Page 79 of Lion’s Den

“Where are we going now, sir?” Spencer asked.

“You have to ask?” Isaac chuckled. “Buddy, you are slacking.”

“Ha ha. I was just making sure we were headed to the police station to pick up Sedona.”

“Of course.” Cam glanced in the rearview mirror, where he could see the medic’s face in the reflection. “Why?”

I thought you might avoid facing Sedona and Maria as long as possible. After all, the news you’re bringing is bad.”

“Missing Julio is on me. I can’t avoid the truth. I know Sedona well enough to worry she’ll do anything to help Julio, even if it’s bad for her safety.”

“That was obvious when you told us she jumped into the lion enclosure. That took a courage we’ve rarely seen.”

Boy, didn’t he know that. “She’ll do anything for her students. That’s why I brought the rest of The Thunderhawks in to help guard her.”

“Looks as though that will be a lifetime commitment for the team,” Isaac said.

The team’s lifetime commitment? “Explain that.”

“It’s exactly what it sounds like, sir. We know you’re gone over this woman, and now that we’ve met her, we understand why you’re crazy about her. In fact, we talked about it on the way to Hartman.”

“And?”

“Do you realize that you’re in love with her?”

He froze. “What? Are you serious?”

“About you being in love with her, or that we recognized it before you did?”

Cam swallowed hard. “Both,” he choked out.

His teammates laughed loudly and long. Finally, Spencer said, “We’re serious, bud. Figure out how to tell the lady you love her.”

“If she’s smart, Sedona will run for the hills as fast as she can.” Cam felt sick. A good scare could do that to you. This was nuts. How could he fall in love with Sedona that fast? Worse, why would she love him back? He was just an old soldier who wanted to use his military skills to bring lost people home to their families instead of tracking terrorists and bringing them to justice.

Rhys reached over and thumped him hard on the shoulder.

“Ouch! What was that for?”

“For doubting yourself for even one second. Knock that off, or we’ll do it for you. You’re a catch for your lady.”

Right. If that was true, why was he going back to her empty-handed? “You need your eyes checked.”

“You need your view of yourself to come up out of the basement,” Isaac said. “Don’t let Amelia’s view of you distort the accurate picture.”

Amelia, the woman whom he’d dated for a few months simply because she was beautiful. It didn’t take long to realize her outward beauty didn’t carry over to beauty on the inside. Every time he got ready to break up with her, she would have a full-blown crisis where she threatened to take her own life. Over and over this happened until Isaac had thumped him on the back of the head and told him to open his eyes. Thank God he’d listened to wise advice. “You’re right.”

“Of course I am. You should always listen to me.”

That led to more jeering from the rest of The Thunderhawks. Cam let it roll for a while. Humor was good for the team, and he deserved the teasing. If he could, he’d kick himself for allowing Amelia to influence him one iota.

Thirty minutes later, Cam used his identity card to scan into the sheriff’s department parking lot. When they exited their SUVs, Cam led his teammates into the station. Once he settled them in the squad room with his coworkers, Cam went in search of Sedona. He found her in the break room, fast asleep on the couch with a pillow under her head and a blanket wrapped around her.

His heart clenched in his chest. She was so beautiful. He longed to kiss her, but didn’t feel like he had the right without her consent, especially since he’d failed her.

He stilled. Where were Eddie and Maria? Surely, they weren’t still at the hospital? Perhaps they’d gone home to wait for word of Julio. He’d check on their whereabouts after he talked to Sedona.

Allowing himself to touch her for a few seconds, Cam ran the backs of his calloused fingers down her cheek. Man, her skin felt like velvet. He’d felt nothing this soft in his life. Praying she wouldn’t hate him for what he was about to tell her, Cam murmured, “Sedona.”