by Hart, Taylor
Sutton moved back to him and Jace, and hesitated. He lowered his voice. “Listen. There’s something you should know.”
“What?” Blaine had been lost for months, but right now, with Elena’s life in danger, his focus was back. It was crisp and clear. He was ready to take this on.
Sutton’s brow furrowed. “The chief of staff out there keeps insisting this was just an attack, a fluke, but I’ve been reading the reports since his call this morning, and there’s something he’s not telling us.”
Blaine tried to absorb this. “Why would he not tell us everything?”
“I don’t know. The senator is also part of the US Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. He could be the target of a terrorist threat.” Sutton exhaled and ran his hand over his face. “I want you to keep the girl safe, and I’ll utilize the rest of the team to do some digging.”
Blaine could do that. He was sharp, focused, and ready. “I got it.”
Chapter 19
Elena watched Sutton and Blaine and one other guy from before. Three more guys that looked like SEALs moved into the office with them. She suppressed her nausea, but she still thought Blaine looked awful. Not like her Blaine, the one whose face she knew not just from sight, but from touch. This Blaine’s face looked old, haggard, and tired.
This Blaine was not the version of the man who’d tortured her in her dreams. The ones where they were back in her apartment and he was sunning himself and reading Shakespeare. The ones where he was teasing her, then tickling her, then pulling her to him and kissing her.
She remembered getting that horrible email, the one where he shattered her world. The memory sparked red-hot anger again, and she wanted to growl just thinking of the money that had showed up in her bank account. Did he think money could make up for breaking her heart, for shattering her life?
His eyes locked with hers, but now, they were in full SEAL mode. He wasn’t betraying anything.
Why was he here? Was fate punishing her? God? Just when she thought she was not thinking about Blaine all the time, she’d gotten taken to his secret hideout where he worked on secret missions. What the crap?
Sutton moved around the desk and sat, steepling his fingers. “We’ll take Elena and keep her in the safe house. We’ll also start digging through the footage and all the files.”
Elena’s heart pounded. “I’m not going with Blaine.”
“What?” Blaine said, trying to look her in the eye.
She kept her focus on Sutton. “I’m sure you have other men that are qualified. I don’t want Sergeant Hammerton assigned to me.”
“This is bull, Elena,” Blaine blurted out.
Finally, she turned to him, and their eyes locked. “Let me see, what did you say in that letter? ‘I was always too dangerous to keep ties with.’”
Blaine huffed. “I’m the most qualified person for this case. I know you. I know your habits. I can keep you safe.”
“Really?” she snapped, wanting to scratch his eyes out. “I don’t think ten days qualifies you as knowing my habits.”
The man standing next to Blaine let out a low whistle.
Antonio gently put his hand on hers. “Elena, I have to get back to Washington and sort some things out. I need you safe.”
Elena yanked back.
Antonio frowned. “Are you okay? You look white as a sheet.”
Blaine reached for a candy on Sutton’s desk. He unwrapped it with a flick of his fingers, then held it out to her. “Low blood sugar. Eat this, Elena.”
No one else in the room spoke. Elena wanted to turn down anything he offered, but she didn’t want to pass out. Reluctantly, she took the candy, putting it into her mouth and feeling instantly better.
She could tell Blaine was suppressing a smile as he turned back to Sutton. “Okay, boss, let’s start.”
Sutton nodded, but put up a hand. “Mr. Hammerton, you talk details with the team. I’m walking the chief of staff out.”
Antonio held Blaine’s eyes for a second, not looking happy. Then he looked to Elena. “Don’t worry. I won’t let them have you very long, mi amor. We’ll figure this out.”
Blaine waited for them to go before he faced Jace, Maddox, Creed, and Logan. “Elena stays here and hangs out with Agatha. We go make sure the safe house is clean, get up security and cameras, and move us in. We’ll have Elena settled in by dinner.”
