Tempted by a SEAL (17 page)

CHAPTER 19

It was getting dark out and chilly. Not that it was that late. It just got dark early this time of year.

Lydia’s fingers were getting cramped and numb around the thick wax candle she clutched between her hands, but she barely noticed. After the shooting, her mind felt as numb as her body had become from standing outside the hospital.

Around her the crowd rustled. Some praying. Some singing. Some crying. She hadn’t cried yet.

She wondered at that. Shock, maybe?

It would probably hit her later when she was in her bed alone with nothing to do but think.

She’d survived. Marissa had too. And amazingly enough, Lydia didn’t know any of the dozen souls fighting for their lives inside this building.

Most were students, but one was a cafeteria employee. She’d recognized him in the pictures on the web. He’d been mopping up a spill as she’d walked by him today. He’d apologized for blocking her path. She’d smiled and told him it was all right. That she could walk around. No problem.

That man’s condition was critical. At least, that’s what the news was reporting. Lydia was happy she’d taken the time to smile at him today before his whole life had been altered forever.

Did someone ever fully recover from being shot and surviving it? Would she ever recover from just being in that room?

Suddenly, it felt as if she couldn’t stand another moment. She was literally swaying on her feet. If not for the press of the crowd surrounding her, she’d probably have fallen down already.

She bumped her shoulder against Marissa’s. “Would it be horrible if I left? I think I need to go home and lie down before I fall down.”

Marissa shook her head. “No, it wouldn’t be horrible at all. Half of these people here weren’t even on campus at the time. Most of them weren’t in The Caf. I think it’s understandable if we wanted to leave.”
 

“Are you coming?”

“I think I’ll hang out a little longer.” Marissa hesitated before adding, “It feels better being with people, you know?”

Marissa was probably as afraid of the demons that would haunt them at home as Lydia was. She understood, but her body wasn’t cooperating. It felt like a hundred pound weight pressed down on her shoulders, making her body sag beneath the pressure buckling her knees from under her.

“All right.” Lydia blew out her candle and looked around, wondering what to do with it.

Marissa reached out and took it. “I’ll hold on to it in case someone needs it.”

Lydia nodded. “See you at home.”

“Okay.” Marissa accepted the quick one-armed hug Lydia wrapped weakly around her roommate’s shoulders. “You okay to drive?”

“Yeah. I’ll be fine.” Lydia answered with more assurance than she felt.

She would be fine. Eventually.

First she needed to get home and take off these clothes that reminded her too much of today. Maybe throw them out, because she’d never be able to put them on again without remembering everything in horrible detail.

The hospital wasn’t too far from campus. It wasn’t long before Lydia was in the apartment, flipping every light in the place on to chase away the darkness.

She ditched her clothes on the floor. She’d decide what to do with them later.

After pulling on yoga pants, her oversized William and Mary sweatshirt and thick fluffy socks, she was ready to curl in a ball on the sofa and try to not remember anything.

Grabbing the biggest, softest of the couch throws, Lydia clutched it to her chest, more than ready to be snuggled under its warmth.

She was just looking for the remote control when a bang had her jumping.

It was followed by two more bangs that had her heart pounding. The sound brought her right back to that cafeteria and the horrors of today.

It took her a few panicked seconds to realize it wasn’t gunfire. It was someone knocking on the door.

She reached for the back of the sofa to steady herself. Her delay only meant the person decided to knock more, and louder this time.

The only way for her to get peace and stop the horrible noise that was making her feel like she needed to vomit would be to open the door.

She was torn about the prospect of having company. Her exhaustion warred with her anxiety and the last thing she wanted to have to do was entertain someone.

But the prospect of being completely alone until Marissa got home might be worse than having to deal with a visitor.

Either way, she had to open the door before the knocking frayed the last nerve she had left.

With the blanket half wrapped around her and half dragging on the ground behind, she padded to the door and peered through the peephole.

She saw the leather jacket first, then his face. Even distorted by the rounded glass, there was only one man that strong chin could belong to.

Mack.

Shaking, Lydia reached for the lock and worked to get it open one handed as she clutched the blanket. She’d barely cracked the door when it was pushed open by a force stronger than herself.

Already shaken, she squeaked in surprise and fear that she might have been mistaken and it wasn’t him. What if it was someone else? Someone bad.

All those fears got pushed aside as familiar arms encompassed her.

The strength of the embrace held her upright as she sagged against his body. “Mack.”

“Lydia. Oh my God. I’ve been crazy since I heard.” He pulled back enough to look down at her. “Are you really all right?”

“Yes.” But now he was here, and she was completely safe, she felt the crack in her composure begin and widen.

She started to shake as the tears welled in her eyes.

He cussed and she was vaguely aware of his slamming the door. The next sensation was that of being lifted as he carried her to the sofa.

“I’m fine.” She didn’t sound very convincing, even to herself, as she sobbed between words.

“I know you are.” Mack sat on the sofa with Lydia in his lap. He cradled her against his chest. “Just humor me and let me hold you for a little while.”

She drew in a shaky breath and let out an even shakier one. “Okay. I’ll do it for you.”

The short laugh he let out rumbled through his chest. “Thanks.”

Nuzzling deeper against him, she finally felt safe for the first time since that horrible moment the door to The Caf slammed open and the whole world turned upside down.

They stayed just like that. His holding her. Quiet. No talking or noise except the sound of his heartbeat and breathing against her cheek pressed to his chest.

