Page 51 of Croatia Collateral

“Why not?”

“Not yet. They went through the door that leads to the exterior,” Dax said. “The direction we need to go.”

Chapter 11

Giva lay in Dax’s arms, relishing the closeness, selfishly wishing they could stay there longer. Hidden. Safe.

The man cared about the world with its tenuous hold on peace and the lives of twenty-five million people whose lives could be destroyed with the push of a button.

Or, in this case, with the scan of an iris and then a push of a button.

“How easy is it to replace a biometric scanner?” Giva asked.

“I don’t know. If we were in a big modern city like New York or LA, it might be possible to locate and replace one within a couple of hours.”

“In Croatia?” she asked.

His arms tightened around her. “I doubt anyone would keep such a device in stock here.”

“I overheard Maas say he could have one flown in overnight,” Giva said. “That would give us time to get out, notify the team and get back to stop Maas from setting off the EMP.”

“If he can’t fix the one I broke, first,” Dax said. “For all we know, he could’ve fixed it already.”

“In which case, he would already have sent the EMP,” Giva reasoned. “We’d be too late to stop him. But if we leave now, we could get help and stop him from doing it again.”

“We’re not going anywhere until those guards come back through.” Dax shifted backward enough to give her some space.

Giva turned over to face him. “What will you do if the Nexus Collective’s plan goes through?”

Dax shook his head. “I’d do my best to let the world know who exactly was responsible and hope they believed me.” He brushed a strand of her hair back behind her ear. “Maybe we’d avert a world war.”

“And if nothing you can do will prevent a world war? What then?” she whispered, fascinated by every move his lips made as he spoke.

“I’d gather the people I love, my sister and my brothers in arms and find a tiny island no one remembers and live out my life away from all the bullshit of war and killing.” He leaned close and brushed his lips across hers. “Would you come with me?”

Her heart swelled with warmth. “Would you want me to come? We just met a few days ago.”

“I feel like I’ve known you for much longer than that. Like the minutes we’ve been together equaled days. A crash course in getting to know you.” He grinned. “I like what I know so far.”

Her chest tightened. This man had lost the love of his life once already. “Do you believe there is only one right person for you in the world?” she asked softly.

His brow creased. “What do you mean?”

Giva shrugged. “After losing your wife, do you believe you could ever love again?” Giva held up her hands. “Don’t worry. I’m not asking you to declare your undying love for me. I just wonder if you believe there could be another person you could love as much as the one you lost.”

“My mother once told me that, when I was born, she couldn’t imagine loving another child as much as she loved me. She was afraid when she got pregnant with my sister that she wouldn’t love her as much as her first child. It worried her until they laid my sister in her arms, and she realized her heart was capable of loving more than one child.”

“Children are different than wives and lovers,” Giva said.

“True, but the principle still applies. The human heart is capable of so much love if you’re open to it.”

She wanted to ask but couldn’t... Would you have room in your heart to love me?

Giva had been so heartbroken over the loss of her family that she’d gone all in with her military training. Being a woman in a male-dominated career, she’d avoided the pitfalls of love, afraid of having her heart broken by loss or betrayal.

Now, lying in Dax’s arms, she realized what she’d been missing. The connection. Having someone to share life’s moments with, both good and bad. Knowing someone had your back and she would have his. Someone who wouldn’t judge her for not being soft and feminine enough. Someone who cared what happened to the people he loved and about innocent strangers who had never asked to be part of a war.

Someone like Dax.

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