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“I do,” she said, totally amazed at the depth of the man’s perceptiveness. Another note to self: Tai Kaholo was far more than his hunky, stoic, military-man looks. “Thank you.”
“For sure,” he responded in a cool, offhand tone.
She earned that. Since the minute they met, she’d been taking out her stress on Tai and his team. And Graham. Except unlike her father, they didn’t deserve it.
Tai had turned back to Graham, already laughing at another shared inside joke. She’d dug herself in a huge hole where the big Marine was concerned.
Time to get a shovel.
9
The next morning, Tai woke at his usual early hour and headed straight for the main house. Coffee was on his mind. And, if he was honest, so was Tenaya Washington. He still wasn’t a huge fan, but after yesterday, he could sort of see why the pretty attorney was so touchy.
He strode through the frosty morning, boots crunching on the brittle scrub brush. Frost coated every surface, sparkling in the first rays of dawn. As he walked, Tai vowed to keep a lid on his temper today, no matter what barbs Graham’s prickly daughter flung his way. He owed the man too much to let her get under his skin.
Entering the kitchen, he was surprised to see Tenaya already awake, seated at the counter peering at her laptop screen, a phone pressed to her ear.
“I’m hoping it won’t be more than a week,” she said tersely to whoever was on the other end. Then she listened impatiently, finger tapping the tabletop. “I’m well aware that I have trial dates, Jarrod, but I can’t put others at risk.”
She listened to the man’s response, irritation flashing across her delicate features.
“I’ll contact my clients myself, but I need you to handle rescheduling my court appearances.”
Another pause to listen, then she sighed. “I’m well aware, Jarrod. The people I’ve hired are working as fast as they can. I just want to ensure my clients are covered.”
With a short wave, Tai skirted the table, heading for the coffee pot in the kitchen. He lifted a silent prayer, beyond thankful his world didn’t include reams of paperwork, or court appearances. All that time spent at a desk––and in a suit. He couldn’t think of a worse form of torture.
Relief shone on her face at the caller’s next words. “Thank you,” she responded warmly. “Stay safe.”
Tai hid a smile as she ended the call. Her prickly exterior hid a caring heart, it seemed.
He turned, holding up the coffee pot. “Everything okay?”
She made a face. “Let’s see… I’ve been terrorized for over a year by a stalker-turned-murderer. I can’t go home, and I can’t help catch him.” She pretended to think for a minute. “Yeah. Everything’s A-okay. How about you?”
Chagrined, Tai laughed under his breath. The woman had a point. “Right. Let me rephrase. Can I get you anything?”
Longing shone in her eyes. “Just my life back.”
“We’ll see what we can do.” He kept his tone light, hoping to lift her spirits.
She turned to face him, giving him the full effect of those deep, dark eyes. “You guys are good at this stuff. Really good, right?”
Tai’s chest tightened. He so wanted to give her promises, but he knew better. Sometimes all the skills in the world didn’t help. “The best there is. We’ve run way worse folks than this Zhezhnov to ground. We got this.”
And they’d lost their share of targets, too. Not that saying so would help. They needed her energized and alert, not defeated.
She searched his face, clearly parsing each word, then gave a single, sharp nod before dropping her gaze back to her computer.
Tai watched her profile, struck by her delicate beauty. An unexpected protectiveness welled up in him. Shaking it off, he turned away. From their first interaction, it had been obvious he and the lady lawyer were oil and water. Plus, she was Gunny’s daughter. Enough said.
Heavy footsteps approaching down the hall announced the man himself. Graham strode in and made a beeline for the coffee pot.
“Morning,” he rumbled.
Tai and Tenaya mumbled greetings. Tai noted she didn’t look up from her screen.
“You’re up early,” Graham ventured, addressing his daughter’s bent head.
