Authors: Lindsay McKenna
The children had released Dilara and Robert, seeking their particular set of parents and everyone was asking Lia questions. He had a sudden feeling of gratitude that Tanner and the others were responsible for the entire group, allowing him to focus solely on Lia.
The breeze was humid, and Cav picked up the scent of the nearby jungle. The humidity had curled Lia’s short hair even more, and Cav noticed the blush of pink in her cheeks as she spoke animatedly to the parents. Sometimes, to help Lia with an answer, Dilara would answer a question, or Robert would. Neither of them wanted to be the center of attention. They, like Cav, had realized quickly that these parents relied heavily on Lia’s calm leadership.
Lia began to organize the parents, asking some of the women to contact the other children’s parents. She gave them the name of a nearby resort, La Orquídea, “The Orchid,” hired by Robert’s team to “loan” them five separate rooms where children from various grade levels could go to school five days a week. The resort was being paid handsomely for their help.
She then asked the mothers to tell the other mothers that she needed help in the classrooms daily. If they could organize help for her, Lia would teach the material for each class. Although she wasn’t a certified teacher, Lia remembered the lesson plans. Further, Robert’s team had already obtained books, new desks and chairs for each of those five rooms. Everything would be taught from the books the children had been using, but now, everything would be new.
Dilara had made sure that new coloring books, crayons, paints, sketching pads and other creative tools were also included in the huge van that had driven up with the armada. A woman at the resort had been hired to fix two snacks and lunch for the children, taking that responsibility off Lia’s shoulders.
And speaking of snacks, Lia’s stomach was growling! In two days, she told the parents, the bus would show up at the same time to pick up their children and drive them to Orquídea Resort for a day’s worth of schooling and activities.
The parents came forward and hugged Lia and Dilara, crying and thanking both of them for their loyalty to their precious children.
Turning away, Lia caught a tender look from Cav’s, but just as quickly, it was gone. She was finding that when they were alone, he didn’t wear that professional, game face. Walking over to him, she said, “Robert just said that we’re all going to the Tabacon Resort for an early dinner.”
“Fine,” he said, placing his hand beneath her elbow, guiding her toward him.
As tired as she was, Lia felt heat where his hand briefly rested. She wanted his touch, looked forward to those unexpected times. Why had she not seen disgust in his eyes over her scars? Never once had she seen Cav look repulsed over them as all other men had.
Even Tanner and his men looked long and hard at her face, and she believed they had a harsh reaction to what they saw. But Cav had never looked at her like they did.
She walked in front of him and he opened the van door. Climbing in, she felt exhaustion winnow through her, and she leaned back against the headrest, closing her eyes. Then, the driver’s side door opened and she instantly felt Cav’s quiet, powerful presence. She sighed.
“Did you put your seat belt on?” he asked solicitously.
“Oh…” and she sat up, frowning. “I forgot…”
“You’re whipped,” he said, putting the van in gear as Tanner’s SUV slowly moved out. “The resort isn’t far from here. Too bad you can’t get a quick nap.”
Touched by his concern, she glanced over at Cav. He still had his dark glasses on, so she couldn’t see his beautiful eyes in their shades of green, gold and umber. “Me, too. I’ll get it tonight.”
“What else do you have to do after dinner?”
“Robert and Dilara want me to join them for a last meeting at the resort to iron out all the details.”
Scowling, Cav muttered, “Don’t they realize how beat you are? They didn’t go through a life-and-death situation five days ago.” He was feeling damned protective of her. “Can’t they schedule this meeting for tomorrow morning or something? Give you some time to rest?” He felt irritable, acting more like a mother hen toward Lia than a bodyguard. His was not to question. And he was and dammit, he couldn’t help but become protective of her under the circumstances.
“I agree,” she said, smiling faintly. “But Robert is leaving after the meeting for San José, and Dilara will stay here with me for the next few days, helping me sort out everything. She’ll make sure I have enough people to help me pull this schooling off.”
“Robert’s a busy man.”
“So is Dilara. But she wants to meet the new teachers who are coming up two days from now.”
