Dara finished her coffee and stood up, placing it on the table. “I’m going to stay with him tonight, Callie.” She turned to catch her sister’s reaction. Callie was never one to judge others, one of the many qualities she loved about her sister.
“The Eagle’s Nest?”
Eyes widening, Dara stared at her. “You know about it?”
Grinning, Callie stood. “Hey, they’re black ops. Every branch has their hidey-holes in Bagram where they take their women. If they’re not married, they can’t go to the conjugal unit on base. You have to find a place to have sex, you know. It isn’t like we’re not flesh-and-blood men and women.” She snorted and placed her empty cup on the counter. “It would be so much smarter of the military to just have a place to go where you could have sex when you wanted it. But no, they pretend single people don’t have any urges. Only married couples do, so they build them nice conjugal units where they can go. Give me a break.”
Laughing a little, Dara asked, “Have you been to the Eagle’s Nest?”
“Yes, once. Consider it a clone of a Marriott flagship hotel. It’s really posh and nice. You’ll feel like you’re stateside in a five-star hotel, not at an Army base in the middle of this godforsaken desert. You’ll love it. It’s quiet, private, and the MPs won’t bust in to find you. They know the black ops community has their places, and they’re off-limits to base security. They leave them alone.”
“So the SEALs have their place? And Special Forces, too?”
“Yup,” Callie said. “Operators think outside the box. They’re infinitely creative, I’ll give them that.” She waved her finger in Dara’s face. “You be careful with your heart here, Dara. I’m sure Matt is a sincere person. He seems like it, at least. But you are in for a rough ride if you think you’re going to have a long-term relationship with him.”
“He’s easy to talk with, Callie, one of the many things I like about him.”
“He’s not your normal operator,” Callie agreed. “Most of them are closed books.”
“What are you going to do about Beau?”
“Nothing. I know why he’s hanging around. He’s nice and all, but I learned my lesson with a Delta operator two years ago. I’m not interested in one-night stands. I might let him buy me dinner, but that’s it. I’d like to meet a guy who isn’t disappearing on me, and once back, isn’t able to tell me when he’ll walk out of my life once again. Relationships mean you see one another fairly often and regularly. You don’t get that at all with a black ops guy.”
“And you think Matt will do that with me?”
“He has no choice. He’s top secret, Dara. He can’t tell anyone when he’s leaving, where he’s going, or when he might return. And because he looks so much like an Afghan with his hair and eye color—plus he speaks their language—I’d bet my life he’s an undercover specialist. And that means he’s in high demand for long-term assignments outside the wire.”
“Which means long months without contact between us?”
“Now you’re getting it.” Callie gripped Dara’s hand and squeezed it. “Just go in with your eyes open, Dara. That’s all.” She glanced at her watch. “I gotta get back to the kids. They’ll be waking up shortly.”
Dara nodded. “And my next patient is waiting for me.”
“See you later, sis,” Callie called, waving as she hurried out of the office.
Dara digested everything Callie had told her. Something was driving her like a lemming over a cliff right now, just to be with Matt. It wasn’t something she could logically define or scientifically study. He stirred within her a mass of deep emotions and yearning simply by his quiet presence.
*
Dara looked around at the Eagle’s Nest after Matt turned on the lights and shut the door behind them. He stood with his hands on her shoulders. It felt good to have him close beside her because she craved intimacy with this man.
“Wow,” she murmured, looking around. “Callie was right. This does look like a five-star Marriott hotel.”
“Callie’s been over here?” he asked.
“Once. She knew about it.”
“Then she told you that we won’t be getting hassled by MPs …”
“Yes.” Dara absorbed the large space, which included a small kitchen, a bedroom, and a small living room, plus an open door revealing a bathroom. The rooms smelled clean and fresh. The white tiles in the kitchen gleamed. Everything was dusted and cared for, just like a hotel room.
“This is a nice place, Matt. Really. I actually feel like I’m not in Afghanistan.”
He smiled a little and moved around her, taking her hand. “That’s the whole idea. Let me show you around.” He pulled her toward the kitchen.
Dara saw a full-sized refrigerator, an electric stove, a long pale green counter, and a double sink. Everything looked modern and recent. “Who was your decorator?” she asked, turning, meeting his gaze.
“This was created ten years ago by the first Delta group coming to Bagram. They worked with the construction groups, made trades, and built it themselves.”
“Doesn’t look that old,” she murmured, running her fingers across the cool quartz countertop.
“Every team that comes here for duty is responsible for keeping it clean and making sure the fridge is stocked.” Matt opened the refrigerator door, revealing some white and red wine, beer, a variety of comfort foods, and even fresh vegetables.
“Do you pick straws to decide who has dibs on it for a night?”
“Sometimes. Rate or rank has its privileges. But we try to make it available when one of our operators has a lady he’d like to have some private time with.”
“Like us?” Dara turned to him, her hands resting on the counter, staring up into his face. She saw the exhaustion in Matt’s eyes, the skin stretched across his cheekbones. The man hadn’t rested much as far as she could tell.
