by Zoe Dawson
She brushed at her cheeks and the sight of that tore him up inside, but he was suddenly exhausted, the pain in his side breaking through. He felt like raw hamburger meat.
His throat tight and his jaw clenched, he took the tablets she handed out and made no comments when she shot him in the butt with the antibiotic. Then Afsana was there with more broth, and he gritted his teeth between sips until he refused to take any more.
Guilt punched him hard. He was the Navy SEAL. He was supposed to protect her. Probably sensing the tension between them, eyeing both Dex and Piper, Afsana left.
He closed his eyes and stewed and fumed, but with the meds and the fever he was still fighting, he fell asleep.
When he woke up, Afsana was there with his broth and water. She raised a brow. “How are you feeling?”
He shifted and growled, his voice sleep-roughened. “Where’s Piper? Out saving the freaking world?”
“No. That’s your job,” she said wryly. “She’s outside milking our goats and weeding our garden.”
His grunted amusement at Piper milking a goat almost overrode his grumpiness.
“I think you’re being unfair and you’re angrier at yourself than you are at her.”
“I’m hungry,” he said to try to get her to stop talking about Piper. He had one more thing to be mad about. He’d stepped over the buddy line, big-time. He felt the reprimand from his brother more than seven thousand miles away. How could he have forgotten that Piper was Ty’s sister? Yeah, right, you were thinking with the wrong head.
He’d put his heart on the line two times before when he’d thought the woman in his arms was his match, but he’d been disappointed twice. How could he trust that Piper wouldn’t get sick of him being gone, sick of his deployments and the danger, and leave him? He didn’t think he could handle that again.
Experiencing an acid rush in his belly, he shifted his arm and stared at the ceiling, his head fuzzy, feeling disconnected and hating it. He wasn’t going to get sucked into old crap—not now when he needed every brain cell to get them out of this.
Before he realized it, he was waking up again and it was dark in the room. He shifted and swore softly as pain rushed at him. A soft light flooded the room and then Piper’s gentle hand took his wrist and put the tablets in them. She handed him a bottle of water. He closed his fist over the pain meds and her mouth tightened.
Aware he was heading back onto dangerous ground, he made himself disconnect from those thoughts.
He somehow had to get them both out of this without doing any more damage. Taking a minute to get a grip, he didn’t say anything.
“I can get Afsana…”
“No,” he said, his voice gravelly. He caught her wrist and stopped her. Feeling burned, he immediately let her go. “Don’t. I need to talk to you, and I want to be lucid when I do.”
She went still, then her eyes widened, and there was an instant when he saw incomprehension on her face. Then he saw the flash of uncertainty, of apprehension, and it hit him that she wasn’t sure what kind of reception to expect from him.
Despite all the reservations he had, despite knowing this had been one big mistake as far as he was concerned, he couldn’t let her think this was meaningless. If nothing else, she had saved his life, and he owed her for that. Experiencing a sharp, clenching pain in his chest, he said, “I’m sorry. It was a knee-jerk reaction to you being in danger. I wasn’t really pissed at you. I was more pissed because I couldn’t handle the situation. Typical alpha behavior.”
“I’d say,” she responded and seemed to relax some. “I’m sure a Navy SEAL hates it when he’s not in control.”
“Bingo. But that’s not all.”
“No? What more is there?”
“Ty is my best friend, and I don’t want to jeopardize my friendship with him by romancing his sister, especially in the kind of situation we’re in.”
She huffed out a laugh. “Yeah, this isn’t the most romantic setting.”
There was another long pause before Dex released a heavy sigh and spoke, “I don’t want you to think I’m not taking this seriously. I am. There is attraction here, I can’t deny that. I think you’re beautiful, strong and competent. We should keep our eyes on the ball. Getting back to DC and figuring out who’s threatening you needs to be our priority.”
Her face was so open and vulnerable, his heart pulsed hard.
