Gina hadn’t wanted to be here, but Jack had told her she couldn’t go with the team to their headquarters. He hadn’t wanted her to return to the hotel, so Matt called Evie to come and pick her up. That had been over an hour ago now.
Evie smiled. “You change your mind about that coffee? I can whip it up in no time.”
“That would be nice,” Gina said. Because she was cold and the coffee would be hot. She let her gaze wander the kitchen and great room of Matt and Evie’s house. The kitchen was huge, with commercial appliances, and the great room had soaring wood ceilings from which an iron chandelier was suspended. It looked like a European cottage, all warm and homey.
Gina’s heart squeezed at the thought of having a home. She owned six houses, and she enjoyed all of them, but not one of them had the same feeling this one did.
Evie started the coffee brewing and set a plate of cranberry bars on the island. She fixed a serious look on Gina. “I know you must be frantic. Being here with me doesn’t help, but it’ll work out. The guys know what they’re doing.”
“I know they do.” Gina took a cranberry bar and bit off a corner. “I feel like I should be doing something, though.”
“I know the last thing you want is advice, but try to save your energy during these down times. You’ll need everything you’ve got once you go after your boy.”
Gina nodded and Evie turned back to the stove to check her sauce. A few moments later, the coffee was done and she poured them both a cup. Gina fixed hers with cream and lifted the hot cup to take a sip.
“How do you do this, Evie?”
“It’s not too hard. You just need really good coffee—”
“I didn’t mean the coffee.” Gina swallowed. “I meant… this. This life. Where you wait for Matt while knowing he’s doing something dangerous.”
Evie smiled. “Oh, you never really get used to it. But Matt doesn’t go out on many missions anymore, so that helps. He directs a lot of operations, and sometimes he still goes in the field. This time will be one of them, I’m sure.” She shrugged. “You just go about your business and have faith that your man knows what he’s doing. Matt wouldn’t cater an event for forty Junior League ladies, and I wouldn’t strap on a gun and go after the bad guys.”
“Lucky does it.”
“Lucky is different.” Evie nibbled her lip for a second. “I know it’s none of my business, but Hawk—Jack—is a good guy. He’s quiet. Enigmatic, maybe. But he was hurt pretty badly when his wife died, or so Matt tells me. I think it’s made him more cautious than usual. But when he’s with you, well… he seems a little different, that’s all.”
Gina had a lump in her throat. Was Jack different with her? And was that a good thing or a bad thing? “Eli is his son. Did Matt tell you that?”
Evie nodded. “It was a shock to everyone, I think.”
“Including Jack.” She lowered her gaze, unwilling to see the condemnation in the other woman’s eyes.
But Evie reached out and put her hand over Gina’s. “Hey, I’m not judging you. You had your reasons, and they’re none of my business.”
Gina pulled in a breath. “Thanks. But I should have told him before now. I just didn’t know how. He says he’ll never forgive me.”
She didn’t know what made her confess that, but Evie squeezed her hand and Gina was glad she’d shared. She was so accustomed to doing everything alone, to making her own way and being in charge of her destiny. It was lonely, but she did it. She sometimes wondered where her little sister was, but she had no idea who had adopted her. Her mother hadn’t kept any paperwork—or maybe she hadn’t known either. Gina had no idea if the adoption had been open or closed.
“Men say things in the heat of anger that they later regret. Give him time, Gina.”
“He saved me three years ago. I wouldn’t have made it out alive if not for him. And I didn’t repay him very well, did I?”
“It’s not an easy situation, I’ll grant you that. But Eli is a real person, and he’s half you and half Jack. For his sake, y’all will have to figure it out.”
Her chest ached. “You sound so positive that we’ll get him back.”
Evie smiled. “That’s because I am. I’ve seen the team in action before, and you have too. We know what they can do. Have faith in that.”
Gina gripped her coffee cup in both hands and let the warmth flood her. “Have you been with Matt long?”
