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“Fine.” They shook on it.
* * *
Yeah, this probably wasn’t my most brilliant idea ever.
Blindfolded, Natalie stumbled into an elevator. That, at least, was obvious, given the loud ding and the swishing sound of doors sliding open. Had she known that Kyle would demand this level of secrecy before she met up with the rest of his team again, she might not have agreed to his damned deal.
First, there’d been the car ride from Agency headquarters to the SEAL team’s secure location. The blindfold—a large bandanna that had appeared as if by magic from his pocket—had come out mere seconds after they got off Agency property. She estimated the travel time at roughly twenty minutes over good roads, with only a few stops for traffic and red lights. Once they exited the vehicle, the sidewalk beneath her feet had been smooth and even. A sign of a more affluent neighborhood. The air was dry and held the slight fishy smell of the Potomac. Put all of those parameters together, and she guessed they were somewhere in the Georgetown area, give or take a few miles.
“You’re awfully quiet, Duchess,” Kyle said, guiding her with his large, warm hands on her shoulders as he stood behind her. As the elevator zoomed skyward, his proximity made her whole body tingle.
Striving to maintain her composure, Natalie resorted to snippiness. “Stop calling me that.”
“Why does it bother you so much, anyway?” Kyle teased.
Because it’s one more reminder of what I can never have.
Natalie bit back those honest words. “I don’t like it. It’s unprofessional.”
“Sure. Okay.” He stroked small circles over the knotted muscles of her upper back, soothing her stress and calming her nerves. It felt so good she nearly moaned. “I’ll try to remember in the future.”
“You do that.”
The elevator slid to a halt, and Kyle guided her out and down what seemed to be another short hall before they stopped.
He knocked on a door to her right.
“Where the hell have you been, dude?” a man answered a moment later.
Scotty.She recognized the SoCal cadence. Funny how the guy was from Virginia Beach like the rest of them. He would’ve fit right in catching a wave in Malibu.
“I was…detained.” Kyle pressed close again to urge her through the door. A shiver ran through Natalie, and he whispered in her ear, “Okay, Duchess?”
Too rattled to object to the nickname, Natalie nodded, not quite trusting her voice.
He walked her farther inside the room, the sound of the door closing echoing behind her. Voices stilled as Kyle’s fingers brushed the back of her neck. “I’m going to take off the blindfold now, Natalie. Remember our agreement. We’re in this together.”
Bright light flooded her eyes, and she blinked several times to clear her vision. The place wasn’t bad, compared to some of the places she’d been stationed over the years.
Clean, modern, if a bit bland. Builder beige walls and laminated wood floors. The condo looked to have been constructed fairly recently. There was a small open kitchen on one side of the large studio space and a doorway off to one side that she assumed led to a bathroom.
Sothiswas where SEAL Team Ten had holed up for the past couple of months.
“Welcome to Casa Scotty,” Kyle said. “Make yourself at home.”
“But not too comfy,” Gage piped in. “Lord knows this furniture could do with an upgrade.”
“Yeah, and the cleaning leaves something to be desired.” This from Spencer, who pulled what appeared to be an old gym sock out from underneath a cushion of the overstuffed sofa.
“When you guys get around to finding a place of your own instead of mooching off me, I’ll be sure to take your ideas under consideration,” Scotty said, giving them all the finger.
“Shut it!” Kyle said, his tone brooking no argument. “We’re here to hunt Arrieta. Doesn’t matter what this place looks like. Nat, give me your phone.”
“What?” That was her connection to the outside world. Giving it to him would put her completely in his hands, make her vulnerable. She didn’t like being vulnerable.
Kyle pried it from her fingers. “Let it go, Duchess.” She did, but it wasn’t easy. Not at all.
“Here.” Spencer shoved a bundle of clothes at her. “I did my best with the sizes.”
