Riordan (9 page)

Stormy killed him because you were being held. Got that?”

“Why?” Riordan thought that a good question and nodded at his dad for asking it. Riordan

had a lot more questions like that one, but he was willing to wait for answers one at a time. “Why

not say that he came there depressed and wanted to commit suicide by cop?”

“Because it would have to be mentioned that Storm Browning was involved.” Blackson sat

down in the room’s only other chair. Riordan looked at him then. The man was exhausted, and

he’d bet that it had to do with this woman in front of him. “We’re trying our best to keep her

name…not just her name, but everything about her out of the paper. Sergeant Major Storm

Browning is a name that would get her…as you can see, get her killed. She’s a wanted woman in

Afghanistan. Not for crimes that one would think, but crimes against their forces. They’re saying

that she is responsible for the murder of over nine hundred men, women, and children. And in a

way, she is. Just not the way that it is being broadcast in their neck of the woods.”

“I don’t understand. How is she solely responsible for that many deaths?” Riordan looked

down at Storm as he continued. “I know that she was in the services and all, but that is a lot of

kills for any one person.”

“She didn’t actually do any of the killing. But she did guide our missiles to a place where

there were…this is difficult without involving you in things that you’re not supposed to know.”

He got up to pace. “When she was recruited, it was figured out right away that she was special.

Not just as a human, because we knew that was what she was, but her intelligence, as well as her

innate ability to see things that none of us could. Like, she could see an outcome of a mission,

see how people would react, how they would move when shit hit the fan. That day she was hit,

she could see what no one, not even our boots on the ground, could see. Not just what was in her

head, but she could see directly into the compound where we’d been told nothing was going on.”

“It was a trap.” Blackson nodded at his dad. “And the men, her men that were with her, were

going in too. They were going to be killed right along with her but for the accident.”

“It wasn’t an accident. She and her men were targeted.” He rubbed his hand over his face as

he continued. “She knew before we sent them in. Told everyone that would listen that it was too

easy, too quiet. But we knew better, or so we thought. Satellite had showed them that there were

no forces in camp. The small compound had been abandoned. We were so wrong.”

“That’s enough.” They all stared at Storm when she woke up. “I think you’ve bored these

people long enough, Tony. And you’ve overstayed your welcome.” He nodded, then reached into

the back of his jacket and laid a gun on the tray in front of her. Then three clips.

Without a word to her, Blackson left. Storm picked up the gun, slammed a clip in the bottom

of it, then racked the slide. She was as ready as she’d ever be if someone came in again. When

she laid back on the bed, Riordan realized what that had cost her. She was still drugged up, but

he’d bet any amount of money that if someone came in with ill intent, they were dead.

“Well, I don’t know about anyone else, but I’m starved.” His mom leaned into Storm and

kissed her on the cheek before doing the same to him. “I love you. And remember what I told

you, son.” He nodded. His dad hugged him as well, then kissed Storm. They were gone in a few

minutes. He looked at Storm.

“Are you leaving?” He shook his head and got one of the chairs and brought it closer to the

bed. “Okay, let me rephrase that…when are you leaving?”

“I’m not until you’re released. And they’re saying tomorrow morning. While they know

what she was giving you, they’re not sure where she might have gotten it. Street form of heroin,

and pure. But they’re narrowing it down.” He watched her face. Riordan noticed that she was

tired, and he assumed it was from the drug. “Mom said that you were trying to get rid of her

before this happened.”

“Yeah. It works on her about like it does on you.” He didn’t say anything but smiled at her.

“Why are you here? There is no reason for it.”

“I’m beginning to think I made a major mistake with you.” Yawning hugely, all Storm did

was nod at him. “You’re not at all what I thought you would be when I found my mate, but

you’re sort of growing on me.”

“Yeah, like a fungus. Also, you should know that I’m mean. In the event you didn’t notice

that.” She opened her eyes and looked at him. “But seriously, why are you still here? Don’t you

have some kind of job or something?”

“I do. And as of right now, I’m doing it.” She asked him what he meant. “I want to get to

know you, Storm. I think the only way that we’re going to be able to make this work is if we

try…if I try to be less of an asshole.”

“Nah, I think that’s too ingrained into your head for that to ever change.” It took him a

moment to realize she’d made a joke about him. At least he hoped it was a joke. “I’m not the

kind of girl that men like you want to marry. I’m more the kind of girl that the guy takes out

drinking because she knows the best bars and she can hold her liquor better than him. Also, men

like you marry debs. I’m not a deb. I’m the one that protects the stupid deb.”

“No, you’re never going to be mistaken for a debutant. And I can picture you being the one

that teaches our children how to protect themselves, shoot better than anyone else, and to be able

to give other parents gray hairs.” She was falling asleep, but he had no doubt that she was just as

alert as if she were fully awake. “Would you like to have children with me, Storm?”

“No. You’re too stiff and straight-laced. Do you even own a pair of jeans and a sloppy

sweatshirt?” He told her that he didn’t, but he was going to take care of that. “You’ll probably

want them ironed, too. Or buy some that already have tears in them, to make them look stressed

or whatever. My pants are worn with pride. And they probably cost a quarter of what you’ll pay

for a pair that are already worn out. You’re such a dweeb.”

As she drifted more, he thought of the flowers that he’d had when he shifted. The roses that

he now realized would have been a mistake. And chocolate. Getting chocolate, or for that matter

any kind of sweets, for a person who baked like she did would be wrong as well. He thought of

what she might like and had to laugh to himself. She would take a gun and ammo over flowers

and candy any day, he’d bet. Riordan reached out for his brother Mac, the one who knew just

what to get a girl.

