“Can’t Jaden send another helicopter?” She checked the safety of the gun and he was relieved that she knew how to.
“Not without giving the enemy our exact location,” he said. He didn’t want that to be the case, but it was. He also didn’t want to deliver that reality to her, but he refused to sugar-coat the situation. The men bearing weapons wouldn’t give her an inch this time. She’d gotten out of their grasps before.
And if this was a case of the men who were after Gabriel, they’d kill both of them. He had to consider for a split-second whether she would be better off away from him.
“I’m sorry about this.” He motioned toward his side. “This puts your life in more danger.”
Gabriel ground his back teeth.
“Are you blaming yourself for getting hurt while saving me?” she shot back. “Well, forget it. As far as I’m concerned, I still owe you my life.”
“Before we head outside, I want you to know something.” Gabriel looked Kinsley in the eyes. Beautiful, intelligent Kinsley. He couldn’t believe she was in his life again. “I never stopped loving you.”
“Are you warning me that’s about to change?” Kinsley didn’t like the sound of those words. Don’t get her wrong, she loved the idea of Gabriel saying he still loved her. She still loved him more than he could know. This sounded like he was saying goodbye. That was the part she couldn’t accept.
“No.”
“Good. Then hold that thought because I love you, too,” she said. Admitting that she loved him was the most natural thing to her in that moment. Where the relationship would go was another story altogether. They had different lives and she couldn’t imagine living this cloak and dagger lifestyle.
Being with Gabriel made Kinsley actually begin to believe that she might want a family. She could see herself with a husband and a child for the first time in her life. Was it the near-death experience that was changing her outlook? Maybe. But the easy way she had with Gabriel caused her to realize what she’d been missing by closing her life off to others.
Kinsley was beginning to think it might be nice to come home to someone she loved at night. Someone who understood her. Someone she couldn’t wait to get home to talk to at night. Someone to share a meal with. A reason to leave her office at a decent hour.
Living for work had lost its appeal a few years ago but she’d been comfortable in her routine.
She helped bury their trash, so they didn’t leave a trail.
Going back outside in the middle of the night considering what might be out there waiting tied a knot in her stomach. Strangely, she was less worried about herself than she was about Gabriel.
He was injured. Granted, he was being brave. She couldn’t imagine how much pain he was in or how tired he must be.
He finished packing up and then wiped the place down.
“Should you take something for pain before we head out?” she asked.
“No. I need to keep a clear head and my pain will tell me how far I can push myself.”
Kinsley didn’t want to consider the reasons he knew how far he could go while bleeding and hurt. His life had been stark contrast to hers where her biggest dangers were things like driving on snow and watching out for other drivers. She didn’t try to outrun bullets or take down bad guys.
Granted, there was something sexy about Gabriel being able to handle himself under any circumstance. The way he’d taken down the masked guy who’d tried to kill her was every shade of hot and dangerous.
But in real life, she had to consider whether or not she could handle the possibility of him not coming home from an assignment. And that’s where her internal conversation stopped.
Kinsley told herself to get a grip. She’d laugh out loud if it was funny. She was thinking serious and long-term but all they’d really had was an amazing round of sex and a sweet sentiment afterward.
Gabriel might not even love her in the same romantic way. He’d said that he still loved her and that could mean the way they’d loved each other in high school. Childish love—which could be categorized more as a crush—was a far cry from love in adult life.
“At least let me carry that.” She motioned toward the backpack.
He quirked a smile before he started to protest.
“It’s just being smart,” she argued. “I can handle the weight and if anything happens to you we’re sunk.”
Gabriel looked like he was at least considering the idea.
“Think about it, Gabriel. We don’t know how long we’ll be walking out there or how many people might be tracking us. There are too many unknowns and I don’t want to risk your health over a backpack. If I don’t carry it, we shouldn’t take it,” she continued.
“Okay, but if it gets too heavy you have to promise you’ll tell me,” he conceded. It was a big concession for a man like Gabriel who was used to doing everything for himself. He was the one who carried the bags and handled everything that came his way.
He positioned the backpack on her back and snapped the front snaps. “It’s not that heavy.”
“It helps that our weapons aren’t in there to weigh it down.” He cut the lights and then they exited the cabin.
Outside was pitch black and all manner of insects made noises. Whoever said living in the country was the quiet life hadn’t been outside at night. Kinsley had grown up in a small suburb, which wasn’t the same as the woods. Her father had taken the family to a high-priced lodge that offered hunting, fishing and all manner of outdoor activities.
He’d made his disappointment clear when he’d found her inside glued to a book instead of at the archery lesson he’d signed her up for. She hadn’t meant to miss
