Page 92 of Shielding Instinct

“It can be. But someone has to think about this. Just like with the military, someone has to go outside the wire. Still.”

“Yeah, still.” He reached for her hand and held it tightly.

Petra had never felt so safe and protected.

If only it could be this easy.

Chapter Thirty-One

Hawkeye

The rest of their short ride was in silence. Hawkeye wanted to crush Petra’s hand in his to hold her so tight that nothing could hurt her.

Was he glad there were brilliant minds quietly at work behind the scenes to figure this out?

Absolutely.

Did he wish Petra were a classical musician or a professor of medieval texts?

No.

Okay, a little.

During his time in the Green Berets, he had a sense of the pressures of protecting a nation. It must feel overwhelming for Petra to be a soldier on a new frontier.

He pulled the car off the side of the road under a tree, shifted into park, and shut off the engine. In silence, he folded the trail map, put it in the side pocket of his EDC—everyday carry—ruck, and opened the door, whistling for Cooper to follow him out.

Cooper bounded over the seat and out the door.

Hawkeye thought maybe he’d leave Petra alone. That conversation obviously got things percolating in her mind, and he didn’t want to intrude.

When she walked around to join him, he pointed toward the faint trailhead.

The trees seemed to help. The farther they walked into the dense foliage, the lighter the proverbial cloud over Petra’s head.

Finally, she said, “All right, I’ve been talking a lot about my work. Tell me about yours.”

Cooper was off lead and walking to Hawkeye’s side. “What do you want to know?”

“Uhm, we’re on a search of sorts. Tell me a strange search and rescue story.”

“Strange? Okay, I have one. Cooper and I were heading overseas to work with Strike Force, one of the Iniquus tactical teams.”

“I know Lynx from that team, but I don’t think she travels with them. She’s a puzzler.” Petra reached for his hand.

To Hawkeye, this gesture seemed natural and automatic.

But he had to remember that they had different brain wiring, and he didn’t know how to interpret something even as small as this.

In his mind, people walk hand in hand when they’re developing an intimate relationship. But he had a friend, Bruce, who held hands with anyone and all the time. For a hairdresser who was bubbly and a bit feminine, this worked. One day, Bruce asked to hold Hawkeye’s hand while walking on a trail at dusk.

Hawkeye admitted it had taken him aback.

Bruce explained that a relatively typical neurodivergent trait was not being completely sure where his body was in space. It was why many neurodivergent people seemed clumsy and bumped into things all the time. It helped him to hold hands.

“I’m like your stability dog, then?” Hawkeye had asked, reaching for Bruce’s hand.

Bruce found that hysterical. He said he held hands because he liked to, and he held hands to relieve the stress of walking.

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