Pierce dragged his hand over his jaw, trying not to grin like an idiot. God, she was getting to him. And if she kept looking at him like that, he wasn’t sure how much longer he could behave as a gentleman should.
But as they kept walking, one thought kept circling through his mind. The more time he spent with her, the more certain he became that Charley was going to be his.
Suddenly, Pierce was hit with a feeling that he hadn’t felt since his last mission.
The hairs at the back of his neck stood on end, every instinct honed by years of deployment snapping to life. It was his body’s way of sending a warning to him that something was off.
It wasn’t paranoia. It was survival. That feeling had pulled him and his team out of places seconds before they were hit. And now it whispered at him here on his home turf.
He didn’t stop walking or make any sudden movement, indicating what he was feeling. But his jaw tightened slightly ashe made a mental note of every shadow, every car, every possible angle someone could be watching from.
Charley, thankfully, didn’t seem to notice. She just walked beside him, relaxed and chatting away.
When they reached the Jeep Gladiator, she paused, her brow lifted. “Wait, this isn’t the Jeep you were driving the other day.”
He turned to her with a small smile. “Good eye,” he teased.
Her eyes lit up, the corners crinkling as she smiled. “Smart ass.”
He chuckled as he opened the door for her. “I have this and the other Jeep. Though the other Jeep is what I drive the most. I figured you deserved the cleanest one.”
She laughed. “Chivalry’s not dead after all.”
He smiled, closed the door behind her, and walked around to the driver’s side. But the second his hand hit the door handle, he let his eyes flick over his shoulder. He didn’t see anything, but the feeling was still there.
They pulled out of the lot a moment later, the city lights fading behind them as they headed in the opposite direction.
Pierce kept one hand on the wheel, the other resting lightly on the gearshift. He glanced sideways at Charley as she turned to look out the window.
Part of him was already looking forward to spending the evening with her, soaking in the easy warmth she brought with her.
But another part, the part trained to read silence like a map, couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off. And he didn’t like not knowing what.
???
The quiet hum of the engine blended with the soft background of classic rock playing low on the Jeep’s radio. Thewindows were down just enough to let in the salty breeze, and Charley found herself feeling more at ease than she had in days.
Pierce drove with one hand resting casually on the wheel, the other occasionally brushing against the gearshift. He looked relaxed but alert. Guys like him were always on alert.
“I still can’t believe the ribbon cutting is next week,” she said, shifting to face him slightly.
Pierce smiled, eyes flicking toward her before returning to the road. “You should be very proud. You’ve put in a lot of long nights since you’ve been here. And it shows. The whole community is excited.”
Her cheeks warmed at the compliment. “Thanks.”
They sat in silence for a few minutes, but the quiet did nothing to calm the thoughts crowding Charley’s head. Even though she should be focusing on her time with Pierce, her mind kept circling back to the stranger and the envelopes, not to mention the unmistakable feeling that someone was watching her.
Maybe it was nothing. Maybe she was letting herself get worked up over too many things at once. But deep down, she didn’t think so. She trusted her gut instinct.
Instead of waiting until tomorrow to call Alex, she decided to bring it up to Pierce.
“Do you know much about Operation Storm Current?” Charley asked as she nervously played with the hem of her sleeve.
Pierce’s head turned slightly, his expression sharpening. “Yeah. A lot of units rotated through. It was very high-risk, high-conflict. It covered a lot of ground. Why?”
Charley hesitated, then exhaled. “Because I found a piece of paper with that name on it. It was folded up in an unmarked envelope and left in the foundation’s mailbox earlier this week.”
“That’s all that was on the paper?” he asked, his eyebrows pinching together.
