“So she sucks at hand-to-hand combat,” Logan countered. “That doesn’t mean?—”
“And then there were the RPGs at the hotel,” he went on before the other man could even finish. “When the strike came, she didn’t try to use it to her advantage or escape in any way. She fully complied, not hesitating even a second to follow every one of my commands.”
He could still see the fear in her eyes from that night. Felt the way her hand had held onto his as if he’d been her lifeline.
In that moment, Van supposed that was exactly what he’d been.
“And then there was the jet,” he drove his final point home.
“What about it?”
“When we got to that airstrip outside of Kandahar, she couldn’t seem to board the damn thing fast enough. You think she’d do that if she knew there was a bomb strapped to the damn thing?”
“Maybe she fancies herself a martyr.”
The man still wasn’tlistening.
“I saw the look in her eyes when that explosion first hit the hotel, Logan. And again when shit went down on the jet.” His gaze was pulled back to the woman still sleeping on the other side of the door. “Kam was just as surprised by it as we were.”
“So…what? You saying you trust her more than Webb?”
“Never said I trusted her.”
“Come on, Van. You know what I mean.”
Yes, he did, which was why he needed to be absolutely sure about her…and the man in charge of the Navy.
“I’ll see if I can get her to talk more while she’s here. If she’s hiding something, I’ll figure out what it is.”
“Yeah? And how exactly are you gonna do that?” Logan’s tone shifted from confusion and frustration to having an almost humored touch. “You planning on winning her over with your charming personality?”
Despite the tension that had been rolling between the two men, Van felt his lips twitch with the urge to grin. The flippant comment his teammate had made let him know they were back on solid ground.
Not that one disagreement would be enough to shake loose the trust and brotherhood they’d built throughout the years. It would take a hell of a lot more than that to cut through a friendship as solid as the one they shared.
“Just do me a favor,” Van muttered low. “If you talk to Webb again, don’t tell him Kam’s with me.”
Silence filled the tiny speaker in his ear before he heard…
“You wanna tell me why?”
“You’re so sure he’s not our guy…” He waited a beat. “I want the chance to prove it.”
For a moment, nothing more was said, making him wonder if Logan was going to go against him on that, too.
But then…
“I’ll hold him off as long as I can. But at best, that’ll only last until he gets into town, which will be in like two, three days.”
It admittedly wasn’t much time to fully gain Kam’s trust. But it’s what he had, so it would have to be enough.
“Thanks, man.” Van voiced his appreciation to his friend.
“No problem. Oh, and Van?”
“Yeah?”
Another quick pause. “Just be sure you don’t go off and do something stupid like letting her kill you in your sleep.”
