by Susan Stoker
“You think I was gonna leave without saying goodbye?” he asked.
She shrugged again. “I don’t know anything about how the military works. I figured you and your friends might leave right away.”
“No. We had to debrief,” he told her. “After we landed, I was talking to the guys who flew us out, and then I turned around and you were gone.”
“I was gonna say something, but you were busy…and the woman who greeted me seemed anxious to get me inside,” Lexie said.
“I’m sorry,” he said.
She shook her head. “No, it’s fine.”
“You eat?”
“Yeah. The doctor called someone and they brought me something.”
“Something?” Midas questioned.
“Yeah, don’t ask me what it was. Some kind of meat in a heavy sauce. Honestly, I was so hungry I would’ve eaten anything.”
“You get your sweet coffee?” he asked.
She snorted. “No. Two bags of IV fluids and two bottles of water.”
“To be fair, that was probably better for you.”
“I know.”
“You know there’s a shower in here,” he said gently.
“It’s stupid, but the more the doctor tried to convince me to change, the more nervous it made me. I don’t have anything, Midas. Nothing. No clothes. No shoes. Not even underwear. And if they take these scrubs away…” Her voice trailed off.
Midas got it. He did. “It’s okay,” he said.
“It’s not. I’m being ridiculous. I mean, these scrubs aren’t even really mine. I’ve only had them less than a day. They’re dirty and sweaty…but they’re literally all I have.”
Midas’s heart ached.
“And I’m not giving up Shermake’s shoes. He gave them to me when they were probably the only pair he had. Yeah, he can get another from whatever charity organization is giving them out, but still.”
“It’s okay,” he assured her again, running a hand over her hair. It was just as unruly as the last time they’d lain together, but this time his hands were free and he had room to touch her. His fingers tangled in the thick strands, and he couldn’t help but smile.
“If you’re not careful, you’ll lose your hand,” she told him.
She’d stopped crying, which Midas was grateful for. He hated to think of her lying alone in this room, cold, uneasy, and upset. “I’ll risk it,” he told her.
Several minutes went by in silence. Midas felt content just to hold her and stroke her hair gently.
Lexie broke the silence by asking, “I know why I’m still in my dirty, smelly clothes, but why are you?”
He chuckled. “We went to debrief and just got out a bit ago. I wanted to make sure you were settled and all right, so I came straight here.”
She got up on one elbow and looked at him with an incredulous expression. There was a light on across the room, more than enough to see each other.
“What?” he asked.
“When do you leave?”
“In a few hours.”
She fell back down on him with a sigh. “There’s a shower in here you could use,” she said, echoing his words.
“I know. But I’m comfortable where I am at the moment.”
“Midas?”
“Right here.”
“I’m gonna miss you,” she admitted softly.
Midas closed his eyes in relief. God, this woman was so much braver than he was at the moment. He hadn’t wanted to pressure her. To talk about what would come next for them, if anything. “Me too.”
“You’re gonna miss you too?” she teased.
“Smart-ass. You been taking lessons from Aleck? No, I’m gonna miss you.”
“But not me smushing you when you’re trying to sleep,” she quipped.
“I actually like this. A lot,” he told her. “You think you might want to keep in touch when we leave?” Midas blurted. He winced at how abrupt the question was, but he couldn’t take it back now. He held his breath, waiting for her response.
She picked up her head once more to look at him. “Seriously?”
“Yes?” It came out more a question than a statement.
“I’d love to,” she said with a smile.
“Phew,” he said with exaggeration.
“I have to warn you though, I dictate my emails and texts, because you know…dyslexia, and there are usually typos.”
“Don’t care,” Midas said immediately.
“You might when you can’t understand what I’m saying,” she warned.
“If I don’t understand, I’ll tell you. But you’re underestimating my ability. I’m a big bad SEAL, you know.”
She laughed as she lay back down once more.
“I’ve never felt this way before,” he admitted.
“What way?” she asked.
“Connected. Concerned. Excited to get to know someone better. Frustrated that I have to leave in a few hours. Worried about what’s next for you.”
Lexie didn’t immediately respond.
“Lex? Too much?” he asked.
“No,” she said, shaking her head. “I just… I feel the same, but I was just wondering if it was because of the circumstances. I mean, I told you I wasn’t a damsel in distress, but what if I am? What if I’m feeling so connected to you because you rescued me?”
Midas couldn’t help but feel disappointed at the idea. Though he understood. He did. “I can’t tell you how to feel,” he said. “But you have to understand that I’ve been involved in the rescue of more people than I can count. And I’ve never skipped a shower, a meal, and a nap to make sure they’re all right. I’ve always let the doctors do their thing and moved on.
“You’ve gotten under my skin, Lex. Maybe it’s because I knew you in high school. I don’t know. But I’m not willing to just let this go. I’ve never seen Mustang as happy or content as he is right now. And if it worked out for him and Elodie, why can’t it work out for me too?”
He’d probably said too much, but this was important, and he knew it. He had a feeling if he left without making sure Lexie understood this wasn’t casual for him, he’d never see her again.
