HelenKay Dimon - Tamed

She hated being put in the role of bad guy. Jeff took no responsibility for his bad choices. That shouldn’t surprise her, but it did. “Shane’s not a liar.”

“Makena, don’t help,” Shane said without moving his gaze away from Jeff.

“That won’t work. She’s ruthless.”

Shane pointed at Jeff. “And you’re done talking to her or about her.”

He batted the hand away. “You’ll find out. Just wait.”

Makena watched as Jeff stomped off. Pivoted around the tables, ignoring all the stares and the waitress rooted to the spot with the coffeepot dangling from her hand. The noise of the diner muffled. Makena could hear the creaking of chairs and the clanging of silverware, but it all sounded so distant.

Shane dropped back into his seat and stared at her. “So...”

“I never dated that guy. I would never date someone like him.” She wanted that clear from the start.

The waitress darted over and refilled glasses. Shane waited until she left again to start talking. “What’s his name? And do not hesitate. Tell me.”

She didn’t even have to wage an internal debate. It would all spill out now. “Jeff Horvath.”

Shane exhaled. “And who is Jeff Horvath to you?”

“That’s not exactly an easy question.”

He shoved his plate of uneaten food aside and leaned in on his elbows. “Lucky for you, I have all night. All day tomorrow, too. Talk.”

“He’s a fake SEAL.” The words tumbled out of her then. “You were in the military. Others weren’t. There are men who pretend to be war heroes, special ops guys, and...they lie. They live their entire lives lying and not caring that real people fought and died doing what the liars claim to have done.”

She expected to feel empty and frustrated at having the information pulled out of her, but no. A surge of relief hit her. She’d dealt with this huge weight and all the anger that came along with it for almost a year.

Shane’s eyes narrowed and stayed there. “This Jeff is one of those guys?”

“Yes.”

“Huh, I should have decked him.” Shane dropped his hands to the table. Just inches from hers. “What does any of this have to do with you?”

This was the part he’d hate. She steeled her body for the inevitable yelling. “There’s this website called Wall of Dishonor . It outs men who are pretending to be war heroes.” When he continued to frown, she tried again. “I work for the website. Do research, file Freedom of Information Act requests.”

“You work at a college. At a desk.” His expression went blank. “Didn’t you reiterate that earlier?”

The look on his face didn’t fool her. He was winding up. She could feel the tension twisting the air around them. “Yes, but—”

“What, Makena?”

That tone. Not helpful, but she decided not to point that out, since he looked half-ready to strangle her. “I do this on the side.”

“You tick off men who lie about military service. Men invested in their lies who have everything to lose when you uncover their deceit.” With each word he jammed his fingertip against the table with a thud. “Do you hear the tone of my voice? Can you tell how bad this is?”

“They deserve to be exposed.” She believed that to her core. She’d grown up with a military man. Her father had dedicated his life to his career more than he ever had his family. Early in his service, he’d been stationed in Hawaii and found the perfect military wife who put everything aside for his career. By the time Makena and Holt came along, their parents were entrenched.

Dad was tough and commanding and demanded excellence, something she’d failed at for almost all of her life. Holt had suffered their father’s wrath while she’d been spared. She’d been the disappointment. She flailed and tried to find her way, but got something of a pass from her parents, who never expected much of her anyway. Holt went into the army.

She’d gotten a lot of things wrong in her life, but she understood the military mind-set and the sacrifices. She hated the idea of someone claiming to have served who never did. It was an insult, and she’d spent most of her free time for nearly a year hunting these guys down.

“I’m not denying that guys like Jeff should be exposed.” Shane shook his head. “He deserves to be shamed.”

“Then what’s the problem?”

“You...are you...” He wiped a hand over his face. “Does Holt know?”

“No.” Her big brother could not know. He would try to control her choices in the name of protecting her.

She understood the tendency, even appreciated the concern, but he had a hard time letting go of his protector mode and realizing she wasn’t a kid anymore. The fact that she’d transferred colleges twice until she found the right fit and moved around in jobs until she landed at the college only supported his point that she was not responsible. But she was. She had a career now, paid rent. She had a purpose.

“You didn’t tell him because you knew he’d lose his mind. That he’d forbid it.”

Forbid . The word sliced through her brain, bringing a wave of anger right behind it. “I’m a grown woman. My big brother doesn’t control what I do.”

This time Shane slammed the side of his hand against the table. “He wants you safe.”

There was a difference between safe and coddled. She wasn’t convinced Holt, or Shane for that matter, always saw the line. “I get that, but he doesn’t get to make choices for me.”

Shane’s back teeth slammed together. “I want you safe.”

Well... Her heart sped up and it had nothing to do with the argument. “I thought we were talking about Holt.”

“We’re talking about danger.” Shane closed his eyes as he visibly wrestled to control the anger bouncing around inside him. “That guy talked as if he knew where you live. He was here, a place you said you’ve never been.”

“Which is why I asked if we were followed.” She’d checked, looked and thought they were safe...until Jeff walked in the door. The idea of him being so close and staying unseen terrified her.

Shane’s mouth dropped open. “You’re blaming me?”

That was not what she meant. Not at all. She put a hand over his, letting the warmth of his skin seep into her and wipe away the chill. “I’m admitting that I do this job. On the side.”

“In secret.”

“It’s the only way to do it. The liars cover their tracks.”

He opened his hand and let her fingers slide through his. “Let someone else take over.”

She had to smile at that. “Says the guy who walks into danger every single day without asking someone to fill in for him.”

“I’m trained for it. You’re not.” He turned her hand over and rubbed a thumb over her palm.

The move, so gentle and sweet, had something fluttering inside her. She forced her mind to focus. “For the most part I sit and look things up. It’s completely safe.”

“Then why does Jeff Horvath know who you are and how to get to you?”

The diner started spinning. She’d fought so hard to control her life, and one moment months ago had ruined all that.

“Because I messed up.” She slipped her hand out from under his. “He was one of the first targets and I—”

“Targets?”

“—confronted him.”

“You did what?” Shane’s voice stayed flat and emotionless.

She looked away, but she could still see the moment. Filled with indignation and a sense of satisfaction, she’d stepped up to Jeff as he came out of church and told him, right there in front of his fiancée, that he’d been found out and now everyone would know. His business associates, his family, all the people he’d lied to for years, would know.

He’d claimed to be deployed while he played in Europe as a civilian. The tales of getting out early for some heroic act were even more ridiculous. She spewed it all in public instead of letting the website uncover him while she maintained her anonymity. A huge misstep she’d never made again, but the one time with Jeff was enough to keep her on edge.