Chapter Five
RILEY GLANCED AT a sleeping Andre. Was he sleeping deeply enough that she could stand without waking him? There was only one way to find out. She slowly eased away from Andre, freezing when he opened his eyes.
“What’s wrong?”
“I need water. Sorry. I didn’t mean to wake you.”
“Water sounds good. Will you get me a bottle?”
“Sure. Do you want a snack too?”
“Just the water.” He adjusted the pillow behind his head and looked across the room at Christopher sprawled out on a pallet against the wall. The kid looked dead to the world. “How’s he been?”
“Out, just like you.”
“Good. He needs the rest.”
Just like Andre, who would rather eat nails than admit it. “I’ll be back in a minute.” Riley opened the door and slipped out into the hall.
Seth and Noah stood. “Something wrong?” Seth asked.
“We need water.” And she needed to get out of that room after being cooped up in there for several hours. Riley felt as though the walls were closing in on her despite how much she enjoyed napping close to Andre.
“I’ll go with you.” Noah fell into step beside her. “I could use some water myself.”
Right. Andre’s friend was still on shift and fulfilling his responsibilities as her bodyguard. “How much coffee have you consumed since you’ve been on shift?”
He grinned. “You don’t want to know, and you’re sworn to secrecy. You can’t tell Violet about my coffee habit.”
Riley shook her head, amused. “Got news for you, buddy. Your wife already knows.”
“Although she suspects it, she doesn’t have proof of the amount. There’s a difference.”
“Sounds like you just handed me great blackmail material.”
Noah gave her a pointed look. “Remember that goes both ways.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” But she did.
“I saw you and Andre kissing earlier.”
She froze, her cheeks burning. “Really?”
“You can’t claim you’re just friends anymore, Riley. It’s obvious to anyone who saw those kisses that you and Andre are involved.”
“Maybe.”
He chuckled as he got her moving to the kitchen and opened the refrigerator door. Noah handed her three bottles of water and grabbed two for himself and Seth. “Need a snack?”
“Not yet. Christopher is still asleep.”
His smile faded. “Has Maddox said anything about Chris’s home life?”
She shook her head. “He hasn’t called yet.”
“If there’s anything to find, he and Zane will uncover it. And don’t feel guilty for not volunteering to do that Internet search as well. You can’t do everything. There is a time and place for divide and conquer.”
“And this is it?”
“You’ve got it.”
They returned to the recovery room, where Riley left Seth and Noah on guard duty in the hall. Andre opened his eyes as soon as she walked in.
“Everything okay? You were gone a while.”
Of course he knew how long she’d been gone. Andre paid attention to everything. All of them did. For operatives, details meant life or death. “Talking to Noah.” Riley handed a bottle of water to Andre. When he finished the drink, she tossed the empty bottle into a nearby recycling bin.
“Come sit with me. I missed you.”
Riley’s heart fluttered. “I need my computer.” She crossed the room to her equipment bag and pulled out her laptop.
Andre frowned. “You aren’t going back to sleep?”
“Can’t.” She shrugged. “When my feet hit the ground, that’s it for me. I’m wide awake from then on. You, however, should go back to sleep. Your body needs rest to heal faster.”
“Wake me if you need me.”
Concern knotted her gut. For Andre to agree to take a nap without argument showed how bad he felt. “I will. Promise.”
After brushing her lips with his, Andre closed his eyes and dropped into sleep in less than a minute.
Must be nice. Sleep usually took a long time coming for her. Too many memories wanted out during the night. When they slipped from the lock she placed them under, her sleep ended for the night.
Riley took a minute to study Andre’s handsome face. She should have told him she had trouble sleeping most nights. But the truth was she was afraid to tell him. What if he thought her broken and too much trouble?
Tears stung her eyes. He wouldn’t be wrong. Riley was broken in ways that may never mend. Trouble was her middle name. No leaving it behind.
She blinked rapidly to dispel the tears. If Andre woke right now, he’d demand to know what was wrong and how to fix it. Sometimes things and people couldn’t be fixed. Like her.
“Riley.” He spoke without opening his eyes. “Come sit beside me so I can sleep.”
Knowing when to give in rather than fight, Riley eased onto the bed beside Andre and booted up her computer.
He rested his hand on her knee. “Is this okay?”
“It’s fine.”
After he sank into sleep again, she began her first search.
Hours later, she shut down her laptop. No progress.
The people targeting her were good. Very good.
She should have been able to follow the money trail.
That would be easier if she had a starting point.
But the starting point was in the middle of a jungle, and she’d been unconscious for a good while after the three men grabbed her during the mission to free Christopher.