Evie’s smile turned dreamy. “My whole life.” Then she shook her head slightly and laughed. “Okay, not quite. But I’ve loved him since I was about eight, I think. We grew up together. He was my best friend when we were kids. Then he left me and went to join the Army.” She shrugged. “I didn’t see him for ten years, and then we met again last summer.”
“Wow. Clearly it worked out though.”
“Yes. We’ll get married at Reynier’s Retreat someday.”
“Reynier’s Retreat?”
“It’s Matt’s family’s home. An elegant antebellum mansion with giant columns and a front veranda unlike any you’ve ever seen. The gardens are divine.”
Gina felt a pinch of envy. Not over the house so much as the way Evie was so happy—and also how she had a place where she belonged.
“Where’s home?”
“Rochambeau, Louisiana. It’s a small town, kinda nutty, but I love it. I have to admit I didn’t always, but I do now. My mama and sister and all my family are there. I think Matt and I will live there one day.”
“That sounds wonderful.”
“It is. You’ll have to come visit sometime.”
Gina swallowed. “I’d like that.”
Evie laughed. “If you walked into Mama’s salon, half the ladies in Rochambeau would be scandalized to their roots and the other half would think they’d just witnessed the second coming.”
Gina couldn’t help the laugh that burst from her then. “I remember small-town living. We never stayed long in one place, but that sounds about right.”
Evie looked curious. “Where’s your family from?”
Gina shrugged as embarrassment settled in the pit of her stomach. “I don’t really have any. There was just Mom and me, and she’s gone now. She was a teen mother and her family threw her out. She never spoke about them.”
“I shouldn’t have asked.”
“No, it’s fine.” And it was, except for the little hole in Gina’s heart. “That’s life.”
Evie straightened and went over to the liquor cabinet where she grabbed a bottle of whiskey. “How about we doctor this coffee up a little bit, hmm? I make a mean brandied coffee.”
Gina pushed her cup toward Evie. “Sounds like a plan to me.”
*
“We shouldn’t take her.” Jack sat at the conference table in the ready room and stared at his teammates. They were giving each other looks they clearly thought he was missing. He wasn’t missing a damned thing. “She’s a civilian and she’s not trained.”
“But Metaxas wants her there. And if she’s not there in twenty-four hours, we don’t know what he’ll do,” Billy said. “We can’t risk the kid’s life.”
“We can get in and out before the deadline.” He didn’t want to risk Eli’s life—but he didn’t want to risk Gina’s either. He needed space on this op, and that was something he wasn’t going to get if Gina was there. His usual calm had gone MIA.
And they all knew it.
Kev leaned forward, elbows on the table. “No guarantee we can. You remember that place. Metaxas’s compound is on an isolated peninsula. There’s no easy way in or out.”
“It’s not that damned isolated. There’s a city on the other side of the island.” But there was a mountain between the peninsula and the city, and only one twisty road that connected the two.
Jack knew what they were saying made sense, and yet he couldn’t help having a visceral reaction to the idea of Gina going to Metaxas. Of her being in that house again and being in danger. There had to be another way.
But there wasn�
�t. He knew it. They knew it. And they were looking at him with sympathy, waiting for him to admit what they all knew. No one said anything.
Jack threw down the pen he’d been tapping on the table and let out an explosive breath. “All right, fine. We have no choice. She goes.”
The door opened and Colonel Mendez walked in. Everyone shot to their feet and snapped to attention.
“As you were,” he said.
Everyone sat. Mendez walked over and looked at the maps arrayed on the table. Then he glanced up at the slide on the screen which showed the aerial view of Metaxas’s compound and another view of the island. It was a large island with a flourishing tourism trade. But that was on a different part and not easily reachable from the side where Metaxas had built his house.
“This is a tricky one,” Mendez said as walked up to the screen. Then he turned back to them. “On many levels.”
He sank into his usual seat and let his hard gaze slide over them. It lingered on Jack, and that wasn’t something he liked very much. In all the years with HOT, he’d never actually been the object of Mendez’s scrutiny. He did his job, he kept his mouth shut, and he stayed out of trouble.
