He’d brought those traits with him to Tribe, making him a natural at coldly immobilizing targets and disposing of what was left behind.
But for Daleyza? He’d wanted to be a good man. For Tobias, he’d wanted to be a good father. In trying to make that happen, he ended up throwing it all away and reverting back to the man he’d been.
Waters once told him he wasn’t that man. That he’d done what he’d needed to do to protect his family. That he’d done things for the Navy to keep their world safe from men like his father. That what he’d done in his role with Tribe was to protect others since he couldn’t protect his wife and mother. Until now, he’d never truly believed him.
Waters believed in him so much that he offered to make the ultimate sacrifice so Ildefanso Colonel, his friend, had the opportunity to make right what, in his head, felt wrong. Yes, they hoped this might draw out the Salieri puppeteer, but Waters would never have suggested this sacrifice, knowing it might be his last act on earth, if he felt Ildefanso wasn’t worth saving.
Tonight, standing here, he felt hope for the first time. Instead ofrunning from the belief they could succeed, he committed to believing they would. He would fight for another chance for Daleyza, the woman who meant more to him than his own life. He would fight for her until the day he died.
For the first time, he understood that he’d been running his entire life.
It was time to stop.
He’d been running long enough.
27
AUGUST 24-25, 2024
Daleyza
They’d spenthours going over every door into the quadrangle, the church, and the residence. Plotted every room on a multilayered map. Drone footage from Midas gave them rough dimensions, and they highlighted every space they thought could hold a hidden entrance to stairs or elevators, or even whole rooms where the dimensions looked off.
At some point, someone brought her some food, and periodically, they refilled her tea.
She had a headache. Her body ached from hunching over the table.
“Enough.” Ildefanso’s voice cut through the conversation at the table. “She needs rest.”
There were murmurs of “Thank you” and “Good night” from several people, but she was too tired to respond, much less to acknowledge who said them. It was simpler to lean on Ildefanso, withhis arm wrapped around her waist, and let him guide her to their room.
Inside, he stripped her down to nothing, then helped her into a long-sleeved flannel pajama shirt and pants. He tucked her into bed, placed a kiss on her hairline, and murmured that he would be back after a shower and to go to sleep.
“Fanso?” Her voice, hoarse from sleep, questioned the arms wrapping around her from behind in their bed.
He kissed the back of her head. “Sí, belleza. Go back to sleep.”
Instead, she rolled over to face him. He was shirtless, and her hands met with warm skin, just a touch damp in places from a recent shower. She snuggled into his neck, her lips parting when they touched his throat so her tongue could sneak out for a quick lick. She tasted the water, the soap, and the smell of warm male filled her nose.
He’d been gone eighteen days on this last trip for his father. Complete radio silence.
The lick turned into a nip. The nip turned into a kiss. Her hands began to wander across his chest, down his torso, and around him so she could get impossibly closer.
When her hands slid up to just outside his shoulder blades, she sucked in a breath. Beneath her hands, she felt stitches.
Instantly, the foggy remains of sleep were gone, and she struggled to sit up in bed.
“You’re hurt!”
“I’m fine, belleza. It’s just a scratch.”
“Those were stitches. A lot of them.”
“The cut is long but shallow. It’s fine.”
“You don’t get stitches when something is shallow, Fanso.”
He pulled her stiff body back down into his arms, holding both of her hands in one of his and tucking her head back under his chin with the other. “Don’t think about it, belleza. It’s over. I’m home safe. I just want to hold you close.” His hands went around her baby bump. “How’s our boy?”
