Angelo didn’t know for sure, but if he had to guess what that “other stuff” was, he’d say it was probably PTSD. He’d seen a lot of that, too.
“The DCO probably thinks they’re helping, but I’m smart enough to know that some of the people there are only interested in how I can be turned into another weapon in their arsenal.” Tanner shook his head. “Nah. Most of the real help I get comes from Zarina.”
Angelo didn’t miss the fleeting smile that snuck across the hybrid’s face as he said her name. He’d be damned. Tanner had a thing for Zarina. He couldn’t blame the guy. Zarina Sokolov was a beautiful woman.
“She doesn’t exactly fit the image I have of a cold, detached Russian scientist,” Angelo said.
Tanner’s grin broadened. “No, she doesn’t, does she? Underneath that beautiful exterior is the smartest person I’ve ever met.”
Angelo screwed the cap back on his canteen. “Does she know you like her?”
Tanner’s eyes narrowed. “How did you know?”
Angelo laughed. Did Tanner really think he could hide something like that? Anyone could see it. “Well, for one thing, I’ve met her, and it’s hard not to notice how attractive she is. And then there’s that goofy-ass grin you get on your face every time you say her name. It’s sort of a dead giveaway.”
Tanner looked stunned, but then he gave Angelo that aforementioned goofy-ass grin. “I guess I do smile a lot when I think about her. It’s hard not to. She’s amazing.”
The poor guy had it bad. But at least Tanner had one thing going right in his life.
“You didn’t answer my question,” Angelo pointed out. “About whether she knows how you feel.”
Tanner grimaced. “As if a woman like her would be interested in a screwed-up mess like me.”
“You’re a basket case for sure, and she’s miles out of your league,” Angelo agreed. “But women seem to have their own set of criteria when it comes to evaluating men.”
“You sound like you speak from experience.”
“Me? Nah,” Angelo said. “But I have two sisters, and the guys they date sometimes make me scratch my head and wonder what the hell they’re thinking.”
Tanner snorted but was silent as he considered that. “Sometimes I wonder if Zarina is spending so much time with me because I’m such a scientific curiosity—a genetic freak of a hybrid with the barest modicum of restraint.”
Angelo chuckled. “It’s nice to finally meet a man who’s even more clueless about women than I am. Dude, women like Zarina don’t waste time playing games with men they’re not interested in. They don’t have to. If she’s taking a personal interest in you and all the crap you’re going through, it’s because she’s into you.”
Tanner grabbed his canteen but didn’t open it. “I’d like to believe that. She’s sure as hell the best thing in my life right now. But even if she was interested in me before, she won’t be after I took off to come down here with you guys.”
Angelo leaned back and pulled a ration bar out of his pack. He was still hungry and they probably weren’t going to get a chance to eat again for a while. “Did you get in an argument with her before you left?”
“I didn’t get to talk to her,” Tanner said. “She wasn’t there when I stopped by the lab to tell her I was going, so I just left a note.”
“Ouch,” Angelo said. “You’re right, that is worse. What did you say in the note?”
“Landon didn’t want me to give her any details, so I was a little vague. I told her I was going on a mission with him, Ivy, and Clayne, that I’d be back soon, and that she shouldn’t worry.”
Angelo grimaced.
“That bad, huh?” Tanner asked.
Angelo thought about sugarcoating it but changed his mind. “Pretty much. Zarina’s trying to help you learn how to control your rage, right? Well, she’s not going to be thrilled that you’re down here getting into it with a bunch of hybrids. Hell, if I’m right and she actually cares about you, she’s probably going to be worried out of her mind.”
Tanner’s brows furrowed. “I never thought about that. Landon said Declan and Kendra were in trouble, and I just went with it.”
“A guy like me would find your willingness to risk your life for your friends as something admirable. A woman who cares about you? Probably not so much.”
Tanner swore. “I’m screwed, aren’t I?”
Angelo just looked at him.
Tanner stared at the ground as if contemplating exactly how screwed he was. After a moment, he lifted his head. “What would you do in this situation?”
Angelo laughed as he took another swig from his canteen. “Dude, I’m the last one you should be asking. I suck when it comes to knowing what women want to hear. Which is why I don’t have one waiting back at home worrying about me.”
Her Wild Hero
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