“Don’t be too sure, Ambrosia,” Jed said. The screen turned to snow as the transmission was cut off.
“Are you two close friends?” Hawk asked as Amber closed the laptop.
“We’ve known each other for a while,” she said.
He didn’t like her vague reply. “How close?” he insisted.
She put the laptop on the nightstand and turned to face him. “He saved my life,” she said.
Hawk let her push him back against the pillow. “Oh,” he said. Well, hell, what was a man to say to that? “I guess that’s why you feel you have to help him in this operation.”
Amber curled up next to him. She buried her face in his neck. “No, you’re the reason why I decided to help him in this operation. Satisfied your curiosity enough for now?”
Hawk smiled. “Yes,” he said, and obediently closed his eyes. They both needed to rest. They could talk more later.
“Who’s Admiral Madison?” she asked.
“Not an ex-lover,” he assured her sleepily. “Satisfied your curiosity for now?”
She chuckled and snuggled closer, sliding a hand around his waist. So much to tell her. And with the imminent danger ahead, Hawk was determined to see it through so he could have all the time in the world to tell her everything.
21
“Don’t worry, I’ll take care of everythinghere,” Lily said, giving Amber a quick hug.
Amber held her friend tightly for a second. They were going separate ways—Brad with Lily, acting as Amber’s decoy by wearing a blond wig, were heading back to his place to get “her” things, whereas Amber and Hawk would start for the western border, toward Albania.
“I’m sorry about this,” Amber said. She felt bad, as if she were abandoning Lily. “I have passports for each of the girls ready in the large envelope. If you need cash—”
“How many times have I done this? Don’t worry so much.”
It wasn’t that she worried about Lily, but it was her responsibility to do the paperwork in their operation. Whereas Lily’s skills had always been on the survival side, rescuing the kidnapped girls and guiding them safely out of Macedonia, Amber undertook all necessary detail work to prepare the girls for their new lives. It was she who got the fake passports ready, double-checked all the tickets for the girls going overseas, and, most important of all, made sure the girls understood what they had to do to make it safely to their destinations.
With Hawk’s escape, Lily was afraid that Dilaver might go house to house looking for him, and would come upon the safe houses. She suggested she would take the current group of girls out of Macedonia immediately. Amber had agreed. She felt she had let Lily down.
“We do what we have to do,” Lily continued. “Call me so I don’t worry.”
“I will.”
“Here’s the map to where Dija is,” Lily said, giving her a piece of paper. “I’ve already talked to him and he’ll let you guys through somehow.”
“Can we really trust him?” Amber looked at the drawn map doubtfully.
Lily shrugged. “It’s a risk you’ll have to decide. Hawk saved his life back there at the hills and this is a simple return favor. Dija has always kept his word to me.”
“Okay, thanks.” Amber gave Lily another hug. “It’s dark enough now that they can’t really see your face. You look gorgeous as a blonde, by the way.”
“Yeah, watch me scoot down in the car so I look petite like you.”
Laughing, Amber stuck a tongue out at her friend before turning to go back upstairs. Hawk was having his ribs tightly bandaged by one of the housekeepers. When she opened the door, she found several of the girls keeping him company, fussing over his injuries. They had heard about what had happened and had been worried. It astonished her to see how these girls, most of whom had grown to dislike men, had warmed up to Hawk.
He looked up and his puffy lips attempted a crooked smile. Her heart did a slow somersault at the look in his eyes. Sexy. And dangerous. The man must be superman. A few hours of rest just couldn’t be enough for an ordinary guy to look so ready for battle again.
One of the girls touched his shoulder. “Be careful and good luck,” she said.
Hawk nodded. He glanced back at Amber. “Don’t worry. I’ve got Amber to take care of me,” he said.
Brad was surprised Lily had agreed to this part of the plan. Going back to his place couldn’t be comfortable for her. Hell, he wasn’t comfortable, either. But he was going to try to be a gentleman and not force himself on her.
