Chapter 4
This job had been a lifeline. After what had happened in Basra, Phoenix couldn’t face another tour with the SEALs. Not with that hanging over him.
Two men were dead because of him. Two good men.
His friends.
Phoenix sat staring into his plate of untouched food. The cafeteria actually dished up some decent grub, but he didn’t have an appetite. All he could taste was guilt.
“Is it not good?” asked a feminine voice.
He glanced up to see Minnie, the Texan chef who made most of their meals, smiling blatantly down at him. She had big brown eyes, a mass of blonde curls, and a strong Texan drawl. The roughnecks who worked shifts on the rig often talked about her, and in ways that didn’t always sit well with him.
“No, that’s not it. It’s great, really. I’m just not that hungry.”
Her eyes flitted shamelessly over him. “A man like you needs to eat. It will keep you strong.” She flexed her bicep, showing off long, tapered arms.
He forced a smile and picked up his knife and fork. Couldn’t disappoint the chef. Minnie had been flirting with him since the day he arrived. It didn’t bother him. In fact, he was used to it, and normally, he’d be up for a bit of fun, but since he’d left the Navy, he’d been stoically single.
He couldn't figure out if it was because he didn’t feel worthy of having fun, not when he’d caused the death of two of his team, or if a no-strings one nighter had just lost its appeal in the wake of the far more serious issue he was dealing with. Whatever the reason, he wasn’t ready for close human contact, which meant dating was out of the question.
He forced down a few mouthfuls, then looked up again as the hellcat, Eleanor Rider, walked in with her roommate, Suzi. He’d met Suzi a couple of times through Boomer, who he shared a room with, and liked her. She was bubbly and gregarious, a real breath of fresh air. Secretly, he thought Boomer was into her but was too shy to say anything.
Boomer, even though he had his fair share of women, wasn’t known to make the first move. Luckily, being built like a machine, and with features women found attractive, he rarely had to.
“Hey, Phoenix.” Suzi stopped at his table. He didn’t miss Eleanor stiffen. “Want some company?”
“I won’t be here long,” he said, with an apologetic shrug. Everything in her body language indicated she’d rather not sit with him. “My shift starts in fifteen.”
“That’s okay, we don’t mind.” Suzi sat without being asked, and Phenix saw Eleanor give a little sigh. She wasn’t alone in her reluctance. He wasn’t in the mood for small talk either. He’d slept most of the morning after he’d bumped into her, catching up on the night before, and then spent the afternoon working out in the gym, venting some of the frustration he always seemed to carry around with him.
Usually, it helped, but today, for some reason, it had just made things worse.
Dressed in his operational clothes, he still had to go back to his cabin and put on his tactical vest and pick up the rest of his gear. There was a long night ahead.
Eleanor sat down, her leg brushing his under the table.
“Sorry,” she mumbled.
He managed a small grin. “Did you get to where you were going in such a hurry earlier?” She’d been so preoccupied when they’d bumped into each other, it must have been somewhere important.
Her big brown eyes widened. “Oh, yes, thank you. I did.”
“You two know each other?” Suzi asked, surprised.
“Not officially,” Phoenix said. Intriguingly, Eleanor didn’t appear so feisty now. This was a different side to her. He’d seen the hellcat and the thoughtful professional, but now she looked distracted, distant.
“Oh, well in that case, meet my new roomie, Eleanor. She’s here for the duration of the project, so you’ll be seeing her around quite a lot.”
“Call me Ellie.” The hellcat extended her hand.
Phoenix shook it, engulfing it with his big one. A vision of holding them above her head on the hard deck of the helipad only that morning flashed into his head.
That was the problem with oil rigs, he reasoned. The permanent staff were confined to small living spaces, so everyone got to know each other very well. Too well, in some cases.
“Ellie’s a chemical engineer,” Suzi added. “She’s heading up the testing project.”
“Really?” He couldn’t help but be impressed. He’d thought operations had sped up since she’d arrived, but modestly, she’d played it down.
“Phoenix,” he said, releasing her hand.
She put it back in her lap, her curious gaze still on his face. He noticed her brown eyes were shot through with yellow, making them look like they were glowing. “Phoenix. Like the bird that rose from the ashes?”
“Yeah. It’s a nickname I was given in the Navy because I was always the last one standing. The phoenix apparently lived for five hundred years.” Or so he’d been told.
How ironic that the prophecy had turned out to be true. He was still standing, where all the others had fallen, and now he had to deal with survivor's guilt.
That’s what they called it—therapists, magazine articles, Google.
“You were in the Navy?” Her eyebrows rose.
“Yeah, but not anymore.”
“Why’s that?”
It was an innocent enough question, but one he wasn’t prepared to answer. “It was time for a change.”
There was an awkward pause.
“Boomer and Phoenix both work for the same private security company.” Suzi said, effortlessly filling the gap. “What’s it called again?”
“Blackthorn Security. It’s run by a buddy of mine.”
Truth be told, he’d been floating around doing nothing in particular, drinking too much and hanging out in pool bars, when Blade had approached him. Blade, also ex-military, had been medically discharged from the army shortly before Phoenix had bailed on the SEALs, and was now running operations for Blackthorn.
At first, Phoenix had said no, he wasn’t up to it. His fitness had gone to shit, and he was still reeling from what had happened. Blade, who knew what it was like to be at a loose end, hadn’t taken no for an answer. So, here he was.
But he didn't tell them any of that.
“Boomer was in explosives,” Suzi continued, a note of pride in her voice.
