Nightstalker: Red Team book 1 Read online

  “I will die knowing.”

  “Suit yourself. But I want you to die knowing I found your whore and your four sons. They will not live long enough to try and avenge their father’s or grandfather’s deaths. I made the mistake of allowing you to live. I will not make that mistake a second time.”

  There were no other words, just the sound of a bullet cracking. Then silence.

  Chapter Twenty Four

  Jasmin

  There he was. Standing there five feet from me, yet I could not get myself to move. He was alive. He looked like hell, but he never looked better to me. I felt my heart start beating again. I knew in my heart that he was still alive, but my head was fighting me, not allowing me to fully believe.

  “C’mere baby,” Linc called out.

  My legs would not move. I was glued in place even though I wanted to run to him. To hold him and kiss every part of him.

  I could feel the adrenaline dump already starting, everything catching up with me.

  He was alive.

  “Baby. I’m okay.”

  He slowly closed the distance between us.

  When I felt his hands on my cheeks I allowed the first tear to slip. His lips twitched as he lowered his face to mine, barely brushing them against mine, whisper soft.

  He was alive.

  “I love you Lincoln Parker, 3160.”

  He pulled back and looked in my eyes, “You remember?”

  “Yes. I remember everything. Every last detail. Anything that I could hold on to until we could bring you home.”

  He looked pleased I had remembered our silly code for ‘I love you’.

  “I love you too, Jasmin Parker. I love you so damn much baby.”

  Epilogue

  Jasmin

  It’s been four months since we brought Lincoln home. Four months of marital bliss, four wonderful months of learning each other all over again. I loved every single second. Lincoln, however, had been bitching because he still had not been cleared for duty. I knew he truly believed he was a super hero, but hell, fourteen out of twenty-four ribs were cracked. He was lucky he hadn’t punctured a lung. He had lacerations on every inch of his body. He had just had his first appointment with the plastic surgeon to remove the smiley face burns all over his back. I told him I did not care about the scars. Admittedly, my mistake was telling him this with tears in my eyes as I cleaned his back. He promptly told me that he would not allow me to relive the worst five days of my life every time I saw his back. That was my husband, always trying to protect me.

  Zane was still being short and even more withdrawn than he normally was. I needed to get a handle on what was wrong with my brother-in-law. Lincoln tried to talk to him but Zane shut him down. He was being reckless and taking stupid chances. Someone needed to straighten him out and fast.

  Linc and I were lying in bed, the scent of sex still lingered in the room. Both of us still panting from exertion. Damn, this man got better and better every single time. I could feel the wetness leaking from between my legs, only adding to my lust. He had me tucked into his side, my arm thrown over his stomach, and he was trailing his fingers from my shoulders to my ass. Nice.

  I had something to tell Linc. I was shocked I had been able to keep it secret for as long as I had.

  “I love you, Linc.”

  “Love you too, baby.”

  Sigh. Would I ever tire of hearing those words?

  “So, you ready to give up being a bad ass operator and start changin’ diapers?”

  Yup, there it was, smooth. Shit and damn. I probably could have found a better way to tell him I was pregnant.

  Lincoln’s body went solid. Oh shit, maybe it was too soon.

  “What’d you just say?”

  “Umm, that umm.”

  “You tellin’ me you’re having my baby?”

  “No.”

  “No?”

  “I’m trying to tell you I am having your babies. Plural.”

  I couldn’t stop the smile that broke across my face. I smiled so wide it hurt.

  “How many we talkin’ about, Sweet Jasmin?”

  I loved it when he called me that. I felt goose bumps break out all over my skin as Lincoln’s voice tickled the side of my face.

  “Two.”

  “You givin’ me two babies?”

  “Yes, honey, I am.”

  Before I knew what was happening I was on my back and Lincoln’s lips were on my belly.

  “I love you babies.” He looked up at me and smiled. “Can they hear me yet? How far along are we?”

  I melted. I think in that moment I fell even more in love with my husband.

  Lincoln

  I was watching Jasmin sleep. She was so damn beautiful. I could not wait to see my babies growing inside of her. I thought back over the two years I was trying to get back to her. Two years I wondered if I would ever have this. I prayed that I would. Some nights it was hard to get off my knees after I begged God to let me make it back to her. Some nights there was not enough whiskey to make the pain of not having her stop.

  I placed my hand over her flat stomach, my babies. I know she thinks that she is the lucky one, she tells me all the time. But I am the luckiest bastard alive, I am nothing without her.

  I hope we have girls. Two little sassy things, two mini Jasmin’s.

  I kissed her belly, “Daddy loves you, babies. I cannot wait to meet you.”

  I wiped the tears from my eyes and pulled my woman into me. Mine. They are mine.

  ***

  Five months later

  Jasmin

  “Lincoln Parker, I swear to Christ I am going to throat punch you if you tell me one more time what I can and cannot drink.”

  He was driving me up the wall. I trashed the annoying book he bought after I told him we were going to have the twins. Problem was, he had it memorized. I hated that book; he followed me around and recited every word the book said. The man was crazy!

  I just wanted to sit in the rocking chair he bought me for the babies’ room and drink my hot tea while I watched him put together the cribs. In peace!

  “The caffeine isn’t good for the babies.”

  I prayed for patience. I often did.

  “You nagging me isn’t good for yours. You’re a crazy man Linc. You have everyone in the office following me around too.”

  “Good! You’re growing my babies inside of you. There better be someone following you making sure you don’t need anything.”

  “Grrrr!” Yes, I growled at him. I was going to kill him. And just for the record, my damn tea was decaf, I wasn’t trying to give my kids low birth weight or whatever it is that book said.

