Gage (THE GOLDEN TEAM #3)

33. Lyon

I thought she should go with us. She was tall for a woman, and I didn’t want her getting separated from us. The only way to prevent that was to keep her as close as possible.

“You’ll have to wear men’s clothing,” I told her. “The robes they wear here will help you blend in. At least that way, if we get stopped, they won’t force you into the women’s section.”

“We’ll call her Nick,” I added, turning toward Niki. “From now on, while we’re in Afghanistan, your name is Nick. If you wear what the local women wear and we get taken in for questioning or anything else, they’ll separate you from us. We wouldn’t be able to protect you if that happens. But if you go as one of us, we can.”

“I don’t need you to protect me. I can defend myself,” Niki shot back.

I sighed. “Did you, or did you not, say you’d listen to what we told you? We haven’t even started yet, and you’re already arguing.” I met her gaze, holding it steady. “I know you can fight. I know you’re tough. But this is different. Over here, women are treated like dirt. They think nothing of stoning a woman to death just because a piece of her hair is visible.”

Niki inhaled sharply and held her breath. Counting to ten . I could tell by the way her nostrils flared.

Then, with an exaggerated eye roll, she exhaled.

She looked like she was biting her tongue to keep from saying something smart. I wanted to chuckle, but I knew that would only piss her off—and if she got mad enough, she might flip me again.

“Fine,” she finally muttered. “Where are these men’s clothes you want me to wear?”

“You can pull them over your own clothes,” I explained. “That’s another advantage—it gives you an extra layer of protection.”

An hour later, we were packed into a Jeep, bouncing over rough terrain under the unforgiving sun.

Niki was dressed head to toe like the rest of us, and she was already sweating bullets.

“Why do they wear so many layers when it’s so damn hot?” she grumbled. “How do they even breathe in this?”

“It’s better for them,” I said. “If they didn’t wear these robes, their skin would turn to leather. Imagine having these sun rays beating down on you every day. You’re better off covered up. The more you cover, the less you burn. Even people with dark skin still burn. The sun here is brutal. If you stop complaining for a second, you’ll see I’m right.”

“I wasn’t complaining. I was stating a fact.”

“That’s good,” I said. “Because if there’s one thing in this world I can’t stand, it’s a woman whining all the time.”

“I hope I won’t have to break you two up constantly,” River cut in. “Nick, keep your talking to a minimum. Your voice will give you away every time you open your mouth.”

I turned and looked at her. “Yeah, Nick, every time you speak, that sweet honey voice of yours drips sex.”

Why the hell did I say that?

I snapped my head forward quickly, feeling the weight of their stares. Damn it. That was stupid.

I cleared my throat. “From now on, we call her Nick. No one slips up and says Niki.”

Before I could stop myself, I added, “And another thing—you’re not allowed to talk to me. I don’t want you looking at me, I don’t want you breathing near me, and I damn sure don’t want you talking to me.”

Niki narrowed her eyes.

I smirked. I couldn’t help it. She was so damn cute. I could only see her eyes—just plain brown eyes—but why the hell did I still think she was so damn sexy?

I was losing it. Completely.

And then she said, “Why did I have to end up sitting next to you? Change places with Raven. Hell, change places with anyone. I don’t want to be squeezed next to you. I swear, I’ve never disliked a man as fast as I dislike you.”

I grinned. “And why’s that, Nick?”

“Because you think you’re superior to me just because you’re a man. Let me tell you something—you’re not. And that’s all I’m saying to you. I’m done talking to you.”

I chuckled. “How come every time you talk to me, you end it by saying you’re done talking to me?”

She exhaled sharply, clearly annoyed.

“Gage,” she said, “please tell your friend that I’m done talking to him, and I don’t want him talking to me.”

Gage smirked. “Lyon, can you please stop talking to Nick? She’s tired of hearing your voice. And, for the record, I agree with her.”

I rolled my eyes. “You’re supposed to say he , not she .”

I barely got the words out before I started laughing.

Niki turned toward me, crossing her arms. “Are you making fun of me again?”

I just grinned wider.