Clearly, that era was over.
“Not asking how the kid is yours, Hawk,” Mendez finally said. “Though I figure I already know.”
“Yes, sir,” Jack said, keeping his gaze on the colonel’s face. There was no denying what everyone knew. And no denying when it had happened either. They all remembered those three days when he’d been isolated with Gina and waiting for the team to extract him.
Mendez’s gaze slipped on by and Jack’s breath slowly left his body. The colonel had been known to make lesser men cry. Jack didn’t think it was possible with him, and yet he really didn’t want to find out.
“This mission isn’t completely regulation, but we’re going anyway. Turns out Stavros Metaxas has been a busy man lately. He’s entered into negotiations with the opposition forces in Qu’rim.”
Jack could see Lucky stiffen out of the corner of his eye. She’d done a lot to stop the violence in Qu’rim, but unfortunately it had taken on a life of its own. The Freedom Force was effectively dismantled, but there were always other groups waiting to take its place.
The Qu’rimi Opposition had been infiltrated long ago by militants. They were severely weakened after Al Ahmad’s defeat, but they weren’t dead yet. An influx of weapons would only prolong the violence.
Jack’s blood began to hum. If Metaxas was negotiating with the Qu’rimis, he was a target. And Jack was the one who’d get to pull the trigger.
But Mendez’s gaze swung back to him. “Brandy’s taking point on this one.”
Jack’s anger surged. His spotter was a good sniper, one of the best—but he was better. The best. And this bastard was his. “Sir, I respectfully disagree.”
“You don’t get to disagree, Hawk. You’re emotionally compromised and we don’t have an order to kill. I need to know that my sniper will obey orders.”
He thought of the last time he’d taken out a Metaxas. He’d done the job—and then he’d done more than he was supposed to. But Gina was alive because of that choice, and he didn’t regret it.
“All right.”
Mendez raised an eyebrow. “All right?”
“All right, sir,” Jack amended.
The colonel’s eyes flashed. “I shouldn’t let you go on this mission at all.”
Jack’s gut clenched hard. But he didn’t open his mouth. Mendez was testing him. Looking for a fight. Looking for weakness.
He wouldn’t show it.
Finally, Mendez nodded. “I’m not that cruel. But I expect you to follow orders and do the job properly.”
He stood then and everyone followed suit, snapping to attention until the colonel walked out.
The guys all looked at each other, their expressions grim. “You heard the man,” Matt said. “Let’s bug out.”
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
GINA SAT IN ONE of the plush leather club chairs on her plane and scrolled through her phone, looking at pictures of Eli. Jack was nearby, chin on his fist as he brooded. They hadn’t spoken in about an hour now. It was hell being near him like this and not knowing what to say.
It was almost like being back in the cave together, except there hadn’t been any bad blood between them then and conversation had flowed freely. She’d been scared, but he’d kept her mind off it and she’d talked about so many things. Not everything, but almost.
Now she had no idea what to say to this man. The father of her child. The soldier who made her belly clench and her sex ache with one hot look. What was wrong with her? She had no time for this kind of thing. No time for speculation and memories of the heat they’d shared.
But he was Eli’s father, and it was inevitable she would remember how that had happened. Especially since they were returning to the island where they’d made Eli.
Her heart squeezed at the thought of going back into the lion’s den. She didn’t want to go, and yet she had no choice. Stavros had told her she would never see Eli again if she didn’t come. So she was on her way and terrified about what awaited her.
But she was determined too. She wasn’t letting Stavros have her baby. She would do whatever it took to get him back.
The rest of the team was on another plane, traveling a similar route. Jack would stay in contact with them, but she and Jack were essentially on their own. She’d thought they would travel together as they had to Las Vegas, but Jack had explained it was better to go separately. It was always possible Stavros would have her watched when she landed at the airport, and if she emerged from the same plane as Jack’s team did, Stavros might know it. That was a risk they couldn’t take.
