Sweet Affliction [Sweet Awakenings 4] (Siren Publishing Classic) (26 page)

She didn’t know how long they stayed like that, their eyes and bodies locked together with no sounds other than their breathing. Some time had passed when they heard a knock at the door.

“Dinner’s ready. You two coming out to eat?” Jack asked from the other side of the door.

“We’ll be out in a few minutes,” Nick answered.

Footsteps disappeared in the distance, and Nick bent his head down and kissed her forehead. It was a tender gesture. One she hadn’t expected, but it intensified and confirmed what her heart was telling her. She was in love with him. Somehow in all the craziness that had happened, Nick Slater managed to knock down every wall she had built in a matter of days, and now she couldn’t imagine how she had ever lived without him.

“Let’s get some dinner, sweetheart,” he whispered before pulling out of her and getting off the bed.

She didn’t miss the way he winced when he pushed himself up. No matter how stubborn he was she was going to tend to his wound whether he liked it or not.

“Then after dinner
I am
taking a look at that stitch that tore. You’re going to take a hot shower, and you will let me do whatever I need to do to make sure it doesn’t get infected or worse. Understood?”

He smirked at her as he pulled on his jeans. “Is that an order, ma’am?”

She couldn’t help but laugh. His smile was deadly to women, she was sure of that. His arrogant little smirk where he cocked up one side of his mouth was too damn sexy to resist. “I’m afraid so, Commander.”

“I can think of far worse things than having a beautiful nursemaid tending to my wounds. So, I guess I’ll submit to your demands.” He winked.

They finished dressing and were about to leave the room when he quickly closed it and crushed her against the door. His hands framed her face, and he kissed her.

“You are amazing, AJ. I hate how I found you, but I can’t imagine not having you in my life, in my bed.”

He kissed her again and reached for the door handle, ushering her into the hall before she could even form a response. Not that anything she said would come close to describing how she felt. She was his. However he wanted her, for as long as he wanted her, she would enjoy every minute of Nick Slater that life gave her.

They all sat around the living room eating their lasagna and going over their plan to draw out Broderick. The night proved to be a night of firsts on many levels. While this wasn’t an official U.S. Government operation, it was a mission just the same. Discussing the details of a mission wasn’t something he was used to doing with civilians, not to mention women civilians. He wasn’t a sexist pig, but he was a SEAL, after all. They didn’t operate with women. The fact of the matter was, though, these women had to be aware of every aspect of what was going on. If something were to go wrong they needed to be prepared and know what to do to protect themselves and get out of there.

He felt a pang of remorse for Jack. He was the one who was the driving force behind making sure that son of a bitch paid for what he did. This fact alone made the revenge plot against them that much more personal. With him having a wife to worry about that would be enough for most men to deal with, but it was obvious his and Tamara’s thoughts were on JJ, their son.

In war and in life there were no guarantees. It was important to have a contingency plan when missions didn’t end with them riding off on a unicorn to the land of rainbows. He didn’t miss the tension in the room when Rex explained to each of the women where they would go to pick up funds and the other things they would need to start their lives over. He forced himself to look away from AJ when he saw the shock in her face at the prospect that it was a possibility. While Tamara, Shelby, and Chelsea were upset at the thought of their husbands not making it out of this alive, they also seemed stronger and understanding of the importance to be prepared if that was an option. AJ was different though. This was all new to her, and it killed him to think how scared she must be.

They discussed the arrangements over and over to make sure they all understood just how important it was. Tamara and Shelby seemed to be a rock for Chelsea, who seemed the most timid out of his three friends’ wives. He prayed that if something happened they would be there for AJ, too.

All that remained of the lasagna was a few traces of sauce and ricotta cheese. The platter that held the garlic bread looked like it had been licked clean. Living on the run wasn’t good for their appetite. The sandwiches, burgers, and fries didn’t hold a candle to a nice home-cooked lasagna. He knew it was a frozen one, but his stomach didn’t know the difference.

Looking around the room, he was impressed with the safe house Rex had arranged for them. He was surprised as hell though when Rex explained to them that it was on loner from an old teammate of theirs, Andrew Everest. After he left the teams he founded a private contracting company, Everest International. He considered leaving the teams before retirement a few times after having some attractive deals dangled in front of him by a couple of Everest’s recruiters.

The girls all retired to their bedrooms while they continued to go over the plan to draw out the mercenaries hired to take them out, and hopefully Broderick, too. Nothing could be left to chance. Every detail had to be memorized until they could carry it out in their sleep.

In the morning Rex would drive Adam to a rental car company to pick up the keys to an SUV they already reserved online, which was similar to the one they had before. He would then return to the hotel where they all stayed when they came to town to scatter his ashes. The thought still sent a chill up his spine that he sat here knowing just days earlier there was a military funeral complete with twenty-one guns in his honor. Adam would go straight to the front desk, not wanting to give whoever was watching a chance to catch him alone. He would check all of them out of their rooms and casually stroll back out to the SUV. Whoever was hired to take them out would have eyes in that hotel lobby.

Meanwhile Rex would already be back at their ’50s condemned shack. Hopefully, Jack and he would already be ready with the trip wires and have the weapons locked and loaded, ready to go. If not, Rex could help them finish. The girls would be tucked safely in the basement, and Rex had assured all of them that bullets couldn’t penetrate the floorboards and that the room was soundproof.

They had everything planned down to the last detail, but there was one thing that they couldn’t predict, and they had to leave it to chance. The hotel where Adam would be was a twenty minute drive. He was going to have to get out of there fast and watch his six at all times. None of their plan would work if he didn’t make it back here.

