Page 33 of Sam's Salvation

“Then my friends are your friends. They’ll do anything you need to stay safe.”

Moisture pressed against the backs of her eyes again. She blinked and looked away. “Well, I’m not so sure it’ll last, but be sure to thank them for me for helping.”

Sam sighed. “I know you don’t believe me, but you’ll see.” He squeezed her fingers. “This group—they’re special.”

They’d have to be to have Sam’s loyalty. The man she’d known didn’t bestow his friendship easily. But she’d gathered he’d been that way much of his life. He was an only child, raised by elderly grandparents after his mother abandoned him. He didn’t know who his father was. They were alike in that respect. Her father was some guy her mother met on holiday. All Audra knew was he’d been an engineering student in Bristol and his first name was Steven. She didn’t know much more about her mother, honestly. The woman hadn’t been around much before she died.

“How did you meet them? You didn’t know them when we were together, did you?”

“I knew Ford. We served together, though not on the same SEAL team. Not until later.”

“And the others?”

“I met most of them when I moved down to Costa Rica. Dean’s the only other one I knew before that. We were on the same team for a couple of years.”

“What happened? What drove you to Costa Rica?”

He studied her for several moments. “You’re really not going to let this go, are you?”

“Nope. I do not wish to talk about myself.”

“What if I don’t want to, either?”

“Then we’re going to sit here and stare at each other. Though I’d rather not do that. Not while I’m naked under this duvet.”

Fire lit in Sam’s eyes. They flicked to the top of the blanket that was tucked under her arm, then back to her face.

Audra’s cheeks heated again, but she didn’t look away. It wasn’t in her nature to back down. Even if meeting him head on wasn’t wise. She couldn’t do anything about the need he stirred in her right now. Not when simply sitting up made the room spin and her hip ache. “So, what’s it going to be? Are you going to keep staring at me? Or will you finally answer my question?”

He stared at her for another moment, then shrugged. “It’s not a secret. I got blown up. The Humvee I was in hit an—it hit a bomb. The blast—it tossed and flipped the truck. I got lucky and was sitting on the side it didn’t land on. Shrapnel tore—” He broke off again and motioned to his legs. Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes for a moment and then continued. “My biggest injury was to my head. I was in a coma for about a week. When I woke up, I couldn’t talk. My coordination was off too.”

“Geez, Sam.” Audra stared at him with wide eyes, horrified at what he’d been through.

“It took a few months for me to regain my coordination. The speech took longer. I still struggle sometimes. The words get stuck. It’s worse when I’m agitated. Or tired.”

“And the deep breathing, that helps?”

“Usually. It’s more about resetting my emotions. Keeping them under control. They can overwhelm my processing center and then the words get stuck.”

“I’m sorry you had to go through that. That you still do.” She couldn’t imagine how drastically that changed things for him. He’d been quiet when they met, but also outgoing and gregarious at times. He wasn’t as much anymore.

He lifted a shoulder. “It’s life. Nothing I can do about it except accept it and move on.”

“How long ago was this?”

“A few years. I was medically discharged from the Navy. Home—well, no one’s there I care about anymore. Ford called me and asked if I wanted to come down and stay with him. How he heard about my injuries, I don’t know. I’ve never asked. But I’m glad he did. It’s the best decision I ever made.”

“And now you work for him?” She’d looked Sam up after they ran into each other in February, but she hadn’t done a deep dive, preferring not to get distracted from her mission. Seeing him had done enough of that. All she’d allowed herself to discover was that he was one of several Americans living in the Golfito area.

“No. I own a bar. Our team isn’t official. We just help each other out—and some of our other military friends—when the need arises.”

“Oh.”

“That’s why I say you can trust my friends. Why they’ll treat you as a friend. No one’s getting paid for this.” He squeezed her fingers again.

That zing zipped through her once more. She knew she shouldn’t—that she should pull away—but she turned her hand over and laced their fingers together. “Thank you for telling me.”

A smile slashed over his handsome face, making his midnight blue eyes sparkle. “It’s part of the friend code. Distraction. Do you feel better?”