Dani poured more coffee—not that she needed the caffeine. She was amped up. “I know my weakness. I don’t know when to quit. But Grizz keeps showing up at the right time to save me from the decisions I’ve made. So maybe I do need a partner. Someone that I know has my back. Like your team. You’re all there for each other. I envy that.”
Sanchez opened her mouth to say something, but Dani couldn’t lose her train of thought. “I need relationships. Not people taking up space. Not assignments or awards. I need true friendships.” She looked Sanchez in the eyes. “Wow. I’m glad we had this conversation. You’ve given me a lot to think about.”
Sanchez gave her a puzzled look. “Glad I could help.”
While a load had been lifted from Dani’s shoulders, she was still a journalist. “What’s the plan to rescue your father? I want to help.”
Sanchez’s face tightened. “All I can do is wait for Rio at the moment. And according to Kane, it’s apparently in God’s hands. I shouldn’t have tried to go out on my own last night. Who knows if my father is even still at the camp?”
God again?
If only Dani could get on board with a God who came to her rescue. But she wasn’t waiting around for a God who may or may not show up. She’d take care of herself.
* * *
Where was Rio? The FBI agent should have been here by now.
Grizz sat on the white couch in his cousin’s overly decorated castle. Definitely not Grizz’s tastes.
But Dani liked his cabin better. Take that, Mike Grizz and your fancy five-bedroom monstrosity.
Not that he’d complain. The place was providing them with nice shelter until Rio could arrive and collect the data.
Grizz had showered and borrowed some of Mike’s clothes.
Dani came downstairs and sat by him on the couch. A little too close, but he didn’t mind. He wanted her as close as possible. He could smell the coconut shampoo, her damp hair now a shade darker than her usual blonde.
“I borrowed some of your sister-in-law’s clothes. When I get home, I’m sending everyone gift cards to replace all the things I borrowed…and destroyed. I snagged your sister’s sweatshirt on a tree branch, and now it has a hole.”
Her fresh jeans and long-sleeved tee hugged her curves in all the right places. The bright color of the shirt made her blue eyes pop.
Get your head in the game, Grizz.“Ah, it’s not a problem. Melanie and Seraphina would be happy to help, knowing the danger you’ve endured.”
“I’m glad you have them in your life, Grizz. I know it’s hard for you to trust people after what happened.” She curled her legs up under her on the sofa and leaned in closer to him. “You don’t talk about it, but I assume you served in the military. And you know me—nosy reporter. Did you serve in Afghanistan?”
He nodded, trying to swallow the golf-ball-sized lump forming in his throat.
Images of his friend Kyle pummeled his memories. If only he hadn’t blindly accepted that faulty intel. If only?—
Dani’s hand rested on his bicep. “Tell me what happened.”
He huffed. “The usual. I trusted the wrong person, and my team paid for it.”
She didn’t say anything but kept her hand in place. Compassion shone in her eyes.
“Back in my Army days, I was stationed in Kabul…” Could he trust her with his story? Before he could second-guess himself, the words dislodged from his brain and spilled out all around them. “One day, we were pinned down with some insurgents in the area. My captain wasn’t with us, so I had to make and execute the plans to get us out of there. We had a translator with us who helped us with the locals. He told us about a safe house we could use to get out of the danger zone.”
A tremble rose through Grizz’s body. He hoped Dani couldn’t feel it. The smell of the acrid smoke hit him like it was right in front of him. The deafening explosion. The screams.
He swallowed. “It was a trap. The house was wired to blow. I trusted the translator, but he’d been working for the Taliban the whole time. My friend Kyle was the first to head to the house, based on my order. The whole place exploded the second he stepped on a trip plate at the front door. Two of my men were sent home with third-degree burns, but Kyle never made it home.” Grizz’s heartbeat raced. He’d never confessed this to anyone. “His death is on me.”
“No.” Dani’s firm command startled him. “You don’t get to hold responsibility for Kyle if Josh’s death isn’t my fault.”
“I hear you. I need to take my own advice. And I know that’s true. Bad men did bad things, outside of my control. But there are things I can control—and who I trust is a big one. I’ve got my team, but I’m not letting my guard down with anyone else. I can’t take that chance again.”
Except his protective armor had started to show holes when it came to Dani. She’d made it through his perimeter checks, straight to his heart, and he hadn’t seen her coming.
“Maybe it’s time to let people in.” Dani’s blue eyes sparkled, and he refrained from reaching out to tuck a stray lock of hair behind her ear. “You can’t shut people out to protect your heart. What if you miss the good stuff?”
