Page 7 of The Hero’s Bride (Unbreakable SEALs #2)

“Didn’t tell me you were going for a swim.

” Sully started the engine as he glanced at them in the rearview mirror.

He caught his teammate’s raised brow, and he shook his head briefly.

The message that Thalia’s father was no longer alive easily conveyed without words after years of working intuitively together.

Sully cleared his throat and eased onto the road.

“Use whatever you can find to dry off. Should be a towel or a blanket beneath one of the seats.”

He’d already put his hands on the ambulance-style blanket and wrapped it around Thalia’s shoulders.

Her expression was pensive as she gazed out the window, but he had a feeling she was lost in memories and not looking at the scenery that blurred past as they drove.

He turned his attention back to Sully. “We need to push up our timeline and get out of the country as soon as possible, but first, we need to regroup. Get in touch with Jude.”

“Depending on the roads and if we run into any problems, it will take us about sixteen hours to get to the border in San Antonio if we go through Guadalajara and up through Monterrey. I’ll contact Benito.” Sully lifted his phone, quickly pulling up a name and dialing.

Benito Barrera was part of the Fuerzas Especiales, Mexico’s special forces.

They’d worked side by side on many missions and could trust him to find them a safe place to regroup.

Sully spoke quickly, keeping the call off speaker.

If Thalia noticed that Sully dropped her name while speaking, she didn’t so much as flinch.

The stress of her earlier attack combined with the knowledge that her father was killed by the cartel because their leader wanted her for himself was more than anyone should have to process.

She didn’t speak during the hour drive to the safe house Benito had arranged for them, but when they pulled up to the stucco building, she blinked several times.

“Where are we?” she asked, eyes darting around the property.

Sully angled his body toward the back seat. “A friend has arranged a safe place for us to stay. We’ll be able to shower, eat, and get you into some clean, dry clothes before we decide what to do next.”

She glanced at him, searching his eyes before slowly nodding.

“Okay.” He got out of the Jeep, feet crunching over the loose stone as he rounded the vehicle to open Thalia’s door.

Sully had gotten there first and was offering his hand to her.

Something ugly burned through his chest at the sight of his teammate’s warm smile cast in Thalia’s direction.

Jesus Christ. What was wrong with him? Just because he shared a past connection with the woman didn’t make her his in any way.

Still, his reaction to her was unexpected.

He’d never been one to feel jealous, even on the rare occasion when he dated a woman for more than a couple of weeks.

He didn’t care for the feeling of possessiveness and wondered what made Thalia different.

She was beautiful with those captivating green eyes and thick, dark hair.

Her hourglass shape and natural curves had also caught his eye.

He’d been around many gorgeous women, but none of them had instantly drawn him in or made him want to stare longer than was polite just so he could commit their image to memory.

Annoyed with his thoughts, he moved toward the house.

“I’ll clear the space.” Instead of a traditional key, there was a concealed keypad.

Sully came up behind him and punched in a long numerical code.

The lock clicked and they entered the one-story cast concrete home.

He removed his weapon, quickly clearing the small living room, kitchen, bathroom, and two bedrooms. Outside was a cement patio framed by high brick walls and a caged covering to prevent intruders.

“All clear,” he said as he crossed over the tile floor toward Thalia and Sully. “Someone stocked the bathroom with towels and toiletries. Let’s get you in a hot shower. You can leave your clothes outside the door, and I’ll throw them in the laundry.”

Sully cast him a look of concern when she didn’t respond, instead worrying her lip with her teeth as her gaze continued to dart around the house.

“Thalia.” He stepped closer, keeping his voice low and steady. She jolted when he gently touched her shoulder. Shit, he shouldn’t have touched her. She’d been through hell today. “You get first shower. Yeah?”

“Yes. I’m sorry. I just…” Thalia trailed off. “I’m overwhelmed by everything that’s happened. I have so many questions that I don’t think you can answer. I don’t know if anyone can answer them, except maybe the Day family.”

“Hey.” Going with this gut he extended his hand, and she immediately took it. Her trust felt good. Too good. “You’re holding up incredibly well. I’d be concerned if you weren’t overwhelmed, but we’re in this together. We have your back.”

“But who will have yours when the cartel comes for me?” Her hand trembled, but her voice held strength.

Sully raised a brow in his direction. He’d yet to fill his teammate in on the involvement of the man named Mateo Estrada.

“It would be safer for us to part ways,” she continued.

“I never imagined someone would come to my rescue. You’ve both helped me tremendously, but if a man killed my own father to get to me, you’re putting yourselves in danger every second you stay. ”

“It’s going to take more than the cartel to get rid of us.” Sully shot her an easy smile. “And it’s a risk we’re happy to take.”

Her shoulders slumped with defeat, as though she was truly expecting them to agree and leave.

“Come on.” He squeezed her hand. “I’ll show you where the shower is.

” Not that she couldn’t easily find it in the small house, but he wasn’t ready to let go of her hand.

Together they walked down the hallway. When they reached the bathroom, he stepped inside along with her, careful not to crowd her.

“Sully’s right. We are happy to take any risk to get you to safety, but Thalia, for me it’s more than that. ”

He stared into her eyes, captivated by their depth and color.

“It’s an honor. No matter what happens, we will get you out of here.

We will protect you. I will protect you.

” He ran his thumb over the back of her hand before releasing her.

Her cheeks pinkened as the air grew heavy in the space between them, the way nature held its breath before lightning streaked across the sky.

What he’d give to know the thought that made the blush spread over her skin.

After several seconds, he turned and opened the closet, drawing out a towel and fluffy robe.