Gina closed her eyes and imagined having Eli back safe and unharmed.
Jack blew out a breath and her eyes snapped open. He’d seemed agitated from the moment she’d met him on the tarmac at the airport, and it hadn’t changed much since.
“Penny for your thoughts,” she said and then wanted to bite her tongue because it was so lame.
Jack slanted a dark look at her. “It’s nothing.”
Gina sighed. “Then stop looking like someone peed in your cornflakes. You’re making the flight attendants nervous.”
She didn’t know that he was, but it was something to say. Besides, neither of the attendants had been back here in half an hour. They knew not to disturb Gina unless she buzzed them. She liked her quiet time for reflection when traveling. Not that it happened often, considering she usually traveled with a retinue. Except for the flight staff, they’d all been left home this time.
Thank God.
Barry was off to Hawaii with a new lover, none the wiser that he’d been the object of Jack’s suspicion for a few hours. Gina had no engagements for a couple of weeks, so it had been easy to leave the posse behind—even her usual security firm’s men because now she had Jack and his team.
“I’m not making them nervous.”
“Then where are they?”
He moved his hand. A moment later one of the attendants appeared, smiling broadly, and Gina knew he’d pressed the button to summon her. This girl had red hair and pink lipstick and she sashayed her way toward Jack.
“What may I get you, sir?”
Her voice was bright and cheery and Gina wanted to snap at her. Except that wasn’t fair and she would do nothing of the sort.
Jack’s gaze drifted over the girl, lingering on her chest for a moment, and Gina’s face heated. “I’d like a soda, Stephanie. Thanks.”
Stephanie. He’d been looking at her name, not her chest. Or maybe he’d been looking at both.
“Yes, sir.” Stephanie turned toward Gina. “And you, ma’am? Can I get you anything?”
The ma’am made her feel old, though it was simple politeness. “Sparkling water with lime.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Stephanie disappeared again, her rump swaying invitingly in her dark blue skirt.
“
She’s cute,” Jack said.
Gina lifted an eyebrow and tried to look disinterested. “Is she? I hadn’t noticed.”
Jack chuckled, and Gina flipped a page in the magazine sitting on the tray in front of her.
Stephanie returned a few moments later with drinks and snacks. Once they were settled, she gave them her bright smile and disappeared again.
Jack grabbed a handful of pretzels. “Didn’t look nervous to me,” he said before popping them into his mouth and chewing.
“She’s a good actress.”
Jack laughed. “No, you’re just a poor liar.”
Gina crossed her arms and glared at him. “Fine, she’s not nervous. None of them are. Clearly, your problem is with me—and I’d appreciate it if you’d get over it so we can get Eli and get home again. After that, you can be pissed at me all you like. But right now you’re making me jumpy and I don’t like it.”
Whoa, where had all that come from?
But then Jack opened his mouth, and any embarrassment she might have felt flew out the window.
“You’re right, my problem is with you. But it’s not what you think, Gina. I know my job and I’m good at it. What I don’t like about this op is you being here. I’m worried about what Metaxas wants, and I’m worried about keeping you safe.”
Her heart thumped and her breath shortened. He was worried about her? “Oh.”
His eyes flashed. “Yeah, oh. I don’t fucking like this, and I don’t trust Metaxas. I argued for leaving you behind, but I was the only one who wanted that. So you’re here, and I’m with you instead of where I ought to be.”
She closed her eyes for a second. She’d known he was pissed about being with her instead of with his team. Of course he was. The dude was fricking Rambo or something. “I didn’t ask for a babysitter.”
“No, but you got one.”
Anger bubbled inside her. “Do you think I like this situation any better than you do? Stavros has my baby and I’m terrified about what he’s going to do once I get there. I won’t need a fucking babysitter then, asshole. I’ll need the man who shot all those bastards the last time and saved my life!”
Hot Shot (A Hostile Operations Team Novel)(#5) Page 10