Page 36 of Keeping Her Secrets

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“Are you happy with the plan?” Mari asked Ash once more, as she paced the small space of the kitchen at their safe house.

He got close to her, stopping her movements with his hands on her shoulders. “Look at me, Mari.”

Her gaze found his, and, once again, he found himself falling for her, remembering her bravery as she’d admitted her deepest secret to Jake and Nick. She hadn’t gone into details as she’d done with him but told them enough to give them a better comprehension of the situation they were in. Both men had seemed furious on her behalf, and understanding and compassion had come over their faces.

“I’m perfectly happy with the plan, but are you? This is a lot to ask of you.”

They’d decided they would go to the event and question Hashemi and see if Ben showed his face. But late last night she’d received a call from Kate Craven saying she had a bad feeling and wanted Mustique to guard Leonie while the senator went to the event. Mari had balked, but Craven had said the only way she’d go was if she knew Leonie’s biological mother was guarding the teen with her life in the senator’s absence.

Craven not attending would spook Hashemi, and chances were he would know something was up. The plan had been changed so that Jake and Nick would attend, and Ash and Mari would guard the girl.

It wasn’t coming without cost, though. The woman in front of him was nervous—not because she was worried something would happen, but the thought of being around her daughter terrified her.

“I don’t know. I want to be, but what if it all goes wrong, and I can’t protect her? What if I let her down again?”

Ash felt his jaw clench so hard he almost cracked a tooth. “You have never let her down. All you’ve ever done is protect her and give her everything you could, and at your own expense.”

He pulled Mari into an embrace, loving how easily she wrapped her arms around him and held on. In less than a week, so much had changed between them. He pulled back and looked into her upturned face. Ash knew she was nervous. In the past few days, he’d come to know so much about this woman. He could read her posture and her body language as if he had been with her for years. Perhaps that was how it was when you met the person you were destined for, who you knew in your soul was yours.

“Why the change of heart about us? You were hell-bent on fighting our attraction. What made you change your mind?”

Mari bit her bottom lip. “I’m not sure. I guess I’m tired of running. I want what everyone else does—to be loved and to love someone—and every time I’ve thought about that in the last six months, I’ve thought of you.”

“I want us to make a go of this, Mari. I know it won’t be easy with our jobs, but I’m falling for you hard, and I think we’re good together.” He could feel his heart beating in his chest as he waited for her to shoot him down.

“I want that too, but I’m scared. What if I can’t do it? What if we hurt each other?”

God, could he love her more? “There are no guarantees in this world, but I can promise that I will never intentionally hurt you. Can you promise the same?”

“Of course. I would never hurt someone I care about on purpose, but that doesn’t mean I won’t. What if I get hurt or die?”

Ash had to physically stop the stagger that hit his body at her words. The thought of her hurt or dead was too painful to even contemplate. “I could say the same thing, but is that a reason to go through life alone? We both have dangerous jobs and we take huge risks, but it’s who we are. I would never ask you to change that, as much as I want to.” He smiled to soften his words. “The fact is anything can happen to anyone. Look at Daniel. When he lost Claire, we all thought he would curl up and die, but he found the strength to carry on and then he met Meg. He was brave enough to try again and look at what he has now.”

“I know you’re right. All I can say is I want to try because I do.”

Ash kissed her then, gently and with feeling. He wanted to make love to her to eradicate every doubt she had, but there was no time. “That’s all I ask. Now, are you ready to go?”

Mari stepped away and patted her body, checking her weapons were in place before she moved to the bag that held a few more. He had his .45 on him as well as a spare at his ankle plus Ka-Bar knife.

“Do you think you have enough weapons there?” he asked with a chuckle.

“I never go into something underprepared.”

He cupped the back of her head, pulling her close and kissing her brow. “It’ll be all right, sweetheart. You’ll keep her safe.”

He was absolutely sure of that. Seeing her with Hanley yesterday had brought it home to him. He had never seen her in action, but he’d heard the stories about Zenobi and knew she was as deadly as any Navy SEAL.

What scared him was that she would protect her child even if the cost was her life, and he wouldn’t allow that to happen. She was his now and that meant he would protect her, no matter the cost.

Once in the car, he looked at his watch and noted Jake and Nick would be arriving at the event soon. There would be regular check-ins throughout the night as they waited to see how everything played out. With no word on Ben Rensburg’s whereabouts and no confirmation he was the one behind the kidnapping plot, Ash had to keep a clear head. Usually he would be surrounded by his team, and he missed not having their support, but was happy he had Trident and Marisol.

Trident had supplied night vision goggles and weapons, and he pleased with the security at the senator’s house. The men there had all checked out. Two would be traveling with Senator Craven to the venue, and three would stay behind leaving five people in total guarding Leonie. But Ash didn’t like working with people he didn’t know, so, as far as he was concerned, the only ones he trusted were himself and Mari.

When they arrived at the gate to the Craven property, they showed the guard their identifications. The man inspected the IDs carefully and then radioed the house about the new arrivals before opening the gate. Ash kept a watchful eye as they approached while Mari did the same.

“Everything seems quiet.”