by Bianca D’Arc
One minute, she’d been minding the kiosk for her friend, Lulu. The next, she’d been involved in some sort of classified gunfight in the middle of the local mall, then swept to the hospital when she clearly didn’t need to be, taking up space in the Emergency Room. Then, a highly ranked naval officer had arrived.
Commander Lester Kinkaid had been waiting for her in a clearly borrowed office when one of the nurses wheeled her out of the emergency room. The commander had greeted Hannah by rank and name, proving that he’d dug around a bit in her records to learn a bit about her. She wasn’t sure what she’d been expecting when she was taken to see the naval officer, but his words had surprised her.
“No doubt, you’ve figured out that the men who were in action today at the mall were a military unit,” Kinkaid had said without preamble. “For reasons that should be obvious, we don’t want that data known to the public. A story is already being circulated to the news media blaming rival gangs for the gunfire,” Kinkaid had gone on. “Aside from you, nobody else really saw anything in the mall. Most ducked for cover the moment they heard shots fired. It was just your bad luck to be stuck in the middle of it all.” He shook his head. “For us, that’s potentially good luck since, based on what I’ve seen of your record, you’re a level-headed sort of soldier who knows how to follow orders.”
She hadn’t known what to say to that, so she’d remained silent. Always a good option, she’d discovered, when dealing with unknown officers, even if they weren’t in your chain of command.
“Sergeant Sullivan, I’d like to know if we can count on your discretion in this matter,” Kinkaid had said, meeting her gaze with a fiery expression in his intense eyes.
“Sir, I don’t intend to talk to the media, even if they somehow track me down. I recognize the level of skill in the men I saw in action today,” she’d told the commander, meeting his gaze frankly. She wasn’t scared of this guy. Not exactly. Her career in the military was already in question. If her leg couldn’t heal properly, that would be it. Career over. That knowledge gave her a freedom to speak that she otherwise might not have had. “I don’t intend to out any Special Operators. Not today. Not ever. I’m a patriot. I don’t understand what they were doing in action on U.S. soil, but it was pretty clear to me that they were defending someone, not causing the problem. In fact, I don’t think they even fired a single shot. They were just evacuating at least one person who appeared to need their protection. Who she was or why she needed that kind of guardianship is, frankly, above my pay grade.”
Commander Kinkaid had eyed her for a long moment, as if weighing her words, then nodded. “I’m glad you feel that way. And I can tell you that what happened wasn’t planned or sanctioned. I’m playing clean-up, and I appreciate your cooperation. I know you’re on medical leave and I’m not in your chain of command, but I will write a letter of thanks to go in your file. And please know, you can always call on me for a recommendation, if you ever need one.”
He had stood up from behind the borrowed desk that had more than the regulation number of potted plants on it and reached into his pocket. He had given Hannah his business card, on which was printed simply his name, the Navy seal, and a contact number. She’d never seen a card like it, and she had gotten the sense that there was a lot more to this commander than met the eye.
Hannah had been escorted home by VA personnel. They had loaded her into one of the vans they used to transport patients and driven her home. The driver hadn’t spoken to her and left her at her door with only a short farewell.
Hannah had gone into her house, using the crutches she’d had with her all along, but hadn’t used until then. She’d raided the fridge and fed the cat that came to her back door sometimes. Then, she’d turned on the television and watched the local news report on the mall shooting with very few facts and not much story. They simply reported it and moved on to the child abuse trial that was currently causing a sensation in the local area.
Hannah had gone about her life, as normal. She’d gone back to the VA a couple of days later for her regularly scheduled physical therapy. She’d gone early so she could visit Carter and thank him again for staying with her while all hell had been breaking loose in the mall around them. She had been doing very minor physical therapy even while waiting for the joint to heal, but when she talked to her orthopedist after the therapy session, the news hadn’t been as good as she’d hoped.
Lulu had asked Hannah to fill in at the mall again, for the next week or two, while Lulu dealt with some personal issues, and Hannah had agreed. Sitting at the kiosk wasn’t her favorite thing to do, but moping around the house was worse. At least at the mall, she talked to people and got her mind off her damned foot for a few minutes at a time.
The good thing about filling in at Lulu’s kiosk was that her friend got everything set up ahead of time, and all Hannah had to do was sit there, watch things and take money when someone purchased an item. This sedentary gig was the only kind of job she could do with her foot the way it was. But helping Lulu wasn’t really a job. It was more just helping a friend.
Technically, Hannah was still in the Army. At least until they took her off active duty permanently because of her injury. She knew she didn’t want to stay in if she couldn’t rejoin her unit. If they were going to give her a desk job, she might as well get out and try to get on with her life as a civilian. Right now, of course, everything was up in the air until they made a final decision about her stupid foot.
“Hi.”
The male voice jerked Hannah out of her reverie. She looked up to find the man who hadn’t been far from her thoughts. Carter. His bluer-than-blue eyes gazing down at her, a slightly nervous smile on his firm lips.
“Carter,” she said, then felt foolish for not returning his greeting in a more convention way. “I mean, hi. How’ve you been?” She looked down at his leg. “Should you be walking on that so soon?”
