Chapter 9
CHAPTER NINE
Josie was embarrassed. She’d kind of freaked out, after doing so well in the last few weeks to feel nothing. But knowing that she’d likely be separated from Nate, and would probably never see him again, made her panic. She was no one. Nate was a Navy SEAL. He was important. And realizing the military people on the boat might think she was a traitor or a spy had made her desperate to let these men—men who seemed to actually like her a little—know who she was.
It was hard to communicate without speaking. But she’d been able to tell them some basic facts. Maybe it was enough for the people in charge on the boat not to lock her in the brig—she had no idea if that was even a thing anymore—and they’d figure out a way for her to get home.
But the thought of going back to Las Vegas, to her empty apartment, wasn’t appealing. She doubted anyone even noticed she hadn’t come back from vacation. Hell, they probably didn’t even know she’d left. The mail carrier might’ve noticed, but only because she never came in to get the mail she’d put on hold.
Her life was kind of pathetic, and she wasn’t eager to return to it. But where else would she go?
With a sigh, she inched slightly closer to Nate. Lying there with him felt…good. She was relieved he hadn’t thought badly of her for coming to Kuwait to see a guy she was going to break up with. It had been a horrible idea, obviously, but she was thankful Nate didn’t seem to think so.
Or hell, maybe he did, and he just wasn’t saying anything.
Maybe he felt too sorry for her to share his opinion.
But she didn’t think so. She wasn’t an expert on men, but surely he wouldn’t be snuggling with her if he thought she was stupid?
She was too tired to think about it anymore. Tired but not sleepy. Which made no sense. So Josie simply lay in Nate’s arms, doing her best not to think about the future either. She couldn’t predict what would happen. Things had been so crazy, she couldn’t imagine what was up for her next.
She didn’t have to wait long to find out. She felt Nate pick his head up at the same time she heard a faint drumming sound in the sky.
“They’re here,” Pyro suddenly announced.
Nate was up and moving in a flash. He urged her to sit up and said, “It’s time, Josie. We’re going home.”
She kind of missed Nate calling her Spirit. She wasn’t sure about the nickname at first, but she’d gotten used to it pretty quickly. She’d never been given a nickname before, and knowing why he’d called her that felt pretty darn good.
She got to her feet and stood with the others, looking up at the sky. The sun had almost set and there was just enough light to see without tripping over any rocks. But Josie had no idea if someone flying a helicopter could see well enough to land, especially not where they were currently standing. Maybe they’d have to go up that rope thing again. It wasn’t something she was looking forward to, but if it would get them out of there, she’d do whatever it took.
“Here they come,” Tate said unnecessarily.
The chopper appeared over a mountain peak like a beautiful angel. It hovered for a moment, whipping up dirt all around them, before slowly lowering exactly where Pyro had said they would.
To her amazement, the helicopter managed to fit between the two mountain peaks but it didn’t exactly land. One of the skids rested on a rock and the chopper actually kind of tilted downward, as if inviting them to climb aboard.
No one spoke; it wasn’t as if they could be heard over the rotor blades. Josie closed her eyes against the onslaught of dirt and dust being whipped into the air.
She felt Nate grab hold of her upper arm and start walking. She trusted him to keep her upright and followed him. When the sound of the engine got louder, she squinted her eyes, wanting to see what was happening.
Pyro and Tate were already inside the helicopter and before Josie knew it, she was being handed up into their arms. She was sitting inside before she could even blink. Nate jumped in as if he hadn’t just been tortured and beaten a day or so ago, Kevlar at his heels, and she felt the chopper lifting up and off the ground .
She held her breath as they got higher and higher into the air. There were mountains on either side of them and they seemed close enough to touch as they rose. As soon as they cleared the peaks, the pilots seemed to gun the engines, then they were flying over the same terrain they’d just hiked through.
Nate suddenly had a set of headphones, and he placed them over her ears. The engines were instantly muffled, and Josie let out the breath she’d been holding. Their extraction had been fast and uneventful. It was quite the change from the last time she was inside a helicopter.
