SEALs of Honor: Cooper (17 page)

“I’d forget about him completely if I were you.” Cooper pulled the Jeep into the mainstream traffic. “He’s a child in a man’s body. Men don’t sit there and whine. They do something about the problem.”

She laughed. “How true.” She watched the traffic meander through town. “Why is the traffic so light?”

“No idea but it’s nice. Then again it is Sunday.” He turned down a second corner and pulled into one of the large hanger looking buildings.

“Why are we here?”

“We’re going to meet the rest of my team.”

“Are you sure I should? I’m a mess.”

“And that’s why you aren’t making any decisions today or tomorrow,” he said firmly. “Too much is going on.”

“And then what,” she said softly. “Stay with you?”

“That’s hardly an imposition,” he said quietly, reaching across and holding her hand. “You’re special, Doc, we all want to keep you safe.”

She slowly turned her head. “Do you think I’m not safe?”

He glanced at her and shook his head. “No,” he said seriously. “I don’t.”

Hell.

*

He was never
one to deal in lies and innuendos, and given the strange circumstances surrounding her, he’d really like to keep a close eye on her. He needed to keep her safe.

“Up ahead.” He pointed out a huge flock of birds rising from the sands on the left.

“Wow. That’s a lot of birds,” she said, studying them. “I don’t remember seeing them in such a large group.”

“Just another day in paradise.” He grinned as he turned off the Jeep and hopped out.

He came around to her side and helped her down. “Let’s go see the gang.”

She smiled and walked into where a dozen men pretended to be busy doing something and yet nothing at the same time. They stopped and watched as Cooper slipped Sasha’s hand into the crook of his arm and brought her over to them.

Her footsteps slowed as she studied the faces of the team. She recognized a few faces. But only a few.

She gasped when she saw Markus in front of them. She slipped her arm free and ran to him.

Cooper could only watch as she threw herself in Markus’s waiting arms. He swung her around before placing her back down on her feet again.

She laughed in delight. “Looks like you ended up all right after all,” she teased.

“Hey, I was never the one in trouble,” Markus protested. “It was you who caused us the grief all the time.”

“And you who kept scaring those poor people,” she cried out, a big smile on her face. “What did they do to you?”

“Ha, they wouldn’t show us where you’d gotten too fast enough,” he growled but there was no heat in his voice.

Good thing or Cooper would have to step in but instead he watched her easy camaraderie as she went to the others she greeted one by one and gave each a big hug and a thank you. When she reached Swede she shook her head and held up her arms waiting like a two-year-old. He chuckled and picked her up so she could reach around his neck.

Markus murmured at his side, “If you are letting her walk through your fingers…”

“Hell, no I’m not,” he snapped.

Markus held up his hands in surrender and added, “Just saying…”

“Just saying what?” Cooper dared him to continue.

And he did, but it wasn’t quite the angle Cooper expected.

“I guess I’m saying that I’m feeling a whole lot better about my future after all.”

“Meaning…” Cooper wasn’t going to let this drop until he knew exactly how Markus felt. Especially in regards to Sasha.

“That I think I’m ready to look around for someone again.”

Cooper was silent for a long moment as he watched Sasha greet Mason.

“And no,” Markus said. “I won’t trespass. But if you and she don’t work out…”

“There is no her and me,” Cooper snapped but his voice was low, tinged with regret. “At least not yet.”

“Bullshit. It’s there. You just don’t believe she’d want someone like you.”

Cooper frowned. He hadn’t considered that as a reason. He wasn’t lacking self-confidence and his ego was extremely healthy. Did he think he wasn’t worthy of her? No, it was more a case of him putting her so high up that there was almost a bit of star power there. Something he’d never have thought to see as a problem before. She wasn’t a celebrity. But she was highly regarded in her profession and well-loved everywhere. Look at the easy way she’d just worked into the guys’ hearts. He knew what they were all thinking.

The guys stared at him, speculation in their gazes as Sasha went to Chase and Brett and introduced herself. He didn’t think she knew them but that wouldn’t stop her from reaching out. She checked to see if she’d missed anyone and walked to Hawk.

Cooper didn’t know what she said to him, but he was grinning like a fool.

Then in a surprise move she reached up and kissed big silent Shadow on the cheek and whispered something in his ear. He smiled down at her so gently Cooper knew he wasn’t the only who wanted to know what she said.

She threw out her arms and turned in a big circle. “I am so damn glad to be home.”

They smiled at her, but the air had changed to a sense of waitingness. Cooper knew she’d picked it up.

He waited for her to turn that steady gaze his way.

She studied the men one at a time then narrowed her gaze and looked at him. “Cooper – what don’t I know?”

He didn’t want to tell her. But she needed to know.

“David went overseas again.”

She nodded. “We knew that. He’d planned to turn around as soon as he was allowed.”

“And he’s gone missing – again.”

H
er cheeks tight,
her shoulders tense, she said in a curt voice, “Why?”

“Why didn’t I tell you before we got here?” he asked in a calm voice, not pretending to misunderstand the question. “Because I wasn’t allowed to tell you.”

