Navy SEAL Noel. Liz Johnson

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      She yanked on the string above the sink, and the naked bulb over the cloudy mirror burst to life, bathing them in its yellow glow. Jess blinked against the sudden brightness.

      Will didn’t seem to have the same trouble. He immediately lifted the lid off the toilet tank and peered inside before running his hands under the white porcelain sink. With a finger he swiped around the edge of the mirror. Then he leaned forward until her nose was almost pressed to his chest, and he swiped his hand over the top of the door frame.

      He pulled back and nodded, as if satisfied. “It’s clear. There may be bugs in your room, so we should never talk in there. But this should be safe for now.”

      Scrambling to catch up to his train of thought, Jess surveyed the sink and mirror. How could he act so casual? As if it hadn’t been ten years since they’d spoken? As if he hadn’t just shown up in a foreign country where she was being held prisoner? As if the very sight of him didn’t make her knees weak with relief?

      “I thought I saw you—I thought that was you, but...” Her words were little more than a whisper despite his assurance that it was safe to speak. Her stomach pitched, fear and relief mingling with alarm and the echo of a remembered betrayal. But dealing with her emotions would have to wait until she felt steadier on her feet. Exhaustion and the ebbing of her fight-or-flight adrenaline rush had left her legs like jelly. She leaned into Will. He held out his arms, as though he knew just what she needed. As though he was still someone who cared about taking care of her, being there for her.

      But she didn’t want him holding her. She wanted answers. She wanted to understand what on earth was happening. Most of all, she wanted to silence the little voice in her head that kept saying Will’s appearance was simply a dream or hallucination.

      Yanking herself upright at the last possible moment, she shoved his chest with both hands. “You scared me to death! Why did you break into my room? What are you doing here?”

      His lopsided grin had always started with a little quirk to the left before spreading across his mouth. And that hadn’t changed, even as he looked down at the tiny black-and-white-checkered floor tiles.

      He scraped his fingers over the black whiskers covering his chin. “Your dad sent me.”

      “My dad?”

      “Well, I couldn’t say no to my new XO, could I?”

      “So you’re still in the navy?” Oh, she sounded bitter—so much more bitter than she wanted to. Why couldn’t her words be flippant and nonchalant, as if it didn’t really matter that she no longer knew even the most basic things about him? He’d popped back into her life, and she didn’t want it to matter.

      But it did.

      Maybe because of the extreme situation.

      Sure. She’d just keep telling herself that.

      His smile flickered for a moment before he nodded slowly. “I am.”

      Forcing a chuckle, she said, “I figured when my dad realized I was missing, he’d send a SEAL team to bring me home.” At least she had hoped he’d do that.

      “Not a full team—he just sent one.”

      Her breath vanished, and she blinked twice.

      Will Gumble had become a SEAL. An elite warrior. The best that the United States military offered.

      What else didn’t she know about him?

      * * *

      Will crossed his arms over his chest. Anything to keep from reaching out for Jess again. From being rejected again.

      But he couldn’t pull his gaze from her face, all smooth lines and fair skin, except for the dark bags below her bloodshot eyes. Those were both probably recent additions. Most people couldn’t sleep much under this kind of stress. Just because he’d been trained to survive for days on catnaps didn’t mean Jess would look refreshed doing the same.

      Her hair brushed across her forehead and her eyebrows pulled together, leaving three vertical lines in the center.

      “Where’s the rest of your team?”

      “Stateside.”

      With stilted movements, she crossed her arms, matching his stance. Her gaze swept from his head to his toes and back again, her eyes shifting from pale green to the color of the sea in a typhoon. The scrutiny made him feel like a kid who’d been called into the principal’s office.

      He resisted the sudden urge to flex his arms against the seams in the sport coat to remind her that he wasn’t a boy any longer. This wasn’t about how much either one of them had changed. This was about getting her—and her bioweapon—back to San Diego. Back to a lab where they would both be secure.

      “Why’d you come alone? Don’t you usually stick together?”

      He lifted one shoulder. “Usually. But this isn’t exactly an authorized op.”

      The corners of her mouth turned down, confusion washing across her features. “What does that mean?”

      “I’m...freelancing.”

      “So my dad just asked you to rescue me, even though we haven’t seen each other since we were eighteen? He asked you to drop everything and come to...to—” she waved her hand toward the yellowing walls “—wherever we are?” She paused, staring hard into his eyes. “And you did?”

      For the first time in years, he didn’t know what to say, so he spit out the only word that came to mind. “Panama.”

      “What?”

      “We’re in Panama.”

      She clenched her slightly crooked teeth and shook her head, long brown locks falling over her shoulders. “That’s not— I didn’t mean... We’re in Panama? No, that’s not what... Why are you here?” Her words were a jumbled mess, and ended in a weary sigh. Not harsh, just confused.

      Truthfully, he wasn’t sure how to answer. But she deserved something more than a pat response. Taking a deep breath, he let it out through his nose before offering her what he hoped was a white-flag smile. “We were friends once. You meant a lot to me.”

      “But you disappeared. You never called or responded to my emails or even came back to visit. I had to find out from your mom that you’d joined the navy.” Her voice picked up volume as memories seemed to fuel her ire, and he pressed a finger to his lips. She immediately dropped her volume, but she couldn’t hide the vibrato of her voice. “You left, and suddenly you’re back when I need someone the most? I don’t understand.” Her hands shook and her eyes glistened as her emotions jumped to the forefront.

      True. Everything she’d said was true, but this wasn’t the time to rehash his immature stupidity. They needed to make a plan, but he had a feeling she was too exhausted to think tactically. That was fine—he needed at least a day to get the lay of the land, anyway. And meanwhile, she needed sleep and to know she was safe enough to truly give in to it.

      “Jess, I’m sorry. You’re right. I do owe you an explanation. But maybe that can wait. For now, СКАЧАТЬ