Rescuing Emily (Delta Force Heroes Book 2) by Susan Stoker Page B

failing even with that. Too many times, Annie asked for more after she’d finished whatever it was Emily had made for her.
    Occasionally one of her coworkers would take pity on Emily and get her something for lunch, but most of the time she raided the bargain bin in the PX and got whatever was cheapest. It wasn’t good for her health, Emily knew that, but she didn’t know how else to fix her situation.
    Fletch’s friend continued to show up weekly, like clockwork. He never said much, only more threats to either her or Annie, and he made a point of telling her how pleased Fletch was with her cooperation.
    Emily had sold as much of their stuff as she could…at least what she could make a couple bucks on. Annie wasn’t dumb, she knew something was up, but Emily refused to talk to her about it. She was the mother, she had to protect Annie as much as possible, just like she always had and always would.
    That night, when Emily told her daughter that she just wasn’t hungry and the ramen noodles were all hers, Annie had looked at her with eyes at least twenty years older than her six years. She’d scooted her chair out from the table and went to her room. She reappeared with her beloved Army men in her hands. They were still in their packages, pristine.
    “Sell my Army men, Mommy. They’re brand new, so you can get a lot of money for them.”
    Emily’s heart officially broke. Annie loved those toys, and not just because they were new. Her idol, Fletch, had given them to her, and she loved the man as much as Emily loathed him for putting her in this position in the first place.
    Putting her hand on the top of Annie’s head, she desperately tried to hold back the tears and looked her daughter in the eyes. “I’m not selling your toys, baby. They’re yours.”
    “But you aren’t eating. I can feel your backbone when I hug you.”
    “I’m eating. Promise. I’m just not hungry. We’re fine. We have this wonderful apartment to live in where we’re safe. You’re the smartest girl in your class. We’re fine , baby.”
    It was obvious Annie didn’t believe her, but she was also relieved she didn’t have to give up her precious toys. “Okay, but maybe Fletch has a sandwich you could eat?”
    Lord. That was the last thing she needed. Emily had curbed the amount of time Annie spent with Fletch as much as possible, but it was obvious when he got home since they lived over the garage. Emily had watched him carefully, and he was always gentle with Annie. Not once had he said anything to her that was out of line or threatening. Annie didn’t have a lot of friends, and Emily couldn’t bear to take away the man who obviously meant a lot to the little girl.
    “I’ll talk to him. Okay?”
    “Okay!” Annie declared happily, deciding the problem was fixed, and digging into her noodles as if they were the best thing she’d ever eaten, rather than the same thing she’d had for dinner every day that week.
    Emily crawled off the couch where she’d been sleeping for the last month and staggered to the door. “Who is it?”
    “Fletch.”
    The last person Emily wanted to see was her landlord, but she couldn’t exactly not open the door to him either. She unlocked the locks and slipped out, making sure to close the door tightly behind her. “Hey.”
    “Hey, Em, I wanted to come over and let you know that I’ll be out of town for a while.”
    “Yeah?”
    “Um hum, we got called on a mission fifteen minutes ago. I have thirty minutes before I’m supposed to report to base.”
    Hating that she cared, but worried nonetheless, Emily asked, “Everything all right?”
    Fletch shrugged. “Duty calls. Can you get my mail and watch the place for me again?”
    “Yes.”
    His eyes narrowed at her terse response. “If it’s too much to ask, you don’t have to.”
    “It’s fine. It was part of the deal.”
    “Fuck the deal. If you’ve got other things to do, I’ll understand.”
    “I said it’s fine,” Emily