He shrugged off her concern. “I’m fine. Good as new. I just wanted to see how you were holding up,” he said, surprising her. “If you get time off for lunch, I’d be happy to take you someplace to get something to eat.”
He was inviting her to lunch? The Special Forces hottie who had fueled more than one late-night fantasy was actually here, asking her to share a meal? She could hardly believe it.
“I usually go to the café over there. It’s close, and I can hobble over reasonably quickly and still have time to eat.” She smiled at her own misfortune.
“I like their sandwiches,” he replied, glancing over at the café and back to her. “If you don’t mind the company, it’d be my treat.”
“Okay. Thanks. That would be nice.”
Nice. Such an insipid word. Of course, she couldn’t tell him that her inner voice was doing a cheer at the prospect of spending more time with the mysterious super-soldier. She’d thought she’d never see him again, but she was thrilled to discover she’d been wrong on that score.
“Lulu will be dropping by any minute to cover lunch,” Hannah told him.
“Lulu?” he asked.
Hannah pointed to the sign over the kiosk that read Lulu’s Treasures. “She’s a friend. This is her shop. I just look after the kiosk from time to time, since I’ve been home, when she needs a break.”
“I’m glad I caught you, then.” He smiled at her, and she almost forgot to breathe. Damn. He had a killer smile.
“I’m sorry I’m running late.” Lulu arrived in her usual flurry of activity, not even appearing to notice the big man standing nearby as she opened the locked compartment where they kept their personal items while running the shop. “The good news is, I can stay for the rest of the day, so you’re free, Hannah. Thanks for standing in for me this morning.” She straightened up and finally seemed to notice Carter standing there. “Oh, sorry. Can I help you?”
“No, ma’am,” Carter said, still grinning. “I’m just here to take Hannah to lunch.”
“You are, are you?” Lulu’s bubbly personality gave a lot of innuend
o to her words, as did the rather obvious look she gave Hannah. “Well, don’t let me stand in the way. Go. Have lunch. Enjoy.” Lulu handed Hannah her purse from the cupboard and shooed her away.
Hannah would have loved to set her friend straight, but she was already embarrassed enough. Instead, she just put her bag over her shoulder, picked up her crutches and hobbled off, Carter at her side.
Suddenly, Carter understood why Jeeves and his new lady had counselled him to wait until today to check on Hannah. Those two could see the future, and they’d probably had some kind of vision or intuition that Hannah would be free to spend more time with him today. He’d have to remember to thank them for the good advice when he got back to the island later. For now though, he was going to enjoy his lunch—and maybe the rest of the afternoon—with Hannah, if he could convince her to spend it with him.
Something about her had compelled him to find her, again. She’d been so stoic during the action in the mall. Not like he’d expected a woman to react to gunfire. Not at all. Maybe he was a bit of a caveman, but he’d expected hysterics, or at least, some show of fear. Instead, she’d been as calm as any of the guys he worked with on a daily basis. Cool and professional.
He wondered what she’d look like in her uniform… And, for the first time ever, the thought of a woman in military garb made him more than a little horny. Maybe it wasn’t the uniform, but the woman wearing it. He’d liked to have seen Hannah in action, in the desert. He had wondered if he’d have been as attracted to her if their paths had crossed out there, on duty, and he had come to the conclusion that the answer was definitely yes. Emphatically yes. There was just something about Hannah that both impressed the hell out of him and made him want to know her better.
Lunch was a good place to start. Midday meals weren’t as threatening as dinner. He could keep it casual and ask lots of questions. Maybe reveal a few non-essential things about himself and learn more about her in the process. At least, that’s what he had planned.
They walked over to the café slowly. Hannah was good with the crutches, but he refused to rush her. Every step looked painful, and he wondered again, what he might be able to do to help. He’d talked to the captain about her, and Captain Haliwell had shared a few things about her file without letting Carter see the actual paperwork. That would be a breach of privacy and protocol. But, the captain had mentioned a few highlights of her career that only made Carter want to know more.
When they were seated in a booth with a good view of all the entrances into and out of the dining room, she smiled at him. For a moment, Carter lost his train of thought. Her smile had that effect. It was open and honest…and amused…at him.
“I took a jiu jitsu seminar one time with a highly-ranked sensei who had trained with ninja masters in Japan,” she told him. He wondered where she was going with this conversational gambit. “We all went out after the seminar, as a group, to a local sushi place. The sensei picked the table with exactly this sort of vantage point. Even at the meal, he was still teaching. Observe all exits. Never sit with your back to a door. Things like that. You just did the same thing.” She chuckled at him, even as she opened her menu and looked at the day’s specials.
Carter felt heat in his cheeks and was momentarily stymied by the fact that she’d made him blush. He hadn’t blushed since he’d been in high school.
“It’s the training,” he blurted out after the silence had dragged a bit. “I can’t help it.”
“Special Forces training, right?” she challenged, levelling her gaze at him as if she already knew the answer to that question.
“Well…” When had he lost control over this situation?
“It’s all right. I know you probably can’t talk about it. But I’ve seen your kind of soldier in action before. In the desert,” she told him quietly. Her eyes looked lost for a moment before she blinked and came back to the present moment.
