Tangled Pursuit (15 page)

Now she bit into her sandwich almost angrily, and he could feel how upset she was.

“So,” he prodded quietly, moving his spaghetti around on his tray with his fork, “there’s more to this story regarding Sidiq Sharan, isn’t there?”

Her mouth went tight. Then Tal lifted her chin and stared at him. He was stunned by the raw grief etched on her face. Wanting to comfort her, but in the wrong place to do it, Wyatt forced himself to be patient while she wrestled with something known only to her.

Then Tal pushed her tray to the end of the table, the contents only half eaten. “Yes, there’s a lot more to it,” she admitted, her voice rough with emotion. She clasped her hands, resting her chin on them, keeping her voice low.

“I fell in love for the first time, Wyatt. I met Sergeant Brian Collier, a Marine sniper here at Bagram. He was assigned to our unit.” She waved her hand. “I didn’t mean to fall for him. It just happened over time.”

“You were how old?”

“I’m twenty-nine now, so I was twenty-four at the time, and a lieutenant. I was on my first tour over here as a sniper. Brian took me under his wing. I knew he was enlisted and I was an officer, but he just had a way of getting around all of that.”

Wyatt began to understand why Tal had initially wanted to avoid him. “Matt told me that the man you loved was killed over here.” He saw the pain, the memories, flooding back into Tal’s eyes. She couldn’t hide anything from him. Right now, all Wyatt wanted to do was take her the hell out of here to his secret place, hold her, and listen to her story. He knew the value of talking out trauma and grief.

She rubbed her eyes, her voice choked. “Sidiq Sharan had placed a million-dollar bounty on Brian’s head. I didn’t know it at the time, but Brian was thirty years old and had been over here on six deployments. He was damned good at what he did.” She took a deep breath. “He never told me about it, I think, because he loved me and didn’t want me to worry when he was out on an operation with his spotter.”

“Who got to him?” he asked her gently, knowing the answer but needing confirmation.

“Sidiq did. He came across with a Pakistani sniper. I found out later from CIA chatter picked up on Sidiq’s cell phone that he was bragging to his father that he’d finally had Collier killed.” She grimaced and looked away, blinking a few times.

“Damn,” Wyatt rasped, “I’m sorry, Tal. I really am. Brian Collier is a revered sniper. Everyone knew about him, his reputation and how good he was.”

Yeah, Wyatt thought, she’d definitely been in love with the guy. Collier had been an outstanding sniper, and everyone in the black ops community respected and admired him. Wyatt remembered when Brian was killed, but he’d had no idea that Tal was in the picture or that they loved one another. In Tal’s case, since she was an officer and Collier a sergeant, exposure of their relationship could have meant she’d lose her commission and be booted out of the Marine Corps.

Brian Collier had protected her. He’d never spoken about her, and he must have made sure that no one ever saw them together. He’d been one helluva sniper, and Wyatt was sure he’d had his hiding spots at Bagram where he could take Tal, love her, and protect her from the prying eyes of this huge base.

She shook her head. “I’m over my grief. It was my first tour, and I didn’t know the lay of the land over here at that time. The CIA let me know about Sidiq’s phone calls and had them translated for me because I was going after Brian’s killers.”

“And you took out Raastagar.”

“Yes. Now I’m going to make Zakir Sharan pay the full price. I’m taking out his second son if I can. If I can’t, I’m hoping Matt will nail him. Brian was a decent, caring man, Wyatt. He was like you, honest to the bone. He put on no airs and was incredibly humble, but the man was brilliant.”

“That, I know for a fact.” His voice fell. “I’m really sorry. That had to have hit you hard.”

She stared at him and then said, “That’s why I never wanted any type of relationship with a military man again. Maybe now you understand why I was avoiding you.”

Nodding, he put his tray aside and picked up his cup of coffee. “Yeah, I started chasing you a year after that. I’m sure you felt like hell, and having another man around you then was the last thing you needed.”

“You got that right.”

Suddenly, his gut tightened and he felt fear. It wasn’t for him. It was for Tal. Wyatt wasn’t going to admit that if it had been him, he’d have hunted down Sharan’s sons to equalize Brian’s death, too. This was known among the sniper cadre as a “death dance.” And no, snipers weren’t supposed to make it personal, but Wyatt knew they did. Snipers were human, too.

