I gave him a weak laugh, admitting “Yeah, sorry about the dust, I haven’t been here in a while.”
He took his suit jacket off, folded it, and placing it on the back of the chair. He started rolling up his sleeves as he spoke, “Where do you want me to start?”
“You aren’t actually going to help me clean.” I sighed shaking my head. “I’m packing up a few things and taking them back to D.C. with me. Come with me.” I ordered putting my energy drink down and leading him up to the third floor.
I typed in my mother’s birthday on the keypad unlocking the first door that I got to. “You keep a security lock on your gym?” He questioned skeptically following me in once he looked around at the covered equipment and my punching bag.
I walked over to the closet, unlocking it. The walk in closet was shelved with everything that I wanted to take with me. I grabbed the empty trunk underneath the bottom shelf sliding it out of the closet so that we could both have room inside. Hunter let out a low whistle as he picked it up and set it aside. “You sure have a love of antiques Alyssa. I haven’t seen a foot locker like this since the war museum.”
I grinned because he was right, the metal footlocker was from World War II, the ones that we received were made from a sturdy plastic that I loathed. Though they were lighter, they were also more fragile. “They don’t make them like that anymore.”
I opened the platinum suitcase that sat on the first shelf, holding the silver Berretta that I only got to use twice. Everything separated and in it’s appropriate slot exactly like I had left it. I resealed the case, handing it to him to place in the footlocker. “You came back to New York, for a gun Alyssa? If I can recall correctly you hate Berettas. ”
I nodded, he was right. “Yes, I do under normal circumstance, but this one was a gift. And it’s not exactly a normal Beretta.”
He put the case in the footlocker as I looked over a prototype of Tink’s. Closing it I handed him the next case. “So.. What does it do?”
“Tranq gun.” I answered simply, going on to a few other things.
After another few cases he asked the question that I had been preparing for since he offered his help. “What are you going to do with all of this stuff?”
“The less you know the better Hunter. I don’t want you put in an odd situation since half of this stuff isn’t legal, even for me to have.” I cautioned putting a few more things in the trunk.
He sighed squatting beside me angling my face so that I could look at him. “Alyssa. If anyone understands covert shit it’s us. I’ve always been your friend before anything else. Now explain. Are you a mercenary or something?” I laughed at the thought of that, and shook my head. Though his blue eyes seemed to beg for answers, like he wanted to be included. “No, not a merc, just a P.I. and one pissed off aunt.”
“Aunt?” He repeated confused taking the rifle from me, dismantling it and putting it in the appropriate case. “Start from the beginning.”
“Wow.” Hunter repeated for the third time since I had finished my story. “Wow.” He sighed again. In fact, that seemed to be all that he could say.
I nodded sitting on the couch. It took less time than I thought with his help, and I was grateful. Getting that trunk down three flights of stairs and into the back of my car was a difficult task with his massive arms to help. I couldn’t image what it would have been like with just me.
I told him everything that happened since I left the Air Force, including the events last year with Bravo and going back to Cuba to take down Garcia. How I added them to our team and settled business in D.C. How things were going great until Paul did what he did. “Yeah, you’ve missed quiet a bit over the years.” I suppose if I heard my story, wow would be my response too.
“Wow…” He responded again.
I slapped him in the leg curling up on the other end of the couch. “You can stop saying ‘wow’ now.”
“I’m sorry Alyssa, but it’s a lot to take in.” He admitted grabbing a slice of the pizza we ordered, wanting real food after the hauling of my weapons trunk.
“I know.” I agreed grabbing another slice of my own, “But enough about me, what brought you to the DIA of all places?”
He threw his half eaten slice down on the pizza box, turning to face me entirely. “Well, when they broke up my team, I went back to being a pilot for a about a year. But it just wasn’t the same. It was hard to go from doing what we did back to a normal day on the job you know.”
I nodded, agreeing and he continued. “Well I took a few leaves. Went to a few of the places that we would talk about in the class room. Italy, France, Egypt. Pretty much all over.”
“You remember the ‘Anywhere but here’ game?” I asked in disbelief. It was something that I would play when we were confined to the classroom, learning strategies I already knew. I was ambitious enough to stay up while everyone slept, reading the books that kept me sharp enough to excel. But I was also eighteen, and repetition bored me, making me daydream of all the other place I would rather be than the classroom on base.
“I remember a lot Alyssa.” He nodded continuing the story. “When I returned from a leave, the DIA contacted me, about heading up a ‘response team’ so to speak. Hell I didn‘t think that they would even consider me after my issues on Ft. Bliss. But I took it.”
“Issues?” I questioned finishing my last bite.
His brow furrowed in diffidence while I waited for him to answer. “Well, when your teams went missing in Viñales, I wanted to go look for you. Walker, of course denied it.
Thirty-four hours of radio silence and they decided to cut their losses. I tried to get a team together and go solo. Stanton said he would give us an openinghe really liked you, you know?”
I nodded remembering the only upper level advisor that had faith in my admission. “I was fond of him as well.”
“Well I promised that if I could get that opening, I would go get you and your team. I just couldn’t believe that you would die you know, you were such a fighter, I didn’t expect anything less from you.”
