Her Fierce SEAL: Midnight Delta Book 6 Read Free Page B

years ago you had to pick me up off the floor when your granddad’s Alzheimer’s knocked me on my ass.  All the while you were hurting as badly as I was.  But you did what you always did, you cared for me, coaxed me into moving out here to be near you and make a new life.  Hell, you dragged us both into counseling.  You were a Godsend.  But I know you have one of the most stressful jobs in the world.”
    “Are you kidding me, Mom?  This is the job I wanted more than anything.  I worked my ass off to become a SEAL.  It was my dream.”
    “I’m not denying that, Finn.  But you’re not going to tell me that some of the things you do aren’t life and death.”  His mother pushed the plate of cookies closer to him.
    “Of course, they are.”  Finn grabbed a cookie, took a bite and a long drink of milk.
    “When you came back two months ago, you weren’t you.  You’ve shut down.”  She got the carton of milk from the fridge to refill his glass, giving them both time to contemplate her words.
    “Can you tell me about it?” she asked as she poured more milk into his glass.
    “I can’t.”  The two words came out harsh and ugly.
    “Can you tell me how you feel?” she asked gently.
    He sighed.  “The cookies help.” 
    She gave him a ‘mom’ look.
    “They do.  They make me feel like a kid again when a cookie could solve all my problems.”  He blew out a long breath.  “Mom, things are pretty confused right now.  I fucked up.  I hurt some people.”
    She didn’t immediately respond, and it was one of the things that made Evie Crandall so special.  Yeah, she was totally on his side, but she was a thinker like him.  She contemplated her responses, so he knew when the chips were really down, she wasn’t just blowing smoke up his ass.  At the same time, she’d have his back as fiercely as his team.
    “Three questions.”
    “Shoot.”
    “Did they deserve to be hurt.”
    “Some did.”
    “The ones that did, did you hurt them on purpose?”
    “Fuck yeah.”  He picked up another cookie and bit into it with relish.
    “Well, then that’s probably a good thing.”  She smiled.  “The ones that didn’t deserve to be hurt, did you hurt them on purpose?”
    He didn’t answer.  But that was as good as answering, wasn’t it?
    “Oh, honey.”
    “Would you do it again, Finn?” she finally asked.
    “God help me, Mom.  Yes, I would.  I had to do it to ultimately help them.” His voice cracked, and he thought he’d throw up.  He pushed away from the table.  He had to get the fuck out of there.
    “Wait, baby boy, what does Mason say?  Does he say you crossed a line?”  She looked up at him as he trembled, every one of his instincts said to run, but he hadn’t said goodbye so he couldn’t leave.
    “He says he would have done the exact same thing.  I don’t believe him.  He would have found a different way to handle it.  I don’t know how, but he would have.  Any of the others would have.  So Mason saying I made the right choice doesn’t matter.”
    “No, it wouldn’t.”  She sighed.  She went around the table and grabbed him in a hard hug.  He rested his head on her shoulder for a long moment before he pushed away.
    Taking a step back, he cupped her cheek.  “I’ve got to leave for a while.”
    Evie bit her lip.
    “How long is a while?”
    “I don’t know.”  And he really didn’t.
    “Can you tell me where you’re going?”
    “I’m not sure yet.  Even if I did know, I wouldn’t tell you.  The team is going to be dropping by, and they’ll be asking questions.  I don’t want to put you in the situation where you have to keep things from them or lie.”
    “Will you check in?”
    “Eventually.”  It pained him to see her pat her sweater pocket again, looking for an imaginary cigarette.
    “You’re hurting her!” Rebecca ran into the kitchen.  “You need to tell her where you’re going at least!”  Finn stared in shock at the