Hot Zone (Elite Force 2)

Silence stretched, broken only by the occasional whimper from a baby or the subdued shuffle of distant feet. Finally, she blurted, “Why are you here in the middle of the night?”

“Why did you walk out of the cafeteria without saying good-bye?”

She blinked in surprise. “You’re here because I hurt your feelings?”

“I wouldn’t say that.”

“Then what would you say, exactly?” She stepped closer, frustrated by whatever game he was playing but unable to walk away from him again. She clenched her fists by her side to keep from reaching for him. To keep from indulging in the crazy need to find out if his chest was as solid as she remembered from when he’d covered her body during the shooting.

He scooped up one fist, his thumb sketching over the bandage on her cut hand. “I’m here because I owe you an apology.”

Now that wasn’t what she’d expected to hear. “I’m not sure I understand.”

She didn’t pull away. Yeah, it was silly, but she needed the comfort of human contact. Of contact with him.

“It’s the real reason I’m here, I guess. Unfinished business with you.”

Unfinished business. The two words hung in the air between them, filling the space with possibilities until she could have sworn their bodies shared a link.

His dark eyebrows pinched together and a shiver skipped down her spine, pooling in her stomach. They weren’t flirting exactly, but she was fast realizing they were engaging in a dance of sorts here. She was not alone in feeling this draw, in needing something tangible to hold on to in a world turned upside down.

“Hugh? And this unfinished business would be?”

“I apologize for doubting you earlier when you told me Joshua was alive.”

She exhaled hard and hadn’t even known she was holding her breath. “I imagine you’ve seen so much in your job, you would get jaded. The worst-case scenarios would be more vivid for you.”

“You could say that. I’d think your job would do the same to you.”

“Sometimes… Mostly when it comes to trusting adults with a history of larceny, armed robbery, and so forth, but you get the idea. I could have just as easily been wrong about Joshua.” The truth of that clogged her throat for a second. “Reality was questionable down there. I had no idea I was trapped for two days—which you were wise not to clue me in about, by the way. My mind obviously was playing tricks on me so I wouldn’t panic.”

Was her brain toying with her now? Leading her to imagine what it might be like to explore every inch of that muscled strength that had saved her today.

“Your mind was doing its job helping you survive, and if your brother is half as tough as you, I predict he will be fine.”

“You have a way of instilling confidence. That’s quite a gift. You pulled me through in more ways than one.” A big battery-operated clock ticked behind her, stirring fear of passing time and how soon he would walk away. Every second that passed reminded her of the precious gift of being alive tonight. With him.

Thanks to him.

“It’s my job.”

Her eyes fell to his survival vest stretched across his broad chest.

“Somehow I don’t think it’s in your job description to shoot the breeze under tons of rubble. You could have left once you found me and put in that IV. You didn’t need to come here to check on us. And you definitely didn’t have to give up sleep to sing to a cafeteria full of children.”

“What can I say?” He shrugged, his green eyes glittering in the dim night. “I’m a softie.”

She snorted her disbelief. “Hardly.” Although the way he’d pushed aside the exhaustion from his face to distract traumatized children with songs had been mesmerizing. She didn’t trust easily, especially not after her father and her ex, but she desperately wanted to believe in what she’d seen in Hugh then and now. “Was the story about the Siamese cat and the little girl next door true? Or were you just shooting from the hip with stories to keep me calm?”

A flash of something shadowy whispered through his eyes.

“The story was true.” He released her hand and fished in his pocket. “I should leave, let you sleep. If you need anything, there’s a number here where you can reach me. Hopefully, cell phones will be working more reliably soon. And if not, just go to any of the military personnel and they’ll be able to track me down from this info. I’ll be on the island working for at least a week, maybe longer.”

“Thank you. That’s generous of you.” She took the folded paper from between his fingers. Was it her imagination or had he held onto the doubled-over slip for a second longer than necessary?

She thumbed open the paper. His handwriting was dark and angled, as if he pushed through the words hard and fast. He’d written a phone number and a local address.

Her jumbled emotions didn’t know what to make of this. Part of her still believed they’d shared a unique connection during their time together, and another part doubted herself on any number of levels. She only knew one thing for sure, she needed closure with him after all they’d shared underground. Maybe that’s what had brought him here as well.