The Trainer (military romantic suspense) (The Dregs Book 5)

by Leslie Georgeson

  He was rare and special. A true hero.

  And I wanted to make him mine.

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  Logan

  Talk about awkward.

  I couldn’t look Nishi in the eye once Noah left. Fuck, he’d walked in on me kissing her. I wasn’t sure how much he’d seen, but I’d been leaning over top of her, so I imagined he hadn’t seen much. He better not have seen anything he shouldn’t have...

  I rubbed a hand roughly over my face. Hell. I’d had those gorgeous, perky breasts in my hands, stroking, pinching, making her gasp and moan. I’d tasted those dark nipples, sucking them, licking them, making them harden beneath my attention.

  Kissing Nishi was addicting. One taste of those amazing lips, and I wanted more. Once I started kissing her, it was hard to stop. Her mouth was like sweet red wine, delicious, irresistible, the touch of those soft lips against mine igniting a flame in me, stirring my senses, making desire shoot through me like a bullet. I’d been so lost in her that I hadn’t even heard Noah coming in. Damn.

  If he hadn’t interrupted us when he had…I feared I would have made love to her right there on the couch. And that wasn’t how her first time should be. I wanted to take my time with her the first time. Nishi needed tenderness, gentleness, consideration the first time. Her satisfaction was more important than mine. If I could please her, make it good for her, then I would be a happy man. It gave me pleasure if I could make my lover happy. And I planned to make Nishi very happy. When the time was right.

  But not on the couch. Not like this. Man, oh man, I completely lost my mind when I touched Nishi. All I could think about was getting closer, closer…

  I needed to put some distance between us. I was so enraptured with her I could hardly think straight. I’d barely done more than kiss her, and suckle those tiny, gorgeous breasts, but hell if I didn’t want more. What would happen if I took her into my bed and made her mine? I was falling hard for this feisty little sprite. She was simply the most incredible woman I’d ever met. And I never wanted to let her go.

  “So,” Nishi cleared her throat and glanced up at me. “What do you want to do now?”

  I let out a soft laugh and shook my head.

  Do not answer that.

  What I wanted to do now was finish what we’d started. I’d told her we should take this slow, but hell, as soon as I touched her, I forgot all about slow. All I wanted was more, more, more. Now, now, now!

  I hesitated, then decided to let her choose. “Whatever you want, little one.”

  She stared into my eyes for a long moment, the spark returning, flaring hot between us. “We can watch another movie, if you want.”

  I didn’t really care what we did, as long as I got to spend more time with her. It wasn’t like we had much else to do down here, anyway, other than working out or playing games. “Sure. You pick.” I grabbed the remote and turned the television back on. Then I handed the remote to Nishi. She searched through Netflix for several minutes, then found something she liked. I went into the kitchen for some snacks and came back with apple slices, orange wedges, grapes, and two bananas. She snagged the plate, and set it on her lap as I joined her on the couch.

  “My kind of man. Healthy snacks.”

  I shrugged. “Part of our training involved eating healthy things. It’s a habit I got used to and now just stick with.”

  She glanced down at my chest, then into my eyes, her gaze filling with appreciation. “With a body like yours, I’m sure you not only have to work out a lot, but you also have to eat healthy.”

  I chuckled. “You think so? We can work out together after the movie, if you want.”

  Her eyes lit up and she giggled. I flushed, realizing how that sounded. “You know what I mean,” I mumbled, hiding a smile.

  “I’ll work out with you anytime.” She batted her lashes at me. “Any way...” She snagged an orange wedge and popped it into her mouth.

  Oh hell. Resisting her for another hour and a half was not going to be easy.

  But somehow, I did it.

  We settled back onto the couch and watched another movie—a family drama this time—munching on healthy snacks, and sitting close together, our thighs and shoulders brushing together. Before I knew it, the movie was over. It had been a really good show, emotional and drama-packed.

  It was now after six in the evening. Dusk was falling. It would be dark soon.

