Page 84 of Hidden Attraction

He sat in the second row of the vehicle, his fist clamped on his thigh, silently willing Henner, who was at the wheel, to drive faster.

Next to him, Denver looked just as ready to leap out the minute they braked. A HALO jump into hostile territory to hunt down the arms trafficker had seen them living rough the past two weeks. They were bruised and battered. More than a few of them smelled.

Denver turned his head to look out the side window at the properties that were beginning to spread out. They were getting close to base, and Chase’s gut tingled at the thought of seeing Alyssa again.

If she was there.

“First thing I’m going to do is take a hot shower,” Denver announced.

The guys in the third row responded with grunts of agreement, but Chase remained silent. Hot water could wait. Finding Alyssa couldn’t.

He didn’t want to think about what would happen if he walked into base and she wasn’t there.

Though they were close to arrival, every mile seemed to drag. Every foot, the more his spine tightened.

There it was—the small break in the trees and the entrance to the estate that hid them in plain sight from the world. He was already reaching for the door handle as the tires whirred on the paved driveway.

“Somebody’s eager.” Denver wore a smirk.

Chase ignored his comment and perched on the edge of the seat, prepared to jump out. The garage door opened at the touch of a button, and they drove inside. He was first to open his door and his boots hit the cement with a thump.

“Hey! Aren’t you gonna grab your gear?” Denver called to his back.

He raised a hand and flipped him the bird. Laughter followed him into the house that connected to the garage.

Inside, he glanced around. Nobody was around, but what did he expect? For Alyssa to be standing there, a smile of welcome on her face and her arms open? She didn’t even know he was arriving today.

In long strides, he began a sweep of the house. Every room was empty, silent, still. At the base of the staircase, he stopped, head tipped to stare up at the top.

Her name broke from him before he could hold back. “Alyssa!”

He started up the stairs, two and three at a time. “Alyssa!”

May appeared at the top. “She’s not here.”

His heart plummeted.

“Where is she?” His hoarse tone echoed in the silence.

“In the gazebo. She spends a lot of time out there.”

Relief made him pull in a shaky breath and his face tingled at the surge of blood that must have drained out of him when May told him Alyssa was gone.

“Thanks,” he grated out. Without waiting for a response, he turned and rushed back down the stairs. By the time he reached the back door leading to the patio, the guys were trickling in, dropping gear, joking and ribbing each other.

He ignored them all and strode outside.

The sprawling lawn stretched beyond, vibrant green. Birds chirped in the nearby shrubbery, but they sounded far away, muffled by the thick cloud of uncertainty clinging to his thoughts.

The previous owner of the estate had blown a hefty sum on landscaping, and he followed the winding path that led to the gazebo.

In all his time at the base, he never had cause to visit the gazebo. When the wood structure came into view between late-flowering bushes, he suddenly found it difficult to breathe.

He spotted her sitting on the bench, her head bowed and the long fall of her dark hair swinging forward to conceal her face. His heart caught.

Christ, he missed the hell out of this woman.

His woman. But for how long?

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