“You should be,” Mace shot back, and his eyes took on a wicked glint.
Nina flushed deep red.
“Beach, huh?” the Captain said in a low voice as he passed Mace.
Nina’s curls were mussed, Mace’s skin a little too heated. They both looked like they’d been up all night, but she doubted the ten-inch fraternization rule stayed in effect.
“Thane?” He was halfway across the room, but within a second was beside her again. “You have to be real about this.”
“I am.” He kissed her, laying his palm across her stomach. “You’re the reason I lived,” he whispered.
“I don’t—”
He stopped her with a soul-melting kiss. “Kayla, I don’t know what you’re thinking. Every move you make is hidden until you decide it’s time to reveal your intentions.” He offered her a small smile. “You’re a tactical specialist through and through, but I hope you know how much I want you, want us, and a family.”
“You do?” Thane was really starting to mess with her head. He’d never been this—verbose before.
“Kayla,” he looked exasperated. “Have you listened to anything I’ve said, woman.” He clutched her arms, and gave her a little shake. “You are the love of my life. You’re going to be the mother of our children. You and me, a family.” His eyes narrowed. “Kayla, say it.”
“The only easy day was yesterday?” She blinked, adding a cheesy smile.
“Try—again,” he ordered.
“No life like it?”
“Kayla,” he barked loudly.
“Herbert,” and she cracked up.
He rolled his eyes.
“No son of mine is getting the name Herbert.”
Mace and Nina both laughed. “You’re kidding, right? Your middle name is—Herbert? Fuckin’ awesome, sir.”
“Mace!”
“Sorry, Captain.”
“Gonna throw down a few more pain killers. Being on a three-day bender wasn’t the smartest thing I’ve done in the past thirty-eight years. Kayla, you need to eat, and rest. Work is out today.”
“We need to go over the plan for the Shark.”
“Oh, no.”
“Captain…” He wasn’t shutting her out. “Don’t even think about—” He pointed a finger at her in warning, and she swatted at it. “I am still in on this.”
“No you’re not. That’s my daughter in there, and I have a say—”
“Nina is not doing this alone. She has Gabby.”
“Kayla—”
“Oh, for the love of God,” Mace bawled, his eyes turned upward toward the ceiling. “See what I mean.”
Nina nodded with a crooked smile. “Yup. Must be frustrating.”
“What?” she and Thane exclaimed at the same time.
Chapter Thirteen
Thane gave them their space, but wanted little else than to grab Kayla and leave the airport. Lapierre had received a call from his captain. His leave was over. They needed him, and thank God for that. He could endure a couple more minutes, but not a helluva lot more, seeing Lapierre holding Kayla so close, cooked his insides.
“Kayla—please come with me.” Lapierre said, squeezing her against his chest, and resting his chin on her head.
“Greg, I’m staying. If I can catch the Shark, we can end this. No more women will die.”
“It doesn’t have to be you. If you leave with me, you’ll be out of his scope, and I won’t get my ass shot off worrying about you.” Her gaze rose to meet his. “Kayla—you know I love you, and it’s only because of my brother that you won’t let yourself love me back.”
“I never told you this, and I probably shouldn’t now, but you need to know—I married the wrong brother. I want you to fall in love with someone who absolutely adores you, and treats you like the incredible man you are.”
Lapierre’s expression crumpled with sadness. “I will never stop regretting that I didn’t fight for you. I shouldn’t have backed off and been the ‘good brother.’”
He held her tight to his body. The image resurrected the thought that once they had been that way without their clothes. Thane shifted his stance, trying his best to wipe the picture away.
“Come home with me, the hell with the past. You know we belong together, we could be happy. For twenty years it’s been you and me, we just never took the last step, ” Lapierre urged gently, but his desire was thick as fog.
“That’s not possible.” Kayla leaned in, and whispered to him.
