Chapter 14
CHAPTER 14
D ana’s heart expanded as she took in the beautiful home at the end of the pine- and birch-tree-lined driveway. A large lawn spread out all the way to the wraparound front porch of the two-story house with white siding. Zain parked her sedan behind two large trucks.
While speaking to Rami earlier that morning, Zain had learned that they’d stored his truck at his mom’s house. Which meant he’d now have his own vehicle and they’d part ways. An uncomfortable feeling washed over her. She didn’t want to leave Zain, didn’t want to just resume life as it had been without him. Her experience with Zain had changed her in a deep way—a way she couldn’t understand but sure as hell wanted to figure out.
She also needed to revisit her reaction to him on the balcony. Seeing his bare torso and chest, his tattoos circling his biceps and moving up his neck—dear lord. She wanted to trace every well-sketched line on his olive flesh. The artwork on his body was as elusive and enticing as the man.
“Rami and his fiancé are here already,” Zain said.
The bundle of nerves sitting in her gut loosened a bit. She’d become friends with Ivy and her twin sister Gigi over the last couple of months. The women visited the office quite often to see their fiancés. Dana had been invited to a couple of gatherings at Gigi and August’s house. Last month Rami proposed to Ivy, and they’d all celebrated.
Gigi always cooked wildly delicious meals, so Dana made sure to snatch up any dinner invites. Dana wasn’t a pro around the kitchen, so watching a professional food blogger was fascinating. “Oh, good.”
He grinned. “Don’t worry. I already told my mom we’re just friends. She shouldn’t give you the third degree.”
Dana’s heart deflated.
Just friends.
Did friends kiss like he’d kissed her a few nights ago? Would a friend make her belly tighten or give her that heated look?
It didn’t matter. She couldn’t argue with herself. If he just wanted to be friends, well then that’s all they’d be. “Okay.”
His fingers caught her wrist, and a gentleness filled his golden eyes. “We might be friends, but I’ll never see you as just that.”
Her cheeks flamed, and her mouth popped open, but before a question could fly out, he slid from the car.
Great. Now she was even more confused than she’d been a few seconds ago—and she had to meet his mom for freak’s sake. She climbed out and walked toward the front steps.
“Zain!” A woman with dark hair pulled into a low bun came running out of the house wiping her hands on an apron. Fine lines and wrinkles creased her forehead and the skin around her eyes, but probably more from the emotion twisting her delicate features than age.
She flew down the steps with the litheness of a ballet dancer and gathered Zain in her arms. He pulled her into a hug. He towered over the woman; her head barely reached his chest. “Hi, Mom.”
The woman sobbed and pulled away, swatting his arm. “ Hi, Mom? You’ve been gone three years.”
A dark cloud passed over Zain’s face, and guilt flashed in his eyes. Dana wished she could erase that pain. As much as she understood the woman’s torment, her son had suffered too. Part of her wanted to scream the truth of what he’d been doing, but it wasn’t her place.
“I know. I’m sorry.” He squeezed her shoulder. “I’m home now, and I’m not going anywhere.”
She wrapped her arms around him again. “I’m proud of you. Dad would be so happy you made it back.”
Her eyes shifted around Zain’s arm, and her watchful amber irises, so much like Zain’s, took Dana in. She moved away from her son and pulled Dana into a hug. “Rami told me what you did, sweetheart. Thank you for finding my boy.”
Dana hugged her back, warmed by her words. “He saved my life. You’ve got a great son, Mrs. Mitry. Two, I should say.”
She beamed. “Call me Greta.”
The screen door squeaked shut just as Zain’s mom pulled away. Dana glanced toward the porch to find Ivy and Rami standing at the top of the stairs. Micha, Rami’s dog, came bounding down the steps. She skidded to Dana’s feet then sniffed and licked her hands as she ran circles around her.
“Hiya, girl!” Dana scratched Micha behind her ears.
Sometimes it was hard to believe Micha’s story. Gigi was kidnapped several months ago, and Micha had been the captor’s dog. The pit-bull mix had immediately taken a liking to Gigi and protected her, earning her a permanent place with Rami. August hadn’t been able to keep her, and Rami had always wanted a dog. Now Micha spent her days going everywhere with Rami and Ivy and getting more walks and attention than she knew what to do with at the office.
Ivy had her arms wrapped around Rami’s waist, and his arm rested on her shoulders. They laughed as Micha gave Zain a quick sniff then darted off to chase a squirrel .
“Welcome home, man.” Rami stepped out of Ivy’s hold and moved quickly down the steps.
Rami closed his eyes as he hugged Zain, who stood maybe an inch taller than his brother, if that. Both men were enormous. Both equally as threatening.
Rami had a perpetual scowl, although he smiled a lot more when Ivy was around. The vertical tattoo over his eye gave him an edgy look.
But Zain—everything about him screamed silent authority. The way he walked, the way he stood, even the way he breathed seemed to draw attention. Rami greeted Dana and then introduced Zain to Ivy.