Tate and Pyro placed headphones over their ears, as did Nate and Kevlar. She could hear everyone speaking to each other.
“Buck! Obi-Wan! Good to see you!” Pyro exclaimed with a laugh.
“Someone had to come and get your asses back to work after you decided to take a vacation in the mountains,” one of the pilots said, glancing over his shoulder to grin at them.
“Whatever, Buck,” Pyro retorted good-naturedly.
“You all good?” the other pilot asked, who Josie assumed was Obi-Wan.
“Yeah,” Tate said.
“Laryn is gonna kill you,” Obi-Wan said.
“I know. She worked hard to get that chopper working perfectly, then someone had to go and blow a hole in it,” Tate said almost mournfully.
The conversation seemed so normal. Like friends meeting up after a long absence.
“Laryn’s the head mechanic who worked on my MH-60,” Tate said, looking at Josie. She figured he’d forgotten mentioning her earlier, so she simply nodded.
“She’s a contractor, and one of the best mechanics I’ve ever known. Wouldn’t trust anyone else with my babies. You might get to meet her. Depends on what happens when we land.”
And just like that, nerves struck Josie once again.
“You good, Blink?” Buck asked. “Your team told us what they knew when we saw them on the ship. Said you had a tough time?”
“Not as tough as Josie,” Nate said.
She felt six sets of eyes on her. Not knowing what else to do, she gave the two pilots a lame little wave.
Chuckles echoed in her ears.
“Right. Josie. It’s nice to meet you. On behalf of the US Army, we’re glad you’re okay…and that we could be the ones to get you the hell out of there. Because we all know the Navy wasn’t up to the task.”
Josie was about to get mad on Nate and Kevlar’s behalf before she realized Obi-Wan was joking. Sort of. It had to be a long-standing ribbing thing between the Army and the Navy, because Kevlar leaned forward and smacked the back of the pilot’s helmet.
“Hey! Watch it! Don’t mess with the pilot while he’s flying,” Obi-Wan complained.
“You could fly this thing with one hand tied behind your back and both eyes blinded,” Nate returned.
“True. I’m that good,” Obi-Wan agreed.
“Oh Lord, now you’ve done it. Stroked his ego. He’ll be even more impossible now,” Buck moaned .
Josie listened to the banter with interest but internally, she was still freaking out about what would happen when they got to the ship. Would she be in trouble? How was she going to answer any questions when her stupid voice wouldn’t work? Now that she was safe, she half expected to magically be able to speak again. But of course, she had no such luck.
Soon they left the brown dirt of the desert landscape behind and there was nothing but water beneath them.
“It’s okay. We’re safe,” Nate said, obviously seeing her discomfort.
Josie nodded but still couldn’t relax.
At least not until Nate took her hand in his. Looking down, Josie should’ve been embarrassed at how disgusting her fingers looked. There was so much black dirt encrusted under her nails, she wasn’t sure she’d ever be able to get it out. But Nate didn’t seem to mind.
“There she is. Can you see her?” Buck asked, turning to look at Josie, then pointing out the front window.
Sitting up as straight as she could, Josie could just see a speck in the distance, getting closer and closer as they flew toward it.
It didn’t take long before they were hovering over the deck of the huge warship. The food Josie had eaten threatened to come up when the chopper bumped as it landed.
Then something struck her, and she squeezed Nate’s hand tightly.
“What? What’s wrong?”
It was stupid. She didn’t need it anymore, but the thought of it having been left behind made her feel panicky and sick. She reached forward to pat Nate’s pocket but felt nothing inside. A choked noise worked its way up her throat.
“Your cup? I’ve got it here. In my other pocket,” Nate told her through the headset. “It’s okay, Spirit. I’ve got it.”
Relief hit her so hard, she felt dizzy. It was just a cup. There were probably hundreds more like it on the ship. She didn’t need it anymore. And yet she still felt attached to the damn thing. It had kept her alive. Without it, she’d be nothing more than a heap of rotting flesh in that damn prison cell.
She managed to nod. The others were taking off their headsets, so Josie did the same, the noise from the outside world pressing in on her all at once. People talking, yelling orders she didn’t understand back and forth, the rumble of the chopper engine.
