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Holding Diana like this unleashed a painful memory, dredging up images I thought I’d buried for good. Rebecca’s rejection of my attempt to carry her over the threshold the night of our wedding was a stark reminder of what I’d lost, and the connection still tethering all of us together. Not the time to think about that, damnit. “Good boy,” I told Dallas, leaving a trail of water as I walked us into the bedroom.
I set Diana in a seated position on the bed and dropped to my knees, quickly finishing the process of stripping her before she could witness my arousal.
“Thank you,” she said as I reached for her ankles and swung her legs onto the bed, encouraging her to lie down.
“Of course.” I stood. “Don’t try to get up. I’m going to find you something to wear for now, some food, and a phone to call your mom, okay?”
She nodded and set her head on the pillow, her wet hair spilling around her face, the towel fisted over her breasts.
Dallas hopped up onto the bed. “Watch her,” I told him, not that he had plans to leave. “I’ll be a minute.” I took my piece from the nightstand and holstered it in place at the side of my wet pants as I left the room. Once in the hallway, I closed the door and rested my back against it, taking a few calming breaths.
Griffin spotted me from the office across the way as he ended a call. His gaze flew over my naked chest and wet clothes.
“Don’t ask,” I grumbled, pushing away from the door to join him. “She doesn’t like being dirty.” And I’m the definition of that. Another reason I could never be with her. I’d stain and destroy her sweet innocence.
“And what? You tripped and fell into the shower with her. Hell, you left your boots on.”
“It was a time-sensitive operation.” I went over to a box marked clothes and rummaged through it. “Do we have a status update from the guys? You talk to Gray? POTUS?” I pressed on, not wanting to talk more about my shower with Diana.
“Yes to all three.”
I removed an oversized black long-sleeved shirt and pair of sweats from the box. They were three sizes too big for her, and she’d more than likely remain bare underneath until we had the bag her mom packed, but it was better than a towel. “And?” I went over to the couch and began unlacing my boots.
It took Griffin two seconds too long to wipe the smug smile from his face before he shared, “Our guys have two men alive but unconscious in the trunk of the SUV so we can question them later. Teddy’s hanging back on overwatch at the neighboring building by the factory in case any more asshole smugglers make an appearance. With the police swarming the place, thanks to the anonymous tip about the thirty people we found there, I doubt we’ll get lucky enough to grab any more of them, though.”
“I need to get us to a new location. May be better to drive instead of fly.” There were a few options I had in mind for next steps. “As soon as Diana talks to her mom, and I have a word with POTUS, we’ll move out.” Boots off now, I stood, cracking my back. “There’s still a possibility that?—”
“Yeah, I know,” he said, saving me the effort of delivering a warning. Daylight would buy us some time to move out, but not much.
“Gray all set?” I asked him while picking up the clothes I’d set by the chair, and he nodded. “POTUS?” I was anxious to get food and water for Diana and get back to her, so I was keeping this status update as brief as possible.
“They’re relieved we have her, and POTUS has Bravo Team working on an extraction plan so they can get her Stateside. We’ll most likely be meeting them at an old CIA black site.”
I wasn’t a fan of passing Diana off to someone else so I could continue playing dress-up as a bad guy. Considering the circles I’d soon be running in to get answers, she was safer with Bravo than me. Not to mention how even being close to her made me act and feel. Her safety and well-being needed guarding in more than one way.
“They’re expecting a call from her. They have a secure line waiting.” He offered me the phone, and I tucked the clothes under my arm and took it. When his eyes narrowed on the cross still around my neck, he asked in a more somber tone, “You okay?”
I bowed my head as I admitted, “Not even a little bit.”
27
DIANA
“He called you Dallas, right?” I scratched him behind the ears, and he lifted his head and licked my cheek. “I’ll take that as a yes.” Petting him managed to soothe my nerves almost as much as hugging Carter in the shower had.
No, that was a lie. Carter had calmed me down while also making me a hot mess. My legs had gone from shaking from shock to quaking like I’d been standing on an active fault line when he’d soaped up my hair and body. He’d been great at distracting me thirteen years ago when saving me the first time, but him taking care of me today was a whole other level of holy-shit-distracting.
Days of being held hostage, deprived of food, and drugged, but all it took to wash away the pain was that man actually washing me. Not to mention the holding part. The rush of oxytocin was real.
Him gently taking care of me in the way he had, as well as being respectful and not ogling my naked body, was evidence of what I’d known all along. He wasn’t the man my mom, Sierra, or anyone claimed him to be. No way could he be so kind and sweet to me while also being some psychopath. I still couldn’t believe my mother had a hand in choosing Carter to rescue me, but I was relieved she had, or who knew where I’d be now.
I wasn’t in too much pain after jumping from the truck, which was probably thanks to the drugs in my system. I’d never anticipated I’d have to use the escape strategies Dad forced me to learn after the embassy bombing, but his over-the-top lessons had saved me worse injuries today.
Dallas must’ve heard the rumbling in my stomach, a reminder I was famished, because he bopped his nose against my face as if worried.
“I’ll be okay,” I reassured him. “Thanks to you and your dad. Well, I think he’s your dad.” He nudged his nose my way again. “He is, right?” I smooshed his face between my hands and leaned toward him, nuzzling the tip of his nose, grateful for the soothing effect his furry presence provided.
My hand went still behind his ears at the memory I wasn’t totally rid of everything from my hellish week. Testing my strength while keeping the towel drawn together, I attempted to sit. Nothing worse than wearing old underwear.