“Look…” He tried to regain control. “Suffice to say, we’re both in the Army. I heard the VA doctor call you sergeant.” He hoped she’d take that opening and move in the directions he wanted to explore.
“I was promoted just before my injury,” she told him, nodding.
“When did it happen?” He pitched his voice low, trying to be sensitive in case she didn’t like talking about it.
“Two months ago. One minute, I’m in the armored vehicle that’s moving along a dirt road. The next, I’m flying through the air.”
“Roadside bomb?”
She nodded. “Yeah. I was lucky. It killed the guy who was driving. Corporal Lutz. He was a good kid.”
Carter pursed his lips. He knew how she felt. Losing comrades in the field wasn’t a great feeling.
“I’m sorry,” he told her in a gentle tone. “I’ve been there, too. I know how hard it sucks.”
She blew out a breath, and her gaze rose to meet his, again. “You’ve got that right.” She shook her head and sighed. “But what about your friends. Did everybody make it out of the mall all right? I’ve been wondering about that woman. She said her name was Rose.”
“She’s fine. I was the only one hit that day,” he admitted with a sheepish expression.
She smiled, and again, he noticed just how lovely she was. Wholesome, yet with hidden depths that made him want to explore.
“If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn’t believe you’d been shot only a few days ago,” she told him, shaking her head. “I’m glad Rose is okay. If you’re still in contact, please tell her I said hello.”
“Roger that.”
CHAPTER TWO
Hannah liked the way he talked. Soldier speak was part of his natural vocabulary, it seemed. He also didn’t treat her like a fragile female. She’d seen respect in his gaze, both during the action at the mall and here, today. Respect and something a lot hotter.
Or maybe, that was just her imagination. Wishful thinking.
No way a drop-dead gorgeous hunk like Carter would be interested in a beat-up NCO like herself. Or…would he?
He had stunning good looks. Chiseled features and brown hair streaked with golden highlights as if he spent a lot of time on the beach, in the sun. His physique was world class. Even loose civilian clothes couldn’t hide the breadth of his shoulders or the hard body under the fabric.
And those eyes. The blue of them had haunted her dreams for days after the mall incident. They were penetrating. As if he could see into her soul.
She had suspected the tension of the moments in the mall had made her romanticize his appearance in her memory, but she’d been wrong. He was just as delicious here and now as he had been then. Maybe even more so, now that no bullets were flying and she wasn’t a sitting duck for the shooter spraying bullets all over the mall.
“I’m a sergeant, too,” he told her out of the blue. She realized she’d probably been staring at him, and the silence had dragged on a bit too long. “Though I’ve been in grade longer than you have.” His smile was charming. Utterly charming and disarming. Damn. “Congratulations on the promotion.”
“Thanks.”
She was saved from having to make more small talk by the arrival of the waitress. The woman was familiar with Hannah and greeted her like an old friend. They chatted for a few moments as she took their orders, then she left, promising to be right back with their beverages.
“Your friend, Lulu, has some nice pieces at the kiosk. I may come back and pick up one of the Sanskrit inscribed pendants as a gift for our captain’s wife. She’s sort of the unit mascot at this point. She mother-hens all of us,” Carter said, his tone ironic.
“That’s sweet. Lulu has a lot of nice gift items. She tends to focus on emblems or mottos that mean something in different languages. She does a lot of traveling, so she finds suppliers all over the world.”
The waitress came back and delivered their drinks, telling them their food would be out in a few minutes. Hannah felt only a little awkward sitting in this place where she usually ate alone. Carter was a handsome devi
l, but he was also very good at putting her at ease. Now, if she could just stop staring at the man and mooning over his good looks, she’d be all set.
“I liked the look of the bracelet that said Anuugacchatu Pravaha, too,” he said, when the waitress left.
“It said what?” Did he mean to imply he could read Sanskrit?
“It means go with the flow. I’ve always liked that saying,” he told her as he stirred his coffee. “I was thinking the pendant that says Abhay would be nice for my friend’s wife.”
“What does that one mean?” And how did he know what they said without reading the little cards on the back of the boxes?
“Literally fear of none or fearless.” He chuckled. “Hal’s wife is definitely fearless. She’s also kind of small and cute, like a kitten that doesn’t know exactly how to use its claws yet, so we’ve all sort of taken her under our collective wing.”
“Do you actually read Sanskrit?” Hannah had to know and asking the blunt question seemed to only way to get the answer, even if it could seem a bit rude. Hopefully, he’d just take it as curiosity.
His expression shuttered a bit. “Yeah, well, I’m a language specialist. It’s part of what I do in the Army.”
“I knew a woman who’d been recruited into Intelligence, and they sent her to learn Russian, though she already spoke Korean,” Hannah offered. “That was a few decades ago, though. I expect, nowadays, they want folks who can speak other languages.”
“Arabic,” he said quietly. “I grew up with a kid who spoke Arabic at home, and I learned a lot from hanging around him and his folks. I branched out from there, and yeah, Sanskrit was a fun challenge.”