“Come on, let’s get out of here,” Nate said, tugging gently on her hand.
Looking out of the helicopter, Josie saw a wave of people, all looking in their direction.
She was suddenly overwhelmed. Glancing down at herself, she realized how ridiculous she probably looked. Socks, a huge T-shirt, a pair of boxers. Not to mention she was covered in dirt, and her hair was matted and disgusting. She had no reason to be embarrassed or ashamed after everything she’d been through…but somehow, she still was.
Nate seemed to understand how she felt, because he turned and grabbed a blanket that had been folded neatly into a small cubby inside the chopper. Without letting go of her hand, he wrapped it around her shoulders, assisted by his brother. She clutched it against her chest with her free hand .
With Nate on one side of her, and Tate on the other, they stood. Kevlar hopped out then turned, holding out his hands to steady the trio as they exited the chopper. Suddenly, she was standing on the deck of the huge ship.
She heard a woman yell, “Casper! What the hell did you do to my helicopter?”
Looking over, Josie saw a woman in her mid-thirties, about five-five or so, dark hair pulled back into a neat bun, dark eyes sparking as she marched up to Tate and poked him in the chest. She wore a pair of coveralls with what looked like grease smeared down the front of her right thigh.
Tate smiled at Josie and Nate. “Good to see you, bro. Don’t be a stranger. We’ll get together back in the States.”
Nate nodded at his brother, and Josie watched as Tate walked off with the woman right at his side. But even as she gave him grief, Josie could see the relief in her eyes that he was alive and in one piece. And Tate certainly didn’t look upset by whatever she was saying. He actually looked pleased to see her.
“Guessing that was Laryn,” Nate said with a small grin.
Before she could even nod, someone approached them.
“Blink!” the man exclaimed, giving him a one-armed man-hug before they’d taken more than two steps away from the helicopter.
“Good to see you, MacGyver,” Nate said. Josie recognized him from the short amount of time they’d been with the man after getting out of their cells.
“Come on, the guys are waiting to see you.”
“To interrogate me, you mean,” Nate said with a small laugh .
“Naw, we’re saving the ass-chewing for later,” Kevlar piped in, and both he and MacGyver laughed.
“For now, we’re just glad to see you alive and kicking,” MacGyver told him.
“Sorry, but the admiral wants to talk to the two of you,” an officer standing nearby interrupted, nodding at both Nate and Kevlar.
“An admiral?” Nate whistled.
“Yes. If you could follow me,” the man said, gesturing toward one of the doors.
“What about Josie?” Nate asked, not moving an inch.
Without thought, Josie stepped closer to Nate. She wanted to press herself against him, beg him not to leave her, but she couldn’t speak.
“Is that her name? There’s a captain waiting to speak with her.”
“Then what?” Nate asked.
The officer blinked. He hesitated a beat before saying, “I don’t know. It depends on what’s said, I suppose.”
Nate shook his head. “She’s coming with us,” he told the man.
“I don’t think?—”
“Where she goes, I go,” Nate repeated firmly. “She can come with me and Kevlar to talk to the admiral.”
“He’s not going to want to talk about what happened on a top-secret mission, or what happened after, with a civilian there,” the officer warned.
“Tough. She knows just as much as I do about what happened after, and maybe more. She was a guest of the terrorists way longer than I was. Don’t you think the admiral will want to hear what she knows?”
Josie had never seen this side of Nate. He sounded pissed off and more authoritative than he’d ever been. It didn’t turn her off. Not at all.
“It’s your ass,” the officer said with a shrug before turning toward the door. “If you’ll follow me.”
“Impressive,” Kevlar mumbled from behind them.
Nate turned to his friend. “I need you to watch out for her,” he said. “If they take her away from me, don’t leave her alone for a minute. You know she doesn’t talk, so they’re going to have to give her time to write out whatever they want to know. And she needs to eat again. And drink. And shower. She?—”
“Easy, Blink,” Kevlar said, putting a hand on his shoulder. “If you think anyone is going to argue with you, you’re wrong. You were a POW. They’re treated with kid gloves around here. No one will upset you.”