“I have no idea what’s next for me,” she said softly. “Seriously, no clue what happens next. Where I’m going, how I’m getting back to the States, if I’m going back to the States. I need to talk to my boss at Food For All and see if I even have a job. I’m scared to death, and before you came in here, I was feeling sorry for myself and having a pity party. But I like you, Midas. I always have, even back when we were teenagers. And now that I know you a little better…yeah, I definitely want to keep in touch.”
“Good,” he said firmly. “I’ll give you my phone number, email, and address. Feel free to call me whenever you want, and write or text. And you’re gonna land on your feet, I know it. The authorities on the ship are working on figuring out how to get you somewhere safe, and they’ll help you get in touch with the Food For All people. Don’t worry about all that. You’re in good hands here on the ship.”
She nodded against him. “Okay. I’ll give you my email too.”
“Okay,” he echoed.
It felt as if a ton of bricks had been lifted off his shoulders. She wanted to stay in touch. It didn’t answer the question of where things would go for them, but it was a start.
His eyes began to get heavy as he lay with Lexie against him. He’d set his watch alarm so he knew he wouldn’t oversleep, and that, along with the woman in his arms being safe and the knowledge that they’d be communicating after he left, was enough to finally make him let down his guard.
Midas fell into a deep sleep, more restful than any he’d gotten since he’d learned that Lexie Greene, a girl he used to know, had been kidnapped.
Midas’s watch vibrated what seemed like minutes later, but had actually been three hours. Regretfully, he slipped out from under Lexie and headed for the small bathroom in the infirmary. He saw his duffle bag sitting inside the door to the room and smiled. Thank God fo
r Mustang. He showered and changed into clean clothes before returning to Lexie’s side.
She’d turned onto her side after he left and was clutching the pillow to her chest. Midas covered her with the blanket that had slipped off her shoulders and couldn’t resist leaning in close and kissing her forehead.
Her eyes opened, and she stared at him for a second before turning onto her back. “It’s time?” she asked.
“Unfortunately, yes.”
“Be safe,” she told him.
“Always.”
“You showered,” she said.
“Yeah, I didn’t think the guys would appreciate my stinkiness on the long flights home. Not to mention everyone else.”
“You being clean makes me realize how dirty I am,” she said with a wrinkle of her nose.
“I left you some clothes in the bathroom,” Midas told her.
She blinked. “You did?”
“Yeah. They’ll be too big,” he warned. “You and I aren’t exactly the same size. But I figured you might not mind the too-big T-shirt. You’ll have to roll the sweatpants, but they should make do until you can find something that fits better. They do have a commissary on the ship, so you can get something in your size.”
“Thank you,” she whispered.
“I also left two pairs of socks and a small bag. You can put your shoes and things in it so no one mistakenly throws them away.”
“Shit, you’re gonna make me cry,” Lexie said, as she lifted to a sitting position.
“Don’t do that,” Midas pleaded.
They stared at each other for a long moment.
Midas wasn’t sure who made the first move, but suddenly they were both leaning toward each other. Then their lips met. Unlike when they’d kissed in Galkayo, this kiss didn’t start out slow and easy. It was passionate and almost desperate from the get-go.
Midas had the use of his hands this time, and he palmed the back of Lexie’s head, holding her in place as he devoured her. She gave as good as she got, moaning in the back of her throat and clutching the front of his shirt as they kissed. He hadn’t shaved yet, and he was aware that his stubble was probably irritating her, but he couldn’t stop.
Their tongues dueled; he nipped her bottom lip, and she did the same. He tilted his head one way, then the other, all while holding her still for his assault on her lips.
Midas was hard as a pike, and he wanted nothing more than to push Lexie back on the bed and show her how much she was beginning to mean to him. But this wasn’t the time or the place. Anyone could walk in, and the last thing Midas would ever do was put Lexie in a position to be embarrassed.
He pulled back, but kept his hand on her head. He brought his other hand up and cupped her cheek. They were both breathing hard and he could see her pupils were dilated. Her cheeks were flushed, her lips were plump from their kiss. She was fucking gorgeous, and Midas hated to have to leave her.
“Wow,” she whispered.
“This isn’t goodbye,” he said, a little harsher than he’d meant.
She nodded.
“I mean it,” he warned. “The second you get off this ship, I want you to get a phone. Even one of those throwaway ones. I need to be able to talk to you. Find out where you are, what’s going on.”
“I’m sure Food For All can help me get one,” Lexie said.
“Good.”
He rested his forehead against hers and slowly untangled his hand from her hair. It was as if even her hair wanted to hold on to him, because it took a few seconds to free himself from the curly mass. “You’ve got this,” he said softly. “You’re amazing, Lexie. Things will work out. I know it.”
He didn’t know if he was talking about things between them working out, or her life in general, but it didn’t matter. He was well aware that Lexie didn’t need him. She was perfectly fine on her own. But he was beginning to think that he needed her. She made him want things he’d never even thought about before. Having a family. Doing more than merely existing between missions.
“I’ll let you know when we get back to Hawaii.”
She nodded.
Midas pulled back and sighed. It was time for him to go. “No goodbyes,” he said again.
