Page 39 of Pallas & Kawehi

They might be ready to defend themselves and the embassy, but they weren't advertising it to the curious people who watched them come and go on the street.

The guards at the gate made quick work of checking their identification as they were told to expect the team and Pallas was the last one inside of his group of three to feel the cool air of the embassy on his face.

Jammer unlocked the suitcase that he'd brought with him, and Arctic unpacked their uniforms and set them aside while Pallas started assembling their weapons.

The Marines on duty at the embassy greeted them with polite nods, but it was the civilians who worked in the embassy offices who looked at them with open curiosity and some with relief.

When one of the guards arrived to take Pallas to meet the Ambassador, the others gave him a knowing nod and watched him walk out of the office behind the guard. The briefing was about to begin.

KAWEHI

It had barely been more than twelve hours since she'd received the phone call from Dom, but Kawehi felt herself more than a little anxious.

Every time the door opened at the front of the bowling alley, she turned to look even though she knew that it wasn't going to be Dom coming in through the door.

It didn't matter.

She had to look.

Some of their regulars noticed the difference, but they'd been there through Nick's disappearance and didn't ask about her skittish behavior. They were a little quieter than normal, but she knew that was their way to help.

A group of tourists on vacation coming through the door just shy of midnight didn't help, but their playful banter and raucous laughter helped to take her mind off of where Dom was and what he was doing.

The group was from Wisconsin, and they were very well prepared with cow jokes that had her laughing along with them, not because she thought they were particularly funny, but she knew how good it was to make others feel comfortable and she'd had plenty of practice doing that.

However, it wasn't until their third game that she realized one of the men was openly flirting with her.

He'd come to the counter to get another pitcher of beer, but this time, he'd come by himself. As she turned around to pour the beer into the pitcher, she heard him clear his throat. "Do you work here every night?"

She smiled and answered without turning around. "Not every night. We do get a few days off here and there."

"Would you like to use one of those nights off coming out to dinner with me?"

Kawehi turned back around, with the pitcher held securely in her hands. "Sorry. I have..." She paused, thinking about what she had. Maile might have called Dom her boyfriend, but they hadn't really talked about what they were to each other. Instead, she decided to go with her own feelings. "I have a boyfriend."

She put the pitcher down on the counter between them and he leaned in with his hands on the edge of the countertop.

"You had to think about that," he smiled at her, "are you sure?"

A little put on the spot, Kawehi looked up at him and nodded. She'd given them a label even though they hadn't had 'the talk,' but as soon as she'd said it out loud, she realized how much she meant it. "I know... Sorry. Things are new for us, but I'm very sure."

He shook his head and handed her a twenty and a five. "Looks like my vacation was a little too late."

She reached into her apron to make change, but he waved her off.

"Keep the change. It was worth it just to see you smile."

Kawehi relaxed in that moment and thanked him. "Good luck on the new game."

"Thanks." He picked up the pitcher of beer. "I'm going to need it. I suck at bowling."

As he walked away, Kawehi started to wipe down the back counter.

Her uncle cleared his throat and beckoned her into the kitchen with a crook of his finger.

He lifted his chin at her as he folded his arms across his chest. "You're smiling again."

She shrugged, but she knew that her uncle wasn't going to take that as an answer. "I'm feeling better."

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