“No, I’m not making fun of you. I was never making fun of you,” I said, keeping my tone calm. “I’m sorry if I hurt your feelings. I’ll try harder not to annoy you.”

“Liar,” she muttered.

The rest of the ride was quiet.

As soon as we crossed into Afghanistan, we all stayed alert. We knew there were still a lot of Americans trapped in this country. Our plan was simple—check in with our contacts and see if they had heard anything about any Americans who were still alive.

If they had, we wouldn’t waste a second getting them out.

And I prayed to God that River’s brother and Niki’s brother were among them.

We had driven about twenty miles when we spotted a massive cloud of dust in the distance.

“What do you think is going on over there?” I asked, narrowing my eyes. The cloud was getting bigger, fast. My gut twisted. “Shit. We better take cover. I think we’re about to get hit by a dust storm.”

We scanned the area, looking for shelter. There was nothing —just endless stretches of dry land.

Then, we spotted an old shack.

It wasn’t much, and I doubted it would hold up against the storm, but it was our only option. We parked the truck so it would take the brunt of the dust, then sprinted toward the shack.

Inside, I positioned Niki in front of me and wrapped my arms around her.

“When the dust hits, it’s going to come hard,” I murmured against her ear. “You need to cover your face completely—don’t inhale any of it.”

She didn’t argue.

Instead, she pressed closer to me, burying her face against my chest. I was shocked. I had expected her to fight me on this, to insist she could handle it on her own.

But she wasn’t stupid.

The moment the storm hit, we were completely engulfed.

I had been through these dust storms before. I hated them then, and I hated them even more now. At least back then, we had buildings to take shelter in. Here, all we had was this flimsy shack, and the wind was slamming into us like it wanted to tear us apart.

I tightened my hold on Niki, shielding her with my body.

It lasted over an hour before it finally started to die down.

When the air settled, I slowly uncovered my head. Sand was everywhere. We were buried in it.

“Don’t rub your face or touch your eyes,” I warned her in a low voice. She nodded, listening.

I stood and helped her to her feet before pulling the men’s robe over her head. I took it outside and shook it out. The others were doing the same.

“If you want to shake your clothes out, now’s a good time,” I told her when I stepped back inside.

“Thank you.” Her voice was softer than usual. “I don’t know what I would’ve done if you hadn’t told me what to do. I’ve never seen anything like that before.” She paused, her gaze meeting mine. “And… thank you for blocking the sand and protecting me.”

I shrugged. “I’m a protector. That’s what I do. You did great.”

She frowned slightly. “What do you mean, you’re a protector?”

“We’re all former soldiers,” I told her. “When we retired, we started a business together. We don’t just rescue people—we guard them with our lives.”

“That’s… really amazing.”

I nodded toward the door. “I’ll step out so you can shake out your clothes.”

Outside, I walked over to the Jeep and ran a hand along the hood, grimacing. “Is the Jeep going to start?” I asked, peering under the hood. “Look at all this sand.”

“That’s why they use Jeeps here,” Raven said. “It’s all sand. We just have to brush it out. There’s a brush in the back—I’ll grab it. We’ll clean out the engine and cross our fingers.”

I turned just in time to see Niki step out of the shed, carrying the robe over her arm.

“Let me see that,” I said, reaching for it. “I’ll put it back on you.”

She hesitated.

“You shouldn’t be walking around outside without boots,” I added. “There are scorpions all over the ground.”

She huffed but handed it over. I helped her into the robe, adjusting it over her shoulders.

“Now, let me do your hair,” I murmured. “There, that wasn’t so bad, was it?”

She sat on the back of the Jeep, watching me.

“I can put my own boots on,” she said, a sharp edge in her voice. “And I know how to put my own robe on. Are you always this… what’s the word? Controlling? Or is it that you just feel the need to take over everything? You’re a people-pleaser, aren’t you?”

I smirked. “Believe me, I am not a people-pleaser. Most of the time, people can’t stand being around me. I’m just trying to help you. If you want me to back off, all you have to do is say so.”

She tilted her head, watching me. “Please let me do everything on my own. Unless, of course, we get caught in another sandstorm.”

I grinned. “You got it.”

With that, I turned my attention back to the Jeep and got to work.

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