The Edge of Courage (Red Team) (33 page)

“I meant it. I love you.” She smiled.

Rocco released the breath he’d been holding, and his hunger for her broke free. He began moving inside of her, letting his hands wander over her body, holding her, touching her until her hips moved in a sensual arch, drawing him out of her, pulling him back in, taking over the rhythm.

“Rocco! Rocco, I can’t stop. I don’t want to stop. I need you. I need you to come.” She ground herself against him, pounding down on his cock, grinding against his aching balls. He spread his legs wider beneath her, wanting to hold out as long as he could. He touched his thumb to her clit, rubbing the swollen nub until he felt her body squeeze him, grabbing and milking him.

He cupped her head, pulling her mouth against his, capturing both of their cries as he erupted inside of her. Just when he thought he’d finished, he experienced something extraordinary. “God, Mandy, I’m coming again. Do it. Ride me. Fuck, yeah. Ah, sweet Christ.” He felt his balls squeeze a second burst of semen up his cock and into her. The pulses of aftershock pleasure rocked them both. Long minutes later, when they’d settled somewhat, she collapsed against him.

He tightened his arms around her, thanking God and Allah and every other deity for the miracle he held in his hands. He turned slightly, lying back against the seat, keeping their bodies connected. When Mandy finally lifted up enough to look at him, he smiled and brushed her beautiful copper hair back behind her ears.

“Rocco,” she broke the silence that held them enthralled. Her face was serious. He braced himself for what she would say. “If I’m going to live in your world, there are things I must learn. I need to know how to protect myself, how to protect you. I need to know how to spot danger, as you did in the diner that day. I need to know how to keep us safe.”

He blinked. He didn’t want this to be her life experience. He wanted so much more for her. “I wish that the world was different. I wish that I could build a haven for you where I know you’d be safe and happy. But I also know that evil moves where it will, finding the path that leads to its destination. I don’t want you to be its target again. I will teach you all of those things and many more besides.”

She studied him, considering the depth of his resolve to keep his word. She nodded, then leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss to his lips. “We’d best get moving. People will be worried about us.”

“Forget them.” His arms tightened around her waist, then his hands strayed to her soft buttocks, grinding her hips against his cock, still nestled warmly inside of her. “I want to stay here and fuck you again.”

She smiled, wiggling on top of him. “Then take me home. Eventually someone is going to want this SUV. And judging from the way Kit is pacing outside, it’ll be sooner rather than later.”

Rocco groaned. “I love you, Mandy.” He cupped her face, his eyes locked with hers.

“I love you.”

They both dressed, bumping into each other in the small space. Mandy giggled when Rocco tried to help her straighten her hair, making it more of a snarled mess than before. He opened the door on the side of the SUV that faced the woods.

“How do I look?” she asked him, smoothing her hands over her hair, her hips.

God, she was hot. He wanted her again, with the same fierce hunger he’d felt only moments before. “Like you’ve just been well and thoroughly banged.” He grinned at her horrified face and kissed her. Her mouth was warm and pliant beneath his. He groaned against her lips and pressed her back into the open door. “Let’s go again.”

“No!” she laughed and pushed him away. “You are insatiable!”

“I am.” He took her hand and led her around to the other side of the SUV, where Kit and Kelan stood impatiently awaiting them.

Kit looked at Mandy then at Rocco. “I assume my sister is unharmed based on your thorough inspection?”

“Hell, no, she’s not unharmed. She was grabbed from her home by men she didn’t know, stashed in a forgotten building in the middle of nowhere, threatened and frightened and alone, and then sent on her way with a bomb strapped to her. It’s been a bad fucking day and I’m taking her home.”

“Good. Val’s bringing your truck over. I’ll be following you shortly.”

Rocco frowned, studying Kit. “What’s going on?”

“Nothing. We’re done here. The FBI is taking over custody of Asir’s men and handling the crime scene. I expect they will be opening the road again shortly. So go home. There’s nothing more to be done here.”

Val pulled up in Rocco’s truck. He got out and held the driver’s door open for Mandy. Once she was inside, he gave Rocco a wide I-know-what-you-were-doing grin. “You were rocking that Expedition, man.”

“Not the time or the place,” Rocco warned.

“I know, right? I tried to tell you that, but Kit wasn’t letting anyone near the SUV. Didn’t look too happy to be standing guard. Bet you wish you could have seen his expression.”