“And it all falls on your shoulders,” he said, turning onto the major asphalt road that led in a north-westerly direction away from La Fortuna. Very soon, the armada was entering thick jungle that hugged both sides of the road. Traffic was dense and Cav knew there were almost forty resorts in this area.
“Hey,” she said, patting her shoulders. “I was born with a strong set of these.”
“So was I, but it’s damned nice sometimes to shuck the load and just rest for a while,” he told her.
Lia felt his warm energy surrounding her, infusing her with his strength. Cav really cared. “Do all contractors care like you do?”
Cav cocked his head, slanting a glance her way for a second. “What?”
Opening her hands, she said, “Your concern is really evident. It feels real. I was just wondering if part of your job is to do this, to make me feel good even though I’m exhausted.”
His hands gripped the wheel a little tighter as he crafted his answer. “Every contractor is different, Lia. Yes, there are security procedures we all follow, but I guess the personality of the individual contractor plays a big part.”
In his case, it was a lot more. Cav knew he didn’t dare reveal his personal interest in Lia. That would be the end of his PSD and General Culver would haul his ass out of here so fast it would make him dizzy.
Worse, Lia had so much on her plate, dealing with the shock of the attack, the loss of two good friends, that he needed to keep her stable, not add to her stress.
Hell, he didn’t even know if she had a special someone in her life. Cav had to think she did, and he needed to find out sooner or later. Preferably, sooner.
“Well, I like your style of PSD,” she murmured, giving him a shy look. “You must have been the oldest in your family, taking care of your other siblings.”
“I was an only kid, like you,” he murmured, not wanting to go there. “Sorry, but I can’t talk personally right now,” he apologized, lessening the harshness of his tone.
“Sure, I understand.” And she did.
Two miles away, the resort of La Orquídea sat on a small hill, the jungle cut away from its white, gleaming walls in the low western sun’s rays. It was a huge resort, and soon the convoy was inside the black, wrought iron fence that surrounded it. He saw a lot of tourists, children and a number of two and three-story buildings. Tanner pulled up in front of a set of buildings near the edge of the huge, bustling complex.
As he parked and got out, Lia dutifully remained in the van, waiting while Cav walked around to her door. Little did she know he had only one wish: To get her safely home for some well-earned rest.
L
ia felt like
as if she were going to fall over from exhaustion as Cav opened the door to her house. It was nearly dark, and they could hear the hooting of the monkeys nearby. The last of the tropical birds were sending out a final song as she stumbled into the living room.
Cav closed the door and waited there, girding himself for whatever reaction Lia would have to him staying in this house with her. He’d been trying to broach the topic off and on all day, but there was never time for him to pull her aside and tell her about it. She looked fragile, with dark shadows beneath her gray eyes. Lia plopped down on the couch opposite the door, pulled off her sandals and lifted her left foot, rubbing her toes gently.
“Listen,” he said, remaining near the door, “you need to know that I’ll be staying with you in this house every night from now on, Lia.”
Frowning, Lia stopped rubbing her aching toes. “What?”
Cav gestured around. “Just tell me where I can sleep. I’ll try to stay out of your way. My job is to ensure no one comes in either door to get to you.”
Her eyes widened, her heart slamming downward as she digested his words. “You’re staying HERE?” For whatever reason, Lia thought he’d be staying somewhere else. Then, her pulse ratcheted up as she studied him. “Are you serious, Cav?” While a part of her was actually thrilled with the idea, a bigger part was in panic mode.
What about her weekly nightmares? She had them at least twice a week, and her terrified screams would scare him to death. Worse, she’d be humiliated.
Lia felt him tense, anticipating her resistance.
“I’m dead serious,” Cav assured her. “I was given this detail to shadow you, Lia, remember? I told you all about it on the drive up here earlier.”
“But,” she said, collapsing back into the couch, “I thought…well I didn’t know it meant you were staying here, in my house…” and her voice trailed off.
Cav shrugged and looked around. “It means exactly that. General Culver wants me close to you at all times, since Medina probably has a hit out on you.”
And he’d make sure she’d stay safe, no matter what happened. Lia considered her situation, and said haltingly, “But this house is very small for two people.”
“Hey, the couch looks good to me.” Cav pulled off his jacket, removed the pistol out from behind his back and set it on a small desk near the door.
