AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Hollywood raised his brows and said, “Can I have the room for a moment?”
The memory of the IED and his damn near dying of fear for her life had only exacerbated his incredibly inconvenient obsession. He was so out of line right now. If Hollywood suspected that he was sleeping with her and this was personal, there was no way he was going on this op, and that wasn’t acceptable. He’d rather be there to make sure she got home in one piece rather than stewing here in Niger while she risked her life. He worked at corralling his anger.
When the door closed on the last person, Hollywood walked up to him. “Is there something I need to know? Something other than the fact that Agent West isn’t trained for this op?”
“No, sir,” Blitz said, not keen on lying to his CO, but it was a damn sight better than being replaced.
“Do you want me to choose another member of your team?” Hollywood didn’t blink, just held his gaze, steady and sure.
Blitz’s jaw clenched in anger, but he maintained his cool composure when he answered, keeping it brief. “No, sir.”
“Then your protest is duly noted. Can we move on now with the planning? This is very time-sensitive, and I don’t have the luxury of babysitting you. Is that clear?”
“Crystal, sir,” he said, very quietly, very calmly. “I apologize for my outburst, sir.”
He went to the door, and everyone filed in. Bree gave him a glare filled with both disappointment and anger. Hurting her made him swear to himself. He hadn’t wanted her to feel as if he didn’t trust her or that she was inadequate at what she did, but this clandestine op was something she had never experienced, seasoned agent or not. Trying to ignore all the feelings turning over in his chest, he focused on Kat as she started to talk.
They laid out the plans and all the mission information. Volkov was very detailed and very helpful. It was clear to Blitz that he was worried about his family, which was definitely understandable. He felt the same about Bree, so he grudgingly had to sympathize with the Russian.
The brief ended with them ordered to get tacked up and pack what they needed. Their flight would be leaving in half an hour from Niamey to the Utti Air Base in Kouvola, Finland, where they would pick up a Globemaster III that would fly them to within forty miles of Moscow where they would glide to their infiltration point.
As soon as they were clear of the briefing room and the building, Bree grabbed Blitz’s vest and dragged him into a shaded area close to the building.
“How dare you speak for me! That was outrageous. I might not be a SEAL, but I’m an independent, tested agent. You had no right!”
“I know. I wasn’t speaking for you. I was voicing my own opinion. I don’t think this is a good idea.”
“Why? I thought we got past this. I thought you trusted me?”
“I do trust you, but this isn't going to be a walk in the park for you. Gator and I are used to this kind of op.” Recognizing the sharp edge in his voice, Blitz paused, making his muscles relax. He hunched forward, forcing a calm, reasonable tone. “I find it difficult to turn off my protective instincts here. Is that so hard for you to understand?”
She tipped her head back and closed her eyes, and he could see her trying to regroup. Releasing a tired sigh, she finally looked at him. “This is about your fears, not me. Is that what you’re saying?”
“Yes, goddammit,” he said fiercely, holding her gaze, torn between the multitude of emotions swirling inside him. But it was the other more complex feelings that threw him off-kilter and had his heart beating hard and fast in his chest. He broke eye contact and paced away, running his hands through his hair. Her words did painful damage to his heart. Clenching and unclenching his jaw, he reached down deep for an ease he didn’t feel, but it eluded him. “This is about me being afraid for you,” he said, his chest expanding with the truth of the words, his voice gruff. Affection and caring. Tenderness and longing. All the types of emotions that scared the shit out of him.
Her head came up, and she stared at him, a stunned expression on her face. “I know it’s unprofessional, and it smacks of sexism, but I don't give a damn. I don’t want anything to happen to you.” His throat closed up, and he shut his eyes, a surge of hard emotion cutting through him.
She was quiet for so long, he didn’t think she was going to answer. He didn’t know what he was going to do if she turned on her heel and left. He’d insulted her more than once, not intending to, but at the moment he was more concerned about how she would weather this op. He was more concerned with her being okay than with whether he got what he wanted out of this. They had to work together. It wasn’t going to be a choice.
Which made him wonder…what did he want out of this? He was still pondering the rather surprising answer to that when she interrupted his thoughts.
She gave him an impatient sigh. “Okay, I get it. I care about you too.” Releasing a pent-up breath in a rush, Bree slid her arms around his neck. Closing his eyes against the onslaught of sensation, Blitz turned his face against her and wrapped her in a hard embrace. Finally, she let him go.
“I will need your help on this. It is out of my comfort zone. I haven’t ever parachuted into enemy territory, or had to pretend I was Russian, or extract two people who will surely die if we don’t succeed.” That last part ended on a gulp. “I don’t want to fail. I don’t want to fail you or the team or the US. I’m confident I will give it all I have, face it all with courage and determination. So, will you help me through this? I promise you. I won’t let you or Gator down.”
He slipped his fingers under her chin. “Of course, I will. We’ll be thorough and I’ll explain everything. We have a seven-hour flight. We can get it all together then.”
She looked into his eyes for the longest time, tenderness softening her features, and seemed to see past all those internal barriers he’d erected long ago…after Amy, after the pain of his dad’s disappointment. Then she gathered herself and said, “Thank you.”
“You know I would never hurt you intentionally, Bree, or undermine you. It was purely a knee-jerk reaction.”
“Jerk being the key word.”
“Yeah, even if I have stupid, neanderthal, caveman ways.”
She gave him a wry smile. “That’s double knuckle-dragging.”
He smiled back. “If the animal skins fit…”
