Hell or High Water (27 page)

She’d spent the past day and a half being grilled by the Oklahoma authorities. Then DPD and the FBI had questioned her, Marcus and Tyrell for hours. All that time, she’d pleaded to be allowed to go to Nate. To sit beside his bed.
 

She’d rushed back from lunch full of excitement. According to Wayne, no charges were going to be filed. Not against her or the guys. Apparently, Nate having a friend with the FBI had come in handy. But it was clear, Nate didn’t need her or her news.
 

The thought of him skulking around Colombia undercover rolled her stomach into a knot. What if his cover were blown? He could be killed. Or tortured and then killed. She clutched her stomach as if pressure would stop the churning.
 

She’d already lost her brother, and she’d almost lost her best friend. Nate disappearing into the jungle and perhaps never being heard from again was more than she could bear.
 

Damn him. He hadn’t changed one bit. At the first opportunity, he was leaving on a mission. Running toward danger, putting his life in jeopardy would always be his first love. She could never fill his need for excitement.

But she’d known that all along.

Kay laughed at her own stupidity. She gathered what little pride she had left, and this time, she knocked before entering.

Chapter 27

Shoulders back, head held high, Kay pretended she hadn’t heard Nate and Dalton’s discussion. Pretended Nate’s leaving again wouldn’t deliver a crushing blow to her heart. Pretended losing him wouldn’t suck the joy from her life.
 

Her presence brought complete silence to the room. The void was deafening for a few minutes. Then as if a covert mission hadn’t been their topic, the two men started discussing the events of the past few days. Their behavior added insult to injury.

She couldn’t blame the FBI or Dalton for Nate’s decision. But she bit her tongue more than once to keep from blurting out what she’d overheard. She waited, hoping Nate would bring her up to speed, but neither man mentioned the upcoming assignment. The longer she waited for the truth, the wider the hole in her heart became.
 

Dalton extended his hand to Nate. Thank God. The FBI was leaving. Maybe now Nate would give her the bad news.
 

“How will you manage your PI business with you laid up?” Dalton asked.
 

“I’m offering Tyrell and Marcus full-time work.”

“With their military backgrounds, I can see it happening.” Dalton turned to Kay. “Walk out with me?” His handsome face belied the fact he was hard-core government, making her wary.
 

“Sure.” She leaned over and kissed Nate’s forehead, searching for the connection she’d felt when he’d held her in his arms at the cabin. He loved her. She knew it, but did he? “Be right back. Can I bring you anything?”

Nate barely looked at her when he said, “Ask the nurse when the doctor makes his rounds. I’ve got to get back to Dallas.”

She and Dalton stopped by the nurses’ station, learned the doctor wouldn’t be back until Monday and then strolled out into the heat. The wind had shifted. A slight breeze out of the North reminded her a break from the high temperature was close.
 

“I’ve never been to Atlanta. If it gets cold, I may have to move.” Small talk seemed easier than asking him directly what he wanted.

“Not all that different than Texas. Snows but it’s rare. Black ice almost shuts the city down,” he said, tossing his briefcase into the backseat of a rental.

“I’ll make this easy for you,” she said. “I overheard. He’s leaving the country on a job for you as soon as he’s fit to travel, and I shouldn’t get attached to him because who knows when or if he’ll come back to me. Well, you’re too late.”

She shifted from one foot to the other, uncomfortable because he stared down at her as if she’d grown a third eye.
 

“I would never violate a confidence. Only Nate can tell you if he’s accepted an assignment. Nor do I know him well enough to speak to matters of the heart. I wanted to suggest you think through your decisions next time before you break the law. You were damn lucky. If the hostage had been killed ... well, we won’t talk about the charges you could’ve faced.”

“I appreciate everything you’ve done,” she said, feeling thoroughly but politely dressed down.

“You’re welcome.”

With that said, he shook her hand, slid behind the wheel, and departed. Obviously, the men in black really were all business.
 

She made her way back inside, hoping Nate’s blue eyes would darken with need at the sight of her. Then she’d know he cared. But his eyes were unreadable, giving nothing away and sending her heart into a free fall.
 

“Dalton seemed like an okay guy,” she said, willing Nate to broach the subject of Colombia.

“I guess. How’s Holly?”

“Her outside injuries will heal, but she’s traumatized. I’m worried about her. Marcus is driving her home today.”

“Where is she?”

“One floor up. She keeps insisting Jake saved her. That he would never harm her.”

“I’d like to believe he wouldn’t.” Nate shook his head. “War does weird things to some people. Dalton says Jake’s injuries are pretty bad. You heard he needs surgery?”

“Yes. And we have to stand by him, but right now I’m more concerned about Holly. She’s put on a brave front, but she went through a lot.” Kay couldn’t close her eyes without seeing flashes of her friend’s bruises. “It’s just not fair.”
 

“Kaycie.” His voice mellowed to the soft tone she’d come to love, and her cheeks heated. “Come here. Please.”

She shoved the tray table aside, lowered the bed rail, and then bent over him. She carefully rested her head on his uninjured shoulder.
 

Nate hooked a finger under her chin and lifted her head. He touched his lips to her forehead, her nose, and then her cheeks. When he leaned back and looked at her, the smile in his eyes had returned.

“If you’ll help me brush my teeth, I’ll give you a proper kiss.”
 

His prim manner of speech sent a chuckle bubbling to the surface, and for the first time in days Kay relaxed a little. She blocked out the part where he’d be leaving soon and shoved the hurt to the back of her mind.
 

And for making her laugh, she kissed him anyway.
 

“That wasn’t bad.” She finger-combed his hair.

“Hmm,” he moaned. “Feels good. I’d promised myself I’d get this mop cut off as soon as I got out of here.”