Elena watched this new version of Blaine. The man with the beard she didn’t recognize. With the leathery, tanned skin and wiry muscles and body that looked like he’d been through … war. She saw a scar on his arm that she knew hadn’t been there before. She saw another on his calf muscle, and she wondered what had happened to him while he’d been a prisoner in Syria. She hadn’t been able to stop herself from reading some articles on his team.
The guys with Blaine sized her up her, and Blaine gave them a quick introduction. “Maddox, Logan, Creed, Jace—Elena.”
They nodded and headed out.
“I’ll catch up to you in just a sec,” Blaine called out after them. He turned to her, his face compassionate. “Are you okay?”
Why hadn’t he come back to her? She wanted to demand it of him. But she only said, “I’m fine. I mean, why wouldn’t I want to go into hiding with the one man I hate?”
Chapter 20
Working with his team to get the safe house set up and Elena relocated had been pretty easy. They secured the house quickly. The cameras were in place. They just had to access everything and install it on their phones. The little condo appeared small to the outside world, stashed near the SEAL training ground on Coronado Island. It was posh. High-tech.
Sutton had decked it out in all the latest tech available to a billionaire, and it had a chic feel. Totally remodeled. There were three bedrooms upstairs, and Blaine had one of the bedrooms converted into a studio for Elena. They’d removed the bed after he’d talked to Sutton, and Sutton had accommodated the request, sending over plenty of canvases and paint supplies. His SEAL team had even made short work of the flooring and added a laminate over the carpet to keep it safe for painting.
The townhome also had a metal staircase leading to a secure room downstairs that had been dug out to be expanded. There was even a shooting range in the basement. It was completely soundproof, and there was a gym downstairs too. Blaine was more impressed with Sutton every day.
Blaine had also put together a proper meal plan to make sure Elena was fed optimally. She needed it, and he worried about her. He’d hated seeing all those bruises.
Sutton had allowed Antonio to have Blaine’s cell number, and he’d told Blaine to keep him updated on Elena’s well-being. Elena would be given a phone too. Right now, Logan was setting up a clean phone for her that was tapped by them. They couldn’t take chances. He highly doubted Elena was in on something, but Sutton left nothing to chance.
Blaine stood in the kitchen, marinating two steaks. Elena needed steak to keep her energy up. Agatha—Sutton’s chef, housekeeper, and longtime trusted friend—had produced everything on Blaine’s shopping list without even leaving the mansion, and Blaine felt more like himself than he had since he’d left her four and a half months ago.
Agatha had come with her and settled her in about an hour ago. Elena had stayed in her room.
The whole team was gone, and Blaine had taken a quick shower. He stopped fixing the marinade and touched his face. He’d shaved. The beard was gone. He looked into a shiny stainless steel appliance on the counter. His blond hair was long and shaggy around the sides, but he felt more like the man he’d been in New York. With her.
She wasn’t married. Wasn’t even engaged. He thought of the way she’d slapped him, but his heart still felt light as a feather. She was here. Didn’t that prove something—that they were meant to be together? It did to him.
Sutton was right, though: something was off. If someone thought Elena had something they wanted, why would they leave her and say they would come back for her?
Pulling out a gl
ass from the cupboard, he filled it with water and slammed it back. He was thirsty. So thirsty. He chugged another glass of water like he’d been awakened from the desert, and then he drank two more.
Blaine finished up the marinade, opened the fridge, and pulled out ingredients for a salad. He pulled out the spinach and thought of the night he’d made the dinner for her with the same dressing. The night he had proposed.
Memories assaulted him. Of first meeting her and eating pancakes at one in the morning. Of watching her paint. Of eating a hot dog with her for the first time. Of how she’d been clear about him staying on the futon.
He thought of breaking down to her about his father. About holding her on the couch. Proposing to her. At that point, he’d known she was his. He’d known they would always be together. He thought of the way her coconut scent drove him wild.