Lapierre vaporized him with a look. She’d told him she was pregnant. He’d apologized for decking Lapierre, but Greg hadn’t admitted a moment’s regret for twisting the truth, and causing him and Kayla, both, days of misery. Lapierre dropped his gaze, regret and loss swarmed in his eyes. He nodded and backed away. He picked up his bag and said, “Regardless, I will always be a phone call away. If you need me—” He let the sentence die. Kayla sensed the tension, and moved to intervene when Lapierre strode toward him.
“Aret!” Greg ordered, and put his hand up to Kayla. She did it immediately, which kind of shocked Thane. She never listened to what he said.
He readied himself. If Lapierre fired off a swing, he’d take it. He had no other choice.
Lapierre’s eyes flared green and dangerous beneath his cap. Regardless of their shared desire, Thane still held respect for the warrior. Instinctively, he recognized a good soldier.
“Captain Austen, although we sit in separate corners of the ring, I offer my thanks for protecting Kayla. I also offer my assistance, if you need it.”
“Noted, Lieutenant Commander. The feeling is mutual.”
He nodded once. “A warning, however, my brother will come for Kayla one day. In his mind, she is still his wife. In his heart, there is no one else. You’ll have to be prepared for that.”
“Understood.”
“I’m going to tell him the truth, Captain. I don’t think it’s going to make a difference, if anything it may make him come sooner. Nevertheless, he’ll know she’s in love with you, starting over, and you’re having a family. I can’t gauge how he will react. I’m still reeling from it myself. I love her, and will always be in her life. I hope you can accept that, if I’m willing to accept she has chosen you.”
Why was he feeling like the biggest asshole on the earth? Hell, this guy was noble to the core. He extended his hand and nodded. “I accept, and you’re welcome to visit any time.” When Lapierre tried to withdraw his hand, he clenched it tighter, drawing a wary look. “You’re a good man, Greg. I’ve known many warriors, but I think you’re one of the best. I’m thankful you were there for her. I know she wouldn’t have survived it, if it hadn’t been for you, and she knows that too. Good luck.”
Lapierre swept around, and joined Kayla for one more moment. Thane read the words on his lips easily. I will love you forever. Be safe my angel. He kissed her, and Thane regulated his emotions. It was their last goodbye.
Lapierre walked toward the gate, the eyes of several young women followed him with blooming desire. In many ways, they were alike. Lapierre had resisted warm hands and love from any woman who tried to replace Kayla. Thane understood completely, and wondered if she had doubts. When Greg turned at the door, her gaze didn’t waver, and his was all-consuming. Not wanting her to dwell too long or risk her changing her mind, Thane stepped up to her side as Lapierre walked through the door.
“He’s a good man, Kayla.”
She nodded, tears streaming down her cheeks. He curled her into his chest. “He’ll be all right. I think he’s probably one of the most intelligent warriors I’ve ever met. He’ll come home, and be driving me crazy trying to win over my girl again, but I told him he was welcome to do so any time.”
“You did?” she said, her face brightening.
“I did. He’s important to you, and I can accept that.”
“I worry about him,” she whispered.
“I know.” He drew back, and leaned over gazing into her watery eyes. “He worries about you, but
I think he understands now.”
She jerked her head.
“He doesn’t have a hope in hell while I’m still breathing.”
* * * *
Kayla and Nina sat in an outside bistro having a drink.
“You don’t think he’s gonna smell a trap?” Cobbs asked, squatting in an alley, where they watched the girls.
He had aborted a fight with Kayla before they came. He didn’t want her upset, and being part of this operation was important to her. Lassoing his fear, he hoped to God nothing went wrong.
“The Shark’s intuitive, but he isn’t a mind reader,” Thane answered on the comm. set.
“In position,” Fox advised, hiding in a car parked around the corner.
“Caleb?”
“Roger, good view.” Caleb’s birds-eye position from the roof of the restaurant, and Tony on the roof across from him, covered all angles. The rest of the team was situated in and around the restaurant. They’d settled the women in the Gaslamp district. Both of them had a comm. set and could listen to what was going on. The only problem was every guy was a suspect because every goddamn head turned seeing them, both too beautiful for their own good.
“Mace?”
