Seven Days to Forever (10 page)

She didn’t belong here any more than he belonged in her world. She was from the realm of family dinners and snapshots of kids, not Army-issue decor and international crises. She was the only person here who wasn’t a trained soldier, so she had a different way of looking at the facts she was told. It showed in the questions she had asked.

The first thing she’d asked Redinger was the name of the kidnapped child. It was Matteo. Until now, Flynn had only thought of him as the Vilyas kid, or as the target they had to free. That was the best way to approach a mission. He had to maintain his objectivity. Getting emotionally involved was murder on a man’s concentration.

So was getting pulled into bed by a warm, sleep-softened woman. He was getting too damned familiar with the way Abbie felt when she wasn’t wearing underwear.

His chair creaked as he shifted his legs again. His discomfort wasn’t due to fatigue this time, it was due to the snug fit of his jeans. There was nothing complicated about that aspect of his feelings for Abbie. It was simple, basic sexual attraction. He kept telling himself to ignore it, but he wasn’t having much success.

He still couldn’t forget that kiss yesterday, so it hadn’t been smart to let her pull him on top of her tonight…but he hadn’t tried to avoid it. The sight of her in bed, with her hair spread in a soft cloud on the pillow and her body caught in the slow-motion movements of a dream, had hit him almost as powerfully as one of her smiles.

And that was the problem. She might be a wholesome schoolteacher and a serious nester but there was passion in her kiss and passion in her dreams, and he felt a hunter’s urge to pursue it. So he’d sat beside her on the mattress, closer than he’d needed to, and he hadn’t awakened her as quickly as he could have.

Yeah, well, he’d still managed to do his duty, so the rest of it didn’t matter. She’d agreed to join them, hadn’t she? Her usefulness to the mission was the priority here, not her effect on his libido.

It had taken her only a few minutes to haul a tapestry-patterned suitcase out of her closet and pack what she would need. She’d taken almost as long to tend to her plants. That had been the only bad moment—she’d been hesitant about leaving them without having someone come in to check on them. They were
plants.
Lucky for him she didn’t have pets or children.

I love children, Flynn. That’s why I’m a teacher.

He deliberately replayed her words in his head. Oddly enough, it did nothing to ease the tightness in his jeans. He scowled and thought about a cold shower.

“Did you have any trouble?”

At the low voice he looked over his shoulder. “No problem,” he replied quietly.

Rafe Marek pulled up a chair, turned it around and straddled the seat as he sat down. He folded his arms over the back, nodding toward the group near Abbie. “Good thing she agreed to help,” he said, keeping his tone low enough not to carry. “Sarah’s a good operative, but she wouldn’t have fooled anyone for long. The Locke woman’s too short and her body type’s all wrong.”

“Abbie’s not that short,” Flynn said. “And there’s nothing wrong with her body type.”

Rafe shot him a look. “That’s not what I meant and you know it.”

Flynn realized his mistake immediately. Rafe hadn’t been assessing Abbie’s body, he’d been referring to the next ransom exchange. Rafe wouldn’t be looking at another woman like that anyway—ever since he got engaged, he’d been downright puritanical.

That’s what commitment did to a man. It tied him down and snipped off his freedom.

Then again, Rafe didn’t look as if any parts were missing. Lately he’d been almost cheerful. He’d begun to develop a dimple among the scars on his bad side.

Flynn put on a yawn and decided to change the subject. “Man, I’m beat. This waiting around is starting to get to me.”

“Look’s like that’s not all that got to you.” The good side of Rafe’s mouth twitched upward. “How come you’re still awake? You’re not on this watch.”

“I brought Abbie into the mission. She’s my responsibility.”

Rafe grunted. “That sounds familiar. Isn’t that what I said about Glenna?”

It was, Flynn realized. Glenna Hastings, Rafe’s fiancée, had helped the team from Eagle Squadron plan a mission a few months ago. Flynn had done his best to counsel his buddy on the risks of getting serious, but nothing—not even a vengeful drug lord—had been able to keep Rafe and Glenna apart.

“Don’t even think it,” Flynn muttered. “This is entirely different.”

“You’re right.” Rafe propped his chin on his folded arms and studied Abbie. “If she’s a schoolteacher, she’s way too smart for you.”

Chair legs gritted across the cement floor. Flynn looked past Rafe and saw Jack Norton pulling up a seat beside them. “What are you doing here?” he asked.

