Page 5 of Loving Leila
I freshen up as best I can in the handbasin, then crawl back into the cupboard. After all these hours hiding in here, I think I get how that wizard boy under the stairs felt, living in such confined quarters. Although, to be fair, he did have a little more space than I do. Lucky little shit. What I wouldn’t give for his closet under the stairs right now.
Ever hopeful, I check my cell for the millionth time, praying that there’ll be signal. But nope, still nothing. Blowing out a silent breath, I stow the cursed thing and contemplate my choices yet again. I don’t have the courage to venture out to the hallway, but I keep circling around to the thought that I can’t hide in here forever either.
Round and round my thoughts go like a dog chasing its tail. Indecision wracks me, leaving me immobile. Wait, is that a noise? I hold my breath, trying to hear if anyone is out there. When I can no longer hold it, I silently blow it out and suck in air.
Just as I convince myself it was nothing, I quit breathing altogether for the second time tonight. This time I know for sure I haven’t touched the door, yet it slowly but inexorably swings open.
Shrinking back into the corner, I attempt to make myself as small as possible. I slam my eyes shut and pray I’m not about to die. After what feels like forever, nothing happens. There’s no sound, no movement.
I open an eye a crack and am surprised to see a pair of combat boots and the bottoms of uniform pants. Both eyes pop open and trail up solid legs, slightly spread, over a trim waist, across a broad chest, and up into the face of the man towering over me.
My heart stutters.
I’m hallucinating. It’s the only explanation for what I’m seeing.
My past is standing in front of me – the one man to have ever owned my heart. When he walked away from me five years ago, he took it with him, never to be heard from again.
Until today.
Standing in front of me, bold as brass and larger than life, is none other than Kyle Jackson, Navy SEAL extraordinaire.Fuck my life.
Chapter 5
Kyle
“Oh, hell no. Why is God punishing me like this?” Leila’s plump lips flatten in displeasure. “First, these freaking psychopaths pick this ship to terrorize, and then send you to rescue us? God sure has a sick sense humor.”
“Well, hello to you too, Leila.”
“Bite me, asshat.”
I hear Phantom snort behind me. “I’m guessing that, one, the two of you are acquainted, and two, your charms have failed to impress our damsel in distress.”
Phantom has only been part of the team for the past five years. He was the poor shmuck who had to fight to earn his place when he joined the team in John “Maverick” Henderson’s place after we lost him on a mission that went south so fast we never saw it coming. So he has no idea who Leila is to me. An oversight I have no intention of correcting.
“Yeah, keep laughing it up, jackass. You and I can take it outside when we get off this floating tub.”
This time he flat out laughs in my face. Flipping him the bird, I turn back to little Miss Sunshine. Although, to be fair, she has every right to be mad at me. Now’s just not the time to be getting into personal issues. We’ve got hostages to save.
“Leila, I know I’m the last person you want to see –”
“Always said you were quick on the uptake.”
“But now’s not the time for us to get into this.”
“Merlin, we found the party,” I hear Blade murmur in my earpiece.
“Copy that. What we looking at?”
“From our vantage point, eight armed, looks to be approximately two hundred and fifty hostages, and seems we’ve got casualties. At least two bodies we can see, but our view is limited.”
“Entry points?”
“Stand by.”
A couple minutes pass before Blade reports back.
“Copy. Cougar, Hot Sauce, sitrep.”