“I have my own reservations, Dex. I know that it’s not a betrayal because my husband is dead, but I’m just not ready for anything like this. I can’t handle it.”
Her honesty made his heart roll over and his chest clog up, feeling as if he might turn inside out at any minute. He hadn’t expected this attraction—that, he was honest about.
“I think you can handle anything,” he said huskily, feeling like a first-class bastard. Inhaling heavily, he said, “But we’ll figure this out together. Deal?”
She nodded, met his gaze with so much gratitude in her eyes it nearly broke his heart. “I’d rather work with you than have you pissed at me. It’s not a good look on you.”
“I thought I explained that. I wasn’t pissed at you.”
“Felt that way, but I get it. I understand.”
“Let’s move on. We can agree on that?”
“Yes. We can.”
“Hooyah, that’s something. Now why don’t you tell me who could be behind the attempt on your life? Who would go to these lengths to try to kill you?”
“I can’t imagine that I’m important enough to send a hit squad after me.”
“Are you sure there’s nothing that comes to mind? Anything, even if it’s small.”
“I am trying to get a bill passed. It could be damaging to corporations.”
“You have opposition?”
“Yes, Senator Robert Mullins from New York and he’s been pushing me, then threatening me, not to go through with the legislation. It’s the only business I have to complete for Brad. My term ends in three months. It takes a lot of effort to get a bill through the Senate and then through Congress, especially one like this, but I’m close to victory.”
“New York, huh?” Dex rubbed his hand over his stubble. “That means Wall Street. Could he be simply protecting his constituents, or does he have a shady deal going?”
“I have no clue. I don’t really know that much about him and his business or his dealings. Really, like I said, I’m a lame-duck senator with no pull. I think most people just feel sorry for me because I lost Brad and my baby.”
“He’s going to the top of our list. We need to figure out how to get back to DC.”
“I think I have a plan for that.”
“Okay, shoot.” He was starting to feel uncomfortable, but he resisted taking the meds until they were finished talking about these important issues.
“I still have my purse and all my IDs, including my credit cards and passport. Blessing is going to be here tomorrow to take us to Kabul and I can charter us a jet home. You have Agent Hatch’s ID, but you shouldn’t need it. All my personnel have already been cleared. It should be just a matter of getting on the plane and flying back.”
“That will work.”
“Don’t you think you should contact your commanding officer, at least? Let him know you’re safe and you’re helping me?”
Afsana came into the room carrying two dishes, interrupting them. “Let’s try some solid food, Dex, if you think you’re up to it.”
He realized he was starving and took the plate. She was serving them mantu—dumplings filled with onion and lamb—steamed and topped with a tomato-based sauce, and qoroot, a dip which was a mixture of yogurt, garlic and split chickpeas. It smelled heavenly. He forked up a dumpling and savored the bite, rolling his eyes. “Delicious, Afsana. You are an excellent cook.”
“I agree. Could I get the recipe for these and for the kebab you made the other day and that…qor?”
“Qorma Lawand?”
“Yes, that’s it. It was to die for, Dex.”
&nbs
p; “I’ve had it. Onion-based with yogurt, turmeric, cilantro and chicken.”
“I’ll let you get back to your discussion. I’ll be back for the plates. I’m so glad to see you looking better than when you arrived, Dexter.”
“Thank you for your hospitality again, Afsana. You and Raffi are our saviors.”
“It is our pleasure. Raffi wouldn’t even be here if it wasn’t for you, Dex. He and I must go to our cousins tonight like we planned, for the celebration of the birth of his second child, so we will say our goodbyes before we leave. I am so glad that you are both all right. If there is any way you could get word to us that you are safe in DC, we would be so grateful. Enjoy.”
Dexter picked up on the thread of the conversation. “No. I’m not risking a call to my commanding officer.”
“You don’t trust him?”
“It’s better to keep him and anyone out of the loop until we’re sure you’re safe. That means finding out who’s behind this. Do you know anything about Agent Hatch?”