His face held a sadness, he let out a sigh and continued, “But, my team and I got caught before we could even take off. Hell, we even got court marshaled for it and everything.”
This made me raise my eyebrows, Hunter risked his career to try and save me and my team and Stanton helped. I wanted to tear up, because a part of me thought I was abandoned by the people I cared about.
“But Stanton told Walker and the committee that my team was acting under his orders, and took the blame. He got discharged for it. I didn’t want to let him do it, but he insisted. Said it was the right thing to do. When I found out you were back and took a discharge yourself, I tried to find you. But of course, top secret shit is always sealed. ” He went on.
I shook my head processing it all. I found my words getting choked as they came out. “You did all that. For me? You could have lost so much.”
He shrugged. “It was nothing. You saved my ass, hell I wouldn’t have even made it through training without you.” He put his hand on my face, stroking my cheek with his thumb briefly. His eyes completely open. “And I’m going to help you get your godson back.”
I wanted to tell him that he didn’t have to, though I wanted his help. He was good at his job, and I knew it. He of course knew what I was going to say because he just gave me a crooked smiled, “ I want to. I have been trying to figure out the right way to be in your life since I found where you were. We live in the same city and our paths never cross, we both leave D.C. and bump into each other accidentally. That is too much of a sign to ignore. I’m meant to be there. So let me.”
I gave him a wry smile, him and his signs I was never much for, but I nodded. He dropped his hand with my agreeing and smiled. “Ok.”
We sat there in silence for another few minutes, I broke it. “What do you mean waiting for the right time? So you’ve been checking on me or something?”
“Caught that
huh?” He scratched the back of his neck, his cheeks tinting pink in embarrassment. “Well I wasn’t stalking you or anything if that’s what you think.”
“Explain.” I ordered raising an amused eyebrow.
He took a swig of his drink, taking his time. “Well, like I said before. When I heard you got out I wanted to find you, see you, make sure you were ok, but everything was kept secret. It only got harder when the they reassigned us all. I didn’t really get clearance high enough again until I joined the DIA. By then so much time had passed that I didn’t think that you would want to see me. Thought you would be angry with me for not saving you from all of that shit.”
“It wasn’t your job to save me. I didn’t blame you.” I promised.
He sighed, “ I would have.” There was a sad silence, and I could tell that part of him still blamed himself for something that he had absolutely no control over. And then with a sigh and a forced smile it was gone, “But look at you. Gorgeous as ever. Only you can walk away from the worst things and remain completely unscathed.”
“ Not completely.” I amended moving my hair from my neck and turning my back to him so that he could see the faded scarring below my hairline “I suppose it’s a good thing you didn’t see me after, huh? Then you wouldn’t think I looked as dazzling as you remember.” I joked as I kept my back to him.
I could feel his fingers tracing the patterns as he talked. “No, I don’t think so, I should have helped you through this.”
I chuckled darkly at the thought of me allowinganyone to help me back then. “No, you came at the right time I suppose. I wasn’t very susceptible to help, people, or touch for that matter”
I stopped my sentence freezing when he planted his lips on the back of my neck, kissing one of the scars. I pulled away and turned back around the second he pulled his lips away from my skin. His eyes were as seductive as I remember when he leaned in for my lips, and a firm push from me to his shoulder stopped him. He smiled like a kid caught in with his hand in the cookie jar as he pulled back. “To soon?”
I scooted to the other end of the couch, a safer distance. “It’s not that…exactly.”
He sighed realizing what my words meant. “Too late.” He guessed again.
“I’m with someone.” I confirmed nodding.
He once again was embarrassed. “I’m sorry, babes. It was just, you’re the ‘what could’ve been’ woman for me, and I got caught up in seeing you again thinking it was my chance.”
I nodded. “No need to explain what you thought. It’s ok. You know now.”
“And it won’t happen again. I’ll be good.” He promised holding up three fingers. “Scouts honor.”
I couldn’t help but laugh at his ability to make a joke out of everything. Macon would definitely like him. “It’s ok. We should probably get some sleep if we are going to get up and head back to D.C. before my team kills me.”
“So tell me about your team.” He requested as we took ninety-five back to D.C. He was no longer in his suit, but a pair of jeans and t-shirt, since we stopped by his hotel room for him to check out before we left.
“Where to start…” I mused to myself.
He shrugged from the passenger side, not really caring, “How about senior member to newest?”
“That would be Kristen. She pretty much handles new clients, filling in on cases if we need her. She’s an expert at catching cheating husbands. You’ll know why when you see her.”
“Tell me now, and I’ll act surprised when I get there.” He pressed looking out the window.
I continued. “Simple answer, she’s gorgeous, literally the most gorgeous woman I have ever seen.”
“I would believe that, if I never knew you.” He responded looking over at me.
I rolled my eyes. “I thought you said you were going to be good.”
“I am being good.” He laughed holding his hands up defensively, “That is a statement I’m sure most men would agree with. An observation from a scientific perspective if you will.”