Those two were definitely into each other. It was obvious just by watching how animated she became when she talked about him.
“He used to defuse bombs for a living. Can you imagine doing that?”
“I can’t.” Ellie shook her head. “It must have been very stressful.”
“Yeah, that’s why he left,” Suzi said. “He had a close call and figured enough was enough.”
Close call? That was one way of putting it.
Boomer had obviously given her the watered-down version. In reality, an IED had exploded while he was attempting to disarm it, and he’d gotten a lungful of shrapnel. It had taken six months, multiple surgeries, and weeks of rehab to remove it all and heal up. Afterwards, he’d decided not to go back to work, and Phoenix didn’t blame him.
Being a U.S. Navy SEAL took its toll, and they all had scars to show, but he missed the camaraderie of the unit. He and his team had been in some real hell holes together over the years, but the bonds they’d forged were deep and abiding. That’s why it hurt so goddamn much losing two of them.
He turned back to Ellie. “So what was the hurry this morning?”
She frowned, her forehead lining. “I analyzed the first few samples today, but they weren’t what I was expecting. I thought we might have gotten the coordinates wrong, so I was on my way to check the geographical survey maps. That’s when I bumped into you.”
“But they were accurate,” Suzi qualified, joining in.
Ellie nodded. “Yes, everything was correct, so it can’t be that.”
“What were you expecting?” Phoenix sensed there was more to this problem than Ellie was letting on. He’d become experienced at reading people during his time in the SEALs—lives depended on making the right judgement call—and he could tell something was bothering her.
“A different composition of elements, that’s all. Something more in-line with the satellite imaging that had been done.” She waved a hand in the air. “It’s not important. I’ll retest tomorrow. It’s probably just a problem with my samples.”
She was making light of it, but he didn’t push.
“Is your shift an all-nighter?” Suzi asked, and he got the feeling she was thinking about Boomer.
“2000 to 0800,” he replied, catching Ellie’s eye. Was she also thinking about their surprise meeting in the early hours of the morning?
What Ellie didn’t know was he’d seen her come back and finish her yoga routine on the helipad. Keeping to the shadows—he hadn’t wanted to interrupt her again—he’d watched as she’d worked through the various movements with a grace and fluidity he’d admired. Hell, he’d more than admired it. He couldn’t keep his damn eyes off it.
“Do you switch to days next week?” Suzi asked, obviously wondering if she’d be able to hang out with Boomer more often.
After an answering nod, he stood. “I’ve got to head off. I’m due on shift.”
“Have fun,” Suzi said, cheerfully. “Say hi to Boomer for me.”
“Will do.” Phoenix turned to Ellie, a half-smile on his face. “Can I expect to see you on the helipad at five tomorrow?”
She turned pink and glared at him. Just like that, the hellcat was back. “Don’t count on it.”
He chuckled. “Pity.”
She refused to look at him.
Smiling, and in a better mood than he had been in all day, he went back to his room to get kitted up.
“Okay, what’s going on between you two?” Suzi blurted out the moment Phoenix had left the cafeteria.
Ellie turned away. “Nothing. What made you ask that?”
“Just the friggin’ tension flying between you.” She shook her head. “I mean, come on!”
“I don't know what you’re talking about,” Ellie mumbled. “Maybe we should eat?”
“Hang on a moment.” Suzi’s eyes twinkled. “You’re not getting away that easy. What happened this morning? Come on, spill.”
“It was just a little misunderstanding. I was doing yoga on the helipad, and he thought I was an intruder.”
Suze gave a loud snort. “Seriously?”
“Yeah, he jumped me and pinned me down. Unfortunately, I didn’t have my ID on me, so he didn’t believe me when I told him who I was.”
She guffawed. “Ellie, how could you forget your ID?”
“I know. It was totally my fault. I had to take him to our room to get it. Only then did he let me go.”
Suzi giggled, a light airy sound.
It was contagious, and Ellie found herself smiling too. “I’m a little embarrassed.”
“I wouldn’t mind being jumped by the likes of him.”
“It wasn’t enjoyable at the time.” Memories of her panic attack flooded back. “He gave me a hell of a fright.”
“He is a trained killer,” she said, with a touch of admiration. “He could probably crush you with his bare hands if he wanted to.”
Now that was a comforting thought.
“I’m starving.” Ellie’d had enough of talking about this topic and stood up. “We should have grabbed our food before sitting. Let’s eat.”
“Fine, but we’re going to discuss this another time.” Suzi joined her. “That man likes you, I can tell.”
“Nonsense.”
“So, are you going to see him tomorrow morning?” Suzi picked up a plate.
Ellie turned her back on her friend. “I don’t know. I haven’t decided yet.” Morning yoga was something she really enjoyed. Despite what she’d said, she didn’t want to give it up just because she was avoiding a certain beast of a man.
“If you enjoy it, you should go,” Suzi said. “It’s a big rig. You might not see him at all.”
It wasn’t that big.
Should she?
It would be a shame to miss it.
On the rig where there was little opportunity to exercise, she enjoyed the invigorating postures. It also kept her supple and relaxed her, mentally preparing her for the day.
“Yeah, I probably will.” Decision made.
Ellie loaded up her plate with a hearty serving of brisket, fluffy cornbread, and a side of tangy coleslaw. After a decent meal and a good night’s sleep, she’d be raring to go at the crack of dawn. More so than this morning, when she had still been groggy from the flight and the unfamiliar bed.
One thing was sure—her decision had absolutely nothing to do with a certain, brutally hot, security operative who would be patrolling the rig during the early hours.
Nothing at all.