Identity Unknown by Terri Reed Page B

her? “What do you mean?”
    â€œI saw his prosthetic.”
    Her heart thumped with sadness and pride for the young man she thought of as a brother. “Afghanistan. Four years ago. His unit was ambushed by Taliban insurgents.”
    â€œThat’s rough.”
    â€œYeah. He was a combat medic.” She couldn’t keep the bitter taste of anger out of her tone. “He was there to help others.”
    â€œHe was also a soldier,” Nathanial stated quietly.
    â€œYes. He earned his Combat Medical Badge for providing care under fire. From what I’ve heard, he helped others while he was injured himself.” She swallowed past the lump in her throat. “He’s a hero.”
    â€œIt must have been hard for him to return to this quiet community after the chaos of war.”
    â€œHe had a hard time adjusting at first,” she admitted. “Watching him come to terms with his loss was difficult for everyone. The town pulled together, sent him back to school to become a civilian paramedic and bought the ambulance.”
    Nathanial winced. “Which was destroyed because of me.”
    â€œNo, it was destroyed because criminals tried to kill you. The insurance will get Sean another ambulance.”
    â€œHe has a crush on you.”
    Biting back a groan, she popped a handful of trail mix into her mouth and chewed, giving herself time to formulate an answer to a complicated situation. After she took another drink of water, she said, “He’s the younger brother of one of my childhood best friends. I couldn’t... I mean, he’s like the little brother I never had.”
    â€œAh. Good.”
    She arched an eyebrow. “Good?” She turned to face him fully. Though shadows played over his features, there was no mistaking the intensity in his expression.
    â€œI wasn’t sure if you and he...” Nathanial’s mouth lifted at the corner. “I was hoping you weren’t involved with him.”
    Her pulse kicked up. “Why?”
    â€œBecause then I’d feel guilty for kissing you.”
    â€œBut you haven’t kissed me.”
    â€œYou’re right, we were interrupted.”
    He touched her cheek, his fingers trailing across her skin. She sucked in a quick breath. Her heart hammered. She was torn between wanting him to kiss her and wanting, needing, to keep a distance. He lowered his head, once again pausing, letting her make the final decision.
    So many conflicting thoughts swirled in her head. She was setting herself up for hurt. She was curious, wanting to know what it would feel like to kiss this man. She was supposed to be protecting him, not forming some romantic attachment. But would one kiss qualify as an attachment? One kiss couldn’t hurt anything, could it?
    Her mind flashed to Kyle. To the seduction he’d laid on her, beguiling her into believing that taking one step wouldn’t lead to another and another, until he’d led her down a path that had left her filled with guilt and shame. And anger when he’d shown his true colors.
    She put her fingers against Nathanial’s lips. The warmth of his mouth flowed through her, making her hesitate. But she forged ahead, knowing she was making the right choice. “I can’t. This isn’t going to happen.”
    Disappointment shone in the dark depths of his eyes, but he nodded, retreating from her both physically and emotionally. It was like an invisible barrier had gone up between them. She didn’t like it but had no idea what to do about it, either.
    He settled his head against the wall. “We should get some rest. Tomorrow you won’t have to worry about me anymore. I’ll become someone else’s problem.”
    You’re not a problem , she wanted to tell him. But she held her tongue. And he was wrong. She’d continue to worry about him as long as someone was out to kill him.

EIGHT
    T he next morning, after dropping Paulson off at