He didn’t miss Chelsea’s worry when they discussed the plan for the first time. Adam assured her, even promised her there was no way anything could go wrong. Nick knew his good friend lied to his wife. Adam’s trip back from the hotel was the only part of the plan they were crossing their fingers on and hoping all the pieces fell into place. They considered drawing the hit men out in other locations, but everywhere else held the possibility of innocent bystanders getting caught in the cross fire. This safe house was hidden away. There were no neighbors for at least a mile down the road. Regardless of wanting to make sure they made it out of this alive, they wouldn’t risk civilians for their own safety.

It was nearly midnight, and the four of them went over the details another dozen or so times. He felt confident they could do it with their eyes closed. There was nothing more to do but wait for the sun to rise and take action.

They all said good night and went to their bedrooms to be with their wives. Everyone except him. He went to join AJ. She wasn’t his wife. He didn’t know what she was. So much had happened in such a short time. When this was all over he would go with her to bury her father. He would hold her while she cried and kiss her tears away. Then they would have to talk. If someone had told him two weeks ago he would be in love with someone he’d just met he would have laughed them off. He did love her. It was a fact he couldn’t ignore.

He walked in the bedroom and quietly shut the door. The room was dark, and he saw her lying in the bed. He didn’t want to wake her, so he undressed and slid gently on the bed. He jumped when her hand reached over and touched his chest.

“You’re awake.”

“I waited for you. I couldn’t sleep.”

Her voice was so angelic it still kicked him in the gut every time he heard it.

“Why’s that? What’s wrong? Is it your dad?”

“No. I mean…of course I thought about him and worry about claiming his body at the cargo facility so he can be transferred to the cemetery, but that’s not…”

Her voice cracked, and he could hear her straining, trying not to cry.

“Hey now…shh…come here.” He pulled her into his arms. “Tell me what’s wrong, sweetheart.”

“Everything.” She started to cry but continued on. “You’re still recovering from being shot. I haven’t even looked at your stitches. You’re hurt…Nick, you’re hurt because someone wants you dead. Dead, Nick!”

His heart literally hurt. Her voice was shaky, and between that and her tears he could tell she was terrified.

“Listen to me, honey. I’m going to be okay. I’ve done missions twenty times more complicated than this with more obstacles in my way than what we’re contending with. We’re prepared. We’re luring them into a trap, not the other way around. I’ve got three of the best teammates I’ve ever worked with by my side. Nothing, and I mean nothing, is going to keep me from holding you like this tomorrow night.”

He knew it was a promise he shouldn’t be making. Hell, he could get hit by a car, electrocuted by a toaster, or even shot by a mercenary at any moment. When his time was up and it was ready for the conductor to punch his big ticket in the sky, it was his time. He just didn’t want her lying awake all night worried.

“I’m scared.”

“I know, sweetie. I know.” He kissed her and squeezed her in a tight embrace. “Just lie in my arms. It will be okay. I just found you. You’re not getting rid of me so easily.”

“Do you promise?”

“I promise.”

He lay awake listening to her breathing. It took her awhile to fall asleep, but when her heart stopped racing and steadied itself he knew she was finally resting soundly. He couldn’t force himself to sleep or even close his eyes. There was always a chance something could go wrong tomorrow. He wanted to enjoy the feel of her in his arms. He didn’t want to take a moment of it for granted.

Placing a kiss to the top of her head he whispered so quietly he barely heard it himself. “I love you, AJ.”

AJ opened her eyes to a dark room. With no windows in the underground hideaway she had no idea what time it was. Nick wasn’t in bed with her. She reached over to his pillow, and the fabric felt cool. Had he left without even saying good-bye to her? A panic rose in her, and she bolted from the bed.

A second later the door from the bathroom opened and out he walked with a towel around his waist. “Jesus, AJ, what’s wrong? You’re white as a sheet.”

“I thought…” She crossed her arms to try to stop her hands from shaking.

He let out a sigh. “You thought I left.”

All she could do was nod in answer. She wasn’t ready for this. No matter how many times they explained the plan and went over the details last night, she wasn’t prepared. She didn’t want him to leave. She just found him. He’d already almost died twice, first from a bullet wound and then from an infection.

“Come here.”

Nick wrapped his arms around her. His embrace was so warming. His larger body towered over hers and surrounded her. This is when she felt the safest, like nothing could go wrong.

“I’m sorry. I am.” She looked up at him, wondering if there was any way she could make him understand. “I’m just scared. I just lost my dad. I’m not ready to lose you yet.”

He dropped his forehead against hers. “Yet, huh? You got a calendar date on how long it will be when you’ll finally be tired of me?”

She gave him a half-hearted smile. “You know what I mean.”

“I know. I also know that everything is going to be okay. We have to do this. It has to be settled once and for all. With Broderick being out now, he could come after us at any time. If we don’t take action we could be running and looking over our shoulder at every turn. This guy’s a bad dude. He didn’t bat an eyelash when he risked his own men’s lives all those years ago, yet he blames those he betrayed. We have to do this.”

She listened to his words. She also knew everything he said was true. It was just the thought that something might happen to him that shook her to her core.

“I know you do.” She curled herself back into his embrace, snuggling against his chest. “But if you get yourself hurt, I swear I’ll...”

“Oh threatening me, huh? You’ll what?”

“I’ll be heartbroken.” She blinked and felt a tear fall and land on his chest.

“Hey now…no tears. I already told you last night that I was going to be fine. I’ve been doing this kind of thing for twenty years. This is a walk in the park.”

A walk in the park. Sure. She knew he was trying to say all the right things to reassure her, but she couldn’t help but worry. Until this was over she wouldn’t feel safe. Not just for herself, but for him.