by Dale Mayer
As she checked the other one, suspicion rose. Maybe she wasn’t so damn safe after all.
Slowly, she lowered herself to the floor and took a step forward. Her feet were puffy, hot. So the doctor was right. She glanced down at her clothing. Another hospital gown. White this time. Still, she had to know for sure. Nervous, she opened the curtain and peered outside. She was in a room with several other curtained off beds.
She was in a medical center. Thank God.
As she went to step toward the door, it opened. And several men entered.
She froze.
The man in the lead froze. And frowned.
“Damn it Mia, why aren’t you in bed.”
Hawk.
*
He wanted to race forward and tie the damn woman down. He strode closer and glared at her. Gratified when she scrambled back into bed.
He deepened his glare for good measure and knew he’d failed to achieve his desired effect when she lifted her chin and glared right back.
“I’m fine.”
“You’re not fine. You’re exhausted. Your body has been through a horrific trauma and you need to heal.” Damn. How is it this woman always managed to make him yell? Even worse, her eyes now shone overly bright. She was crying. He felt like a heel.
Then she sniffled. That valiant warrior trying not to break down in the face of adversity. And he appeared to be the adversity this time. Damn it.
Her gaze widened as she looked behind him. The rest of the crew had crowded in close.
Her face brightened and she reached out her arms.
Hawk could only stare as big strong man Swede walked over and picked her up for a big gentle hug – after he shot Hawk a dark glare. Presumably for treating her so badly.
He rolled his eyes. Mia had Swede eating out of her hands. Shadow stepped up and took her from Swede and cuddled her close.
And she sank right in, loving the exchange. How the hell had she managed to tame each and every one of these huge bad ass men? His team were not teddy bears except with her…and Tesla, Mason’s partner.
He didn’t get it but watched in taciturn silence as each of his men hugged her gently. Even Dane who’d hardly met her got one. When Mason reached for her, she pulled back and stared at him for a long time, then smiled. “You’re new, but I suspect you had just as much in saving me as the rest did, so thank you.” And she gave him a big hug.
Mason turned with her still in his arms and stared at Hawk, a big grin on his face and a raised eyebrow.
Mia, comfortable in every one of this team’s arms crossed her arms and announced to him with strong emphasis on the first word, “Your friends are very nice.”
And she gave a short nod.
Like, what the hell.
It didn’t help his team was grinning at him like the loons they were.
“No point in fighting it,” Mason said. “Besides, I’m sure there are a few men here who want to know.”
“What to know what?” he said in frustration.
Swede piped up. “Are you keeping her?”
Chapter 20
“Keeping me?” Mia cried. “No he’s not keeping me. He doesn’t even like me.”
The others grinned. Shadow headed to the door, “Let us know, Hawk.”
Hawk just shook his head, for once wordless.
Mason gently placed her back on the bed. “We’ll give you two five minutes. Then we’ll be back.”
With a gentle smile, he dropped a kiss on her temple.
And walked out.
She watched them leave and had never felt so alone. “They’re really nice. I don’t want them to leave.”
“They’ll be back,” Hawk said brusquely and sat down on the side of the bed.
“Why are they so nice to me and you’re so mean?” she said in a forlorn voice.
“I’m not.” But his tone was hard. Belligerent.
She shot him a disgusted look then pleated the sheets in a perfect line across her lap. Anything to keep her busy while dealing with him. He was so damn important to her, and everything she did seemed to be wrong. How did that work? “Why are you here?”
“This.” He tugged her forward and into his lap.
And kissed her in the most gentle careful loving kiss she’d ever had. Tears came to her eyes. She wrapped her arms around his neck and lay in a fog of love as he caressed her puffy lips then kissed the damaged cheekbones, his lips as light as a butterfly’s touch.
When he finally stopped and held her close against his heart, she whispered, “I must look at mess.”
“You look as you always look,” he said comfortably, “beautiful. Even more so now.”
She snorted. “Wow, I didn’t know you were injured too.”
When he didn’t respond, she leaned back and smiled. “Your eyesight must have gotten bad really fast.”
He laughed. “Ha. Says you. You were always beautiful, now we know you’re beautiful inside too.”
And he kissed her again, this time harder, this time hotter. And it damn near melted her bones.
A cough behind them startled her. She tried to straighten, but Hawk wasn’t having anything to do with it. He tightened his arms around her and said, “Go away.”
Mason, humor in his voice, said, “Sorry Hawk, can’t happen.”
Hawk sighed. “Then come in and make yourself at home.”
The others crowded around.
Mason gently said, “Sorry, Mia, but we need to ask you some questions.”
She winced. “I understand.” She struggled to put some distance between her and Hawk, settling back into place, tugging her covers up and over her. In an apologetic voice, she said, “It’s my fault.”
Hawk snorted.
She glared. Then her shoulders sagged, her irritation short lived as guilt took over. “I opened my mouth and I shouldn’t have.”
