she didn’t even want to think about what that meant. He’d dealt with plenty of civilians before in emergency situations. He’d seen that same stamp of shock and fear on their faces and it always struck him, brought out his compassionate side. Seeing that look in Kinsley’s eyes was a gut punch.

Gabriel had years of experience and training at shit-hitting-the-fan scenarios. He handled his adrenaline bursts using techniques honed during fourteen years of field work.

Kinsley was different. She’d been quiet for the past ten minutes and some of that had to do with her trying to process what she’d seen and experienced. He wasn’t sure how much of her current state of shock had to do with seeing him again. Him showing up out of the blue under the circumstances had to have delivered a blow.

Seeing the scar that ran along her jawline had hit him like a two-by-four. She ran her finger along its edges looking self-conscious and Gabriel had to suppress the urge to cover her hand with his and tell her how beautiful she was. He didn’t care about the scar. It did nothing to take away from her incredible looks. But the physical aspect wasn’t what he couldn’t forget. Her intelligence and sharp wit, her sense of humor. Those, in addition to her outward appearance, were the real draws.

Gabriel kept vigilant watch to make sure no one had followed them. Having a five-man team assembled by the time he got to Dallas had been a huge help. The crew had tapped into their resources, which had given them all the support at the Presidential Library they’d needed. He realized just how differently this whole mission could’ve gone if the team hadn’t shown up.

Within ten minutes the SUV had navigated the tree-lined streets of million-dollar houses and found its way to the gate of the University Park mansion owned by Walter Cobb.

The driver punched in the temporary code he’d been given. Gabriel had called in a huge favor to pull off this safe house for Kinsley. Having her secure and comfortable would go a long way toward restoring peace in his own mind. An annoying little voice said it was all the things he couldn’t give her years ago. Was it guilt? Maybe. Gabriel didn’t have time to analyze the driving force behind his decisions in the last handful of hours.

The driver navigated the winding path through the gardens and behind the main house toward the back of the pool house. He parked on the parking pad and hopped out to secure the area. Gabriel had stayed at the Cobb’s pool house once before and knew the layout well. The place was bigger than his cabin which didn’t say much. He lived in one-room cabin in Colorado. His house was secluded and big enough for one. For how little he stayed there it was perfect.

“What’s taking so long?” Kinsley final asked. Her voice cracked and he realized her throat was probably dry. Stress had a way of depleting the body in every way.

He leaned forward and pulled a bottled water from his rucksack.

“Shouldn’t be long now.” He handed the bottle to her.

She stared at it like it was a bomb about to detonate.

“Take it. There’s nothing in there but water.” He blew out a frustrated breath. He realized building trust might be difficult under the circumstances, but he didn’t think she’d question a basic gesture. He didn’t want to admit how much that was a knife to the chest.

It was Kinsley’s turn to blow out a breath, but she took the offering.

She’d taken a couple of swallows when the driver came back and opened the door.

“All clear, sir.” Gabriel didn’t bother asking the man’s name. They both knew he wouldn’t give his real one anyway, which made everything easier. Working with professionals was easy. Everyone understood the risks and had accepted them. Civilians were a different story when they were plucked out of their comfortable world where the most danger they faced was morning rush hour traffic.

“Thank you,” he said to the man clad in all-black, ushering Kinsley out of the SUV.

Gabriel put his hand on her shoulder. Kinsley had grown into a knock-out but it was more than her looks that struck him in places he knew weren’t good for him. She had one of the sharpest minds and he could almost see it working while she sat in the SUV. When they were young, she’d had a quick wit and warm smile that had been magnet to steel.

Part of him wanted to know if time had changed the things about her that he’d fallen in love with. Yeah, he’d been head-over-heels in a puppy-love pit of quicksand all those years ago. He was a grown man now with experience. And a hardened heart, an annoying voice in the back of his head said.

Kinsley’s cautious eyes and tentative gaze told him she wasn’t living the life he’d thought she would be by now. He’d already glanced at her ring finger when he’d had time to catch his breath earlier. Relief had washed over him that she wasn’t married. He already knew she hadn’t changed her last name but it would be just like her to want to maintain her independence after marriage, so he couldn’t count on that. Divorced? The vise around his chest had eased its grip slightly when he saw no gold band. It was selfish of him to want her to be single. The idea of his Kinsley with another man would be enough to keep him awake a thousand nights. It was probably the fact that he didn’t have someone waiting back home while on missions that made him revert to the last woman he’d loved when his thoughts wandered.

Even now he didn’t want to consider the possibility that there was someone special in her life. Aside from the fact that he had no designs on her and she’d made it clear that she thought they were better off apart.

What did he

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