Page 6 of Raven's Claw
“Mac’s got them.”
Mackenzie Parker.Ex-Coast Guard pilot, and the love of Foster’s life.They’d been living together a few months now, and Kash suspected it was only a matter of time before they either got hitched or pregnant.The kind of future Kash could have if he held true to his promise and grew a set.
“What about…”
Chase sighed.“He’swith her, too.”
Kash nodded, looking around the chopper.“How’s my girl?”
Chase thumbed at the cockpit.“The minx called shotgun while I was working on you.I swear that dog’s half-human.”He smiled.“She’s fine.Might have a bit of a limp for a few days, but she’s better than you, all things considered.”
His buddy sighed, shifting on his seat for a few moments before shaking his head.“We need to talk about Tucker.”
Kash grunted.“Does he still think he’s back in Afghanistan?”
“Zain managed to calm him down — snap him back but… Shit, Kash.If I’d thought, for one second…”
“Not your fault.Not really his, either.We’ve all been there.But he needs to deal with whatever’s riding his ass before he goes back into the field.”
“Atticus already has some kind of intervention planned.”Chase snorted.“Old coot speak for a few beers and a good pep talk.But it’s a start.If you’re okay with that.”
Kash shrugged.“All good, brother, because I’ve already got plans.”
A mission, really, and far more pressing than worrying about nearly dying.Every one of them had nearly died a dozen times.It was still living that mattered.And he wasn’t going to wait for the universe to hit him over the head, again.Because life was too short to wonder if a woman like Jordan might say yes.
ChapterTwo
Jordan Archer stared out at the stormy night, counting the headlights as they punched through the heavy cloud layer, lighting up the café’s windows before fading into the darkness.Rain puddled on the slick sidewalks, the heavy downpour keeping all but the diehard patrons from venturing out.
It had been seven months since she’d limped out of compound, bloody and broken, Ember a fading memory in her rearview, and she still searched for shadows in the darkness.For a glimpse of a familiar face or a car that didn’t quite belong.A suggestion of the men hunting her.
She’d gotten lucky.The long-haul truck she’d flagged down had been heading west, and she’d made it all the way to the Raven’s Cliff — a fog-covered dot on the Oregon coast withno cameras, spotty reception and a population eager to look the other way.She’d only intended on staying a couple months — just long enough to lick her wounds.Regroup.Maybe source out that salvation her uncle had hinted about.
Until Kash Sinclair had breezed into the overly hip diner and turned her life inside out.Had her breaking ranks — settling into a routine that was bound to eventually bite her in the ass.And all so she could spend those precious thirty minutes a day with him and his furry sidekick, Nyx.Share a cup of coffee across the counter while he talked about nothing and everything.Likely, not what her uncle had considered salvation.
Not that she cared because that time with Kash was the only part of her life that made her feel human.
He hadn’t even asked her out — hadn’t tried to take their connection further than the easy friendship they’d developed over the past few months.But she’d be lying if she didn’t admit she wanted more.
Wanted him.
Which was crazy.While she’d had her share of sexual encounters over the past thirty-two years, they’d never been more than that.A mutual release that hadn’t lasted longer than it took to get the job done.She’d never gotten emotionally involved.Never shared, and she sure as hell had never risked her safety — her sanity — over a roll between the sheets.
Knowing she’d risk everything for a chance to be with Kash hit hard.Confused her on a level she didn’t quite understand.Sure, the man was ruggedly handsome, with a sarcastic wit that immediately put her at ease.But it went beyond his stunningly good looks and easy charm.
It was the essence of who he was.Or maybe it was what he represented.Strength.Intelligence.And above all else, safety.
An odd concept for someone who’d spent her entire life meting out justice.Being the ghost in the night others feared.But ever since she’d learned the truth — that Rook and Scythe had used her for their own personal vendettas designed to further some hidden agenda — she’d been floundering.Like a boat left adrift to fight the rising tide.
Kash was stable.A calming voice in a hurricane-force storm.One she was slowly becoming addicted to.
He was interested.She knew that much.His tone.The subtle glances.How he found a reason to drop by, even if he wasn’t working.And no one needed that much coffee.But she hadn’t exactly given off the kind of vibes that suggested she’d be open to more, and he seemed content biding his time.Waiting for some kind of sign that she wouldn’t simply brush him off.
A fact that scared her down to her soul.She should have run, already.Another town.Another name.Whatever it took to stay ahead of Rook until she figured out how to access the intel without him and his death squad showing up on her doorstep like every other dead-drop site she’d tried to access and failed.But the more time she spent around Kash, the more she’d started to believe that maybe he was strong enough to know the truth.That he was one of the few men who could stand against Rook and walk away still breathing.
Kash hadn’t gone into depth about what he’d done in the service.But she knew a black ops soldier when she saw one.Just like the rest of his teammates.Foster Beckett and Chase Remington had been Air Force — a pilot and a medic respectively.Though, if Beckett hadn’t been part of Flight Concepts she’d eat her damn apron.The man exuded that kind of quiet confidence.And Chase had definitely been more than the average stitch and run type.Pararescue, she guessed.The guy they sent in when special operations went south.
Then, there was Zain Everett.Calm.Calculated, with a hyper-awareness that was off the charts.The guy screamed Army Ranger turned SAR specialist.Likely a sniper.Which meant Kash had been a Ranger, too.And it was obvious they were more like brothers than teammates.To say she envied their relationship was an understatement.
