“I don’t want to say good-bye, Lyn, but I want you safe.” David didn’t sound neutral anymore. In fact, the urgency in his tone drew her gaze back to his. “Atlas and me, we’re in this. We’re going to find out exactly what happened to Calhoun and we’re going to make sure this video doesn’t get buried. The deeper we get into this, the more likely shit is going to rain down around my head. I want you clear of it all.”
She couldn’t argue with the danger. The car chase the other night had frightened the hell out of her.
“When this is over, I’d like to come to you.” David leaned toward her. “Or you can come back here, whichever you want. I’d like for us to see where this thing between us goes.”
“But you want me to give up my work with Atlas. Just leave.” She gritted her teeth. “I think you need to grab your clothes and step out.”
“Lyn—”
She shook her head. “You want me to think about this with a cool head, you need to take yourself out of here.”
He studied her for a minute, then did as she asked.
Chapter Eighteen
What’s wrong?”
Cruz scowled at Rojas where he sat at the breakfast bar playing some game on his smartphone. “Who says anything’s wrong?”
“You’ve been glued to Lyn’s side since she got here.” Forte pulled open the fridge and peered inside. “If you’re not with her, you’re with the dogs or in your office at your computer. Since you walked in here and sat your ass down in a chair, I figure Rojas’s got a point. Something’s wrong.”
“True.” Cruz took the beer Forte offered him and took a swig as he thought about how to fix the mess he’d made. He didn’t hide anything from Forte or Rojas. It was part of the reason they were able to live with each other. Trust.
In fact, he’d sought them out. Staying inside your own head for too long resulted in spinning wheels. He needed their perspectives to see his way clear.
“So where’s Lyn?” Forte asked, leaning against the counter.
The three of them lingered like this sometimes. It wasn’t as if they were lifelong friends. They’d served together and in a lot of ways they knew more about each other, because of that intense period of time, than most people ever found out in a lifetime. It’d been Forte who’d told Cruz and Rojas to come to Pennsylvania. And hell, Cruz hadn’t had anyplace in particular he’d wanted to go right out of the service. Neither had Rojas. The man had only had one prerequisite: a safe place to raise his daughter. Hope’s Crossing Kennels had been a place to start, and if Cruz hadn’t been a fit he’d have moved on. Only, Forte had made it the right place to be for all of them. Expectations were straightforward. Life was pretty simple. And it was a life.
Cruz hadn’t realized he’d been missing anything until Lyn came along, and now he’d told her to leave.
“Packing.” Cruz sounded sullen and he didn’t want to. It’d been a solid decision. Logical.
The other two men froze.
After a moment, Rojas started playing his game again. “You get into a fight or decide things were getting too complicated?”
Of course the other two had noticed. They’d spent their military careers taking cues from body posture, subtle signals, and the smallest gestures. Either of them could’ve noticed the new intimacy in the way Lyn responded to him from the moment they’d returned. Maybe even as soon as they’d stepped out of the car. He’d have noticed if it’d been one of them.
“Complicated.” Cruz scowled at the beer. It was cold but not cold enough. Or he was too irritated to enjoy it. “This thing with the video Calhoun sent me. There’s too much shit involved. She’d be in the line of fire.”
Cruz glanced around. Rojas’s daughter was likely over at the cottage they shared but he should’ve checked before shooting off his mouth. They all tried to keep the cursing to a minimum around the Boom. Unfortunately, the kid walked around quiet as a cat and hell, they all cursed worse than sailors.
Rojas shook his head without taking his eyes off his game. “Woman’s already been attacked twice. At the hotel and right here on this property.”
Forte growled.
“Not a one of us is happy about how that happened and it won’t happen again,” Rojas continued. They all had reasons to ensure the security of this place. It’d become a haven. It needed to stay that way. “But what I’m saying is this: she’s already been yanked directly into the middle of whatever is going on. You’re not going to save her any issues by sending her away.”
Forte nodded. “Whoever tossed her hotel room thought she had information and it was before we even knew what Calhoun had left with Atlas. They think she’s a part of it and she is at risk no matter how far away you send her.”
Cruz scowled. “I can keep focus on me. I’ve got lines on at least one more of the SEALs on that team. One of them is going to give away more than they intend to. We’re all good, but over enough time we all develop cracks in our stories.”