CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Indy slapped her hand over her mouth to hold back the laughter as Draven choked. She was totally teasing him, but she couldn’t resist it. He was freaking adorable when he got all flustered. She ignored the twinge of disappointment that he rejected the idea of them so thoroughly. But what could she do? She was a grown ass woman who, despite what they’d shared in the DRC, could take no for an answer. “Remember to breathe, Draven.”
He thumped his closed fist in the center of his chest a couple of times. “You’re mean.”
She shook her head at him. “No, I’m not. I’m just filling in for Lizz and reminding her brother that he isn’t Captain America or GI Joe,” she teased, hoping to lighten the mood.
“Hell no, baby, I’m better than either of those two smucks,” he growled just as she’d hoped he would. “I was a SEAL.”
“Go Navy.”
“Damn straight.” He snorted and overtook a tractor. “Navy rules, and Army drools!”
Now that he wasn’t driving like a bunch of NASCAR drivers who’d heard there was an invasion happening south of the Mason–Dixon line, she relaxed into the seat. “What about the Marines?”
“No fucking clue, they’re too busy eating crayons and getting lost.”
“I thought getting lost was your specialty.” She poked the bear just a little bit more. “Are you telling me you identify as a Marine?”
“Wash your mouth out, baby, before I do it for you.”
There he went, calling her baby again. She refused to consider it meant anything more than a habit. Maybe it was something he’d picked up over the years and she’d not noticed.
I haven’t spent enough time with him to notice.
She shook it off. Nope, he’d made it clear that he wanted to be her friend, and nothing more. As much as that hurt, she’d respect it. She forced joviality into her tone. “Maybe we should stop at a store and see if they have any crayons and test that theory out.” She cocked her head to one side. Winding him up should not be so much fun, but it was. At the mention of stopping, her bladder reminded her it had needs too. Ones which were becoming more urgent by the second. “Or maybe an auto-grill for a pee stop, they might have crayons.”
“Crap, I forgot you need to pee.” He nodded to the phone. “Find us a gas station.” But before she could, the phone rang. “Sorry.” He hit answer. “Go.”
“Bravo Three, TOC. Get your butts to La Spezia.” Trev didn’t bother with pleasantries. “The Four X’s have a plane coming this way tomorrow, and a safe house for you for tonight.”
“Thanks, man.”
“Do I need to send you a route?” Trev asked. “Or can you find La Spezia without getting lost?”
“Fuck you, Trev, just fuck you.” Draven smacked at the phone.
She knew he’d meant to end the call, but he ended up knocking the phone off its holder and it dropped into the footwell near her feet. “So are you getting your Marine on and stopping for crayons to draw the route on the map so we don’t get lost on our way to La Spezia?” She reached for the phone as muffled laughter filtered through the speaker.
Shit, it’s still on.
Her fingers fumbled over the screen as she tried to hold back her own laughter. She hadn’t meant for Trev to hear her teasing him. Finally, she managed to end the call as Draven whipped the car into a shopping mall parking lot. Her shoulders shook with the laughter she refused to allow out of her mouth.
“Sometimes I wonder why I even like you.” He unclipped his belt and pushed open the door before glancing at her over his shoulder. “Stay right there, I’ll come around and get the door.”
He didn’t give her time to reply but got out of the car. She could tell by the way he was standing that he was scanning the area. It was a stark reminder that there had been people chasing them only a short while ago. She unclipped her belt and took his hand when her door opened. “Why thank you, kind sir.”
“I’m not sure if you’re being sarcastic or not.” He guided her out of the way while he locked and alarmed the car.
“I’m not.” Her breath caught in her throat as she smiled up at him. “I swear I’m not. It was kind of you to open the car door.”
“Baby, if a man doesn’t open the car door for you, drop kick his ass to the curb. You deserve better.”
“Um.” She made a noncommittal sound as she wasn’t quite sure how to answer that. “Didn’t you teach me to kick them in the balls if they don’t show respect?”
“Yeah, but let’s not get you arrested this week, please. We’ve had enough drama for a couple of months.” He scanned the signs overhead and pointed to the right. “Ladies room is that way.”
“Thanks. I’ll be back.” She hurried off in the direction of the restrooms. She didn’t care how strong a bladder someone had, there was nothing like a car journey to make it forget how to work. Stretching her legs was also welcome. “Why do men never seem to have this freaking problem?” She wrinkled her nose against the smell of bleach. At least it was clean, because at the last stop, she’d taken one look in the door and changed her mind, deciding she hadn’t needed to go that badly. After locking the stall behind her, she did what she needed to do and pressed the flush before going to wash her hands. When she opened the door, Draven straightened off the wall he was leaning against. “You didn’t have to stand right there waiting.”
