Page 15 of SEAL's Tempest
“Oh, sweetheart, you don’t have to worry about that,” Josh said under his breath but loud enough for her to make out his words.
This time when she glanced at him, there was a devilish glint in his eyes. His lips lifted with a different grin, one that promised retribution later. So much for the truce, he was going to make her pay. How being the only question that remained.
* * *
Josh had to stop deliberately baiting Tempest. He knew better, but he couldn’t help himself. His initial anger dissipated as he kept to her side while she navigated through the city.
His anger had been unfair, and he didn’t know if he’d have done any different in her shoes. Maybe he shouldn’t have been pissed at all, Quinn hadn’t been. So why did it irk him so much that she’d kept her sister a secret? It felt like she’d betrayed him. It made no sense. They were nothing but neighbors, and not even civil ones at that.
Tempest stopped abruptly at the intersection. This wasn’t a date; it was a mission, and his head had to stay in the game. Knox told Quinn that the tangos were actively trying to access the lab. How they’d found out about it, no one knew yet. He had no doubts that the situation would be rectified as soon as possible by their government.
“What’s wrong?” Josh asked as he leaned into Tempest. She stiffened against him, and he almost grinned.Nothing like taking your life in your hands.If they’d been anywhere but out in the open he’d expect a kick in the balls, and he sighed. For whatever reason, she pushed his buttons, and he couldn’t resist pushing hers back.
“Do you see the two guys leaning in the doorway of the building across the street?”
“Yes. Trouble?” Josh asked. With a casual glance at the two men, he searched the area for anything or anyone else that stood out.
“I’m not sure. But there’s no reason for them to be waiting there. This street is decimated except for the lab. I think they’re watching the location, waiting for someone to try to access the building.”
Josh should have noticed them. Instead, he had his head up his ass again. “Good catch. It’s your mission, your call. How do you want to handle it?”
Tempest glanced up at him and didn’t try to hide her surprise. “Thank you.”
He smiled. For the men watching them as much as for her. Tempest’s skills were impressive. If she continued to work with their team, she’d be a valued asset, even if he wasn’t ready to admit it to her yet.
“Let’s keep going, it will look odd if we turn around now. There’s a secret entrance through the building next door on the next street. Hopefully no one is watching that entrance too.”
“I’ll follow your lead.” Josh squeezed her hand. They started across the street while keeping an eye on the tangos.
As they crossed, the ground shook beneath their feet. A huge explosion sent soundwaves through the city. Josh reacted on instinct and pulled Tempest across the road. He pushed her against the side of a building as he blocked her body with his.
The second blast, closer this time, sent bricks tumbling to the ground around them. Thick black smoke filled the morning sky.
“We should move, try to make it into the lab. It might be the safest place right now,” Josh whispered against Tempest’s ear, hoping her hearing hadn’t been affected by the bomb. He searched her face for acknowledgment. He didn’t know what he expected to see but it wasn’t resolve.
“Yes, exactly. Besides, the shelling will have driven the tangos to run for cover.”
It was a good point, but they still stopped to check to see if they were being followed When no one approached, Josh relaxed his tight grasp on Tempest’s hand, and they started walking.
“Thanks. I thought you were trying to break my bones.” Tempest pulled on her hand until he released it, then rubbed her fingers.
“Sorry. You should have said something,” Josh apologized. He hadn’t meant to hurt her, especially if it affected her ability to defend herself if it became necessary. “Are you armed?”
He should have asked before they left the hospital, and it proved how much being close to her messed with his head.
A smile lifted the edge of her lips but didn’t make it to her eyes. “You’re joking, right? I have knives in my boots, and a Sig tucked into my jeans. What about you?”
“I’m always armed when we’re behind the wire.” Josh shrugged. None of them would go anywhere without a knife at the minimum. “It looks like we’re clear. Which building has the hidden entrance?”
“Come, I’ll show you.” After Tempest checked her GPS again, she indicated he should follow her.
“It’s not much farther. See that print shop up ahead?” Tempest asked as she glanced at him.
Josh grabbed her hand again as they crossed the street. The print shop hadn’t looked so bad from down the block, but as they got closer, he wondered how it was still standing. The building next door that contained the lab didn’t look to be in any better shape.
“It’s in there?” Josh wondered what the hell their government had been thinking when they set up a secret lab in a war-torn country. Couldn’t they have built what they needed in good old middle America somewhere?
“Yes, according to the intel I received. Be careful, it doesn’t look too stable,” Tempest warned as she stepped through the dilapidated doorway over a large piece of debris. A moment later, another explosion ripped through the neighborhood, dropping plaster from the ceiling and filling the air with dust.
