Code Name: Nina's Choice (Warrior's Challenge)

by Natasza Waters

  * * * *

  A day later Tony’s knuckles hovered at Nina’s front door. Her voice seeped through the cracks before he touched the wood.

  “Mace, I’ve got an early shift, I can’t. Besides, no one’s around to take care of Gabbs.”

  “We’ll drop her off at Cobbs.”

  “Marg is packing. They’re leaving in two weeks.”

  “I know, but Gabbs and Kelsey have a lot of fun together.”

  “And Marg is too busy to watch them. I can’t ask her.”

  “I can. We need to talk,” Mace said gruffly.

  “About what, Mace? We have nothing left to say, do we?”

  “Babe, we do, at least I do.”

  Tony knew that tone of voice. Mace was losing faith, something that didn’t happen often. His friend was pulling a noble act by stepping back and letting Nina figure things out, but he was going insane at the same time. It wasn’t Tony’s place to meddle in their relationship, but it was his place to make sure all was on the up and up when it came to Lieutenant Cayson. He didn’t trust the guy. His sixth sense told him while Mace and Nina were locked in a tug of war in their emotions and doing the right thing for Gabbs, they couldn’t see clearly.

  Gabriella’s biological father had a problem with cards. From what he had garnered in the last two days, Lieutenant Cayson might even have some serious debt looming with guys who broke a leg or two to get the money back. That alone was reason enough to keep Gabriella away from him until Cayson figured out his shit and flew right. Tony knew what his buddy and Nina needed, and it was about the biggest sacrifice he could give.

  He banged on the door.

  Mace pulled it open with a fast thrust. “Not now, man!”

  “Yes, now,” he growled back, and pushed his way in. “Hiya, Ninja Grasshopper.”

  “Don’t call me that,” Nina groused back. She leaned against the counter, her arms crossed and a scowl securely anchored.

  “Dropped by to say hi.”

  Gabbs rushed into the room, curious.

  She stopped and looked up at him, a head full of red curls rolling off her shoulders. He knelt down and eyed her, raising a brow and a small smile. “You must be Nina’s daughter.”

  “I’m Gabriella,” she said, peering at him and sizing him up like he was the bad guy. Everyone in the house was tense, and he needed to break the dam before things were said and regretted, and he could see the air was headed in that direction.

  “Think I’ll call ya squirt.”

  Gabbs’ head quirked and her brow furrowed. “I’m not a squirt.”

  “You look kinda squirtish to me.” Not a good sign when her eyes narrowed slightly. She marched over to him and kicked him. In the shins!

  “Gabriella Maria Samson.” Nina yanked her daughter back. “Manners, little girl. Apologize to Tony.”

  “He called me squirt, Mommy.”

  “Tony was being friendly, it’s not an insult.”

  “Hey kid, I wasn’t insulting you!”

  “You sure?” Gabbs drawled, eyeing him up even more.

  She had her mother’s fiery perspective on life. “Positive.” He looked up to see a silent, but frustrated Mace adding nothing to the convo. “Tell ya what. I admit I was kinda hovering at the door and I just happen to be ready for duty.”

  Nina’s gaze flicked to Mace.

  “Babysitting,” Tony clarified. “You guys are going out.”

  “Oh, I don’t know about that, Tony.”

  Nina shook her head, and for the first time he saw the committed mother instead of the fiery vixen. The vixen always had an effect on his loins, but the mother made his heart ache.

  “Go, get outta here.” He grabbed Mace’s shoulder and hooked an arm through Nina’s arm and yarded them to the door. “See ya later. Squirt and I will be fine.”

  * * * *

  Mace drove to the most southern beach on the Strand near the Mexican border. Being November the beach stretched on without a single soul in sight. Only a horizontal sliver of sun grappled to hang onto the horizon by the time Mace parked the car. The air between him and Nina hung heavy with thought, but little said. She wouldn’t look at him, her head turned, gazing out the passenger window. He swallowed and wanted to reach for her hands clutched together in her lap. An invisible barrier surrounded her and he wanted to punch through it, and see her eyes spark with fire at him.

  He turned off the car and said, “Why don’t we take a walk?”

