Page 23 of SEAL by Fate

“Maybe you should stay,” she whispered.

He was at a tug of war with the need to help her and the desire to stay and see what might happen next. This was the bigger problem. He was here on an assignment and he was slowly losing focus. His team would be pissed because they were all affected by his negligence. Letting others down wasn’t something he made a habit of. He’d never lost his direction, but just like the snowstorm outside, he was a lost man. “Stormy…”

“I don’t understand this either,” she said as if she knew exactly what he was thinking which was pretty damn close. “I’m scared and yet…well, I’m feeling something so amazing and I don’t want it to end.”

“I know it must be scary, but there’s nothing to be afraid of. You’re safe here.”

Their gazes met and he was pulled into the blue oceans of her pupils. What was happening to him? It wasn’t right, not the control that she had over him in such a short amount of time. “What if you leave and…”

“What?” He brushed his knuckles gently across her smooth cheek.

“If you don’t come back,” she whispered and lowered her eyes.

Something so powerful reached in and squeezed his heart. He touched her chin and lifted her face so that she’d look at him again. “Are you afraid I’ll leave you here?”

There was a long hesitation. “I know I shouldn’t feel this way. I’m an adult and capable of taking care of myself, but you might decide you don’t want to come back, or worse…the snow can be dangerous. You could fall and who would know? Who could help you?”

She did have a good point, but she was more worried than he was. “I’m a man of honor, Stormy. If I say I’ll come back, you can go to the bank with that.” He needed to stay, but he also needed to go. How did he decide? He could see the worried lines and dark circles under her eyes and guilt plagued him. To think of something happening to him and she would be here alone did worry him too. “You have plenty of firewood. Food. Water. You’ll be safe here for at least a week.”

“So then there is a possibility you won’t come back.” The worried lines deepened.

“No, I’m only resting your doubts.”

She took a step back and he dropped his hand to his side. “I’m not just worried about my own safety, but I’m also worried about yours.”

“Three hours. That’s how long I estimate I’ll be gone. You’ll see. That’s not long at all.”

She didn’t look relieved and his plans became even more unreachable. Her jerky nod told him she was trying to understand.

If she was as confused on the inside as much as he was, then there was a shitload of mess between the two of them. He moved to the fire and threw on another log, making sure it was enough so she didn’t have to worry about it for a while.

On a positive note, he needed a brisk hike. Now, before he forgot everything, dragged her into his arms, and kissed her until she squirmed in need. That would definitely breach the line of sanity and, once that happened, there was no going back. Yet, he was starting to think he’d already overstepped a few invisible boundaries.

Even as he pulled on his jacket and a pair of gloves and hat he found in a drawer, he wasn’t quite sure he could make the hike back down the mountain without snow shoes. He didn’t have a choice. He’d promised Stormy he would manage to get her medicine. When he made a promise, he kept it.

So, as he stepped out into the cold, he immediately regretted the fact that he’d made that promise. It was bitterly cold outside, but at least the second round of snow hadn’t started yet. Although he needed to do this for Stormy, he also needed to at least try and connect with the Hawks. Jamison and Cowboy were probably going apeshit waiting for contact.

He stopped and looked back at the lit window of the cabin, feeling a bamboozle of guilt. There was a raging storm inside too.

He was part of an elite force that never failed. This was his job. Finding and stopping Phantom was important. He could be missing out on the one and only chance to catch the bastard. He had a plan to walk a further distance and hopefully find service on his phone. There had to be a spot somewhere on this freaking mountain where he could have at least one bar. Even as he turned and headed toward the covered road he was plagued with frustration. Life was much easier when he didn’t have someone to worry about.

There was a huge possibility Phantom wasn’t even on this mountain. The informant could have led Gray on a wild goose chase, or maybe Phantom didn’t even make it up to Whispering Mountain. Really, Gray had no clue because out here in the middle of nowhere he was outside of the loop. No phone. No tools for tracking.

Although the cars were less than a mile away, it could easily be the other side of the mountain because in this weather, without the necessary equipment, he was a slave to mother nature.

The cold had instantly penetrated his jacket and his shoulders ached. His knee throbbed. He reached up high, stretching his rotor cuffs, and then took off at a slow jog, making sure he kept his breathing even and not drawing in too much of the ice crystals. Once he reached the edge of the drive his adrenaline was kicking in and he was warming up. He could do this. He’d done this and far worse.

He wasn’t a doctor, but he’d deduced by now that he’d pulled a ligament in his knee and, although it resisted his movement, getting the blood flowing would help. He kept his focus on returning to the beautiful woman waiting for him in the cabin, and the need to catch Phantom.

And as always, he had his gun tucked close, although who in the hell would he see out here in the middle of nowhere in a blizzard?

---