Thank God, he was going to talk about the assignment. He’d probably leave his hair long to go undercover. She closed her eyes and braced for the news.
 

“Let me scoot over. I want all of you next to me.” Through gritted teeth, he groaned and moved sideways, allowing her to lie beside him. He ran his hand across her arms, back, and neck. Wait. Was he committing her form to memory?
 

When he didn’t mention the mission, she prompted, “But you’re not getting it cut?”
 

His body tensed. “Not for a while.”

“My mother always told me to never trust a man whose hair was prettier than mine.” She gave him another opportunity to open up to her, but he laughed and held her tighter.

 
“I’m guessing Tyrell and Marcus returned the eighteen-wheeler and left my bike at my office. Will you drive me home?”

The lights went off in her soul. Snap. Pitched into total darkness, she worried she’d never find the way out. Her heart bled as if she’d been the one struck by the bullet. Nate hadn’t actually lied, but he hadn’t confided in her either. He’d simply changed the subject.

Kay dug deep, swallowed back the hurt. “The doctor won’t be back until Monday.”

He stroked up her rib cage, cupping her breast in his hand. “God, I never want to go through that kind of fear again. It took longer to reach you than we’d anticipated, and I was going nuts.”
 

“Thankfully, it’s over.” Keeping her tone level required control. Control she felt slipping away. How could he carry on a conversation knowing he had to break the news?

“You were awesome. I’m damn proud of the way you held it together. You know, I could recover at your place for a few days. You don’t happen to know where to get one of those sexy nurse’s costumes. Do you?”

Self-pity vanished as the urge to choke him hit Kay. Did he really expect her to nursemaid him for a few days before he disappeared on his secret and deadly mission? How dare he be so flippant? Callous. Was she so unimportant he could make love to her one day and leave the next?
 

“Sorry. I have to go back to work Monday. Vacation’s over.” She tried to move to the edge of the bed. “One of the boys will drive you home. I need to check on Holly. Call if you need anything.”

His hold tightened, almost as if he refused to let her go, and for a second, hope bloomed in her chest. Then his grip relaxed, and he released her. When she stood and faced him, the sparkle had left his eyes.

“Sure thing.” His jaw muscle jerked then relaxed. He glanced around, located the remote, and then turned on the TV.

Battling the sob racing to the surface, Kay grabbed her purse and headed for the door. She knew it was pain lashing out but couldn’t stop herself from taking a parting shot. “Send me a bill if my check didn’t cover all your expenses.”

****

Nate was ready to walk out of the hospital room on his own Monday when Tyrell arrived, pushing the wheelchair.
 

“Your chariot, my king.” Tyrell bowed with a smirk. “You hear the cheer coming from the nurses’ station? They were excited to send your bitchy-old-woman-ass home.”

“I’ll miss them, too. Who’s gonna turn on the overhead light blinding me at six every morning?” Nate didn’t defend himself. His behavior had been less than amicable after Kaycie had strolled out and hadn’t returned or called. It didn’t help that every damn time the door swung open, he’d expected her to come through.
 

She hadn’t. What she’d done was give him plenty of time to think, and she wasn’t getting away that easy.
 

She loved him. He could tell by the way she touched him as if he were a priceless treasure. She kissed him like she’d starve without him. By the way she made love. Kaycie wasn’t the type to buy into the sex-with-a-friend thing. She loved him, and he intended to make her admit it.

Somewhere in the background, Tyrell droned on with his lecture about Nate taking it easy. He’d lied to the doctor and promised to rest. Big deal. He and dozens of other patients said whatever was necessary if it meant getting out of the hospital. Happened every day. If he hadn’t lost so much blood, he’d have been cut loose two days ago.
 

Tyrell pointed at the wheelchair. “Sit.”

“I can walk.” Nate curled his lip at the thought of being wheeled out like an invalid.

“Get real. Use that snarl on somebody scared of you.”

No use arguing against a lost cause. Sometimes a person had to accept the inevitable and keep their bitching to themselves. Nate sat and held his duffle bag on his lap. “Don’t just stand there. Get me the hell out of here and take me home.”
 

“I’ll set your ass on the side of the freeway,” Tyrell said on a chuckle, but he complied. “And I’m reconsidering my agreement to work with you full time.”

Nate didn’t comment because Tyrell was just mouthing off. He’d already committed to come aboard as had Marcus. Neither one of them would go back on their word.
 

“Dalton tell you Jake needs surgery?” Nate groaned when the wheelchair bumped onto the elevator.
 

“Yeah. He’s got a long way to go. You’ll keep track and let me and Marcus know how he’s doing?”

“I will. He won’t go through this alone.”
 

The trip back to Dallas was spent strategizing. Tyrell’s credentials as a Ranger had carried a lot of weight with the FBI and DEA, which was important, since both agencies were working the case. He’d been cleared to cover the Colombian assignment by both branches of the government. According to Dalton, Tyrell’s background check couldn’t have been better.
 

Nate read from the file. “I’d like this setup better if you were meeting someone other than a civilian.”
 

“Ana María Vega Cisneros.”

Tyrell’s perfect pronunciation and knowledge of the language might save his life.

“You got a problem working with a woman?”
 

“I don’t give a damn as long as she delivers the goods.”

“She’s got good credentials.” Nate flipped through the pages. “Who is the contact with the Colombian government? I can’t find his name in the file.”
 

“Cisneros will introduce us. He’s for emergencies only,” Tyrell said, never taking his eyes off the highway. “He’s supposed to cut through the red tape and provide a safe route out of the country if things blow up in my face.”
 

“I’m not trusting your safety to anybody else. If you need out, contact me. Hang onto that satellite phone and stay in communication. I’ll be your first call if you need help.”