She studied him for a long moment and realized he was going to do what he needed to do regardless, and she really wouldn’t want it any other way.

“Are you going after him?”

There was a group hesitation then Cooper shook his head. “No. We won’t be.”

Her shoulders slumped. “Of course not.” She looked to be ready to cry then shoved back her shoulders. “And Theresa, is her disappearance related?”

Mason answered, “There’s no evidence to say they are connected, but it’s hard to imagine how they can’t be.”

“Theresa was terrified of going back. She was desperate to not have to complete her contract.”

“There was a justified reason to walk away. No contracts will force her to finish if they can’t protect her.”

“And some of the people are diehards and say that they have to finish because the people need the help.” She rubbed her temple. “David was a diehard. That’s why he couldn’t wait to go back. As for Teresa, well I suggested a colleague to help her deal with the trauma of the kidnapping.”

“And did she contact your colleague? Do you know?”

“I don’t know,” she said. “I can call and see.” As several of the men nodded, she pulled out her phone. “Simone? Hey…” Sasha smiled as her friend babbled in joy at her voice. “I’m fine. Yes, I know it was pretty rough for a while, but I’m doing better. That’s actually why I’m calling. I referred a coworker to you. She’d been kidnapped with me. Theresa Guild.”

Simone said, “Yes, I’ve spoken with her.”

“Oh good,” Sasha said. “She was supposed to meet me at a restaurant yesterday and never showed. I’ve been trying to contact her but no luck. When did you see her last?”

“Two days ago. We had a normal session and she booked another appointment for next week.”

“You haven’t spoken to her since? Did she give you any indication she might be leaving? Going away for a few days? Something?”

“No, I’m sorry but she didn’t.” There was a fraught silence as the other woman considered the issue. “Honestly it was mostly the trauma she’d been through and her broken marriage.”

“Damn it.” Sasha rubbed her temple. “I’m really worried about her.” And she explained what had happened to her.

“I’m so sorry to hear that,” Simone said. “I’ll let you know if I hear from her.”

Sasha rang off, explaining to the men who’d been listening in.

“Broken marriage?” Cooper said. “Hmmm. Now why did I think she’d been happily married?”

“How many happily married women do you know that spend a full year in a refugee camp without their husbands?” Swede asked.

“None,” Evan answered.

There was an awkward silence as the men looked at each other. Sasha stared at them suspiciously. “What are you thinking?”

“Just wondering if she went over alone or with a partner, and if she went with a partner who he was.”

“Do you think it makes a difference?”

“Information,” Mason said in that strong quiet voice she always associated with him, “is always helpful. We can’t make decisions when we don’t have the information we need.”

“But even if she was married, what would that have to do with her disappearance now?”

No one answered.

Her breath gushed out in a whoosh. “I don’t remember her ever mentioning a husband. Neither did I see her with anyone else but our team…” She frowned as she dredged through the memories in her mind.

“Sasha…?” Cooper studied her face. “What are you thinking?”

“It’s just she spent a lot of time with David. They were about ten years apart and spent a fair bit of time together. But we all did, so I can’t see why that would be anything different.”

“It might not be.” Markus studied her. “But you seem to notice it as if it was something different.”

“I don’t know what it is though,” she continued. “Honestly I worked all the time so haven’t a clue what was going on around me. I was healing from my own divorce and deliberately didn’t want to see what others were doing,” she added the last note defiantly. “If others were involved in a relationship, I didn’t see it.”

“So let’s reverse that then. Do you know who David hung around with?”

She hated prying into personal lives. This dissection of others. Because in its deepest form it was a dissection of herself. Why hadn’t she noticed more? Because she didn’t want to see. She didn’t want to see everyone else happy and moving on – when she was still hurting. No, maybe not hurting…but not ready to venture out into that dating world again. It hurt to be out there. Such a meat market sound to it. She wasn’t like that. She was shy inside. Reserved. She worked. That’s what she did. She didn’t party, go to the bars or hang out with many friends. She had her husband and they had their friends. She’d been content. Content as in seriously happy, wallowing in her own muddy pigsty.

Only it hadn’t been the same for Greg.

As she’d found out too late.

It hurt even now but not from the lack of love or the loss of her life partner but the betrayal – why hadn’t he said something to her?

“Sasha?”

She threw her head back. “I hate meddling into other people’s lives.”

“And how do you feel about kidnapping?”

She glared at Evan who smiled at her as if that would take the sting out of his words.

“David never seemed to be short of friends.” She took a deep breath. “He’s a lovable character with a great personality, and if he wanted a partner for the night then he’d have had no shortage of offers from the staff or anyone around for that matter.”

She could sense the curiosity in their gazes and was determined to forestall the next question. “No, not me. I never got involved with anyone there. I don’t do hookups,” she said coolly. “And because I don’t, I don’t follow what other people do.”

“And yet you know more than you thought,” Cooper said.

“Maybe.” She thought about the gentle interaction she’d seen. The tiny touches that happened between lovers and realized she did know. “He was likely having a relationship with her, yes.”

“And do you know how her husband would have reacted?”

“No.” She stared at him, shadows in her heart. “But if she was married, I can only imagine.”

*