“I wanted to be sure you were good.”
She could hear a weird undertone in his voice. Was there something he wasn’t telling her? “What happened?”
His jaw tightened, but he kept walking until he stopped at the coffee counter. “I’ll tell you in the car.”
Oh, that’s not good.
She nodded and turned around, putting her back to his so she could keep an eye out while he ordered them more coffee and some pastries.
Someone should have told me that Draven Kilkenny speaking Italian would sound so freaking sexy.
Two men caught her attention as they wandered around the chips stand and paused to look at a massive lollipop which was probably filled with a bunch of smaller ones. With their suits and briefcases, they shouldn’t have looked out of place. But they did.
Who brings their briefcase into a mall just to wander around looking at chips and lollipops?
“Black suits near the big pink lollipop.” She took the takeaway mug from Draven’s fingers, placed it on the high table, and doctored it with sugar and a couple of single milks. “Are they watching us?”
“Nah.” He took a sip of his coffee, winced, and reached for the brown sugar packets. “It’s bitter.” He ripped open the sugar, dumped it into his mug, and stirred it with one of the plastic spoons from the holder on the table. “What makes you think they are following us?”
“The briefcases.” She loved that while he thought she was mistaken that he was taking the time to investigate. “Look around you, do you see anyone else in here with briefcases?”
“People gotta work.”
“And I’d normally agree with you,” she said, then added on, “if it was a weekday. But it’s Sunday… right?”
“Yeah.” His eyes closed briefly as if he was cursing in his head. “Damn. If it is them, how did they find us?”
“I don’t know.” There were a million ways. “But if I come around there and snuggle in next to you and we take a selfie which just happens to get them in the background, do you think Trev can find out who they are?”
“Yeah.” Draven opened his arm and smiled at her. “Get over here. Trev sent me a selfie with Checkmate, so now it’s time to send him one with you.”
“You and that cat.”
“Hey, Checkmate is awesome.” He wrapped his arm around her from behind, tugged her into his chest, and angled his phone in front of them. “He’ll be happy to see you.” He took the photo. “I mean, if you ever come to Montana, he’ll be happy to see you. If Trev ever gives him back to me.”
“First, there isn’t a hope in heck this valley girl will ever survive in Montana, even if it is to visit Checkmate,” she quipped. “And second, Trev better not try to keep your cat or he’ll find out that some of us have calls and we aren’t called Checkmate.”
“Come on, trouble, let’s get going before they figure out that we’re onto them.”
There was a weird tone in his voice, and she didn’t think it was because he was concerned about the two men in suits. Even if they were from the CIA and wanted to talk to her, she’d done nothing wrong. Besides, if they were going to do something to threaten her, Draven could take both of them, probably without even breaking a sweat. She slid her hand into his and walked with him to the parking lot. She turned the conversation over in her head, trying to figure out if it was something she’d said which made him look like he was eating a bunch of lemons.
Was it the comment about me not surviving in Montana?
She didn’t have time to figure it out as he was already unlocking the car and holding the door open for her. He leaned in and buckled her seat belt. “When we’re on the road, send the photo to Trev.” His smile was tight. “It’s the top chat on the list.”
“Okay.” At times like this she wished she was double jointed so she could kick her own butt. Gone was the open fun-loving boy she remembered from childhood, and he’d taken the man who was making her girly bits remember they existed and had wants and desires with him. In his place was a closed off warrior who was all business. Her heart ached at the difference between the two faces of the man.
I’m such an idiot. It had to have been the comment about Montana.
But he has no reason to take exception to that. It’s not as if we are a thing.
He doesn’t want us to be a thing.
Damn it.
She fiddled with the phone as he got the car going and drove out of the parking lot. “What do you want me to tell Trev?”
“Just what you told me in there.” His words were clipped. “He’ll figure it out from there.”
“Okaaaay.” She tapped out the message, attached the photo, and sent it to the chat. Immediately the phone buzzed in her hand. “He sent a thumbs up.”
“That means he’ll take care of it.” He slid the car into traffic. “Pull up directions to La Spezia, please. I’m ready to be somewhere safe for a bit.”
“Me too.” She did as he asked and placed the phone in the holder on the dash, then sat back to sip her coffee. Maybe the drive to La Spezia would give her time to figure out how to fix the mess she’d made of things.