Securing Avery, page 17
Silence filled the room once more. Rex held his breath. If it was up to him, he’d leave right that second to go with Phantom to Timor-Leste. He hadn’t heard his friend sound this passionate about anything before. This was important to him, therefore it was important to every single man on his SEAL team.
“If Tex comes to me and says he’s found some concrete evidence that Kalee is alive, I’ll see if I can arrange for you to go back and find her,” Rear Admiral Creasy said. “Until then, you will stay here and work with your team. You won’t say a single word to her father or anyone else about what you think you saw over there, and you won’t go off half-cocked and decide to take a trip out to Timor-Leste by yourself. I’m going to deny you any leave time until I’m sure that, one, you’re healed, and two, you aren’t going to race halfway across the world on a wild goose chase. Understand?”
“Yes, Sir,” Phantom said with a trace of relief in his tone.
“Tex?”
“Sir?”
“I’m going to need something definite. Pictures, preferably, but if that can’t happen, then firsthand accounts from a person, or persons, who’ve seen her. Understand?”
“Of course.”
Tex didn’t even sound ruffled. Rex knew the computer genius was good, but he wasn’t sure this was something even he’d be able to pull off. There weren’t exactly surveillance cameras in the area where Kalee had last been seen, up in the mountains near the capital city, and she could literally be anywhere if she was still alive. Rex hated to admit it, but he had his doubts.
Then again, after what Avery had lived through, not to mention Caite, Sidney, Piper, and Zoey, he also knew anything was possible.
The commander looked around the room, meeting everyone’s eyes, then nodded. “Dismissed.”
The team stood as the higher-ranking officers left the room. When they were gone, and after Rocco had hung up with Tex, the six men sat back down and looked at each other.
“How are you feeling, Phantom? And don’t lie,” Rocco ordered.
“I’m sore,” the other man admitted readily. “It hurts to put weight on my leg, but it’s better than it was.”
“Good. And how are Sidney, Piper, and Zoey?” Rocco asked the others.
“Glad I’m home,” Ace said. “She loves being a mom, but it’s also overwhelming at times. Especially since she’s so close to having our baby.”
“But she’s all right?” Rocco asked, concerned.
“She’s good,” Ace reassured his friend.
“Sidney saw a new therapist while I was gone, said she really likes her. She’s enjoying working on the adoption and rehabilitation side of the pit bull rescue,” Gumby told his friends.
“And Zoey is more than good,” Bubba said. “I’m trying to convince her to elope, but she’s holding fast to the wedding she thinks she wants.”
“She thinks she wants?” Ace asked with a grin.
“Yup. If it were up to me, I’d save all the money, but if she wants a huge party, that’s what I’m going to give her.”
“And Caite? She’s okay?” Rex asked Rocco.
“Yeah, she’s good. Still loves her job with NCIS, although I’m thinking she spends too much time working on translations, because the other night when we were in bed, she started screaming things in French. But since she sounded content and happy, I didn’t call her on it.”
The guys all chuckled.
“You going to see Avery today?” Rocco asked Rex.
He nodded and looked at his watch. “Yeah, I’m supposed to be there in an hour or so. I’m bringing her to the police station to start looking at photos.”
“You need to watch her carefully,” Phantom said out of the blue.
Rex looked at him and frowned. “I’d already planned to. Especially in a few weeks, when the unit deployed from this base gets back from Afghanistan.”
“I don’t mean that. I mean, of course make sure she’s safe. But it’s more than that.”
“Explain,” Rex ordered his friend.
“I think the others will agree with me here, but it seems like the better someone seems to be dealing with the shit hand life has given them, the more broken up they are about it inside. Avery is one tough chick, I’ll give her that. She kept her cool out there and didn’t freak even under the worst of circumstances. But I have a feeling when she crashes, she’ll crash hard. You just need to be on the lookout for that. She works in a field where she’s surrounded by men, by adrenaline junkies like us, all the time. She probably has to work twice as hard to get the respect she’s due in her field. Nurses work their asses off, but the doctors are usually the ones who get all the credit. She’s used to being tough. To not letting her true emotions and feelings leak through.”
Rex stared at his friend. Phantom was incredibly insightful. He would’ve felt jealous if he didn’t know Phantom had absolutely no interest in Avery as a man would a woman. He respected her, and frankly, he owed her a hell of a lot. And his insight was spot-on.
“I’ll keep my eye on her,” Rex said.
Phantom nodded.
“We’ve got the next few days off…if you need us, just yell,” Rocco told Rex.
“I will. And thanks.”
They all stood, and Rex went to help Phantom up. The other man waved him off. “Gumby’s got me. Go on, go see Avery. I’m sure she has to be worried about today.”
Rex nodded his thanks and turned on a heel. He’d been anxious to see Avery again, wondering how in the world he was going to make it to eleven o’clock. It was crazy, especially since he’d managed to get through his days before he’d gone to Afghanistan just fine without seeing her. But things were different now. He knew it, but wasn’t sure what Avery thought. He’d called her his girlfriend, and she’d agreed, but maybe with a little time apart, she’d start second-guessing how fast they were moving.
