Page 18

If only Dani could get on board with a God who came to her rescue. But she wasn’t waiting around for a God who may or may not show up. She’d take care of herself.

* * *

Where was Rio? The FBI agent should have been here by now.

Grizz sat on the white couch in his cousin’s overly decorated castle. Definitely not Grizz’s tastes.

But Dani liked his cabin better. Take that, Mike Grizz and your fancy five-bedroom monstrosity.

Not that he’d complain. The place was providing them with nice shelter until Rio could arrive and collect the data.

Grizz had showered and borrowed some of Mike’s clothes.

Dani came downstairs and sat by him on the couch. A little too close, but he didn’t mind. He wanted her as close as possible. He could smell the coconut shampoo, her damp hair now a shade darker than her usual blonde.

“I borrowed some of your sister-in-law’s clothes. When I get home, I’m sending everyone gift cards to replace all the things I borrowed…and destroyed. I snagged your sister’s sweatshirt on a tree branch, and now it has a hole.”

Her fresh jeans and long-sleeved tee hugged her curves in all the right places. The bright color of the shirt made her blue eyes pop.

Get your head in the game, Grizz. “Ah, it’s not a problem. Melanie and Seraphina would be happy to help, knowing the danger you’ve endured.”

“I’m glad you have them in your life, Grizz.

I know it’s hard for you to trust people after what happened.

” She curled her legs up under her on the sofa and leaned in closer to him.

“You don’t talk about it, but I assume you served in the military.

And you know me—nosy reporter. Did you serve in Afghanistan? ”

He nodded, trying to swallow the golf-ball-sized lump forming in his throat.

Images of his friend Kyle pummeled his memories. If only he hadn’t blindly accepted that faulty intel. If only?—

Dani’s hand rested on his bicep. “Tell me what happened.”

He huffed. “The usual. I trusted the wrong person, and my team paid for it.”

She didn’t say anything but kept her hand in place. Compassion shone in her eyes.

“Back in my Army days, I was stationed in Kabul…” Could he trust her with his story?

Before he could second-guess himself, the words dislodged from his brain and spilled out all around them.

“One day, we were pinned down with some insurgents in the area. My captain wasn’t with us, so I had to make and execute the plans to get us out of there.

We had a translator with us who helped us with the locals.

He told us about a safe house we could use to get out of the danger zone. ”

A tremble rose through Grizz’s body. He hoped Dani couldn’t feel it. The smell of the acrid smoke hit him like it was right in front of him. The deafening explosion. The screams.

He swallowed. “It was a trap. The house was wired to blow. I trusted the translator, but he’d been working for the Taliban the whole time.

My friend Kyle was the first to head to the house, based on my order.

The whole place exploded the second he stepped on a trip plate at the front door.

Two of my men were sent home with third-degree burns, but Kyle never made it home.

” Grizz’s heartbeat raced. He’d never confessed this to anyone. “His death is on me.”

“No.” Dani’s firm command startled him. “You don’t get to hold responsibility for Kyle if Josh’s death isn’t my fault.”

“I hear you. I need to take my own advice. And I know that’s true. Bad men did bad things, outside of my control. But there are things I can control—and who I trust is a big one. I’ve got my team, but I’m not letting my guard down with anyone else. I can’t take that chance again.”

Except his protective armor had started to show holes when it came to Dani. She’d made it through his perimeter checks, straight to his heart, and he hadn’t seen her coming.

“Maybe it’s time to let people in.” Dani’s blue eyes sparkled, and he refrained from reaching out to tuck a stray lock of hair behind her ear. “You can’t shut people out to protect your heart. What if you miss the good stuff?”

The melody of his grandfather’s favorite hymn stirred in his soul. “‘Yes, when this flesh and heart shall fail, and mortal life shall cease: I shall possess, within the veil, a life of joy and peace.’”

Dani tilted her head. “That sounds kind of familiar. And it’s true. We can’t control life and death. But peace? That seems harder to come by.”

“It’s a verse from ‘Amazing Grace.’ My grandfather was always humming that song wherever he went. It kind of stuck with me.”

Dani snuggled in closer, her head now resting on his shoulder. “But with that kind of peace, you’d have to trust God. That’s not something that can be manufactured.”

True. Maybe his grandfather’s legacy was more than a cabin, more than a hideout in the woods.

Peace. Absolution for his misguided trust. Love.

Weren’t those things the core of all human desires? To love and be loved. To trust unconditionally. Yet peace and love seemed like moving targets he’d never hit, even with the best longbow.

Grizz moved his arm and snuggled it around Dani. She turned, her face mere inches from his. His brain short-circuited from the nearness. She was the furthest thing from Candice. Strong. Determined. Fearless.

Beautiful.

He tilted his head, and she mirrored his movement. His lips brushed hers, and she didn’t pull away. His mind shouted at him to stop, but his heart pumped out a different message. One he couldn’t ignore.

Grizz ran a hand through her hair and broke the kiss. “What are we doing? You’re going to head home, and I’m here. In the middle of Alaska.”

She looked him in the eyes. “I think we’re two people longing for connection. I don’t know what might come of this, but I’m glad I’ve gotten the chance to meet you, Grizz. To see you in action with your team.”

He stole another kiss, melting the loneliness away. She wrapped her arms around his neck and sank against his body.

The front door flung open, sending Dani and Grizz to separate ends of the couch in half a second.

Sanchez burst through the room. “Grizz! Kane is missing. Saxon and I have been looking for him, but there’s no sign of him anywhere.”