“They lost a lot of their soldiers. They aren’t going to be happy about it,” she pointed out.
“They sent them against you, and they know how good you are in the field—they trained you. And they certainly know Luther’s abilities and his experiences.”
“But they didn’t know about you,” she pointed out.
He shrugged, sending her a quick, almost mischievous smile. That little grin lit up his eyes and softened the unrelenting, harsh beauty of his face. Her heart reacted in the now-familiar way it had, a curious wild thumping and then a weird melting sensation. He was potent—at least to her. She had been afraid of those physical reactions to him, but now they just seemed normal to her. She was fairly sure that in fifty years she would have those same reactions when he walked into a room.
“They do now. They also are aware the GhostWalker teams stick together. They go to war with you, me, and Luther, they’ll be declaring war on the GhostWalkers. Those running that laboratory know the advantages we have.”
“You’re in the military. You can’t just declare war on other branches.”
His eyebrow shot up. “Are you in the military? Do you get a paycheck? Did you sign papers joining a branch of the service?”
She frowned. She’d never considered what he was pointing out. “My life has been the training my commanders gave me since I was ten years old. I lived in a small housing dorm by myself until I had Grace, but I never needed for anything. I honestly didn’t need a lot and rarely asked for things. I have a board specifically for making a list of anything I need. I’ve always been provided with everything I needed as soon as it went on the list.”
That little smile turned from his melting one to one of pure predator. “You aren’t technically in the military and have free will to go anywhere you wish. The moment a GhostWalker claimed you as a partner, that put you in our sphere of protection, by all the teams.”
His statement should have bolstered her spirits, but her heart crumbled. A GhostWalker claiming her could make her safe. Make Gracie safe. But that was, once again, white knightsyndrome. She stared down at the food on her plate, refusing to react too fast to his statement.
“There you go again, Warrior Woman, thinking I have some redeeming qualities, which I don’t. Stop thinking it, and you won’t be so disappointed when you realize I’m not claiming you for you but for my own selfish reasons.”
Leila couldn’t help looking up at the amusement in his tone. There was that look again, the little grin that softened the crueler lines in his face. Once again, her heart accelerated, drumming out of control.
“Selfish reasons? Because you’re getting such a great bargain with me. I come with a baby and zero skills as a cook.”
“Very selfish reasons, woman.”
“You don’t make any sense.”
His eyes met hers. Intense. Focused. She felt she could drown there if she wasn’t careful. There was no looking away. No pretending she couldn’t see the hunger there. She found herself blushing, the treacherous color sliding under her skin and creeping into her face.
“I make perfect sense. I’m looking at what I want. I am not looking for a cook. I’m looking for a partner. My life growing up was shit, Leila. My mother didn’t want me and beat the hell out of me as often as possible with switches and whatever else she could find. She reminded me daily I wasn’t worth anything but guarding my brother and hunting for food for the family. She didn’t protect us, not even my sisters. I want a woman who will stand in front of my children. Who would fight at my side if necessary. Who would be willing to sacrifice everything for her family. I don’t need a cook. I need you. You’re that woman.”
She had to blink back tears. No one had ever stated anything so amazing to her with the absolute conviction Diego did. He believed what he was saying. She despised that his own mother hadtold him he wasn’t worth anything. She knew better. He was the best man she knew.
“You’re making me emotional, and I’m not even pregnant.”
His smile was back. “Were you emotional when you were pregnant?”
“It was mortifying. I once started crying because I couldn’t find this silly bracelet Marcy had given me. I’d had it since I was sixteen. I mean, a bracelet? I don’t wear jewelry, but when I misplaced the bracelet, I was devastated and just sobbed.”
Instead of laughing at her as she expected, Diego frowned. “Did you find it?”
Leila nodded. “It was right there on my dresser, but I had accidentally pushed it toward the wall so it had nearly fallen off the back. Fortunately, one of the beads was larger than the others and it caught between the dresser and the wall, and I spotted it when I calmed down. It just felt ridiculous and out of proportion to fall apart over something so inconsequential.”
“Your bracelet isn’t inconsequential, sweetheart. How many times in your life have you been given a gift? That gift means something to you, and it should. When you pack up your things, make certain you bring that with you.”
“You make it sound so easy, Diego. I doubt that my commanding officer is going to just let me go after all the work they put into my training.”
“You aren’t a member of the military. They may have trained you, but they failed to make you part of the military. Had you been captured on one of your missions, they would have denied you were any part of them.”
“Naturally they told all of us that. Wouldn’t the military do the same thing with the GhostWalkers?”
“They do when we’re going on certain missions, but we have the backup of the other GhostWalker teams. We have certainadvantages, and those advantages are growing. You’ll be one of our advantages.”
Diego stated the last with so much certainty she couldn’t help the wave of exhilaration that raced through her. He just gave her so many compliments, although he didn’t act in the least as if he had. He acted as if everything he said about her was a fact. Was it? If she could see herself through his eyes, maybe she would begin to have self-worth. She wanted to have a good image of herself in order to give Grace feelings of self-esteem. She wanted her daughter to be confident in every aspect of her life, not just as someone who knew how to hunt and kill.
“Nice to think I’ll be an advantage. I hope you feel that way if you take me home and find out I’m not all that good with household things.”