“Yes, like us.” Matt led her into the living room. “All of us consider this important for our mental health.” He motioned to the black leather U-shaped couch, the overstuffed chair, and the chrome and glass coffee table between them. “Sometimes, guys just want time with their woman. It isn’t always about sex, but usually, it ends up in the mix. But we have operators here who are in love with a woman in the military, and this gives them the chance to just sit, talk, relax, and get away from the war for a while.”
“This place certainly makes you think you’re back in Kansas, Dorothy,” Dara quipped, happy when he returned her smile.
“Yes, Dorothy, you are in Kansas right now,” Matt teased, leading her toward the huge king-size bed at the other end of the room. “Consider yourself to have red shoes, too. Just click them. But I think this will be your favorite place.” He led her into the huge bathroom. Matt pointed to a two-person shower on the right. “Real rain-shower heads. And over here, a large garden tub to soak in.”
Dara sighed as she saw the elegant tub. “Oh, that looks so good, Matt. My aching feet can hardly wait.”
“Yeah,” he said, “you’ve worked hard, no question. That’s a small spa. It’s my favorite place. I can unwind, get the soreness soaked out of my body, and still have a can of beer.”
She smiled. “This place is opulent, no question.”
Matt went to the double sink and opened the door beneath it. He pulled out two bars of new soap. “One for you and one for me. Are you ready for that soak, Dr. McKinley? Or do you want to eat our takeout first?”
Her stomach grumbled. She pressed her hand to it, embarrassed.
Matt grinned and set out two huge pink plush towel sets on the counter. “Sounds like you want to eat first.”
Dara laughed. “Let’s eat,” she agreed.
She nudged off her shoes and walked on the creamy carpet, which felt wonderful on her aching arches. Matt took her to the round glass table and pulled out a chair with rollers on it. He gave her a glass of chilled white wine to sip while he prepared their takeout at the counter. The air soon filled with a delicious scent of Middle
Eastern spices. He’d ordered lamb tagine with vegetables, and the aromas made her mouth water in anticipation.
Dara watched as he set the table, replete with bright yellow mats beneath the white china plates. “I feel like I’ve stepped into another reality,” she admitted.
Matt nodded as he stirred the food in a pot on the stove. “Try being out on an op for a month and then coming here to relax afterward. Kind of warps your reality, for sure.”
Dara nodded, watching him work. He wore a pair of Levi’s, combat boots, and a white, long-sleeved shirt that brought out his dark tan and his sun-streaked dark brown and gold hair. There were no wasted movements as he organized the entire meal in fifteen minutes.
She saw how much he wished to please her, felt it deep within her. There was no question her heart was involved, and Dara didn’t try to hide from it. As he brought over the food in several steaming bowls, the scents surrounding her, she knew she needed to have a serious talk with him.
As Matt sat down, a can of cold beer off to one side of his bowl filled with the tagine lamb, he picked up a white linen napkin and pulled it across his lap. “Go ahead, eat,” he urged.
“This is so sumptuous,” she murmured. “And it smells so good.”
“When you get home, will you call my mother? Often, she stays at home and cooks a meal for lunch. If you get lucky, she’ll do that for you.” He gestured to the tagine. “This is good food, but my mother’s food is to die for.”
“When do you think you’ll be home again, Matt?”
He ate hungrily. Between bites, he said, “I have leave coming for Christmas. I get home on December fifteenth and don’t return to the base here until January fifteenth.” He held her gaze. “And I hope that you and I can see a lot of each other.”
Dara’s heart leaped with hope. Callie’s lecture earlier had depressed her. “I’d like that, Matt.”
“Are you going home for Christmas? To Montana?”
“No. I’ve agreed to take over some of my doctor friends’ hospital rounds during the holidays so they can be with their families. I’m single, and they have wives and kids.”
“That’s nice of you to do that,” Matt said. “Are you off Christmas Eve and Christmas Day?”
“Yes, in a way. I’m on call, which means if there’s a pediatric emergency, I have to get to the hospital. I’m crossing my fingers it won’t happen.”
“Why don’t you consider spending that time with me and my family, then? My uncles and aunts from Turkey and our cousin from Greece are coming over to celebrate the holidays with us. You could meet all of them. They’re a real cast of characters, passionate, involved with life, and you’ll love them, just like they’ll love you.”
“I’d like that, Matt. Do you all get together every holiday?”
He shrugged. “When we were kids, the answer was yes. But we’re adults now and we have careers and responsibilities that don’t always mesh with the holidays. This year is special because my older sister, Tal, is going to be home. And so will Alexa. It isn’t often that all three of us can get leave for the same holiday. Our military demands are high, and it’s tough to arrange it.” Matt gave her a warm look. “So, you will meet my whole family. It’s rare for all of us to be at the same place at the same time.”
“I would think it’s tough to coordinate being home,” Dara agreed. The lamb was succulent, the scent of rosemary and mild curry giving her a buzz of pleasure. “Are you all career military?”
“No. And that’s something I’ve wanted some time to tell you about, Dara.”
