Page 63 of Shallow Remains

“They did it twice more. Then Elliot took the hood off me and said I was his now. That I was going to give him what he wanted. I didn’t know what the hell he was talking about. They all walked out of the cell and left me there, freezing and trapped, scared out of my mind and convinced I was going to die.

“I don’t know how long I was there. A few hours, maybe more before I heard them coming back. I knew what would happen. They put the hood back on. Started the hose.” She swallowed back tears, a knot of emotion clogging her throat. “Before they could resume the waterboarding, the door flew in and someone started shooting.”

“A rescue team.”

She nodded against his shoulder. “Blaine had used all his resources to find me and launch a rescue mission.”

“And Elliot?”

“Killed during the op, along with the militia members. Turned out he’d been playing both sides for a while to make money. We’re still not exactly sure what he wanted from me. There were no cameras, no recordings of what happened or what was said in the cell, and I don’t remember all the details.

“The intel they kept asking for up until the rescue wouldn’t have given them much. There had to have been something else. Something to do with money, probably, and maybe my crypto work.” But she’d never know for sure.

Lachlan expelled a hard breath. “Jesus Christ. I can’t even imagine how scared you must’ve been.”

She nodded against his chest. “So that’s why I have trust issues, and why I was suspicious of you at first.”

“Yeah, little wonder.” He groaned, wrapped his arms all the way around her and squeezed. “God, I fucking hate that you went through that.”

“I’m still not…over it. I’ve done all the things I’m supposed to after a traumatic event, but I don’t know if I’ll ever get over it. I didn’t tell them anything though. I’m proud of that at least.”

“You’re a hell of a lot braver than most people would’ve been in your situation. Especially as a civilian with no training for that kind of scenario.”

“I knew that even little details might add up if I told them anything. Wasn’t sure what they already had, and didn’t want any of our team members or allies to get hurt because I leaked something sensitive.” It was a relief to get it all out in the open between them. To know he would understand her better now.

“So the patch on your desk…”

Yeah, and now there was that. “Elliot’s unit. Whoever left it knows about Syria.”

“How? Who else would know?”

“No clue. But whoever it was knew it would trigger me.”

And that meant she could be in far greater danger than she realized.

THIRTY-TWO

Maddy surfaced from the dark depths of sleep when the bed shifted. She blinked in the dull gray morning light, and her heart tripped when she saw Lachlan sliding out of bed with the dogs cradled against his bare chest.

“Go back to sleep,” he whispered. “I’ll take these guys out.”

Part of her felt like she should protest, but the other part was still half asleep. “Kay. Thanks,” she mumbled, and closed her eyes.

He leaned down and kissed her temple on the way out. She smiled and dropped back into sleep.

When she woke next, the room was brighter. She sat up, yawned and stretched, looking for a clock. Holy crap it was almost noon. She’d slept the morning away, and Lachlan would be leaving soon.

She hurried to the guest bathroom to freshen up, brushed her teeth and hurried downstairs in Lachlan’s shirt that covered her to mid-thigh. The smell of something sweet and delicious wafted from the kitchen.

He stood at the kitchen counter with his back to her. All three dogs were in their little beds, their chins resting on the edges as they stared at her with unblinking eyes.

When Lachlan looked over his shoulder and saw her, his welcoming smile hit her dead in her heart. And the way his gaze raked over the length of her brought back every explicit detail of what he’d done to her last night. She flushed all over. “Hi. You hungry?”

“Yes.” And not only for whatever he was cooking.

She spotted the steaming circular iron in front of him. “Are you making waffles?” Never in her life had a man cooked for her. Not even Blaine. It surprised her how much it meant to her.

“Hope so. Otherwise, these are the most horrific pancakes I’ve ever seen.”