Page 164 of Covert Mission
Grouchy as fuck, I grumble at him and shrug off his hand. “Work what out?”
He genuinely looks surprised. “Are you that dense?”
ChapterFifty-Five
It’s hot outside, but I’m cold and sweaty all at once. My stomach rolls around, the queasiness pushing up into my throat.
Nyx… the beautiful dark-haired woman studies my eyes. “I’m so happy to meet you. The guys have been gushing about you.”
I blink and realize I’m biting my lip. “Oh.”
“Shall we take a stroll?”
Not only is the woman stunning with her inky dancing eyes and midnight hair, her skin is a warm mocha, but it’s the accent that’s the icing on the cake. British, I would guess, mixed with something exotic. Whatever it is, is cluttered and beautiful, befitting someone that looks like her.
“Uh. Okay. Sure.” I fumble for words to agree, even though I’d rather stick my hand in boiling water.
I follow her to the edge of the lawn, away from the gathering, and a weird part of my brain that has watched too many horror movies wonders if I’m about to be dragged into the bushes and murdered.
A tendril of fear crawls up my spine.
When we reach a beautiful forest plant, she reaches out and picks a bright red flower. “You know he’s not to be blamed.”
I swallow hard. But I have no idea how to respond.
“Lucas has the biggest heart.”
My hands are fisted so tight in my pockets my knuckles ache. “Yes, he does seem to be exceptional.”
Did I just say exceptional? I’m clearly wound tight.
Her gaze darkens as she peers down at the flower, twisting it in her fingers. “He was very handsome, and I couldn’t resist his blue eyes. It was a crush really, there was never any hope of anything….” She clears her throat. “You see, I was supposed to have an arranged marriage. But what I felt inside was so exciting. Did they tell you about Alex?”
Confusion tightens my brows. “No. No one mentioned Alex.”
Her brow tightens, and her gaze shifts from the flower to the trees. “I’m not surprised. It’s too painful for most of the team to talk about. It’s taken me almost a year to be able to talk about him.”
“I’m sorry, was Alex part of the team?”
She nods, then moistens her lips. There’s a quiver in her chin. “He was. He was so sweet.” She laughs ruefully. “If you can call a big six-foot-plus SEAL killing machine sweet. Anyway, what I was trying to tell you about Alex was that I cared for him, and I didn’t get to say goodbye.”
My heart melts on the spot for this woman. “What happened?”
“It was after I had been kidnapped… So, I don’t have all the details, but when I was recovered, I learned that Alex had died the next night during the op intended to find me.” She pushes her hair back and looks toward the sky with pain etched on her pretty face.
Kidnapped? Died during the op?
My pulse speeds. “That’s terrible. I’m so sorry.”
When her eyes shift to mine, she searches my face. “Beast blames himself for both. For losing me. For Alex getting killed.”
Everything inside me stills. “Oh, god. Now I understand him so much better.”
Now everything makes sense. The way Truck alluded to Beast’s painful past. The fear he has of letting someone get hurt. It’s all tied.
She reaches for my arm and squeezes. “I know. It’s terrible. Of course it wasn’t his fault. So many things happened. It was a risky op in the dead of night. I made a mistake. The mission went sideways and when they were trying to find me, Alex took fire.”
I don’t know what to say. My mind is reeling.