Lia’s weary face betrayed her inability to deal with her situation right now. The truth was, a killer was hunting her, and Cav didn’t want to emphasize that point tonight. Both of them needed rest.
“Look,” he said, keeping his voice low, “this can work. You just go about your normal routine and I’ll make a point of staying out of the way. I’ll take this couch if that’s okay with you. How many bathrooms do you have?”
“One,” she muttered unhappily.
“Okay, no problem.” Cav looked to the left towards the kitchen, with its small, round table flanked by two chairs. “I need to case this place and check for bugs.”
Too tired to argue, Lia nodded wearily. “Will it take long?”
“No,” he promised. “I’m quick.”
Lia watched him walk toward the kitchen, checking the window, opening and then closing and locking it. He disappeared into her bedroom, and she grimaced. Her bed was a mess and she hadn’t made it in days. He probably thought she was a slob. That wasn’t like her, but the last five days had been chaotic.
Cav walked soundlessly, despite his height and bulk, through the kitchen and down the hall, testing the rear door. Within five minutes, he’d cased the place and returned to the living room. He took the gray, overstuffed chair opposite the couch.
“No bugs,” he reported. “Do you have air conditioning?”
“Yes,” she pointed to the wall. “There.”
“You don’t run it unless you’re home, do you?”
“Right. Electricity is expensive here.”
“What do you want it set at?”
“65 degrees. Does that work for you?”
He nodded. “That works,” he said, rising and setting the thermostat and turning it on.
“I’m so tired my words are slurring,” Lia admitted, slowly rising. “I’m going to turn in.”
“Go ahead,” Cav urged. “I’ll stay out here until you’re in bed.”
Lia hesitated at the entrance to the kitchen. “I have to keep my bedroom door open or I won’t get any cool air in there.”
“That’s fine,” Cav said. Lia looked haunted, the skin across her cheeks taut, eyes closing from exhaustion.
“There’s an extra pillow and sheets in the linen closet near the back door. Help yourself.” Because she was so tired, she felt emotionally numb. She’d felt this way since the attack, and for a split second, she almost blurted,
Stay with me. Hold me. Make my nightmares go away.
How stupid.
Cav might be a brave warrior, but he couldn’t take on her personal battles, especially with her toxic past. No one could do it but her.
Lia couldn’t shake her sense that she needed him. It was almost physical and she turned, afraid she’d say something. Damn, she resented her weakness! So she padded barefoot down the hall, the tiles soothing to her, and coolly called over her shoulder, “Good night, Cav. Thanks.”
Cav lay in the darkness, a sliver of moon shining through the gauzy white curtains drawn across the two windows in the living room. The couch, thank God, wasn’t soft. It was hard and nicely supported his long back.
He couldn’t sleep for a lot of reasons, even though he, too, was exhausted. In fact, he’d snapped wide-awake after Lia had left the bathroom and showered, the scent of her still haunting him.
The fragrance of the soap reminded him of the sweet smell of plumeria from Hawaii. It lingered in the large bathroom, which had a tub and shower in it. Cav had an acute sense of smell. His SEAL team often accused him of being able to smell Taliban half a mile away if the wind was right.
Now, closing his eyes, Lia’s scent in the room drove him crazy, made him want what he couldn’t have. Her fragrance stirred him at his deepest levels, not just the physical one.
Groaning to himself, he knew he needed to find a woman—and soon. Lia was off limits because she was his detail. His job was to provide her safety and protection, not take her to bed. What the hell was going on with him?
Cav knew plenty of willing women at Coronado when he was a SEAL. All he had to do was walk into a SEAL bar and there they were, ripe, willing and eager. In contrast, Lia was anything but ready. Her reserve cautioned him that something terrible had occurred to her, even before the school was burned down five days ago.
WHAT had happened to her? And how did she get those scars?
Sitting up, he wiped his smarting eyes and glared at the dark, shadowy front door. The clock on the small table read 0200. Getting up, he pulled on his chinos and his Nikes, and then went to the weapon’s bag he’d stored down at the end of the couch. Now was as good a time as any to scout outside the house, listen to the normal night sounds, and see if anything dangerous was moving around.