The men leaned forward as she recounted how she’d told the young officer, who she now knew wasn’t an officer, about the knife and how she’d gotten it. And how she’d brought up the SEALs. “I didn’t mention any names,” she paused and frowned. “At least I don’t think I did.”
“Nothing you said mattered,” Hawk said quietly. “The military was already involved.”
“But you guys are super secret,” she whispered. “And I think I said, ‘Hawk told me someone was coming to pick up the knife.’”
They all nodded, but none seemed to think she’d made a major gaffe. She just felt like she had. With a deep breath and her fingers busy pleating the sheets, she finished off her story. Then fell silent.
Hawk reached over to cover her hands, bringing attention to the fact that she’d crushed a handful of sheet.
She trembled. “It really wasn’t much fun,” she muttered slowly, releasing the sheet.
“No, it wasn’t, but it’s over now.”
She nodded. Then looked up at all of them. “Is it though? Did you find the fishing boat I was on?”
“We did, but it was in the process of sinking and it was empty.”
“Crap. So they are still out there and still trying to do major damage?”
“We’re on it,” Mason said firmly. “That’s our job. We’ve got this.”
Hawk added, “And what’s your job, Mia?”
She gave a half laugh. “To heal. And to stay where I’m put.”
The others laughed. Hawk stood up. “I’ll be back later and…” He glanced out the window then back at her. “Please stay safe.”
And they were gone.
She leaned back, tears burning, but she refused to close her eyes. She really wished he’d kissed her good-bye.
Then he quickly returned and she was snatched, kissed hard enough to hurt but soft enough to not care, be-fore Hawk set her back down on the bed and said, “Stay safe.”
She sighed happily. Her world was looking pretty damn rosy right now.
*
Outside he strode down the hallway, his mind consumed with Mia. Damn it, she’d snuck into his hear
t and taken up residence. He hadn’t expected it. The depth, the power of it all sidelined him.
The others were waiting for him at the end of the hallway. Grinning.
He glared at them.
Their grins widened.
It was only Mason who had a commiserating look on his face. He confirmed it when he said, “You might as well give in, you know.”
“Give in to what,” he snapped, knowing full well what Mason was talking about but not willing to acknowledge it.
“How you feel. It’s over already.”
“No, it’s not,” he said, more for form.
The others snickered.
“Take it from me,” Mason said, “It’s over.”
Hawk slid a sideways glance at his friend. “Is it for you for sure?”
The smile on Mason’s face made Hawk wish for the same thing. Did he have it? There was no doubt Mia was there in his heart. Could he ever imagine his life without her – hell no. But it had happened too fast. How could it be real? Could he trust it?
“That part is over,” Mason said. “The rest is now just beginning.”
Swede said, “You two lovebirds need to get your head in the game. And Hawk, was it wise to not tell her?”
Hawk shrugged. “I don’t know. She has been through so much already. Besides, we told her we found the boat sinking.”
“Yeah, but not that everyone on board had been shot dead.”
“I didn’t want to add to her worries.”
“Yet she needs to know the players have changed,” Shadow said quietly.
“She’s out of it from now on,” Hawk said, hating the doubt, the worry eating at him. Surely she was safe now. “She’s safe here on base.”
“We know for a fact that’s not a sure thing,” Swede said. “Look what happened to Tesla.”
“No, but no one here is going to be involved in a terrorist plot like this,” Mason said in a harsh voice. “I refuse to believe that.”
“Just don’t be blind to seeing the truth,” Swede said. “Besides, they won’t keep her here. She’s going to be released to a hotel within hours. You know that.”
“Then I need to make sure I’m at that same damn hotel,” Hawk said. He looked over at Mason. “Let’s just move her to a safe place now.”
“She needs a guard.”
He nodded. “Would be easier. Then we can run the shifts and keep an eye on her.”
“We should have from the beginning.”
“No, she needed treatment. Now she needs to stay safe. Hidden. That means secret her away somewhere safe.”
“I’ll do that,” Cooper said as he joined them. He’d been waiting for them outside. Poor Cooper was still sidelined from active duty but he was a Godsend for handling the little details. “I’ll send you the deets in an hour.”
Leaving it in Cooper’s hands, Hawk led the others back to the bay. To find the man who’d managed to kill everyone he’d hired so far.
He was now alone and on a mission.
Something they had to stop.
Fast.
Chapter 21
Mia found herself a fast two hours later ensconced in a hotel room somewhere in the city. She didn’t even know where. Cooper, who she’d never met, but Hawk had vouched for, had made all the arrangements. Clothes had been provided including a flimsy nightgown. She hurt like a bitch but was in a wonderful bed, with painkillers taking the edge off everything else.
She just wanted to curl up and sleep. And she did, then woke up, used the bathroom and curled up to sleep yet again.
When the afternoon sun crept through the bright window, she was still drowsy but starting to feel human.
Almost.
She tried to get up, but the act of walking around the room to explore the area was more than she could handle, and she crawled back into bed.
This time she couldn’t sleep.
And she was freakin’ hungry. A knock sounded on her door.