Jack winked. “Same thing as you and Rafe. I wanted to get a look at our new recruit.”

Flynn didn’t find Jack’s interest in Abbie amusing. Normally he enjoyed talking about women. He liked flirting with them and he had no problem when other men did the same. But not with Abbie. He wanted to protect her, shelter her, keep her as safe and innocent as she was before. And he didn’t want anyone else to discover the passion she kept behind those private smiles. “Dammit, I just talked her into joining us. You two scarecrows are liable to frighten her away.”

Jack chuckled. “Do I need to point out that you were the one she was running from?”

“The woman has taste,” Rafe said. “I think Glenna would like her.”

“With any luck Abbie won’t be staying around long enough to meet her,” Flynn said. “The LLA could set up the drop tomorrow.”

Rafe’s expression sobered immediately. “Any word on that yet?”

“Not yet.” Flynn tipped his chin toward Esposito. “The chief said the Vilyas phone line has been silent all night.”

“This doesn’t feel right,” Jack said. Like Rafe, he’d become all business the moment the subject had turned to the mission. “What’s the LLA waiting for? The longer they delay, the better the chance we’ll learn where they are.”

“Makes you wonder whether the money is all they’re after,” Rafe said.

“Esposito thinks they’re doing this to harass the Ladavian government.” Flynn paused. “What’s the latest on those three men we’re sitting on?”

“That LLA cell hasn’t moved from their rooming house since they were followed from Miss Locke’s apartment,” Jack replied. “They would know their security could be compromised, so it’s unlikely they’ll be used again.”

“We could bring them in for interrogation if things go sour,” Rafe said. “They’d be a link to the organization.”

“Yeah, but the LLA cells operate on a need-to-know basis. Those men might have no idea where the kid is stashed.” Jack returned his gaze to Abbie. “I hope she’s got the guts to go through with it.”

Flynn’s chest tightened when he noticed that Abbie’s knuckles were white again. The adrenaline that had been pumping through her system since she’d awakened would be wearing off by now. She was going to crash soon. He hoped Redinger was perceptive enough to realize that.

Apparently, he was, since the briefing concluded a few minutes later. Redinger and Esposito headed for the equipment storage area. Flynn was out of his chair and striding to Abbie’s side before she had the chance to stand. He cupped her elbow to help her to her feet. “Are you okay?” he asked.

She nodded. “I think so.”

“Abbie’s going to be bunking in the office with me, Sergeant,” Sarah said, waving toward the partitioned-off area at the back of the tent. “So if something comes up, you’ll know where to find us.”

Flynn let go of Abbie’s elbow and picked up her suitcase. “I’ll give you a hand getting set up.”

“I’ve got it covered, Flynn,” Sarah said, taking the suitcase from his grasp. “Why don’t you get some rest? Your watch starts in two hours.”

“Yeah, O’Toole,” Jack drawled. “You know how you need your beauty sleep.”

Flynn saw that Jack and Rafe had approached while he’d been talking. He moved closer to Abbie, unconsciously angling himself protectively between her and his friends.

Jack was undeterred. He stepped to the side and held out his hand. “Hello, Miss Locke. I’ve been wanting to compliment you on your handiwork.”

Abbie looked puzzled. “I’m not sure I understand.”

Jack cocked his thumb toward the spot where he’d bandaged Flynn’s arm. “I’m Jack Norton, the team’s medic. You’re a dead shot with a screwdriver.”

Two spots of color appeared in her cheeks as she shook his hand. “Oh, no.”

Jack grinned. “I’ve always admired a woman who’s good with tools.”

“Take a pill, Jack,” Flynn muttered.

Rafe nudged Jack aside, then stepped forward as Jack regained his balance—even a gentle nudge from Rafe could flatten a man who was unprepared for it. “I’m glad you agreed to work with us, Miss Locke,” he said. “I’m Master Sergeant Rafe Marek.”

Abbie hesitated a beat before she took his hand and returned his greeting. “Would Rafe be short for Rafal?”

“Yes, it is.”

“I thought so. Your family must be Polish.”

“That’s right,” Rafe replied. “My grandfather was born in Krakow.”

She smiled. “One of my brothers-in-law is from the Krakow region. His coloring is identical to yours.”