Rocco grinned, then shook his head. Val clapped a hand on his shoulder. “You okay?”

“I’m good. Mandy’s safe.”

“And we got twelve bad guys off the street. It’s a start. We’ll get Amir and his puppet master.”

Rocco nodded. It was a mission the entire team had taken to heart. “What are you doing after this?”

“When Kit cuts us loose, Angel and I are going for Blade.”

“Call if you need me.”

“Like hell I will.” Val nodded toward the truck. “You got something important to do—take care of your woman.”

Rocco got into the truck. Val closed the door, then thumped it with his hand. “See you back at the ranch.” He straightened, frowning. “Those are six words I never thought I’d hear myself say,” he mumbled as he walked away.

Rocco looked at Mandy. Seeing the shadows under her eyes and the pale color of her skin, he wished they didn’t have the long ride home. He lifted his arm, urging her to his side. “Come closer to me.” She didn’t hesitate to scoot over. He kissed her temple, then wove his way through the cars and people and police cruisers onto the open road. “I promise you a hot bath and a cup of tea as soon as we get home.”

“I have to feed Kitano and the dogs.”

“I’ll feed them. And I’ll deal with supper. You get a night off. You were brave today. Beautiful. Fierce.”

“I meant what I said. I need to learn to live in your world.”

He sighed. “I regret that I’ve tainted your life. But I will teach you everything you want to know and all that I feel you need to know beyond that.”

“You haven’t tainted anything, Rocco. You’ve made it beautiful.”

They drove the remainder of the trip in silence. Rocco was glad she stayed next to him. He could feel her tension ease out of her as they neared her house. He pulled into the driveway and had just crested the top of the drive when he spotted a green SUV parked in the circular drive in front of the main house.

He cursed and parked the truck where it was. “Stay here. And get down.” He palmed his Beretta, then got out and started forward, moving away from the truck, hoping to make Mandy less of a target if whoever was waiting for them was in a shooting mood.

Chapter 21

A woman got out of the backseat wearing army fatigues. Rocco pointed his gun at her. “That’s enough moving. State your business.”

“Mr. Silas?”

“Who’s asking?”

“I’m Lieutenant Kelly Froman. I have a surprise for you.”

“It’s a bad fucking day for surprises, Lieutenant.” He lowered his gun but didn’t ease his stance, not trusting that anyone was who they said they were anymore.

The woman held her hands up, but still moved closer to the back door. “Sir, I need you to stand down. I have your son.”

Zavi? She had Zavi?

Another soldier got out of the front seat as the lieutenant reached inside for something. When she turned around, Rocco saw two little legs, then a boy’s small torso, then a little face appeared as he squatted down and peeked under the door.

“Papa!”

Rocco’s lungs quit pulling air. It was Zaviyar. Alive and well. Then he remembered his pistol and quickly holstered it as his son charged toward him. He grabbed him up into his arms. He’d gotten so big in the months since Rocco had last seen him. After a moment, Rocco knelt down, setting him on his feet so that he could get a good look at him. He smoothed his hands on either side of his head, down his neck to his little shoulders.

“Zavi, do you remember the accident?” His son nodded. “Were you hurt?”

“No. But you were, Papa. Rafiullah told me I had to go with him so that you could go to the clinic. And then I didn’t get to see you again. Where did you go?”

A memory slammed into Rocco at the mention of Rafiullah’s name—the final piece of the puzzle. He shut his eyes as he absorbed what it revealed. When he’d been unable to stop Kadisha from running back into the compound, he’d given Zavi to Rafiullah Kahn, an area shepherd who had hurried by in the melee. He’d only taken a few steps toward the compound when it blew. Christ. That was why he’d been so certain that Zavi lived. It all made sense now.

He hugged his son. “I’ve been with the doctors. I’ve been waiting for you. I’m sorry it took so long for us to be together.”

“Kelly said this is America. A different country.”

“It is. Do you like it?”

“I do so far. But don’t they have any children here?”

“There are lots and lots of children.”

“Is this our home?”

“For now. Zavi, who taught you to speak English?”

“Kelly. She said I needed to know English for when I saw you again. She said I couldn’t speak Pashto anymore.”

“You can speak any language you like, son. If you don’t know it, I will teach it to you. If I don’t know it, I will learn it with you.”

