Page 75 of Her Captivated Hero

“Mine is secure,” Riya protested.

“I’m not talking about yours, Dr. Patel,” Liam said as he nodded toward the two CDC scientists.

“I need you to break into your teams and go over your specific plan details,” the captain said. “Dr. Patel, you’re going to Abu Dhabi with Black Dawn since they’re assigned to the most likely target and you’re the one most familiar with the toxin. I trust the fact that you are familiar with members of that team will only be a plus.”

He wasn’t looking at her, he was staring at Gray.

“Captain, may I talk to you?” Gray asked.

“No,” he said. “Dismissed.” He started walking out of the briefing room. The general paused at the lectern.

“You walked a very fine line, Dr. Patel. A very fine line. Do you understand me?”

She gulped. “Yes Sir.”

“If something like this happens again, you won’t find me so understanding, do you comprehend me?”

“Yes Sir.”

He left the briefing room.

Commander McAllister stayed behind. “Max, hit the Conference Room C. Mason, you’re in One over in the annex building. Gray, you and your team will stay here with me.”

Riya watched as Max tapped one of the scientists on their shoulder. Apparently they were interchangeable.

Lucky them.

She watched through her bangs as the lieutenant named Mason escorted the other scientist out of the room. Soon she was left with Gray, Liam and the five other SEALs she’d already met. Well thank God for small miracles, at least I can put names to faces.

“Liam, can I speak to you in the hall?” Gray’s voice was a subdued roar. She jerked her head down so that the only thing she could see were her notes. Riya heard the door click. Her lip hurt, she tasted copper.

“Riya?”

It was Aiden O’Malley. She couldn’t look up. She couldn’t.

“Honey, Gray’s behaving like an ass. You need to ignore him.”

She turned another page in her notebook, and pressed down the corner. Uh-oh, she needed to stop doing that. They needed to be flat so they could be scanned. She wasn’t doing anything right.

“Let me. You guys take off. I don’t give a shit if you interrupt Gray and Liam.” Aiden sounded angry.

Oh no, another harsh voice.

She heard footsteps, and then the door closed again. A man’s big hand slowly pulled the notebook out of her grasp. She had no choice but to look up. Aiden had a compassionate smile on his face.

“Honey, you need to quit biting your lip.”

She touched it and winced.

Then all of her emotions, her questions, bubbled out, in a forlorn cry.

“Why is Gray so mad at me? I don’t understand.”

Riya was horrified when she felt a tear track down her face. She never, ever cried. Not ever.

Aiden walked to her side of the lectern and pulled her trembling frame into his arms. “He’s angry because he’s scared to fucking death.”

“That makes no sense at all,” she choked the words into the front of his olive green t-shirt. She sucked in a deep breath then pushed out of his arms.