“Right. Tell that to the admiral,” Nate muttered.
“I’m guessing he’s the one who made the order,” Kevlar said, sounding unconcerned. He smiled at Josie. “Now that we’re safe, and aren’t hanging out of a chopper or taking a pleasure hike through the mountains…I want to thank you for taking care of this big lug. He’s a pain in the ass, but he’s our pain the ass. Even if he did take off for Iran without telling us.”
“Didn’t have time,” Nate told him. “The commander gave me thirty minutes to get to the base before wheels up.”
“I know. I’m only half giving you shit. Trust me, the commander knows that none of us are happy with how things went down.”
“Fuck. I didn’t even think about the mission until now. Is the other team okay? They got away?” Nate asked.
Josie’s head felt as if it was on a swivel watching the two men talk.
“They’re fine. Your distraction was enough for them to slip away successfully and get to the extraction point.”
“Good,” Nate said with feeling.
“But I have to say, if you ever do anything like that shit with us, you aren’t going to be happy with the consequences.”
“Noted. But I don’t regret it. Not for a second.” Nate glanced at Josie.
She was puzzled by the conversation, not exactly sure what they were talking about. But she didn’t get a chance to indicate her confusion to Nate before they were shuttled through the bowels of the huge ship.
Josie’s feet slipped on the metal floors in the socks she was wearing, and she would’ve fallen at least twice if it wasn’t for Nate’s iron grip on her hand. She held the blanket around her like a shield, not thrilled with the looks she was getting from the sailors they passed.
They were led to a door where someone was standing at attention. The man saluted the officer leading them, then opened the door. The official-ness of his actions made Josie nervous. There was obviously someone important in the room. Someone who would judge her for her actions, and possibly decide she was…what? A liability? A spy? An idiot? She wasn’t sure what to think anymore .
Nate didn’t let go of her hand, but he did salute the man sitting at a round table with a laptop in front of him. He was wearing a white uniform that looked squeaky clean…which made Josie feel all the more grubby.
“Sit,” he ordered, pointing to the chairs across from him.
Kevlar entered the room with them and took a chair on one side of her, while Nate sat on the other.
As soon as Josie sat, she immediately stood back up and looked at the chair. It had an upholstered tan seat, and the thought of contaminating it with her stinky self was abhorrent. Without any other choice, she dropped the blanket from around her shoulders and arranged it over the chair carefully, then sat again.
When she did, she saw everyone’s eyes on her. Swallowing hard, she shrugged awkwardly and did her best not to hyperventilate.
“Right, so…tell me what happened, Blink. And don’t leave anything out,” the admiral ordered.
Without hesitation, Nate began. He talked about events Josie didn’t understand, but they were obviously why he’d been in Iran in the first place. His tone was almost unemotional as he explained how he was captured and tortured. He also explained how he knew help would come—because of the tracker he wore—and that when Kevlar and his team arrived, he delayed his rescue so they could get Josie out too.
He made everything they’d been through sound so…casual. As if being held down while someone poured water over his towel-covered face was normal, and not a big deal at all. His description of being shot at while being hoisted into th e helicopter, and the chopper getting hit by that missile and crashing in the mountains, was like an everyday occurrence. She was beginning to think for him, it probably was.
“And you?” the admiral asked, turning his attention to Josie.
She sat up straighter instinctively.
“I want to know how the hell you ended up in a prison cell in Iran. And why we didn’t know anything about you being there.”
Josie opened her mouth, but of course nothing came out. Thankfully, Nate was there to speak for her. Like his own, he made her story sound much more ordinary than it was. Even she knew it wasn’t normal for an American to vacation in Kuwait.
“Specialist Ayden Hitson? His body was discovered the day after he went missing. You claim you were on a boat with him?”
There was so much suspicion in his tone, Josie was almost offended. Why shouldn’t she have been with him? Did he actually doubt her story? Did he think she killed Ayden? Visions of sitting in another cell, this time somewhere deep inside this ship, threatened to overwhelm her.
