Page 94 of Silk Shadow

"Henderson was a good choice," said Viper. Even if at first the eccentric mining magnate had startled them with his sudden appearance in the hotel gardens.

"It's the best thing for you,” said Pat.

Viper still felt weird seeing his boss socially, but since he and Izzy were officially dating, it couldn’t really be avoided. He knew Pat would be watching closely, so he had to be on his best behavior. There were also operational concerns, but he and Pat had already had a long chat about those.

"I'm looking forward to getting back to my business, now that this nightmare is over." She grasped Viper's hand. He squeezed it back. They'd barely spent a night apart since he'd shot the tires out of Robert's car and rescued her. He still couldn't believe this beautiful, glamorous, stunning woman was really his. That the dreamlike week in Mexico was now a reality. Plus, he never tired of kissing her until she gasped for air or making love to her until she screamed his name.

Every day with Izzy was an adventure. Her schedule was grueling, and she worked harder than anyone he'd ever met, but when she looked at him in that way, his heart leaped with joy. Like it was doing now.

"You must have a lot of work to catch up on?" Pat said.

She shrugged. "I'm getting a handle on it already. Emily's amazing. She's kept things going for me, so I'm not drowning in emails."

"What about you?" Pat asked Viper. "How are you coping? Keeping out of the press?"

"So far, yes."

They'd decided not to mention his part in Izzy's rescue to keep the media attention around him to a minimum. Not much was known about Izzy Beaumont's brawny new boyfriend except he was a war veteran.

"I tell anyone that asks that we met in San Diego," she smiled, her eyes sparkling. "He was there on a guys' trip, we met in a bar and hit it off."

Pat nodded. "Good. If the world knows who you are, it will seriously compromise your ability to work for the unit."

They’d been through this before. After the Colombia terror attack, the military secured a press injunction to keep his identity under wraps. Revealing it would put not just his life at risk, but also those around him. Foreign terror groups would jump at the chance to capture a former Navy SEAL.

"It won't be easy keeping a low profile with Izzy around." Pat smiled fondly at his goddaughter.

"You'd be surprised," she laughed. "It's not that bad. Outside of the social media shoots, I live a fairly quiet life."

"Well, I'm happy for you both." Pat got up and walked toward a photograph in a silver frame on the mantelpiece. Viper had seen it when he'd walked in. It was a beautiful one of Richard and Astrid Beaumont, with Izzy in front of them. They were all smiling at the camera, happy in that moment. Izzy's mother had indeed been a beauty. She had Izzy's dark hair, heart-shaped face and wide smile.

He paused to study it. "Your mother would be so proud of you."

"I wish she were here now," Izzy murmured, her eyes on the photograph.

Pat turned around. "I know, but you still have me, and now you've got Viper, as well. We're your family."

She smiled. "That’s the only photograph I've seen of me and my parents together."

Pat handed it to her. "You have it."

She took it and smiled at the image of the happy family. "I'll make a copy."

Viper looked at the photo in Izzy's hands. Both Izzy's parents had blue eyes. Hers were brown. He frowned, trying to remember his high school biology. Wasn't that a genetic impossibility?

"I remember this day," Izzy was saying. "It was in the summer and my father was back home. We went to the beach and ate ice cream and swam in the ocean. It was a good day."

Viper glanced up to find Pat's eyes on him. Intense, chocolate-brown eyes that could harden to black in a nanosecond. Izzy had those same eyes.

He opened his mouth to say something when Pat gave a tiny shake of his head. Viper hesitated. Had he imagined that?

He frowned, confused. There it was again. A minuscule shake that said...

Don't.

"It's a beautiful photograph," Viper said, questions whirling through his mind. "You should definitely have a copy."

Pat's shoulders dropped in relief.

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