He could see the hurt and suffering, even now, deep in Tal’s glistening green eyes as she wrestled with her anger and grief. This woman, he realized, loved deep and hard. It explained why she’d spurned a casual relationship or one night in bed. The weight of what lay ahead of him with her hit home then. It didn’t frighten Wyatt, but it reminded him that he’d need lots of patience to go the distance with her. After all, he’d already tried for years to get her to consider a relationship with him. Now he understood why it had taken her so long to let him in.

“Now,” Tal said in a low, quavering tone, “you see why I’m so gun-shy with you, Wyatt.”

Yeah, he did.

Damn.
Nothing like having the deck stacked against him.

CHAPTER 8

W
YATT WANTED TO
tread lightly over Tal’s concerns at lunch. Wyatt studied her in silence. He was going to say more about her admittance when a platoon of Marine Force Recons came and sat nearby. They all knew her and who worked under her command, so he realized it wasn’t the right time to talk personally with her.

He also realized that he was falling in love with this woman.

Wyatt had never been in love before, unless you counted puppy love with little red-haired Amanda with the missing front tooth in the sixth grade. Wyatt smiled to himself as he ate his spaghetti.

Lifting his gaze to Tal, who ate in silence, aware that her men were nearby and within earshot, he could feel her agony. He also knew she wasn’t thinking clearly about this up-and-coming mission. Tal was on a path of revenge to equalize the loss of the man she’d loved.

He was beginning to realize that there weren’t many women in the world like her. She was very careful about letting her heart be open and protected it fiercely. He understood that when she did fall in love, it was forever.

Wyatt wondered if they’d ever get a chance to consummate their growing attraction. It was taking on a life of its own, throbbing with such vitality between them. For Wyatt, ever since he’d first met her, that connection had been intensely alive.

Unfortunately, he’d met her at the worst possible time, right in the middle of her having lost the man she’d loved with all her heart.

Wyatt had met a few women like Tal who loved hard and with passion. And when a woman gave her heart like that and was later wounded, she rarely recovered fully. It had been years now since Brian had been ripped out of Tal’s life, and Wyatt had managed to push open the door to Tal’s heart just a little.

God knew he wanted so much more; that kiss hovered hotly in front of him, whispering to him, encircling him, and making him want every atom of her being in his arms, in his bed, and melting into his soul.

He laughed to himself, because in many ways, Wyatt was like her. He didn’t give his heart easily either. Sure, he could find a willing woman who needed sex as a physical release, just like a pressure-relief valve. Those times helped take him out of the brutality of his daily life as a SEAL, and his former hookups had enjoyed sex for sex’s sake. Maybe he’d gotten lucky attracting civilian and military women who enjoyed a good night of lusty, hot sex with no qualms about walking away for good the next morning.

Wyatt always knew these temporary alliances were just that, and someday, down the road, he’d find the right gal. And now, had he? It sure felt like it. He pined for Tal, even now, when he was with her. He yearned to have her open up to him so he could hold her, listen to her, allow her to cry, allow her to divulge her deepest, darkest secrets and fears. And later, he could love her, kiss her, give her the pleasure and healing that only a true partner could offer.

Right now, of course, was the wrong damn time, as usual. Frustration thrummed through Wyatt as he and Tal finished off their meals. Tal had eaten only half of hers while he’d gulped down the plate of spaghetti, two pieces of apple pie, and some pasta salad—a typical SEAL diet-buster.

For SEALs, food was energy, and they never knew when they might be called out on a DA, direct action mission, or a QRF, quick reaction force. Every carb and protein load could support hours of combat.

Outside the chow hall, Wyatt kept his distance from Tal as they walked together on the sidewalk. The sun was bright and hot overhead. The noise of jets landing and taking off rolled across Bagram’s flat desert. For once, he wished he could inhale good, clean air and not the JP4 jet fuel or the kerosene odor of helicopter fuel that always fouled the air. There were a lot of people walking near them, and when he and Tal finally turned in the direction of the recon building, he drew to a halt.

Tal stopped and looked questioningly at him.

“Come with me?” he invited, holding her dark green gaze. Wyatt could sense so many raw feelings around her right now. He wanted private time with her.

