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He stretched out his story to buy himself time to plan, to escape. Because when this Mr. Jones and all his fancy suited friends finished with him, they would throw him away. No one here cared about him. So he had not told them everything then. And he did not intend to now. He needed information to ensure he would not end up unprotected again.
He had not meant to betray his friends at school. He had not meant for them to be taken too because of him. That had torn him apart for a long time.
But now, he would turn on all of them if that was what it took to get away.
***
Jose had twelve hours to sleep before he kicked the enemy’s ass—or not.
Towel tied low on his waist, he brushed his teeth after the first shower this week that had lasted longer than ninety seconds. How bizarre that this Mogadishu hotel room looked much the same as countless others he’d stayed in around the world before launching a mission. Brown tile bathroom, a few extra mosaics, and a few less breath mints.
Sleeping away what could be the end of his life seemed like a lame idea, but being anything less than one hundred percent tomorrow would be beyond a bad idea. Tomorrow afternoon, the wife of the vice president of the United States would step in front of the microphones to give a goodwill speech that would be televised live on cable news stations around the globe. On a regular day, people might not even pay much attention to her visit.
But if the world exploded?
The cameras would all be in place, and those small cable stations would have footage of a horror that would terrorize millions.
Unless their information was incorrect. Stella had explained she only had part of the code. They could be chasing ghosts. What if the times, dates, and locations were wrong? The bastards could be as tough to pin down as… toxic fumes.
Damn it, he never had doubts or questions before a mission. He always lived in the moment. Until he’d met Stella.
And he wouldn’t be able to sleep tonight until he laid eyes on her. She’d been escorted by local security to the parallel hall, to the rooms for agents, while the military bunked along the other corridor. The best damn protected hotel in Mogadishu.>“Fang,” she reached to pat the dog’s belly, “somehow I don’t think anyone’s going to be riding your ass about the mutt today.”
“Guess not.” Fang scratched his shoulder under the seat harness. “A group in the States sponsored the dog a while ago and since we were headed out, the dog will be swapping over to another plane in Mogadishu. He’ll be gone before…” He swallowed hard. “I mean, like, if the worst happens. The dog will be safe.”
“Fang, you’re going to be okay,” she said with a total conviction she knew he needed to hear. “I’ve crunched the numbers. I’m the queen of logic, remember?”
He nodded and grinned like a grateful kid before closing his eyes.
The dog scrabbled across the grated floor and tucked in beside Jose. His hand slid down on top of the animal’s head and right away she thought of Jose’s old commander, the one he’d told her married a lady who worked with therapy dogs for veterans under stress. She could totally imagine how that would work right now.
In fact, she could envision a lot at the moment, that tenderness in Jose that had so drawn her. How could he not recognize that in himself? The part of him meant to nurture…
“Stella,” Jose said softly without opening his eyes, just leaning closer to her where no one could hear them, “just because I like dogs doesn’t mean I’m primed for domestic bliss. And don’t deny you were thinking it.”
“I didn’t say anything.”
“You didn’t have to. I can feel your thoughts, lady.”
Didn’t that just make her point? They were so in tune with each other, it was wrong that he kept denying what they could have together. “You’re petting a dog. It’s like one of those pictures circling around the Internet of soldiers with pups. It’s heart-tugging, all right?”
“Okay. I just don’t want you to make too much of it. Yeah, I’m human and the mutt is comforting. You’ve been kidnapped. You got shot at earlier today. You could get shot at again. I’m rattled, but I’ll pull it together before we land.”
“I know you will. I have complete faith in your ability to do your job.”
“Too bad that confidence in me didn’t carry over into the relationship department.”
His voice rumbled so lowly it almost blended in with the drone of aircraft engines. But she caught every word all the same. His hand slid away from the dog and the mutt inched on to the next available hand… on to Bubbles, who looked less than pleased to have company, especially fuzzy company. The fuzzy-phobic PJ unbuckled from his seat and guided the pup back to the crate strapped down, although Bubbles chose to sit beside the dog. Softie.
Stella glanced away and back to Jose. Frustration sparked inside her over him laying the whole breakup at her feet. She looked around at the others and they were catching their own catnaps or far enough away where they wouldn’t overhear. A part of her winced at having such an intense conversation when they were anything other than alone, but their life was anything other than normal or convenient. They had to grasp moments when they could.
“Jose, you’re the one who didn’t want me to settle down with a couple of rug rats.”
His eyes crinkled at the corner with one of those sad smiles. “Like you would ever settle down.”
“If I had kids, I would make changes to my life.” And she meant it. “I want to be there for my children. I don’t want them to grow up like I did, not if I can help it.”
“Moot point for us anyway.”
