Nowhere to Hide(12)

Robert looked up from his seat. “It’s going to happen again and we’ve got to change course and strategy to protect all of them. We’re not going to let our good people be hurt or killed.”

“Was Lia wounded?” Cav wondered aloud.

Dilara sighed, clasping her hands in front of her. “No, thank goodness, she wasn’t, but the poor thing is obviously in shock, grieving and utterly traumatized by this horrible event.”

Nodding, Cav could imagine that she was. Women weren’t used to violence like this. Hell, no one was but a trained operator, who handled it a helluva lot better than any civilian could. His thoughts were cut short when the door opened, and his gaze went instantly to the woman standing uncertainly in the doorway. She wore a simple white, long sleeved linen blouse and jeans, with sandals on her feet. Cav couldn’t tell which was whiter—her face or her blouse.

His incisive gaze missed nothing. Yes, this was Lia Cassidy, but something was terribly wrong. He spotted the long scar on her left cheek, which seemed to stand out, claiming his immediate attention. Her gray eyes were bloodshot, and her mouth was thinned with what he bet was a whole lot of suppressed emotion. To say she look exhausted was an understatement. There were shadows beneath her large, intelligent eyes. Her hair, naturally curly, was soft and feminine around her face, but cut almost too short for his taste. Worse, as he inspected her from head to toe, he saw the telltale scar that curved around the left side of her neck.

He’d been right: the photo had been retouched. And the photo sent to him had been angled towards the right side of her face, hiding the scar on the left side.

His heart lurched, and the sensation was so damned unexpected, Cav stirred uncomfortably. For an instant, her eyes met his. Again, he felt the impact of deep sadness surround him. Then, her gaze moved to Dilara, who was quickly getting up to greet her.

“Lia,” she called huskily, hurrying around the table, her arms opened wide. “Oh, you poor thing. Come here!” and she rushed to Lia’s side.

Cav sat back and watched Robert stop what he was doing, instantly getting to his feet and bringing his full attention to the gaunt woman who stood, ghostlike, in the opened doorway. Clearly, both of these people thought a great deal of Lia Cassidy. Dilara got to her first, gently enfolding her in her arms and hugging her tightly. Robert came and stood nearby, his hand laid gently on Lia’s sagging shoulder.

Lia buried her face into Dilara’s neck, clinging tightly to her. Yes, these people knew her well, and damned if his heart didn’t stir as he watched this scene. Disturbed by the scars he saw on Lia’s face and neck, Cav wondered what the hell had happened to her. Robert hadn’t given him a dossier on Lia, so he was left with his own theories on how she had received those scars.

Cav really didn’t want to be touched by this show of unexpected emotion. He’d never seen Dilara in person, but the woman exuded a profound maternal energy. He watched as Lia collapsed, almost literally, into her arms. Her face was hidden, but he believed she was silently battling back tears that wanted to fall.

Dilara was the same height as Lia, and Robert continued gently patting her shoulder, his mouth tight, obviously moved by the meeting.

This was the first time Cav had seen Culver get emotional. Usually, the Air Force general was all cut and dried, typical of officers of his rank.

Meanwhile, the Major stuck his head into his laptop, as if ignoring what was going on behind him. His other attache’, the Lieutenant, ducked his head, too, pretending to deal with paperwork in front of him. There was something so fragile, and yet so appealing about Lia Cassidy, but damned if Cav could define it.

So why was his heart in this? His own emotions had definitely been stirred, which flummoxed Cav even more than the scene in front of him. Just the way Lia’s long, slender hands gripped Dilara told him she was in deep pain. And Dilara’s soft murmurs in Turkish as she held Lia made him uncomfortable. He wished he had a laptop to hide behind, too.

Finally, Lia broke free of Dilara’s warm, comforting arms, gave her an apologetic glance, and took two quick swipes at her eyes. She had sworn to herself that she wouldn’t cry in front of them.

“I’m okay,” she whispered thickly, taking a step away from Dilara, whose eyes were luminous with tears. “It’s all right,” she said, forcing a partial smile that failed miserably.

“We’re so sorry to put you through this so soon after everything happened,” Dilara whispered, her fingers resting on Lia’s shoulder. “But we’re desperate for information.” She opened her hands in apology. “You survived, thank God. And we know how tough it is come down here to this meeting. Is there anything we can get you? Have you eaten yet?”