Rubbing her hands over her upper arms, Lia felt suddenly cold and clammy as the sounds, the odors, the roar of flames and the yells of the soldiers came back to her in a rush.
“I am, too,” Cav confessed, holding her gaze. He could almost bet she was remembering that attack, and he fought anew his urge to sweep her into his arms. Cav could almost feel her body against his, feel her instinctive trust of him. He liked that she was scared and didn’t try to hide it from him.
“Here’s my little house,” she said proudly, gesturing toward the white stucco building with its two small windows and a red painted door between them. “This has been a place of safety for me.” She chewed nervously at her lower lip, staring at her home as Tanner’s men left it, closing the door behind them.
“Was it the only place you felt safe?” Cav wondered.
“Yes,” she whispered.
“Well, we’ll just have to make it safe for you again,” Cav said firmly. He knew he could make her feel safe in this unsafe world of hers.
“Medina is a constant threat, Cav. It never goes away. The three of us knew about him.” She sighed and whispered, “The only way he won’t be a threat is if he’s dead.”
Cav already wanted to take the bastard out, but said nothing, just nodded his head. When Tanner gave them the “all clear” over the mike, Cav said, “I’m going to get out now.” He unstrapped his seat belt. “Wait for me to open the door for you.”
Lia pulled off her safety belt and nodded. She watched Cav move with an animal-like grace. Unable to keep her eyes off his large, square hands, she saw real strength in them but there was a soft underside to this man that she sensed he rarely showed to anyone. Why? What ghosts from his past was he carrying around like unwanted friends? She certainly had her ghosts and they were with her ever day whether she wanted them to be or not.
Cav pulled on his dark glasses and shut the door, leaving her alone in the cab. She was intrigued by the security detail, having never been a part of one before. Now, she watched as the security contractors emerged from each vehicle, armed and deadly as they went about the business of keeping their clients safe.
Lia was very glad that Cav had been assigned to her. The other men looked hard and unforgiving, while Cav seemed, well, more approachable. She liked that he talked with her, asked her questions, and had avoided more serious questions he could have asked, and didn’t.
Cav opened her door, acting like a human shield as she slid off the seat, her feet touching the dusty, hard pack ground. His hand wrapped around her upper arm and he gently placed her in front of him so he had her back. Right now, that felt damn comforting to Lia as she walked over towards Robert and Dilara. Lia felt her heart break as she saw the devastation in their faces, looking at the rubble that had once been a school. Dilara was wiping her eyes.
As she approached the group, she saw the other contractors fanning out in a circle around them, alert, guns in harnesses across their chests, fingers near the trigger. They all wore shooting gloves, dark glasses and civilian clothes like jeans, t-shirts and baseball caps on their head. Cav didn’t wear anything on his head, and she saw the sun glinting against his black hair. She liked the way he looked, the way he walked, and the way he conducted himself like the warrior he obviously was.
“This is awful…” Dilara said softly, tears streaming down her cheeks.
Robert placed his arm around his wife, awkwardly patting her arm, his face grim.
Lia felt warm tears coming to her eyes. She swore she would not cry, and choked them back. “We’ll rebuild,” she told Dilara in a surprisingly strong voice. “We’re not going to let a drug lord chase us out of here.”
She saw the deep pain on Dilara’s face, and knew that the deaths of Maria and Sophia were haunting her. They haunted Lia, too, but she’d learned five years ago that tears only provided momentary relief. And Lia was tired of crying.
She swore to herself that she wasn’t going to let Medina and his murdering soldiers take away what was left of her soul. Not this time.
Cav watched the scene from afar, wanting to walk up to Lia and place an arm around her hunched shoulders, just as Robert was consoling his weeping wife. But he knew he couldn’t. That wasn’t part of his assignment.
“This place is safe enough,” Tanner said, coming up to him.
“The jungle is my only worry,” Cav confided.
Tanner nodded. “Those bastards hid in that jungle, came out in the dark and did their dirty work, and then faded back into it. Far as I know, there’s been no identification of Medina or his soldiers by anyone.”