“You wouldn’t tell me what you did.” A siren wails overthecall.
“The details aren’t important. But…when I got blown up, before he bailed on me, Royce called my mama. She hung up on him. If someone had offered me a chance to repair my relationship with her that day, to take back what I’d done or find a way to make things right, I’d have done anything they asked. I understand desperation, Al. That’s why I joined the army in the first place. Family, too—even though I don’t have oneanymore.”
He’s silent for so long, I worry the call’sdropped. “Al?”
“My wife hugged me before I left. Told me she loves me.” His voice cracks on thelastword.
“Everyone deserves a second chance.” Even me, though I’m not sure I’ll get one from my family or from West. “I suspect you’re a good guy at heart, Al. One bad decision doesn’t change that. I hope the police go easy on you. After all, you did the right thing, intheend.”
The call disconnects, and I stare at the darkened screen for several minutes before exhaustion swamps me, and I fall into bed, praying I won’tdream.
* * *
Ten yearsout of the army, and I still wake with the sun. After my swim, wrapped in a blanket, the mug of coffee warming my hands, I watch a ferry make its silent trek across the water. In two days, I take over Emerald City Security—at least for the next three months while Royce recovers from his surgery. He told the whole team Friday night, then insisted we all do shots with him to soften the blow. We’ve only just started to repair things between us, and now…I could lose him. I’m not ready. Not ready to lead either, but he believes in me, as do Lucas and theothers.
I had to give a speech after that shot, and I stumbled over a few words, but I told everyone to call me on my shit, then told them we were a team, and we’d get through this together. There were a few tears, mine, Orion’s, even Abby’s. Mostly, though, we laughed and hugged and toastedRoyce.
I limp back into the kitchen, contemplating breakfast, but my doorbell chimes before I pull the eggs from the fridge. This early, I’m expecting the local Girl Scout troop, so when I open the door, I stare directly into a blue t-shirt stretched over a sculpted chest I’ve dreamed about more than once in thepastweek.
My gaze travels up, taking in the stubble covering his jaw, the dark circles that bruise his eyes, and the cut on his forehead half-covered by a single butterfly bandage. Though I know I should say something—anything, shock and concern steal mywords.
“Can I come in?” Emotion chokes his voice, and when I nod and step back, he moves carefully. His right arm wraps around his torso, and he sets his duffel just inside the door with a smallgrimace.
The click of the latch reverberates in the silence and shocks me enough to speak. “Areyouokay?”
West seems to wrestle with his answer. “Fuck it,” he mutters and pulls me tight to his side. “I didn’t think I’d ever see youagain.”
My eyes burn. “I was an ass. When you didn’t call, I figured you couldn’t forgive me—and I didn’t blame youonebit.”
“Shh.” He nuzzles my hair. “We both made mistakes, angel. I never should have left you thatnight.”
I slide my arms around his waist, and my fingers brush the telltale bulge of a thick bandage at the same moment that West’s entire body tenses. I draw back, then lift his shirt. A faint reddish tinge mars the white gauze tapped to his abdomen. “Shit. Comesitdown.”
West drapes his arm over my shoulders as I lead him to the couch, and though he doesn’t limp, if I had to guess by the tension in his muscles, he’s trying not to lean on me. Once we sit, we stare at one another until I can’t stand not touching him for a moment longer, and I brush the backs of my fingers against his cheek. The truth I’ve tried to ignore since he left slamsintome.
I’m falling in love withthisman.
He shifts so I can fit myself to his side, and as he rests his cheek against the top of my head, he inhales deeply and a small shudder ripplesthroughhim.
“Where the hell did you go after you left me? To take up back alley street fighting?” I want to run my hands over his chest, his arms, his back, checking him for more injuries, but I fear I’ll hurt him, so I settle for carefully laying a hand on histhigh.
“Do you know what K&Ris?”
“Kidnap and ransom. I had a couple of buddies who talked about getting into that shit after their tours. I don’t think they ever did, though.Dangerouswork.”
“A year before I left the SEALs, we were sent to rescue a high-value target who’d been held hostage for over a year in Hell Mountain. The son of a bitch escaped six hours before we could get to him, but they’d tortured him within an inch of his life, and we found him bleeding out in a cave three clicks away. We spent too long stabilizing him, and the insurgents surrounded us. All the other guys—including Ryker—thought we were done for, but I found a way out. Ryker never forgot that. When he needed a new infiltration specialist for his K&R firm, he came to me. I turned him down not long after we starteddating.”
“You never mentioned him.” I can’t keep the hurt from my voice, though I have my own secrets that threaten to tear usapart.
He sighs. “I never thought I’d see him again. But then I couldn’t afford the insurance for the kids program. The things I want to do, Cam…I can make a real difference. One job for Ryker—three days, max—covers my expenses for two months.” Anguish paints his features, and he tries to pull away, but my small couch leaves him little room. “A small group of guerrillas kidnapped the son of the Colombian president. The kid’s only twenty-three. The night we fought…I’d met with Ryker’s team and agreed tohelpthem.”
“Agreed? You looked like you’d been in a fight.” He looks surprised, and my shame skyrockets. “I noticed. But I couldn’t see my way past my own issues.” Twining our fingers, I meet his gaze. “That’s what you were trying to tell me thatnight.”
“The job should have been a cakewalk, but I still didn’t want to leave without telling you…” He shakes his head. “Then our communications guy fucked up and let the snipers get a bead on us. Only the second time in my life I’vebeenshot.”
He chuckles weakly, but I feel the blood drain from my cheeks. “Howbad?”
“Bad enough that Ryker carried my ass out of the jungle, and I ended up unconscious in an illegal Bogota med clinic for two days. I was lucky Ryker and I share the same blood type. Coop didn’t live long enough to get out of the compound. As soon as I could walk, Ryker got us on the first transport back to Seattle. We landed less than an hour ago.” His fingers are cool as he takes my hands. “Angel, I thought I was going to die. The doc said I came damn close. And all I could think about was how we’d leftthings.”
