Hard Man to Kill (Dark Horse Guardian Series Book 4) Read Free

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    Most women would be crying.  Lara would save that for when Ben returned, if he returned. Every time he left, she felt if she was holding her breath.  Christmas had been so beautiful with Ben there, sharing the moments with William.  She was preparing to drive William to the airport tomorrow.  She packed Ben’s Navy SEAL trident carefully and shipped it special delivery to Will’s address in Canada.  Most likely the TSA would confiscate an object like that as Will passed through security at the airport, and she knew it would break his heart.  
    William seemed unaffected by Ben’s abrupt departure.  Resilience .  It was something that she imagined had been passed down genetically to William from Ben, a spirit of acceptance and determination to forge ahead.  This would be Will’s last night at Clearwater Farm and she wanted it to be special for her step-son. 
    Lara glanced at William.  “Hey, I’m making some cocoa.  Do you want some?”
    “Sure.  Can I have marshmallows in mine?” William smiled.
    “Of course. Do you want to watch a movie tonight?”
    “I wanted to play A Sense of Duty , you know, my computer game.  Would you like to play, too?”   “My friends will be on in an hour.”
    She was surprised he invited her into his private domain with his closest school chums.
    “Yes, I’d like to try it, at least.  I might not be very good.” Lara chuckled.
    “No, you’d be great.” William sounded sure of himself. “Dad said you shoot guns at the range and you’re a good shot.” 
    Lara rolled her eyes.  “Really, he said that?”  I wonder how often they talk about me. Huh.
    The two of them drank cocoa and watched America’s Funniest Videos , something that she often watched with Ben.  Their belly-laughs filled the living room for an hour. 
    William turned to her.  “Meet me upstairs in my bedroom.  It’s time.  My friends will all be on-line to play A Sense of Duty.” 
    “Okay,” Lara answered as she cleaned up the kitchen.  She never imagined she’d be playing a war game with a ten-year old on Christmas night, but she wanted to sneak a peek into William’s world. His bedroom was dimly lit when she entered, and he handed her a headset with built-in goggles.  William was in his pajamas and speaking into a small microphone. 
    “OK, guys.  This is my step-mother, Lara.  She might surprise you.”  William spoke with certainty.  Lara was amazed that he thought so highly of her skills.  She suddenly hoped she would not disappoint him. 
    Once she slipped the 3D goggles on, the game began in earnest with her being introduced as Slapshot.  She got a quick tour of the controller and began to select her weaponry.  The realism of the game was mind-boggling.  As she went through the most basic kill scenes, she imagined this was exactly what Ben encountered in real combat during his tours in Iraq and Afghanistan.  How anyone could do this for a more than a decade was beyond her comprehension.
    Meanwhile, William was talking to his friends who all had nicknames, like Blade and Juice, and a few others she didn't want to acknowledge.  They were instantly planning the strategy and tactics of a mission, and the game had many directions in which it could go.  After two hours of explosions, rifle blasts, grenades being launched, and futuristic weaponry, Lara tapped out.  Her character had been killed five times before she even figured out how to maneuver the controller. 
    William nodded to her as she left his room, but he was teeing up for a battle level far beyond what she had just experienced.  As she padded barefoot back down to the living room, she sat by the woodstove and gazed out at the ocean, wondering where Ben was at that very moment.  He was airborne, that much she knew.  And, just through being observant she knew this mission was huge.  She knew everything Ben did was top secret, but this time she had a sinking feeling he may have taken on more than he