The idea of leaving everything she’d known behind once more wasn’t something she necessarily wanted to consider either, but what choice did she have?She could use the next few weeks as a stepping stone to eventually returning to Central or South America.She’d ease back into life in the real world, getting used to doing simple things once more like choosing what she wanted to wear each day or fixing what she wanted to eat for dinner each night.Inexplicably, she flushed.Would she be having meals with Commander Madden if she stayed in his home?
Why that made her blush, she wasn’t sure.She’d been around angry, demanding men for weeks, and certainly had no interest in dating.Commander Madden was, of course, one hundred percent different from her captors in every way imaginable.He was honorable.Respectful.She recalled how he’d turned away when she’d changed into her clothes and felt a warmth filling her chest.No matter what, she felt safe with him.She’d known Avery’s boyfriend was one of the few good guys, and she could sense that his commander and teammates were the same.Avery trusted them, and so could she.
They’d literally risked their lives to get to her.
“Ms.Rodriguez?”he prodded when she didn’t respond.
Luciana cleared her throat.She’d liked it better earlier when he’d said her full name.“You can call me Luciana.”
He nodded.“Will do, ma’am.Luciana,” he quickly added, and she heard the other men trying not to snicker.“You can call me Harrison, if you’d like.Commander Madden sounds too formal.That doesn’t apply to you,” he told his men.
She smiled, maybe for the first time in weeks.
While she wasn’t sure what had prompted him to make the offer to stay at his home, she could do so for a few days.She’d find her own temporary place, of course.Maybe an inexpensive hotel, although she assumed that might be hard to do in a touristy spot like Hawaii.He hadn’t mentioned having a wife or girlfriend living with him, but he very well could.Why disappointment suddenly flooded through her at that thought, she didn’t want to examine too closely.Luciana would be a guest in his home—temporarily—and that would be that.
The Humvee they were riding in rolled down the road onto the airfield, heading to a building off to the side.There were military servicemembers working, even now in the dead of night.Commander Madden—Harrison—began giving instructions to his team.
She glanced over as he spoke.There hadn’t been much of a chance to study Harrison in the dim interior of the vehicle, especially not with him right at her side, but she could tell he was handsome.He was older than her, perhaps in his early-to-mid forties.He was big and broad, as she’d already noted, and had hard, masculine features—a broad nose and strong jaw.A hint of light stubble across his face.But those eyes.They crinkled slightly at the corners when he smiled, albeit rarely, and he looked at her with an intensity she couldn’t begin to understand.
He was still wearing body armor, and she couldn’t completely see all his features with the helmet he wore.She imagined he had a closely cropped, short military hairstyle.He was clearly in peak physical condition.He was brave as could be, but she supposed anyone in his line of work would have to be.His men respected him.They weren’t begrudgingly agreeing to his instructions.They were a cohesive unit.A team.Briefly, she wondered why he was there on the mission to save her.Didn’t the higher-ups usually send in their men and stay behind where it was safe?Maybe she didn’t know exactly what a Navy SEAL commander did, she rationalized.
There was no time to ask questions, because they were suddenly coming to a stop and exiting the vehicle, with Harrison helping her down.She felt shaky as her boots crunched on the gravel, and she clung to him for a moment, overwhelmed.
As he looked down at her, she got that brief scent of pine trees and the sea again.It was an interesting combination that didn’t make much sense.He smelled good though—like freedom and safety.He towered above her, but again, that just made her feel shielded from the world.While she normally had no issue with facing things head on, given the circumstances, she appreciated his strength.
A trio of men were approaching, and Harrison handed her off to Ryan while he went to speak with them.“Are you okay?”Ryan asked quietly.“I know Av was overwhelmed when she was rescued.It’s a lot to take in.”
“I’m more than okay,” she said, tears smarting her eyes.“I’m free.”
Chapter 13
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HARRISON CONFERREDquietly with his men as Luciana slept near the front of the plane.As soon as they’d lifted off from Panama City, he’d finally breathed a sigh of relief.They’d actually done it.The death of multiple cartel members was already all over the local news, and they’d notified Luciana’s employer that she’d been rescued once they were safely over international waters.There might be blowback from the cartel on the U.S.government’s involvement, but he didn’t give a damn.If anything, he wished they’d done more to take out the hostiles.
He watched as Luciana shifted slightly, her brown hair spread across the pillow.He was relieved she’d felt safe enough with them to sleep at all.That wasn’t always the case, and once again, he admired how well she’d held her own over the past several hours.
