Page 46 of Liaising Kai

Amber nodded, then with a whimsical smile, she said, “How is it working with the delectable Davis Nishida.”

Kai laughed softly, just the thought of Davis sending her heart into overdrive. “Delectable?”

“Oh, come on. The man is drop-dead gorgeous and I’m not blind. I’ve seen the way you look at him.” She gave Kai a knowing look. “I’m very much in love with Tristan, but I’m not dead.”

Amber’s response made her smile instead of freeze up like she had in the past when it came to her private life. She couldn’t help thinking how right Amber was about their initial meetings and the immediate attraction between them. The man’s smoldering looks, shameless interest, and direct approach had told her how interested he was in her. There was no denying the sexual tension that sparked between them whenever they were near one another. Heated glances. Unspoken desires, especially when they inadvertently touched, made her crave so much more. “Okay, the man has it in spades, and that’s not all.”

“No?”

“He’s very kind, thoughtful, and a really good kisser.”

Amber chuckled. “Ah, you are as smart as I think you are.” She smiled then sobered. “You deserve someone in your life, Kai.” She took a breath. “We don’t know what happened in your past, but we know something did. Obviously, it’s not any of our business, but?—”

“You’re curious about me.”

“Well, yeah, but more importantly, we care about you…me, Derrick, and Austin. Drea had nothing but good things to say when she left for DC, and Lucy worships you.”

Amber was feeling the same effects of the gun battle, the adrenaline rush just starting to pass. For women, it lingered in them for almost an hour. “My past was tough, but I’m beginning to realize that it’s not who I am anymore. Maybe we can talk about it over drinks at a later time.” The thought of finally opening up to someone other than Davis made that tightness around her heart release a bit. Was this progress? Was she moving away from the lonely existence she’d firmly placed herself in for so long? Reach out for the comfort other people could provide? She took a hard breath. “But Davis scares me a little, and the thought of messing up what we have built over just a few short days—I don’t know. It’s all so intense. I feel we need a breather to find out what this all really means.” Maybe she needed some time to digest everything, time in which she wasn’t inundated by Davis and his very distracting presence. She had so much to work through, to reconcile, to find a path forward.

“After this is over, you should take that time.” Amber reached out and clasped her hand briefly and squeezed. “You’ve earned a vacation. We can manage.”

Kai nodded, thinking that she loved her colleagues right back. All of them, including Andrea “Drea” Hall and Chris Vargas, even Makayla Littlestar, now Ballentine. She married Errol “Pitbull” Ballentine, and it was eerie how their backgrounds were so similar. She’d lost her son and husband to violence stemming from her job before she joined NCIS, but her circumstances were the same. Kai’s time in special operations had been top notch, and Lucy was on her way to becoming another solid agent. She was blessed to have had them all in her life.

When she got off the elevator, Davis was standing there. “Heard you ran into a little resistance.”

She nodded. “We did, but we recovered two bodies who I think may have been with Freddy at Finch’s mansion. I suspect she shot the senator.”

His face inches from hers, he stared at her for a moment, the muscles in his jaw hardening. “Okay on all of that, but are you all right?” She opened her mouth, but he interrupted before she could say anything. “That’s not exactly the right question. I can see you and Amber are all right. I just don’t want anything to happen to you.”

The way he said it, the look on his face, made her heart squeeze. She tried to ignore that and focus on business. “We should get a BOLO out on Freddy.”

“Already done. The gang squad is also rounding up Los Esmeraldas.”

“I’m all right, but I appreciate your concern,” she said, even as her insides were melting a little. This was so new to her…to have someone actively concerned about her. It had been a long time—a very long time—since someone had taken care of her. It nearly put her into sensory overload when he brushed her arm, sending a trail of shivers down her back. Tension blossomed in her, and she had to work to keep her hands at her sides. She wanted to touch him so much. She wished she could have a private moment with him, but it was impossible, as they were on the verge of getting to the end of this case.

He smiled, and there was something tender, almost vulnerable in it. “We are good together, Kai. I like that. On and off the playing field.”

She held his gaze, couldn’t seem to find whatever it was she had left that would keep her head strictly on business. Davis was too important for that. “I agree,” she said, relieved to say the words. “But off the playing field will have to wait for a while longer.”

He nodded, his expression etched with strain. Swallowing hard, he looked at her, his eyes dark and tender. Then releasing a long, shaky sigh, he shifted looking toward the bullpen. This moment wasn’t exactly over, it was just postponed until they could be alone. “Kelly has started on the bodies. She’s working on the suspect you found dead in the house.”

“Good. Where are we on Freddy?”

“We’re digging into her possible job situation, but we’ve got something even better than that.”

“What’s that?”

“We’ve figured out what Eduardo’s text meant. The 3865707 is an IMO number for the cargo ship Summer Sky, which means the 2501 number is the port number for San Diego. The International Maritime Organization assigned numbers to identify ships to prevent maritime fraud and enhance the security of merchant vessels. “We’re still working on the 7785 number, but the freedom in the message most likely refers to Freedom Roses shipped from Ecuador. Austin is on the phone with the shipping company to find out the schedule for the Summer Sky. As soon as we have that information, we’ll know the date and time the ship is supposed to dock.”

“Keep us posted on that information, won’t you, special agent?” Leigh said as she approached them. “We’ve got some suspects to interrogate.”

“Will do, ma’am,” he said, giving Kai one last look filled with subtle amusement at the woman’s assertive demeanor. He walked away with his usual confidence. She watched him go, appreciating the width of his shoulders and firm backside before she looked at Leigh. “Does your pushy, somewhat acerbic personality work for you in all situations?”

Leigh wasn’t even fazed by Kai’s question. She didn’t even have to think about it. “Pretty much, and when it doesn’t, I get really mean. It’s all part of my charm,” she said, then looked at Hazard. “Right, petty officer?”

Leigh tipped her head, lifting an inquiring brow, and regarded her bodyguard.

With an amused smile, he chuckled, the sound as intimate as his blue-eyed gaze traveling over Leigh’s face. “She’s a regular ball-busting sweet talker all right.”

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