“You might sound rude, but at least you’re honest.” His laugh was quick and easy. “I’ve got plenty of people telling me how good I look, how strong. They keep telling me I’m going to beat this.” His smile was fond, but sad. “Bunch of liars.”

“Truth is often very ugly.” I thought of my mother’s end. She’d asked me to be honest with her, even at the end.

“It makes them feel better to think I might get better, that I might pull through.” He paused. His voice was rougher when he spoke again. “Especially Carly.”

Neither of us spoke after that, not for several minutes. He was an easy guy to be quiet around, I thought. Easy and calming, kind of like standing there and staring out over the lake. I bet that was part of why he and Carly clicked so well. She needed that calming influence in her life, that steadying presence.

Now she was going to lose him.

“So what’s next?” I asked after a while. I bent down and grabbed a handful of the small, flat stones lining the edge of the path. Hurling one into the water, I counted three skips before it finally sank. “You got me out here. Now what?”

Jake glanced at the stones in my hand and then held out his own, palm up. I dropped a rock into it. He threw it into the water. Five skips.

“Not bad,” I said, looking over at him.

“I grew up in Montana. Dad had a ranch. Spent a lot of time skipping stones on our pond.” He accepted another stone as he considered my question. “What’s next is, we start getting you settled in and then up to speed. There’s a lot more to this job than what you did in Kentucky. You’ll be getting a hardcore crash course over the next couple weeks.” Then he grinned over at me. “Not to mention some other things we need to address.”

“Like what?”

He just shook his head. “Enjoy the night, Bobby. We’ll deal with everything else tomorrow.”

That smirk of his should’ve warned me.

***

My internal clock was all out of whack, and while the clock on my nightstand might’ve said seven, my head and body thought it was eleven, so the good news was that I was already up.

The bad news was that I hadn’t slept worth shit.

Not surprising. Even before I’d gone to prison, I hadn’t slept well, and being there hadn’t done me any good. Plus there was the fact that this wasn’t anything like any other place I’d slept before. The soft bed back at the Seelbach didn’t have anything on this place.

And the bed wasn’t the only thing about this place that wasn’t usual for me. I had my own little cottage, set back on the far side of the lake, a few hundred yards from Carly’s place. They’d told me that five of the six-member team lived on the estate. The sixth member was married, so he worked two days on, two days off. He was the one who’d been away for his daughter’s birth when Carly had been in Louisville, and he didn’t take night shifts. I wouldn’t be taking them yet either. Once I was trained, I’d join in the rotation and take my turn bunking in the house at night.

But first...training and other prep.

The other prep?

I stared at the needle and shoved past the doctor. “No fucking way.”

“You’re getting a physical.” Ryan said as he and Ace blocked the door.

If I wasn’t mistaken, Ace looked like he was holding back a laugh. I glared at him.

“Fine. He can check my blood pressure. I’ll piss in a cup, the whole nine yards. I don’t need that fucking needle jabbed into my arm.” There was a reason I didn’t have any tattoos.

Ace looked over at Ryan. “I thought ex-cons were tougher than this.”

“Kiss my ass,” I suggested and tried to shove through them.

I was shoved back. Not too roughly, but not exactly gently either.

“Sit down,” Ryan said. Amusement lurked in his eyes, but he was nice enough not to outright laugh in my face. “Come on, it won’t take long.”

I was about ready to tell him to move, or I’d shove his teeth down his throat when I heard a woman’s voice. A voice I would’ve known anywhere.

“Hey, Ryan, have you...” Carly’s words trailed off, and I backed away as I caught sight of her coming up behind Ryan and Ace, going up on her toes to peer at me over their shoulders.

Now I really felt trapped.

“What’s up?” she asked.

Ryan studied me for a moment, and then stepped aside and let her enter. “Bobby’s getting his physical done for the insurance package and it seems he’s not that fond of needles.”

Narrowing my eyes at him, I tried to ignore the doctor who was inching closer to me, cautious, but clearly determined. Sweat broke out across the nape of my neck and forehead. That needle. Aw, fuck...

I tensed. The bite of alcohol stung my nose and I flinched. My face was burning, but I couldn’t stop the involuntary reaction. I’d always hated needles, ever since I was a kid.

“Look at me.”

At the sound of Carly’s voice, I swallowed hard and tried to find the steel that had gotten me through nearly a decade behind bars. “You know, I had to have one of these things done after I got out. It’s only been a year. Why not just get those records?”

She smiled. “You only had the basics done, Bobby.” Her hands cupped my face. “Don’t look at the doctor. Don’t think about the needle. It’s going to be over with before you know it. Just don’t think about it.”

“Easier said than...” I hissed in a breath as I felt a pinch and started to jerk away, but Ryan and Ace were already there. The thought of having to be held down in front of any woman was humiliating, but having Carly see it happen would’ve been so much worse. I managed to keep myself still.

“See?” She flashed her dimples at me. “That wasn’t so bad.”

“You’re not the one who got stuck with a giant-ass needle.” Still, I kept my eyes on hers and worked on breathing. Because I was so focused on that, I was only vaguely aware of what the doctor was saying. When Carly nodded at me, I nodded stupidly in response without even realizing what I was nodding about.

Then it happened.

Something wet swiped down my right arm. Alcohol. I tensed. They were going to stick me again. My eyes slid down to look.

“Hey, Bobby?”

Instinctively, I looked up as Carly leaned toward me.

“What do you think about my shirt?”

I blinked at her. Her shirt? Dropping my gaze to it, I found myself staring down at the swell of her breasts. Her shirt was just a tank top, worn over a sports bra. She’d been working out. I could smell the scent of sweat on her, warm and clean. I didn’t know why some women got freaked out by the idea of sweating. I found myself thinking about leaning in, licking right down...

Something jabbed me in the arm.

Again.

“Son of a bitch!” Shouting, I tried to jerk away.

Ryan and Ace grabbed my arm as Carly ducked away. It was over in less than ten seconds and I jumped up as soon as I was let go. I glared over at the nurse who was calmly disposing of the syringe. Ace coughed politely as he took a step back, but Ryan crossed his arms over his chest and didn’t even blink. The doctor was busy with the little vials of blood he’d collected.

“What the fuck was that shit!” I gestured at the doctor, ignoring the way Carly leaned up against a wall, her hands tucked behind her back. She looked on with wide-eyed interest. Without giving Ryan a chance to answer my rhetorical question, I directed my attention toward the doctor and nurse. “Aren’t y’all supposed to get my consent before you jab me with needles?”

“We did.” The nurse looked from me to Carly and Ryan, a slightly amused smile playing across her lips. “I asked if you had an allergies to vaccines and if you wanted to receive the tetanus shot. Your record indicated you hadn’t had one in well over a decade, so you’re certainly due. You nodded yes to indicate your agreement when I explained.”

My mouth fell open and I looked at her for a long moment before swinging my gaze over to Carly.