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Or maybe his guard was down because they hadn’t had a real day off since the first NSH attack in Paris. All of them had been running on empty with nothing but failure in the beginning building to frustration and leading him into an ill-advised but explosive dust-up with Iceman that could have lost him his place on this team, maybe even the Navy if Iceman wanted to push it. But Iceman had shouldered some of the responsibility, and they had put it in the past. So, he knew how things could fester, like they had for her.
She stirred, and he walked around the bed, looking down at her. He’d never had much trouble with women because he never let them in too deep, but Kaiya had gotten under his skin, and he didn’t know the how or why. He only knew she was there, and he feared she was there to stay.
But that had nothing to do with him and everything to do with her.
He thought about her yesterday and how she hadn’t let a beating slow her down. He smiled and smoothed his hand over her shoulder, his fingers tingling from the heat of her body. He had to accept her at face value, knowing instinctively she wouldn’t allow his caveman-primitive emotions to affect her. It only made him fall deeper into her.
She inhaled and breathed deeply, and he gently pushed the soft strands of her hair out of her eyes. She shifted. “Bloody hell,” she murmured.
“Keep it slow, babe.”
“Good advice,” she said, being still. She finally opened her stunning eyes and smiled slightly, then winced.
“I really don’t like being that scared,” he said.
She gave him a soft, meaningful look. “That makes two of us.”
He chuckled, then bent to kiss her forehead. She sat up in increments and touched her cheek. She felt the stitches. Then stilled when her eyes landed on him. All of him. He’d forgotten he was just barely covered in a white towel. Her sleepy, pained hazel eyes moved over him from his face all the way down his body. “You are way too much on my bruised senses,” she murmured as she closed her eyes. He reached for the medication and water. After taking the pills, she let out a long breath and sank back into the mattress and her pillow.
He covered her up, then went to get dressed and make himself some breakfast. It was still early, and he would let her get some more sleep before he attempted to get some food into her.
She clasped his wrist, her eyes opening, then closing sleepily. “You are a magnificent man,” she murmured, then dropped back to sleep. It was a short statement from a woman who was drugged for pain, but her words lodged in his chest. He’d take them.
After he was dressed, he went to her kitchen and cooked himself some eggs and toast, then he checked in with Anna. “How goes it with the search for the NSH gunmen and Baker?”
“Still nothing. It’s like these guys disappeared into thin air, but with the obvious wealth this group has, they could have them holed up someplace remote until they’re ready to carry out their jobs,” Anna said, her frustration crackling across his cell. “Unfortunately, not very good news on Archie. He’s unresponsive and we can barely get him to eat. It’s heart-crushing how thin he is, and how simply sad he is.” She cleared her throat. “Dodger has made some headway in getting him to play checkers. You know Dodger, so infinitely charming. While they’re playing, Dodger talks about his childhood in London. He’s got great stories.” She took a hard breath. “Mickey has also been a great help. He’s at least gotten him to eat some of that nasty-looking vegemite.”
Kodiak chuckled thinking of his conversation with Kaiya over that certain Australian staple.
“How is Kaiya?”
“Sore as hell and still sleeping. She’s…a strong woman.”
“Yeah, and beautiful. I’ve never seen eyes like that,” Anna said, slipping into a teasing tone.
“Yeah, that, too,” he murmured. “How is the search going?”
“They got a lead to Anchorage, but it’s not looking good. They’re going to park themselves at Elemdorf-Richardson and continue to investigate.”
“You’re just a wealth of good news, aren’t you?”
“Sorry. I’ll keep you posted on everything. You keep her safe for now, and we’ll regroup once she’s feeling better.”
“Hoo-yah. We’re going to get these guys, Anna.” He disconnected the call and took the liberty of cleaning her kitchen and tidying up her place. Putting everything in ship shape was ingrained in him from his time in the Navy. Then he did a bunch of pushups and sit-ups, then burpees.
His eye caught on Kaiya’s array of photos on the wall. He walked over to them and blinked a couple of times. First off, Kaiya had a sister. There were several photos of them as children and as they progressed into adulthood. He removed one of the pictures of the family to get a closer look at Kaiya’s mother. She wasn’t Indian. His guess would be one of the Aboriginal people who populated Australia. He could see Kaiya got her looks and bone structure from her handsome father, but the striking eyes were inherited from her mom.
He immediately felt a kinship with her regarding their mixed race. Something he didn’t often think about because he really identified himself as American. His race had never really been questioned in the Navy, certainly never in BUD/S and his subsequent career as a SEAL. The community accepted anyone who could rise to the standards for their place on the teams.
There was so much he didn’t know about her and so much he wanted to know about her.
He did notice how prevalent the dolphin was in her decorating. She had several wood-carved figures, pillows on her couch, and a large watercolor of a pod playing in the surf over her couch. He knew from his own heritage how important animals were in cultures. His personal animal totem was a seal—ironic, he knew. But he identified with them, especially their symbol of guidance and protection. He also embraced the concept that seals navigated deep waters with ease as was his ability to adjust to new circumstances and to remain comfortable with the ever-changing energetic tides around him. He had a tattoo of a seal on his left shoulder. He got it when he was nineteen after he’d needed the reminder of peace, a peace he’d so desperately needed when his youngest sister, Sakari?—
There was a knock on the door and Kodiak turned toward the sound, his whole body tensing. He hung the photo back on the wall and moved toward the door, his senses alert. When he reached the front, he could see a man through the window. His skin was a mahogany brown, his hair bushy black, his eyes a dark brown.
Kodiak opened the door and the smile on the guy’s face vanished. “Who are you?”
“I could ask the same question,” he responded.
