never had anybody voluntarily come back for me. Guess I don’t know what to do with that.”
He discarded his weapon on the television cabinet, turned slowly, closed the door between their rooms, and spoke to her without looking at her. “I’ve never hit a woman in my life … much less put one in danger because of something I did. I just wanted to personally make that right.”
“It wasn’t your fault … and Hank would have sent over another agent to babysit me. You’ve got more important things to do, and I can take care of myself.”
Captain Davis didn’t move, didn’t say a word, and again she knew she’d put a hard cement wall between them—one that wasn’t necessary at this juncture.
“Hey, look … I’m sorry,” she said, hugging herself tighter. “Apology accepted. And, remember, I had a nine pointed at your skull. I would have kicked my ass too, if it meant that I’d live. And all I was saying was, that you didn’t personally have to come back … the agency—”
“Might have made a mistake and relayed the information to you too late.” His voice was a low rumble of truth as he stared at her in the dark. Moonlight spilled on only his shoes, leaving him cloaked by the shadows. “I almost killed you because of bad intel, late intel. If there was a communication glitch and you weren’t informed and something happened, it would…” His voice trailed off and he drew in a deep breath. “I couldn’t reach you any other way.”
She swallowed hard and nodded. “Thank you.” After a moment of staring at his intense gaze in the dark, she glanced away. “How about that coffee, Captain?”
“I’d appreciate it, but not Captain between us.”
“Right … Juan,” she said, remembering his alias.
“No. As Anthony.”
Again she just stared at him for a moment. Yes, Anthony … the man who’d returned to personally ensure her safety … a man who’d just asked her to drop his rank and alias to let her know that this unspoken thing went beyond a mere job or even duty. He was standing there clearly ready to take a bullet for her, and not necessarily in the name of God and country or the current mission.
“All right, Anthony,” she murmured, and moved through the dark to get the coffeepot. “Cream and sugar?”
“Just sugar, not a lot.”
He hadn’t moved from where he stood by the door, shoulders back, head held high, senses on what seemed to be full alert.
She motioned toward the chair that was by the sofa. “Why don’t you have a seat? It’ll only be a few minutes.”
He complied without argument, bringing his weapon near to set on the coffee table. “Did you get a full report?”
“Dan only gave me the highlights. But why don’t you give me the details while this brews.”
She listened intently as Captain Davis filled the empty spaces inside her with his low rumbling voice. The vibration of it and the caring within it warmed her to her very core, and then radiated heat throughout her limbs. In all the years she’d spent alone with just her and her Nana, all she’d known at the hands of men was competition, abuse, heartache, and lies. No one had ever come back to check on her to see if she was truly all right.
Handing Davis a cup, she took a seat on the small ottoman across from him in the dark and stared at him.
“Thank you,” she murmured and then took a sip of too-hot coffee. “You even had a small unit disarm the cars you’d set to blow?”
He nodded. “When I drove around South Beach this afternoon and saw that the security vehicles were tailing you through heavily commercial areas with civilians, that was one of the first calls I made. Two good men in my unit got to them when you were in the piano bar. It was the first opportunity we had, given the target’s security forces were with the vehicles until then.”
Sage briefly closed her eyes. “When I think of what could have happened…”
“Exactly my concern, too,” he replied, now sipping
He discarded his weapon on the television cabinet, turned slowly, closed the door between their rooms, and spoke to her without looking at her. “I’ve never hit a woman in my life … much less put one in danger because of something I did. I just wanted to personally make that right.”
“It wasn’t your fault … and Hank would have sent over another agent to babysit me. You’ve got more important things to do, and I can take care of myself.”
Captain Davis didn’t move, didn’t say a word, and again she knew she’d put a hard cement wall between them—one that wasn’t necessary at this juncture.
“Hey, look … I’m sorry,” she said, hugging herself tighter. “Apology accepted. And, remember, I had a nine pointed at your skull. I would have kicked my ass too, if it meant that I’d live. And all I was saying was, that you didn’t personally have to come back … the agency—”
“Might have made a mistake and relayed the information to you too late.” His voice was a low rumble of truth as he stared at her in the dark. Moonlight spilled on only his shoes, leaving him cloaked by the shadows. “I almost killed you because of bad intel, late intel. If there was a communication glitch and you weren’t informed and something happened, it would…” His voice trailed off and he drew in a deep breath. “I couldn’t reach you any other way.”
She swallowed hard and nodded. “Thank you.” After a moment of staring at his intense gaze in the dark, she glanced away. “How about that coffee, Captain?”
“I’d appreciate it, but not Captain between us.”
“Right … Juan,” she said, remembering his alias.
“No. As Anthony.”
Again she just stared at him for a moment. Yes, Anthony … the man who’d returned to personally ensure her safety … a man who’d just asked her to drop his rank and alias to let her know that this unspoken thing went beyond a mere job or even duty. He was standing there clearly ready to take a bullet for her, and not necessarily in the name of God and country or the current mission.
“All right, Anthony,” she murmured, and moved through the dark to get the coffeepot. “Cream and sugar?”
“Just sugar, not a lot.”
He hadn’t moved from where he stood by the door, shoulders back, head held high, senses on what seemed to be full alert.
She motioned toward the chair that was by the sofa. “Why don’t you have a seat? It’ll only be a few minutes.”
He complied without argument, bringing his weapon near to set on the coffee table. “Did you get a full report?”
“Dan only gave me the highlights. But why don’t you give me the details while this brews.”
She listened intently as Captain Davis filled the empty spaces inside her with his low rumbling voice. The vibration of it and the caring within it warmed her to her very core, and then radiated heat throughout her limbs. In all the years she’d spent alone with just her and her Nana, all she’d known at the hands of men was competition, abuse, heartache, and lies. No one had ever come back to check on her to see if she was truly all right.
Handing Davis a cup, she took a seat on the small ottoman across from him in the dark and stared at him.
“Thank you,” she murmured and then took a sip of too-hot coffee. “You even had a small unit disarm the cars you’d set to blow?”
He nodded. “When I drove around South Beach this afternoon and saw that the security vehicles were tailing you through heavily commercial areas with civilians, that was one of the first calls I made. Two good men in my unit got to them when you were in the piano bar. It was the first opportunity we had, given the target’s security forces were with the vehicles until then.”
Sage briefly closed her eyes. “When I think of what could have happened…”
“Exactly my concern, too,” he replied, now sipping
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