Without thought, she pointed at his laptop and snapped her fingers impatiently.
“What?” the admiral asked.
“She wants to use your laptop,” Nate said in a bright voice. It almost sounded as if he was amused, but Josie was on the verge of a nervous breakdown. She had to get this man to believe her. And she needed words in order to do that .
The admiral clicked some buttons, probably closing out sensitive documents or something, before pushing the laptop over to her.
Josie was amazed that he’d done as she asked, but she didn’t hesitate. She put her fingers on the keyboard, feeling normal for the first time in ages, clicked on the Word icon, then began to type.
“Fuck,” Nate said with a small chuckle as her fingers flew over the keys.
“The girl can type,” Kevlar commented dryly.
Josie barely heard them. She was too busy typing out exactly how she’d ended up in that cell in Iran.
Back home, she was a caption editor. She wrote the text that appeared on TV screens during movies and shows. She was known for her accuracy and being able to caption live shows. Her typing speed worked in her favor now. In ten minutes, she had over fifteen hundred words and her entire story typed out.
She explained how she’d been talked into going to Kuwait, how Ayden dismissed her concerns about going on a boat ride, how cocky he’d been while speeding around and showing off. Then how everything happened so fast, and they hadn’t even been given a chance to explain how they’d ended up in Iranian waters. She told the admiral how scared she’d been when Ayden was shot and thrown overboard, and when she’d been hauled onboard the Iranians’ boat and thrown into the prison cell. Explained about getting beaten, the occasional scrap of bread she’d occasionally been given, then absolutely nothing but the water that dripped into her cell thereafter .
She told him everything as succinctly as possible, hoping against hope she’d be allowed to stay with Nate.
Kevlar and Nate both read over her shoulders while she typed, so when she finished and pushed the laptop back toward the admiral, they already knew what she had to say.
“Fuck, Josie,” Nate said, resting his forehead against her temple. She closed her eyes, waiting for the admiral’s judgement.
It didn’t take long.
“I’m very sorry for what you went through, Ms. England. My staff will need to look into this, check with the hotel and airlines to verify your story, but I can tell by looking at you that you’ve been through hell, and I find no reason to doubt you. You’re a very lucky young woman. Not many people have been where you have and lived to talk about it. I’m guessing you don’t want the press to get a hold of your story?”
She shook her head almost violently.
“Right. We’ll do our best. You’re all dismissed. Kevlar, I’m sure one of your team is waiting nearby. All three of you can head to the bunk area where your team is staying. You can get cleaned up and eat. We have a psychologist available if you want to talk about what happened. Otherwise, tomorrow we’ll get you all flown to Germany, and then you can catch a ride back to the States from there. Any objections?”
“No, Sir,” both Nate and Kevlar said at the same time.
Josie felt almost deflated. That was it? That was all he was going to say about her appearance on his ship?
Apparently so, because Nate took her elbow and helped her stand, but not before re-wrapping the blanket around her shoulders. Then she was once again led toward the door. It was opened almost magically by the man standing outside, and then they were walking back through the ship.
“Josie?” Kevlar said, pulling her to a stop after they’d gone less than a couple dozen feet. They were standing in the middle of a walkway, blocking it entirely, but thankfully they were alone at the moment.
She looked up at him, wondering what he was going to say. Maybe tell her that she was an idiot for coming to Kuwait in the first place? Reprimand her for going on a fucking pleasure cruise with Ayden in a very volatile area of the world?
Instead, he pressed his lips together briefly before blurting, “I mentioned this before, but Remi’s going to want to meet you.”
Huh? Josie was confused.
“Sorry. Remi’s my girlfriend. And the two of you have both been through some pretty intense trauma. And she’s really great at befriending people. I just know you’re someone she’d want to take under her wing. Please say you’ll come to Riverton when we get back to the States.”
“Kevlar,” Nate said, in a tone Josie couldn’t interpret.
Still confused, she glanced at Nate. He was glaring at his friend.
“I’m only doing the asking because I have no idea what’s going on behind this guy’s stoic exterior. There’s a reason he’s known as Blink. It’s because he doesn’t fucking blink when he’s about to rip someone a new asshole.”
