“Always a show-off.” She pulled herself close and pressed a kiss to his shoulder.
When she looked at him with those vulnerable blue eyes, he lost himself in them; so much so, he contemplated not asking the question. It could send her running. Then again, it might show his willingness to compromise. As a rule, he didn’t compromise, but he would do it for Kat. After all, she’d been through enough already.
His heart thundered in his chest, and it had nothing to do with running, walking, and standing with his prosthesis for a record number of hours. He braced and tossed, “If I promise not to kill your father, will you testify against him?”
He’d like the man dead, without a doubt, but it would hurt Kat. If she testified, if his team flushed out the evidence, they could put Tor Royan away forever and get some intel in return. The thought of Tor getting ass-raped in prison would put a smile on his face for years to come, but he’d keep that to himself.
“Those are the options. Death or betrayal?” After all their hours talking, days fucking each other senseless, and the realization he thought she’d come to about her father, she balked like the man were a Nobel Peace Prize winner.
“They’re better options than he deserves. Better than he’s given others.”
Tears welled in her eyes. She held them at bay with a sniff and jut of her chin. “He’s my father.”
The same man who’d held her against her will. Hunter wouldn’t throw that in her face because she knew it.
“I’m going to change and go for a run.” Her hand slipped from his.
Hunter let her walk ahead of him. He wouldn’t chase her. The demons inside her did that too much already. She reached the first split in the path, only ten feet from him. He wouldn’t chase her, but it was about time he challenged her.
“Aren’t you tired of running?”
She stopped midstride and turned on him.
“Aren’t you tired of fighting?” Her hands spread wide. “I don’t understand why you’re so eager to get back to a life that left you pounding on death’s door.”
“I’m not eager, Kat, but we’ve been here for two months. I’ve been MIA for five goddamned months. No matter how much we want to, no matter how easy it would be to stay here with you, we can’t hide here forever.”
Three long strides brought her closer. “I’m not hiding,” she snarled.
“You’re not? I sure as fuck am.”
“You are?” The tightness around her mouth eased and her brows arched.
He nodded. “Do you think a sexy little thing like you could keep me from going if I wanted to?” His shoulders bobbed. “I mean, you could shoot me now, but if I wanted to leave, I would’ve used the phone you hid under your mattress the first week we were here.”
Her gaze hit the dirt.
Hunter stepped forward and lifted her chin. “The truth is, at first, I stayed because I couldn’t face my old life and the changes that are sure to come. Then I stayed for you. I wanted you comfortable with me, to trust me, and come in with me when I decided it was time.”
“All this was to tame me like a fucking animal?” Kat jerked her face from his hold. Tears welled in her pretty eyes. She reared back only looking at him from the corner of her eyes. “And now you say it’s time to go. So I’d better hop to and turn my father in?”
“One week in, yes. That was my plan. Then…I stayed for me.” He eased his hand toward hers as though she were an injured creature, and she was. The strangest feeling gathered in his chest; a mangled mix of heartburn and drowning fear. When she let him hook two of her fingers with his without running away, the tiniest bit of it abated.
“What do you mean stayed for you?”
“The past two months have been some of the most challenging of my life, but they’ve been—without a doubt, or even a close second place—the best of my life.” Her sharp features softened. Hunter huddled the rest of her hand into his. “Out of anyone in this world, you’ve cared for me more, and—”
She threw herself at his chest, nearly knocking them both to the ground. Hunter braced his prosthetic leg, steadied his foot, and hugged Kat to him. Even though she made no sound, hot tears soaked through his shirt.
“And I care for you more than I knew it was possible to care for someone I don’t call my brother.”
Her arms squeezed him to the point of oxygen deprivation. He kissed the top of her head and exhaled his worries and fear. There was no fucking way to know what would come next, but if she came with him, he would make things as good for her as he could. No worries of retribution from her father. No looking over her shoulder.
“I’m scared.” Kat sobbed.
“Me too.”
