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Kellie shrugged. “I’ve been on the move lately. Like I told you on the phone, I had a lot to think through. Besides, MacGyver wasn’t looking for a relationship, and I got that from the horse’s mouth.” Kellie crossed her arms and glared back.
“Yeah? Well, here’s my advice to you. Judge a man by his actions, not his words. Hell, half the time we don’t have a clue what we’re saying. Youhavebeen listening to the news, right?”
“I heard about the indictments for Tony’s uncle and the rest of his thugs, if that’s what you mean. The three of you are heroes.”
Blake dismissed her praise with an abrupt wave of his arm. “MacGyver and Travis are the heroes—not me, and they proved it on any number of missions long before Palazzi became an issue. MacGyver took care of business so you and Charlie could go home. So you could see Anna again. Don’t you get it?” Blake threw his hands in the air.
“I get it, all right? He cares about me. I care about him too. But there’s more to it than that.”
“Yeah? Like what?”
This was it—the conversation she wasn’t looking forward to. “I overheard you, at the cabin, talking to MacGyver about what I did to your brother.”
“Aw, hell.” Blake whirled, took two steps and spun back around. “Sweetheart, there are a whole truckload of things I’ve done that I’m sorry for, but none more than the way I misjudged you. I thought we had an understanding, but I forgot how womenloveto talk about things. I should have said it plain out—I’m sorry. Okay?”
“It took me awhile to see through your grizzly-bear routine, but when you had to leave me in the hands of Tony’s men at the golf course—the look on your face—I knew you didn’t hate me as much as you wanted me to believe. It was because of you I was finally able to forgive myself.” She stuck her jaw out and looked him in the eyes. “But you’re the only one who forgave me. All of my friends—men, women and Marines—turned their backs. I figured if everyone thought I was a traitor to the United States military, then I must be. I stopped defending myself and let them…and you…put me in a box, but when MacGyver agreed with you—with everyone—” Kellie’s voice cracked as her chin began to tremble, and she turned away rather than humiliate herself any further.
“What do you mean,he agreed with me?” Blake touched her shoulder and gently tugged her around to face him. There was kindness in his eyes she hadn’t thought him capable of showing.
“He said if it had been his sister, he’d have felt exactly the same as you. ‘Blood is blood, no matter what.’ That’s what he said. He’s entitled to his opinion, and I’m glad I know how he feels, but I’m not going back in that box—not even for him. I carried the guilt for way too long, but I’m done. Seeing condemnation in MacGyver’s eyes would be the final insult. Iwon’tput myself through that.”
Blake stared at her with narrowed eyes. “MacGyverdidsay that, but you stopped listening too soon, sweetheart. Because, right after that, he landed on me with both feet. Said it was your job to protect that girl from men like my brother, and you’d done what you had to do. He asked me how I’d feel if the Iraqi girl had been my sister.” Blake paused and rubbed his hand across the back of his neck. “It’s too bad you didn’t hear that part. He read me the riot act, and it wasn’t because you and he were sharin’ sheets, either. MacGyver went to bat for you because he believed every word he said, and it was the honorable thing to do. That’s how he rolls.”
Blake was right about that. MacGyver was the embodiment of honor and integrity. That was why his opinion had hurt her so much. If what Blake said was true, she’d made a huge mistake. Without so much as a thank you, she’d walked away from the best man she’d ever known.
MacGyver had been shot, and Kellie hadn’t bothered to visit, call or even send flowers.How’s that for appreciation!She’d been too busy trying to resolve her own problems. Was she guilty, as everyone she’d known seemed to think? Or had she been a victim as well?
After much soul searching in the past ten days, she’d come to the conclusion she’d reacted appropriately to the threat Christian Sorenson had posed to Zariya and her. The result had been a tragedy she’d have to live with for the rest of her life, but, if she had it to do over, she wouldn’t—couldn’t—do anything different.
Somewhere along the way, she’d made the decision to follow MacGyver’s example.Run toward the battle instead of away.She had to meet Christian, in the flesh, and not only seek absolution for herself, but grant it as well, even if he didn’t ask.
“Answer me this.” Blake broke into her thoughts, regarding her with obvious misgivings. “If you can’t face MacGyver, how will you stand in front of my little brother?”
“I’d like to know the answer to that question, too.” Christian Sorenson’s voice echoed through the mostly empty hanger and instantly wrapped her in the sights and sounds of Baghdad, wind blowing hot sand through the dusty gate of a city at war.
She caught the abrupt lifting of Blake’s eyebrows just before she whipped around. She wasn’t ready. Christian wasn’t supposed to be here yet, scheduled to arrive in a day or so, his brother had said. Nonetheless, he was. Halfway between her and the overhead door, wide-open to the hot, dry Vegas day, sat Christian in his wheelchair. His facial features were the same as Blake’s, but that was where the resemblance ended. He was clean-shaven, his dark hair meticulously trimmed and combed. His thick biceps and pecs filled out the neatly pressed navy blue polo shirt with no room to spare, and his denim jeans encased long legs, braced, unmoving, against the footrests of his chair. Arms crossed, he stared.
Kellie swallowed and straightened slightly.
“You’re a day early,” Blake said. “I’d have picked you up if I’d known.”
“I took an Uber.” Christian never took his eyes off her.
Blake grumbled something barely audible. “You’ve got company. You remember—”
“I know who she is. Why is she here?”
Hello! I’m right here!Typical.Kellie strode toward him, stretching out her hand. “We’ve never officially met, Private Sorenson. I’m—”
“I’m not in the Army anymore, Corporal Bowman.” Christian didn’t even glance at her hand, his piercing gaze battering away at her determination.
She let her arm fall to her side. “It’s Greyson now…and please call me Kellie.”
“Married?”
“No.” It was none of his business, but the quirk of his brow was his first sign of interest in anything she had to say, so she’d grant some latitude. “It’s my mother’s name. I…we…” Where did she start? “You know what? It’s a really long story, and if you still want to hear it after we talk about…the elephant in the room, I’ll be happy to tell you.”
He glanced once at Blake over her shoulder, then back to her, and five long seconds ticked by. “Okay, Kellie Greyson, let’s take a walk.” He wheeled around and started rolling toward the hanger entrance.
