Page 14 of SEAL's Tempest
He led her down the long corridor and around the corner and tried to restrain his anger at her keeping so much information from the team. “This mission just got a whole lot more complicated. Why didn’t you tell us you not only knew someone with the aid workers, but she’s your sister? Not telling us about your other mission was one thing, but this? There was no reason to withhold this information.”
Tempest cringed at his anger, not that he wasn’t entitled to it. She should have told them. “I’m sorry. At first I thought it would get me kicked off the team, but then I realized it wouldn’t matter because of the other.” She shrugged. “I can’t stay now. I need to be somewhere else. I’m sorry.”
Josh’s jaw twitched as he ground his teeth together, but he nodded. “Stay here. Don’t leave until I come back. Will you do that for me?”
Despite fighting the urge to leave, to get to the lab and accomplish her mission, she nodded. She owed it to Josh to wait. . Another few minutes shouldn’t make a difference. Especially when her original plan was to make her way through the streets of Zdolnihiv in the dark.
As Tempest waited for Josh to return, she ran through several scenarios to calculate the best way to reach the lab from her current location. When she rechecked the GPS on her watch, she realized the lab was only three streets away. Antsy to get going, she almost took off but before she had a chance, Josh came around the corner.
“Thank you for not leaving. I half figured you would be gone when I got back,” he said. But no butterfly-inducing grin graced his lips this time. No, this was angry Josh, and it was her fault. So much for their truce.
“I said I’d wait. Although I need to leave now. I don’t want to hold up the evacuation. If you’re going to yell at me, just get it over with, or you’ll have to wait until we’re headed back home.” Tempest’s anger simmered just below the surface. She had a mission to complete, and Josh being pissed off wasn’t a valid reason for her to fail.
“I’m not going to yell at you. I’m not your daddy. But I am coming with you,” Josh said with a huff.
“Wait. What? You can’t; you’re not authorized. You’re not even supposed to be aware of this mission. It’sneed to know,and trust me,youare not on that list.” Tempest couldn’t keep the irritation out of her voice.
Sure, she’d screwed up, but this was ridiculous. It’s not like she was some errant child to be punished for not following the rules. This is what she got for doing as he asked. She should have been long gone by the time he returned.
“Well, sweetheart, I hate to burst your bubble, but things have changed. When Quinn called Knox to alert him to the wounded civilians, he had an update from JSOC, authorizing backup for you. Apparently, the lab has been discovered by the insurgents, but they haven’t been able to break into the facility yet. Doc will take care of things here until Quinn can get the others free. Looks like you’re stuck with me.”
“Sweetheart?Are you serious? Just who do you think you’re talking to?” Tempest practically vibrated with anger.
Of course, he was the person assigned to help.Velniop. Why couldn’t it have been Lucky or even better, Ry and Whiskey? Either of them would have been preferable to this insufferableasile—asshole.
Sure, she should be happy that JSOC amended her orders to allow her backup, but not with this infuriating man. Tempest must have been out of her mind thinking he was hot earlier, because now all she wanted to do was knock him out and leave him behind.
For a moment, she weighed the chance of success with that,.
“Whatever you’re thinking, I wouldn’t suggest it,” Josh said, his voice steely.
Her bravado deflated like a popped balloon. The expression on his face, along with the cruel twist of his lips, raised goosebumps on Tempest’s arms. Uncertainty slid like ice down her spine.
Tempest had never gone against orders, and she wasn’t about to now, especially with something so critical.
With a huff, she nodded. “Fine. But you better keep up, I’m not waiting for your sorry ass,” Tempest said through gritted teeth. She’d teach him to call her sweetheart.
She didn’t wait for his response and headed out of the hospital, wishing she could have explained to Grace why she’d left. They were a lot alike, and she hoped Grace would understand. She had to. Tempest’s anger flared as once again her choices were taken from her. She was getting really tired of it.
Before Tempest stepped out of the hospital lobby and onto what was left of the sidewalk, she shoved the UN gear into her backpack. She no longer needed to look like part of that team,. Instead, she had to blend in with everyone else. The last thing she needed was to stand out as a stranger.
Josh stopped next to her and did the same thing. The jeans and T-shirts they were wearing should help them blend in with the people who were now wandering the streets. Some of the stores had even opened. When they’d first entered the city, it had seemed like a ghost town.
The memories from her childhood were nothing like the current version of Zdolnihiv. After viewing the satellite images, she should have been more prepared, but the reality was so much worse. Most of the buildings were bombed out skeletons left to decompose. Even St. Anne’s Church hadn’t been left unscathed. The sheer magnitude of the destruction ripped at Tempest’s heart, but she didn’t have time to dwell on the condition of the city or if any of her family were still alive. Her new country needed her focus and that’s what they’d get.
Even with the landmarks mostly destroyed, Tempest was able to get her bearings. With the help of the GPS, she was able to figure out the fastest way to the lab.
“Where to?” Josh’s startled her as he came up behind her.
“This way.” Tempest indicated the road to their left. “We need to blend in.”
Josh nodded and took her hand in his, twining their fingers together.
“What the hell are you doing?” Tempest hissed. She tried to pull away, but he held on tight.
“It’ll look more realistic if we’re a couple. Look around you, what do you see? Families or couples.”
She hated that he was right. Most of the people were in groups or couples. “Fine, we’ll do it your way, but don’t get any ideas.”
