“I could’ve gotten us killed,” she said softly.
“You had no way of knowing they were tracking you,” Ryan said gently.“You were a prisoner.When would you have time to search your belongings for a tracking device?Likely not ever if you were ordered to dress quickly.They kept you in nothing but a nightgown.”
Commander Madden growled beside her.“Enough.We’ll get her a change of clothes and shoes when we reach the military base in case something else is hidden that we’re unaware of.We can have a medic look you over as well.”
“But what happens then?”Luciana asked.She glanced at all of the men, realizing by their silence that they knew something she didn’t.
Commander Madden cleared his throat.“Ma’am, as I mentioned earlier, it’s not safe for you to remain here.Not right now, at any rate.The Gulf Clan will be looking for you.We won’t be able to offer you any protection if you remain in Panama.We can arrange for a visa and passport and bring you with us to ensure that you’re safe.”
“Bring me to Hawaii?”she asked in shock.
Chapter 11
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HARRISON NODDED, NOTsurprised that she’d remembered where his team was stationed.He wasn’t sure what else Avery had shared, but Luciana was sharp.He had a feeling she didn’t miss a damn thing.“For now, yes.If you choose to go elsewhere after you heal and recover in Hawaii, that’s up to you.You’ll have a lot of decisions to make, but you could do so from a safe location where you won’t need to be constantly looking over your shoulder.”
“I can’t go to Hawaii,” she protested.“I don’t have a job or money.I mean, I suppose that I still have a job with Doctors Without Borders, but I can’t go back to work at the site where I was kidnapped.I don’t even know where my belongings are.What’s become of my room in Bajo Chiquito?”she asked, her voice choked.“What happened to Avery’s things?I had my clothes, laptop, everything there.And where would I even live in Hawaii?”she asked, looking panicked again.“Right now, I have nothing.”
“You’ll stay with us,” Ryan said.“Avery and I live together now.She’ll be so happy that you were rescued, and you’ll both have a lot to talk about.I think it might be good for both of you.We have a guest room, and I know she’ll help you to get whatever clothes and things you need for the time being We’ll take things one step at a time.”
“I can’t impose on you like that,” Luciana protested.“You and Avery were apart for so long.She told me how you were dating long distance, and I’m sure you’re both happy to finally be together.I’ll just be in the way if I stay with you.”
She looked to Harrison, her eyes pleading with him to understand.He felt gutted.He wanted her to feel comfortable with any decision she made, but the reality was, she’d be safest with them.The thought crossed his mind that she’d be safest with him, but that was crazy talk.Luciana didn’t need a Navy SEAL commander butting into her life.He’d arranged the rescue op, yes, but she’d want to move on and make her own way in the world.He’d never be more than the man who’d saved her.
“It’s no trouble,” Ryan assured her, but she was still looking at Harrison with something close to panic in her eyes.
“You’re not safe here,” Harrison gently told her.“I’m not leaving you in Panama for the cartel to kidnap or kill.They won’t look kindly on the fact that you escaped.”
Her lower lip trembled, and Harrison had the strangest urge to reach out and run his thumb across it, soothing her.The idea was gone in a flash, but he felt an uneasiness in his gut.He was meant to get her safely out of Panama, not make her his.Those chocolate brown eyes he’d studied in her photograph, however, were full of worry.Fear.
He was drawn to her in a way that made little sense.When had he thought twice about a woman in that manner?Not in years, and yet this one called out to him, making Harrison sit up and take notice.Even moments ago, when she’d tended to his surface wound, he’d felt adrenaline pulsing through his veins at her touch.One moment, she’d been scared, and the next, she was the no-nonsense nurse he imagined she’d been in her old life.She’d taken charge, not afraid to stand up to him.A woman like Luciana would never let a man plow over her, with his thoughts and opinions taking precedence over hers.She was independent.Strong.She and Avery had stood up to the doctor, hadn’t they?And it had nearly gotten her killed, he thought with regret.
He’d loved seeing her in her element.Now, she only looked uncertain again, and Harrison wanted to do whatever he could to help her to fly free and soar.Luciana didn’t deserve any of the bad things that had happened to her.She deserved freedom.A goddamn chance.He had questions about her background and how her father might somehow relate to the cartels, but he knew what he needed to about her.Luciana was good and pure.Innocent.And he’d be a damn fool to leave her in Panama for the cartel to get their hands on once more.
“The commander is right,” Ryan said.“It’s not safe to stay here, and Avery will kill me if she finds out that I saw you and she didn’t.Come stay with us in Oahu.”
