Page 17

The Charlie team’s SUV blasted through the city streets, taking every stretch of road a little faster, mirroring the urgency they all felt to get back to base.

Two weeks they’d spent out of country, shipped overseas on a mission to capture—or eliminate—a known arms trafficker.

Two weeks that Chase hadn’t seen Alyssa.

Hell, he wasn’t even sure if she was still on base. They’d deployed in a rush, leaving in the dead of night, and there hadn’t been time to exchange more than a few whispered promises to return before he kissed her goodbye.

Ever since the explosion at the ICE facility, he felt like Charlie team was in danger—because of him. Being with the guys, getting out as a team—and whole—gave him a little faith that what happened to Echo wouldn’t happen to Charlie.

He sat in the second row of the vehicle, his fist clamped on his thigh, silently willing Henner, who was at the wheel, to drive faster.

Next to him, Denver looked just as ready to leap out the minute they braked. A HALO jump into hostile territory to hunt down the arms trafficker had seen them living rough the past two weeks. They were bruised and battered. More than a few of them smelled.

Denver turned his head to look out the side window at the properties that were beginning to spread out. They were getting close to base, and Chase’s gut tingled at the thought of seeing Alyssa again.

If she was there.

“First thing I’m going to do is take a hot shower,” Denver announced.

The guys in the third row responded with grunts of agreement, but Chase remained silent. Hot water could wait. Finding Alyssa couldn’t.

He didn’t want to think about what would happen if he walked into base and she wasn’t there.

Though they were close to arrival, every mile seemed to drag. Every foot, the more his spine tightened.

There it was—the small break in the trees and the entrance to the estate that hid them in plain sight from the world. He was already reaching for the door handle as the tires whirred on the paved driveway.

“Somebody’s eager.” Denver wore a smirk.

Chase ignored his comment and perched on the edge of the seat, prepared to jump out. The garage door opened at the touch of a button, and they drove inside. He was first to open his door and his boots hit the cement with a thump.

“Hey! Aren’t you gonna grab your gear?” Denver called to his back.

He raised a hand and flipped him the bird. Laughter followed him into the house that connected to the garage.

Inside, he glanced around. Nobody was around, but what did he expect? For Alyssa to be standing there, a smile of welcome on her face and her arms open? She didn’t even know he was arriving today.

In long strides, he began a sweep of the house. Every room was empty, silent, still. At the base of the staircase, he stopped, head tipped to stare up at the top.

Her name broke from him before he could hold back. “Alyssa!”

He started up the stairs, two and three at a time. “Alyssa!”

May appeared at the top. “She’s not here.”

His heart plummeted.

“Where is she?” His hoarse tone echoed in the silence.

“In the gazebo. She spends a lot of time out there.”

Relief made him pull in a shaky breath and his face tingled at the surge of blood that must have drained out of him when May told him Alyssa was gone.

“Thanks,” he grated out. Without waiting for a response, he turned and rushed back down the stairs. By the time he reached the back door leading to the patio, the guys were trickling in, dropping gear, joking and ribbing each other.

He ignored them all and strode outside.

The sprawling lawn stretched beyond, vibrant green. Birds chirped in the nearby shrubbery, but they sounded far away, muffled by the thick cloud of uncertainty clinging to his thoughts.

The previous owner of the estate had blown a hefty sum on landscaping, and he followed the winding path that led to the gazebo.

In all his time at the base, he never had cause to visit the gazebo. When the wood structure came into view between late-flowering bushes, he suddenly found it difficult to breathe.

He spotted her sitting on the bench, her head bowed and the long fall of her dark hair swinging forward to conceal her face. His heart caught.

Christ, he missed the hell out of this woman.

His woman. But for how long?

He reached the entrance. Gripping the wood, he stepped onto the floor.

Alyssa was sitting with her legs tucked beneath her, wearing jeans and…Christ, she was wearing his Navy sweatshirt, the oversized shape swallowing her, the sleeves pulled up to her elbows.

She jerked her head up. The book in her hand slipped to the floor. Then she was on her feet, rushing toward him.

When her gaze locked on his face, he braced himself for her reaction to his injuries.

Her hand fluttered up but she stopped before touching his cheek. “What happened?” she rasped.

