are.” He turned and walked out of the room.
Amaryllis stared up at the ceiling, grateful her heart wasn’t hooked to the monitor the way Malichai’s was. It would have been beating a million miles an hour, not because she was going to stay with a man whose leg had been amputated, but because she had considered leaving before she’d talked to him and she would have missed her chance to be loved for the rest of her life by an extraordinary human being.
20
I’d sure like to know what kind of hardware you have in that leg, because this is bullshit, Malichai,” Jerry Lannis said, wiping the sweat from his forehead and downing half a bottle of water while he studied Malichai’s face.
Malichai raised an eyebrow. “It’s not my fault you haven’t been training. I run hills every day while you’re kicking back trying to get your woman to rub your back or some such fool thing.”
Jerry spewed water out his nose. “It’s not my fault that your woman kicks your ass if you don’t run. The last time you were lagging behind on time I half expected her to come out onto the road and flog the skin right off your back for being lazy. You’re right, mine does like to pamper me.” He flashed a little grin and wiggled his eyebrows.
“In any case,” Malichai said, “we’ve got another half hour on this run. I’ve got to swim after this. You going with me or backing off for the day?”
Swimming was a chore for Jerry at times. He was still getting used to his new arm prosthesis. He pushed himself in spite of Malichai’s teasing. Malichai knew he went through periods of depression because he would call and Malichai would meet him somewhere to talk. If they weren’t in close vicinity, they’d talk on the phone. They’d made that pact with each other. At Ezekiel’s insistence, Malichai had consulted with a counselor and that counselor had told him to have someone he trusted he could talk to.
There were more than fifteen hundred soldiers who’d lost limbs in Iraq or Afghanistan. Ezekiel wanted his brother to not only have the best physical care but have the best mental health care as well. That meant leaning on those soldiers who had carved this path before him. They’d already suffered depression and knew that downward spiral. Malichai wanted those same advantages for Jerry and he’d reached out to him and his family. The two stayed close through their recoveries.
Malichai usually trained every day with his team or Amaryllis unless Jerry was visiting. He and his family lived near the Washington base, but his wife wanted to relocate the family to a different state once Jerry was out of the military. She felt that seeing his friends continue without him was even more depressing for him. Training with Malichai seemed to boost his spirits, and she wanted him closer.
Malichai was all for that. They’d found a home in New Orleans that they loved, but before they purchased it, Malichai wanted them to experience the humidity and heat. Washington had rain and a different climate altogether. New Orleans had rain and heat. The owners had agreed to rent to them for a couple of months to see how they liked living there before they actually purchased.
“I think I’ll swim with you. I’m trying to get this arm to work for me. My daughter thinks it’s the coolest thing ever. She wants one.”
Malichai laughed. “I’ve found that the children make things seem much simpler and uncomplicated. I like being around them. I thought we could use Trap’s pool.”
Jerry’s face lit up. “Do you think he’d mind?”
“Trap couldn’t care less. We’ll have the lanes, but the kids might be in the shallow pool. They know better than to get into the deep pool, especially if any adult is training, but they’ll watch. Just so you’re warned. They have opinions.”
“I should have brought my kids.”
“I told you to. Amaryllis enjoys visiting with Denise, and your two girls would have fun with the little vi—with Wyatt’s daughters.”
“Why do you call them that? The vipers? I’ve heard you refer to them like that before.”
They jogged up the hill together and along the trail in the swamp. Malichai was grateful the tree branches had closed around them. He couldn’t help looking around. “Never say that out loud. Pepper might hear you. Those three little munchkins bit hard when they were cutting their teeth and we would tease them. Pepper didn’t like it. We still slip up.”
“I’ll be careful,” Jerry agreed as they made their way through the swamp along the path that led to Trap and Cayenne’s home.
The water felt good on Malichai’s skin and he stayed swimming long after Jerry went home. He swam lap after lap. Jerry was right, the hardware in his leg was revved up, the best that could be given to him, so that he could still run and jump with blurring speed. He didn’t have the stealth he’d once had, but he was working on that. His hands were every bit as steady, so he couldn’t complain.