vittanos willow (14 page)

stopped beside him and looked into his eyes, resting her hand rested on

his arm.

“I don’t know why you would have. I was here for a lunch date

with CJ.” Osten looked over to where CJ was disposing of from the

empty food containers. When she met his gaze, her own was shuttered

as if unsure of what was going to happen.

Vittano's Willow

93

Behind slightly narrowed eyes, Abigail sniped, “I didn’t know

the two of you were dating.”

“Again, I fail to see how that is any of your business,” Osten re-

torted with increasing scorn. “Neither of us needs to report to you.”

“I never said you did,” she began. “I just didn’t see you

with…with…CJ.”

Osten peered at her. “Why not? Chantoya Jackson is one hell of

a woman. I’ve been attracted to her since the moment I first saw her at

the car show. She is charming, intelligent, sweet, kind, caring, and sexy

as hell to name a few things.”

Abigail looked between the two of them before she sighed. The

blatant warning in Osten’s gaze told her it was in her best interest to

keep her mouth shut. So for the first time in her life, Abigail did that.

Without saying a word, she turned on her heel and walked out

of the room. The door shut forcefully behind her and the room was

silent save for the slamming sound reverberating through it. Osten

strode over to where CJ stood silently.

“You okay?” he asked as he put his arms around her.

“Fine,” she said. “Did you mean what you said to her?”

“Every last word.” His lips brushed tenderly over hers before he

stepped back to put a proper distance between them. “Don’t ever doubt

that.”

“Thank you,” CJ spoke quietly.

The ringing of the bell broke the spell. Osten stepped back fur-

ther. “Enjoy yourself tonight and give me a call. We’ll go do something

fun.” Glancing over his shoulder, he made sure the door was still shut

before he said, “Or stay in and do something fun.”

He winked as she blushed. “Thanks for lunch,” she said as her

door opened and students began to file in.

“You are welcome. Talk to you later, CJ.” He saluted her with

two fingers and slipped out the door and vanished from sight.

The warm feeling his words to Abigail had given her stayed

with her for the rest of the day. As she was walking out to her vehicle in

the cold, her cell phone rang.

“CJ,” she said as she unlocked the SUV, climbed in, and started

it. “Hey, Binh. What’s up?”

As she sat there and waited for her ride home to get warm, she

spoke to her brother. He was inviting her out to dinner the next night.

94

Aliyah Burke

Chantoya accepted, hung up from that call, and began to drive herself

home. She still had to shower and get ready for her girls’ night out.

An overly exhausted CJ unlocked the door to her apartment.

The evening had been a blast catching up with old college friends.

However, as she’d told the rest of them, the next time was going to be

on a Friday so she didn’t have to get up and go to work the next day.

Closing the door behind her, CJ locked it and walked through

the dark to her bedroom where she kicked off her shoes and stripped

off her dress, letting it pool to the floor at her feet.

Only turning on the light in the bathroom, she brushed her teeth

and washed her face. Double-checking to make sure her alarm was set,

CJ climbed into her bed and closed her eyes. Immediately, sleep over-

took her body.

Her dreams were full of summertime, swimming, old tire

swings, lemonade and Osten at her side. Even though she had only

gotten three hours of sleep, she felt rested when her alarm went off the

next morning.

More snow had dumped during her brief rest last night, and she

drove slowly. Short careful steps took her from her car to the front door

where she mumbled her good mornings at the office and then pro-

ceeded on to her room.

Osten shoved the door to his locker shut. He hated this part

sometimes; he wanted to explore his relationship with Chantoya, but

the Team had been called for a mission. He had left her a message on

her home phone, not bothering her at work.

Hefting his bag over his shoulder, he fell into step with a few

other members of the Megalodon Team as they headed for the waiting

van that was taking them to the airfield. They were taking a plane to

drop over their destination and parachute in.

Still the mood was lighthearted and cheery as the aircraft taxied

down the strip. They were in a converted airliner, so the radar would

not alert those watching that it was a military mission. Once they were

in the air, Scott stood and explained the mission to them.

Vittano's Willow

95

The team slept, checked, and double-checked weapons and gear.

As they neared the jump zone, they removed all personal effects and

handed them over to one of the pilots.

Slipping on his mask, Osten nodded his readiness to Scott after

Dimitri situated his air respirator. It didn’t take long and the entire team

was ready.

One by one the men fell away into the cold, dark night. None of

them knew if they would survive this mission or not, but each of them

more than willing to do his job and put his life on the line.

Eight dark shapes hurtled through the night sky. Eventually, all

eight parachutes were opened and they floated down into the waiting

jungle. The separated team regrouped and with silent signals spread

out, moving through the thick foliage of the jungle toward their in-

tended targets.

Three nights later, short blasts of gunfire punctuated the jungle’s

natural symphony.

This time, nine people slinked through the trees to their

rendezvous point. Their progress was slow for the ninth person was

scared and couldn’t see well at all. When they paused, hiding for the

remainder of the raining night, their foes futilely searched high and low

for them. The next day two helicopters landed in a large grassy field

and picked up the waiting group.

Everyone was scruffy, sweaty, and tired, but all were alive and

well.

Exhausted, Osten Scoleri closed his eyes as they flew home. The

image of flawless sienna skin hovered before him as he fell asleep.

It had been over a week and CJ was a little unsure of how to

react. Osten hadn’t called her outside the message she’d received after

returning from her night out with the girls saying he would be gone for

a while.

For a while she debated calling Dezarae and finding out what

was going on, but she didn’t want to seem clingy. Or suspicious.

