Page 123 of Stealth Mission

I try to think about our conversation to distract myself, but it only serves to make me more nervous.

I’ve got a bad case of the feels for the man.

How can I not? He’s the perfect man. I’ve even started to feel okay about thinking his name wasn’t Walt. How can I be mad at him for doing his job?

All I care about is him being okay. Argh! Being stuck in this bathroom makes me feel so helpless.

And the stupid running water!

I silently groan and twist my wet hair into a knot at the nape of my neck. The weight of it sits heavy and cold against my spine.

Foolishly, I didn’t grab a towel when I followed his instructions. Lock the door. Sit in the corner.

A puddle of water surrounds me on the tile. But being uncomfortable is the least of my worries.

Evan is out there facing an intruder…

The lump in my throat grows.

It’s impossible for me to hear what’s happening outside the bathroom door, giving my imagination free run.

“Stop.” I rub my fists in my eye sockets.

He’s a SEAL. He can handle intruders.

For a few minutes, I worry at my fingernails. Then my eyebrows. Then chew on my lip.

He’s a trained warrior. His body is ready for battle.

I run down a list of reasons he’s going to be fine, but I’m really a mess inside. I don’t even know how much of what I’m feeling is fear for myself. He is all I can think about.

My blood is icy and my hands are numb from my raging emotions when I finally crawl on my hands and knees to the towel rack by the door.

On my way back to my corner, I stop to stare at the running shower. Would it hurt if I cut the water off? Then I could hear…

The internal debate intensifies until two sides of me are yelling at each other.

But Evan said to leave it on.

I push to my feet, staying in a crouch. Maybe I could cut the flow of the water back a little.

Reaching for the control knob, I slip. My elbow hits the bottle of shampoo Evan left on the bench.

“Oh no!” I whisper hiss.

But I can’t catch the thing before it crashes to the shower floor.

The sound of a plastic bottle bouncing on tile echoes through the bathroom.

I gasp and scramble to catch it as it turns into a spinning top under the stream of water.

Oh my god.

I’m a shaky mess with my heart in my throat by the time I get it under control. Clutching the bottle to my chest, I pant into the darkness.

Such a stupid move.

I crawl across the room on one hand and two knees.