“No. I don’t even know his first name. Hatch and Markam were assigned to me by DS and took me to the airport. I was told they had military training and could better protect me in Afghanistan. I didn’t think anything of it. I’ve always trusted the DS.”
“Why wouldn’t you? They’re sworn to take a bullet for you, not to put one in you.”
“This is all so distressing. Edward must be going out of his mind with worry.”
“Speaking of that. Do you trust him? He knew you were going to Afghanistan.”
“Edward? Why would he want me dead?”
“Any family fortune issues, disagreements over property…anything like that?”
“No, nothing. We all got a fair share of the estate. Edward inherited the house, but I didn’t want it and neither did Ty. He was more interested in becoming a SEAL and really didn’t want the responsibility. It’s a big mansion and it’s drafty and costs a fortune to upkeep. I already have the home I bought with Brad, so no interest in that.”
“All right, so we eliminate Edward, and we have Senator Mullins and your potentially damaging legislation. Babe, people have killed for less.”
“It’s hard to believe that he would jeopardize his standing that way, and there’s the fact that he’s making a bid on the White House. He actually had the nerve to ask me for an introduction to one of Brad’s hugest campaign contributors, Stephen Montgomery.”
“Montgomery? Not the billion-dollar tech mogul, CEO of the Montgomery Group?”
“That’s him. I know he’s famous, but I’ve known him since I was a child. He’s an old family friend.”
“You do run in some rich circles.”
“Oh, Dex. I am rich—filthy rich. Brad had a fortune he left to me. I have more money than I know what to do with. Someday I’m going to figure out how I can use it to help people.”
This woman had a way of blindsiding him. She rattled off that she was rich, and no way would he have ever guessed from the way she handled herself that she was a blueblood. But it was clear from the way Ty had described his family that they were wealthy.
“So, Blessing said she’d be back tomorrow. We should get some sleep and be ready to travel.”
“How are your wound and your fever?” Instead of waiting for him to answer, she pressed her palm against his forehead, displacing his hair, then slid all that softness down his temple over his rough cheek. “Oh, that is much better.”
He was doing everything in his power to keep his hands off her and here she was touching him. Unable to move, feeling as if someone had dropped a boulder on his chest, he tipped his head back and swallowed hard. He knew he would relive all these moments with her thousands of times in his mind. If he lived to be a hundred, he would never forget her.
His jaw locked and she stiffened, realized what she had done. She went to pull away and he grabbed her wrist.
“I know what we agreed. But you are still sleeping right here with me.”
Hell, that would cost him. He’d really need those pain pills tonight.
Chapter Eight
Kabul, Parwan Province, Afghanistan
Austin woke up when the military plane touched down on Kabul’s runway. Derrick was already awake, and Austin wondered if the guy ever slept. Normally, Derrick looked like a shrewd, elegant spy—an American 007, the kind of guy you didn’t want to piss off. But in combat gear he looked different…dangerous and deadly. For the hundredth time, Austin wondered what Derrick had done before he’d become an agent.
Austin sent his hands through his messy blond locks and stretched. Derrick looked pensive, like he was rolling something over in his head.
“What’s going on over there?”
“Follow me on this. According to Kaczewski’s brother, Russell…”
“Wait. When did you talk to him?”
“Just now, when you were visiting the back of your eyelids.”
“Ah. Continue.”
“Russell tells me that Jones’s brother Tyler is tight with Dexter.”
“Yeah, so.”
“So, I figure, Senator Jones and the SEAL had to have met at Bagram. Probable?”
“I’d say.”
“According to his record, Kaczewski is a Boy Scout. Odds are he headed right for Jones the minute something went down. Hatch was killed dressed as an insurgent. Could be he dressed that way to throw them off and protect the senator?”
“What’s the alternative?”