An abrupt, “Roger,” came from Mace.
Mace was pissed they were going along with the plan of trying to lure the Shark. Now Nina and Kayla were sitting ducks.
“Ladies, thirty minutes and then we move into the departure phase.” Everyone waited and watched, but he was probably the only one sweating. Instinct told him the Shark watched as well.
“I don’t think I should go,” Nina said, loud enough for anyone sitting close by to hear.
“You’re leaving, Nina. It’s too dangerous. The Shark obviously knows who you are. You’re going home. You have a daughter. I’m expendable, you’re not.”
“You are not, not any more.”
“Shush,” Kayla said sternly.
“Any faces you recognize?” he asked Kayla.
Kayla sighed, and her head moved once up and down. Watching with binoculars, he saw her fingers slide to the edge of the table, indicating one. He flashed the glasses across the other customers. Narveaz was there with his wife. He was a sharpshooter; the Shark had taken a shot at him. No way Narveaz would have missed.
The minutes ticked by, and the women played their parts to perfection. Worry and arguments from Nina, were interrupted with conversation about home.
“Tell me about Captain Austen.” Nina’s glass hovered at her lips before taking a drink.
Kayla tensed. “What about him? He’s the Commanding Officer of the SEAL teams.”
Nina raised her hand, and gave a sharp twist of her wrist. “Don’t even go there, boss. Remember who you’re talkin’ to. He’s a walkin’, talkin’ Adonis. He’s hot.”
A few chuckles crossed the comm. set.
Although they were all listening, Kayla tilted her head and said, “Don’t let him hear you say that, his ego is big enough. I can barely fit in a room with it. Besides he’s being stalked himself.”
The clatter of something being knocked over at the next table drew their attention. Nina bent to pick up the fallen cup.
“Thanks,” a guy sitting behind them said, giving her cleavage a hard look. Grasping the cup and Nina’s hand at the same time, he took it from her. “I really have better table manners than that.” The guy wore a business suit, and sat with another man about the same age as Nina. “Are you going to give me the chance to prove it, and go to dinner with me?” He offered her a broad smile and extended a hand. “Robert.”
“Busy,” Nina said politely. “But nice to meet you, Robert.”
“What an ass,” Mace piped out.
Nina’s head turned sharply and scanned the street, biting down on a grin at the same time. “Who’s stalking the Captain?” she asked.
“Our secretary. Didn’t you see her draped over his desk?”
“She wasn’t draped over my damn desk,” Thane shot back.
Kayla ignored his comment. “She practically sits on his shoulder like a parrot. I’m surprised she hasn’t nipped his ear and shit on his shoulder yet.”
Fox barked with laughter, and chuckles erupted from the entire team.
Nina slapped the table and howled. “Ah, Jesus, Kayla, I’ve missed you.”
“Coffee, ladies?” a waiter asked, swooping by their table.
“Magic words, handsome.” Nina cocked a head at Kayla. “Latte?”
“Yup.”
The waiter left after dropping flirtatious hints, and tempting them into sharing a desert. Nina folded her hands and leaned over the table. “In all seriousness, when’s the wedding?”
“Oh, God, Nina, shut up,” she groaned.
That brought more chuckles from the team.
Kayla turned away from her, and scanned the street. The historic Gaslamp district of San Diego attracted as many locals as it did tourists, with jazz clubs, Victorian hotels, and the city’s finest foods. The streets, always busy, gave the squad plenty of faces, but no one pinged as the Shark.
Nina grabbed her hand. “You’re in love with him, but you haven’t told him. Why not?”
He swung the glasses immediately to Kayla. Her lips squeezed into a harsh line, and her eyes shot daggers at her friend. “He’s devoted his life to being a SEAL, and I respect that.” Kayla fussed with her napkin, folding it and refolding it into a tight square. “The Captain thrives on the challenge, and the country thrives on his successes.” She kept her head turned away from him, and he knew she did it on purpose.
The waiter returned with their coffees, giving Kayla a wide grin. “Made it myself.”
