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Defend Me
Grahame Claire
Defend Me (Free, Book Three) Grahame Claire
Copyright © 2020 Grahame Claire
All rights reserved. No part of this book can be reproduced in any form or by electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems, without the express written permission of the author. The only exception is by a reviewer who may quote short excerpts in a review.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Editing And Proofreading:
Marion Archer, Marion Making Manuscripts
Karen Lawson and Janet Hitchcock, The Proof is in the Reading
Cover Design:
Hang Le, By Hang Le
Ebook ISBN: 978-1-951878-04-7
For those who the pain is too much.
Contents
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Epilogue
Enjoy this book?
Bonus Scene
Book Stuff
Acknowledgments
Also by Grahame Claire
About the Author
Prologue
Marlow
The balloons slipped from my fingers at the sound of a fist on the door.
He was home. And apparently following his crazy wife’s instructions to knock when he arrived.
I batted the strings out of the way, ducked beneath the Welcome Home banner, and flew to the foyer.
“I can’t believe you did what I asked,” I said, breathless as I threw open the door.
My face fell.
A uniformed officer stood on the porch, a folded flag in hand.
“No.” I clutched my stomach. “No. No, no, no, no, no.”
My knees hit the hardwood floor. The world became blurry.
“Jack,” I screamed until his name was nothing more than a hoarse whisper.
“The Secretary of the Army regrets to inform you—”
“Shut up.” I beat my fists on his thighs. “Shut up.”
“I’m sorry, ma’am.”
I wilted, dropping my forehead to the floor. “Jack. Why did you have to be a hero?”
Chapter One
Marlow
I wheeled the stroller to a stop.
“You ready for this, little man?”
I touched my son’s chubby cheek, his answer a toothy grin.
“No pressure, but this will probably come down to you.” Drool hit my thumb. “Guess that means you’re up for the challenge.”
I wiped my hand on my sweater, gripped the handle of the stroller with one hand, and opened the old metal door with the other. A loud creak announce my arrival.
I squinted as my eyes adjusted to the dim light inside. Somewhere in the distance the sound of a drill pierced my ears, followed by the bang of a hammer.
This place was a mess. And much bigger than I’d anticipated.
The stroller left tracks as I pushed it across the dusty concrete. Two faces stared at me from behind the worn reception desk.
“How!” My son punched his tiny fist in the air, already doing his part to charm them.
“How, buddy.”
My chest squeezed as my brother’s expression softened.
You’ve got this, Marlow.
I gathered my courage and straightened my spine. “I was wrong.”
That was a lot harder to say than I thought it would be.
“Yeah, you were,” he said.
That was fair. Not the warm forgiveness I’d been hoping for. Then again, I didn’t deserve it.
“I didn’t mean—” I looked away, all the words I needed to say jumbled in my head. Finally, I figured some out. “I love you.”
He crossed his arms. Definitely not the response I’d been looking for. “I love you too.” The phrase was spoken tightly, framed by his hurt. Hurt that I’d caused.
“I just needed—” I closed my eyes. I was screwing this up royally. “Never mind.” I forced myself to look at him, so he could see I was telling the truth. “I’m not speaking to her anymore.”
His face was like a stone. “Only time will prove that.”
“I swear I didn’t tell her about the wedding,” I said, almost pleading. “I know I’m the reason for our problems.” Even now, I was so incredibly angry at myself for choosing to believe our mother’s lies. How she pretended to love me, want me, yet was screwing up everyone else’s lives. And eventually my own too.
My brother appeared stunned. I rarely apologized. “I said my fair share of awful things too.”
We looked at one another for a long time and came to a silent truce, just like we’d done as kids. It gave me the courage to do what I’d come here to do.
“Heard you were in the market for a receptionist.” She glanced down at Blake. “How about two for the price of one?”
Holt blinked at me. Baker’s lips parted. He looked at his girlfriend, and she lifted her shoulder in a helpless shrug.
I clamped my mouth shut. I tossed him the ball, now it was up to him.
“You want to work here? For me?” He spoke as if it were the first time, each word a test.
I brushed imaginary lint off the canopy of the stroller.
“You’re starting a new business. You need cheap labor, right?”
“You already have a job. Why would you give up steady income when you have Blake—”
“I got fired,” I barked as shame filled me.
He stared at me in horror. I couldn’t even look at Baker’s reaction. I’d worked hard to become a medical transcriptionist. It had been way easier to blow it.
“What happened?” Holt asked carefully.
I straightened. “After . . . I couldn’t handle it.” I’d forced myself to go back to