“I don’t know at this point, but no one’s come forward with any type of ransom or claiming responsibility, yet the SEAL and the senator are gone.”
“You think they’re still alive? On the run?”
“If that’s the case, what are they running from and why haven’t they checked in?”
“Good questions.”
“If you were a wounded Navy SEAL and your best friend’s sister was in danger, what would you do?”
“Take out anyone threatening her, haul ass and lay low. Try to find out who’s trying to kill her.”
“Exactly. Markam is in the wind.”
“That’s my guess—no body. He could be with them. Let’s get settled and get your computer up and running and do a little digging. We find Markam, we get answers.”
Hours later, Austin was propped on the hotel room bed and Derrick was on the other one, both busily clicking on their computers. Austin had been digging up information on Markam since they hit the hotel room. “These guys are clean as a whistle. Who assigned them to Jones?” Austin growled.
“I talked to the duty guy. He said Jones’s brother Edward made the request,” Derrick said.
“I talked to Edward and he said he requested his uncle pull strings to get Piper to Afghanistan to see their wounded brother, but he doesn’t know anything about a request for a special detail for his sister,” Austin said.
“It makes sense they would want agents with military background. What branch of the service were they in and what did they do?”
Austin brought up both files. “Markam was a Marine, and he was stationed at the International Security Assistance Force Headquarters out of Kabul, working as a liaison to…security forces.”
“Fancy that. What security forces?”
“Just a general statement in his record.”
“How about that security company, Outcast?”
Austin brought up a list of security contractors working with the government during the time Markum was a Marine. “It’s on the list.”
“We have a dead Outcast member involved in that SEAL ambush. That’s a connection. I say we go have a word with Outcast.”
“Sounds like a plan.”
They caught a cab outside the hotel and were soon at the Outcast offices. Once inside the lobby, they stopped at the desk.
“Can I help you?” the receptionist said, a brunette with black-rimmed glasses.
“Special Agents Beck and Gunn, NCIS. We’re looking to talk to Carl Kruger about a Marine that might have worked with you guys ab
out six years ago. Name’s Raoul Markam.”
“Just a moment.” She got on the phone and within ten minutes someone showed up.
“Hello, I’m Ted White, here to escort you. I’m the co-owner.”
They followed the guy up the elevator and into a hallway filled with offices and people busy working. He took them to a door at the end. Ted opened the door and ushered them inside, closing the door behind them.
A man with salt-and-pepper hair sat behind the desk. His cold, wintery blue eyes regarded them. He rose. “Special Agents Beck and Gunn. Welcome to Outcast, gentlemen. Have a seat.”
They strode forward and settled in the two chairs in front of the desk. “What can I do for you?”
“We’re working a case that involves Raoul Markam.” Derrick pulled a picture up on his phone and showed Carl. “Do you know him?”
Carl shook his head. “No, I’m sorry. What’s this about?”
“We’re not at liberty to say, sir, but we have reason to believe that he may be involved in kidnapping and murder.”
Carl looked surprised and shocked. “How is he tied to Outcast?”
“He was a Marine six years ago and worked as liaison to security.”
“I see. We worked with a lot of people back when the war was in full swing, but I don’t know him.”
“How about Timothy Hatch?” Derrick showed him his picture.
“No.”
“How about Martin Carter?” Derrick held the phone up with the picture of the dead man.
Carl’s lips thinned and he blinked several times. “Yes, I do know him.”
“He’s employed by you?”
His voice and face were perfectly neutral, but Austin saw his eyes dart. He was lying. “No, not anymore. I terminated him about three weeks ago. I understand he was killed by SEALs during an attack.”
“That’s correct. A top-secret SEAL mission, as a matter of fact. We would like his employment records.” It was clear Derrick was not asking.
Carl nodded. “Of course, I’ll get those for you.”
With Carter’s records on a flash drive, Austin and Derrick left the Outcast offices and hailed a cab.
“What do you think?” Austin asked.
