Page 10 of Burning for Him

Doug loved doting on his nieces and nephews. They all lived within a twenty-minute drive of his condo, and he saw them often. The children weren’t just cousins but friends, too, and Doug hoped his own kids would have a similar relationship with the others someday.

A vision of Jenn, her belly round with a child—his child—popped into his head, and he swayed on his feet. For a moment, he thought another earthquake had hit, but it was the unexpected thought that knocked him for a loop. She’d be beautiful pregnant and a fantastic mother. He’d seen her with all the kids she considered her niblings—a gender-neutral word for nieces and nephews that he’d never heard until recently. They adored her, and it was evident to anyone who watched her with them that she loved each of them as if they were her own.

“Well, looks like we’re staying for a few days.”

Romeo’s statement brought Doug out of the fog he was in. Glancing at Jenn, he realized she was no longer on the sat phone that his teammate now held and was staring at her feet as if they were the most interesting things she’d ever seen. “Huh?”

“Ian wants us to stay and help out here.”

Of course he did.Shit.

It wasn’t as though Doug didn’t want to stay and assist with the recovery—there had to be damage to the commune andnearby villages, and people who were injured or, God forbid, dead from the quake. He was a fourth-generation retired Marine—helping people in need was ingrained in his DNA—but he’d rather get Jenn back to the States for her welfare. However, it seemed she convinced Ian to let her stay, and so Doug would glue himself to her side to ensure her safety until he was certain she was no longer in any danger. She wasn’t going to like it, but too fucking bad. He could never forgive himself for letting her be kidnapped four years ago, and he’d be damned if he wouldn’t protect her now when he had another chance.

“By the way, Tony and Margie, this is—” Jenn started and gestured to a man and woman standing nearby, but before she could complete the introductions, another female voice interrupted.

“Lindsey, is that you? What in heaven’s name are you doing here?” a slender woman in her early-to-mid-sixties asked in slightly accented English as she strode toward the group. She was approximately five feet eight inches tall, with long, gray hair pulled up into a bun. If Doug guessed correctly, she was the doctor who ran the commune.

Costello had been there once before while on a mission with Ian, Carter, Jordyn, and a few others, and she stepped forward to hug the other woman. “Hey, Ramona. It’s good to see you. We came to make sure the supplies Jenn wanted got here this time.” She pointed at the two men the doctor hadn’t met before. “This is Val Mancini, but everyone calls him Romeo, and this is Doug Henderson. Guys, this is Doctor Ramona Sanchez.”

“Call me Ramona, please.” She shook hands with Romeo and then Doug. “You picked a heck of a time to visit.”

Lindsey chuckled. “That seems to be an understatement. But you’re in luck. Boss-man just told us to stick around for a few days and help however we can.”

“I never turn down volunteers orvoluntolds.”

“Volun-what?” Doug asked, his brow furrowing.

The doctor laughed at him. “You’ve never heard of a voluntold? It’s when someone else, like your boss, Ian—God bless his sarcastic soul—tells you that you’re volunteering whether you like it or not.”

Actually, he knew that from his time in the military. His brain just hadn’t caught up with the conversation yet. It was still stuck on the earthquake and the fact that he and the others were staying to help, which meant being in close proximity to Jenn for the next few days, longer than he’d anticipated. Ever since Ian ordered him to fly down to Colombia, Doug prepared himself to see Jenn for a few hours, at the most. Now he had to figure out how to keep his distance yet ensure her safety until he could get the hell out of there.

“Ah. Yeah, he does that often.” He scratched his temple. “In fact, that’s how we all ended up down here to begin with. We were voluntold.”

“I’m not surprised.” She placed her hands on her hips and glanced at the cargo truck. “Well, we’ve got a lot of work to do before we can even think about unloading whatever you have in there.”

Romeo raised his hand holding the sat phone. “I’ll call Nathan and have him extend the rental agreement. I’ll also give our pilot a heads up and tell him to find something to do for a few days.”

“Perfect. Lindsey, you remember where the women’s bunkhouse is, right?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Ramona frowned and lightly swatted Costello’s shoulder. “Don’t ‘ma’am’ me. You know I hate that. I know it’s a military thing, but it makes me feel old.” The two chuckled. “Anyway, you go get settled in there. Do you need anything? Clothing?Toiletries? I can’t imagine you brought much if you didn’t know you were staying.”

“Our go-bags are in the trucks.” Most of the time, they took them wherever they went, in case plans changed at the drop of a hat, as was often the case, like today. Lindsey turned to Romeo, who was already on the phone. “Call Colleen, too, and have her check us out of our hotel rooms.”

“Got it,” he said before returning his attention to whoever he was talking to.

Ramona clapped her hands once. “All right. Gentlemen, Tony can show you where the men’s bunkhouse is. Toss your bags on an empty bed, and then let’s get to work.

“Tony, when you’re done, can you get started on that inventory in the clinic with Jenn, please? I’m sure we lost some supplies during the quake, and we’ll need to replace them ASAP. Lindsey can give you a hand.” The doctor could rival most of the military officers Doug had known during his career, as she quickly assigned tasks to the group. “I need Margie to help Roland and me check the medical equipment. Hopefully, nothing’s damaged. And Doug, I’d appreciate it if you and Romeo would join the other men, making sure there’s no structural damage to any of the buildings, including the roofs, and doing the heavy lifting. A few of them are also trying to round up some livestock that got loose when a section of the corral fencing fell.”

“No problem,” Doug said. Romeo echoed the response a second later after finishing his call, which had been to Clinton.

As Jenn joined the doctor and another woman as they walked toward one of the buildings, the man she and Ramona had called Tony stepped forward, smiled, and extended his hand to Romeo. “Tony Barone.”

“Val Mancini or Romeo.”

“Is there a story behind that nickname?”

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