Page 11 of Forgiving His Past (Eagle’s Nest Securities #5)

Thirty minutes later…

“You sure you don’t want to let a doctor take a look at that?”

Van stood on the pavement near the ambulance’s back bumper, but his eyes were locked on the woman standing a few yards away with the rest of his team. “I’m good,” he told the paramedic who’d already treated the wound at the back of his head.

The scene around them began to fill with others as law enforcement and first responders began trickling in. Flashing lights shone brightly in the mid-day sun, and it was only a matter of time before the place became filled with investigators from the FAA.

“Sir, you were knocked unconscious for several minutes,” the young medic argued. “You most likely have a concu?—”

“Concussion,” Van grumbled. “Not my first time.”

And I can pretty much guarantee you it won’t be my last.

“Sir, if you’ve suffered from a previous head injury, then that’s all the more reason for you to let us take you to the hospital. ”

When the well-meaning man started another attempt to look more closely at the wound, Van stepped out of the guy’s reach with an impatient wave of his hand.

“I said, I’m fine.”

“Are you sure? Because you could be suffering from?—”

He shot the paramedic a fiery glare, effectively bringing the conversation to a close.

“Fine.” The medic’s wary-appearing partner remained silent as she handed the other man a small tablet. “But you’ll need to sign the waiver stating your refusal for further medical treatment before we can leave.”

I’ll sign whatever you want if it means getting you out of my face.

Quickly scribbling his electronic signature across the tablet’s screen, Van handed it back to the medic before turning and walking away.

“Uh…you sure that was a good idea?” Lucky asked as the two headed toward the rest of the team.

“You gonna start in on me, too?” He kept his eyes straight ahead.

“Not starting in on anything, brother. Just trying to look out for you, that’s all.”

“Thanks, but I can take care of myself.”

“Oh, right. I keep forgetting you’re the invincible Donovan Braddock.” Lucky gave a dramatic roll of his eyes. “You know, as opposed to rest of us mere mortals.”

Returning his focus onto the woman standing with Archer and Chase, Van ignored his friend’s smartass comment as they crossed the pavement separating them and the rest of their team. Chase spotted them first, his concerned gaze instantly locking with Van’s.

“Hey, you okay?” The team’s lead sniper abandoned whatever he’d been in the middle of saying to the others. “Shouldn’t you be on your way to the?—”

“Don’t waste your breath.” Lucky cut through the other man’s intended words. “Superman refuses to go to the hospital and claims he can take care of himself.”

Van glowered at the man beside him, his teeth clenching together as he and Lucky came to a stop with the others.

“The wound in my scalp is small and superficial.” He knew because he’d felt the damn thing himself. “The medic cleaned it up and slapped a couple butterfly strips on there, which is all that was needed.”

“And the concussion?” Lucky continued to press.

“I’m well aware of concussion protocols,” he bit back harshly.

Did these guys forget he was the team medic, for fuck’s sake?

“If my symptoms worsen, you’ll be the first to know.

But right now, we need to be focused on the fact that someone tried to blow us up…

again …instead of worrying about my damn headache. ”

His head felt like there was a fucking kickdrum pounding on the inside of his skull. But his vision was clear, he was no longer dizzy, and the nausea in his gut had more to do with the fact that someone had sabotaged their plane than the injury he’d sustained in the crash.

“I’m very glad you’re okay.”

The soft sentiment came from Kam, who was staring back at him with what appeared to be genuine concern.

“That goes for all of us, brother.” Archer grabbed one of Van’s shoulders and gave it a squeeze.

Logan joined the group just then, having finished the phone conversation he’d been having off to the side.

“That was Webb,” he announced. “The guy sounded about as pissed off as we feel. Said he’s gonna make some calls to make sure our names stay out of the press, as well as specifics about the flight’s path to help protect our client.”

“I don’t know this Webb person, but how is that possible?” Kam asked. “We’ve already spoken with the police that are here about what happened. Won’t they share the details about what happened with others? ”

“Not if their captain orders them to keep quiet.” Archer shook his head in earnest.

“But how?—”

“Michael Webb is the Secretary of the Navy,” Logan explained. “When we were still with our SEAL unit, many of the orders we received, as far as ops went came down from him. He also served with my dad back in the day.”