Benito had stocked the place with everything they might need before they started the next leg of their journey.

“Throw your clothes into the hall, and I’ll get them in the wash.

I’m going to fill Sully in on everything that happened at the boatyard.

I’ll also get in touch with my friend Iron so he can let Vivienne know you’ve been located.

There’s another man, Jude, our former teammate, who is helping us with logistics from the United States. ”

She nodded. “I can’t thank you enough for what you’re doing. What you have already done.”

“I don’t want your gratitude, sweetheart.” He wasn’t sure what had the endearment slipping past his lips.

“What do you want?” Her question was neither suggestive nor suspicious, and although he wasn’t entirely sure of his response, he decided on honesty.

“I want you safe, both for the small girl who helped me and for the beautiful woman standing in front of me now. I want you to live a life of your choosing instead of one that’s dictated by someone else.

And I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want to spend more time with you.

Get to know you better. I don’t believe in coincidences.

What are the odds that you helped me all those years ago and now I have the opportunity to do the same? ”

Nothing about Thalia’s expression changed except for her eyes, as the light in them dimmed. “I would be lying if I agreed that those nice things you just said could happen.”

The pang in his chest caught him off guard. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that to sound… I wasn’t… Shit.” He rarely apologized for his words or feelings, but the woman staring back at him tied his tongue. She probably thought he was hitting on her. Trying to get into her pants.

Her soft sigh, followed by a laugh relaxed his shoulder muscles.

“I’m not saying I wouldn’t want to get to know you, Mason, but your life is in America. I’m not sure if I’m even a citizen. I certainly never took a test or went through a naturalization ceremony. Chances are I’ll have to stay in Mexico when you go back to the United States.”

“Unless that’s what you want, there’s no way I’m crossing the border without you. Our mission is to bring you home.”

She shook her head, and he wished he could remove the sadness from her eyes. “Home. I’m not sure where that is. Mexico doesn’t hold many good memories, except the time spent with my father, but even those times were shadowed by the stress of our environment. Of being hungry many nights.”

“Thalia…” He wanted to open his arms. Envelop her in his embrace. Instead, he reached out and took her hand, giving it a squeeze. “I’m so sorry about your father. Not only for his passing, but the way you found out. The way he died.”

Her eyes glazed with tears, but she glanced away, and when she returned his gaze, they were clear.

He had a feeling Thalia’s circumstances had caused her to hide many of her emotions.

To build walls to protect herself. “He told me with the cough he’d developed, he didn’t expect to live long.

That I had a chance at a better life, and he wouldn’t tolerate me not taking it.

I didn’t understand how much he was protecting me.

Now I feel terrible for being angry that he sent me away.

He must’ve known they would kill him. Defying the cartel is a death sentence. ”

“He loved you. Watching you get taken by a drug lord would have been worse than death. He gave his life willingly. Gladly. I’m sure of that.”

“Thank you,” she murmured.

“I’ll leave. Take your time in the shower.”

“I’m not going to hog the hot water.” The way her nose scrunched, like she was incredulous at the idea, was cute as hell.

“You use as much as you want.” He stepped outside the bathroom and closed the door gently behind him. He walked down the hall and waited until she set her clothes, or what was left of them, outside the door. After tossing them into the washer, he joined Sully in the living room.

“She okay?”

“As good as she can be, given the circumstances.” For the next ten minutes, he filled Sully in on what happened at the boatyard, the police force searching for Thalia on behalf of a high-ranking cartel member who’d wanted her for his own when she was a mere teenager, and how her father had died.

“Shit, man.” Sully rubbed the back of his neck. “We need to get this to Jude. He’s already determined she’s not a citizen, no record of her at all, and is working the problem.”

His was already analyzing possible scenarios and outcomes as they dialed their former teammate.

“Everything okay?” Jude asked brusquely. Footsteps were audible over the line, and he could picture the former SEAL pacing down a crowded San Diego street, hating every second of being surrounded by people.

“Thalia’s been located and she’s with us, but we ran into some problems this afternoon. She’s on the cartel’s radar.”

“What the fuck?” Jude bit out.

“She wanted to investigate her father while we were in Colima. Didn’t take long for someone to report a sighting of her to the local police.” He continued to tell Jude everything, releasing a long breath once he’d ran out of words.

“Well, that complicates things. I was trying to push through a special visa for trafficking victims, but the wait will still be longer than we can afford with a target on her back. Hate to say it, but if we can prove urgent humanitarian reasons, we could get an expedited fiancé visa. She’d need someone to sponsor her though, and if we can’t mitigate the danger within ninety days of her arrival, a wedding will need to take place to keep her here.

If she can give us enough to nail the Day family on trafficking charges, that could help provide evidence for the FBI to solidify an even larger case. ”

“Shit.” Sully scrubbed his hands over his face. “What a cluster.”

A heavy silence hung in the room, before he broke it. “Jude, get the paperwork going for the fiancé visa. Put my name as the sponsor.”

Lines creased over Sully’s forehead as he raised his brows. “You think she’ll go for that?”

He gripped the back of his neck, squeezing the tension there. “Right now, it’s the best viable option to get her out of danger. We have a history, albeit brief, but I’ll convince her.”

“Make sure she’s aware that I’m doing what I can on my end to work out a more viable solution.”

He wasn’t sure what it was about Jude’s last statement that didn’t sit well.

It wasn’t like he and Thalia would be engaged.

They were complete strangers, and yet, he liked and respected what he did know about her.

Maybe it was guilt over playing the system or perhaps tying her to him the way so many others had that left him restless.

He ignored the empty sensation in his gut and focused on moving the plan forward.