  “Well…” I cleared my throat. “I probably ought to head to the surface to check my phone. We don’t get cell service down here, so we have to head outdoors to check our phones every so often. You want to go with me?”

  “I would love to.”

  “Bring your phone,” I suggested. “I’ll show you all of its features.”

  Several minutes later, we were heading through the maze toward the surface. I held Nishi’s hand, and she moved quietly beside me, staying close, trusting me and making me feel protective of her. Possessive of her. I wanted to make this girl mine. So badly. Was waiting and taking it slow actually benefiting either of us? Or should I just give in to the feelings she aroused in me and take our relationship to the next level? She was still an innocent, pure and untouched. The idea of being her first not only excited me, it made me feel privileged. Special. I would do everything in my power to make her first time memorable for her. That was what a gentleman would do. The thought of her naked in my arms, in my bed, made me shift uncomfortably as we neared the surface. Down boy.

  “Is that a camera?” she asked, pointing at a tiny flashing red light in the ceiling.

  “Yes. We have surveillance cameras installed throughout the maze and outside around the perimeter of the building. We also have tripwires at the entrance and a few places outside. No one is getting in here without our knowledge.”

  “That’s smart.” She squeezed my hand.

  At last we reached the surface, and I showed her where the first tripwire was so she wouldn’t stumble into it. I paused and carefully scanned the area, letting my acute senses check for danger. Determining it was safe and we were alone, I moved over to the large boulder that was a favorite place for sitting. I sat and she joined me, both of us pulling out our phones.

  My phone bleeped a new text. I read it, then chuckled. “It’s from Grace. For you.”

  I handed my phone to Nishi.

  “Oooh!” she cried, the excitement in her voice making me smile. “My first real friend besides you.” That made my chest squeeze. Nishi was such a sweet and genuine person. Such a fun-loving girl. She deserved to have many friends.

  I leaned back on my elbows, watching her as she read Grace’s text. “Grace said she enjoyed meeting me today and can’t wait to see me again. She said you’re a real sweetheart and that she believes we make a cute couple.” Nishi glanced up at me. “We do, don’t we? The big, hunky blond dreg, and the tiny Asian girl.”

  “Yeah. We do.” Just looking at her made me feel good. Nishi was a joy to watch. A joy to be around. She was stirring tender, protective, possessive feelings inside me. I was fascinated by her. All these feelings made my chest swell with happiness. I knew in that moment that loving Nishi was inevitable. Nothing could stop me from falling all the way in love with her. I was already halfway there.

  I spent the next several minutes showing her how to use the phone Noah had given her, and then I programed Grace’s number into it.

  “Now I have two friends!” She set the phone down and turned to me. I was lounging back on the boulder, watching her, enjoying her happiness.

  Our gazes locked.

  The boulder was large, about four feet wide and mostly flat. It was a good three and a half feet long, oblong at the beginning where we sat, and tapering into a narrower two foot at the end. Plenty of room for two people to sit and hang out.

  Nishi crawled on top of me, leaning over me on her hands and knees, and looked into my eyes.

  “I like being with you, Logan. You make me happy. I don’t ever want to leave.”

  “I
don’t ever want you to leave, either,” I admitted. I liked Nishi’s boldness, her willingness to always speak her mind. She made me feel good about myself, like I was someone worth loving. That warmth in my chest spread outward, heating my limbs, filling all of me with happiness.

  She brushed her nose against mine, then leaned back, grinning down at me. “You’re so handsome,” she whispered. “You make my breath catch whenever I look at you. You make my heart go wild and my chest fill with happiness and my body ache for your touch.”

  I gazed into her eyes. “Ditto,” I whispered back. “Except you’re not handsome.” That made her laugh. “You’re breathtakingly beautiful,” I went on. “When I touch you, I’m lost. I’m completely swept away in how you make me feel. You make me lose my head. You make me forget everything but you.”

  Her eyes changed, growing darker with emotion. With desire. “Oh Logan, that was so beautiful. This thing between us, it’s happening so fast. But it’s so incredible, I don’t want to fight it. I want to embrace it.”