Regret washed through him for the millionth time. He should have married her. Blaine clenched a hand into a fist and took a deep breath. This whole past month, he’d thought she was married.
Anger jolted through him again, this time at himself. He should have pressed it further. He should have found her. All he could remember was staring at that society page on the screen. It’d been obvious today that Sutton had looked at this as an opportunity for Blaine to prove himself. Yes, he would prove himself, but only because he wanted to. He would do anything for her. She needed him, even though she didn’t want him. She needed him right now, and he wouldn’t let her down. The center of his chest filled with emotion he’d thought would never come back.
Even if she hated him right now, she would always be the only woman for him.
He was no longer lost with her here.
Chapter 21
Elena stared out the window. The window was tinted from the outside, so no one could see in. The townhome was in a cul-de-sac. There was a road in front of her, and across that road sprawled the beach.
There were families on the beach. A couple of young girls clustered together, building a sandcastle. It was such a stark contrast to New York and life in a concrete jungle. It reminded her of how she’d told Blaine she wanted to go to Maui one day. He’d been everything to her. A new life. A new her. A new beginning.
Blaine had left her. Dumped her, but the worst part was that he hadn’t come for her.
How had she ended up in the same house with Blaine Hammerton? It was like the universe was playing a cruel joke on her.
Moving to the mirror over the little dresser in the room, she stared at herself. She stared at the fading black eye that had turned yellow but was still swollen, and she thought about how she appeared to Blaine. Back in Sutton’s office, Blaine had looked like he wanted to rip someone’s head off for hurting her.
She set her jaw. This man who’d rejected her, who’d let her go so easily, was now in charge of her security.
There was a knock at the door, and she jolted. She knew it was him. Of course it would be him. That was the deal. They were locked away in this safe house. She’d told them three days. At least three days. What would she do if it was more?
There was another light knock. “Elena.”
She blinked and tried to clear her head. That candy had helped, but Agatha, that dear woman, had given her some chicken soup. Had told her that it would soothe her soul.
That had been a couple of hours ago, and just a bit ago, she’d smelled something coming from downstairs. Pulling back the door, she braced herself to be cool, distant, angry.
Blaine didn’t look how he’d looked five hours earlier. Like a SEAL who’d been in captivity. When she’d first seen him, with that beard, with the obvious lack of concern for his personal appearance, he’d stunk. He’d seemed somewhat confused and worn out.
The Blaine standing in front of her was more like the man she’d been with in New York, though thinner. He’d showered. He’d shaved. She could smell his cologne. There was that same hint of cinnamon. He had on a tight black shirt and jeans. His blond hair was messily gelled back, and he wore his black military watch.
He was back. Her Blaine. The center of her chest melted, and she stumbled back. It was disconcerting how quickly he had reappeared.
Blaine followed her in, reaching out to steady her. He took her shoulders. “Elena.”
She blinked, and time seemed to freeze. He just held her, searching her eyes. For a moment, it felt like nothing had changed between them. As if they’d never endured his last mission or her engagement.
Abruptly, he leaned forward and gently brushed his lips to hers.
Elena jerked back as if she’d been burned. She put her hand up to slap him. “How dare you?”
He caught her hand before it could strike him. “Elena,” he said in that familiar intense way. “I’m sorry. I’m so so so sorry for that email.”
She wanted to hit him again at first. Then she couldn’t stop herself. She wound her arms around his neck, pulling him into her, putting her lips against his. They tasted like “Italian dressing,” she said.
He let out a light laugh. “Still the chef.” He deepened the kiss, and she gave in to him, getting lost, reaching for him just as much as he pulled her closer.
Yes. Yes. Yes. He was here. He was back. But then she pushed him away, feeling all the old insecurity and anger. “I can’t do this.”
“Elena,” he whispered, smelling her.
She blinked and felt the tears on her face. “Let me go, please.”
He obeyed. His eyes were wide, and he looked like he was waiting to see if a bomb would go off. “What’s wrong?”