  She opened the door without a word. The wind caught her red curls and he was jealous that it could caress her, but he couldn’t. Nina swung her legs over the half wall and slipped her sandals off to walk in the sand. Her toenails were painted a pale pink and his heart became heavy thinking Cayson had surely made headway with him out of the way. He reminded himself he wasn’t here to mend bridges, but to tell Nina what Tony had learned about Wade.

  Without walking far, Nina turned to him. “Why did you ask me here, Mace?”

  He stepped into her comfort zone. She wavered, but didn’t step back. “There’s something you need to know.”

  Nina kept her expression blank and waiting.

  “Tony found something out about Wade.” He deliberated for a second. “I guess he saw a couple guys talking with Wade the other day.”

  Nina shrugged loosely.

  He stalled. “Maybe Tony should tell you this, not me.”

  “Then I’ll ask Tony.” She turned for the car.

  God, she was all bottled up and protecting herself. He needed her to hear what he had to say. “Wade might be in some trouble.”

  Nina stopped and swiveled. “What kind of trouble?”

  “These guys that were talking to Wade weren’t just saying hello. Tony got the feeling they were bad business so he did a little recon.”

  Nina blinked and pulled the hair from her face. “Such as?”

  “Such as…talking with some of the men Wade served with on his last posting. He didn’t come back with favorable results.”

  “Tony is your friend,” she said dully.

  “He’s yours too, and he cares about you—like I do.”

  A muscle twitched in her jaw and she nodded quickly. “It’s always nice to have friends,” she quipped.

  “Nina.” He stepped toward her and she stepped away. He wasn’t here to fight with her. “Tony found out Wade might have a problem with gambling. If you put two and two together, it may mean Wade has let an addiction go too far. He might owe money to someone.”

  Nina spurted out a sarcastic laugh. “I don’t think so, Mace. He bought a place on the island. That’s not cheap. His car is not cheap. He is overly generous with gifts for Gabbs. When I asked him, he told me he invested his savings and got a good return.” She shook her head. “I don’t get it. You dump me and now you’re trying to throw a bad light on Wade.”

  “That’s not what I’m doing. Baby, I—”

  “Don’t call me that,” her voice choked off and she crossed her arms tightly.

  “I’m telling you this so you’ll keep your eyes open. I’m worried about Gabbs. I don’t want to see her hurt.”

  Nina’s arms flared out. “Too late, Mace,” she shouted at him, her anger sparking. “Too late! She’s already hurt. You hurt her.”

  He dropped his gaze to the sand. “That was not what I meant to do. You know that.”

  “Yeah, I know that. You just meant to hurt me, but we’re a package deal.”

  “Whether or not Cayson has a problem, Gabbs has had a chance to bond with Wade. Every kid needs to know where they came from. Wade wants to be her father.”

  Nina’s hand flipped to her waist. “Well, he is that. He’s over every night after work. He plays with her. Puts her to bed sometimes. He’s even picking her up from school now when I can’t. So, yes, she has her father in her life,” she said tightly.

  The words nearly spilled from him. Asking Nina what Wade meant to her was a loaded question. Playing Russian roulette with a revolver and six cartridges in th
e cylinder only had one result. They stared at each other, not with the heat they’d once had sitting on a beach, but with a thick wall of emotion buffering them. God, he loved her. His heart ached so badly he could taste the bitterness in his throat. “Nina—”

  “Take me home,” she said quietly.

  He didn’t want to take her home. The last three weeks had been the worst of his life. Not even lying in the Berlin hospital shot to pieces hurt this badly. “How come you don’t run with us anymore?” A stupid question, and he knew the answer.

  “Can’t. I have to get Gabbs ready for school in the morning.” She toed the sand.

  “We can run later.”

  She shook her head. “I run when I get a chance. It’s not that important.”

  “Nina, if it’s because of me, I’ll break off. I get enough exercise working with the recruits. The guys miss you. I think you gave ’em a run for their money, and being a bunch of macho dudes they stroked a little harder.” A grin slipped across Nina’s lips and his entire body heated, but her smile faded quickly and so did his warmth.

  “I’m not really part of you guys anymore. I’m just some chick who works in Base Command.”

