“Where did Scarlett kick your ass?” she asked, grinning.
He pointed to the sparring area. “Right over there, smarty pants,” he said sarcastically.
“On the opposite end, we have the women’s locker room and ours,” he said, moving to the staircase. “We have a gun range indoors and out, and down here we have decompression rooms. If a team needs downtime or prepping for a mission, they can come here. We’ll follow the protocol set up by Leo.” He went outdoors and showed her a picnic table set up and a large fenced-in area where the dogs played.
“Where’s Nine?” she asked.
“She’s at my training facility,” he said, turning toward the elevator.
“Oh,” she said, disappointedly. “You really need to change her name. It’s not right she doesn’t have her own identity. It hurts her feelings.”
“I haven’t found one to fit her,” Cole admitted.
“Yeah, she probably needs a strong name since she’s training for missions,” she said thoughtfully, still holding his hand.
“Technically, it’ll be a while before she’s ready. She’s the only puppy I purchased this round,” Cole said, leading her to the left, away from the group.
“Why did you get her then?” she asked, glancing toward the kitchen.
“I don’t know. I saw her, she ran up to me and then turned those teddy bear eyes toward me. She has a purpose. I haven’t figured out what yet,” he told her as Brody stuck to Hannah’s side.
“What about this guy?” she asked.
“He lost his handler in an accident. John and I trained Brody together. They brought him in after the attack. He shook from fear, shrapnel embedded in his side, and blood everywhere.” Cole relived the scene as he described it. “I knew I couldn’t leave him.”
“You have a huge heart,” Hannah said quietly. “I appreciate you taking pity on me. I imagine if anyone explained the pain of having a one-way conversation with me, you might’ve decided to stop visiting me.”
“Nope,” he said, stopping to stare at her. “You captivated me the first day we met, thanks to Brody.”
She rolled her eyes. “I didn’t even answer you.”
“Don’t women always like to have a bit of mystery around them? It made me more determined to see you,” he said conspiratorially.
She giggled. “You’re insane. Brody found me.”
“He’s my wingman. Women can never turn down a dog,” he teased. “See, it worked. You probably count the hours until I bring him and Nine over to visit.”
Hannah grinned and shrugged, making his mouth drop. Her eyes twinkled as laughter bubbled to the surface.
“You amaze me,” he whispered, brushing the hair from her face. “One day, you’re sitting in a tiny room and staring outthe window. In the next, you’re talking about mac and cheese. Today, you’re here, making fun of me.”
“I’m not laughing at you,” she said. “You broke up my day. Brody made me feel,” she stammered.
“It doesn’t matter how you got here, Hannah. Only if you promise to stay. I don’t think I can handle seeing you in the hospital room by yourself one more day,” he admitted.
“I don’t know how long I’ll be here. My dad wanted to put me in a nursing home. Kassie will need the room for someone else. After all, I’ve occupied it over the last eighteen months,” she said, her mind racing.
“Don’t overthink it. I’m sure you’re bound to have feelings and they’ll want to keep an eye on you,” he reassured her. “Each of the original team has a bunk here to decompress. Team Hawk can use any of the empty rooms as needed.”
“How many women work here?” she asked.
“Sparky’s the only one so far. Leo’s an equal opportunity employer. As long as you possess the skills, and he believes you’re a good fit for the team, then you have a shot,” he said as he leaned against the doorway to the bunks.
“What brought you here?”
Cole stared at her and smiled. “One day, I’ll let you know.”
CHAPTER 20
