Page 21 of Only Her (K2 Team)
Her assistant had nailed them perfectly, but she wasn’t going to admit to noticing. Otherwise, there’d be no end to Brooke’s teasing. “They’re just men.”
“Pfft. Keep telling yourself that. Which one you keeping? I’ll take the other one.”
Riley winked. “Why can’t I keep both?” She walked out before Brooke could respond, returning to her office and the waiting angel.
Mike stood when she walked in. “Good timing. I just finished going through your statement and made a list of questions.”
His eyes tracked her as she moved around her desk, and she wished she’d taken a few minutes to run a brush through her ponytail and put on lipstick. Other than the brief kisses with Cody, her dry spell had gone on way too long.
“You’ll let me know when you get the results on the meat?” Mike said after she’d answered his questions.
“I will.” They’d decided that she would get faster results from the lab she used than if he sent the poisoned meat to the police lab.
He handed her a card. “Until we get a lead on who’s doing this, not much we can do other than beef up patrol in this area. I’ll make sure everyone keeps an eye out, though. I wrote my cell number on the back. If anything more happens, call me direct instead of going through dispatch.”
“Thanks.” She walked him out. At the front door, he paused.
“Are you married, Riley?”
“No. Are you?”
“Came close once, but no dice.” And there was that killer smile again. “Now that we’ve established neither of us is married, would you like to go out tomorrow night? Dinner and dancing, maybe? Or a movie... or just drinks if that makes you more comfortable.”
She pushed away the image of brooding caramel-colored eyes. Cody had made it clear that he wasn’t interested, and the truth was, she was ready for a life outside of work. “I’d be good with dinner and a movie. I’ll text you my address, and you can let me know what time.”
“So I get the dangerous one?” Brooke asked when Riley turned back to the counter.
In your dreams. “Don’t you two have something to do?” Her employees were too nosy by far, and the thought of either one of them going after Cody made her want to say something snide.
As she headed for the exam room where her next patient waited, it occurred to her that it was Cody she wished she had a date with, not Mike. Go figure. She was smart, though, so she would put Cody out of her mind. Mike was the perfect choice to begin her foray back into the dating game, and if things went well, who knew? To be on the safe side, she’d stop at the mall on the way home and do some sexy underwear shopping.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Ashamed, Cody kept his gaze on the trees when Ryan sat on the steps next to him. What if the situation had gone south in a really bad way? He couldn’t be trusted, and that was the cruel truth. Hell, he wouldn’t want himself on an operation, so he couldn’t expect his teammates to think any differently.
If Ryan was sitting here, though, that meant he’d talked some sense into the two inside. Cody exhaled a relieved breath. At least he wouldn’t have the guilt of his teammate or one of the kids being hurt on his conscience. He should say something, but he had no words to explain what had just gone down.
“Have you had flashbacks before?” Ryan finally asked.
“I don’t know what happened in there.” His greatest wish was to be able to dig a hole and disappear from sight.
“I think you do.”
The words were said so softly that Cody wasn’t sure he could bear it. A team that ate, slept, and fought side by side bonded together tighter than glue on glue, and although they never said the words, they loved each other. They were often closer than blood brothers, and he owed Ryan an explanation. As much as Cody wanted to get up and walk away, it was time to own his problem, whatever that might be. He still wasn’t sure.
“That was the first flashback... if that’s what it was, but I’ve been having nightmares about a girl back in Afghanistan. I don’t recognize her. Don’t have a clue who she is. She just keeps showing up in my dreams.” Elbows on his knees, he stared down at his hands where they dangled between his legs. “Pretty fucked up, right?”
Ryan reached down and retied the laces on one of his boots. “Is it the same dream all the time?”
The door to the cabin opened, and Justin poked his head out. “Hey, man, we leaving or what?”
“Yeah, we’re leaving,” Ryan said, standing. “Give us a minute.” When the kid closed the door, Ryan squatted and put his hand on Cody’s knee. “We need to talk, but let’s get these two taken care of. Justin’s agreed to let us drive him to the police station where he’ll turn himself in. Megan used my phone to call her parents, and they’re coming to get her. We’re to meet them at the Des Moines airport in a few hours.”
Cody stared at the hand on his knee, willing away the tears stinging his eyes. He hadn’t cried since the day Evan Prescott, one of their SEAL team members, had been killed on an operation, and he’d be damned if he’d cry now. But, fuck, with his touch, Ryan was telling him that he had Cody’s six, whether he deserved it or not.
“Let’s get this over with.” He pushed himself up. “You need help with the kids?”
“Nah. Truth is, they’re scared of you. Why don’t you go on to the car and we’ll be right behind you.” Ryan tossed him the keys.