He was always good at getting out of trouble with me. “Well then there is Margaux, we call her Tink though. She’s this tiny mousy like woman from Korea. She’s a genius, literally.”
“Ah, Margaux Chung, the woman that was suspected of hacking into the Federal Reserve when she was little girl, losing quite a bit of money in the process.” He nodded omnisciently.
I directed a curious eyebrow at him. “You looked into my team too?”
“I told you I checked on you.” He stated honestly. “Is there any truth to it?”
I smirked. “How about you ask her.”
He laughed, “That’s a yes.”
“So we have a former gymnast, an expert hacker, a former med student, five ex mercenaries, and you. Quite a team.” He laughed. “I’ll assume that they are all a lot more impressive in action than on paper.”
“We are.” I nodded with my nose slightly in the air, laughing.
He looked at me from the corner of his eye. “And I can assume that your guy is amongst one of the former mercenaries.” It was a statement, not a question.
“What makes you say that? For all you know, he could be a banker.” I answered defensively.
He laughed at that. “You? A banker, babes? There is no way a banker could keep up with your fighting spirit, no, you need someone more rugged than that. Firefighter maybe, banker no.”
“The guy I dated before Adrian was a banker.” I sniffed almost pouting at the fact that he knew me so well.
He tilted the seat back putting his hands behind his head. “Ah, so he has a name, Adrian. Tell me about this Adrian.”
“Adrian is Adrian.” I responded, not really sure how to explain him.
He of course picked up on it. “Uh, Oh. Trouble in paradise? Let me guess, he doesn’t like commitment?”
“Wow, you actually got one wrong there Hunter.” I spat sarcastically. “Well, half wrong. He wasn’t really the commitment type before me, but now, he’s all about it. Wants to get married and everything.”
“Ah.” He sighed again knowing me to the point that it was scary. Not because he wasn’t able to do it before, but the fact that after years of not seeing me, it picks up just as strong. “And you aren’t ready for it. You’ve always put everything else before finding love.”
I didn’t respond , because I had been focused all these years, but I was getting a lot better at it. “I’m not even sure if he even wants to anymore. We’re kind of fighting over everything with Juan. He blames me for losing him.”
“No he doesn’t.” He shook his head.
I cut my eyes at him, “How do you know?”
He shrugged, gesturing to himself as if to say ‘Who am I?’ before cockily saying, “Because I know the situation, and I know you.”
“Yeah, yeah.” I groaned running my hands through my hair.
He continued, becoming serious. “I know because it isn’t your fault that he was taken. You love this boy, I can tell and I’m just coming back in the picture, but I know that you fight for the things you love more than anything.”
I nodded, and there was another silence.
“So, why don’t you want to get married?” He asked.
I shrugged. “I’m just not the marrying type.”
“Oh you’ve always been the marrying type Babes, you just never slowed down enough to realize it.” I didn’t respond to his conclusion, and he threw out another guess. “Unless, you’re afraid that he won’t accept a part of you.” I didn’t respond again. “Or, you don’t love him. Or… we’re meant to be.”
That made me roll my eyes and hit him in the torso, not hard but not a gentle caress either. “Don’t go saying that around my team or they will hang you by your toes.” I laughed warning him. “They won’t be used to your joking.”
He shrugged. “Hey I’m just saying, you and hubby fight just as I walk into the picture. Could be a sign.”
“I’ll tell you about your
signs.” I threatened just as we came up on the exit we needed to take for D.C. “Hold on.” I called Tink, the ringing echoing through the speakers.
“You’re late.” Her amused mousy voice greeted me, well more like a snap than a greeting.
“Traffic is a bitch.” I apologized looking at the line I was trapped in.
Tink didn’t care. “Excuses, excuses, excuses. Hurry up and get here so that I can fill you in on what you’ve missed.”
She sounded more like the boss than I did, “I’m looking at another hour tops.”
“Did you get what you needed?” She asked a little more chipper since I was closer.
Hunter slapped me in the leg, and I looked over at him. He motioned to himself, reminding me to let them know that he was coming back with me. “Yep, and a little bit more than what I was expecting. See you in a few Tinky, and let the others know that I’m coming with some help.”
I hung up and he spoke again, the smuggest smirk ever, plastered across his face. “Looks like I get to meet the family.”
Chapter 8- Conditions
“You’re back!” Tink grinned coming out to meet me. She wrapped an arm around my waist in a mini embrace before slugging me in the hip. “Don’t leave without telling anyone ever again.” She threatened. “Do you need help?” She asked motioning to the open trunk. She didn’t notice Hunter rustling through it.
“No, where is everyone else?” I questioned, the blinds were closed on the windows, so I couldn’t survey who was there. Based on the cars out front I could see that at least, Tink and Kristen where here. Though I assumed more were parked behind the building.
“Everyone’s here.” She stressed raising her eyebrows.
That got my attention. “Any news?”
“Not yet,” She stressed in a breath. “We’re falling apart here Chance.”
I sighed, I didn’t want that. We needed each other if we were going to come through like we did last year. “Don’t worry Tink, we’ll get him, if we have to tear apart Maryland to find him.” I swore.
The Law of Motion (Law Series) Page 12
