hand. “And before you remind me that Ben’s supervision wasn’t enough to prevent Tehrazzi getting to me the first time, Dec agrees it makes sense to put all of us women together in a secure location, rather than having us scattered around where we can’t have adequate protection. Besides, Tehrazzi’s in Afghanistan, or at least they think he is. We’ll be safe in Beirut.”
“Leave it alone, Bryn.”
With an irritated sigh, her friend took hold of her hands. “If you won’t do it for your own safety and for my peace of mind,” she murmured, gazing deep into her eyes, “then do it for Luke’s.”
Emily’s heart squeezed at the mention of his name. “What do you mean?”
“Come on, Em...he flew here to see you because I sent him an e-mail—”
“He what?”
Bryn rolled her eyes. “It’s not important why he’s here, the point is he was worried enough to come here and see you. He’s tracking the most dangerous terrorist on the planet, and for him to have the added weight of worrying about your safety from the other side of the world is only going to endanger him and everyone else on the team.
Including my husband,” she finished, her voice catching.
A layer of guilt settled over her already bubbling stomach. “Nice, Bryn. That’s just what I needed, a guilt trip on top of everything else.”
“Sorry, but it’s true.”
God, she had enough to deal with without 80
Absolution
having other people’s lives slung onto the yoke around her neck. And to hell with feeling bad about what Luke was going through. Everything that had happened and was happening to him was self-inflicted. She’d done everything in her power to make things right between them. For years . His pride and his job had always won out.
But Bryn continued to watch her with dark, worried eyes, and uncertainty crept in. Maybe her decision would affect Luke’s frame of mind. She couldn’t rule out the possibility entirely. He had to care about her to some extent, or he wouldn’t have shown up here in the first place.
She looked away from Bryn and started toying with the cuffs of her sleep-shirt. Would it really bother Luke that much if she stayed stateside?
Enough to distract him while he was out in the field?
She doubted it, but then again, was she prepared to put it to the test? People’s lives were at stake here, and she couldn’t be selfish. Luke had flown in from Baton Rouge to see her, on Boxing Day no less. He wouldn’t have asked her to go if it wasn’t important to him. She shook her head at Bryn. “How am I supposed to live in the same house as him?”
“It’s a big house,” Bryn encouraged. “You don’t have to see him if you don’t want to, and he’ll be out in the field most of the time.”
“Oh God, don’t remind me.” Being there while he was out doing missions would be damn hard on her, regardless of their strained relationship. She didn’t wish him ill, and didn’t want anything bad to happen to him. If she could help him by going to Beirut, she could also give Bryn some support.
Because Bryn was going to need it. Being married to an active duty SEAL was hard enough without a strong network to draw on.
Emily pulled her hands out of Bryn’s grip, rubbed them over her face and then through her 81
Kaylea Cross
short hair. She was opening her mouth to say okay when Bryn’s gaze shot to the pillow Emily lay on, and her stomach shriveled at the shock on her friend’s pretty face. “What?”
Bryn brought a hand up to her mouth, a sure sign something was wrong. “Um...”
Sitting up, Emily swiveled around to find a tuft of hair lying on the creamy pillowcase. Her heart sank. Ah, damn. She touched the dark strands, then reached up to find the tiny bare spot on her scalp.
Oh, for— More hair came out in her hand. “Shit.”
Bryn made a strangled sound, almost like a nervous laugh, staring at her with her hand over her mouth.
A smile tugged at Emily’s lips. She rarely swore, and
“Leave it alone, Bryn.”
With an irritated sigh, her friend took hold of her hands. “If you won’t do it for your own safety and for my peace of mind,” she murmured, gazing deep into her eyes, “then do it for Luke’s.”
Emily’s heart squeezed at the mention of his name. “What do you mean?”
“Come on, Em...he flew here to see you because I sent him an e-mail—”
“He what?”
Bryn rolled her eyes. “It’s not important why he’s here, the point is he was worried enough to come here and see you. He’s tracking the most dangerous terrorist on the planet, and for him to have the added weight of worrying about your safety from the other side of the world is only going to endanger him and everyone else on the team.
Including my husband,” she finished, her voice catching.
A layer of guilt settled over her already bubbling stomach. “Nice, Bryn. That’s just what I needed, a guilt trip on top of everything else.”
“Sorry, but it’s true.”
God, she had enough to deal with without 80
Absolution
having other people’s lives slung onto the yoke around her neck. And to hell with feeling bad about what Luke was going through. Everything that had happened and was happening to him was self-inflicted. She’d done everything in her power to make things right between them. For years . His pride and his job had always won out.
But Bryn continued to watch her with dark, worried eyes, and uncertainty crept in. Maybe her decision would affect Luke’s frame of mind. She couldn’t rule out the possibility entirely. He had to care about her to some extent, or he wouldn’t have shown up here in the first place.
She looked away from Bryn and started toying with the cuffs of her sleep-shirt. Would it really bother Luke that much if she stayed stateside?
Enough to distract him while he was out in the field?
She doubted it, but then again, was she prepared to put it to the test? People’s lives were at stake here, and she couldn’t be selfish. Luke had flown in from Baton Rouge to see her, on Boxing Day no less. He wouldn’t have asked her to go if it wasn’t important to him. She shook her head at Bryn. “How am I supposed to live in the same house as him?”
“It’s a big house,” Bryn encouraged. “You don’t have to see him if you don’t want to, and he’ll be out in the field most of the time.”
“Oh God, don’t remind me.” Being there while he was out doing missions would be damn hard on her, regardless of their strained relationship. She didn’t wish him ill, and didn’t want anything bad to happen to him. If she could help him by going to Beirut, she could also give Bryn some support.
Because Bryn was going to need it. Being married to an active duty SEAL was hard enough without a strong network to draw on.
Emily pulled her hands out of Bryn’s grip, rubbed them over her face and then through her 81
Kaylea Cross
short hair. She was opening her mouth to say okay when Bryn’s gaze shot to the pillow Emily lay on, and her stomach shriveled at the shock on her friend’s pretty face. “What?”
Bryn brought a hand up to her mouth, a sure sign something was wrong. “Um...”
Sitting up, Emily swiveled around to find a tuft of hair lying on the creamy pillowcase. Her heart sank. Ah, damn. She touched the dark strands, then reached up to find the tiny bare spot on her scalp.
Oh, for— More hair came out in her hand. “Shit.”
Bryn made a strangled sound, almost like a nervous laugh, staring at her with her hand over her mouth.
A smile tugged at Emily’s lips. She rarely swore, and
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