  Me, too.

  She leaned over me again and pressed her lips to mine.

  And we embraced it.

  Laying on a hard boulder with a hot chic on top of you isn’t something that happens every day. I’d lain on rougher surfaces before, far less comfortable places. The hard rock beneath me barely penetrated my senses as Nishi’s sweet-red-wine lips brushed over mine, again and again. All I could think about, all I could feel, was her. Just her.

  I lifted my hands, gently cupping her face in my palms, as I kissed her back. She settled more heavily against me, her fingers tangling in my hair. “I love your hair,” she breathed against my mouth. “It’s so sexy.”

  “You’re sexy,” I murmured, “so damn sexy.”

  She leaned back slightly, looking into my eyes. “You think so, truly? I’ve been a shadow warrior for so long, sometimes I don’t feel very girlie.”

  “You’re hot just the way you are,” I assured her. “Very feminine.”

  She sucked in a breath. “Really?”

  “Yes.” I slipped a hand behind her head and drew her mouth back to mine. She was so hot, so sexy. I couldn’t get enough of her. I wanted more kisses. More Nishi.

  I wanted to take her back inside the maze to my bed. Where I could make her mine. I didn’t care about waiting any longer. I just wanted her. And I was more than ready to make it happen now.

  A loud chime burst through the silent forest, startling us both. She reared back, her eyes wide. “I think that’s your phone.”

  Yeah, I conceded, pushing aside the powerful sexual haze surrounding me. My phone.

  Nishi climbed off the boulder and snatched up my phone from where it had falling on the ground.

  “You can check it,” I encouraged her. “Just swipe the screen.”

  She did, her eyes going wide.

  “What is it?” I sat up, watching her face closely. “Is something wrong?”

  She gasped, her eyes filling with tears, and turned my phone toward me. “That’s my mama!” Her bottom lip trembled. “He has my mama. I haven’t seen her in eight years. I thought she was dead. But he has her.” She hitched in a breath, a single tear spilling down her cheek. “He has my mother, Logan.”

  Shit.

  I took the phone from her. Someone had sent me a video. Her father? I played the video, my heart twisting. A small Asian woman was tied to a chair, gagged, her eyes wide with fright. She whimpered while a man whose face wasn’t visible held a knife against her throat.

  “I know you have Nishi,” the man said in English. “If she isn’t back here in twenty-four hours, her mother dies.”

  Ah, fucking hell.

  Nishi’s frightened gaze met mine. Another tear spilled down her cheek. “I have to save her, Logan. I can’t let him kill her. I can’t.”

  Her bottom lip trembled, piercing my heart.

  She lifted her chin with determination. “I’m giving myself up.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  Nishi

  Logan drew me into his arms, holding me tightly, sharing his warmth, his strength. I clung to him, terrified for my mother. The knowledge that she was still alive was so overwhelming, it caused my throat to clog with emotion. She was alive! Mama was alive!

  Logan gently set me away from him. “You’re not going back there, Nishi. I won’t let you.”

  I shook my head as fresh tears burst loose. I missed my mother so much. My chest squeezed so tightly, it was a long moment before I could breathe again. Eight years was so long to not see or talk to my mother. I had to get her back.

  “I have to. He’ll kill her if I don’t give myself up.”

  “No,” he repeated gently. “There is another way.” He took my hand and pulled me toward the entrance to the underground maze. I followed, unsure what was going on. “Noah is an IT expert,” Logan announced as we reentered the maze. “He might be able to track where that text came from. And if we can track it, we’ll know where they are keeping your mother. The dregs were trained for missions like this. We will find her, Nishi. I promise you I will do everything I can to free her and bring her home to you.”

  My eyes burned with fresh tears that spilled out and ran down my cheeks. I believed him. He was so kind. So selfless. So brave. A true hero. He was going to help me free my mother.

  But my father had so many men. How would we get past them to free her?

