People clustered into small groups, loitering in the chill night air outside small restaurants and bars, providing them good cover.
“How’s your leg?” Emma tucked a loose piece of her blond wig behind her ear and scanned their surroundings.
His thigh hurt like a bitch as they walked downhill through the Altstadt toward the train station and Lake Lucerne, but he could deal. “Fine. It’ll be better after my muscles warm up a bit.”
She made a noise of disbelief in her throat. “Don’t do that macho thing where you push your body until you hurt yourself. That doesn’t do either of us any good.”
“Honestly, I’m okay.” And he was, mostly. “I know better than I did when I was twenty-two.”
She speared him with a skeptical look that was equal parts exasperation and concern, a look so achingly familiar a knot formed in his chest.
Jason looked away, his gaze wandering up and down the street, taking in every dark shadow or hint of motion. Anything to stop thinking about kissing and holding Emma, especially after that smokin’ hot reminder a few hours ago.
No, that one had been a lie.Remember that, dickhead. He sighed and gave his full attention to their surroundings.
The mostly residential street they were now on curved downhill and to the left. A retaining wall lined one side, topped with conifers and flowering bushes that provided some privacy to the buildings on the hill above. The neighborhood was quaint, its three- and four-story stucco buildings sporting shutters and quoining, sloped roofs with dormers, and balconies with lots of plants spilling over. Warm light glowed merrily behind many covered windows, the people inside oblivious to the world of danger operating right under their noses.
“I think what you do is really admirable.” Curiosity winning out over common sense, he said, “It can’t be easy. What keeps you going?”
She shrugged. “There’s no end of douchey rich guys who think they can get away with ruining people’s lives. It feels good to be on the side that’s doing something about it.” Her voice stretched thin at the end, but she took a deep breath. “You probably understand the need to help others better than most.”
“I do.” The Air Force had been a welcome escape from the unending competition with his older brother. Also from fucking up with Emma, though he’d been accepted to Officer Training School before they met. He’d wanted to work on something more important than grades or touchdowns, or even his own ego. Something that forced his focus outward. “Being in pararescue, being responsible for others’ survival, changed my perspective on what matters.”
He could feel her gaze on his profile when she asked, “In what way?”
How to put it into words? “That the team comes first. That ego only gets in the way. That I’m happiest when I’m working for a higher cause, like saving lives. I don’t have a problem with people trying to earn money or build a business or any of that. I’m directly involved with it myself now. But the most important thing is the team. We sometimes disagree or get on each other’s nerves, but at the end of the day every one of us knows the other has our back. That was the best part of my time in the Air Force, and it’s why I’ve stayed with Steele. Finding that level of trust…it’s magic.”
Losing his team, the iron-clad bond between them, was still his worst nightmare.
She blew out a quick, sharp breath. “I know that feeling exactly. It’s what I have with Nat, and a few of the others who work for FPP. Which is why today’s events have shaken me so hard.”
He barely resisted the urge to take her hand. Of course she was still hurting over leaving Natalie behind. “You hide it well.”
They walked in silence for another block before she said softly, “I’m sorry I abused your trust.”
“Thanks.” He wanted to believe her, but even if she were being honest, he needed to keep his distance emotionally.
They finished the remainder of the walk without incident and—he was fairly sure—without being followed.
The sounds of music and conversation led them along the docks until they reached a park on the shore of Lake Lucerne, tucked into a small plot of land near the cultural center, the train station, and the university. Inseli Park—with its small kiosk-style bars and outdoor seating scattered across the gravel around the perimeter—was perfect. It was busy and moderately lit. He and Emma would blend in well here.
“Are you still hungry?” she asked.
“I could eat.” His stomach rumbled helpfully, the noise smothered by the light jazz playing over speakers spread throughout the trees.
“We’ll attract less attention if we have food and drinks. Will you grab us something while I secure a table?”
At his nod, she gave him her order and strode away.
He approached a stall that looked like it had been built from an old shipping container and painted bright blue. A large sign made from white lightbulbs proclaimed the bar’s name: WAGNER. Jason stood in line behind several couples and a trio of twenty-something white women, his gaze scanning the crowd for threats.
Ahead of him, the three women formed a circle, presumably better for chatting away in what sounded like Italian. The redhead facing him glanced up and met his gaze. Instead of looking away, she maintained eye contact and gave him a slow smile that he recognized as a blatant invitation.
Her friends turned, their eyes widening. The bleached-blonde grinned and said, “Ciao.”
Great. Apparently the wig wasn’t hideous enough to keep him from attracting attention. Hell, they probably liked the silky hair that was far more like his dad’s than his own. “Hello.”
“Oh, you are American?” the redhead asked with a heavy accent, her eyes bright under the fairy lights hanging from the canopy over the service window.
