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Hayley blinked at AD Carson’s name emblazoned in bold black letters across the fine linen stock and grinned. After all the worry and frustration Scotty had put her through in that row house and down at the docks, it seemed the Bureau had handed her the perfect way to teach her beloved SEAL a lesson.
18
Scotty watched Hayley walk toward him, his heart slamming against his rib cage like a trapped bird. They needed to talk. He wished they were somewhere more private, someplace that maybe smelled better, less like floor wax, bleach, and stale coffee—not to mention the medicinal smell that always permeated hospitals.
He lowered his head and stared at the toes of his combat boots, struggling to find the right words to say, the messages that would make her want to be with him. God, why was this so hard? The way he felt about her—she meant something to him, more than just physical pleasure. It had been forever since he’d had anything like a home—since he’d even been able to imagine one. But imagining it with her was easy.
“Hey,” she said, stopping a few feet in front of him.
The soft huskiness of her tone sent his stomach into a tailspin and his heart rate skyrocketing. It was the same dizzying feeling he got when he cut a chopper’s engine at five hundred feet and landed on autorotation just for the fun of it. Man, he was in trouble.
“Did you speak to Natalie?” Kyle came over and saved Scotty from having to speak right away.
“I did.”
“And?”
She gave Kyle a kind smile. “I’m sorry. I know you were hoping for something more about your brother’s case, but the only thing she mentioned was a letter.”
“A letter?” Kyle frowned. “What kind of letter?”
“Not sure.” Hayley shrugged. “She said it was a note he gave her about a week before his last mission. Natalie said there wasn’t anything of interest in it at all, as far as she could tell, but that your Commander Brighton seemed to want to get his hands on it.”
“Crap.” This from Spencer, who was slumped in one of the area’s uncomfortable-looking chairs. “Are we going off on another goose chase?”
“Like you’ve got something better to do?” Scotty leaned around Hayley to glare at his teammate. “If that’s what Kyle orders us to do, then that’s what we’ll do.”
Spencer grumbled and grabbed a dog-eared copy ofPeople.
“Dammit.” Kyle ran a hand through his hair and turned away. “Why won’t she talk?”
“She’s scared. I don’t know what she’s hiding, but she seems convinced that no one would be able to keep her safe if she told everything she knows.”
“Okay,” Kyle said. “I need to think. We probably aren’t going to get any more out of her tonight, but…just give me a few.”
“How long will she be in here?” Scotty asked after Kyle walked down the hall.
Hayley looked away. “I—I’m not sure. She didn’t say.”
Scotty’s Spidey senses went on high alert. That was a lie if he’d ever heard one, but he didn’t want to press the issue. Not yet, anyway. Not until he got things settled between him and Hayley. He leaned a little closer to her. “Can we go somewhere and talk?”
She looked back at him, her eyes wary. “Where?”
“I don’t know.” Scotty sighed. “These places usually have a cafeteria, right?”
Hayley bit her bottom lip. At last, she nodded.
“Great.” Scotty took her hand and pushed away from the wall. “We’re going to grab a coffee. Be right back.”
“Hells yeah.” Spencer tossed his magazine aside and stood. “I’ll come with.”
“No. You won’t.” Scotty gave him a pointed glare, then tugged Hayley forward. “C’mon, Red.”
“You’re no fun,” Spencer called as they started down the hall, and Scotty flipped him off for good measure.
“That was mature.” Hayley pulled free and stalked toward the elevators alone.
“What?” He trailed behind, feeling more like a screwup with each passing second. “Unless we’re on a mission, our team doesn’t exactly understand subtle, okay?”
