If she got hurt, or worse, he instinctively knew he’d lose his chance at what Brick and Tonka had found. Knew that as well as he knew his own name.
But if he tried to explain it to her, she’d probably freak out.
“I promise not to do anything stupid,” she told him, staring at him with her gorgeous blue eyes. “While I’d do anything to get Woody out of here safe and sound, I don’t want you and Tiny to sacrifice yourselves to make that happen. If you get to that house and it’s too dangerous to get inside…don’t do it.”
Spike’s mind went back to one of the many missions that had stuck inside his brain, making him feel unfit to be around normal society after he’d finally called it quits with the Army. They’d been in some country…hell, he couldn’t even remember which one now, but there had been shelling all around them and endless gunfire. His ears rang with the constant barrage of noise, and all he could smell was gunpowder and smoke from the fires caused by the RPGs exploding in the buildings.
A woman had appeared out of nowhere. She was crying and hysterical. She spoke broken English and she’d run right up to Spike and grabbed his arm. He’d been seconds away from using his elbow to break the bones in her face, having run into women used as decoys more than once on missions, when she’d begged him to rescue her husband. Apparently, he’d gotten trapped under some rubble in a nearby house.
It wasn’t so much that she’d been desperate enough to approach him and his team of deadly looking soldiers…but her words that had stuck with Spike after all these years.
Military coming. You soldier. You die to save husband! He better than you.
It was stupid to put any weight to her words. It shouldn’t have mattered that the woman thought his life was worth less than her husband’s, simply because he was a soldier. The woman had been desperate and scared out of her mind. But Spike couldn’t help thinking that she was right. He was in their country, killing people…and for what? To this day, he didn’t know.
So Reese telling him that she didn’t want him to sacrifice himself for her brother, who she’d known her entire life and loved enough to come to a foreign country to try to find him on her own, meant a lot.
No, it meant everything.
Her words soothed some of the hurt he’d held onto for years.
“No one is sacrificing themselves,” he told her gruffly. “We’re all getting out of here.”
Reese pressed her lips together, then took a deep breath. “I don’t…I want…Shoot.”
“What? You can tell me anything.”
“I’ve had a crush on you forever,” she blurted. “I know it’s stupid and stereotypical…kid sister likes her older brother’s friend…but there it is. I just wanted you to know that I’m in awe of you. And proud of what you and your Delta team did for our country. I think you’re amazing and I’ve looked up The Refuge online and it’s awesome. And no matter what happens…I’ll never forget that you came down here looking for Woody.”
Her words sent warmth cascading through Spike. He and Tiny needed to get going. The longer they were here, the greater the chance of discovery and the higher the possibility that whoever had chased them out of Isabella and Angelo’s apartment would show up and let everyone know what had happened. But he couldn’t tear himself away from this woman just yet.
“I didn’t come down here for Woody,” he admitted.
Her brows furrowed in confusion. “You didn’t?”
“No. I came here for you.”
He watched as a blush bloomed in her cheeks and she licked her lips. “Oh.”
Spike couldn’t help but smile. “That’s all you’re gonna say?”
Reese nodded. “I think so.”
“All right. And for the record…I think you’re pretty awesome too. And when this is done, and we’re back in the States safe and sound…I’d like to explore whatever this is that’s happening between us.”
“Really?”
He hated how surprised she sounded. This woman should never question her appeal. Ever. “Really.”
“I’d like that.”
Spike nodded. There was more he wanted to say. But he could see Tiny waiting not so patiently outside the truck. “I need to get going.”
Reese gave him a worried smile, then brought her hand up to where his rested on her cheek. She covered it, turned her head, kissed his palm, then dropped her hand.
He could feel her lips on his skin as if the kiss had branded him. “Be safe,” he choked out of a tight throat before blindly reaching for the door handle. He needed to go, now, before he changed his mind about going at all.
Spike didn’t look back at the truck after he shut the door. He couldn’t. Knowing Reese had a crush on him made him want to let out a jubilant whoop like a goddamn kid. He was more determined than ever to get back to her—with her brother in tow. She’d agreed to see him when they were safe, and even though the logistics of that were going to be tough, he wasn’t going to let the opportunity pass.
“You ready?” Tiny asked when he approached.
“Yes.”
“She okay?”
“Yup. Let’s do this.”
Tiny nodded and the men headed off through the trees toward their target. They had no idea what they’d find when they got there, but Spike hoped it would be Woody, Isabella, and Angelo—alive and unharmed.
CHAPTER SIX
“What the hell?” Tiny said as he and Spike lay under some bushes near the house.
Spike frowned. He’d been thinking the same thing. They’d expected to find armed guards, people milling around, a busy trap house. But instead, it seemed as if they were looking at an abandoned structure. As far as they could see, no one was there.
“Is it a trap?” Spike asked.
“No clue. But I’m thinking this will be our best chance to get in, see if Woody’s there, and get the hell out,” Tiny said.
The hair on the back of Spike’s neck was standing straight up. Something wasn’t right, but they didn’t have the time or manpower to wait.
Moving quickly and efficiently, the two men went from the cover of the trees, to behind an old car, to the back of the house. There was no fence around the place, as the trees of the jungle served as a natural barrier. Tiny already had his lock-picking tool out and ready. The man never went anywhere without it.
“Ready?” he asked.
Spike nodded and his vision narrowed as he focused on the task at hand. Get in, take out any resistance, hopefully find Woody, get the hell out. Neither of the men had a weapon, but he hoped they’d find some in the house.
Moving as if they’d worked together their whole life, Tiny and Spike made their way to the back door. Tiny had the door open in seconds, and they quietly stepped down a hall.
The house was large. Large kitchen, which was empty. Open-concept living area, again deserted. There were cups and plates and some trash strewn about the space, indicating that someone had been there—several someones—fairly recently.
The two men continued to move through the house on silent feet. The first floor was empty, so they made their way up the stairs to the second floor. It only took five minutes to clear. They found several guns in one of the rooms, but with every door they opened without finding humans on the other side, Spike’s worry increased. It was looking as if the address they’d found in Angelo’s room was a dead end.