Finally, she couldn’t control her curiosity any longer. “Where were you?” she asked.

“I thought you were sleeping.”

“Nope.” She pulled back so she could look at him. “Where were you?”

“I came directly here the moment I heard.”

“I don’t mean today. I meant before. For the past weeks since I saw you last.”

He pressed his lips together and took his time answering. “You sure you want to talk about this now?”

His avoidance raised her guard. What was he hiding? She couldn’t take any bad news right now. “Why not now?”

“You’ve been through a lot today.”

“Which is exactly why I don’t feel like wondering about you anymore. You disappear for weeks and then ride in here like a white knight to swoop me up in your arms and save me.”

His lips twitched. “That’s quite an image. Very dramatic. But I think I’m more of a black knight than a white one.”

“I’m serious. Does it take me being on the wrong end of target practice for a crazy person with a machine gun for you to show up?”

All humor fled as he sobered. “No. It doesn’t. I was away. I’d just gotten back when I heard what happened from my father, but I was planning to see you either way . . . And it wasn’t a machine gun. It was a semi-automatic from what reports I was able to find.”

“Sorry. We’re not all so well versed in heavy artillery.” She wanted to believe him, but he needed to give her more. “You just got back from where?”

He paused long enough she wasn’t sure he’d answer. “I can’t tell you.”

That was it. She couldn’t be falling for a man who couldn’t meet her half way. She struggled to get off his lap, only to find herself imprisoned by arms of steel.

“Stop. Listen.”

She pouted, but stopped struggling.

“I can’t tell you exact details but I can tell you I was overseas. From that morning I left you in my bed, all the way until this afternoon I was out of the country.” Mack continued right through her doubt filled scowl. “I was leaving the base to go find you when I called my dad and he told me what happened. I came directly here. You can call my father to confirm if you’d like.”

He moved, jostling her as he reached beneath him for his back jeans pocket and, she assumed, his cell phone to call his father for proof.

She stopped him with a hand on his arm. Her mother had called her half a dozen times already today—begging her to come home, offering to come pick her up.
 

Lydia needed the support of family, yes. But today, after spending hours waiting to be interviewed by the authorities and reliving the events for them, she needed space. Needed to be with the other students who were going through the same thing she was. For just a little while, she needed time to process all that had happened without her mother’s smothering.

“Don’t call them. I believe you.”

Mack cocked a brow. “Do you believe me?” He sounded doubtful.

“Yes . . . but I don’t get it. I talked to a few people who have family in the Navy and none of them—”

His deep intake of breath stopped her mid-sentence. “That’s because I haven’t been completely honest with you. Lydia, I’m not regular Navy.”

Her eyes widened. Was Marissa right? “Then what are you?” Lydia asked.

He pressed his lips together before he said, “A SEAL.”

Crap.
Marissa was never going to let Lydia hear the end of the fact she’d guessed correctly and Mack really was some sort of special operative.

Her thoughts must have shown on her face. Mack drew in a breath. “I’m sorry.”

That he was apologizing for being some elite military man struck her as funny. Then again, she might possibly be delirious.

“It’s okay. But why didn’t you just tell me?”

He lifted one shoulder. “It’s not something I make a habit of telling people.”

Her brows shot high. “I’m just
people
?”

Mack shook his head. “No. I was going to tell you the day after the brunch but I got called in. We shipped out that morning so I didn’t have time. I was planning on telling you and your mom this weekend but then this happened.”

Lydia’s eyes popped wider as his comment about her mother raised another question. “Does your dad even know?”

How big of a secret was this? Was she going to have homeland security bugging her phone now to make sure she didn’t spill the beans?

“Dad knows, but I swore him to secrecy. He wasn’t at all happy about having to hide the truth from you or your mother, so please don’t blame him.”

Speechless, she drew in a breath and just shook her head.

“Look, I know it sounds strange to you but there are crazy people out there. After today you more than anyone can appreciate that.”

Lydia couldn’t argue with the truth of that. “Okay. I get it. Don’t worry. I won’t tell anyone. I wouldn’t do anything to put you in danger.”

Brows high, he let out a short laugh. “It’s not me I’m worried about. It’s you and Dad and your mom. Let them come at me. I’m ready. But you all aren’t.”

Maybe it wasn’t the job that was so secretive. It was Mack. Was it really necessary? Or was he paranoid? She reviewed what she knew of recent events. There had been that shooter at the recruiting center. Those Marines and a sailor had been killed.
 

His running a hand down her cheek brought her attention back to Mack. “You’re holding up pretty good after what happened—for a civilian.”

It was a lame joke but she got that he was trying to lighten up a very serious subject.

She swallowed hard, remembering those horrible few minutes. “I did what you said. I remembered and I did it.”

A frown creased his brow. “What did I say?”

“Run, hide, fight. Marissa was ducking under the table but I knew that wasn’t a good enough hiding spot, so we ran. I couldn’t see him from where we were so I figured he wouldn’t see us either if I stayed low and tried to get closer to the exit. When the sound of the shooting stopped—I think he ran out of bullets and had to reload just like you said he would—we got out.”

His eyes looked glassy as he swallowed before saying, “Good girl.”

“Did I do what I should have?” she asked.

“Yeah. You did real good.” He nodded and then crushed her against him so tightly she had trouble breathing. Not about to pull away, she made do the best she could.