“Where?” She looked at her watch. “I need to get back to my office, Wyatt. Major Dickenson and I need to sit down and go over these missions at 1300.”

Nodding, he said, “Okay. How about this evening? I’ll come over to your B-hut at dark.” He saw her waver. Tal was focused on her missions, as she should have been. She was a commanding officer and was responsible for the lives of the men and women under her command. Wyatt knew the sniper unit was gearing up for another month of DAs.

Yet, he could see yearning in her eyes—for him. Wyatt knew she needed to be held. Yes, he could be there for her in that way, if she’d let him. Now that he understood the emotions warring within Tal, he appreciated her hesitation.

At his age, Wyatt knew the value of timing, and right now was not the time to tell her how he felt about her. She had more immediate concerns on her mind.

“Why?” Tal asked.

He gave her a casual smile, his hands draping over his hips. “I want to show you my home away from home. It’s a place where it’s quiet and we can talk without ears.” He saw her brows draw down. “And this isn’t about sex. I just want some quality time with you, Tal. That’s all.”

Mostly the truth, but he’d have given his right nut to get this woman into his arms and his bed. Wyatt knew he could make a positive difference in Tal’s life. He could help heal that wounded heart of hers and then she could focus on them as a team. Yeah, he wanted forever with this woman. And if the timing weren’t right when she found out how he really felt toward her, she’d run away.

“Well . . . okay . . .”

“Good,” he murmured, giving her a warm look. “I’ll see you tonight.” He held up the briefcase. “And if your major wants to see this program, I’ll be more than happy to show it to him. He’s probably going to want to know what your mission printout with those percentages and numbers is all about.”

“You’re right,” Tal said. Her voice lowered with feeling. “If he does, I’ll call you.”

“Sure. I’ll be at my office working on missions in process right now. See you later, darlin’.”

Tal stood there and watched him turn away and saunter down toward the main road. Biting her lower lip, she frowned and walked quickly toward the two-story cinder-block building where her office sat. She felt as if a nest of angry snakes were whipping around in her gut and unconsciously touched her stomach. Was she getting an ulcer from all the stress she was under?

That comforting, invisible embrace that always surrounded her when Wyatt was near was gone, leaving her in a state of worry and anxiety. She went back to her own mission to take out Sidiq Sharan. Dickenson had no idea that she was in revenge mode, and there was no way Tal would ever admit it to anyone. Except Wyatt.

Damn it! Why had she blurted out the truth to him?

She walked faster, wishing she had an extra hour to put on her running gear and jog for five miles. That would help release all the tension she was holding in her body. Running always cleared her on every level. Why had she told Wyatt the truth? Why? She could see his concern when his software’s analysis gave the mission a 70 percent chance of failure.

But above all, Tal did not want her spotter, Jay, to be in the line of fire. He was a good man, the father of two beautiful young daughters, and he had a wife who loved him ardently. He’d shared photos, video, and emails of his family with Tal. Spotters and snipers had a deep, important relationship with one another out in the field. A good spotter made the sniper’s job a whole lot easier.

And Jay was considered the best of the best. They’d been together three years, and Tal couldn’t see them ever splitting up. The Corps knew when they had a good team and let them work together. They were damn good at what they did, and their rankings were at the top of the chart. Tal and Jay were sent out on the most important sniping missions because of those numbers.

Her steps slowed as she entered the air-conditioned building. Jay actually knew she was in revenge mode, too, but until now, he’d been the only one. Being with another person on an op for days or weeks forged a very special bond, and Tal considered Jay her “other brother.”

In return, he admired and respected her. In the field, they were seamless and deadly as a sniper team. And Jay had celebrated mightily with her the day Matt Culver had taken Raastagar Sharan down half a mile inside the Afghan border. Matt and his Delta Force team had been airlifted out an hour later by an MH-47 flown by Night Stalker pilots, and then landed at Bagram. A day later, Jay and Tal had been airlifted out after they’d killed their HVT. Matt got ahold of her and Jay at the base and bought a round of beer for all of them. She wanted to celebrate Raastagar’s death and proceeded to get drunk at the canteen. She’d had a horrible hangover the next morning and stayed in bed for nearly half a day, but the celebration of was worth every pitcher of beer they’d happily finished with the Delta Force operators.