She froze then shook herself out of her reverie, grabbed the matching housecoat to her nightie and walked over to peer through the tiny peephole.
Hawk.
Quickly she unlocked the door and let him in.
He looked exhausted but carried something that smelled wonderful.
She took the bag from him, afraid he’d drop it then nodded in the direction of the living room. “Go. You look like you’re going to fall asleep.”
He nodded. “I might but need a shower first.” He started stripping his shirt off and dropping it, then his belt, followed by his shoes and pants. Each article dropped where they landed in the hallway and living room as he proceeded through the suite. By the time he’d hit the bathroom door, he wore only boxers. Then he disappeared from sight.
Crap.
She figured she couldn’t be too badly hurt if she was more concerned about the sight of those heavily muscled cheeks being bared than the food in her hands.
But she could hear the water and realized he’d now be naked and…under that water.
If she knew what they had for a relationship, knew if she’d be welcome, she might have made her way into the shower with him. Considering the damage to her own body now and knowing how ugly and beaten up she looked, she figured he could have this shower alone. Maybe she could join him next time.
She put the food down on the table and quickly picked up his clothes, folded them and stacked them on the small chair, her mind busy on the image of water sluicing down his gorgeous body. Giving herself a mental shake, she forced her attention from one appetite to the other.
The food was Chinese. She grinned. Her favorite. Did he know? According to the conspiracy theory nuts, the military knew everything. Including her favorite foods.
Good. She was famished.
Her mouth was still sore, and she knew she’d be eating slowly and had to watch she didn’t bite her lips. They were horribly swollen.
Likely would be for a few days.
She found two plates in the bag along with the napkins. She proceeded to ladle out the mix of dishes, her stomach moaning in joy at what was still to come. It looked wonderful. And he’d bought enough for the whole SEAL team.
Of course she might eat their share too.
She wanted to wait for him to join her, but she couldn’t stop snacking. Finally she heard the door open and Hawk, dressed in a towel, walked out, refreshed but clearly exhausted.
But that damn towel marred a sculpture of beauty. She forced her gaze back to the plate in front of her. “Do you think you can eat, or do you need to go to bed…to sleep,” she quickly corrected herself, “first.”
He sat down in the chair beside her and let out a long careful breath. “We’ll try food first.” But his gaze never left her face.
Flustered, she picked up his plate and handed it to him. “Here. This is wonderful. Thank you so much for bringing it.”
“Cooper ordered it and picked it up before he collected me.”
She nodded. “He has great taste.”
Hawk stared at the food on his plate then started to eat.
Like her, he appeared to be ready to wolf the entire plate down fast. And oddly enough, it was seeing how ravenous he was that helped her to slow down. She curled up with her knees under her and slowly ate, keeping an eye on him. “It was bad, was it?”
He paused and shoved the full fork into his mouth then nodded. “It was.”
That was all he said. She pondered that, realizing not only did no one know much about the SEALs, no one talked about them except in hushed whispers. Super secret spy stuff. She grinned at the phrase but understood that life with Hawk would often mean not talking about his work because he couldn’t. And she had to be okay with that.
Considering the option was to not have Hawk in her life at all, she was very good with that.
Besides, he’d come home to her when he could. He’d talk to her when he could. And the rest of the time she’d trust him to do what he could to stay safe. That was all anyone could ask. Now, to get to the p
oint of actually having a relationship. Trust her to lock down the fine print on a contract she didn’t have yet.
He finally lay his empty plate down and leaned back with a happy sigh.
“Feel better?” she asked gently, now daintily picking at her food.
“Yes.” He nodded to her plate. “Are you going to finish that?”
She laughed. “I am, but there is more in the containers.”
He eyed the containers with interest, then shook his head. “Later. I’ll have some later.”
Later? What did that mean? After he got dressed? After a nap? Later tonight as in the middle of the night? She’d lost track of time, and had no idea what day it was.
“Did you let my father know that I was safe?”
“Yes, and Eva. No one else knows.”
“No one else matters,” she said. “Thank you.”
“In truth, your father was contacting me every couple of hours.” Hawk grinned suddenly, boyishly. “I was grateful to be able to tell him something.”
“We’ve only got each other now,” she said quietly. “It would have destroyed him if I’d died.”
“Not just him. You’d come to represent innocence to the world. The media is going to be all over you when you finally surface.”
“Gross. I’m not anything to anybody. I’m just me.” She hesitated then had to ask, “Did you find the men?”
He frowned, his gaze dropping.
“Shit. They are still out there, aren’t they?”
“Someone is. But the men on the boat that held you captive, they were dead when we closed in on it. Someone was already cleaning up the details and had booked it.”
What? She was shocked into silence. Then ventured, “And the bomb?”
“Gone, but there was enough threads and evidence left behind to figure out who is behind this,” he said quietly. “But we haven’t found him yet. We had an address but only found more bodies.”
She stared. “The boss is really killing everyone off?”
He nodded. “We think so. Less men to tell tales this way.”
“Do you still think he’s planning to blow up the Golden Gate Bridge?”