She nodded.
“See you later,” he said softly.
“See you,” she echoed.
Midas stood and walked backward toward the door, not wanting to turn his back on her. He gripped the handle, took a deep breath, then pushed the door open before finally turning around to step out.
Each step down the hall was painful, but he vowed this wouldn’t be the last time he saw her. Somehow, someway, he’d see Lexie again and prove that the connection they felt was real. And not just a matter of circumstance.
Magnus Brander sat in a leather chair in his office staring straight ahead at nothing, in disbelief. He had no idea how this had happened. It was bad enough that his brother, his twin, had been kidnapped, but not once had Magnus ever thought he wouldn’t get through the ordeal.
Some people scoffed at the notion that twins had some sort of higher-level connection, but in his and Dagmar’s case, it was absolutely true. When they were babies, they’d had their own language. They’d babbled for hours and had been able to understand each other perfectly.
When they were in grade school, they’d pitched a fit if they weren’t allowed to be in the same classes, on the same teams, or to do the same activities. Then they were rowdy adolescents, playing the normal tricks twins played on teachers and friends when they were teenagers.
And throughout it all, they were connected on a visceral level.
When Dagmar fell off his bike and broke his arm, Magnus felt it. When Magnus was in a car accident in his twenties, Dagmar had been the first person to call him, having known something was wrong.
So when Dagmar had been kidnapped while visiting one of the Food For All outposts, Magnus had sensed it immediately.
He’d done everything in his power to free his twin, even personally putting up the ransom amount that had been demanded.
But it wasn’t enough.
The bastards had reneged on their agreement and doubled the amount.
There was no way Magnus would have paid for some American woman he didn’t even know. And the more he’d learned about this Lexie Greene person, the more adamant he became. She didn’t even have a college education, for God’s sake! She was a nobody. Had nobody. Why should he—or Food For All, for that matter—pay for her release? Employees like her were a dime a dozen.
Dagmar was smart. And talented. And worth something.
And Magnus had just gotten word that his brother was dead. But he didn’t need to be officially informed.
He’d already known his other half was gone. It was as if the moment it happened, part of his soul had been destroyed.
An emptiness sat in his chest where Dagmar’s presence had resided. No one who wasn’t a twin would understand.
Magnus was numb.
Yet deep down, a flicker of emotion was building…
Determination to make the person responsible for his brother’s death pay.
As far as he was concerned, there was only one person on his radar.
Lexie fucking Greene.
If it hadn’t been for her, Dagmar would’ve been released when the kidnappers were notified that the five million had been raised. But because of Lexie, they’d gotten greedy. Had decided to hold out for more.
Magnus didn’t care that some people would think he was being crazy. He knew he wasn’t. Lexie was the reason his best friend, the other half of his soul, was dead.
She was a fucking nobody! If she’d been worthy or important enough for someone to pony up the ransom for her, his brother would still be alive! She was the reason the kidnappers hadn’t let his brother go.
And she’d regret being the one to live while his brother had died. Magnus didn’t know how, or when, but he’d make it happen.
Lexie Greene needed to die. She might as well have held a gun to
Dagmar’s head and pulled the trigger. This was her fault. All her fault.
Chapter Eight
Lexie scanned the crowd as she walked toward the baggage carousels in the Honolulu International Airport. It had been one month, two days, and eighteen hours since she’d last seen Midas.
The first thing she’d done when she’d landed in Germany after being flown there by Food For All, and after talking to one of their relocation specialists, was get a cell phone. She’d sent Midas an email letting him know she now had a phone, and he’d responded literally within ten minutes.
They’d talked either via text, email, or phone calls every day since, while she’d spent time in Germany resting, regrouping, and replacing her wardrobe. It had been her choice to stay for so long. She’d had a lot of thinking to do about her future.
She had to give it to Food For All, they’d gone out of their way to help her transition back to the States. They’d paid for her hotel in Germany, as well, and given her all the time she needed to process what she’d been through and what she wanted to do next. Even though she’d only been held captive for three months, it felt like the entire world had passed her by in that time. It was silly really, not that much had changed, but acclimating to being able to do what she wanted, whenever she wanted, was tougher than she’d thought it would be after her rescue.
She’d also been allowed to choose her next assignment. She could go literally anywhere in the world where Food For All had a presence. Usually, she had to choose assignments based on what was available and according to seniority. Even though she’d been working for the organization for a decade and a half, there were plenty of people above her in the food chain, so she’d never gotten the most choice locations.
When she was presented with the list of every Food For All location, there was only one that really appealed.
It was crazy. Was she really going to choose to go to Hawaii because of a man?
Yes. Absolutely.
Lexie couldn’t get the time she’d spent with Midas out of her head. While she one hundred percent wouldn’t wish what she’d been through on anyone, she couldn’t help but remember how attentive Midas had been during her visit to the Galkayo hospital. He’d been concerned enough not to wait for the doctor to put in her IV. She’d felt safe when they were hiding from the men hunting her. She’d never had anyone be so protective of her before. And while she knew part of that was because she was a mission, that wasn’t the only reason.