X stood stiffly, patting Dana’s back like he didn’t know what to do with her. But before she pulled away, Terry saw a flash of emotion in his dark green eyes. Almost…longing.
As far as he knew, X didn’t date. Hell, outside of Zulu Team and Terry, he’d never heard X mention a single other person in his life beyond the woman he’d lost. Aspen. He’d loved her, but before he’d worked up the courage to tell her, she’d died on an op.
“So, where are we?” Terry asked, linking his fingers with Dana’s as they sank down onto the edge of the bed.
X grabbed the single chair at the wall-mounted desk and flipped it around to straddle it. “Not much further than we were last night. Flynn made contact with the broker, and he has a boy scheduled for ‘delivery’ tonight at 2100 hours. Before the kid feels like he has to do anything, Raine’s going to burst in, pretending to be Flynn’s wife. They’ll leave, and we’ll wait. As soon as the pimp takes the boy back, we’ll follow them.”
“Where’s Flynn meeting the kid?” Terry asked.
“Here. He has a room reserved at the other end of the motel. It’s a risk, but there are only so many motels in the area we could book with multiple adjoining rooms. It’s too close to Thanksgiving. There are eight major conventions happening this week.”
Through the entire conversation, Dana held Terry’s hand like her life depended on it. “You’ll free all the kids, right?” she asked quietly. “Will—the boy the private investigator talked to—said the boys and girls were kept apart.”
Xavier narrowed his gaze at her, and Dana squirmed under the intense scrutiny. The man had a way about him that unnerved most civilians. Terry had vowed long ago never to get on X’s bad side.
“We take on a job, we finish it,” Xavier said. “No way we’re leaving here without the kids free and the shitstains exploiting them dead or in jail.”
Dana nodded, relaxing slightly, and Terry shifted so his arm was around her shoulders. “What do we do now?” he asked.
“Nothing.” Pushing to his feet, Xavier set the chair to rights and strode toward the adjoining door. “Rest up.” He reached into the other room for a large duffel bag and dropped it in front of Terry. “Weapons, kevlar, and comms. You get caught with any of that shit, you’re on your own.”
“Understood.” This was nothing new. He wasn’t a part of Xavier’s team and he knew it. An outsider—even one Zulu Team had worked with before—was still an outsider.
“Be ready at 19:00. Not a minute later.”
A second before the door closed, Terry called, “X! You need us before then, you knock.”
The man’s laugh carried until the door slammed shut, and Terry flipped the deadbolt. “It won’t stop him. But at least it’ll slow him down.”
“He’s…a lot.” Dana scooted back on the bed, kicking off her shoes and curling up with her back to the headboard. “Is that normal?”
“For Xavier? Darlin’, that was nothin’. On mission, he’s scary as fuck.” Terry set the duffel bag on the chair and inventoried the contents, laying each item on the desk in turn. Shoulder harness, two SIG Sauer pistols, four magazines, a box of bullets, two comms units in a charging case, one kevlar vest, a pair of night vision goggles, a five-inch knife with sheath, gloves, a black knit hat, and GPS watch.
Dana sidled up to him, staring down at the equipment. “He’s prepared. I’ll give him that.”
“This is nothing. I’m ‘an observer with a gun,’ nothing more,” Terry said. “I guarantee if he’d let either of us into the room next door, it would have looked a lot like an armory. With Flynn, Raine, and Xavier working off of half a dozen laptops and a portable whiteboard taped to the wall.”
“I wish you’d let me join you,” she said, running her fingers over the shoulder harness. “I’ve been trained. You don’t simply forget how to handle—or fire—a gun. Or what to do in a hostage situation.”
Terry wrapped his arms around Dana, and she tucked her head under his chin. “I know you can handle yourself, sweetheart. But this is Xavier’s op and he makes the rules. Besides…I’d worry about you the whole time. I…” With a hard swallow, he gave up all pretense of being a gentleman. Drawing back, he nudged her chin up so he could stare into her eyes. “I love you, Dana. Hell, I’ve loved you since that first night we spent under the stars, and bein’ around you again after all these years? I want a life with you. A future. If you’ll have me.”
She sucked in a sharp breath, and Terry’s heart skipped more than a single beat.
“Say somethin’. Please. If you don’t feel the same, I’ll walk away. You can still stay at my place until you get on your feet. I’ll always be here for you. No matter what.”
Dana levered up on her toes and pressed her lips to his. She tasted of coffee, but something more. Something that he couldn’t name, but instinctively knew was home. Her hand slid into his hair, sending a shiver racing down his arms.
He poured everything he was into that kiss. All the lonely nights, all the dreams he’d had of her over the years. All his hopes that she’d accept him—want him—as much as he wanted her.
“Don’t walk away,” she whispered against his cheek. “I can’t say the words back to you. Not yet. Not with Micah…” A quick shake of her head and she continued, her eyes shimmering. “When I say them, we’ll be home. And safe. And I’ll feel like I can breathe again. But know this. I feel them. I felt them every day we were apart, and I won’t let that happen ever again.”
12
Terry
He stared up at the popcorn ceiling, the dim light failing to chase away the shadows in the corners of the room. Beside him, Dana slept, her black curls spread out across the bleached pillowcase. Despite his exhaustion, he couldn’t calm his thoughts enough to sleep.
“I felt them every day we were apart, and I won’t let that happen ever again.”
