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“No. I was going to send it to her later this morning. Why?” Clothes. He needed clothes. He rolled toward the edge of the mattress nearest him, but she stretched her leg out, resting her booted foot on the edge of the bed, a barrier he could have broken through if he’d wanted, but…
Christ on a cracker. He’d forgotten just how long her legs were, how great she looked dressed in black and leather. Like his darkest fantasies come to life. His brother had always bragged Natalie had looked like an angel on their wedding day, all in white, but angels had never been to Kyle’s taste. Wickedly tempting little demons, on the other hand…
Guilt and resentment landed like boulders on his spirit. He had no business wanting Natalie like that. Ever.
She gave him a serious look. “I need to see her.”
He scrubbed a hand over his face. He didn’t like the thought of working with Natalie, didn’t know how he could begin to trust her now that he knew how many secrets she’d kept the whole time he’d known her. Still, he had a mission to complete, too, and he wasn’t above using her to achieve his objectives, just like he was sure she was using him. “What do you want with Hayley?”
“I can’t tell you that.” She crossed her arms. “It’s classified.”
“Then you can go to hell.”
“I’ll just go directly to the FBI, then. Contact her there.”
“No, you won’t.” Kyle’s head pounded. “She won’t talk to you. She’ll tie you and your team up in so much bureaucratic red tape it’ll take you months to dig out. By then, Arrieta will be long gone. She’s loyal to my team, and we have rules.”
Natalie gave a mirthless laugh. “You and all your damned rules. God, Kyle. You think you can control everything and everyone. But it doesn’t matter, does it? People still die, things get screwed up, and no amount of rules will ever fix that.”
“Rules keep us safe.”
“Didn’t work for Nick.”
“Don’t you dare speak to me about my brother. Not after the way you let him down.” Kyle leaned forward, leaving them only inches apart. “This isn’t your battle, Natalie. Not anymore.”
“Like hell it’s not. Nick was my husband, my best friend.”
“Nickismy flesh and blood. My brother, my battle.” This close, he spotted the tiny flecks of gold in her brown eyes. Caught a hint of her perfume. Determined, he shook off the memories her scent stirred and focused on the mission at hand. “Tell me why you need to talk to Hayley.”
“No.”
“What do you mean, no?”
Her gaze flickered to his lips, and a flush rose up her neck and into her cheeks. Seems he wasn’t the only one who felt this weird connection between them. “Like I said, it’s classified.”
“What’s your objective?”
“To bring in Miles Arrieta so we can question him. What’s yours?”
Kyle’s heart sank. Arrieta was his mission, too, though his goal was very different: to take out Arrieta and his terror network by any means necessary. It was far outside the usual parameters of his assignments. SEALs weren’t meant to operate domestically. Kyle didn’t know how his superior had gotten it cleared, and he didn’t care. Commander Brighton, the man who was overseeing this mission, the man who’d defended SEAL Team Ten and their honor when no one else would, understood Kyle. Understood his need for revenge, for justice, for retribution. To Kyle, “any means necessary” meant killing Arrieta.
An eye for an eye.
“I’m here on behalf of Commander Brighton,” Kyle said. “My mission’s the same as yours. Find Arrieta.”
“Guess we’re on the same side, then.” Her voice had gone husky, and Kyle felt that roughness like a physical caress.
Jesus Christ.
He swallowed hard and then stalked over to grab his computer off the table and secure it inside the room’s tiny safe. Then he faced her again.
“I need to take a shower,” he said. “Get in the bathroom.”
“What? Why?”
“Because I don’t trust you not to take the computer while I’m showering and go on your merry way.”
She scoffed. “I told you I want to talk to Hayley. That’s why I came here.”