Van watched Kam closely, studying her reaction with a trained operative’s eye. He was half-waiting for a sign of recognition or nefarious interest, but none were there. If anything, hearing the news that they knew Webb on a personal basis appeared to bring relief to the mysterious woman.

“What about Johnson?” Archer asked of the client who’d lost both his pilot and jet.

Logan ran a weary hand through his short, brown hair. Regret filled his hazel eyes. “He was understandably upset at the news that his pilot and friend had been killed. But he didn’t give a shit about the jet.”

“I’m assuming you left out the part about the bomb?”

The question came from Lucky, to which Logan confirmed with a nod. “Until we know for sure who rigged the landing gear with the explosives, I think it’s best we keep that part to ourselves.”

“What about the police?” Kam asked again. “Won’t they be able to tell the explosion was intentional?”

“The cops?” Van shook his head. “Probably not. The FAA, absolutely.”

“And this Webb person…you’re certain he can make sure those agents keep what happened here confidential?”

“Webb’s on our side,” Logan assured her. “He’ll keep this thing quiet.”

“Hayes is right,” Chase backed up their teammate and friend. “The guy has the president of the United States on speed dial. Literally. Trust me, keeping Eagle’s Nest out of the news is low on the list of things that man is capable of pulling off.”

She nodded, seemingly accepting of all that they’d shared.

As they continued to talk while waiting for the all-clear to leave, Van found himself unable to ignore the blood staining her dress.

It was his blood, which had been transferred from him to her when she’d helped his teammates carry him out of the jet.

Kam helped us get you out.

He studied her again, mentally noting how her unkempt appearance did very little to detract from her beauty.

She’d survived not only the attack on their hotel, but their forced crash landing less than an hour before.

And still, despite the messy hair and ruined dress, she was the most stunning woman he’d ever seen.

“Well, this is a new one.” A familiar voice sounded from somewhere behind him. “Even for you guys.”

They all turned to see Detective Travis Knox and his partner closing in on where they still stood.

“Yeah, well…” Lucky grinned. “We do enjoy keeping you on your toes.”

With a huff of a laugh, the tall, fit detective went to Logan with an outstretched hand. “Good to see you again, Hayes.” The two men exchanged a quick but firm shake. “And congrats on the new baby.”

“Thanks.” Logan grinned. “I have to admit I’m surprised to see you here. Didn’t know plane crashes fell under the jurisdiction of Seattle’s Homicide Division.”

Knox’s intelligent, blue eyes glanced around at the small group.

“I was the closest to the scene, and since a death was involved, they called me in to assess until the FAA guys can get here.” He looked back toward the jet and released a low whistle.

“I swear, it’s like the five of you have nine lives or something. Any idea what happened? ”

“Nothing we can confirm.” Logan didn’t exactly lie. “I’m sure the crash investigators will figure it out eventually.”

“Oh, yeah.” Knox nodded. “Those guys are good at what they do.” With a quick glimpse in Van’s direction, a few strands of the man’s dark blond hair blew with a passing breeze. But then his expression became serious as that same gaze slid to Kam. “Who’s this?”

“She’s with us.” Van heard himself say.

The surprised looks on his teammates’ faces matched the way he felt inside. He had no idea why he’d done that. Any one of them could have answered the man’s question. But the moment Knox’s investigative stare met hers, Van’s first thought had been to protect.

What the hell?

“Van’s right.” Logan cleared his throat and shoved his hands into his pockets. “And I know it goes against everything you stand for, but for now, that’s all we can say.”

Not looking surprised in the least, Knox shrugged it off without so much as a hint of annoyance or anger.

"I expected as much. My captain already informed me that the situation here was of a… delicate nature.” His blue eyes shifted to Van’s focused stare.

“And given your team’s track record when it comes to protecting your women, I’m perfectly fine being kept in the dark. ”

Van opened his mouth to make it clear that Kam wasn’t his. But Lucky slapped a hand on one of Knox’s shoulders and grinned.

“Probably a smart choice, Detective.”

“I thought as much,” Knox teased. Growing serious, he told them all, “I talked to the first officer on the scene. He gave me the rundown of your statements. Not that there was a whole lot to them.”

“Plausible deniability is your friend on this one,” Archer assured him. “Trust me, the less you know about this, the better. ”

“Yeah, well, you’d better get your asses out of here before this place fills with feds. I know you’ve got some damn good connections, but when it comes to federal agents, you never know how far that’s going to take you.”