Rex still wanted to date her. To get to know every little thing about her, and he wanted to do that while being by her side as much as possible.
If he thought he was slightly obsessed with her before, it was nothing compared to how he felt now.
Once outside, he jogged to his dark blue Chevy Malibu and headed for Avery’s apartment. He’d gotten her address that morning from his commander. When he pulled up, he was impressed. It was in a nice part of town and the landscaping was immaculate. Rex approved of the abundance of lights in the parking lots as well. Not that he’d thought she’d be living in a rundown, dangerous complex, but he was happy to see the place seemed to be relatively safe.
For some reason, Rex was nervous as he made his way to her apartment. It was on the third floor of the building, which he approved of. There were several apartments on each floor, and as he walked up the open-air stairway, he noticed that most had some sort of welcome mat and other homey touches that, again, reassured him that Avery was living in a community apartment complex, and not one where people came and went more often.
He had a nosey neighbor who had lived near him for years, and while some people might complain, he was glad. She always took in his packages if he wasn’t home, and had no problem reporting anyone lurking around who she didn’t know. He’d take a nosey neighbor over one that didn’t care any day. He wondered if anyone was right now peering out their peephole to get a good look at him.
Rex was wearing his NWU, naval working uniform, with the four-color—deck gray, haze gray, black, and navy blue—digital camouflage pattern, and figured the residents had seen their share of sailors come and go from the complex.
He knocked on the door and, after waiting only a short moment, it opened. Amy Nelson stood there smiling at him. “Hi! It’s good to see you again. Come in.”
Rex nodded and stepped into Avery’s space for the first time.
There was a short entry hallway, which led into a good-sized living room. A galley-style kitchen was located off to the left, and a glass sliding door overlooked a small balcony along the far wall, with a view of the ocean just visible in the distance. To the right of the living area was a hallway, which Rex assumed led to the bedrooms.
Avery had stood from the leather couch she’d been sitting on the second he stepped in—and with his first glance, Rex knew something was very wrong. He opened his mouth to ask, but her mom interrupted him.
“Would you like something to eat or drink? I made Avery’s favorite breakfast this morning, cinnamon apple pancakes, but she didn’t eat as much as I thought she might, so there’s leftover batter. I can easily whip some up for you.”
“Mom, he doesn’t want to eat. I’m sure he’s really busy,” Avery said with a slight shake of her head.
“Are you sure?” the other woman asked. “It’s no trouble.”
“I’m good, thank you for the offer though. Did everyone sleep all right?” Rex asked, hoping to discern why Avery had dark circles under her eyes and it looked like she’d been up all night.
“Like a log,” Bob said from his seat in an armchair next to the couch. He’d also stood when Rex arrived, but had settled himself back down with a newspaper in his lap. “I swear this was the first good night’s sleep Amy and I have had since getting the news that Avery was taken captive.”
Avery’s mom chimed in her agreement, but Rex tuned her out when she started talking about how she and Bob were going to play tourist while Avery did her thing today.
He stared at Avery and willed her to look at him, but her eyes roamed everywhere except to his face. His thought that something was wrong solidified when Avery lifted a hand to push her hair behind an ear and he saw it was shaking.
“I’m going to go and braid my hair. I’ll be right back.” Without waiting for his agreement, she spun and disappeared down the hallway.
Rex saw Amy frowning at her daughter’s back.
“Is she okay?” Rex asked softly.
Amy met his eyes, her demeanor instantly changed from breezy to serious as she said, “No. But she’s stubborn and refuses to tell us what’s wrong. I’d hoped when she called her sister last night that she’d talk to her, tell her what was going on in her head, but when she came out of her room after talking, she looked just as stressed as she did before the phone call. I miss the days when she was six, and all I had to do was cuddle her on my lap and she’d tell us everything.”
It was a scene Rex could easily picture. He gestured toward the hallway. “I’m just going to go and check on her…if that’s all right.”
“Of course it is,” Bob said. “She’s my baby girl, but I’m well aware that she’s a full-grown adult. She’s hurting, and we can’t do a damn thing to help her. But you were there with her. She had nothing but complimentary things to say about you last night. Please, we’d be in your debt if you could get her to talk to you.”
“I’m not promising anything, but rest assured that I have nothing but Avery’s best interests at heart. This probably isn’t the time or place, but I really like your daughter. She’s amazing. One of the most interesting and fascinating women I’ve ever met. Not to mention strong, brave, and completely capable of handling any kind of situation that might be thrown her way.”
“She said the two of you were dating,” Amy replied, leaning a hip against the counter and watching him carefully.
“She did?” Rex asked.
“Yes. But also that it was new.”
“It is. But that doesn’t mean that I don’t already respect her, or the people who raised her,” Rex said honestly.
“Appreciate that,” Bob said. “Now, if you know my daughter at all, you know that it doesn’t take her long to get ready. So if you’re going to talk to her before you head out today, you better get to it.”
Rex chuckled. “Yes, Sir.” Then, putting Avery’s parents out of his mind, he walked down the hall toward her bedroom. He knew immediately which was hers, simply because of the delicious scent coming from one of the rooms. He pushed open the door and saw an unmade bed that looked like a wrestling match had taken place there recently. The comforter was hanging off the end of the bed, a blanket was askew, and the sheet was pushed off to the side, half lying on the carpet.
