A commotion erupted behind Serena, and she whipped her gaze over her shoulder. “He’s with me. He’s my interpreter,” she said to one of Nate’s teammates. White? Gray? Brown? Whichever one it was.
The operator—to use Nate’s terminology—lowered his weapon and let a lightly bearded man in. He quickly moved to Serena’s side, looking between the two of us with surprise and obvious recognition I didn’t share.
“Izzy, this is Taj Barech, my interpreter,” Serena said. “Taj, this is the sister I’ve told you so much about, the one who is supposed to be in Washington.” She bit out every single one of those words in my direction.
“It is a pleasure to meet you,” he said with a nod and an energetic smile.
“Likewise,” I assured him as Nate moved to my side.
Serena’s eyes widened to impossible dimensions, her jaw dropping as she stared at him. “You have to be kidding me.”
“Nice to see you, Serena,” Nate said, one hand on the rifle that hung from his shoulder. “No pictures of me or my guys.”
“I know the rules when it comes to your type.” Her gaze narrowed, and her hands fell from my shoulders. “I can’t believe you actually let Izzy—”
“He didn’t let me do anything!” I snapped, backing up a step. “Trust me, if he had his way, I’d be on the first flight out of here.”
“If I had my way, you wouldn’t have come here in the first place,” he grumbled before addressing Serena. “She took another aide’s place. I didn’t even know she would be in country before she stepped onto the tarmac, or I would have done something to stop it.”
“Okay, well, screw you both.” I folded my arms across my chest. “I’m a grown woman who makes her own decisions, which is something neither of you seem to understand.”
“It was a bad decision, Isabeau.” Serena’s voice rose again. “Do you have any idea how dangerous it is here?”
“I’m sorry . . . what? I can’t walk three steps outside my bedroom without Sergeant Sour here shadowing my every move.” I gestured toward Nate. “So, yes, I get just how dangerous it is here. Do you? Because I don’t see armed guards with you.”
Taj glanced between the three of us and cocked his head to the side. “This seems like a family matter. I’ll be . . . somewhere else.” He backed away slowly, but it wasn’t like there were a lot of places he could go in the nearly empty room.
“Look, as fun as it is to finally have someone on my side regarding Isabeau’s field trip to Afghanistan—” Nate started.
“Assuming I’m on your side about anything is a gross error.” Serena glared at Nate.
“—we have to get on the bird,” he finished, completely ignoring my sister’s jab. “They’re waiting on us.”
“So, get her out of here already,” Serena countered.
“Great, then let’s go,” I said, turning toward the exit. “We can finish fighting at the embassy.”
“Hold on. Do you think I’m going with you?” Serena asked, jogging to catch up with me and taking hold of my elbow.
I stopped in my tracks, pivoting to face her as dread settled in my stomach. “Why else do you think I would be here?”
Her anger melted, but the look of pity that replaced it wasn’t much better. “Izzy, I can’t leave. I have a job to do here. It hasn’t been the full six months. I’m still on assignment for another thirty days.”
“The country is . . .” I shook my head.
“Collapsing,” Nate said, striding our way. “The country is collapsing.”
“Then it’s my job to cover it,” Serena stated like that was the end of the discussion.
“You don’t mean that.” The words rushed out in a whisper.
“I do.” She adjusted the straps of her backpack. “I’m here doing exactly what I’m supposed to be doing. This is the longest assignment I’ve ever been given. I fought for it, and I’m not about to end it early just because it’s getting dangerous. I’d never be able to hold my head up at the office.”
Nate lifted his hand to his earpiece and cocked his head to the side. “Working on it,” he barked in the professional tone I’d grown accustomed to before facing Serena. “Serena, I hear what you’re saying, but it’s not safe for you to stay. You know that. I know that. Izzy knows that. Three provinces have fallen in the last twenty-four hours. I completely understand your dedication to your profession, but for the sake of your sister, I’m not above begging you to get on that helicopter.”
And that tone? That wasn’t Sergeant Green. That was my Nate. I looked up at him, and my heart clenched. Underneath all the Kevlar and the weapons, he was still the same man who’d held me after my nightmare this morning. The same man who’d pulled me from that airplane ten years ago.
“You would get my dedication to my profession, wouldn’t you?” Serena said with a sigh. “Hell, your dedication to yours is the entire reason Izzy ended up in Senator Lauren’s office. Are you going to end your deployment early?”
She. Did. Not. My head snapped toward Serena, but she didn’t catch the panicked rise of my brows because she was looking at Nate.
“What?” Nate asked.
Serena scoffed. “You seriously thought it was a coincidence that she’s spent the last three years working for the woman who’s been pushing legislation to end this war? That she took off for Washington right after you . . .” Her voice trailed off.
A muscle in Nate’s jaw ticked as he slowly brought his gaze to lock with mine.
My stomach dropped.
Shit. It didn’t matter that the legislation had never stood a chance, or that I’d basically been beating my head against a brick wall for all the progress we’d made. I’d spent the last few years fighting fruitlessly to end the conflict that had dragged him from my arms time and again, and now he knew it.
I saw it all in those blue eyes. Shock, disbelief, denial, and an emotion too dangerous to acknowledge, let alone name. He looked at me like he used to before New York, dropping the wall he’d locked himself behind.
“Oh shit. You thought it was coincidence. You really didn’t know,” Serena muttered.
I couldn’t look away. Couldn’t speak. Couldn’t confirm or deny the blatant truth Serena had laid at his feet, exposing me with nothing more than a few words. All the Kevlar in the world couldn’t protect my heart from its own foolish longing to hurl itself at Nate.
“Izzy, I’m so sorry,” Serena said softly.
Nate blinked and looked away. “I know. ETA five minutes.” He was talking through his radio, and when he finished, he looked at Serena. “Here’s the deal. I’m putting Isabeau on that helicopter in five minutes. I really hope you’re on it.”
She swallowed and glanced back to where Taj was talking to Sergeant Whatever Color. “Even if I wanted to go, which I don’t, I can’t leave him. He doesn’t have his visa yet.”
“Has he started his paperwork?” I asked. “Because if that’s all that’s keeping you here, I can—”
“It’s in process.” She moved forward and cupped both sides of my face. “What did I tell you the first time you asked me not to cover a war zone?”