  “Come here baby.” I sat my tea on the dresser and walked over to him. He pulled me in for a hug and kissed my head. “Sweet Jasmin, I will not apologize for protecting you and wanting you to be safe. You and these babies are my world. I feel like you are doing all the work here.”

  He stopped and laid his big hand over my belly. I loved it when he did that.

  “I would die if something happened to you or the babies. You three are my world, my entire world Jasmin.”

  How could I stay mad at him? He was still crazy but I knew it was because he loved us all.

  “I love you Lincoln.”

  “3160 baby.”

  Lincoln

  I was watching Jasmin sleep she was laying on her side with a pillow under her huge belly. She was so damn beautiful. I am not a hearts and flowers type of guy, but fuck, my wife was glowing. Each month my babies got bigger and bigger, and her belly swelled. I loved it. I loved seeing her round with my babies. There would never be anything I could do for Jasmin to repay the gift she was giving me.

  I placed my hand on her belly and felt a sharp kick. God damn there was nothing better!

  “Daddy loves you babies, not too much longer. Be good for Momma and sleep.”

  ***

  Three months later

  Jasmin

  “I hate you,” I panted, gi
ving Lincoln the death glare above all other death glares. Wishing he would go up in flames.

  My crotch was on fire; my stomach was as hard as concrete and these contractions were killing me. Literally. I was going to die.

  I had already pushed out one baby. A six-pound boy! I still had one more to push out. I wanted to die.

  “You’re almost done baby. You are doing so good, come on one more.” Lincoln tried to coax me.

  “One more? One damn more. No. Stop just cut it out. Please.” I was not above begging.

  Holy sweet mother of God there was another contraction. I let out a scream. Holy fuck, that hurt.

  “Push, Jasmin, get a hold of yourself and push!” That was my doctor. He was yelling at me. I was going to punch him in his throat any minute. You see, that is the problem with a male doctor. He can’t understand. A watermelon has never been pushed out of his dick. Fuck that noise.

  Lincoln held my leg back while I pushed and grunted. I felt pressure, then sweet relief.

  “The heads out, Jasmin,” the doctor informed me.

  “Oh, thank God that is over.”

  “Jasmin baby, the shoulders are bigger than the head.” Lincoln chuckled.

  The asshole chuckled.

  “I hate you! Please, serious as shit cut it out I cannot… AHHH”

  There was another contraction and my body took over. I pushed one last time and baby number two slid out. I felt something wet and slimy on my stomach and there was my son, covered in blood and white slim. I didn’t even want to know what it was.

  He let out a scream and I pulled him the rest of the way up to my breast. Naked, covered in slime and the umbilical cord still attached, he rooted around just like his brother did. I rubbed my boy’s cheek and looked up to find Lincoln holding my other son. My boys. Lincoln wasn’t even trying to keep his tears in check. He allowed them to roll down his face, a gift to me. He was letting me see what it meant to him.

  Then it hit me. All those months ago when I was thinking about Drew and Julie wishing I would have that one day, I did. I had all that beauty. Lincoln gave that to me, Lincoln gave that to us.

  “Thank you.” I smiled at him.

  “Thank you, baby, for taking care of my boys, growing them, loving them. Thank you for loving me. There is no better gift that you could give me than my boys.” He stopped, his face breaking out into a heart stopping panty melting smile. “Unless you give me girls too, no boy should grow up without a sister to protect. It will teach them how to protect what is theirs, how to be a man.”

  “Oh hell no,” I burst out laughing.

  ***

  Twenty minutes later

  Lincoln

  The room was filled to capacity as each man on the team passed my sons around. Tom was standing next to Jasmin, whispering something in her ear that was making her smile. Damn, I loved seeing that woman smile. Nothing was better. Every day I loved that woman more, every night I gave thanks that she was mine. For the last six months the guys had been placing bets on the sex of the babies. We kept it a secret; just something for Jasmin and I to share. Now they were all yappin’ about names. We still hadn’t told anyone what we named them.

  Jasmin glanced up and winked at me. She was listening to the conversation around the room as well. Now we were just keeping the names to ourselves because it was funny to hear them guess. Some of the names they had come up with were downright hilarious. She gave me a nod to go ahead and tell them.

  “Can someone hand me Asher Thomas please?”

  The room went quiet and Jax and Leo both looked down at the babies they were holding. They both looked ridiculous holding these tiny little bundles in their monster sized hands.

  “Umm, I don’t know which one I have.” Leo shook his head as a look of bewilderment crossed his face.

  “I don’t know how you tell these little fuckers apart. Which one is this one?” Jax asked.

  Jasmin and I let out a peal of laughter. Damn that was funny.

  “I don’t know, maybe you have Robert Zane?”

  I locked eyes with my brother. As much as I tried I could not stop the emotions from overtaking me. A tear slid down my cheek.

  I quickly wiped it away, hoping that no one noticed.

  “A man that is any type of man sheds tears on two occasions in his life; when his woman slips his ring on her finger and at the birth of his children.” Tom’s voice sounded unusually gruff, “Now give me this Asher Thomas. He and I have some things to discuss. Namely, his thoughts on the second amendment.”

  My eyes had not left my brother’s. He came closer to me and shot his hand out. I grabbed hold of it and pulled him in to me for a hug.

  “Thank you,” he whispered.

  “There is no better big brother. We want you to know that they are yours if something happens to us. There is no one we trust more with our boys than you. We know they have a roomful of honorary uncles who would give their own lives for them, but it is you that we know will teach them to be men. Because there is no better man then you Zane. You don’t forget that.”

  I looked at my wife, who was now holding both my sons smiling at me like it was I, that had just given her the world instead of the other way around. They were my world. She gave that to me.

  God damn, I loved that woman!

  THE END.

  Thank you for reading Lincoln and Jasmin’s story

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