Page 2 of Kyle (Gold Team #3)

“Thanks again for doing this,” I broke the silence.

Declan’s gaze swung to me and I immediately regretted speaking. “From this point on, you are to listen to everything we tell you. Once we land in Timor-Leste, you do not question our decisions. If we feel it’s too dangerous, we pull back.”

I felt my eyes twitch in irritation. “Yeah, see, that doesn’t work for me.”

“Doesn’t have to,” Declan continued. “Our only purpose is to keep you safe, and if we feel you’re in danger, we’re pulling the plug.”

Pulling the plug. What? I don’t think so. There was no way I was going all the way back to Timor-Leste to have these two stop me from doing what I needed to do. I’d figure something else out. I had to.

“Then you might as well not even go. I know I’ll be in danger, because Dili is overrun with criminals and rebels.

You forget, I’ve spent more time in Timor-Leste than you have—that is, if you’ve ever been there at all.

I know my way around. I know who I need to see.

And I know what I need to do. What I don’t need is you keeping me safe.

I need muscle so I can move the girls. If you can’t do that, then thank you for your time, but I’ll go alone. ”

“That’d be the stupidest thing you could do,” Declan went on. My eyes zeroed in on an angry red scar on his neck and I briefly wondered how long ago someone had tried to slit his throat. It had to be fairly recent, the welt hadn’t completely healed.

“Wouldn’t be the first time someone told me that.” I shrugged .

I was tired of people telling me I was stupid. It was worse than the patronizing comments about me trying to save the world said by people who gave a few bucks to the Red Cross and thought they were doing something.

I knew I couldn’t save the world and I wasn’t trying to. Right now, if I could save one girl from the horrors of being mistreated for the rest of her life, I’d be happy. If I could rescue all the girls in that terrible orphanage then I’d be able to sleep at night knowing I didn’t abandon them.

“You should start listening. I’ve spent time over the last twenty-four hours reading reports coming out of the region. The civil unrest has reached a boiling point. The defense force is outnumbered. The travel warning—”

“You have no idea what those girls go through.” I slid my chair back and prepared to stand.

“I grew up in the foster system—in orphanages here in the States I know what I saw, things I will never forget, but my experience is a walk in the park compared to how they live. I don’t care about the travel warning.

I don’t care my efforts may be for nothing.

I’m still going to try. With or without your help. ”

Declan’s icy fury directed my way stopped me from moving. “I know all about how the system fails the kids left in their care,” he growled. I’d obviously touched a nerve, one that was exposed and painful.

“If you know, then why are we having this conversation?”

“Because we’re not going over there on a suicide mission.”

“Obviously,” I huffed. “You may think I’m stupid but I’m not. I’ll listen to your concerns and follow directions. But I won’t be treated like I’m some idiot who doesn’t know how to take care of herself.”

“All Declan is trying to say is if we find ourselves in a situation, we need you to work with us, not against us. If we have to take time arguing with you about a decision then we could all get killed,” Kyle clarified .

“Then why didn’t he just say that?”

“Because he’s Declan,” Kyle said, as if that was an explanation I should understand.

“Maybe this isn’t going to work. I can—”

“It’s gonna work out fine, Anaya.”

My body tingled hearing him say my name, it was a bizarre and ill-timed reaction, but it was there.

If I’d believed in love at first sight, or some such bullshit, I’d say there was a buzz of recognition.

But I didn’t think there was such a thing as romantic love.

My libido had simply picked the wrong time to wake up.

“I have aerial images of the area,” I offered. “Once we’re in Dili, we’ll meet with my contacts. They’re ready to move the girls as soon as we can get them out.”

“Your contacts?” Declan asked.

It sounded more like an accusation, and I didn’t remember him being this confrontational the first time I’d met with him and Kyle two days ago when they’d agreed to help me.

“I used to work for the National Center of Missing and Exploited Children. I worked with Donny and Camilla Rivera. They’ve left the NCMEC and started working globally. When I told them about the orphanage, they offered their help and flew to Sydney. They’re there waiting for us now.”

“Have you met the Riveras?” Declan asked Ace.

“No.”

Declan picked his cell up off the table and after a few swipes on the screen he lifted it to his ear.

“Can you get me a full workup on Donny and Camilla Rivera?” he asked. “They worked at NCMEC. Anaya Baker said they now work privately.” Declan paused then continued. “Right. Thanks.”

“Did you just run a background check on my friends? ”

“Yep,” Declan answered unashamed.

“What the hell?”

“Is there something you don’t want us to know?” Declan’s eyes narrowed.

“No. But it’s uncool. You could’ve asked me about them.”

“Anaya, I don’t think you understand how this works,” Declan told me.

“First, I’m not risking my life or my team’s working with people I don’t have a full workup on.

And I’m certainly not handing young girls to people who haven’t been vetted.

I don’t care how well you think you know them, or that they’re your friends. ”

“Did you investigate me?” I asked and held my breath praying they hadn’t.

“Yep.”

My eyes widened and anger surged. They’d know everything about me. Not that I’d ever done anything wrong, but the invasion of my privacy was unwelcomed. I didn’t offer details about my childhood to anyone. Not even my closest friends know what had happened to me growing up.

I couldn’t hide the fact I didn’t have a family, but I didn’t talk about it.

“So, you know,” I seethed. “Yet you still think my reasons for going back to Timor-Leste make me stupid.”

“I didn’t say that.”

“Yes, you did.”

“Enough,” Ace cut in. “You all have a plane to catch and a mission to plan. Bickering isn’t going to help.”

“It’s bad, Declan,” Piper spoke. “So bad, that when Ace and I saw it we knew we couldn’t leave our girls there. Amisha was upfront—she sells the girls. She even told us how much money it would cost for us to buy one. Twelve-year-old girls are being trained how to please a man.”

Declan’s jaw locked and his eyes clouded. Maybe he was finally understanding .

“We’ll leave you to it. We have to pick up the girls from Rocco and Caite,” Ace announced and stood. After he was on his feet, he helped Piper up and they said their goodbyes.

Now what ?

Were Declan and Kyle really going to help me or had I made everything a hundred times harder on myself asking them for help? When Ace had told me he knew a group of former SEALs who had worked human trafficking and could assist me, I was excited.

Now, not so much. Declan scared me and he was kind of a dick. Then there was Kyle. I could handle Declan being an asshole, but Kyle? I wasn’t so sure about that. I didn’t know what it was about him, or why after years of not feeling anything, suddenly there was something to feel.

Everything about this partnership smelled like a disaster waiting to happen.