So instead she threw herself into her work. Abigail had had a

smug look on her face when she’d gone to the Winter Formal with Binh

instead of Osten. That look still haunted her. CJ understood a mission

always came first, but still it stung to go with her brother instead of the

man she thought she was dating.

Stretching in her chair, CJ looked down at the papers she had

left to grade. So far the lowest grade was a high B. She was extremely

proud of her students. Looking out the window of her classroom, she

groaned as her eyes fell upon the darkened evening.

“God, I miss summer.” She began shoving papers into her bag,

wanting to get home and take a long shower. Once her coat was on she

locked her door and walked down the hall.

There was no one around, but she felt a chill run over her spine.

It feels like someone is watching me.
CJ walked faster, determined to get

home, and quickly. As she barreled around the corner, she almost ran

into the janitor, an older man named, Samuel.

“You okay, Ms. Jackson?” he asked as he reached out a hand to

help steady her.

“I’m so sorry, Samuel. I didn’t mean to run you over.” She

fought the need to turn around and check behind her.

Vittano's Willow

97

But Samuel did, peering her and back at her face. “Someone

bother you, Ms. Jackson? You look mighty scared.”

“I just felt like someone was chasing me,” she said on a forced

laugh. “I guess I’m getting paranoid. Silly, huh?”

“No.” He propped the mop against the wall. “Let me walk you

out.”

“I’m fine, really. Don’t worry about it,” she insisted, feeling

more than a little embarrassed for her actions now.

“No. I insist. Beggin’ your pardon, Ms. Jackson, but you seem

awfully frightened for it to be just nothing. I would feel better knowing

you got to your vehicle safely.”

Chantoya didn’t argue anymore, for she
would
feel much better

having him beside her as she went. “If you’re sure it won’t be an

imposition for you.”

Samuel sent her a look like she was insane. “There is nothing

that would make seeing you safely out an imposition. So get that

thought out of your head,” he ordered as he slipped on his jacket that

was lying on the rim of a garbage can. “Let’s get going.

“Thank you, Samuel,” CJ said with heartfelt appreciation.

Together they walked out into the increasing darkness and cold.

As the school door shut after them, neither was aware of the narrowed

eyes that watched their departure. Through a pair of clenched teeth, a

low hiss filled the empty hallway. His chance to grab her was gone for

the day.

Samuel closed the door after she climbed in and remained out-

side until she finally drove off. He had a smile on his face as he went

back inside the school. Chantoya Jackson was one of the few teachers

who would even talk to him. Most of them pretended he didn’t even

exist.

They were just as bad, if not worse than the majority of the stu-

dents. But CJ always had a smile ready for him. And she even knew his

name; he would bet a month of his meager salary that most of the

teachers at the school didn’t know it.

Placing his coat back on the side of the trashcan, Samuel picked

up his mop again. As he finished the hallway he was mopping, he

halted. He could feel a chill as well, but couldn’t place from where it

was coming. There was a feeling of malice in the air. Shaking off his bad

vibe, he rushed through the rest of the school and went home to his

small apartment.

98

Aliyah Burke

CJ smiled at the man across from her at the table. Her plans for

going home and relaxing went to the wayside when she pulled into her

complex and recognized the vehicle parked in a space beside hers.

“So, what do I owe this pleasure?” she asked as she picked up

the glass of wine and took a sip.

“Do I really need a reason, Chipmunk?” the large man asked.

Rolling her eyes, CJ put down her drink and rested her chin on

the backs of her hands. “Of course not, Ajani. But I don’t usually get

you without one or both of my other protectors. You know I love seeing

you.”

Her brother arched a brow at her and ate another bite of salad.

“Well, I just wanted to see how things were going with you.”

CJ snorted disbelievingly. “You could have called for that. What,

y’all think I would be more apt to share news, if any, about my love life

to one of you…as opposed to all three?”

Ajani didn’t stop eating. “I have no desire to know a bloody

thing about your love life, Chipmunk. A brother doesn’t want to even

imagine his sister doing things like that, much less want details.” He

looked up from his plate and gestured to her lasagna. “Eat.”

Automatically picking up her fork, she ate some more. “This is

wonderful, thanks for making dinner.”

“Well, I must say, it wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be.”

With a wink, CJ retorted, “It rarely is difficult to open the box

and put the dish in the preheated oven.”

“You are a sassy one. You aren’t too big for me to put over my

knee, you know.” Ajani glared at her playfully.

Holding up her hands in mock surrender, she laughed. “Sorry. It

was almost too easy.”

“I don’t forget,” he warned.

“I know. Now really, Ajani, what brings you here?”

This time he put down his fork and held her gaze with his. “I

want to talk to you about Binh’s birthday.”

“Okay, what about it?”

“I think he wants to go back to Vietnam and Thurston and I

were talking. It might be nice if we gave him the flight and hotel so he

could spend his money on traveling around once he got there.” He took

Vittano's Willow

99

a drink of water. “However, we will have to do it soon, so he doesn’t

book something before hand.”

“What a wonderful idea. Count me in,” CJ said enthusiastically.

“Just let me know how much I need to contribute.”

“Okay, we weren’t sure how you were on extra money, so we

didn’t want to assume anything.”

Chantoya looked at her brother. She loved her family so much, it

hurt. “I know I don’t make much on my measly teaching salary, but I

have a good savings. I’ll be fine. Just let me know how much and

when.”

Ajani grinned, showing two rows of perfect white teeth. “You