Rescuing Emily (Delta Force Heroes Book 2) by Susan Stoker Read Free Book Online

know.”
    Fletch nodded in agreement. “Yeah, keeping secrets from Mommy isn’t a good thing.” He looked up at Emily. “The phone code. Each number on a phone has certain letters assigned to it. For example, the number two has A, B and C. The number three has D, E and F, and so on.”
    Annie picked up where Fletch left off. “Yeah, and four is G, H, and I. So the number to his code two-six-four-three-seven can spell lots of things, but one thing it spells is Anie’s…with one N instead of two.”
    Emily looked down at her daughter, dumbfounded. Jesus, she had to look into getting her into a gifted school.
    Fletch ruffled Annie’s hair as he stood up. “You’re one smart cookie.”
    “I know,” Annie told him, smiling.
    “Seriously, I said it before,” Fletch told Emily, “but please don’t hesitate to come over if you want to watch a movie or something. You can put my mail on the counter in the kitchen. I don’t think you’ll forget the code now , will you?”
    “No, I don’t think I will,” Emily agreed, still a little shell-shocked after hearing proof of how smart her daughter really was.
    “Good. I’ll let you keep that key for whenever you might need it. Come on, I’ll walk you back to your place.”
    “We’ll be fine, it’s just across the yard.”
    “I’ll walk you back.”
    Annie took Fletch’s hand and pulled him toward the door. “Hurry up, Mommy, I wanna get back and look at my toys!”
    They walked back across the yard and up the stairs to the small apartment over the garage. Emily unlocked the door and Annie tore inside, not bothering to say goodbye to Fletch, too excited to get back to her new toys.
    It didn’t escape Fletch’s notice that Annie said she wanted to get back to her room to look at her toys, not play with them. He didn’t think it was a mix-up in words. He’d learned over the last few weeks that Annie said what she meant most of the time.
    “Thanks for the gift again, she loves them,” Emily told Fletch.
    “You’re welcome.”
    “How long are you going to be gone? Soldiers get deployed for months at a time, don’t they?” she asked.
    “Yeah, but I’m in a special group, not with a platoon or unit. I can’t really talk much about it, sorry. I’m not sure how long we’ll be gone this time. Our missions sometimes last one day, or they can be long-term, up to a year, but I’m pretty sure this one will be short, hopefully around a week.”
    Emily gaped at him. “A year? Really?”
    “Yup, although they’ve never been that long in the past.”
    “Oh. Okay.”
    “You’ll be okay here?”
    “Yeah, we’re great. The apartment is perfect for us. I love it.”
    “Good. I appreciate you keeping your eye on things while I’m gone.”
    “Who’s looked after it in the past?”
    “I’ve had some friends from work stop in every now and then,” Fletch told her.
    “Ah. Okay, well, I’m happy to get your mail and make sure all is good for you.”
    “Thanks. I guess I’ll see you when I get back.”
    “Yeah, sounds good.”
    “Take care of yourself and Annie while I’m gone.”
    The words were surprising, but they made her feel good. “I will. Don’t worry about us, we’ll be fine. You be safe. Okay?”
    “I will, thanks. See you soon.”
    “See ya.” Emily closed the door behind Fletch and leaned against it. How the hell she’d be able to keep her hands off of him in the future was beyond her. He was beautiful. But as much as she’d hoped he might make a move, he was apparently immune to her. She was way out of practice in flirting. She loved Annie with all her heart, but the little girl wasn’t a very good wingman.
    Oh well. Maybe when Fletch got back from his mission, she’d see if she could turn on the charm. It probably wasn’t very smart and she might make a fool out of herself, but Fletch was so damn sexy and it had been way too long since she’d even been attracted to a man. In the meantime, she’d continue to dream about