“Si, this is true.I left my own home at seventeen, as you know.My father’s story was that he kicked me out, but I basically ran away.”Avery frowned.“We had very different lives, as I told you before,” Luciana reminded her.“It is what it is.Now tell me about the stores you mentioned.Harrison loaned me his credit card, and I definitely want to pick up some more clothes.I also need toiletries so I don’t keep using his shampoo.”
Luciana caught the smirk on her friend’s face.“What?”
“Nothing.Nothing at all,” Avery said with a laugh.
“Spit it out,” Luciana mock-threatened.
Avery shot her a grin.“I think he likes you.I know that’s insane given you just met, and it’s hard for me to imagine Commander Madden falling for any woman, but the signs all point to yes.”
Luciana laughed.“Come on now.He is being polite because I am living with him.I’m a guest in his home.He’s worried only because I was held prisoner.”
“Keep telling yourself that,” Avery joked.“Remember how in Bajo Chiquito you told me there was nothing like a strong military man?Girl, I have a feeling you could have your very own if you wanted.”
***
LUCIANA STOOD AT THEkitchen table hours later, snipping the tags off her new purchases.She had more clothing, along with a robe and swimsuit.They’d also made some progress with Doctors Without Borders, who’d agreed to ship her belongings to Hawaii.Although their arrival would take longer than she wanted, what choice did she have?It wasn’t like Luciana was going to fly back there right now.And her purse, wallet, and phone were long gone, confiscated by the very men who’d kidnapped her.
She glanced at the meticulous list she’d made, detailing what items she still needed to do.Although it felt endless, she was pleased that she’d at least made some minor progress.The past twenty-four hours were a whirlwind, and she half expected to wake up and find it had all been a dream.
But no—she was safe.Really and truly free.
Hearing a car pull up, Luciana hesitantly peeked out the window.Relief flooded through her as she realized it was Harrison.Avery had left an hour ago, but Harrison was still home earlier than she expected.
“You had a busy day,” Luciana noted, clearly seeing the tension on his face as he came in.
“Yes, but I was also worried about you.”His gaze quickly scanned over the kitchen as if to ensure everything was as it should be.
“Sorry about the mess.I found some clothing and other things when Avery took me shopping.I’m just getting it ready to wash.”
“It’s no problem,” he assured her, setting his own bag down on the kitchen table.“I got you a cell phone on the way home.You’d mentioned contacting your own provider to get the old number switched over and working on a new phone, but I went ahead and set this up.It’s on my contract for now, but we’ll sort that out another time.”
“Oh, you didn’t need to do that.I contacted my bank earlier and will have new credit cards mailed to me soon.Avery let me make some calls on her phone,” she explained.
“Well, I figured it would be easier not to have an international number while you’re here in Hawaii.In addition,” he added, his voice growing serious, “I’m not sure you want to keep the old number.They may have destroyed your old phone, but they may try to access it.”
“You think they would contact me if I kept the number on the new phone?”
“I’m not sure,” he admitted.“I don’t know how tech-savvy they are to get the phone number of your old one.If it had a lockscreen, they might not be able to get in at all.I’d change all your passwords though just in case.”
“Good idea,” she said, frowning.
“What’s wrong?”
“I just wish I’d thought of that already.I’ve got a whole list of things to do,” she said, gesturing to her paper on the table.“I’ll add that to my agenda.”
“It’s a lot to do, but you’re handling things remarkably well.I have to admit I asked Ryan if he’d heard from Avery earlier today.I wanted to see how you were doing,” he said, fixing his gaze on her.
Inexplicably, her heart fluttered.Harrison was a busy man.She almost didn’t know what to make of him taking the time out of his day to concern himself with her well-being.
“Avery and I had a nice day together.Surprisingly, I didn’t panic at all despite being out in public.Avery was worried, too, but it just felt...normal.That sounds trite, perhaps, but I felt more like myself than I had in a long while.It was good to spend time with her.”
He studied her face for a moment, nodding.When Luciana spoke, Harrison really listened.Some people only paid partial attention, their mind on other matters, and she appreciated his full attention more than he knew.It was nice to be seen for a change.To be a person whose opinions and thoughts mattered, not a mere object for men to enjoy.
“You look a bit stressed yourself,” she noted.
“Things are tense.We’re monitoring an unfolding situation, and we needed to debrief on our recent op—rescuing you,” he explained.
“You go over the mission?”she asked.