She wasn’t the place to start. Andre was.
He noticed she was missing and followed the trail her kidnappers made through the jungle.
What else had he noticed and heard? It was time she had a conversation with Andre about her kidnapping.
Hopefully, he noticed the right things to give her a starting place.
Since the sun was cresting the horizon, Riley scooted closer to Andre. In his sleep, he sighed and tugged her into his body. His body heat sank into her, helping her to relax against him. Sleep tugged her under, and this time she went willingly.
Male voices in the hall outside the recovery room woke Riley.
She opened her eyes and froze. She had been sleeping, really sleeping, in Andre’s arms. How could that happen?
Would he be angry with her for invading his space?
Worse, what if she’d hurt him? Andre was such a tough man that Riley wouldn’t be surprised if he suffered in silence rather than wake her.
“Good morning.” Andre’s voice rumbled beneath her ear. “Sleep well?”
She gave a slight nod.
“Funny thing. So did I.” He cupped her chin with the palm of his hand and lifted her face to his. “In fact, I’ve never slept better in my life.” Andre’s mouth descended on hers. A long minute later, he broke the kiss. “Hungry?”
“Starving.”
“So am I. Grant came in a few minutes ago and took Christopher to go eat.”
She blinked. How could that happen without her being aware of it? “Why didn’t I hear him?”
Andre smiled. “He was quiet.”
Riley rolled her eyes. “You know what I mean. We’re trained to wake at the slightest noise. I should have heard him come in.”
“Your not waking says more about how much you trust me to watch your back than you missing Grant’s entrance.” He looked smug.
Was Andre right? Did she trust him that much? She must. Otherwise, Riley would have been on her feet with a weapon in her hand by the time Grant stepped into the recovery room. “Or maybe I trust our teammates to keep both of us safe,” she teased.
Oh, he didn’t like that one bit. “Not nice, Riley. You’ll have to make that up to me.”
Curious, she tilted her head. “How?”
“I’ll think of something and let you know what the price of my forgiveness is.” He winked.
The ball of ice in her stomach melted at his teasing. Was this how normal relationships developed? If so, she was on board for it.
Following a brisk knock, Brent Maddox opened the door and stepped inside the recovery room. He pulled up short, eyebrows soaring, when he saw Riley in Andre’s arms.
She straightened and would have scrambled off the bed except Andre’s hold tightened. Her gaze flew to his.
“Stay.” Assurance and confidence filled his eyes and his voice. Andre turned to Maddox. “I didn’t expect to see you, sir.”
“If I’m not out on deployment, I always check on operatives injured in the line of duty.” He leaned his back against the door and folded his arms. “How are you, Marsh?”
“Fine, sir.”
Maddox snorted. “Try again, the truth this time.”
“Did you get the license plate of the truck that ran over me a dozen times and took off?”
He chuckled. “That good, huh?”
“That may oversell it.”
“Doc Sorenson says you’re out of commission for a few weeks. Do you agree?”
A pause, then, “I don’t know if I would go that far. Maybe a couple of weeks.”
“We’ll see if a Fortress doctor at headquarters agrees with you. I won’t reinstate you to duty until one of them signs off on it.”
Andre grimaced. “Yes, sir.”
The boss turned his attention to Riley. “What did Dr. Sorenson have to say about you?”
“Nothing much. He was more concerned with Andre.”
“No physical injuries?” His gaze rested on her bruised cheek.
“A few bruises and scrapes, sir. It’s nothing.”
“Did he put you on antibiotics?”
Her face flamed. Not good. She didn’t want to get Sorenson into trouble, nor did she want to end up on Maddox’s target list, either. “I might not have told him about the scratches, sir.”
Silence, then, “What did you say?”
“They’re minor. Seriously, they’re nothing. I started taking our standard antibiotic on the jet, sir.”
“You will report to Sorenson immediately, Sloan. Am I making myself clear?”
Riley flinched. Oh, boy. “Yes, sir. I’m sorry. It won’t happen again.”
“It better not, or you’ll spend a few weeks at home without pay. Go.”
Andre loosened his hold, and Riley scrambled off the bed as her boss opened the door and stepped aside for her to leave. The door closed behind her.
She hurried to Sorenson’s office. Since he wasn’t there, she went to the exam room where the doctor was taking inventory.
He looked up. “Ms. Sloan, is Marsh all right?”
“Yes, sir. Uh, the boss sent me to you.”
A scowl formed on his face. “Let me guess. You forgot to tell me about an injury you sustained in Mexico?”
“Yes, sir. It’s not bad. Honest.”