He got pinned down, took a hell of a shellacking before his brothers took control of the situation and he was able to get out of there. But not before a bullet grazed his cheek.

He wasn’t about to tell her that.

With a shrug, he swept his stare over her. “It’s nothing.”

“Doesn’t look like nothing.”

He stepped closer and caught her hand. She let him clasp it, which flooded him with relief.

And hope.

Tugging her hand lightly, he drew her to the bench. She sat and he scooped her book up, noting the title.

He cocked a brow. “A romance novel?”

A pink flush rose in her cheeks. “I needed an escape. Reading books about tax codes or the growth of lichen wasn’t exactly my first choice.”

The corner of his lips twitched. “The library in Con’s office?”

She nodded, a smile creeping onto her face too. “Sophie has an extensive book collection, but I’m glad she steered me to the romance novels when I told her I was looking for a distraction.”

He paused, staring down at her hand in his. Chafing his thumb along her slender finger, he tried to find some even ground for them both to stand on. He left too soon—they never had a chance to talk about them.

“I was worried you’d be gone when I got here.”

The creases around her eyes relaxed, and her gaze warmed. “Oh, Julian.”

“We only had that one night together.”

She nodded. “Yes. Con suggested I stay here until we find Cypher. It’s hard to stay safe if you’re running around being an ambassador.”

Unable to keep from touching her, he reached out and cradled her face. She leaned into his touch, the action a stroke to his heart.

“Denver warned me.”

She started in surprise. “Warned you about what?”

He dropped his hand and clenched it into a fist, holding on to the memory of the feel of her. “There’s no future in this. You’re an ambassador.”

She dipped her head, focus on her twined hands in her lap. “Not anymore.”

He blinked at her. “What?”

She met his stare again. “I stepped down.”

He sputtered. “Alyssa. Why would you do that? You love your job. You worked your ass off to get your career.”

“I’m pleased that you recognize those things about me, but it was time. Not just because, well…” Her shrug was hardly detectable in the huge sweatshirt she was wearing. “I’m in hiding, and that comes with a whole set of worries for me.”

He rubbed his fingers over hers again. He ached to tell her that he would be here, right beside her every step of the way, but he’d already failed her in that way.

She drew up straighter. “Once this is all over…”

He looked at her. Really looked. Two weeks had passed since they’d pulled her out of that warehouse, and yet it still didn’t feel like they were safe. Cypher was still out there. Denver was recovering from what Chase suspected was another head injury.

And him? He was still caught somewhere between wanting to hold Alyssa every night and knowing he might lose her to a life that never made room for men like him.

The silence stretched on, the words unspoken. He braced himself for her to walk away from all the things they’d said to each other, all the moments they’d shared.

“I’m going to work for the United Nations.”

His heart leaped. “That would be a short commute…”

“Mm-hm.” Her stare fixed on his mouth.

Before he knew it, he was leaning in and she was slipping into his lap, arms anchored around his neck. Their lips collided with all the passion they both bottled up these past weeks away from each other.

When he tore away, he dropped his forehead to hers, breathing hard. “What made you step down? I’d never ask you—”

“I know,” she broke in. “After what happened, I think changes need to be made in my life. Having a prestigious job and a direct line to the president’s ear isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. I can still do a lot of good without jetting into dangerous situations.”

He drew her closer so there wasn’t even a small gap of air between them. “I hate the thought of you making changes out of fear. You hiding, looking over your shoulder. I refuse to let that happen, Alyssa. We should be somewhere having coffee and arguing over what movie to watch.”

She laughed. “Don’t forget scooter rides.”

“Never.” He grinned. When their lips met again, it was soft, seeking, filled with emotion.

When they broke apart, he tucked her against him, resting his chin on her head and breathing in the sweet scent of her.

“Are you going to tell me who shot you?”

He almost choked at her question. “Can’t. Confidential.”

“Ah.”

“The important thing is we all made it back in one piece.”

She pulled away, expression tender. “I know how haunted you are by what happened to Echo. Especially after all the things we uncovered in Syria.”

“We don’t know the half of it yet. But you have your own ghosts, Alyssa.”

She searched his eyes. “What do you mean?”

“For one, Kennedy.”

