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Monica waved her sister by without answering Yasmine walked past, so damned quietly it was spooky soently
Meh of Yas off her scarf and trailing it behind her like a kite
"Yasmine?"
Her half sister turned Waited The scarf settled along with memories "Yes?"
"I want to believe you about why you’re here Really I do" God, she was already in danger of losing one sister and Sydney would tell her to be kinder Of course, Sydney always had been the bleeding heart in their fah to close ret nicked that walls were so high between them Yet as much as she wished they could be closer, wished they could cry together for Sydney, Monica couldn’t risk doing anything that ht expose the rescue mission "It’s not like we have that much history for some deep bond or sisterly trust I don’t know you You don’t know ht up, there’s not a proble and shirt closer to her chest "I guess that et to the United States"
A scary thought Regret scratched deeper "Did you plan to?"
"No After I arrive, I will call Sydney" Yas defiantly behind her
Monica accepted the emotional stab delivered with Sydney’s nagage from Yasmine just couldn’t be a priority with life-and-death stakes in the balance
Blake drew heavy hits off the oxygen h altitude out over the gulf Chuted up and ready to roll, he regulated his breathing in tiines His fifteen SEAL buddies sat in file beside hilow Figures blotted the ihanistan where he’d worked SSE--sensitive site exploitation Then the endless tunnels under Baghdad Constant risk of cave-ins and booby traps whittled away at nerves until a ether
A skill he longed for now
The metal walls threatened to close in on him, to fill his brain and nose with cobwebs until it shut off air He forced oxygen in Out Routine
How o holds of C-17s, C-130s, even dropping out of the boenda: a HAHO--high altitude, high opening, on oxygen while they cruised Guide the chute for over an hour for a covert insertion Land a couple miles shy of the terrorist co their axio is not an option
His head fell back and he stared up at the tangle of cables and wires tracking the ceiling If only he could recapture the nu past his defenses
He didn’t want inia Beach Some beer Sun Maybe luck into a woman’s smile directed his way
After five months of no sex, no alcohol and a belly full of MREs hanistan, he was due a little R and R during his teeks of leave And Virginia Beach’s annual Neptune Festival seeh the crush of tourists at the outdoor booths, Blake walked silently alongside two of his team buddies while Carlos talked and scoped babes in bikinis Silence suited hio days without saying a word during the summer Work on the farm Eat Read Go to sleep
No need for conversation
Sex, on the other hand He sure as hell wouldn’tbelly button rings glided by on Rollerblades Hoo-ya
And apparently, from his buddies’ conversation, they wouldn’t ’t mind, either--both recently divorced Military deployuy was better off not expecting the sex to turn into anything more, only to find out he’d been dumped while deployed and didn’t even know it until port call
He wasn’t in a hurry to settle down, and when he did it would be for keeps White picket fence, wife, kids, a forever haven
Blake fished in his front pocket for more tickets to buy another beer, and came up short "Be back in a ed his wallet out of the back pocket of his jean shorts
Pulling out a twenty, he tucked sideways past a faon with a toddler inside
His butt buize, he found a wo table with her head bohile she cracked open a roll of quarters on her cash tray
She looked up "Can I help you?"
And that was it He fell hard and fast in spite of three seconds earlier being certain happily-ever-after was at least five or more years away once he quit active field ops He could almost feel the haround
He’d seen prettier He’d had hotter But never had he met someone so damned sexy and perfect
Her short brown hair lifted around her face with the wind blowing in off the ocean Even sitting, she didn’t seem too tall or too short in coht, slim body with hints of understated curves in khaki shorts and an Earth-Day
T-shirt Brown eyes and brown hair
She was maybe a couple years older than hi out of the ordinary Yet, here he stood like an infatuated dork checking out her bare ring finger while sweaty tourists jostled past him
"Can I help you?" she repeated with a smile
Her lips weren’t particularly sultry, but somehow that just made him want to kiss them until they plumped
He lance down at her na "--Sydney"
She blinked fast, startled but not outwardly offended Hoo-ya He had enough challenges on the job For once, he wanted sohtforward Uncomplicated
She emptied quarters into the tray "I don’t know your name’’
"Blake Gardner I’ll even leave ID and a blood sa sound that bleay cobwebs "I have to work the booth I only just got here’’
"When does your shift end?’’
"At four"
Three hours from now
The older woman in a soccer-mom shirt next to Sydney leaned closer "Or when she sells out her roll of tickets"
"Fair enough’’ Blatantly canvassing or not, the woman had offered him a three-hour reprieve
Blake emptied his wallet of two hundred dollars and thanked the sweet Lord in heaven for credit cards or this would be a bust date froo
Sydney shoved his enerous, but I would feel bad We can just lanced down at the plastic drape over the front of her table and read "--National Wildlife Fund are you, lady?"
He turned to his soccer- hibehind hihed away a few ood"
He sure hoped so "Where do you want to go for lunch?"