“I can speak Pig English?”

“You mean Pig Latin?”

Zavi thought about that, his little face frowning with concentration. “No. It isn’t Latin, is it, Papa? I’ve heard that before, and it doesn’t sound like that. So it can’t be Pig Latin.”

Rocco laughed and pulled his son in close for another hug. “Where did you hear Latin?”

“Kelly and a man took me to a church where the man was speaking it. That was the day they taught me Pig English.”

Rocco’s hackles went up at the realization that the Army had apparently been casually testing his son’s ability and now knew about his linguistic capabilities.

The sound of gravel crunching alerted him to Mandy’s approach. He drew a breath, forcing himself to remain calm as he reached up for her hand.

“He’s home, Em. He’s really here.” Rocco drew her down to kneel beside them. “Zavi, this very special lady is Mandy Fielding.”

Zavi straightened and pushed away from Rocco. He made a polite bow, as regal as any village elder. “How do you do? I’m Zaviyar. I’m pleased to meet you.”

“What a polite young man you are. It’s lovely to meet you as well.”

Just then, the dogs came charging out of the house. Max stopped at the porch, watching from a distance. The dogs greeted the trio enthusiastically with wagging tails and wet tongues.

“You have dogs!”

“Yes. This is Yeller and this is Blue,” Mandy said, pointing out the Golden and then the Heeler.

“I never had a dog before. Other boys did, but I wasn’t allowed.” He sent a dark look over his shoulder at Rocco.

“Oh, that is a shame. Every boy should have a dog,” Mandy laughed.

“She has a horse, too,” Rocco told him.

Zavi looked from Mandy to his father. “She is a special lady.” He patted Yeller, who was leaning against his side. “My family had donkeys. And sometimes my uncle would bring camels to our village. We loved riding them.”

“You rode a camel?” Mandy asked, her eyes widening at the thought of so tiny a person on so large an animal.

“Papa took me. Sometimes we raced them.”

“Then I think you’ll like riding horses. I’ll have a few here soon that you’ll be able to ride.”

A black SUV pulled up into the turnout area. The windows were rolled down, letting them see that it was Kit and Kelan. Kelan jumped out to park Rocco’s truck. Kit nodded to the soldiers waiting by the SUV, then joined their group. Seeing him, Zavi moved closer to his father, wrapping his arms around Rocco’s neck.

Kit gave Rocco a sad smile, as if realizing all he’d been insisting Rocco walk away from. He knelt next to Rocco and Zavi, who seeing him, turned his face away, burying it in Rocco’s neck. “I should have trusted your instincts. I told Mandy once they were never wrong.”

Rocco smiled at him. He offered Kit his hand. “It’s done, man. We’re cool. How long have you known?”

“Got the call while you were inspecting Mandy. That’s why I sent you home.”

Rocco laughed. “Zavi, this is Uncle Kit. Can you please greet him politely?”

Zavi saw Kit’s flattop haircut, his height, his weapons, and shook his head. “He is a dushman, Papa,” he whispered into Rocco’s ear. “Be careful.”

Rocco sighed. Everything his son had been taught was backward now. The people he now needed to be wary of were some of his countrymen and fighters from the region of his homeland—not the coalition troops the warriors from his village had fought. It could be a difficult transition for a child. He hoped he could help Zavi learn without deepening his hatred for one people or another.

“He’s not an enemy, son. He’s my friend. He’s a good man. I would like you to meet him.”

Zavi turned in Rocco’s arms, still leaning back against him. “Hello, Uncle Kit.”

Kit grinned at him. “Hello, Zavi. Your father’s missed you something terrible. I’m so glad you came here to find him. Was the trip very hard?”

Zavi straightened and glared at Kit. “I was not afraid.”

Kit laughed and looked at Rocco. “He growls like his daddy.”

“Zavi, would you like to go meet my horse, Kitano? I can see him watching us. He’s either very curious about what’s happening or he’s just hungry. You can help me feed him.”

Zavi nodded and reached for Mandy’s hand. “Do you speak Pig English?” he asked as they walked away.

Rocco heard Mandy answer, “Pig English? You mean Pig Latin?”

“No. I mean Pig English. It isn’t Latin. You take an English word and change it around. It’s a word game.”

Rocco and Kit stood and watched the two walk away. “He has my faculty with languages,” Rocco commented.