She heard the seriousness in Matt’s voice. “What? You’re not going to be a Delta Force operator for the rest of your life?” she teased. A part of her heart hoped it was possible, but what else would Matt do if he left the military? Callie had said operators usually became civilian contractors. And they were still away from home a lot, in some dangerous foreign country, providing services to those who needed protection.
“Well, this is top secret,” he said, “but I wanted you to know about it. My entire family runs, as you know, Delos, a global charity. And the world has changed, Dara. Some of our charities in certain unstable countries are now putting our volunteers and employees at risk, just like Maggie and Callie are here at risk here with Hope Charity. My father, along with our Turkish uncles and Greek cousin, has created Artemis Security. It will be our own in-house security agency within Delos. We’ll protect and help all of our charities around the world.”
Her eyes widened over the concept. “Do other charities have their own security companies like yours?”
“No. But a larger charity will hire security contractors and have them protect the volunteers and people in a country that’s destabilized when necessary.”
“Callie said it cost a hundred thousand dollars to hire one security contractor.”
Matt cut up some of the meat in his bowl. “Yes, they don’t come cheap. They’re highly trained operators who were once in the military.”
“Where are the Delos charities, Matt?”
“We have them on every continent except Antarctica.”
“How does this affect you?” Dara asked.
“Tal is out of the military now and is the CEO of Artemis. When my Army enlistment is up, I’m going to head up the Kidnapping and Ransom, or KNR, division. Alexa is still in the Air Force. When she turns in her commission, she is going to handle the Safe House division. Our father and his two brothers are all generals or an admiral in different branches of the military. Tal, Alexa, and I all have military contacts and networking capabilities. Our uncles and cousin run the two largest shipping businesses in the world. They know the political lay of the land in every country with a port one of their ships pulls into. They also have strong internal connections with these governments and other power brokers. So, between all of us, our security company will probably have more intel, faster and more reliable info, than most countries on this globe will ever hope to have.”
Dara raised her brows, digesting the information. “That sounds like a huge undertaking.”
“It’s been planned for nearly a year now,” he told her. “And right now, Tal is working with my father and the contractors and they’re putting the final touches on the building where Artemis is going to be based.”
“When are you leaving the Army, then?” she asked.
“My enlistment is up next March first. I’ll leave then.”
“Where is Artemis?”
“On a farm just outside Alexandria, Virginia.” Matt held her gaze. “So you see? I’m not going to be that far from you, Dara.”
Her heart pounded with hope. “But will you still be black ops, Matt? Gone for long periods of time? Overseas somewhere?”
“No. I’ll stay at home. Tal is busy hiring security teams right now. They will be the ones sent on a particular mission to a particular charity that needs our help or protection. Tal’s fiancée, Wyatt Lockwood, a former Navy SEAL, is heading up our Mission Planning department. He’s responsible for the overall creation of an op and how it’s brought together, choosing the right security personnel to go into a charity that’s having problems. I’ll be staying home to deal with the KNR issues that are plaguing some of our charities right now. I’ll coordinate directly with Wyatt. We’ll brief the team and then send it in.”
“Why can’t the government in that country help your charity?”
He gave her a deadpan look. “What? Like the Afghan government has reached out to help the Hope Charity? Have they provided any Afghan security to stop the looting that’s always taking place?” He shook his head as he speared a carrot. “No, that’s why we’re in the process of creating our own internal security company, Dara. We’re going to be responsive. If someone needs our help, and the country involved is incapable of protecting our volunteers, we’ll get wheels up within twenty-four hours.
“Right now, charities around the world are under fire from different factions that want to shut them down, and the people that need the h
elp most are left starving, with no medical support, or any other kind, if the charity is destroyed. Our biggest worry is keeping our people safe. Our people deserve that from us and we’re making it a reality.”
“That’s a huge undertaking,” Dara said, somber. “So next March, you’re home for good?” The thought galvanized her. It took away the dread and worry of Matt’s always being in danger because that was his job.
“Yes.”
“What about your sister Alexa?”
“She’s going to quit in March, too. By then, Tal will have all the employees hired and the place up and running. All we have to do is step into our departments, pick up the reins, and then coordinate. It sounds easy, but it’s not. When I get home in December, Tal, Alexa, and I are going to be spending a lot of time out at the new facility. It’s going to be state-of-the-art in every possible way. My family can afford to buy the latest equipment and get it installed.”
“At least your money is going for something good. Something positive,” Dara murmured.
“That’s what I love most about my family,” Matt said with a slight smile. “They do good things for the world. Charity is about more than giving out money, medicine, food or supplies. We educate women to read and write, we help them start up small businesses, and the farmers we work with get better organic seed, not GMO crap. We show them how to increase their food yields. It’s a win-win for everyone, Dara.”
She shook her head, giving him a look. “You are so much more than who you appear to be, Matt. You constantly amaze me.”
“I’m black ops, sweetheart. I only reveal myself on a need-to-know basis.”
She warmed to the burning look in Matt’s eyes, her body yearning for him in every way. “I think I’m stuffed,” Dara admitted, pushing the bowl away. “I’m more than ready for that hot bath.”
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