“Whatever. Right now, we’re going to sit tight. Now, be quiet so I can listen.”
Cassidy rolled her eyes and started praying again.
A slight snore brought Gabe’s gaze down. Cassidy had moved in and rested her head against his arm and fallen asleep. Standing up. It finally registered how absolutely exhausted she must be. Lack of sleep and terror had all taken its toll.
He knew they needed to move on, but she had to rest before she went unconscious and he had to carry her out. Holding her steady, he slid down the wall to sit in the mildew-infested debris that littered the base of their hideaway.
Cassidy never stirred, her form remaining limp in his arms while her chest rose and fell with each deep breath. She must have finally felt safe enough to relax—or maybe she’d simply just passed out.
He needed to rest, himself. Feeling as if he’d been back in the midst of fighting for much longer than a week and a half, Gabe decided to stay put for the moment. He dug through his pack and pulled out a dirty T-shirt. It would have to do. Wadding it up, he placed it behind her neck to give her some support. The now sweaty and dusty riot of curls she’d never been able to tame spread over the T-shirt and across his hands. Gabe pulled away, fighting the memories even as they surged through his mind.
In his third year of medical school, compliments of Uncle Sam, Gabe had been a very self-confident twenty-four-year-old. He’d stopped by the McKnight house to talk to Micah about something. And then she’d appeared at the top of the stairs; a vision of loveliness in a gown of white. Green eyes drew him; her smile tangled his thoughts. This girl he’d always considered a bratty little sister. But this night…
She floated down the staircase to stand next to her date, the top of her head barely reaching the middle of his chest. When she’d said goodbye to her adoring onlookers, she’d laughed and flung that riotous cascade of flaming curls. They’d brushed his nose and mouth—and singed his heart. Micah had noticed—and stared daggers through Gabe.
Micah. Just the thought of that name was enough to bring Gabe back to reality. Cassidy’s brother. Dead. Because Gabe had failed him. Had requested—no, ordered—him for the mission then allowed him to die. Cassidy was mad at him for not talking about that day, but if she knew the whole truth, she’d hate him forever. He put the mental brakes on the memories, refusing to go there now. Cassidy stirred and frowned; whimpered, in her sleep. Gabe wanted fiercely to wipe the bad memories away and replace them with good. But that wasn’t his right.
That had been someone else’s privilege.
She’d been in love with another man. Had his baby.
Why hadn’t Cassidy’s father mentioned a child? Hadn’t he known? Gabe laughed sardonically at his mental question and answered it. Oh, yeah, the man had known. And he’d not mentioned it because he’d known Gabe would flat out refuse to take the mission.
He let his eyes drift shut, but made sure the gun was tucked close and his ears were tuned to the jungle noises. He wasn’t afraid he’d fall asleep only to wake up dead. Too many years of training, too much intensive conditioning—too many nightmares to keep at bay—would keep that from happening.
“Cassidy.” She ignored the faraway voice. The sleep her body had craved for so long had her in its grip and wasn’t about to let her shake it. “Cassidy.” This time a rough shake accompanied her whispered name. Sleep disappeared fast.
“Gabe?” She blinked to bring his face into focus. Brown-black eyes bored into hers. “What? What is it?”
He brushed the hair out of her eyes for her, his fingertips gentle, lingering. “We need to get going. Since you’re bound and determined to head to the orphanage, we’ve got to beat these guys at their own game.”
Cassidy moved and couldn’t stop the groan that slipped out.
“Sore?”
“To say the least. I thought I was in shape up until a few weeks ago.”
His short bark of soft laughter made her jump. She frowned. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Trust me. There’s not a thing wrong with your shape.”
Cassidy flushed. She gave him a punch in the gut that made him grunt. “That’s not what I meant and you know it, Rambo.”
“I know, Cassidy. I know.” Cassidy could have sworn his expression went tender for a brief moment before returning to its usual unreadable gaze. He turned and edged cautiously toward the end of the trunk and Cassidy followed him. She cleared her throat and asked quietly, “So, you’re going to help me?”
Gabe cut his eyes to her. “What do you think?”
She allowed a small smile to cross her lips. “I think you hate it when I get my way.”
Gabe’s lips curved into a rueful smile, but he didn’t respond. Cassidy brushed leaves and debris from the seat of her pants then pulled her hair up into a ponytail with the rubber band she’d had in her pocket since opening the papers about Alexis.
“Let’s go,” he said.
“You think it’s safe?”
“You mean, you care what I think?” he taunted.
Now, that hurt, but she covered it with, “Of course I care. I’ve always cared about you, Gabriel. In spite of whatever happened with Micah and my anger at your silence, you were my brother’s best friend. Now, can we get going before those creeps come back?”
When she looked up, surprise at her confession was reflected on his face. He opened his mouth to confront her and when he did, Cassidy pretended not to see it. She wasn’t in the mood to discuss matters of the heart—her heart—when she was finally doing something totally unselfish for someone else. Something that not even Gabriel Sinclair and his stubborn personality would be able to deter her from.
FOUR
I’ve always cared about you, Gabriel. The statement taunted him.
He hiked slowly, keeping his ears tuned to the sound of anything that didn’t have to do with nature. Nothing set off his worry alarm, so he decided to give Cassidy a little space while he mulled over her words.
They’d seen each other off and on over the next couple of years when they attended certain social functions at the request of their respective parents, and Gabe had visited often because of Micah, but Cassidy lived in a different world; one Gabe hadn’t wanted to be a part of. Yet, he’d been fascinated by her. And saddened by her wild lifestyle, thinking she was on the road to destruction. And then all of a sudden, her face and exploits were no longer mentioned in the paper. He’d wondered what happened. He realized now that this was when she’d become a Christian and changed her lifestyle.
And then came the mission.
And Micah had died.
And Gabe couldn’t forget how.
And he couldn’t forget Cassidy.
It galled him that he could be so attracted to a flighty debutante, but there just seemed to be something about her…something deeper, like her shallowness was some kind of cover-up and there were many layers to her personality that the public never saw.
So, he’d gone to attend her college graduation. To see if he could find the deeper layers. Only, before he could see her, he’d read about her engagement in the paper. He’d been disappointed, but not surprised.
Without contacting Cassidy, he’d said goodbye to his parents and joined the SEALs. He’d thought he could make a difference with his medical skills—and he had. He’d saved the lives of good soldiers. And still, his dreams were haunted by the green-eyed princess. He knew her