  Mace closed the distance between them and swept his hand down her arm. It surprised him when she didn’t step away. “That’s not true, Nina.” She lowered her head and nodded. “Hey.” He raised her chin and could see her eyes watering. “You will always be part of us.” He didn’t add “part of him.” He should have, but he wouldn’t throw hooks into her loyalties and try to drag her away from Wade. “Humor me, let’s go get a beer. If nothing else, Tony’s learning about the real reasons behind birth control.”

  Nina chirped out a laugh, and swiped at her eyes. “Sure.”

  The house was dark as Mace shoved Nina’s key in the door. He hesitated before turning the doorknob.

  “What’s wrong?” Nina asked.

  He cleared his throat and gave her a churlish smile. “This could be bad.”

  “What do you mean?” She looked alarmed and reached for the knob, but he pushed it open first. They entered, but didn’t get far. Yup, it was bad.

  Gabbs’ toys were strewn across the living room floor. Blankets and chairs, erected as a fort had been destroyed in a full-out attack by child, warrior and dog. They stepped over and around the debris on the floor and stalled. Flour, sugar, bowls and utensils with drying batter covered the counter. It was the makings of a couple sloppy cooks or a raccoon had run wild in the kitchen leaving a trail of disaster in its wake.

  They scanned the rest of the house in silent awe, but stopped when they hit the couch. A pie plate with leftover nacho crumbs and a few bits of cheese clinging to the rim sat beside a plate with one cookie left. The TV was on, but the DVD had ended. Tony lay on the couch with Gabbs cuddled on one side and Lexi on the other. They were both snoring, their bellies round and happy, including the dog’s. Candy wrappers and a mostly empty bowl of popcorn seeds swimming in butter sat on the floor near Tony’s dangling hand.

  Nina chuckled, pulled out her phone and took a picture. “Guess we should be happy the place didn’t catch on fire.” She carefully lifted Gabbs into her arms and took her to bed. When Mace gave Tony a nudge with his knee, Lexi gave a sharp bark. He jerked up, looking around. “Where?”

  “Relax, man, Nina just put her to bed.”

  Tony pushed a hand through his hair with a sleepy, cockeyed look. “She’s a cool kid.” Lexi jumped on his lap, did two turns and flopped down with her chin on his arm. For one of the noblest breeds on the planet, German Shepherds looked so ridiculous as puppies with one ear up and crooked over, and the second at half-mast.

  Mace chortled. “Yes, she is.”

  “Sorry about the mess. I’ll clean it up.”

  “No problem,” he said, sitting down beside Tony. “As long as you both don’t die of a junk food overdose, things look in hand.”

  “Yeah, went a little crazy on the cookies. That was her idea, by the way.”

  “No shit.”

  Nina came back in the living room, and aimed straight for the couch. She leaned over and kissed Tony on the cheek. The guy actually blushed.

  “What’s that for?” he asked, palming his cheek.

  “Thanks, Tinman.”

  “Meh, nothing.”

  Nina knelt in front of Tony and placed a hand on either knee.

  “It’s something. Thank you for looking out for me and Gabbs. I owe you one.”

  Although still blushing, Tony crooked a brow at her.

  “Not that,” Mace said quickly.

  Tony bit his bottom lip to stop from laughing and shook his head. “I actually dream about that night. Call me an asshat, but I wouldn’t have minded seeing it through.”

  “Yeah, well, keep dreaming. If I can’t have her, neither can you,” Mace said.

  “You know you can call any of us, and we’ll be here in a second, Nina,” Tony said. “You’re part of the team, even if you and the idiot here are on a temporary break.” He picked up Lexi and plopped her on the floor. Tinman plucked his jacket from the chair, pushing his arm through the sleeve. “I hope you two realize you’re both stupid.”

  “How’s that?” Nina asked, kneeling on the couch.

  Mace waited for Tony at the door. “Time to go,” he ordered.

  Instead of heading toward the door, Tony wheeled around and leaned over inches from Nina’s nose. “Cayson is a fucking idiot. He might have contributed to bringing squirt into this world, but I’m guessing that’s his only redeeming quality.” Tony planted a kiss on Nina’s cheek and stood up. “And you’re a bigger fucking idiot,” he whispered, sweeping past Mace.

