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She jerked, then looked away, setting down her own menu, gesturing the waiter over. They ordered and the food came quickly.
“So, what do you know about our unit?” he asked, wondering if she was the type of person to do her homework. He took a bite of his dish, and it was delicious, the duck succulent, the veggies tender and well-seasoned.
“I know that by the time you find out a SEAL team has hit you, they’re already gone.” She cut into her choko. The aroma of the dish was heavenly. “It takes a special person to qualify for such a unit, and if you do, you have to be ready to prove it with your smarts, strength, and willingness to march head-on into impossible situations. I know they call you guys for last-ditch reconnaissance missions and operations that, um,never happened.” She used air quotes. She took a bite of her dish and savored it for a moment.
Hazard chuckled. “You got the basics. We frogmen have willingly put ourselves at risk so others may pursue life and happiness. We willingly go anywhere and do what others cannot or will not.”
Kodiak nodded. Okay, she did her homework, but there was one vital part she missed entirely.
“I also know you guys do it all, everything imaginable. Desert and urban, mountains and woodlands, jungle and arctic conditions, and the vast, deep blue sea, by any means required: parachuting, submarine, high-speed boats, foot patrol, or your specialty: combat swimmer. Do I pass the test?”
He finished chewing, washing it down with a swig of the excellent beer. “I don’t know yet. We’ll see.”
Her eyes narrowed, and she looked around the table. “Am I missing something?”
He made eye contact with his guys. “You tell me.”
She thought for a moment, and he liked that she wasn’t quick to offer anything she hadn’t contemplated.
She huffed a soft sigh. “Okay, I give up. What am I missing?”
The whole table erupted into a “Hoo-yah!”
“Every moment from the time we step onto that Coronado beach is dedicated toward teamwork,” Dodger said.
“We are a brotherhood of men who have each other’s backs…always.” Breakneck said.
“We don’t consider anything individually without considering how it affects the team and the mission.” Panda said.
“They need team players here because they don’t tolerate anything else.” Anna said.
He drove the concept home with his eyes capturing hers. Maybe she wasn’t convinced they were serious, but she would be because he would make sure she understood.
Something flashed across her eyes then, so swiftly he’d have missed it if he hadn’t been paying attention. And where Kaiya was involved, he was aware he needed to be vigilant.
“So noted,” was all she said. But she shifted away from him, a subtle, but deliberate act that spoke volumes, the silky, messy braid displacing and tumbling down her chest, disappearing below the table. Then she clenched and unclenched her hands, and he knew she was seething with much more than her benign, ‘so noted.’ The light in her eyes gave away her true feelings. “But just because someone isn’t a Navy SEAL doesn’t mean they don’t have what it takes to do their job.”
There was a gauntlet, not so carelessly thrown, and he was sure it wasn’t going to be the last one. He bristled, trying with all his might to keep from responding to her obvious tactics.
When the bill came, she insisted on paying it. They all donned their jackets, Kodiak careful not to touch her again, and filed back into the night. He turned to her and held out his hand, palm up. “We can handle the driving. No need for you to go out of your way.”
“I don’t mind.”
“We do.”
She clenched her jaw and pulled out the key fob and dropped it into his hand. “We’ll drive you home.”
Kaiya’s cheeks pinkened, the only sign she was furious. “I can grab a taxi?—”
Kodiak leaned forward, his tone soft and firm. “Not necessary.” He turned away from her and pushed the button to unlock the van. The others got in, but she stood on the sidewalk. “Kaiya, get in.”
She huffed out a breath, and he was sure it was her boss’s edict that made her comply when all she wanted to do was flip him off.
He got into the driver’s seat, adjusting his brain to adhere to driving on the right-hand side of the road. She gave him clipped instructions on where to turn.
He pulled up in front of an apartment complex, and she opened her door with a hasty good night. He put the car in Park and opened his door, saying, “I’ll be a minute.” When he caught up to her striding form, she turned with a stormy look on her face. If they were going to fight every step of the way, this was going to be a goddamned long mission.
“I’ll walk you up.”
