When I return to the bungalo, I strip off my shirt before I start cooking. The day’s already warm and the kitchen is going to heat up as I get going.
I'm pleasantly surprised my hands remember the motions as I work in the tiny kitchen of our borrowed bungalow. I learned to make these in my time here. I enjoy cooking. Doing something with my hands that gives life instead of taking it.
The smell of steaming corn husks soon fills the small space.
I hear Naomi stirring, and soon, she emerges from the bedroom, hair tousled, wearing my T-shirt. It hangs to mid-thigh, and something deeply primal in me stirs at the sight. She blinks sleepily, then her eyes widen at the spread on the counter.
"You cook?" Her voice is still rough with sleep.
"That’s a strong word for what I’m capable of," I say, handing her a mug of coffee.
She takes it gratefully, wrapping both hands around it like it's precious. "Smells amazing."
I plate the tamales, still steaming, and set them on the rickety table by the window. The morning light frames her head as she sits, haloing her like the angel she is.
"I didn't know what kind you'd like, so I made three kinds."
She takes a bite and closes her eyes, making a sound that sends heat straight through me. "God, that's good."
We eat in silence for a few minutes, ravenous after everything that’s happened. I watch her lick sugar from her fingers, and I have to look away, or I’m not going to let her finish breakfast.
"No nightmares?" she asks.
I pause, food halfway to my mouth. "No."
"Me neither." She looks at me over her coffee cup, something vulnerable in her eyes. "First time in weeks."
We need to talk. About Logan, about what happens next, about whatever this is between us. But for now, we eat tamales in the day's new light, and I pretend that we could always have mornings like this.
When we’re nearly finished, I begin. "You probably want to know who that man was. And how I know him."
Naomi takes a sip from her mug, eyes steady on mine. "I do. But I wanted to wait until you were ready. I also wanted you inside me, so I wasn’t going to spoil the mood.” She gives me a saucy look, and I smile despite what I have to tell her next.
I sigh and nod, pushing my plate away. "His name is Logan Black. He was a part of my team."
Her Cheshire grin fades but not into something sour or dark. She’s open—patient. Not pushing but not retreating. Just present. I’m grateful for it.
“I told you I was in the Army. Tier one operator. Special Forces. But I didn’t tell you just how special.” I take a sip of coffee, stalling slightly. "I was part of a program called Project Guardian. We were recruited from other top programs. It wasn’t just training.” I forced myself to look into her eyes. I wanted to be seared by her judgment. I deserve it. “There was experimentation. Genetic modification.” Naomi’s throat works, but she doesn't say anything. “They kept us separate for that part. But I know most didn’t survive. In the end, there were eight of us. We were capable one-man armies. But as a unit, we could take down entire cities.”
“I thought it was strange what you could do. When you killed that bear, I just thought I’d never been around someone who was Tier One. But it was more than that.”
I nod. “At times, I’ve been holding back.” Which means I’ve been lying to her.
Naomi stares off into the distance, nodding. I’m already losing her. The truth of what I am is already pushing her away.
“Static was part of that program, too?”
“Yes. I was the team leader. Until…”
“Barakesh,” she finished for me. Naomi, capable, shrewd, sharp Naomi, is already reading the end of the story.
It’s my turn to look out the window at the sea. I’m not sure I can look at her for this next part.
“We were tasked with extracting a terrorist threat in that town. The target not only had a small army protecting him, but he was utilizing human shields as they so often did, surrounding himself with women and children like a coward so that no one could get to him. But that’s what we were designed to do.”
“What happened?”
I closed my eyes, and I could see it. The night had spared me, but now I had to face it in the light of day.