Looking again at Nate, Josie had no doubt what Kevlar was saying was true.
Kevlar grinned, then said, “You did tell me to look after her. ”
Instead of replying to his friend, Nate took hold of Josie’s shoulders and gently turned her to face him. “Kevlar jumped the gun on me, but yes…I’d like you to come to Riverton with us. You can’t go back to Vegas, Josie. No one even fucking reported you missing. And if Ayden’s mother and sister knew you were going, like your report to the admiral said, why the hell didn’t they say anything? Especially when the Army would’ve notified them of Ayden’s death weeks ago.”
Josie had written in her report that Ayden’s relatives had helped him talk her into going, so the admiral would understand why she might choose to go to Kuwait. In fact, when she’d decided to take the trip, she’d asked if they wanted her to bring anything to Ayden. And they had. Half the crap in her suitcase was stuff they’d sent for Ayden.
She’d wondered the same thing as Nate. But she also didn’t know what happened when they found out about Ayden’s death. It was very likely they just assumed she’d been killed too.
“But that doesn’t matter. Trust me when I say the shit that happened…it can eat at you. Come out when you least expect it. Spend a few weeks in Riverton. You can stay with me. Get your bearings. Ease back into life.”
She wanted to. Josie was surprised at how badly she wanted to accept. What did she have back in Vegas? Nothing. No one. Besides, the thought of being able to stay near Nate was irresistible.
She gave him a small nod.
“Yes? You’ll come back to California with us?”
She nodded again .
The smile that spread across Nate’s face made a warm glow move through her body.
“Good. And yeah, Remi’s gonna love you. Wren too.”
“Don’t forget Caroline, Alabama, and the whole gang,” Kevlar added.
“Can you not freak Josie out right when she’s agreed to come back with us?” Nate complained, as he grabbed her hand and began walking again.
“Sorry. But seriously, this is great!”
Josie felt a little weird about how happy these men were that she’d decided to go to California. If they knew how pathetic she was, and that she literally didn’t have anyone who would be glad to see her back in Nevada, they might not be so excited to have her join their little group.
They didn’t get much farther before MacGyver joined up with them, leading the way. They walked down so many corridors, Josie was completely lost by the time they reached yet another hall filled with doors and MacGyver finally opened one. She recognized the men inside. They were the ones who’d gotten her and Nate out of the cells. She was relieved they were all okay, especially after the terrifying escape to the ocean they’d all endured.
“Blink!”
“Holy shit, man, good to see you!”
“You’re an ass. Can’t believe you ran off to Iran without us!”
The comments came fast and loud as Nate was pulled away from her, hugged, clapped on the back, and greeted warmly by his friends.
“Easy,” Nate complained. “I already have enough bruises, don’t need you assholes adding to them.” He then turned and re-introduced everyone to her, which Josie appreciated. She’d forgotten who was who.
“God, you stink,” one of the other guys said when he’d finished.
Nate rolled his eyes. “Thanks, Smiley. You think you’d smell any better after spending the better part of a week on a mission?”
Everyone laughed, but talk of being smelly made Josie self-conscious about her own lack of hygiene. And she’d been away for much longer than a week.
“Speaking of…we need showers. And Josie needs something to wear. And food and water,” Nate announced.
“I’ll go to the exchange and find something for her. Not sure if they’ll have anything small enough, but I’ll see what I can do,” Safe said.
“And I’ll head down to the canteen and get something for you both to eat,” Preacher offered. “Bring it back here, so you can eat in peace. Too many people know about what happened. At least that you were in Iran and had to be extracted. Won’t be comfortable to eat in public for a while.”
“I’ll set up a bunk for her,” MacGyver offered.
“As for a shower, the women’s head is just down the hall,” Flash said.
Nate nodded. “Appreciate it, you guys.”
“Of course.”
“Any time.”
“Be back soon.”
Nate then turned to Josie. “Right, so, as much as I wish I could tell you that the showers onboard are luxurious, they aren’t. There should be hot water, but it’s not guaranteed. And it’ll have to be fast. I’m sorry. When you get to California, you can take as long as you want, but here…” His voice faded off.