Her eyes went wide. “What happened to her?”

“She’s being held in a safe place while we investigate further. I wanted to let you know that she’s okay. I know you care.”

She nodded. “I do.”

“One more thing. The journalist you freed—you never found her after. You need that closure too.”

“Yes.”

From the patio area came a round of laughter from the guys. Alyssa shifted on Chase’s lap. “They seem to be in high spirits.”

“You know it. After an op, we have a little fun. Let loose.”

“Oh? Drinking games?”

He chuckled. “More like oven-fired pizza.”

“That sounds delicious.”

“Come on. Let’s see if we can snag a meat lovers one before the guys pig out. Oh, and I have a small surprise for you.”

Her smile was a sunbeam that brightened his day. Hell, who was he kidding? Alyssa lit up his entire life. After he grabbed the fastest shower in history, not wanting to waste a second away from Alyssa, they joined a few of the guys outside.

Chase led her directly to the outdoor kitchen. Smoke drifted lazily from the wood-fired oven, and the sun slanted low in the sky, casting everything in a golden hue.

He shouldered one of the guys out of the way to make room at the outdoor counter. In no time, flour dusted his forearms and T-shirt as he pressed dough into a rough circle. Alyssa stood beside him, her hands working more delicately—slower, but with a kind of grace that made Chase pause to watch her, even as the others bustled around them.

Steele was tossing dough into the air like some kind of show-off, while Dante called out mockingly, “You better not let that hit the ground, dude!”

Laughter rippled through the group, a rare moment of true peace in their constantly shifting world. Chase leaned into Alyssa with a smirk. “So, diplomat-turned-pizza chef. That’s a hell of a career shift.”

She arched an eyebrow at him. “This might be my best negotiation yet. Trading policy briefs for pepperoni.”

Denver wandered over with a bowl of fresh basil. “No pineapple on mine,” he said, pointing a finger at Chase. “Don’t ruin a good thing.”

“No promises,” Chase muttered, tossing a few rogue slices on his half of the pizza just to stir the pot.

Alyssa smiled as she layered tomatoes and mozzarella, then leaned over to grab a drizzle of olive oil. Her elbow bumped Chase’s and she looked up, her eyes catching his. For a second, the rest of the world faded behind her gaze—behind the small crinkles at the corners of her eyes, the easy warmth he felt every time she looked at him like that.

Dante’s shout broke into the moment. “You two gonna cook or just stare at each other until the dough fossilizes?”

Chase barked a laugh and tossed a towel at him. “Keep it up and I’ll make yours with anchovies and regret.”

With pizzas finally assembled, the team took turns sliding them into the oven using the long-handled peel. Dante manned the fire like it was a tactical op, rotating the crusts with precision, while Steele passed out paper plates and cold beers from a cooler nearby.

They sat on mismatched patio chairs and low stone benches, plates in their laps, bites punctuated with laughter and teasing. For once, no one talked about Cypher, operations or safehouses. They talked music and movies, debated whether hot sauce belonged on pizza, and told stories that made Alyssa’s cheeks turn pink.

Chase watched her from the corner of his eye, the way her shoulders relaxed and how her smile lingered just a little longer than usual. He handed her a slice of the pie they’d made together.

“Taste test.”

She bit in, moaned softly, and gave him a slow, approving nod. “You might actually be good at this.”

He grinned. “Stick with me, baby. I’ve got layers.”

“Like a pizza?”

“Exactly.”

And as the sun dipped behind the trees and the fire crackled low, Chase couldn’t help but think—this, right here, might be the closest thing to peace they’d ever get.

“Chase? You’ve got a call.” Sophie’s voice rang out from the lift-and-slide door that opened the back wall of the mansion onto the patio, bringing the outdoors in.

Alyssa’s face blanked in worry, but he caught her hand and squeezed in reassurance.

“Come on.”

As they passed Sophie, he thanked her and continued through the house until he and Alyssa were alone in the conference room.

“What’s going on?” Her voice held a note of worry.

“You’ll see.” He pressed a button on the laptop to connect the video call. When the image of a woman popped onto the big screen, Alyssa let out a loud gasp.

She rushed forward, standing in front of the screen, hands covering her mouth as she stared at the caller.

* * * * *