Page 29 of Strangers in Love

Twenty-One

Eoin

I counted last night a success.Nothing to brag about, but it’d been what I’d needed. A simple fuck to make sure I could actually do it and get us both off, which I had. Even better, I hadn’t needed to find a way to tell Yvonne that I didn’t want her sleeping over. A few minutes after we’d finished, she’d used the bathroom to clean up, then had gotten dressed and left with a simplethanks for the good timeand thanks for your service.

I’d slept pretty well afterward too. It’d only taken me a half hour to fall asleep, and I’d only woken up once with a nightmare I couldn’t really remember. When I’d gotten back to sleep after that, I hadn’t woken up until a few minutes ago, and it was already six-thirty in the morning.

Now, I was lying in bed, staring at the ceiling, my hands folded behind my head, and trying to figure out what I wanted to do today. It was Sunday, so I was leaning toward research and enjoying the quiet, using the time to get a plan set up for tomorrow. Maybe I’d make a call later today and ask Cain for some advice. He’d been helpful when I’d reached out when Evanne had gone missing, telling me where to look and a couple ideas of how to do just that.

We hadn’t spent a lot of time together, but we respected each other, and we were both part of the brotherhood, though not the same way. Cain Hudson had been military intelligence, so he and I had definitelynothad the same sort of job or training, but for some reason, we’d hit it off when he’d come to the base where I’d been stationed stateside after my first tour.

He was only a year older than me, but his joining the army hadn’t been an ‘or else’ sort of decision like mine, following my friend because I’d needed to get off my ass and do something. Cain came from the sort of family that served because it was what the Hudsons did.

His father was a Texas Ranger, and his mom had been a nurse in the army. He had two younger brothers in the army, one who was a sniper, and the other was working toward being an Army Ranger. Actually, the kid might’ve already become one. I’d have to ask Cain about it when I talked to him later today.

He’d been the one person I’d called when I was trying to decide if I wanted to stay in the army since he’d had a similar experience. A few years after Cain and I had met, he’d received a head injury that had left him with vision issues in one eye and some sleep issues too. Nothing that would’ve kept him from doing most things, but his position in army intelligence required a lot of screen work and reading, the sort of close work that his specific injuries complicated. He might’ve been able to change jobs, started a different career path, but instead, he’d decided to take the medical discharge.

When we’d talked this spring, that was when he’d told me that he’d turned what he’d learned as an intelligence officer into helping other people. That’d been when he’d told me to call him if I’d ever needed him. The moment I’d heard about Evanne, I’d known what to do.

When my phone rang, I reached for it automatically, assuming it was my parents or Alec. Instead, it was Cain.

I answered the call. “Hey, I was just thinking about you.”

“Normally, I’d have a smart ass reply for that comment, but there’s something more important going on.”

The tone of his voice had me sitting up. “What’s wrong?”

“My ex-girlfriend’s little sister was just kidnapped.”

I blinked. “Um. Okay?”

“Short story is, Freedom and her sister were in Iran doing some charity work. They were supposed to be flying home on Friday, but Aline never showed up at the airport. Freedom went to the police, but when she saw the ransom video, she called me.”

I opened my mouth, closed it, and then opened it again. “I’m gonna need a little more here.”

“My team is going to see if there’s anything we can do that the police in Iran…can’t.”

I heard what he hadn’t said.

Won’t.

I put the phone on speaker as I got out of bed. “Anything you need, you’ve got it.”

“That’s what I was hoping you’d say.” Cain blew out a hard breath that created static over the line. “I need a fourth person, someone I can trust.”

“I’m in Seattle.” I grabbed my suitcase. “My parents’ jet is here, so I’m going to use it. I have a few calls to make, but I’ll be there as fast as I can. Text me the address, and I’ll have a car take me there from the airport.”

“Thank you.”

Cain ended the call, and I immediately made one of my own.

“Eoin?” Da’s voice was sleepy, and I felt a twinge of guilt. Until I remembered that a young woman had been kidnapped in Iran. “Is something wrong?”

“My friend, Cain, needs me in L.A., and then…somewhere else.” I wasn’t sure how much I could tell other people about the situation. “I…can I have the jet? I don’t know how long I’ll need it.”

“Of course,” Da said immediately. “Whatever you need. I’ll call Dave and have him head to the airport so he’ll be ready when you need him.”

I’d completely forgotten about Dave, the pilot who’d flown us up here. He’d been with the family for at least two decades and was used to taking us places and waiting for us. He wouldn’t mind doing it for me too.

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