Total pages in book: 136
Estimated words: 125037 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 625(@200wpm)___ 500(@250wpm)___ 417(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 125037 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 625(@200wpm)___ 500(@250wpm)___ 417(@300wpm)
She liked that he’d tacked that on, the part about being disloyal if he was attracted to her sister.
Diego handed her the tray and placed his dinner on the small table beside the chair that was opposite the rocker. “Do you want something to drink?”
“Just water.”
“The spring water here is extraordinary.” He brought her a glass filled with clear liquid before seating himself opposite her. “I thought we’d rest tonight and tomorrow start on your PT. We need to get serious about it.”
“PT?” She carefully put a forkful of vegetables and noodles in her mouth and was a little shocked at the burst of flavors. He hadn’t just chopped up the vegetables and heated them; he’d actually used spices to make them taste good.
“I allowed one of the men who came after you to live. The others were very much like the five who were rushing you up the mountains, but he was a decent man. I gave him a message to take back with him. They’ll know you’re alive, and it will depend on how seriously they take me whether they send a little army against us. Just in case, it will be best for you to be in good shape. They won’t expect it.”
“They know I have to go back,” Leila reminded him. “They know I’ll never give up my daughter.”
“No matter what, we’ll get Grace back. You don’t have to sell your soul to have your own daughter given back to you. I made it very clear that I’m a GhostWalker and that the carnage belongs to me, not you. I also made it clear why those soldiers weren’t going home. Terry recognized my name. He knows who I am, and I have no doubt his commanding officer will know my reputation as well.”
“They lost a lot of their soldiers. They aren’t going to be happy about it,” she pointed out.
“They sent them against you, and they know how good you are in the field—they trained you. And they certainly know Luther’s abilities and his experiences.”
“But they didn’t know about you,” she pointed out.
He shrugged, sending her a quick, almost mischievous smile. That little grin lit up his eyes and softened the unrelenting, harsh beauty of his face. Her heart reacted in the now-familiar way it had, a curious wild thumping and then a weird melting sensation. He was potent—at least to her. She had been afraid of those physical reactions to him, but now they just seemed normal to her. She was fairly sure that in fifty years she would have those same reactions when he walked into a room.
“They do now. They also are aware the GhostWalker teams stick together. They go to war with you, me, and Luther, they’ll be declaring war on the GhostWalkers. Those running that laboratory know the advantages we have.”
“You’re in the military. You can’t just declare war on other branches.”
His eyebrow shot up. “Are you in the military? Do you get a paycheck? Did you sign papers joining a branch of the service?”
She frowned. She’d never considered what he was pointing out. “My life has been the training my commanders gave me since I was ten years old. I lived in a small housing dorm by myself until I had Grace, but I never needed for anything. I honestly didn’t need a lot and rarely asked for things. I have a board specifically for making a list of anything I need. I’ve always been provided with everything I needed as soon as it went on the list.”
That little smile turned from his melting one to one of pure predator. “You aren’t technically in the military and have free will to go anywhere you wish. The moment a GhostWalker claimed you as a partner, that put you in our sphere of protection, by all the teams.”
His statement should have bolstered her spirits, but her heart crumbled. A GhostWalker claiming her could make her safe. Make Gracie safe. But that was, once again, white knight syndrome. She stared down at the food on her plate, refusing to react too fast to his statement.
“There you go again, Warrior Woman, thinking I have some redeeming qualities, which I don’t. Stop thinking it, and you won’t be so disappointed when you realize I’m not claiming you for you but for my own selfish reasons.”
Leila couldn’t help looking up at the amusement in his tone. There was that look again, the little grin that softened the crueler lines in his face. Once again, her heart accelerated, drumming out of control.
“Selfish reasons? Because you’re getting such a great bargain with me. I come with a baby and zero skills as a cook.”
“Very selfish reasons, woman.”
“You don’t make any sense.”
His eyes met hers. Intense. Focused. She felt she could drown there if she wasn’t careful. There was no looking away. No pretending she couldn’t see the hunger there. She found herself blushing, the treacherous color sliding under her skin and creeping into her face.