He loved her and felt pretty confident that she felt the same way about him.
For now, that was enough for Boone.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Lunawasinapost-sex haze, comfortably wrapped around Boone, eyes closed, teetering on the edge of sleep when her phone beeped on the nightstand. One eye peeked open to check the time on his alarm clock—four twenty-three.
That can’t be good.
Boone stretched, reached out, plucked it off the nightstand, and handed it to her. She looked at the screen, and her euphoric bubble burst.
“Good morning, Khalid.” She kissed Boone’s chest, sat back against the headboard, and pulled the sheet up to cover herself before putting the call on speaker.
Boone shifted to sit next to her, one leg kicked outside the sheet, which covered him only to his hips. Probably for the best, since she wouldn’t be able to concentrate otherwise.
“I am sorry to awaken you, Miss Luna, but I have news.” Khalid shared what he knew about the man Udall had been talking to in the video. “His name is Hamsa Sherzai. I have known him since he was a small boy and have helped him and his family a great many times. I asked him about the foreigner I had seen him talking to so often. At first, he attempted to denyany knowledge of Udall, but after reminding him of my history with his family, he thought it best to share what he knew.”
Udall was paying Sherzai to find girls and pretty much anything else he would need to move his plans forward. Khalid also told her that Udall already had five girls from the neighboring village and was holding them somewhere, but Sherzai swore he didn’t know where.
“Do you believe him?” This was a major change and would require the team to deploy earlier than expected.
“I am not sure that I do,” he said. “There is one other thing. Hamsa was also instructed to kill me.” Her hand flew to Boone’s arm, and they looked at each other, then Khalid casually added, “It seems your Mr. Udall did not like the questions I have been asking.”
“Oh, Khalid, I am so sorry.” Luna hated the thought of him putting himself in danger. “We would completely understand if you no longer wanted—”
“Do not worry, Miss Luna. Hamsa could never hurt me. The shame would be too great for his family to bear.” He spoke with a calm confidence.
Luna wished she was as sure of that as Khalid seemed to be.
“Udall purchased an old van from Hamsa and intended to use it to transport the girls across country. However, it seems he realized how difficult that would be and has found another way to move them.” Khalid detailed all of the arrangements he’d made for the team’s arrival in Aliabad. “I will find out where they are keeping the girls and will relay that information to you immediately.”
“Thank you so much for your help, Khalid.” Luna added, “Again, I am so sorry you have been put in danger.”
“It is a welcome danger if it means saving those girls and ensuring that man gets the punishment he richly deserves.” He told her he’d be in touch and reassured her with the kindest voice, “Rest easy, Miss Luna.”
He ended the call, and her hand holding the phone dropped to the bed.
“What if he’s wrong about Hamsa not killing him?” She turned to face Boone, and the sheet slid down. She draped it over her crossed legs, unconcerned that her breasts were covered only by thick strands of her hair hanging over them. The man had seen pretty much every inch of her over the past several hours, but it felt inappropriate to have this conversation while being completely exposed.
“This is going to sound harsh, and I don’t mean it to be, but Khalid knew what he was getting involved in. Yet it was important enough to him to set aside his concerns for his personal safety.” Boone cupped his hand over her knee. “Looks like we’re heading out early, so why don’t you call Cole and give him an update, and I’ll go start the coffee, then hop in the shower.”
He gave her a big juicy kiss, unbothered by her morning breath, tossed the sheet off himself, and stood.
His butt was tight, and she couldn’t stop looking at it.
“Yummy,” she murmured.
Boone stopped in the bathroom doorway and caught her looking at him. He stalked back over to her, leaned down to flatten his hands on the bed—one on each side of her—and stopped with his nose practically touching hers.
“If you keep looking at me like that, we’ll never leave this room.” He gave her a forceful kiss, pushed up off the bed, and stared down at her for a long minute. “Jesus, you are such a fucking temptation.” He shook his head as if to clear it, stomped into the bathroom, and closed the door behind him.
Luna gave a satisfied smile as she scrolled to Cole’s number and called him.
The phone rang only twice before he answered.
“Hang on.” His voice was a gravelly whisper, and she could faintly hear Dulce in the background. “It’s okay, baby, go back to sleep.”
There was a rustling and then the sound of a door quietly closing.
