Honeybun Hottie (Plus Size Romance 5) Read Online Free

my days.”
    “What about the assassin? Is he dead?”
    “That’s classified information.  Let’s just say the threat was neutralized.  You, me and the rest of this great country is a little bit safer now.”
    “You killed him, didn’t you?”
    “That’s need-to-know only.  Let it go.”
    “I can’t.  I need to know, Sean.  I need to know you aren’t a ruthless killing machine.  That you aren’t some damaged psycho.  A mentally scarred marine like—”
    “Like who, Blythe? Who hurt you before me?”
    She smirked.  “That’s classified information, Sergeant.  Need-to-know only. And the only damn thing you need to know is after I fulfill my two-week commitment here, I never want to see you again.”
     
    SEAN STORMED INTO CABIN B.  “Shelly Eleanor Matthews, tell me the name of the fucking marine who hurt Blythe.  I mean to end him.”
    Tapping her chin, she said, “Let me see.  The name is right on the tip of my tongue.  Yep, I got it.  His name is Sean Davis Warrington.”
    “Very funny, but I’m seriously pissed here.  Blythe obviously hates marines.  Who seared those ill feelings onto her beautiful heart? I’ll break his neck.”
    “Settle down, big guy.”  Shelly patted him on the shoulder.  “You don’t have to do that.  He hung himself years ago.”
    The breath gushed from Sean’s lungs as he sank down into a nearby chair.  Each cabin was furnished with two plush leather ones and a sofa that folded out into a bed.  He had hoped to spend some quality adult time with Blythe on the one in his cabin.  Now, that was kind of doubtful.  No, make that impossible.
    “Who was he to Blythe?”
    “Her father.  Michael Dalton fought in the Persian Gulf War.  Shortly after coming home in 1991, he was diagnosed as being bipolar.  Throw in a touch of paranoid schizophrenia mixed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, and he was seeing Ali Baba—the enemy—everywhere.”
    Sean shook his head.  “Poor guy.”
    “Yeah, he was a mess.  Unfortunately, his mental illness made Blythe and her mom’s life a living hell.  He wouldn’t take his medication because he was convinced the doctors were trying to poison him.  Whenever he had a really bad episode, he would lock Blythe and her mom in the closet for days under the guise of protecting them.  All of his horrible behavior was done in the name of ‘saving’ them.”
    Sean shook his head.  No wonder she changed her phone number and never wanted to see him again.  She hadn’t noticed the assassin that night; only he had.  Blythe probably thought Sean suffered from the same psychological issues that had plagued her father.  He felt terrible.
    “ Shit . That’s rough, Shelly.  I had no idea she had been through so much.”
    Shelly sighed.  “You have no idea.  When Michael’s paranoia was at its worst, he thought Blythe and her mom were traitors.  He accused them of joining forces with the enemy.  He then used them as bait to lure Ali Baba.”
    “My God.  How ?”
    Tears filled Shelly’s eyes.  “He forced them to strip naked, marched them through the woods at gun point, put gags in their mouths and tied them to trees.  They were left out there for twenty-four hours at a time while ants crawled all over their bare bodies and bees repeatedly stung them.  Blessedly, something would snap Michael back to reality.  He would release them, apologizing and promising it would never happen again.” 
    Sean stood and began pacing.  “Is that what finally drove him over the edge—his failure to keep his promise?”
    “No.  I don’t know.  Maybe.  It could have been a million things, but I suspect the lynchpin was Blythe and her mother, Carla, leaving him.”
    “I can see how it would have felt like the ultimate betrayal to a man in his state of mind.”
    “Yeah, the whole thing was tragic.  But, Michael left Carla no choice.  He wouldn’t get help, and his sickness was destroying their little girl.  Blythe was