Ivy came down the steps tentatively, as if not wanting to interrupt the reunion. She quickly hugged Zain. “I’ve heard so much about you. I’m glad you’re finally home.”
Zain thanked her and drilled his brother with a glare. “Looks like I missed a lot.” He touched the skin over his own eye. “What’s with the face tat?”
“That’s for you,” Ivy said, her voice bold.
Zain narrowed his eyes to read the Arabic writing. His face softened, and he cupped Rami’s shoulder. “I’m sorry I was gone for so long.”
Rami’s face was somber. “I’m just glad you’re alive. That’s all that matters.”
Greta clapped her hands together. “Well. Let’s go inside for lunch.”
** *
Zain sat on the wooden rocking chair on his mom’s front porch. The sun had set, and storm clouds were rolling in across the light-gray sky. It’d been a few years since he was home, but hell, it was more like a lifetime.
Maybe because the last few times he’d been here he hadn’t been present. Hadn’t slowed down. He’d probably come for dinner then dashed away, taking his dessert for the road. Now, life was different.
Because he’d missed a lot of time. He couldn’t get over the streaks of white in his mom’s dark hair. The added wrinkles around her eyes. His absence had aged her. But more than that, his distance had.
He’d grown up and grown away and now...
Well, now he wanted to be back.
As he stared at the sweeping stretch of lawn, he could see himself growing old on this property. Hopefully older than his dad had.
He glanced at the chair beside him. His father’s rocking chair was identical to the one in which he sat. If his dad were here right now, they’d have a lot to talk about. But the heart attacked that’d taken him eight years ago robbed them of the moment. The fact that he’d been overseas when his mother had gone through that hell would eat at him forever .
His dad would’ve liked Dana. He’d always been after Zain and Rami to get married. He smiled at the memory just as the breeze picked up, carrying with it the scent of cherry blossoms and rain.
Damn, those cherry blossoms.
He wanted Dana to come back. Should’ve gone with her.
She’d left a couple of hours ago, wanting to visit her own parents. Which he understood. Surely they’d been a wreck with her gone. He suspected she’d wanted to give him time to be alone with his family too.
Yeah, he wanted to be with them. But he also wanted her. Without her, he was unsettled. A gnawing sensation of something not being right clung to him.
He should’ve asked her to stay. But he couldn’t just invite himself to her place—and her sleeping at his mom’s, well, that’d be awkward as fuck.
Tomorrow he’d swing by her office, and if she was at work, he’d offer to take her out to eat. Lunch was casual, less forward than a dinner invitation, but it’d give him some time with her.
He also needed to get his life together. Rami had rented out Zain’s apartment and stashed his belongings in storage. They hadn’t sold his things in the hope that he’d return, and for that Zain was grateful. In the flickering moments in Afghanistan when he thought about his old life, he assumed all his shit had been sold and his apartment rented.
Rami had given notice to the current tenant, so Zain would get his place back in thirty days. Until then, he’d have to stay with Rami or his mom.
The screen door squeaked. “Hey,” Rami said, as he sat in their dad’s chair. “How you doing?”
They’d already talked for hours, and he’d told them he’d been working undercover. Both his brother and his mom had been shocked that his absence was the result of being recruited by the CIA. Of course he left out any further details that could implicate the CIA’s mission, but dammit he had to give them an explanation, and only the truth would suffice.
Zain rested his chin on his knuckles. “All right. Guess I’m staying here tonight.”
Rami smirked. “Mom will love it.”
He didn’t hide his smile. Sleeping in his old room would be weird, though. Especially since the bed hadn’t been upgraded in the sixteen years since he left home. “You guys leaving soon?”
“Yeah, I’ve got a meeting at Backcountry tomorrow morning. We’ve got another big client, so we’re gonna need the whole team on this one. You should come by the office and meet everyone.”
That’d give him the opportunity to see Dana. “Sure. I’ve got a call in the morning, but I can swing by around 10:00 a.m. Business is good?”
Rami nodded. “We’re growing faster than we can handle. Going to start taking on elite cases now, not so much the smaller gigs. It’ll allow us to charge more without having to increase manpower. It’s so hard to find good employees nowadays, especially with our background.” He elbowed Zain. “Have you given any thought to what you’ll do now that you’re home?”
Zain grunted. He hadn’t. His mind was still stuck in Afghanistan and focused on the job he hadn’t completed. He couldn’t tell Rami the details about the search for Jabar, but he’d let his brother know things hadn’t ended well. “I have enough money in savings to carry me for a bit. I’ll figure out my plans while I wait for my apartment. Maybe I’ll take a trip.”
Mischief sparked in Rami’s eyes. “Are you going to take my analyst with you? I mean, I’d hate to be shorthanded, but I’m pretty sure Dana has some vacation days to use.”
Zain scoffed and steered his gaze toward the storm clouds so Rami couldn’t read his face. “Dana’s a sweetheart. She can do better than an unhinged failed soldier.” Lightning clapped in the distance.
Was Dana home now? He hated the idea of her driving in the storm. The urge to call her made him reach for his phone. They’d exchanged numbers earlier, but he’d look like a desperate douchebag calling her so soon after she’d left.