“You are?” She sniffled and wiped at her face before looking at him with a narrowed gaze.
“Of plenty, but I’m not scared of going in. Not if you go with me.”
Kat pressed her lips to his. Her eyes were sad, but that perennial determination shone through. She turned toward the house and pulled him along. “It’s still under my bed.”
He kissed her hand. “You mean the bed you used to sleep in?”
“Yeah.” She nodded, and a hint of a smile met her lips. “What’s the plan?”
“I’ll call my commander, say hello from beyond the grave, and he’ll tell me what’s what. There might be a legitimate level of cursing.”
“Oh, I haven’t heard any of that lately.” Her lips pursed and eyes rolled.
“Hey, you’re getting just as bad.”
“Only when I come,” she protested. Like that wasn’t all the damn time.
Their conversation quieted, and their steps never rushed on the long walk. When they got inside, they walked to the bedroom and sat on the tiny mattress. She offered him the phone she’d left connected to a charger. Before he turned it on, he turned to her and planted a simple kiss on her lips. As much as he was ready for the next step, he didn’t want to leave their hideaway.
The phone shined to life. Hunter input the number he knew by heart and turned on the speakerphone. He wanted Kat with him one-hundred percent. Because after they learned that she was a Royan, he would only have so much control over their fates.
After a mechanical beep, he said, “Oscar. Romeo. Papa. Hotel. Alpha. November. One. Nine. Eight. Six.”
Kat scooted closer to him, forcing that funny as fuck feeling into his chest again.
After a series of beeps, an operator answered. “Voice confirmation complete. Missing in Action Agent Masters, how may I direct your call?”
“Commander Tucker, please.”
Several moments of silence filled the line.
“About motherfucking time, goddammit.” Tucker’s gruff voice filled the small room. “What’s your status, soldier?” Under the bristled outer layer, a hunk of concern lay solid and unyielding.
Hunter muted the line for a second. “Don’t worry. It’s just a dude’s way of saying you scared the shit out of me and I’m glad you’re not dead.” Kat offered him a faint smile. He unmuted the line. “A little worse for the wear, but all in all, I’ll survive.”
“Then why the fuck has it taken you this long to make contact? Your friend is about to jump off the deep end.”
“It’s complicated, sir.” For so long, he’d put himself into a box, not allowing thoughts of Oliver and Tyler. Knowing Ollie wasn’t doing well sliced deep.
“Where are you? I’ll send a HELO and get you the hell home and de-briefed.”
“I’m in the safe house on the outskirts of Oslo, sir, and I’m not alone.”
“Please tell me you have Royan.”
Beside him, Kat jerked. Hunter laid his hand atop hers and pulled it to his cheek. “I have a friendly. She saved my life in every way, sir. In every way.”
“Put her on the line, Masters,” Tucker ordered.
“She already is, sir.”
“You trust her that much?”
“And then some,” Hunter said.
“Miss?” Tucker addressed Kat.
She leaned forward and drew a deep breath. “Yes?”
“I cannot ever thank you enough for saving Masters’ life. We are forever in your debt and will do whatever we can to assist you.”
“I…” Kat looked at him as though at a loss. “You’re welcome.”
“I’ll need you to come in with Agent Masters. We’ll ask you a thousand questions but get you back to your life as quickly as possible.”
Kat nodded. The tears gathered in her eyes again.
“Sir, when can we expect you?”
“Since you’re in Commander McCord’s district, and I already stepped all over his shiny shoes with Oliver’s extraction gone fucking awry—sorry, miss—I’m going to let him bring you in. Besides, it’s closer, and he can get you debriefed sooner.”
It wasn’t home. Then again, if Tucker came and got him himself, he wouldn’t let anyone know Hunter was alive until they had all their questions answered and he exceeded the holding period mandatory for agents who have a huge chunk of time unaccounted for. He got it. They had to make certain he hadn’t gone rogue and switched teams. Surely, bringing a Royan in with him wouldn’t bode well for a short transition, but it was better than hiding.