The room otherwise looked lived in. Not neat as a pin, but not too cluttered either. There were a few paintings on the walls, pictures on a dresser, and a dirty clothes hamper against one wall. A normal apartment-sized closet was open, and Rex could see quite a few clothes hanging inside, both civilian and her naval uniforms.
But it was the smell that again had him pausing to inhale deeply. Lavender and cotton.
Following the scent, he stood in the doorway to the small bathroom attached to her bedroom for a moment, observing Avery without her being aware. Her hands were propped on the counter and her head was lowered. Her eyes were closed, and she was standing stock still. Rex could see a bottle of lavender-scented lotion on the counter, and spied one of those liquid air fresheners plugged into a socket on the other side of Avery, which was probably where the fresh scent of newly washed clothes was coming from.
As good as the room smelled, he only had eyes for Avery. She looked exhausted. Tired and beaten down, when she should’ve been refreshed after a good night’s sleep.
“Did you sleep at all?” he asked quietly.
Avery didn’t even jump. It was obvious she knew he’d been standing there all along. “Not really.”
She didn’t elaborate.
“Why not?” Rex pushed.
“I just couldn’t,” she hedged.
Rex stepped into the room and came up behind her. Since they were about the same height, he couldn’t see her eyes, so he leaned a little to the right and met her gaze in the mirror. He saw pain and frustration there, but didn’t want to push. He grabbed the brush sitting on the counter and gestured to her hair with his head. “Do you mind?”
Avery shook her head.
Rex slowly began to run the brush down her already silky-smooth hair. “It’s soft,” he said after a moment.
Avery let out a huff of laughter. “Very different from the first time you saw me in that cave, huh?”
“Yup,” Rex agreed. “You got a hairband?”
She frowned, but leaned forward and grabbed an elastic tie from the counter and held it over her shoulder to him. He took it and, without a word, began to expertly French braid her hair.
“If someone had asked me how this morning would go, you braiding my hair wouldn’t be what I’d have guessed,” she said with a tired chuckle.
“You might have noticed I like to wear my hair a little long,” Rex said, answering the question he heard in her tone, but hadn’t asked. “I went through a phase where it was much longer than this, and I realized how much easier it was to keep it pulled back in a braid when I worked. So I taught myself by watching videos online.” He smiled. “And got a ton of crap from the guys. Nowadays, I pretty much just keep it longer on top.”
“You don’t braid your beard?” Avery asked with a smirk.
Rex tied off her hair and leaned forward, putting his hands on the counter next to hers, pinning her in. Their eyes met in the mirror once more, and Rex rubbed his beard against the side of her neck without breaking eye contact. “Nope. I’m not into the Viking look, although if you wanted to try it, I wouldn’t stop you. I’d let you do just about anything you wanted to me, I think.”
She didn’t respond, just blinked.
“You nervous about today?” he asked, trying to get to the bottom of why she hadn’t slept well.
Avery shrugged. “Not really. I mean, I’m just looking at pictures. If I had to actually look at people in person, I might be a bit more stressed about it.”
Rex was frustrated that she wasn’t telling him what was bothering her. “Your talk with your sister went all right?”
“Of course. She cried a little, but was very glad that I was home safe and sound.”
“You upset that your parents are here?”
“No,” Avery said immediately. “I love them, and I know me being taken captive was extremely hard on them. I think we all needed to be able to see and touch each other to make sure it was real.”
Rex could understand that.
“How’d the meeting go this morning?” she asked before he could delve any deeper into what was bugging her. “Is Phantom on his way to Timor-Leste?” She smiled as she said it, letting him know she was kidding.
Rex chuckled. “No. But I imagine it’s only a matter of time.” He told her what their commander had said, and how Tex would be looking for more specific information on any possible sightings of a red-haired American wandering around the countryside.
“What I went through was bad,” Avery said. “But I can’t help but think that if Kalee is still alive, what she’s going through is worse. I can’t imagine no one knowing I was alive and needing help. It was one thing for me to take one day at a time because I knew someone from the army or navy was looking for me. The United States might not negotiate with terrorists, but I had no doubt that I wasn’t going to be left out there forever. I’m guessing Kalee probably thinks she’s on her own, that no one is going to come for her.”
Rex loved Avery’s huge heart. He hated the thought of Kalee not knowing anyone cared if she was alive or dead. If she only knew how much Phantom really did care. It might’ve started out as caring because a mission had failed, but it was obvious it was more than that now.
Avery took a deep breath and turned to face him. Rex didn’t move back though, so they were practically touching when she rested her ass on the counter behind her.
“Cole?”
“Yeah?”
“Can I kiss you?”
And just like that, Rex’s good intentions were shot.
He’d planned on taking things very slowly with Avery. Taking her out on a couple dates, getting to know her, then easing into intimacy between them. Every time he was around her, however, it was harder and harder to fight their chemistry.
If Avery wasn’t going to hold back, he had little hope of taking things slow. He was too attracted to her. He admired her too much. He would still try…but he could give her this.
