Page 26 of Shielding Instinct

“When you all made the plan.” Her voice trailed off. “I must have been in there quite a while. I hardly remember being there at all. I tell you, from the start, this day was destined for the crapper. I had no idea to what extent or how many people would be swept up in my misadventure. But I can’t say that I wasn’t forewarned.” She folded her hands in her lap. “I’m setting my alarm to wake up with a bright sun shining. The dawn of a new day.”

“This means something to you.”

“It does, and I might tell you later. My head is so full of noise right now.” She reached for his hand and when he clasped her fingers in his, she closed her eyes.

A quarter mile wasn’t nearly far enough.

He didn’t want to let her go.

The staff was ready with their room cards, so they headed up. Hawkeye followed her into her room to check that she had her luggage. Then he reached out to open the door separating their rooms.

“You’re not staying?” Her hand was on the wall for balance as she slid her shoes off. “Oh, you need to get to Cooper.”

“I’ll stay as long as you like. Levi’s out for a jog with Mojo and Cooper. They’ll be back soon.”

“Great name Mojo. That’s a dog, right?”

“The Malinois. Okay, here’s the rundown. We have five people down here in St. Croix. Reaper, who arrived before we did, is our trainer. I’m sure you’ll meet him along the way. Then Ash with K9 Hoover, Halo with Max, Levi with Mojo, and me with Cooper.”

She tapped her fingers and mumbled through each name and looked up to see if she got it right.

“Yup.” He leaned his hips back onto the table, reaching for the room service menu. “Speaking of great names, I wonder if there’s a story behind yours.”

“Petra? It’s the female version of Peter, my paternal grandfather. The deal was that Dad got to give me my nickname, and Mom got to choose the name on my birth certificate.”

He paused, then said, “You need to eat, and so do I. I’m ordering room service.” He handed her the menu folder.

She took it and opened it, looking it over. “The print is small, and the lights are dim.” She folded it again and handed it back to him. “I’m not very hungry.”

Hawkeye canted his head. “Did you eat breakfast before the flight this morning?”

“No.”

He walked toward the landline and lifted the receiver, holding it to his chest. “Are you allergic to anything?”

“No.”

“I’m ordering pizzas for us.” He tapped number four for room service. “Do you have a preference for toppings?”

“No.” She grinned. There was something there, some joke that popped into her mind. He could almost see her tucking it into her pocket to tell someone later.

He placed the order without taking his eyes off her as she curled into the pillows at the top of her bed. “It’ll be here in about twenty minutes.” He pulled out a chair. “So, your dad gave you Petra, and was it your mom who gave you Hermione Perdita?”

Petra paused and blinked. In her one good eye, he could swear he saw an actual file drawer pull open, get rifled through, a paper tugged out and waved victoriously in the air as she shut the drawer again. “Oh, yeah, I told the intake person at the hospital. My given name is Hermione Perdita Armstrong. You said your mom was a high school English teacher, right? Mine was a classics professor. You got Michael George, and I got Hermione Perdita.”

“Hermione Perdita Armstrong.”

“A bit of a mouthful.”

Hawkeye swung his leg around to sit.

“That chair’s too small for someone your height. Come relax on the bed with me.”

He didn’t need to be asked twice.

“About my name—I was born on the Winter Solstice. Mom thought it would be nice to name me after Shakespeare’s Winter’s Tale. King Leontes and Queen Hermione had adaughter named Perdita. It’s not a very nice story, but it is one of Mom’s favorites for whatever reason.”

“How does it go?” Hawkeye asked, untying his boots and sliding them off.

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