Page 41 of Chaos has a Name (An FBI Romance/Thriller #66)

The Same Path

Walking Down

The Trail

Back To Her Cruiser

For the first half of a mile back to Rayna Running Wolf’s car, not a single, solitary word was said between either of them. That ominous silence was borderline uncomfortable, and she wasn’t enjoying it.

Not at all.

Why?

Well, that was simple.

She was a talker by nature, and in combination of him watching her, and the silence, Raye was getting twitchy.

Honestly, she wasn’t quite sure what to think about the man. He was wearing a short-sleeved, black shirt, and he had tattoos poking out at the elbow.

That made her want to ask questions, but again, the silence was maddening.

When finally, Rayna couldn’t take it any longer, there was no doubt that she needed to take matters into her own hands and get to the bottom of this case.

‘The case of the hot bodyguard.’

Should she go there?

Absolutely not.

In fact, everything in her said stay silent, get back to her car, and mind her own damn business. Since he wasn’t putting out the welcome sign, she shouldn’t either.

That was what she should do.

What she was going to do…

Yeah, the opposite.

Rayna stopped dead on the trail, spun around, and held out her hand to the man.

Miraculously, he didn’t run her ass over. That’s how close he’d been to the back of her, but he’d managed to come to a stop.

Then again, she wouldn’t mind so much if they collided. Yeah, she was a glutton for all kinds of punishment. That was absolutely for sure.

“I’m Rayna. We haven’t been introduced. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

That caught him completely off guard. The whole half a mile they’d covered, he’d been dying to start a conversation, but he didn’t know how.

No.

He knew better.

There were things in his world that were completely not compatible with hers.

Mostly, him.

As she stood there with her hand out, Uriel glanced down, and then back up at her.

Finally, he shook it, and it was a big mistake. Touching her sent little licks of energy through his fingers and right to the core of his body.

Shit.

What was that?

Now, he knew that he shouldn’t be having any conversation with her. If he did, the problems were coming his way.

“I’m Uriel.”

She cocked her head, and kept her hand in his as she stared at him.

Honestly, Rayna could swear that his eyes dilated the second they touched.

That made her curious.

“Like the angel in the Bible?” she asked.

He paused.

Then, he realized what he’d done. That wasn’t his actual name. It was his Archangel name, and they had them for very good reasons.

Anonymity.

“Yes, but no. I’m an Archangel, which just occurred to me makes this sound weird,” he admitted, choosing his words carefully.

When he set her hand free, Rayna actually laughed. A blush flushed his cheeks, as he kept watching her.

That made her want to learn more. There was something about this man…

She was intrigued.

“I mean, it’s kinda strange, but I’m sure you have a reason for going by an Archangel’s name.”

His brain was shouting one thing.

‘ABORT! ABORT!’

And he was too dumb to listen to it.

Clearly.

So he opened his mouth, despite his best interests, and kept talking to the beautiful woman.

Yep.

He was screwed.

“The government hires and trains certain Marines to guard high-value targets. I’m one of them. The team is called Archangels. You know…like the Hand of God?”

She didn’t, since she wasn’t religious, but she honestly liked hearing his voice. It was warm and smooth, and reminded her of all of the sexy movie actors who sounded like that.

Yeah, this guy was trouble. She could see women falling at his feet to worship the ground he walked on. Only, now, she was curious, and that always led to one place.

The bedroom.

“So do you have a real name? You know, like what your parents named you when you were born?”

He paused, trying to talk himself out of giving that away. Few people knew his real name.

Hell!

Half of the people he worked with didn’t know it, and now, he was willing to spill his guts like an idiot.

“Yes.”

When he didn’t offer it up, she figured this was a no-go on conversation. It was clear he didn’t want to talk to her, so she was willing to just keep walking.

“Okay, good talk, Uriel,” she said, turning back around and starting to walk away. “We should go.”

The second she said that, the panic began growing, and he knew he’d done it again.

Fuck.

Uriel felt like an idiot.

Why the hell didn’t he just tell her his name?

Why was it always so goddamn awkward?

Why was he always forced to worry about what he said, and how it would be taken by the other party?

To be honest, this was the common issue he had when he was left alone with women. Now, he’d offended her, and that hadn’t been part of the plan.

Shit.

Uriel had to fix this.

Jogging, he caught up to her, and once more, he began having the inability to shut up.

“It’s Caspian. Caspian Collins.”