“Yes, sir.”
“Hang tight, Masters. The cavalry will be there before you know it.”
“Sir?”
“What’s up, Hunter?” For the first time, his superior was asking as a friend, not his boss.
“I know you can’t tell Oliver yet, but make sure he doesn’t do anything too stupid on my account.”
“I’ll try my best.”
“Thank you, sir.”
“Damn good to hear your voice.”
“Yours too, sir.”
The line went dead. He threw his arm around Kat and held her tightly to his side. So many things were swirling through his head. He’d lived the military, covert ops life for years. Kat hadn’t.
“When they arrive, they’ll blindfold us with black bags. They’ll separate us. They won’t speak until we get to HQ. Then they won’t stop. It’ll be question after question. You’ll talk until your throat is sore, and your brain is mush. Then they’ll ask you more questions. They’ll do the same to me.”
Kat buried her head under his chin and nodded.
“Answer all their questions as honestly and completely as you can. Know that they will not hurt you.” They wouldn’t. Not even knowing she was a Royan. But, so help them if they did. Gimp leg or not, he’d bring the world down around their ears. Gooseflesh crawled up his spine and down his arms. That was the first treasonous thought he’d ever harbored. It made his stomach knot, but he didn’t know for which side of the fence it coiled.
Damn, but this woman affected him a shit ton more than he ever anticipated.
They cleaned and packed up the house, leaving everything as close to how they’d found it as possible. Too soon, Hunter heard the far-off whop of helicopter blades. He found Kat on the back porch, staring out at the lake. Without a word, he wrapped his arms around her, pulled her back to his chest, and held on as tightly as he held anyone, ever.
Hunter had never wanted a happily ever after. He didn’t believe in it. But if he could imagine a life with anyone, if would be with Kat. She was strong, brave, vulnerable, and caring. She was everything he never knew he could want. She was everything he couldn’t have.
“You know what you said about the hardest and best time of your life?”
“Yes.”
“I know exactly how you feel.”
He turned her to face him and kissed her with everything he possessed. She kissed him back just as fiercely. A few seconds before the HELO crested the trees, Hunter pulled back. Kat blinked away the moisture in her eyes, released his hand, and turned toward the future…without him.
The helicopter breached the horizon. Late afternoon light shined off the beautiful black bird. Two men stood in each of the open cargo doors, hanging from the belly of the beast. Bracket mounts for machine guns decorated each side of the fighter, but the guns were hidden in compartments inside while in friendly territory. A mixture of excitement and misery whirled in his stomach. The sight reminded him of everything he loved about life as a soldier. A life he’d never have again.
Kat stepped closer to his side. Whether for him or her own comfort, he didn’t know, but he welcomed it all the same. As the bird descended in the large patch of grass to the left of the lake, Hunter hiked a ruck with his meager belongings onto his shoulder. Kat did the same. They walked toward the HELO a united front.
A guy who’d give Tyler a run for his money in the size department hopped from the door in fatigues, a T-shirt, big ass boots, a side arm, and long blade. His prep boy blond hair ruffled in the wind the blades created. He exited the vortex, stopped in front of them, and offered his hand to Kat first. “Miss?” A British lilt stronger than tea and crumpets wrapped itself around the word.
She looked at Hunter for confirmation before offering her hand for a brief shake. Hunter’s chest puffed tenfold, but he managed to keep it still under this man’s scrutiny.
“Juliet. Uniform. Sierra. Tango. India. Charlie. Echo. One. Nine. Four. Five.” The agent Hunter knew from hearsay and a bit of legend as Law Pierce demanded a salute. He’d worked undercover longer than any other agent in Base Branch and for one of the most gnarly fuckers on Earth.
Hunter gave his salute willingly. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Commander Pierce. I’m Missing in Action Agent Hunter Masters. Oscar. Romeo. Papa. Hotel. Alpha. November. One. Nine. Eight. Six.”
