Unconditional Love (Journey of Love #1)(71)
Author: Kelly Elliott

“Lark has a message for you.”

I sucked in a breath of air. “What?”

He took a step closer as he said, “I’d feel more comfortable if we were able to talk to you in private.”

I frantically began looking around.

“We?”

Ralph got out of his car and when I saw Mark getting out too, I let out the breath I was holding.

“What’s going on?” Ralph said as he walked up. The guy standing at my door smiled and said, “It’s a personal matter. I’m going to have to ask you to leave.”

I shook my head and Ralph took another step closer to the guy. “I believe the lady doesn’t know who you are and is not comfortable with you approaching her.”

My phone beeped and I realized it was stuck in my sweats. I pulled it out and saw a text from Lark.

Lark: Baby listen to me. If anyone tells you that I sent them or they work with me, they are lying. Try to get away from them as quickly as possible.

Me: Okay.

Lark: I’ll text you when I get service again.

Me: Okay.

Lark: I hope you read the letter.

Me: I did.

Lark: I meant every word I wrote. I still mean it. I swear to you.

I looked up at everyone staring at me texting. “My mother. She is having some weird pains. I’m sorry, Mr…?”

I waited for him to give me his name.

“I can see now is not a good time to talk to you, Ms. Emerson. I’ll come back tomorrow morning.”

I nodded my head and said, “Fine.”

When he turned and walked away, I thought I was going to fall to the ground. Mark grabbed my arm and led me into the house and I sat down on the sofa.

I could no longer hold back my tears, and I typed my last text to Lark.

Me: I believe you. Someone just stopped by and wouldn’t leave his name but said he had a message from you. Lark, please hurry home. Please be careful.

I sat there for a few seconds and waited. Nothing. A good three minutes went by and still nothing. Ralph shoved a bowl in my face and said, “Here. You ask and I deliver. Now, who in the hell was Mr. Creepy?”

I shook my head as I ate my ice cream. I handed the letter over to Ralph and he read it while Mark sat down next to me and I curled up to his side. He worked out at least three hours a day and looked like a Greek god. I had to say one thing about Ralph; he had great taste in guys. Every guy he had ever been with was built and good-looking.

Ralph looked up at me and smiled. “I knew he still loved you.”

I shook my head. “He wrote that before we broke up. It was the letter we each wrote.”

“The ones you put in the bottles?”

I slowly nodded my head. “He left it here for me tonight before he left.”

Ralph smiled and said, “Dee, he wouldn’t have left this letter if the things he wrote in it were not still true.”

“I know. I think he pushed me away because…” I stopped talking when I realized I couldn’t share with them what Lark did.

“Because of what?”

I shook my head and stood up. “Will y’all stay with me tonight? That guy kind of freaked me out.”

Ralph stood up and said, “I’m one step ahead of you, darling.” He looked over at Mark and asked, “Would you mind getting the bag?”

Mark smiled and said, “Sure.” He stood up and kissed me on top of the head and said, “Don’t worry. Everything is going to work out.”

I nodded and watched him walk out the door. I glanced over to Ralph and said, “I have the strangest feeling something bad is about to happen and I can’t shake it.”

He laughed and said, “Nonsense. Your hunk of a boyfriend, or ex, soon-to-be not ex, is going to come back, give you some much needed nooky and all will be right in the world again.”

I tried to smile but the feeling I had in my stomach wouldn’t go away. It seemed to be getting worse.

I closed my eyes and began slowly falling asleep. I needed to get just a few minutes of sleep. We got here a few hours ago and humped up the side of this damn mountain and I was more mentally exhausted than anything.

After what only seemed like thirty seconds, someone was bumping my foot. I opened my eyes and looked at the Navy SEAL who was signaling movement. I slowly turned and crawled over to the lookout. Jason was already there glassing the location.

When I got up next to him, he signaled that four guys had just arrived and our target was identified as one of the four. I smiled and felt an instant relief wash over my body. Finally we would get this fucker. As long as no one screwed up.

I took the binoculars and spotted Jose Vazquez, Carlito’s brother, and the fucker who tried to kill me once before. I slowly gave the binoculars back to Jason and made my way back over to the SEAL team. Their job was to take out the camp after the main target had been taken out.

“You guys ready?” I whispered.

“Yes sir, we are more than ready. We’ll await your signal.”

I nodded and pointed to two and told them to head over behind a set of trees. The other two I had flank us on the opposite side. No one was to shoot until I took the first shot and gave the signal that the target was down.

We moved into position and waited. I had no idea if they would be in the house for five minutes, or five hours. I bunkered down in my spot as I put my ear buds in and pulled up “Gotta Be Tonight” by Lifehouse. I never did a shot without that song playing.

As I sat there I thought back to two weeks ago when I went to my parents’ beach house and found Azurdee’s letter.

I hung up the phone with my mother and let out a sigh. I wanted to come to the beach house to get away from everything and all it did was make me think of Azurdee. I couldn’t get it out of my mind, the time we spent here.

I walked into the library and smiled when I looked over at the desk. My smiled faded when I remembered the look in her eyes when she walked out of my condo that night. I let out a long breath and made my way over to the books. I slowly started walking as I read the titles. When I saw Pride and Prejudice, Azurdee’s favorite book, I reached for it and pulled it out. I walked over to the chair and sat down as I opened the book. My hands started shaking and I wasn’t sure why. I began reading and quickly got lost in the story. When I opened it up to chapter three, there was a folded piece of paper.

I took it out and began to read it. The first few words and I knew it was Azurdee’s letter to me. She must have made a copy and stuck it in the book. I continued to read as I fought to hold back the tears in my eyes as I read the words she had written down. Words from her heart. When I finished the letter, I folded it up and placed it back where she put it.