Page 69 of Sweet Refuge
“God, you’re right.” He groaned.
She laughed again. “When they return—”
Just then, they heard doors slamming and hard boots on the floor. The rustle of gear could be heard too.
“They’re back.” She jumped up and bustled to the door in a swirl of long hair.
He made a grab for his shirt and yanked it over his perspiring body. When he walked out, he spotted the guys with arms full of cardboard boxes. He couldn’t see what they’d confiscated from the son’s residence, but if he had to guess, it was equipment and records.
Frost threw him a grin. “Easy op.”
Mustang followed right behind with his rifle in hand. “Easier than getting your ass out of Mexico.”
A couple more guys passed, and then Lena came into sight. She rounded the corner with a big box tucked against her chest. Slade searched her for cuts or bruises—or worse, blood—and could breathe once more when he saw she was unharmed.
She avoided his stare as she passed with the box. They took the stairs leading up to the war room. Slade trailed behind, feeling more and more like an outsider. When they set the boxes on the long table, he expected the door to slam in his face again, but no one forced him out.
Lena set her heavy box on the table and peered inside. “It’s gonna be a long night.”
Slade’s chest tightened. Just as he’d told Gia, he was torn between taking care of her and letting her do her thing.
In the end, he left her to it and shut himself up in a vacant office to call Con and check in.
“Hey, Overstreet. Enjoying your break?”
“No,” he forced out with total seriousness. “When do I come back?”
“You’ve still got a week on your approved leave. Take it.”
“What if I don’t want it?” Why was he trying to leave Washington, DC? The last thing he wanted right now was to abandon Lena to deal with the situation.
Con’s heavy sigh rang in his ear. The image of the big, tattooed motherfucker drifted into Slade’s head from that one sound better than anything they’d exchanged so far.
“What’s the rush?”
“I’m getting bored. I need to be part of something again.”
Wasn’t he part of Lena? He’d vowed to never let a wedge be driven between them too, and look where they were.
Con went silent on the line. It penetrated Slade’s brain.
Slade dug his finger and thumb into his eyes. “Forget it. I’ll take the week, Con.”
“Glad to hear it. See ya then, man.”
Without another word, Slade ended the call. Too late, he realized he hadn’t asked what was going on with his buddies on the team or how things were going without him there.
There would be time enough to catch up once he returned, but that came with another set of problems. All to do with Lena.
Not being here to watch over her, to see her grow round with their child. Without him in her face all the time, she’d distance herself and pretend he wasn’t important to her.
And he was important to her, dammit. She just wouldn’t admit it to herself yet.
He paced the halls for a while, more restless and on edge than he’d felt since the day she called it quits.
Each time he came close to the room where she was going through the boxes they brought back with them, he spun around and headed the other way. But not seeing her…not showing his support…cut him.
He left headquarters and bought her food. It was a small token, but taking care of her was what Slade did. He wasn’t about to ignore his instincts no matter how angry she was that he’d tried to stop her from going on this op.