“We’ll stop by the office to grab our emergency go-bags.” Archer made the decision for the team as a whole. “Then you guys can follow me to my place so we can all clean up, get some food, and figure out our next move.”
Logan shot the man a quick grin. “You sure Cass is going to be okay with us all invading your house unannounced?”
“She’ll just be glad we’re all back home and in one piece.” Archer glanced back at Kam through the rearview mirror. “You’re about the same size as my wife,” he told her. “She’ll find you some clothes to change into, as well.”
“Thank you.” Kam offered the man a smile in return. “Everything happened so quickly, I never even thought about clothes or anything of that nature until now.”
“We’ll get you whatever you need,” Van offered with a low rumble.
Her mesmerizing gaze filled with appreciation as it slid to his. “Thank you, Donovan.” The smile on her face grew a tad more.
Though he had no idea why, he heard himself saying, “Van.”
“I’m sorry?” Her dark brows dipped slightly in the center.
And with his eyes burning deep into hers, he told her, “You can call me Van.”
CHAPTER 8
Later that evening…
“Thank you so much.”Kaamisha offered Archer’s kind wife a smile as she looked at herself in the mirror. “I will get your things back to you as soon as I’m able.”
Cassie Nash smiled back, the beautiful blonde immediately waving away the concern as they stood in her generously sized bedroom. “My job usually keeps me in a skirt or dress pants, so the jeans and t-shirt are yours as long as you need them.” She motioned toward Kaamisha’s feet. “Same with the shoes.”
“What is it that you do?” Kaamisha asked.
Cassie’s pretty blue eyes sparkled with a growing smile. “I’m a lawyer,” she said proudly. But then she winked, adding a playful, “The good kind.”
Kaamisha chuckled softly. “You enjoy your job.”
The guess was an easy one to make if the expression on the woman’s striking face was any indication.
With a nod, the ends of Cassie’s long, blonde hair shifted slightly as they lay across her shoulder in a sea ofgolden waves. “My best friend Ellie and I co-own a law firm that specializes in defending people who wouldn’t otherwise have the opportunity to hire a strong legal counsel.”
“That sounds very rewarding.”
“It is. Unfortunately, there are a lot out there who find themselves in seemingly impossible situations.”
“In another life, I might have gone on to law school,” Kaamisha decided to give a little more of herself. “But apparently that was not the path I was meant to take.”
Sympathy shone in Cassie’s almond-shaped eyes as she stared back at her from a few feet away. “Logan filled me in on what happened in Kandahar. He said your mother was shot and killed a few years ago?”
“It is true.” A familiar pain struck deep inside her gut.
“He also said someone had worked very hard to make you think he and his men were the ones who killed her.”
The comment surprised her, and she turned from the mirror to face the other woman completely. “That is also true.”
A look she could only describe as protective came over Cassie just then, and she took a step closer to where Kaamisha stood.
“They would never do that, you know.” She stated this as a matter of fact. “Logan and the others…they are the most honorable men I’ve ever known. They would never kill anyone in cold blood. Especially a woman. They are protectors to their core. It’s not only what they do…it’s who they are.”
Given what she’d seen of the team’s behavior, Kaamisha believed the woman’s claims to be true. Even so, she felt compelled to let Cassie know, “Your husband and his friends abducted me and tied me to a chair.”
“Because they believed you to be a cold-blooded killer, and…you did put a knife to Van’s throat.”
Archer had clearly shared all of what had transpired with his wife.