Her? Shit, Riordan, I don’t have a clue. She’s not like most women, and I think you know

that.
He told her that he did.
Why don’t you try taking her out? I mean, not to a romantic dinner,

but a bar. Maybe one that has line dancing. Wait, no, that wouldn’t work. She’d shoot you if you

even suggested that.

Mom said I need to grovel. I’m not sure how to do that and not fall back into my usual mode

of working around a woman.
Mac laughed
. I was thinking of doing something to me. Not leaving

her, as she has told me to do numerous times, but she mentioned jeans and a sloppy sweat shirt.

Yeah, with her, casual is best. That way when she kicks your ass again, you won’t ruin

another suit. I heard that the other one you had on was beyond help. Come by the house when

you leave there. I think I can help you out with that. Oh, and bring her along, too. There is

something that I’d like to ask her. It’s personal, not business. Tony said that she’s got an instinct

about things. I’d like to ask her advice on a place I’m thinking of buying.

Riordan said that he would. When the door opened a few minutes later, Storm woke with her

gun pointed at the door. The nurse stood there for several seconds before she reached slowly for

her badge. She was military if he was looking at her badge correctly. But Storm obviously didn’t

trust that either. The gun never wavered at all.

“Who’s your CO?” She told her it was Blackson. “Is he here still? If so, go and get him. I

want to talk to him anyway.”

When the door shut and opened again, Storm sat up in bed when the man himself entered.

Blackson looked like he was going to hurt something as he tried his best not to laugh. The man

had to try twice before he could speak.

“You scared ten years off that kid. I swear to you, she’s going to think twice before working

for me again.” His laughter broke through then, and he just shook his head. “She was coming in

to tell you that you can go when you’re ready. I’m having you escorted and watched, but you can

go. We won’t have a run down on that shit for a couple more days. Might as well let you go

home and see what kind of trouble you can get in there.”

“Clothes?” she asked him. Blackson nodded and tossed Riordan a duffle bag that felt too

heavy when he caught it. “I’m not going to need protection. Save it for someone who does.”

“Too bad. My boss said you do, and he’s got a bit more pull than you do.” He started out the

door, then came back in. “Stormy, I’m sorry about this.”

Storm nodded and reached for the bag. Blackson said he’d be in touch and left them alone.

Riordan stood up to help her when she moved the blanket out of the way. The little nurse came

back in just as he was trying to figure out how to work around the IV. He wasn’t sure, but he

thought that Storm was ready to pull it out on her own. The nurse had it out and a Band Aid—

one with little happy faces on it—on her arm before either of them could say anything. Then she

left them without a word.

Getting her to the side of the bed, Riordan got a good look at her legs. Lifting the sheet up

higher on her thighs, he was surprised when she didn’t stop him. The more he saw, the more he

realized how lucky she really had been.

“The fire got me here. I was pretty close when they bombed the compound. I knew it was

going to happen to me, but figured, like Blackson did, that it would incinerate me. I wasn’t so

lucky, I guess.” He nodded and touched his fingers gently over the scars. “They tried skin grafts

at first, but it was too extensive and there was too much damage done to them for it to work.

Both my legs were broken, as well as the ankle on my left foot. It’s what hurts me the most when

I have been sitting for a while and have to get up. My legs, I mean.”

He picked up her foot and turned it in his hands. She still hadn’t stopped him, and he

decided that he was going to look until she did. Lifting her foot to his mouth, he kissed the worst

of the scars and then laid her leg back on the bed.

“Let me see all of you.” Her head was shaking even before he finished speaking. But when

he pushed her back on the bed, she let him. When he reached for the snaps on her gown, Storm

turned to look away from him.

The sound of the snaps was loud in the quiet room. He pulled them free completely, on the

left then right, before pulling the gown down from her neck. Her breasts were the first thing he

saw—full and with dark pink nipples—before he saw the scars.

“We were driving to the compound when I saw the tree. There aren’t that many in the area

where we’d been fighting, and it sort of stuck out like a blister on your thumb. Most of them had

been burned down for one reason or another. But that one was there…bare of leaves, but

standing tall in an otherwise desolate area.” The scar below her breast was about eight inches

long and at least two inches wide. There were others, too, some small, some long and narrow, but

he could see that the one that Blackson had told him about had caused her the most pain and

suffering. “When the bomb went off under us, I knew we were all dead. I felt myself blast away.

Then nothing. Brewer was driving and he just sort of exploded before I was thrown away. I

didn’t know anything for a while.”

Riordan touched the scar, and ran his fingers down the length of it as she lay there. When

her breath caught, he looked up at her. She was looking at him then, and he could see something

there that he’d never seen on her face before.

“You were scared.” Nodding, he touched his fingers to her breast, filled his hand with it as

her nipple puckered under his touch. “I love the feel of your skin. It’s soft and warm. I’d very

much like to take a taste of your nipple, Storm.”

“I’m not pretty like the women you know.” He leaned down and took the pert flesh into his

mouth. Nibbling gently on her, he closed his eyes when her hand curled into his hair. “Riordan,

you’ll regret this.”

He lifted his head and looked at her. “No. I don’t think I will. But I do need to see the rest of

you. Know what those monsters did to you before you took them out.”

Riordan helped her sit up, then to stand. She was unsteady now. Her legs, she told him,

cramped up when she was off them for a while. As her strength came to her, he pulled her gown