Page 17 of Rush

“It’s alright. I told her bad guys were after me, that’s all. She deserves to know his name. He’s been a pain in our asses for a long time,” said Rush. “His current mission is to gather displaced young men and form another army. He plans to attack the world, one country at a time.”

“Okay. Not someone I care to meet,” she said, shaking her head. “Can we still stay here?”

“I am afraid not,” said Noah. “This hotel is not exactly subtle, nor is it covert.”

“But isn’t that sort of the point. It’s so elaborate and expensive they wouldn’t expect Rush to be here. They’d look for him in hostels or tiny, run-down hotels. Not here.”

“She has a point,” said Moose. “Someone trying to hide wouldn’t be out in the open like this. Especially when they look like him.” He gave Rush a smirk.

“Not funny, big guy. You’re nearly my size, and if you had blonde hair, we could be twins.” Noah raised a brow, staring at Moose. He was going to save that little nugget for later, just in case.

“Okay,” said Trak. “We’ll stay here for now. Today, we’ll be scouring the city to see if we can catch any news of him making his way here from Ankara. Noah and Rush, make sure your hair is covered.” They both nodded, pulling out the caps from their pockets. Caroline smirked, admiring the similar mannerisms of the two men.

They shared the same serious expression. The same stoic, straight shoulders. The same gaze from those ice-blue eyes. She reached beneath the table, gripping Rush’s hand. He squeezed her fingers, running his hand up her leg, then stopped, realizing her father was seated at the table.

“I love you more for caring that he’s here,” she whispered.

“I could not love you more,” he whispered back. “It’s not possible.”

“Okay, okay, kissy faces, we get it. You’re in love. Everyone else here gets it too. Can we focus?” said Red.

“Sorry,” blushed Caroline, giggling.

“Caroline?” said a man coming toward the table. Two women and three other men were with him. “Nice to see you. I thought you were going to relax. I guess you found your own group to hang with.”

“Antonio. Hello, everyone,” she said, politely smiling at the others. They all smiled, waving at her. She noticed the women salivating over Moose, Joseph, Red, and Nathan. Then, they caught sight of Rush and Noah.

“Actually, I’m Caroline’s father,” said Sniff. “We’re here to help search the wreckage for survivors. So, you’ll have to forgive my daughter for wanting to spend time with family and friends. I’m sure you understand. Antonio.”

She heard the warning in her father’s voice and just sat back, letting him take control. He wasn’t as big and bulky as Moose, Noah, and Rush, but he was tall like Red, Nathan, and Joseph. Lean like a runner, and he could give looks that made two-hundred-pound dogs stop in their tracks.

“Yea, sure. I understand,” he said, nodding at her. “So, are you with them today? We’re going to take one of the boats over to Varna in Bulgaria. Do a little sightseeing, maybe spend the night. You could join us.”

“No, she can’t,” said Rush. The small Italian man stared at the giant as he stood from the table. Caroline tried to pull on his hand, but it did little good.

“Just wanted her to have some fun,” smirked the man.

“She will have fun,” said Rush. “With us.”

Noah and Sniff smirked at the man, knowing exactly how he was feeling. Their protective instincts were stronger than the dogs, and sometimes their bite was worse than the dogs as well.

“Antonio, come on,” said another student. “Have fun with your family, Caroline. I guess we’ll see you next week.”

“Yes, probably,” she nodded. The girls waved, making facial expressions and writing on their hands, trying to get her to give the men their numbers.

“Has he bothered you before?” asked Rush.

“He always asks me to join them when they go out, but I never go. He’s harmless and, as you saw, little enough that I could handle him just fine. He’s Italian. He thinks he’s spectacular.”

“I don’t like him,” said Rush.

“I don’t imagine you would,” she laughed. “Come on. Let’s hit the streets and see what we find. Exactly what are we trying to find?”

“Just stick with me, beautiful,” said Nathan. “The big grouchy Viking and his father will do their Viking thing. I think it has something to do with pillaging villages and scaring small children and shit like that.”

She turned, kissing Rush, and then took Nathan’s arm. Rush called to her, and she turned around, smiling at him.

“Caroline? I love you.”

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