Rami nudged him harder. “Hey. Don’t be dumb, man. You’ve accomplished more than most men your age. You got in over your head. So what?”
Zain balled his hands into fists. Rami was only trying to ease his frustration, but the more Zain thought about the mission he’d screwed up, the more it pissed him off.
“And Dana, well, she searched for you for a reason.”
“She wanted the adrenaline rush,” Zain said dryly.
“Maybe. But I saw the way she looks at you. She thinks you walk on water.”
Zain rolled his eyes. “Doesn’t matter. My shit’s a mess right now. I’m not in any shape to be in a relationship. If she’s still single in a few months, maybe we’ll connect.”
Rami shook his head. “You used to be the go-get-’em guy.”
He screwed his lips to the side. “That’s when they didn’t run when they saw the death toll in my eyes.”
His brother’s face grew somber. “I’m sorry, man. I wish—”
The door creaked again. Tomorrow he’d oil the damn thing. Ivy stepped out and froze as if she’d walked in on something she shouldn’t have.
Rami stood and caught her hand before she could dart back inside. “Ready to go, babe?”
Her worry lines softened. “As long as I’m not interrupting. ”
Zain stood. “Nah. I’m heading to bed. Thanks for coming, and it was nice meeting you.” He hugged them both and went inside.
Rami had found love. Just like his dad had wanted for him.
Zain still hadn’t found himself.
***
A chill raced over Dana’s arms as she sat at a red light. She flicked the vents away from her and returned her hand to the steering wheel. Her windshield wipers slapped across the glass, trying to give her a clear view through the sheets of water pelting down on the road.
Several cars had already pulled over to wait out the storm, but it was nearly 9:00 p.m., and after an exhausting afternoon, she just wanted to get in bed. Plus, she was only a block from home.
The light turned green, and she checked the intersection before moving carefully through. Fatigue made her eyes bleary and her body ache. Seeing her mom and dad had been nice despite the chastising she’d received. They’d been horrified by her bruises, but Taschen must’ve watered down the situation, because thankfully, her parents knew only that she’d been to Afghanistan—not that she’d been captured and barely made it out alive. She had no intention of telling them that.
Though she’d enjoyed her visit, her mind had stayed with Zain the whole time. She’d wondered what he was doing, when she’d see him again. And now she wondered if he’d already gone to bed. She turned into the parking garage below her building. At least she wouldn’t get drenched.
A few minutes later she walked tiredly down the hall leading to her apartment and stifled a yawn. Reaching her door, she stuck the key in the lock and paused. Had the lock clicked open? It must have. She just hadn’t been paying attention.
She pushed open the door and flicked on the light. After dumping her purse and keys on the small entryway table, she shut the door and removed her shoes. She padded through the kitchen to the living room. Her gaze automatically fell to the couch, where Zain had slept just last night. He’d left the spare blanket neatly folded; the pillow sat on top.
Stop. Don’t even think about snuggling his pillow all night, for god’s sake.
But why not? He’d never know. She practically rolled her eyes at herself as she reached her bedroom and clicked on the light.
The soft scuffle of footsteps on the laminate flooring sounded behind her. She wheeled around. A man lunged for her from the bathroom. She gasped and staggered backward, and her stomach dropped to her feet.
A black mask shielded his face, and a black long-sleeved shirt and black pants covered his body. Blue latex gloves coated his hands like a second skin.
Terror drugged her like morphine, numbing her from the inside out.
The bedroom light caught the sheen of a metal blade. A scream swelled in her throat, but fear clamped down on her vocal cords like a bear trap. The man plunged the knife toward her chest. Dana jumped backward, her training kicking in. Fight instantly overcame freeze.
She jabbed the man in the jaw, and his head snapped back. Before he could recuperate, she kicked him in the stomach. He grunted. Blue eyes glared at her through the holes in his ski mask, and a silvery scar sliced through his left eyebrow.
He dove for her, tackling her to the ground. Dana let out a scream as her back slammed hard against the nightstand. The solid wood tipped, dumping the lamp and clock to the floor with a crash .
She kicked and squirmed but he got on top of her, pressing her back into the floor. He held her arms down with one hand and lifted the knife to her throat. She let out a guttural cry and twisted, throwing him off balance.
He staggered to the side, and she bucked hard, forcing him to let go of her arms to catch himself on the bed. She jammed her knee into his groin.
“Fucking cunt!” he bellowed. He sliced the knife at her stomach, but she blocked it with her arm. Searing heat spread through her forearm .
She scrambled backward, and her hand bumped into the fallen lamp. She closed her hands around its heavy porcelain base and brought it down on his head.
The man’s neck buckled. His eyes went vacant and his mouth slack as he sank to the floor.
A ragged cry tore from her throat. She dropped the lamp and ran. Her bare feet slapped against the cool floor, sweat making her skin slick.
No noise came from behind her. She threw a gaze over her shoulder—nothing. She’d knocked him out.
She skidded to the front door, picked up her shoes, purse, and keys, then fled the apartment.