Chapter 21
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TWO DAYS LATER, QUINN was moving around the office like she’d never left.
It felt good to be back. Emily had hugged her long and hard, and even Logan had given her a quick embrace.
Everyone had gone out of their way to make sure she was doing okay, with all of Bravo Team stopping by at various points throughout the day to check in.
Holt had told her to take more time off, but she’d insisted on returning. Sitting around at home wouldn’t help her get past her ordeal. Quinn thrived in the office, working in a fast-paced environment, doing what she did best with her computers and colleagues.
There were multiple other cases on the horizon.
There was talk of the team deploying to Africa to take out an HVT.
Not wanting to make international waves, the U.S.
government was looking to have Shadow Security handle the situation.
Quinn got nervous just thinking about Knox being in harm’s way.
This was what he did though. She’d seen only a narrow slice of it in Kabul, and if she dated him, she’d have to learn to live with his being gone.
Knox strode into her office right then, looking hotter than any man had right to.
She still flushed thinking about how she’d slept in his muscular arms the past few nights.
Not that he’d minded. There’d been no discussion of it, but he’d stayed over each night they’d been back.
Nothing had happened—not even a kiss, save for him brushing his lips over the top of her head—but the chemistry between them was undeniable.
She noticed the looks his teammates flashed their way.
It was an open secret around the office, and she couldn’t find it in herself to care.
Boone and Radley were dating, so what if she and Knox were together, too?
Everything fell into place naturally with him, and it was like they’d fast-forwarded from being simply friends to something more.
Her gaze raked over him now, taking in his broad shoulders and large biceps. He filled out his shirt to perfection, and he smirked as he caught her looking at him.
“What?” she asked innocently.
He licked his lips. “I’ve got no problem with you looking at me like that, Quinn.” His eyes eagerly drank her in as well. It had been a couple hours since she’d seen him, but it felt like forever.
“I’m making you dinner tonight,” Quinn decided.
“Oh yeah?” Knox asked with a chuckle. “I won’t say no to that.”
“I appreciate you grabbing carry-out the past few days, but it’s time for me to return to the land of the living. I’ll swing by the grocery store on my way home later.”
“Do you want me to come with you?”
“No. You guys have that briefing with Holt. It’ll be good for me to do things on my own,” she reminded him.
Quinn had woken up more than once because of her nightmares, and Knox knew better than anyone what she was dealing with.
Every step she took toward normalcy was one in the right direction.
She was ready to leave her past where it belonged—in the past.
“Are you sure?” he asked, looking doubtful.
“Of course, I’m sure. I have my phone in case anything comes up. I promise not to follow any strangers,” she added.
“Don’t ever do that again,” he ordered, his voice pained.
They exchanged a look, leaving much unsaid. Quinn knew she’d been foolish to chase after Adam. It had been a spur of the moment decision, and it had nearly cost Quinn her life and freedom.
“I promise I won’t,” she said, trying to appease him.
Knox visibly relaxed.
“Speaking of work stuff, I looked over the photos again,” Quinn said.
Adam Qureshi was still in the wind, and Quinn had reviewed photographs of the terror cell members, trying to see if she could ID any of the other men that had been in Afghanistan.
“Oh yeah? Did you notice anything?” he asked, moving closer. She breathed in his masculine scent, something settling deep inside her. Just having Knox close made her feel better, especially given she’d be revisiting the photos yet again.
She reluctantly shook her head. “No. And really, it’s Adam that I’m most worried about. We don’t know if he’s still in the Middle East. He knows my name. My address. I never got my cell phone back, so he could find out all sorts of things about my life.”
“He won’t be able to get back into the country,” Knox assured her.
Quinn bit her lip, nodding. “I know, but there were other men there, too. I think one of them was American.”
Knox frowned. “He defected to Afghanistan also?’
“I’m not sure. He appeared in the doorway once, watching me, then disappeared.
I never saw him again.” Quinn rubbed her temples, trying to make sense of her thoughts.
Knox’s big hand landed on the center of her back, warm and assuring.
He towered above her but made her feel so damn safe, it was startling.
Quinn was used to being on her own, but it was wild how quickly Knox had fit into her life.
“I think he was there for training,” she finally said.
“It’s hard to remember for certain because I was initially drugged. It’s just bits and pieces.”
“It’ll come back,” Knox assured her, his hand rubbing in slow circles.
She looked at him, worrying her lip. “And if it doesn’t? Someone could be out there looking for me right now, and I’ll have no idea who it is.”
Knox stiffened, then nodded to her computer. “Let’s look at the photos again. Maybe it’ll jog your memory.”
Quinn sank down into her seat, already missing Knox’s reassuring touch. She clicked through the photographs of the known terror cell members. Some had been arrested in the initial takedown, but they had no idea where the others were.
“I don’t think it’s any of them,” she said, looking through the pictures once more. “I should play with images—add facial hair, turbans, etc. Maybe that visual will help me.”
Knox nodded, mulling that over. “What about a forensic artist? You could provide the details you remember of the other American, and they could sketch it out.”
Quinn brightened. “That’s a good idea. I actually have a computer program I can use. I’ll put in the specifics, and it will generate a photo of what I can remember. Working it that way might be a good idea to change things up a bit.”
A moment passed, the faces of the known terrorists staring back at them from the screen. Quinn closed her laptop, needing a moment. She let out a sigh, glancing over at Knox. “You know what I’m most worried about?”
“What?” he asked, his gaze serious.
“Having to look over my shoulder for the rest of my life.