  We moved in silence for several minutes, my mind in turmoil the entire way. Then Logan asked, “How did your father get my number? Did he take the paper from you?”

  Heat swept into my face. “I’m sorry. I had the number sitting by the phone in my hotel room when they found me. They took it before I could stop them.”

  “It’s all right.” He gently squeezed my hand. “It wasn’t your fault.”

  They had Mama. And if I didn’t return, they would kill her. My father didn’t make idle threats. How long had my mother been his prisoner? Had he been holding her captive all these years just like he’d done with me? If so, where had he been keeping her? Or had he recently sent some of his men to Japan to capture her and bring her back here? She was obviously here in America, because that was my father in the video with her. As far as I knew, he hadn’t returned to Japan in the ten years since he’d come to America.

  Please let us find her. Please let us save her.

  We reached the corridor lined with doors where the dregs lived. Logan went to Room 8 and knocked loudly, before shoving the door open. He stepped into the room and pulled me in after him.

  Noah was seated at some kind of fancy computer station with several different computer monitors, keyboards, and a bunch of other tech stuff that I had never seen before. The wall in front of him was lined with numerous television monitors.

  It was obviously very high tech and expensive. Noah turned to face us, a smile dying on his lips when he noticed our expressions. “What’s up?”

  Logan handed him his phone. Noah played the video, his brow scrunching. “How long ago did this come in?”

  “No more than fifteen minutes. As soon as we saw it, we came right here.”

  Noah plugged the phone into something on his large desktop and typed something on a keyboard.

  “I can probably track the phone that the text came from and pinpoint its current location. If the phone is still where they are keeping her, then we will know where she’s at. But if the phone has gone with someone to another location, we might not be able to find her.” His gaze was serious as it met mine.

  I swallowed hard and nodded, doing my best to stay strong and be positive.

  My father had my mother. I couldn’t let him hurt her. I had to get her back. Thoughts of revenge stirred in my head. I swore I would make him pay for this.

  “What is your mother’s name?” Logan asked. “When we find her, she will probably be less frightened if we know her by name.”

  “Reena,” I answered softly. “Her name is Reena. If you can’t find her, then I’m just going to gi
ve myself up. I have to. I can’t let him kill her.”

  Logan and Noah exchanged a glance, some kind of secret communication passing between them. “We’ll find her,” Noah assured me.

  “What language does she speak?” Logan wondered.

  “She speaks Hindi, Japanese, and English, just like me.”

  “Another linguist like you.” Logan smiled. “I already like her.”

  My heart warmed. Mama would love Logan, too. She would think he was handsome and strong and amazing.

  Noah cleared his throat. “While I’m scanning for the location of the phone, why don’t you go round up Ryan and Luke to see if they’ll help us?”

  Logan jerked his head in a nod and went to the door. He paused, glancing back at me. “We will get your mother out of there, Nishi,” he promised. “Have faith, little one.” Then he went out, leaving me alone with Noah.

  I stepped forward, checking out Noah’s high-tech work station. “This is pretty fancy,” I murmured. “What does all of this stuff do?”

  Noah shrugged. “Pretty much whatever I want it to. I have security equipment, cameras, mini microphones, communication devices. I designed most of the software and the programs. I’m a techie genius. My mind is constantly thinking in ones and zeroes, the binary system embedded into my brain the way a regular person’s memory is stored.”

  Interesting. “So what is your dreg name?”

  He chuckled. “I’ll give you one guess.”

  I shrugged. “Uh, I don’t know. The Tech Guy?”

  “Nope. Nishi, meet The Hacker.” He waved at himself.

  “Oh.” Of course. That made sense. “So you can hack into computers, too? Like private government sites and businesses and criminal pages? Steal sensitive data?”

  His lips twitched. “Yep. I can hack into anything. There isn’t a firewall available that can keep me out.”

  Wow. That was impressive. I pointed to a monitor hanging near the top of the wall. “What’s that?”

  “That’s the camera feed for the entrance to the maze.” He pointed to another monitor to the right. “And that’s one of the cameras inside the maze.”