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“Be right there.” She peered at the wound. Seeing it was clean, she dropped the gauze into the trash. She quickly checked his IV. Seeing the bag was empty, she removed the line and backed away from Slade.
She expected his big hands to curl around her hips and hold her there, but he kept his hands in his lap.
“Thanks.” He didn’t meet her gaze either.
She only gave him a nod and walked out of the bathroom. After she found her seat in her usual row next to the window, she should have been able to breathe easier. So why wasn’t she?
At least she was back in comfortable clothes. The dress was stunning and the heels gorgeous, but she much preferred her performance cargo pants, black T-shirt and boots. She buckled her seatbelt and settled in for the flight to DC.
She was not looking forward to her secret ties to Slade leaking to the team. She was just thinking about whether or not she could get Frost and Mustang alone and ask them to keep that part out of the debriefing with their CO when a big body plopped into the seat next to her.
She craned her neck to scan the empty plane. “Plenty of other places for you to sit.”
“I’m good here.”
“Of course you are.” She tried not to notice how tired he looked. How his skin was a lighter shade than his usual deep olive tan.
She bit down on her bottom lip. She was definitely not asking him what he was doing in Mexico. At their honeymoon resort.
What if he told her something she didn’t want to hear—like he was still pining for her? Or the flip side of that dirty coin, that he really did intend to meet another woman there.
He twisted off the cap of another bottle of water. He must have drunk five of them between the car ride and boarding the plane.
Was he really all right? She’d seen people in far worse shape, but Slade was like an animal. He didn’t show weakness. Especially to her.
He polished off half of the water in one gulp.
Lena shifted her attention to the window and the runway rolling by. The jet amped up to high speed and they lifted off.
She automatically rested her head against the seat and closed her eyes. She was tired. More tired than usual.
Sitting next to the father of the child growing in her womb had her stomach knotting. She was far from ready to discuss the matter with him. Heck, she hadn’t even processed it herself.
So when would she tell him? It couldn’t wait much longer.
Not today.
Her mind drifted to the takedown back at that garage. Frost and Mustang cleared the path to the garage where Slade was hidden and when Ramon tried to stop her, she cleared the way for herself by shooting him.
She did what she had to do to rescue Slade. But killing was never easy. She often used meditation to ease the dark stain on her soul. Two blots this time—she’d killed two men to save one.
Ramon and Hernandez. The rotten scum. She should have killed him in the hotel when she had the chance. The thought of the bastard being responsible for Slade’s state burned her to the core.
Now anger, she could handle. She welcomed the blaze of it in her veins and clung to the sensation. It was far better than the lame feelings of love she still associated with her ex-husband or any silly tenderness she felt at the fact they’d made a baby.
She had a few hours to rest, and she learned long ago to eat when she could eat and sleep when she could sleep.
She started to drift through her meditation, acknowledging the moves she’d made that took her to the end outcome, which was getting Slade out of that sweltering garage. It was so hot that it made her physically sick when she walked in there.
She let the memory go and felt her muscles relax.
Suddenly, something covered her body. Fabric draped over her.
Then a big hand rested on her for a moment.
Oh god. Slade was taking care of her again, covering her in a blanket. She knew the weight of that hand lingering on her shoulder.
Lena remained still all but for the thundering of her heart until the hand lifted. She didn’t open her eyes though Slade’s voice now came from several aisles in front of her.