  Mace hesitated, his hand on the doorknob. Nina wasn’t going to ask him to stay. Over a beer she’d opened up a little and told him Gabbs was happy and Wade was helping her fix up her place. She’d moved on, and he had to as well. He had his answer, and now he had to face the future without her. “Night, Nina.”

  She nodded. “Take care, Mace.”

  Chapter Eighteen

  “Helloooo, anyone home?”

  “In the kitchen, Kayla.”

  “Hey.” Kayla set Adam’s carrier on the counter and tucked a blanket up to his chin.

  Nina gave him a big kiss. “My little buddy.” Adam gurgled a happy smile back at her. “Man, he looks like Ghost, doesn’t he?”

  “Don’t tell the egomaniac that. The Admiral was all pumped up to begin with, now I can barely get him through a door.”

  Nina grinned at her friend and they chuckled.

  “I love the color you chose for the kitchen,” Kayla said, gazing around.

  “Wade helped me paint it.”

  “Huh!”

  “Don’t give me huh, the guy offered to help, I’m not going to refuse.” She put away the last cup in the dishwasher. “The new cabinets are being installed next week. Housewarming present from Mom and Dad.”

  “I’m sorry I missed saying goodbye.” Kayla leaned against the small countertop separating the kitchen from the living room.

  “Mom and Dad said to tell you goodbye and see you soon.”

  “How did your parents like him?”

  Nina stopped wiping down the counter and gazed at Kayla from beneath her bangs. “Mom is noncommittal actually, and Dad.” She paused. “Dad hates him.” She leaned against the sink and crossed her arms.

  Kayla’s brow wrinkled “Did he say why?”

  “Didn’t give a reason. They know Wade is only in Gabbs’ life, not mine.”

  “You sure about that?”

  “Why? So you can report back to Mace?”

  “Yup.” Kayla didn’t even bother hiding it.

  She didn’t want to ask, but she couldn’t help herself. “How’s he doing?”

  “Ask your daughter.”

  “What? Why would I do that?”

  “They talk every night.”

  Nina didn’t know whether to be angry or relieved.

  “Before you go spinning into th
e stratosphere, Gabbs calls him, not the other way around.”

  Nina crossed her arms behind her head and twisted out the kinks in her neck. “Are you kidding me?”

  “Nope. He helps her with her homework, and she tells him what she did in school. Then she squeals on you and tells him you’re sad all the time.”

  Nina walked to the window and Kayla joined her. “I think she’s grounded.”

  “Hardass. Why would you do that?”

  They watched Wade play catch with Gabbs. Lexi ran after the ball with gangly puppy legs, and then took off with her prize when she caught the ball.

  “Guess he’s really trying?” Kayla said, a little disgruntled.

  “He’s here every day.” Nina shrugged her shoulders.

  Kayla gave her a sidelong look.

  “What’s that look for? Nope. Forget it.” She remembered what day it was. “I’m not going. I told you that.”

  “You’re going.”

  “Kayla, I’m not really part of the team like you are.”

  Kayla threw on her angry face. “You are part of the team. At work and out of work. Alpha Squad is leaving in a few days on a mission. They’ll be back in a couple weeks. At least they better be.”

  “It’s their first tasking since—” Nina paused.

  “Since Mace returned to the squad and my future husband won’t be with them. Does that worry me? Yes. Does that worry you?”

  “Of course it does.” Nina bit the inside of her lip and looked away from her friend.

  “This is an annual event, and it’s not just Team One, it’s all teams. Gabbs will love it. You’ll get a chance to meet other team moms and—”

  She crossed her arms over her chest. “And Mace will be there.”

  Kayla sighed. “Yes, Mace will be there. And before you ask, Wade is not invited.”

  “I wouldn’t bring him anyway. We’re not a couple.”

  Kayla assessed her, looking for a lie.

  “I would not lie to you. If anything, I’d probably admit I’m an idiot to you before anyone else.”

  Gabbs and Wade rushed in through the patio doors. “Kayla, how are you?” Wade asked.