Wiping beneath her eyes, she cursed. “No, I’m … I can’t do this, Blaine. My heart can’t handle this.”
“Ok.” He put his hands up.
She sucked in a breath and tried to calm herself down. “I mean it, Blaine.”
He sized her up, then nodded. “Fine. But you need to eat, right?” He started out of the room.
She didn’t follow.
“You have to be nourished to heal,” he called out, and she heard him walk down the hall and then go quickly down the stairs.
It angered her that she’d kissed him. It angered her that he looked so amazing. It angered her that he was like a drug to her, that all she wanted to do was kiss him again. Not wanting to go, but knowing she did need to eat, she followed, holding the railing as she made her way down the stairs.
When she got to the bottom, she saw Blaine standing next to a chair and motioning for her to sit. Once she complied, he served her a steak, then sat and served himself.
True to Blaine form, he closed his eyes and muttered a prayer. When he finished, he cut his steak quickly. She watched as he did it with such preciseness.
She picked up her silverware, cut a small bite, and put it in her mouth. It was pure heaven, and she savored it.
They ate in silence that didn’t quite feel comfortable.
“It’s good,” she muttered, hating that manners were so ingrained into her.
After a long moment of silence, he put down his silverware. “Listen, the whole team decided to write those stupid letters in case something happened to us. I’ve regretted doing it hundreds, thousands of times. Today, when I saw you—” He broke off.
She took a sip of water, commanding her heart rate to go down a notch, feeling raw and broken all over again. “The whole team wrote those letters?”
He nodded. “But I shouldn’t have. I should have never let you go.”
“Did you know how dangerous the mission was?” she asked, trying to remain casual.
Blaine measured what he was about to say. “Of course. It’s the reason we all wrote those letters.”
“That letter!” She couldn’t stop the torrent of emotion that rushed through her like a tsunami. “Do you know what that letter did to me?”
“Elena—”
“But do you want to know what was worse than that letter?” She pointed at his face. “It was worse when I knew you were back. I watched the media parade you all around like heroes, and …
and you didn’t come for me!”
He stood, the chair scraping the floor. “I thought you were married.”
“I broke it off. I broke it off because I still loved you.” Her gut writhed in agony. “But you didn’t even have the guts to face me.”
Throwing up his hands into the air, Blaine let out a skittering laugh. “This is unbelievable. I was respecting you. Respecting your marriage. Protecting you.”
Yes, this was Blaine. A man filled with honor, she knew. A man who didn’t want to marry her in a Chapel of Love, because it wasn’t good enough for her. Her eyes fluttered and she heaved in a breath, trying to calm down. “You could have called. I was so confused. I just wanted to hear your voice.”
His jaw clenched. “I knew that if I called you, that if I went to you, I wouldn’t be able to keep my hands off you.” He put his hands on the table and faced her, and the corners of his lips twitched. “You know that. You once joked that we were crack addicts.”
Her stomach rolled with confusion. She was hurt and angry, but he was also here. Right here.
“I knew that, just like a drug addict, if I gave into seeing you, that it would never be enough, that I would beg you to leave him. I couldn’t trust myself to be near you and have another man be your husband. I would want to kill him.” He said it matter-of-factly, pushing back from the table as he raked a hand through his hair. “Don’t you get it? I had to cut off the infected part of me. Believe me, I’ve barely survived.”
The force of his words stunned her. She’d spent the last four months on an emotional roller coaster, and now, the catalyst for her break was standing in front of her, telling her that nothing was like she had thought it’d been. Pain etched into her heart. Had he really thought he was doing the right thing by not coming for her?
Standing, she threw her napkin on the table and rushed off, wishing the tears would go away, feeling her sanity slipping. She stopping before ascending the stairs, yanked the small silver necklace off her neck, and tossed the ring he’d given her at him. “Blaine Hammerton, keep your lips off of me!”