At his name, Rayna stopped walking. When she turned, she was honest.

“You didn’t have to tell me. I get it. I ask a lot of questions and I’m impulsive. Sometimes, that comes across as being annoying to people.”

He stopped her.

“I’m not annoyed. I’m just not accustomed to talking to people. I’m more of a shadow. I watch, observe, and handle situations that arise. I’m definitely not accustomed to talking to beautiful women…”

Oh, and here he went.

Fuck.

Caspian said way too much. That embarrassment flooded him, and his ability to talk was effectively shut down.

He.

Was.

Screwed.

As soon as he said it, she stared at him.

“I like you. You’re honest. That goes a long way for me. It’s nice to meet you, Caspian Collins. Again, I’m Rayna Running Wolf.”

He was flushed red.

As it crept up his neck, she found it endearing. It had been a long time since she’d met someone who was genuine, and she could tell he was. This was a reaction that wasn’t faked.

That blush was definitely sweet. If anything, it made her even more curious, and that led to more talking.

“You can walk beside me. You don’t have to follow behind me. I’m sorry if I’m talking too much. It’s a flaw, I guess,” she admitted.

Oh, boy.

How did he navigate this?

The truth of the matter was it took Uriel a lot to talk to any woman not in their ‘family’.

Oh, he could go on for hours to Elizabeth, or Caryn, or even Axelle. He just couldn’t with a stranger.

Why?

He was easily embarrassed, and again, choosing his words was a careful job. If he blurted shit out, he was going to be humiliated.

Once a woman found out more about him, that scared them away.

What they saw was NOT what they got.

That was for damn sure.

Other than his issue with speaking to the ladies, he was a simple man. Caspian liked reading books, practicing yoga, and planting a garden.

While he was a Marine, he wasn’t into war. The corps had been a way to escape and survive. It had been the duty of his family, not the wants of one of the sons.

Since she’d offered, he fell into step with her.

“Where are you from?” she asked, talking to him as he walked beside her. It was clear he’d shortened his stride to match hers.

“I don’t know,” he said, honestly.

That made her curious. Had she asked the question the wrong way? Or did he not understand?

So, she rephrased.

“Where did you grow up?” Rayna asked.

He kept the sentences short so he could control what came out of his mouth.

“On military bases,” he offered.

That explained a lot.

Honestly, he seemed…regimented.

“Which parent was in the military?” she asked.

He felt that was a pretty safe question, so he answered it.

“My father was a soldier, and we moved around a lot. So that’s why I can’t tell you where I grew up.”

That was still…odd.

“Were there that many?” she asked.

Here was the slippery slope. Caspian had to make conversation, but not give away too much.

“My father worked in special operations. We couldn’t discuss things like that, so I never learned where I was from. It changed…a lot.”

She felt that pain there.

That would be so sad to not have a place that was yours to call home.

“So, military brat. My best friend in college was one. Her father was in the Air Force. He was in Germany, Italy…”

He let her talk.

And she kept going.

In a way, it carried him and his part of the conversation, so he didn’t mind.

“She was so well-rounded. She could talk about all kinds of things. I bet you saw a lot, and are incredibly intelligent.”

He didn’t answer.

Women didn’t want smart men. They wanted alpha males who were badass. They wanted perfection, and he was anything but.

Caspian had a major flaw, and to that day, he couldn’t get past it.

If she knew the truth, would she think the same thing? Or would she run?

On top of what she considered attractive, he was definitely an anomaly. Caspian was a lover of the arts, a practitioner of meditation, and a sensitive soul.

That got you hurt.

A lot.

“I’ve seen plenty as a Marine. I don’t know if it was anything that would expand my knowledge. I’m a combat Marine. I’ve seen people die, people live, and lives destroyed.”

Gently, she smiled at him. That told her all she had to know about him. The man had seen some shit, and likely didn’t want to talk about it.

Gotcha.

It was time to change the subject. Honestly, she liked talking to him, and their time on the trail.

Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out some gum.

“Want a stick?” she asked, holding it out to him.

The whole time, he was hella confused. It was like he fell into a parallel dimension. Normally, he chased women and got turned down.

Now, she was making this easy.

Uriel was struggling to read this particular room.

Was she flirting?

With him?

“Thank you,” he said, taking a stick and putting the paper in his pocket. “I’m sure you’ve seen some things too,” Uriel admitted. “Traveling.”

She shrugged.