“Don’t have to tell me twice.” Lucky dipped his chin before turning and walking toward the team’s SUV.

The blacked-out vehicle was waiting for them inside their client’s private hangar. It was still parked in the same place they’d left it before taking off on their flight to Kandahar days earlier.

With another handshake, Logan bid the detective goodbye. Archer followed suit, and Chase gave the man a half-salute. Rather than immediately joining the others, Van stayed back for a little one-on-one chat with the man who’d become a solid ally to their team.

“Something on your mind, Braddock?” Knox eyed him closely.

Van took a step toward him. “This one’s important, Travis.” He met the man’s intense stare. “You’re smart to keep one foot outside the door on this one, but you hear anything outside of the usual intel involved with something like this, I need you to give either Logan or me a call.”

The man’s gaze slid to the side, and it was only then that Van realized Kam hadn’t gone on with the others. She’d stayed back, keeping a short distance behind where he stood. Watching. Listening.

When Van shot a quick glance in her direction, he half-expected her to be leaning an ear their way. But she didn’t look as though she’d been trying to eavesdrop, but rather keeping close in an almost protective way.

“Not a problem.” Knox’s deep voice sounded once again. “But you know, one of these days, I may have to cash in all these favors you and your boys keep stacking up. And when that time comes?— ”

“We’ll be there,” Van assured him. “You have our back on this one, I guarantee we’ll have yours in the future.”

The two men shared a look that spoke volumes, their gazes remaining locked for a few seconds more. With a dip of his chin, Van bid the man farewell, and he and Kam left to join the others.

Once they were all inside the SUV, Archer wasted no time in taking off from the scene. With him behind the wheel and Logan in the front passenger seat, they headed back to Seattle.

“What happens now?” Kam asked from the middle seat, where she sat between Van and Chase.

Before Van could respond, Lucky chimed in from his spot in the back.

“I don’t know about anyone else, but I’d love a hot shower and some food. Preferably in that order.”

“A shower would be lovely.” She smiled in an almost bashful way.

Of its own accord, the image of her wet and naked filled every inch of Van’s wandering mind. He blinked, willing the unsolicited thought away, trying like hell not to glance over at her as he kept his expression schooled.

Must be the concussion.

That’s what he told himself, despite knowing deep-down that wasn’t the case. His head hurt like a bitch, and he was definitely concussed, but the attraction he was beginning to feel toward the woman they’d gone after was about as real as anything he’d ever felt before.

And that was a problem of epic proportions.

For all intents and purposes, Kaamisha Dawari was their prisoner. A woman he and his team had flown halfway across the world to abduct, interrogate, and then bring back to the States to face the judgement she deserved.

There was just one problem with their original plan…

She’s telling me the truth.

Van recalled having that thought shortly before the jet had started to go down. They’d been discussing Farzad Akimi, and he’d listened and watched while she explained—without even realizing it—how her DNA had ended up on the man’s dead body.

There hadn’t been a hint of deception in her voice or her gaze. No tells to indicate she was being anything other than truthful.

And in those moments immediately following the explosion, when Van was being tossed around like a fucking rag doll, he’d seen the fear in her eyes when she’d been trying to get to him. Not for herself, but for…

Me.

“We’ll stop by the office to grab our emergency go-bags.” Archer made the decision for the team as a whole. “Then you guys can follow me to my place so we can all clean up, get some food, and figure out our next move.”

Logan shot the man a quick grin. “You sure Cass is going to be okay with us all invading your house unannounced?”

“She’ll just be glad we’re all back home and in one piece.” Archer glanced back at Kam through the rearview mirror. “You’re about the same size as my wife,” he told her. “She’ll find you some clothes to change into, as well.”

“Thank you.” Kam offered the man a smile in return. “Everything happened so quickly, I never even thought about clothes or anything of that nature until now.”

“We’ll get you whatever you need,” Van offered with a low rumble.

Her mesmerizing gaze filled with appreciation as it slid to his. “Thank you, Donovan.” The smile on her face grew a tad more.

Though he had no idea why, he heard himself saying, “Van.”

“I’m sorry?” Her dark brows dipped slightly in the center.

And with his eyes burning deep into hers, he told her, “You can call me Van.”