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“Oh, I wrote a little program to run that shows I’m researching stuff and they think I’m working on a specific task. I also have one where I’m writing code. I have no intention of committing treason by hacking into the White House database and getting the president’s schedule.”
“That’s what he wants? The president’s schedule.”
“Specifically, his trip to Australia.” Celeste rested her forearms on her legs. “I also think that the clothes we’re wearing, and this dome, are masking our thermal energy. It makes it much harder for our rescuers to find us.”
“But that’s a moot point now that you have our location pinpointed.”
Celeste smiled. “Of course. But I do love a challenge. So, we’ll need to be prepared for when we’re attacked. We have no idea when we’ll be rescued. But if I can hazard a guess, our guys are close.”
“I found a small toolbox that some moron left behind when they built this dome. I can make nunchucks out of chair legs. Do either of you know how to use them?”
“I do,” Rose said, but Celeste just smiled.
“I can boil water on the stove and throw it into faces, but no, unfortunately, I’m not a ninja master, even though GQ showed me some moves.”
“We’ll work with you, Celeste.” Karasu glanced at Rose. “I’m not going to sugarcoat it. When they come, they’re going to be elite commandos, and they’ll have automatic weapons. We’ll just have to be smarter and stealthier.” Karasu grinned and it sent a chill down Celeste’s spine. “Of course, once one of them is disarmed, we’ll have automatic weapons.”
Rose looked at her watch. “Okay, looks like show time. Let’s start the ball rolling on ending this guy’s reign of terror.”
They all reassembled on the sofa in front of the widescreen. Trasker appeared at the designated time. “Do you have what I asked you for?”
“I have everything you want, but here’s the problem. Karasu, Rose and I are patriots and we’re not going to bend to your threats. So, if you want your precious virus, come and get it, you son of bitch.”
Karasu rose and with a beautiful straight kick, she ended the transmission.
14
Back in the ute,Kodiak pulled his seatbelt, clicked it into place, and even started the engine. But he didn’t move, didn’t put the vehicle into Drive. He was suddenly flooded with something so debilitating. He didn’t know how to handle it. He spent so many years trying to maintain his balance by avoiding emotions, but reducing his emotions and cutting himself off from them caused the problem. Balance meant balance in everything. It shouldn’t feel like a teeter-totter.
That’s when anger hit him, wiping away the barrier he was hiding behind. Kaiya had said anger could be positive, and he embraced it instead of clamping down on it, allowing himself to feel it. The moment he did, a flood of something profound and wonderful filled him.
He closed his eyes and bent his head.
What was this feeling, this overwhelming feeling that seemed to burgeon every time he was with this woman? Was it…love? And if it was, he’d never felt this crazy, frantic, overwhelmed, enamored, or insatiable in his life.
If this waslove, and he was prettysureit was, he’d never experienced it before. This was what poets really wrote about, what romantics understood with every fiber of their being, what depth, width the human heart was capable of, and although he suspected normal, everyday males to be wrecked by it, she had managed to wreck a Navy SEAL, who wasn’t easily broken down into basic, visceral, besotted parts.
He was a broken man, only for her, and the thought of losing her and not being able to be with her for the rest of his life was also wrecking him. He knew it was close to impossible, but as part of an elite squad, he often did the impossible every damn day.
The problem…he didn’t want to have to convince her that they were meant to be together. That was something he would never do. She would have to come to that conclusion on her own. He was committed to Uncle Sam, and that commitment was on the same plane as his love for Kaiya. She was now committed to Europol, and she would do a damn fine job. They had so much in common, and she would understand him being torn between his duty, his love of operating and her. If he wasn’t honest with himself, here, with her, he would be ashamed of himself. If anyone ever deserved his honesty, it was Kaiya. He didn’t want to live without her, but if he had to, he wouldn’t ever be whole again.
That was some honest shit.
He wasn’t really sure how he ended up back at her doorway. He was just there, and he realized the door hadn’t latched. He pushed it open and found the room in darkness. She must have turned off the light.
There was a soft, muffled sound, and his heart jammed up in his chest, then started to pound with a different rhythm. She was on the sofa, her frame nearly obscured by heavy shadows, her arms locked around her upraised knees, her head down. He didn’t think she even knew he was there. Something twisted loose in his chest.
Crouching down in front of her, he brushed back her hair. “Don’t, Kai,” he whispered, his tone uneven. “Don’t.”
She went still, and he saw her wipe her face against the sleeves of her shirt. Then she drew a deep, shuddering breath, and Kodiak knew he could not leave her all huddled up like that. He caught her by her upper arms, pulling her up with him as he stood. “Come to me, babe,” he murmured gruffly. “Come on.”
She resisted for a moment, then relented, her arms sliding around him. “This isn’t easy to deal with,” she sobbed against his neck. “I don’t want you to go.”
“I know. I don’t want to go either. Reality bites,” he whispered. “We both knew this day was coming. And we knew all along where we were headed.” Pressing her head to his shoulder, he gathered her up in a tight embrace, his hand tangled in her bound hair. Shifting so she was flush against him, he closed his eyes, the rush of sensation so intense that he had to grit his teeth against it. He tightened his hold on her, his heart hammering, his breathing constricted. She moved, sending a shock wave of heat through him, and he clutched her head, the feel of her almost too much to handle.
His fingers snagging in her hair, he tucked his head against hers, forcing himself to remain immobile. Every muscle in his body demanded that he move, and his nerve endings felt as if they were stripped raw, but he tried to ignore the feeling pounding through him. She had no idea what she was doing to him, but he was all too aware of what was going to happen.
It took a while, but he finally got himself under control, and he could finally breathe without it nearly killing him. Releasing a shaky sigh, he adjusted his hold on her, drawing her deeper into his embrace, his lungs constricting. He had never seen her come apart like this, as if there was so much pain inside her that she’d finally had to get it all out. The thought of her sitting here in the dark crying about him sobered him like little else had, and he pressed her head against him, a dozen regrets settling in his chest. If only… If only…