Josie put her hand on his arm and mouthed, It’s okay.
“I wish I could give you a lot of things right now, a long hot shower being one of them. But I can give you soap, a safe place to lay your head, food, and hopefully the reassurance that everything is going to be good from here on out.”
She nodded at him, grateful for every single thing he’d done for her now, before, and in the future.
“Guys, you should’ve seen our girl type. Shit, I swear her fingers were smoking on the admiral’s keys. Oh! And the way she snapped her fingers at him, and he actually did what she wanted?” Kevlar laughed. “If I wasn’t already in love with someone, that would’ve done it.”
MacGyver chuckled as well from behind one of the lockers, where he was grabbing blankets, presumably to make a bed for her.
“Come on, I’ll show you where you can shower. I’m sure Safe will be back with some clothes for you before you’re done. When he sets his mind to something, he gets it done fast,” Nate said.
Looking at one of the bunks longingly—she suddenly felt as if she was about to pass out from exhaustion—Josie followed Nate out the door and back down the hall. He stopped in front of a metal door that said WOMEN in big bold letters.
“Are you going to be all right?”
She nodded.
“Okay, I’ll stay out here until you’re done. ”
Josie frowned at that and tilted her head at him in question.
“I just don’t want you to be self-conscious or be bothered by anyone. They can wait until you’re done.”
Josie wanted to protest. Tell him she was sure it wouldn’t bother her if another female entered, but by the fierce look on his face, it was obvious he was intent on letting her have some space.
She wasn’t sure she wanted space, especially not from him, but she nodded anyway.
That guess was proven correct when, the second the door closed behind her, it took all of Josie’s inner strength not to wrench it open again. Being alone for the first time since Nate had been dragged into the cell next to hers brought back too many bad memories.
She took a deep breath. Then another. She had to figure out how to go back to her solitary lifestyle without having a panic attack every time a door shut behind her.
She slowly walked over to the line of curtained-off showers against the wall. Just like that, the thought of being clean overrode any other emotion. She dropped the blanket, took off the socks, the shirt, the boxers, and the damn bikini, and closed the shower curtain behind her, then turned the knob. The water was a light spray from the showerhead, and it was only lukewarm, but it felt absolutely heavenly.
By the time she turned off the water—after quickly soaping herself down several times and scrubbing lightly at her scalp—Josie could barely keep her eyes open. Her hair was still a disaster, but she was too exhausted to do anything more about it now. It was enough that her body was clean. She couldn’t wash away the feeling of lying in the dirt, and she still had dark lines deep under her fingernails, but the smell of finally being clean felt amazing.
“Josie?”
She heard Nate’s voice and peeked around the shower curtain, making sure she was shielded from view. He’d seen practically all of her anyway, including the way her bones protruded from her skin, but now that they weren’t in the middle of an escape from a terrorist’s prison cell, it felt more awkward being naked around him.
“Safe brought some clothes. I’ll put them here for you. Take your time getting dressed. No one will come in until you’re done.”
Then he nodded at her and left her alone once more.
Josie didn’t like seeing Nate’s back as he walked away from her, but she’d have to get used to it. Steeling herself, she stepped out of the shower stall and walked over to the pile of things he’d left behind. There was a towel on top, which she wrapped around herself.
Safe had gotten her a T-shirt that said NAVY across the front, a pair of sweatpants with the word NAVY down one leg, a pair of underwear and a sports bra. Oh, and some socks as well.
Just seeing the clean clothes made tears well in Josie’s eyes. She quickly dried herself off and donned everything. She felt like a different person, now that she had real clothes. Clean clothes.
She opened the door a little and saw Nate standing with his back to the door, blocking anyone from entering. There was a woman standing to the side with her arms crossed, looking irritated, but the second she saw Josie, the irritation faded away.
“Oh, you’re so tiny,” the woman blurted.
Josie would’ve laughed, as she got that a lot, but Nate filled her vision. “You okay? Everything fit?”
