Page 32 of Kyle

Dec frowned. “You know she’s going to be an uphill battle, right?”

“You have it all wrong.”

“Don’t bullshit me. This ain’t my first rodeo, friend. I’ve already seen this twice. Brooks took one look at Tatiana in that UN Annex and it was on. Thaddeus and Em, well, that was a given. The man was off his chain as soon as she was around. You have that same look. So I’m gonna warn you. This isn’t smart. We have Omni threatening the company as a whole, and the women. You bringing Anaya into the fold will put her in danger. And with all of her issues…brother…I’m not sure you wanna attempt to take those on. There’s a strong possibility she’ll burn you.”

“Let me ask you something, Dec. Say you’re right, do you really think I’m some shallow prick that would turn my back on someone because of their issues?”

“That’s not how—”

“It sure sounded like that’s what you were saying to me. That because of what happened to her, what still lingers inside of her, she’s not worth the effort. But I’m telling you, the man who finally breaks through Anaya’s walls will be one lucky son of a bitch. That woman is strong as hell. When she finds the right man, she’ll let him in and he’ll find paradise.”

Part of me wished I could be that man. But the fuck of it was, Dec was right, there was too much going on, it was bad timing, and I didn’t have anything to offer Anaya. I had no idea what I was doing or where I was going to be beyond today. My life was in constant turmoil. I didn’t even have a place to live.

Anaya deserved stability and peace. Two things my life would never offer no matter how badly I wanted to give those things to her. I was not the type of man who wanted to settle down. I didn’t want kids and I didn’t want to ever be tied to one place. I enjoyed being a nomad, travelling when I wanted. Not worried about what I was leaving behind. But for the first time in my life I wished I could be that sort of man. I wanted to be that man for Anaya.

I was being an idiot thinking I could keep her, allowing my feelings for a woman I just met cloud my better judgment. She’d made it clear she didn’t want to stay with me, and I had to respect that even if it wasn’t what I wanted. The knot in my gut tightened and acid started to build.

I had to let her go.

“I just want this done and her safe. That’s all,” I told Dec.

With a lift of his chin and disbelief in his eyes, he stood. “If you say so. I’m gonna go walk the perimeter again. After we hear back from Zane, we’ll figure out the rest of our day.”

I sat back into the couch and pressed the heels of my palms against my brow trying to relieve some of the pressure building.

What the hell was I thinking, forcing Anaya to something she didn’t want to do? She was perfectly capable of taking care of herself. And the truth was, going to Cambodia with us would put her in more danger.

“You okay?” Anaya asked.

I opened my eyes and she was leaning against the wall on the opposite side of the room.

Smart woman. It was best she stayed far away from me.

“Sure. What’s up?”

“I talked to Camilla.” Anaya held her cellphone up so I could see it. “She said they’re catching an earlier flight. And good news, one orphanage in Tutuala has room for ten girls. If there are more than ten, they’ll take them to West Timor. Either way, they’re ready to go.”

“After this is over, where’s your next assignment?”

“Assignment?”

“With the Peace Corps? Where do you go next?”

I held my breath hoping she’d tell me she was going back to the US for good. I might not be in a place where I could keep her, but maybe there would be a possibility in the future. Maybe after we took out Omni, I could seek her out and see if there was more to these crazy feelings I had.

“Oh. I’m not sure yet. South America, I think. Maybe Guyana or Peru. The volunteers who were pulled from Timor-Leste are being sent wherever they’re needed.”

Hearing the possibility of her going to Guyana had my gut clenching. The team had just come back from there. I’d seen firsthand what a corrupt government could do to good people. The country was beautiful and should’ve been thriving. Instead, greed and criminals had a stranglehold.

“How long will you be gone?”

“Every assignment is a two-year commitment. But I don’t know what the Peace Corps will do in a case like this. Why?”

Two years? Fuck. I had no business even entertaining the idea of getting involved with Anaya. Declan was right—yet again, he’d warned me I could get burned. What he didn’t know was, that burn was now hearing she’d be gone for years and all thoughts of a possible future had gone up in smoke.

“You wanna stay with the Riveras and help transport the girls?”

My question had my stomach churning.