Page 62 of Sasha’s Secret

“I have an idea.” Geri pulled on her jacket and took the platter from Sasha. “I’ll take this to Linzi on my way out, you go find your man. Where is she?”

“The small dining room. With what she was doing, I doubt she’ll have moved. Thanks—I owe you one.”

Sasha watched the young woman leave. With a deep sigh, she let out all the tension that had built up while she was talking to Linzi. Geri’s words were still echoing in her mind. The heart knows what it wants. Her heart was speaking more loudly than ever about what it wanted—it wanted Rocco, and it wasn’t ready to take no for an answer. She didn't want it to take no for an answer.

Sasha needed to run. Doing it outside wasn’t really an option, but there was an energy inside her that she needed to get out of her system. The true problem, though, was her lingering indecision over revealing how she felt to Rocco, and the quiet, desperate hope he might have feelings for her.

In the opposite corner, however, was the fear that he didn’t, and all he’d do was laugh at her… or worse, pity her.

By the time she’d changed into her running gear and arrived in the gym, Sasha had made her decision—it was better that she say nothing to Rocco about her feelings for him. Linzi’s safety at the awards had to be their priority, and pointless declarations would only cause unnecessary complications.

* * *

“Thanks for coming.”

Rocco held out his hand to greet the friend Nick Blackmore had sent to provide some assistance. Although they’d only just met, he had a good feeling about Keane Bryson. While he’d been in the SAS, Rocco had been on more than enough joint ops with his US counterparts to recognize one in civilian clothing. Delta Force was his guess.

“My pleasure. You want to bring me up to speed?”

Rocco gave him a brief summary of what he’d discussed with Sasha, that the escalation was aimed at getting Brian back on the team. “I have a meeting with Frank later on this afternoon to tell him.”

“I don’t envy you. Who else did you discuss this with?”

“Linzi’s assistant. She hasn’t always been in this line of work, but I’ll leave it up to her if she wants you to know anything more. I’ll introduce you now, then I think it might be a good idea if we go down to the firing range to discuss details. It’s unlikely we’ll be overheard there.”

“Copy that.”

Rocco led the way to Sasha’s office. She was standing behind her desk when he opened the door and ushered Ghost in ahead of him. He was about to perform the introductions when Sasha looked up from rummaging in her desk drawer, and it was instantly apparent that introductions weren’t necessary.

“Ghost, what the hell are you doing here? I’ve been trying to contact you. Rayne told me you were out of town. How is she?” She came around the desk and straight into Ghost’s arms for a hug.

For a second or two, Rocco entertained the idea of punching Bryson into the middle of the next millennium, but then the green-eyed monster retreated in the face of Ghost’s laughter and the realization that the hug could only ever be described as brotherly. “You two know each other?”

“Sure do,” Ghost replied as he released Sasha and stepped back. “We hauled her ass out of some trouble in Colombia a while back.”

Sasha fired a mock-indignant glare back at him. “My ass could have gotten out of there perfectly well without your help, Captain Bryson.”

“Whatever you say, Special Agent Morgan. And Rayne’s doing fine, by the way.”

“I’m glad to hear it. And that’s Former Special Agent Morgan to you.”

Ghost shot her a searching look. “You not a spook anymore?”

Sasha shook her head. “Gave it up a couple of years ago now.”

Ghost nodded. “I heard what happened to Jack. I’m sorry.”

“Thanks, but… not your fault. Not anyone’s fault. Just damn bad luck.”

A solemn silence settled between the two of them. From too much experience, Rocco recognized the moment of shared grief for a fallen colleague. “I hate to break up the family reunion, but we have a job to do.”

“That’s what I’m here for. We gonna take that walk to the firing range now? I came prepared.” Ghost lifted back his jacket to reveal a shoulder holster complete with weapon.

“Sounds good to me, gentlemen. Let’s go.” Sasha bent and retrieved her gun case from under her desk. “I was going to practice this afternoon anyway.”

They made their way on foot to the range. Sasha and Ghost were reminiscing about their shared past, which gave Rocco a useful and fascinating insight into both of them—Sasha in particular. He’d already created an image in his mind of the kind of operative she might have been, but from what he was now hearing, she was so much more.

When they arrived at the firing range, Rocco waited until Ghost and Sasha had chosen their stalls, then took the vacant one next to Ghost. Although he would have preferred to take the one on the other side of his woman, the need to gauge Ghost’s ability took precedence. If Rocco’s assessment was right, there would be little to worry about. Also, he had no doubt that Ghost would want to get the measure of him, too.