How convenient.
One man was trying to help her; one man used her.
She hastily scrubbed the tears from her face as other patients and hospital staff eyed her curiously in the hallway. “Let’s just get out of here,” she said, her voice cracking. “Let’s get the papers or whatever I need and just go.”
Hunter reached toward her again, his hand resting lightly at the crook of her arm as he guided her forward. She could cry later—in the privacy of her room or bed or wherever he was taking her to spend the night. She’d recover for a day or two and then get her life back in order. Find out what type of job options she had. See if she could access any of her accounts. The Colombian government might have frozen her father’s assets after his death, but she had separate bank accounts. Someway, somehow, she’d get what was hers.
Then she’d find somewhere to stay. Something to do.
She was a survivor, and being thrown for a loop wasn’t going to ruin her life.
They walked out of the hospital into the bright sunlight, and Camila shielded her eyes. “My SUV is right over there,” Hunter said, pointing toward a large black monstrosity. What was it with boys and their toys?
Some things were the same worldwide.
He opened the passenger door and helped her climb in. “We need to quickly swing by Little Creek. I’m sure you’re exhausted, but we’ll get the paperwork we need and get you settled in. Emma should be back by the time we are.”
“All right,” she said, sinking back into the seat. She closed her eyes, enjoying the warmth of the sun coming in through the windows.
Hunter climbed into the driver’s side, and the engine roared to life a moment later. “Do you need anything? Food or drink?”
“I’m fine. Let’s just get this taken care of.”
“Roger that,” Hunter said, easily maneuvering the large vehicle out of the parking space. They drove down a highway, and a few minutes later, they were turning down a tree-lined road. Hunter flashed his military ID and spoke to the guards at the gate, giving them her name. The men guarding the entrance cleared them to drive through, and soon they were pulling into a large parking lot.
Camila climbed out of the SUV, the salty scent of the ocean hitting her instantly. “We’re near the water,” she said, surprised.
“Yep. We’re on a Navy base. Most are close to the ocean.”
“Right, I didn’t think about it. I was in Miami a week or so ago. I just didn’t think of Virginia as being by the ocean—but of course it’s on the coast.”
“Well, it’s not exactly tropical like Miami,” he said with a chuckle. “But it gets hot in the summer. And if you like beaches, Virginia Beach is one of the best when the weather is right. Let’s head in,” he said, cocking his head toward the doors. “We’ll get your stuff and get out of here.”
Camila looked toward the large building on base and hesitated.
“Is something wrong?” he asked.
“No. It’s nothing,” she muttered, finally walking the way he’d indicated.
“Colton?” Hunter guessed.
She bristled. “He works here, too, no? Of course I wouldn’t be happy about seeing him.”
Hunter blew out a sigh. “That he does. And I realize that you’re pissed as hell at him. But you should know, he’s the one who pushed for us to move in and rescue you. We didn’t have authorization to go after you. We didn’t have a reason to in the eyes of the U.S. government. Our mission was to get your father and get out. Colton was the one who made sure you were safe.”
“He was?”
“Yep,” Hunter said, pulling open one of the doors to base. “We were sent there on a different op. It’s no secret that the U.S. and Colombian governments were both interested in your father. We planned to bring him in and question him.”
“But he was killed instead.”
“Not by us,” Hunter assured her. “But Miguel Rodriguez was a very dangerous man. Running drugs and women doesn’t exactly get you a lot of friends.”
“No, it doesn’t,” she agreed. “My own bodyguards turned against me.”
“Let’s go in here,” Hunter said, ushering her into a front office. “We were lucky that we got someone from State to swing by and push this through.”
“What state?”