She nodded, feeling shy all of a sudden. It hit her then that Nate still hadn’t showered. He’d just stood in the hall while she took her sweet time, getting clean. She frowned, then pointed at the door across the hall that said MEN.
Nate turned to look at where she was pointing. “Yeah, I’ll clean up once you’re settled back in the bunk room.” Then he pushed past her into the women’s room.
The sailor waiting to enter rolled her eyes as she held the door open for Nate.
Josie watched as he walked over to where she’d taken off the clothes she’d been wearing and dumped them into the trash can. Then he walked back to her and gently took her arm. “Come on, the guys should be back with something for us to eat and drink. I’ll get you settled, then shower and be back before you even know I’ve been gone.”
Josie wasn’t sure about that, but she nodded anyway.
He led her back to the room with all the bunk beds, and he was right, his teammates were all there waiting on them. And they’d set up what looked like a feast. Someone had pulled a trunk out from under one of the bunks and set it up as a table. There was a ton of food piled up, but what caught Josie’s attention was the fresh fruit.
She reached for a strawberry without thought—then froze, feeling terribly rude.
“Go on, Josie. Help yourself. I’ll be right back.” Then to her surprise, Nate kissed her on the temple before grabbing a pile of clothes from a bunk and leaving the room.
For just a moment, she panicked, before forcing herself to take a deep breath.
“You’re doing good, Josie,” Kevlar told her. “The first day or so back in civilization is always hard.” His hair was wet and it was obvious he’d taken a shower at the same time she had.
“If you can call this civilization,” Smiley bitched.
“True,” Kevlar said with a small grin. “Come on. I’ll bore you with stories about my Remi, and Safe can regale you with tales of his Wren. Did Blink tell you about Caroline and Wolf? No? Well, do we have some stories to tell you! You’ll fit right in with everyone…although it sucks that you had to go through what you did.”
The next thing she knew, Josie was sitting cross-legged on one of the bunks, with a plate heaping with food on her lap, as all the guys took turns telling her about the people she’d meet in California. No one seemed to think it was weird that she’d be going back to Riverton with them. In fact, they seemed excited to have her.
Her head was spinning by the time Nate returned. He hadn’t been gone more than fifteen minutes, but it felt as if it had been hours.
“Anything left for me?”
Josie could only stare at him. He was the same man she’d gotten to know, but he looked different now. He’d washed away the grime and had trimmed his beard. The freckles on his face stood out even more now that they weren’t hidden under all the dirt and blood. He still had bruises on his face, but he looked …
Untouchable.
What the hell had she been thinking to agree to go back to California with this man? He was so out of her league it wasn’t even funny. He was tall, muscular, and handsome, and she was…what was she? Short, plain, and skinny as a stick.
Her appetite disappeared in an instant.
But Nate didn’t seem to notice. He sat next to her after piling his own plate with food. Then he reached over and took her hand in his, eating with the other, all while bantering with his friends. No one seemed to care that he was holding her hand. They didn’t give him shit, simply went on with their conversations.
Josie’s head hurt. She was confused, tired, and overwhelmed with everything that had happened in such a short time.
“We’re losing her,” someone said quietly.
The plate in her lap was removed, and then Nate was urging her to lie down.
“You’re tired, Spirit, and it’s no wonder. Close your eyes. Sleep.”
A second ago, Josie had decided this man wasn’t for her. But now at the thought of him leaving her side, she panicked. She grabbed his wrist when he started to stand up.
To his credit, Nate didn’t pull away or ask what she was doing. He simply sat back down, then adjusted to lay next to her. “Come here,” he urged, pulling her closer.
The next thing Josie knew, her head was on his shoulder and her arm was resting on his belly. His arm wrapped around her shoulders, holding her against him. “Sleep, Josie. Tomorrow will be another long day since we’ll be flying to Germany, then back to the States.”
Nodding, Josie wanted to stay awake to hear more details about what would happen next. But she couldn’t keep her eyes open. With the easy thumping of Nate’s heart under her cheek, she fell into a deep, healing sleep, secure in the knowledge that this man wouldn’t let anything happen to her while she was resting.