The Squad

I, too, wanted to know the name of the town because as far as Mancini’s records go, she just disappeared after being placed in the system, and there’s no mention of where she went. I have a pretty good idea why she was playing it close to the vest with that information, though; I’d want to take care of shit myself too if I were in her position. But there’s a big difference between her and me. For one, in the last however many hours since I’d found her, she’s come to mean more to me than I’d have ever thought possible.

It reminds me of the story my brother tells me about the first time he saw Ash. That sense of knowing with just one look. What I feel with her makes his tale seem almost tame in comparison. It’s as if I have no choice in the matter. Some primal part of me that I didn’t know existed seems to have come alive in the last few hours since meeting her. I can’t explain it, have no point of reference to draw on. It just is what it is.

I didn’t sleep much the night before, too caught up in her, and trying to understand how she could possibly have gotten under my skin so easily without even trying. Maybe it’s a combination of knowing some of what she’d been through and feeling compassionate along with her exotic beauty mixed with the fact that just breathing her in makes me hard; I’m still not sure. But I’m guessing Lyon’s thunderbolt comment wasn’t too far off the mark. “Where are you taking me? And why are you so fond of manhandling me?”

I dropped her hand so fast she was startled. It was her words spoken in just that way that freaked me out. I have to keep reminding myself to go slow with her. That she’s not one of my jump-offs that I can just do with as I please and walk away when it’s over. But my reaction didn’t seem to be what she wanted. “Sorry!” I was looking in her eyes when I apologized, and she didn’t look overly bothered or like she was having some sort of flashback.

I know I was being this way because while the others were talking upstairs, I’d been reliving some of the horrors I’d seen on my rescues and imagining her in the same predicament. I hadn’t really had time to think about that stuff last night, but for the time while I was in that office after she’d been flitted away by the women, I had nothing but time, and it was all spent imagining the worst.

“I’m not going to break mung-cheong-i.” I could only imagine what she was calling me this time. I reached for her hand slowly this time and breathed easy when she didn’t protest. “You didn’t answer my question.”

“And you didn’t answer mine.” I sighed loudly in exasperation, which she ignored.

“I’m taking you for a walk on the beach; I figured you could use a break.”

“Oh. No, I didn’t tell them the name of the town, not yet.”

“Any particular reason you don’t want to share?”

“It’s personal. I’m not going to tell you either, not until I’m ready, and that may be never.”

“Roxana!” I stopped and turned to her when we were a good ways from the house. There was no one on the beach except for Lyon’s parents, in-laws, his uncle, and the couple he’d said were family friends. They had the younger kids with them way on the other end of the beach, so there was no danger of them overhearing our conversation.

“I know why you’re not saying, but I think I should warn you that what you’re planning isn’t going to work for me.”

“What? What do you know about what I’m planning?”

“I know because if I were you, I’d do the same thing, I’d want to finish what I started and take care of the people who hurt me.”

She didn’t even blink as she looked up at me without change of expression. “Who says…?”

“Don’t even try it. So before you labor under the delusion that I’m going to let you go off on your own, let me tell you now, you’re done. Whatever you had planned for them, I’ll take care of.” The words sounded odd even to my ears, but it’s what I felt. Her face was full of expressions now, though, and none of them good.

“You… did you fall and hit your head you…you…” I moved in close, and she had to strain her neck back to look up at me.

“I don’t care what you call me; you’re not putting yourself in danger. We got you out; you’re not going back in. Whatever score you have to settle is now mine to see to so settle down.”