For all she knew, she needed to talk him down off whatever emotional bridge the CIA had forced him to climb this year. The last thing she needed was to dive headlong into life-threatening danger.
She asked cautiously, “Is someone talking to Alex now?”
“André’s on the phone with him.”
Katie glanced across the family room. Alex had turned his back on everyone and was in the corner having a quiet, intense-looking conversation with his boss. And it was taking longer than, “Hey, Alex. You wanna go to Cuba?”
Dammit, what were they whispering about? Alex turned slightly, and she caught sight of his face. It was more alive than it had been in weeks. His eyes were bright, his entire body vibrating with tension. Excitement.
Dismay crushed her. She’d known as soon as he got home that Alex had been changed by the past year, but there had been more to it than just that. Something had been missing from him, but she hadn’t been able to put her finger on it. Not until now. Not until this dangerous, electric side of him awoke and showed itself. This was what had been absent.
Was the prospect of domestic bliss with her and Dawn so stifling, then? Apparently so. Who was she trying to kid? She would never tame the tiger within him. Not without killing that part of him. He would never be happy without living on the edge. Heck, he’d spent his entire life walking a high wire without a net. What made her think that clumping around in the mud of average life with her would be enough for him?
Racing off to a dangerous place like Cuba was more than what Alex did. It defined who he was. If she gave half a damn about him, she wouldn’t stand in his way. Except she wasn’t ready to let go of him yet. Even if her dream of a life with him was doomed.
All that was left for them was a swan song. One last adventure. How, when it was over, would she ever find a way to let him go?
“Lemme talk with Alex,” she mumbled into her phone. “We’ll let you know.”
Ashley replied too brightly, “Send me your location, and I’ll set up your itinerary and flight reservations.”
Were they not being given any choice in the matter, then? Was that what was taking so long between Alex and André? She ended her call, frowning.
Cuba, huh? She flopped down beside the brother everyone in the family thought was an intelligence officer for the SEALs. “Hey, Mikey. Whaddya know about Cuba?”
“That I can talk about with you?” he retorted.
“Duh.”
She listened intently as he and several of her brothers pitched in to bring her up to speed on the political and military situation with the island nation. The only big, unpleasant surprise to her was how active the Russians still were in Cuba.
No wonder André was all hot and bothered to get Alex down there on any pretense he could. Alex possibly knew more about Russian intelligence practices than just about any other person at the CIA. After all, he’d been raised by a master KGB spy and carefully trained to follow in Daddy’s footsteps.
At long last, Alex disconnected his phone. “You up for a trip?” he asked her tersely.
“Not particularly. I’m not crazy about leaving Dawn, and frankly, I could do without being shot at again.”
“I won’t let you get shot at.”
“You can’t promise me that,” she retorted.
Alex frowned. “I need to go.”
“Why?”
He glanced at her brothers, who were unabashedly taking in the exchange. “We’ll need to discuss that in private.”
“Aw, c’mon,” Mike complained. “We’re family.”
Katie sympathized with the pained look on Alex’s face. He wasn’t used to dealing with a big, nosy family like this. She took pity and nodded toward the back porch. “Let’s go outside.”
Her brothers protested, but they could get over it. This was between her and Alex.
He pointedly turned his back on the picture windows. Good call. A couple of the McCloud men could read lips. “There’s more to this trip than just treating
She asked cautiously, “Is someone talking to Alex now?”
“André’s on the phone with him.”
Katie glanced across the family room. Alex had turned his back on everyone and was in the corner having a quiet, intense-looking conversation with his boss. And it was taking longer than, “Hey, Alex. You wanna go to Cuba?”
Dammit, what were they whispering about? Alex turned slightly, and she caught sight of his face. It was more alive than it had been in weeks. His eyes were bright, his entire body vibrating with tension. Excitement.
Dismay crushed her. She’d known as soon as he got home that Alex had been changed by the past year, but there had been more to it than just that. Something had been missing from him, but she hadn’t been able to put her finger on it. Not until now. Not until this dangerous, electric side of him awoke and showed itself. This was what had been absent.
Was the prospect of domestic bliss with her and Dawn so stifling, then? Apparently so. Who was she trying to kid? She would never tame the tiger within him. Not without killing that part of him. He would never be happy without living on the edge. Heck, he’d spent his entire life walking a high wire without a net. What made her think that clumping around in the mud of average life with her would be enough for him?
Racing off to a dangerous place like Cuba was more than what Alex did. It defined who he was. If she gave half a damn about him, she wouldn’t stand in his way. Except she wasn’t ready to let go of him yet. Even if her dream of a life with him was doomed.
All that was left for them was a swan song. One last adventure. How, when it was over, would she ever find a way to let him go?
“Lemme talk with Alex,” she mumbled into her phone. “We’ll let you know.”
Ashley replied too brightly, “Send me your location, and I’ll set up your itinerary and flight reservations.”
Were they not being given any choice in the matter, then? Was that what was taking so long between Alex and André? She ended her call, frowning.
Cuba, huh? She flopped down beside the brother everyone in the family thought was an intelligence officer for the SEALs. “Hey, Mikey. Whaddya know about Cuba?”
“That I can talk about with you?” he retorted.
“Duh.”
She listened intently as he and several of her brothers pitched in to bring her up to speed on the political and military situation with the island nation. The only big, unpleasant surprise to her was how active the Russians still were in Cuba.
No wonder André was all hot and bothered to get Alex down there on any pretense he could. Alex possibly knew more about Russian intelligence practices than just about any other person at the CIA. After all, he’d been raised by a master KGB spy and carefully trained to follow in Daddy’s footsteps.
At long last, Alex disconnected his phone. “You up for a trip?” he asked her tersely.
“Not particularly. I’m not crazy about leaving Dawn, and frankly, I could do without being shot at again.”
“I won’t let you get shot at.”
“You can’t promise me that,” she retorted.
Alex frowned. “I need to go.”
“Why?”
He glanced at her brothers, who were unabashedly taking in the exchange. “We’ll need to discuss that in private.”
“Aw, c’mon,” Mike complained. “We’re family.”
Katie sympathized with the pained look on Alex’s face. He wasn’t used to dealing with a big, nosy family like this. She took pity and nodded toward the back porch. “Let’s go outside.”
Her brothers protested, but they could get over it. This was between her and Alex.
He pointedly turned his back on the picture windows. Good call. A couple of the McCloud men could read lips. “There’s more to this trip than just treating
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