Flynn regarded Abbie more closely, but her smile appeared to be genuine. The men of Eagle Squadron were accustomed to Rafe’s disfiguring scars, but not many strangers could look him full in the face without flinching. The flesh on his right cheek was a network of white ridges and gullies from his eye socket to his jaw. Although his pale-blond hair and piercing blue eyes were remarkable, that wasn’t what most people noticed first.

Yet Abbie seemed unimpressed by appearances. Flynn was fully aware that most women considered his own features attractive. It wasn’t vanity—he couldn’t take credit for something that was merely an accident of genetics—but most of the time Abbie didn’t seem to want to look at him. Why was that? Was that part of her appeal to him, because she was a challenge?

Still, she wasn’t indifferent to him. She hadn’t minded kissing him or pulling him into bed with her….

But she was part of the team now. If he kissed her again, he’d better be damned certain he knew what he was doing, because next time there would be nowhere to run.

For either of them.

Chapter 6

A
bbie stored her toothbrush in her suitcase and sat on the edge of her cot. It was so low to the floor, her knees came up to her chest. She grasped the edges and swung her legs up carefully, afraid the frame might tip over, but it was sturdier than it looked.

Sarah toed off her shoes and dropped down cross-legged in the center of the other cot. “Think of this as a camping trip,” she said.

Abbie glanced at the canvas wall beside her. A few snores and the low murmur of masculine voices came from the other side of the partition. She kept her own voice just above a whisper. “I haven’t gone camping since I was ten. I got poison ivy.”

“You’re perfectly safe here, Abbie,” Sarah said. “You’re surrounded by a team of the best-trained commandos in the United States Army.”

“I’m well aware of that.” She pulled up her feet and wrapped her arms around her legs. “They all seem to be—” she searched for a word “—in excellent condition.”

Sarah smiled. “Their size can be a bit intimidating at first.”

When Abbie had been brought here before, she’d been restricted to this room—she hadn’t seen much of the rest of the tent or met the other soldiers. She understood it was because of their concern over security. She was only now beginning to grasp the scope of what she had stumbled into. “It’s not just their size,” she murmured. “It’s the way they move. They’re so…”

“Male?” Sarah suggested.

Oh, yes. They were definitely male. The introductions tonight had begun gradually, when that lanky medic named Norton and the big blond man called Rafe had approached to say hello after the major had left, but within minutes practically every man on the team had drifted over to introduce himself and say a few words to her. Flynn’s presence by her side had made her pulse trip anyway, but being surrounded by so much rampant masculinity was…stimulating, to say the least. Not something that would happen during the course of a typical day at Cherry Hill Elementary School. “It’s difficult to ignore.”

“Believe it or not, you get accustomed to all that testosterone after a while.”

Abbie smiled crookedly. “Is that what it is? I thought it was the smell of canvas.”

“You’ll get used to that, too.” Sarah tugged her sweater over her head and stripped off her pants, leaving her in an olive-colored undershirt and shorts. She grabbed a hairbrush from the duffel bag she’d stored at the foot of her cot and leaned over her ankles, flipping her hair forward so she could brush it from the roots. “Don’t let the men’s appearance fool you,” she continued, her voice muffled by her hair. “They’re all extremely bright. Their brains are just as impressive as their brawn.”

Abbie watched Sarah’s easy movements and marveled at how relaxed she seemed. Sarah appeared to have a comfortable camaraderie with the men. She treated them with a combination of the authority of a ranking officer and the protectiveness of a sister. Her manner toward Abbie had warmed considerably after their brief chat with Rafe—Abbie suspected Sarah’s manner would have cooled just as quickly if Abbie had shown any sign of revulsion to his scars.

“Are you the only woman in Eagle Squadron?” Abbie asked.

“That’s a tricky question. Officially, the only women in Delta Force serve in the support squadrons, not the assault squadrons, because of the rules restricting us from combat roles. I’m an intelligence specialist, part of what’s affectionately known as the Funny Platoon. When Major Redinger was putting together a team from Eagle Squadron for this mission, he needed someone who could speak Ladavian, so I’m on temporary duty.” She chuckled. “Actually, I’ve been ‘temporarily’ assigned to the Major’s teams on and off for over three years now.”

“You must be very courageous to have chosen a career in the military.”

“I grew up in the military, so it was a natural choice. This is my family.” Sarah straightened up, pushing her hair back from her face so she could look at Abbie. “I understand this whole experience must be tough for you, Abbie. We really do appreciate your cooperation. It’s a lot to ask.”