Page 84 of Her Passionate Hero

She went down the hall and found her grandmother in a rocker beside the rented hospital bed. Her mother was smiling.

“Who are you?” she asked Aliana in Czech.

“I’m Aliana, your daughter.”

She turned and looked at her mother to validate this information. Obviously, she was in one of her regressed states.

“Yes, Láska, Aliana is your daughter.”

“She’s so old,” her mother whispered.

“Do you want me to brush your hair?” she asked her mother.

“Can you braid it?”

Aliana nodded, then went to work. Her grandmother continued to hum. When Danica fell asleep, both women sighed with relief.

“Babička, I’m making lunch. Why don’t you go and take a nap before the food is ready?”

“That might be a good idea.”

Aliana looked at the two women who were her world. They both looked so frail. Her heart broke just a little. She went down the hall and asked Shorinda where her grandmother could lie down.

“Let me show you to the guest room.”

“This is lovely,” her grandmother smiled when Shorinda opened the door to the bright and pretty guest room.

“I’ll wake you when lunch is ready.”

When they shut the door, Shorinda turned to Aliana. “You know, it might not be a bad idea to have both of them stay with me.”

“Great minds think alike,” Aliana said.

***

“Looks like a pretty boy,” Zed said as he watched the big blonde get out of his Audi.

“Takes one to know one,” Dalton said with a grin.

Hunter gave his mentor an amused look. He hadn’t told him Aiden’s name for a reason. He wanted Zed to stick his foot in his mouth. Aiden O’Malley had a bit of a reputation amongst the SEALs, which is why Hunter had only said he was calling in a friend. They were all outside of Shorinda’s house on the outskirts of Glendale. Inside were Aliana and her family.

“Nice car,” Zed said.

“Thanks,” Aiden said, looking Zed up and down. “And you are?”

“I was just about to ask the same question,” Zed said looking Aiden over.

Hunter gave a tired smile. The last few days had sucked balls except for his moments with Alia, he’d needed this little break, and the ladies brigade. That had been a fucking riot.

“Chief Petty Officer, Aiden O’Malley, Second in Command of Black Dawn, and you?” Aiden drawled.

“Well, shit. Seems to me Hunter might not have been as forthcoming as he could have been when he said a friend was coming to help out.” Zed held out his hand and Aiden slowly shook it. “My name is Dante Zaragoza. I’m with Night Storm out of Virginia.”

“I know you. You’re Zed.”

Well, now that the fun was over, Hunter stepped in.

“Aiden, glad you could make it. We seem to have a bit of a gang problem.”