Pierce returned his salute. “Call me Law. I’m happy to call you found agent Hunter Masters. I was with your US team, searching the rubble for three days.”
“Thank you.” Hunter nodded but didn’t look at Kat. If he did, he might lose his shit.
“I’m just sorry we couldn’t find you sooner.” Law’s gaze dropped to his prosthetic leg.
Up until that moment, he’d actually forgotten about the damn thing for a blissful moment. “Well”—Hunter shrugged—“I’ll take it over a tomb any day.”
“Oorah!” Law clamped him on the shoulder. “Hoorah, warrior.” He hiked a thumb toward the bird. “Let’s get you back. The big boys are dying to know what the fuc—heck happened to you.”
Kat harrumphed, he’d surmised, about Law’s almost fuck and recovery.
“And you, miss, I hear we owe you a great debt of gratitude.”
She shrugged. “Just doing my job.”
Hunter chuckled.
“Hush,” she chided.
“This way.” Law pointed them ahead and followed behind.
Inside, he directed them to sit next to one another on the tail side of the HELO and buckle. The other guy who’d been in the other doorway pulled two black bags from a compartment behind his seat. Law lifted his hand palm up, and the guy stopped. His brown gaze flew from the bags to him and Kat and then back.
“Just because I’m down a leg doesn’t mean I can’t handle protocol.” Hunter’s clipped tone told a little too much about his discomfort with the situation.
“I don’t doubt it, but I was being a gentleman.” Law pointed at Kat. “It’s a two-hour trip. I figure we can hold off for a while.”
Kat’s hand found its way into his. Even though he hadn’t intended to give away their relationship so early on, it was the anchor he needed to pull his shit together.
Law motioned to the pilot, and they soared in seconds. The pressure on his fingers increased, and Hunter glanced at Kat. Her wide eyes transfixed out the open doors at the treetops that whizzed past.
“Do you want the bag?” Law offered with a chuckle.
She declined with a stilted shake of her head.
Hunter rubbed the same pattern on the top of her hand he had every night before they fell asleep. Soon, her rapid breaths slowed and her frantic gaze eased. When they hit the coast and zipped low across the water, her mouth gaped, and a smile curved her mouth. The scene was nowhere near as beautiful as she was
.
With what Hunter expected was England in sight, Law gave the approval to bag them. Kat patted his hand in reassurance. Still, the instinct to maim and murder the young soldier who covered her beauty in a black sack roared to life.
“At ease, Agent,” Law ordered. “I’ll handle her with the same care as I do my wife.”
Kat’s chuckles seeped through the bag.
Both men looked at her, and then back at each other.
“I hope not.” Kat laughed. “She probably wouldn’t appreciate that.”
The cabin filled with laughter.
“Not at all,” Law agreed, emphasizing each word.
Hunter accepted his bag without incident. Before long, they landed on a rooftop between two or three skyscrapers. The whirling blades and working engine bounced off the surfaces and ricocheted about, leaving no question. He’d done enough rooftop entries to know. They shut the bird down and escorted them inside. Down a long corridor, a right, and into an elevator they went quietly; him, Kat, Law, and then the other soldier. The car descended for what seemed like an eternity and opened into a small room. He could tell because the reverberation of their footsteps didn’t travel far.
“Hold out your arms,” Law ordered.
Kat’s arm brushed his, and he fought the urge to grab her. The separation was coming, and the dread of it tore at his guts. No one patted him down. A door opened at the opposite end of the room, and Hunter guessed they had a new body scanning system like they’d gotten in DC.
Through the door, Law put a hand on his shoulder to still him. “Ma’am, come with me, please. Hunter…”
“You’re coming with me.” The voice was new, deeper, and came from maybe three inches higher than Law’s had. It possessed a seasoned authority. Any other time, Hunter would’ve made a crack about coming with a dude. Now he listened to any sign of a struggle or stress on Kat’s end. He heard none as her quiet sneaker steps faded from his hearing.
Captor Mine (Base Branch Series Book 13) Page 15