“Thanks,” she said, returning a warm smile, and making Thane’s insides quiver. It obviously had the same effect on the waiter.
“I’ll be right back with dessert.”
“Bet you will,” he growled. Man, he hated it when she smiled at other guys.
“SEALs are the ultimate warriors, aren’t they? They take everything to the extreme, and surpass it.” Nina plucked her cup from its large ceramic saucer. “Wouldn’t that translate to their private lives too?”
“They put their lives on the line every time they’re tasked into the theater. They’re highly trained and ultimately deadly in combat.” Kayla shifted in her seat. “Here comes our dessert,” shoving her plate aside to make room.
Nina dug into the cheesecake. “Well?” she said, a huge piece of cheesecake filling her mouth.
“Well, what?”
Nina stuffed in another large piece, and moaned, loving it with her tongue.
Mace cleared his throat uncomfortably.
She took a long, slow swallow to chase down her dessert. “Captain Austen looked like he could have chewed molten metal when I told him Daniel wanted to see you.”
Christ, Nina! He was going to kill her.
Kayla put her fork down after one bite. “You saw him?” she asked, choking down her mouthful.
“I ran into him on the base, just before I left.”
Kayla steadied herself with her palms on the edge of the table. “You never just run into Daniel Lapierre, Nina. He searched you out. What did he say?”
“Somehow, he found out I was coming here.” Nina dug in her purse. “I probably shouldn’t be doing this, but here.” She held out a piece of paper, and Kayla reached for it slowly, opened it, nodded, and then put the paper in her purse.
Thane’s entire world came to screeching halt, and so did his heart. He winced, bending the mesh of the garbage can he squatted beside between his fingers.
Nina circled her fork in the air. “What about the Captain?”
Kayla shook her head. “I know he’s concerned about me, but he cares about everyone under his command.”
Nina’s expression morphed into a humorless expression. “Are you going to lie to yourself? After everything he told you, you’re going to come up with some lame ass excuse.”
Nina was one hell of an observant woman in his book
s.
“Say it out loud just once, Kayla. It’ll break the curse,” Nina prodded.
“Curse?”
“Yeah,” her voice tightened. “I know you believe anyone who cares about you will hurt you or die.” Nina pulled the napkin from her lap, and laid it on the table. “Don’t you realize it means Daniel still has control over you?”
Kayla bowed her head. “It’s a little more complicated than that, isn’t it?”
Nina sat back in her chair. “Don’t worry, things will work out. You’re probably half-crazy with the Shark chasing you. I don’t know if I could have held out this long.”
“Nina, it’s not about me,” her voice dropped to a whisper. “He’s a warrior, and this country needs him.”
“A ba—”
“Nina, zip it.”
“You do love him, don’t you?”
Kayla stared down at the table. Law approached, and he knew the moment would be whisked away. “Hold up Law.” His heart picked up the pace in his chest. Facing the open end of a missile launch tube wouldn’t extract this much emotion from him.
“He’s intelligent, kind, and brave. He’s concerned about my welfare. He never shirks his responsibilities—”
Bullshit. “You’re not a responsibility, woman. You’re my forever girl. I’m about the only sailor who doesn’t have a tattoo, but I’m going to have your face inked over my heart before the year is out. So cut the crap, Ms. Banks, and break the curse.”
Nina’s expression curved in amusement, and then she broke into a hail of laughter watching Kayla’s expression.
Clay interjected. “Captain, I’ve got a plausible.”
“You recognize him?”
“Negative, he’s looking over the car.”
Thirty minutes and one very important unanswered question had gone by too fast. The heavy pill in his stomach wasn’t dissolving. After everything they’d been through, did she honestly believe he didn’t love her? “Kayla—”
“False alarm,” Clay advised. “Guy was probably just looking for valuables.”
“Phase two, it’s time to depart, ladies.” He’d let her off the hook for now, but not forever. She might be the most stubborn woman on the planet, but she’d found her match.
Code Name: Kayla's Fire (A Warrior's Challenge) Page 14