She nodded. Control. That she understood.
“Thank you, Thomas, for being honest with me. It helps to know what’s behind all of….” She waved her hand at the elevator, referring to what had just gone down with the guardian and the agent. It also explained Jackson’s battle. She sighed. The confusion settled in her chest, heavy. Why couldn’t someone have told her all of this before she’d fallen for one of them?
Oh. Really? Just one of them?
“You’re welcome. Now…I promised you fresh air with your dinner.” He clapped his hands together and opened the heavy door for her, evidently happy to have the conversation behind them.
After a short trip through more corridors, they passed through a locked security entry. Thomas keyed it and ushered her through ahead of him.
Sunlight flowed through the opening to spill at her feet. She scooted into a wide atrium. The main entry from the outside world opened across the room. Access to the rest of the area was blocked by a wide console running the width of the space that was manned by a pair of serious-faced young men. The back wall was glass, through which sunlight poured in. On the other side of the windows, a sheltered courtyard and garden stretched away from the rear of the building.
She tilted her head back to feel the sunlight on her face. You didn’t realize how much you could miss that warmth until you spent a few weeks without it. She sighed happily and looked around again. They would be eating outside, he’d said. In the back garden?
One of the young agents guarding the entry left his post and approached. Thomas held up his hand, curtailing any salute. The guard opened the doors for the two of them. Lena stepped out into paradise, and everything else receded.
Benched tables were set at intervals around a wide stone patio. Most were occupied. Heads turned as they entered. She didn’t care. Let them get an eyeful. She stared out at the grounds beyond the patio.
Paths led away from the patio to wind through tall, soft, pale grass waving in a summer breeze. Bushes and cacti were beginning to bloom. Mature mesquites, gnarled and bent, reached to the sky. Out at the end of the garden was a nothingness that spoke of a cliff edge. Beyond it, the desperate brown and red of the desert she loved stretched far below. Craggy, rocky desolation for miles, and then the jutting dark hulk of mountains rose in the distance. It was gorgeous.
She leaned her head back again. Eyes closed, she let the warm desert breeze brush over her skin. She could smell moisture, ozone, and dirt in the wind. She opened her eyes and looked out across the wide open land to the mountains. “Rain is coming.”
Thomas tapped her arm and pointed past her. She looked at the sky beyond his fingers. Dark clouds smudged down to earth in a purple curtain. If anyone ever found a cure for drama of the heart, she’d bet it would include warm sunshine and the smell of rain in the desert.
She turned back to him with a wide smile. “I could smell it. I’ve missed that smell.”
He nodded, serious-eyed and quiet. “It is intoxicating.” He glanced around, as if aware of the curious, measuring looks from every table.
She was used to them.
He tilted his head to the side in a way that reminded her of Reyes. “Our food’s here.”
She looked where he indicated and noticed a young woman from the kitchens unloading covered plates and cups from a cart. She crossed to the table behind him and sat, smiling at the girl. “What are we having?”
“Well, I hope you don’t mind, but before he left, I asked Jackson what your favorite meal was. He said breakfast.”
The young woman pulled back the cover from the plate before Lena.
It was pancakes, with thick-cut bacon and shiny rounds of sausage surrounding a small bowl. Lena dipped her finger and brought it to her mouth. “Maple syrup! And it’s warm. They never put maple syrup out at dinner.” Jackson might be gone on maneuvers, but he’d still managed to send her a gift. She flashed Thomas a wide, happy smile before turning to thank the girl who’d trundled it all up from the kitchen.
“Right.” Thomas sat, glancing around at the rapt faces around them. “Well, clearly we’ll have to rectify that.”
Chapter 16
When Reyes came for Lena in the morning, she was up and almost ready. Last night, Thomas had warned her that she’d have a full day of lessons, both as student and instructor. She’d already eaten her second round of breakfast in twelve hours. When Alex knocked and entered, she rose from her chair. He stood inside the door as she bent to tug on her boots.
“Did you enjoy dinner last night?” He kept his voice bland.
She straightened up. Yes, he was amused. He’d already been to see Thomas.