Page 55 of Unplanned Target

“I should get back.” Becca stands, carrying her empty plate into the kitchen. “Eli says your brother should be able to start physical therapy in a couple days.” She loads her empty plate into the dishwasher. “Which means he’ll probably be running loose again, so be ready.”

Oh, I’ll be ready. I’ve got a whole bunch of fucking questions I want to ask Tony. Like, why in the hell he thinks Owen had a thing for Becca. And what in the hell she means by her claim Owen carried her around a lot.

“Thank you for lunch.” She crosses the room, pointing at Allie. “If you need any more help with your homework, just let me know.”

I stare at the door as it closes behind her, angry and confused and trying to decide what in the hell I’m going to do about either of those things. I can’t talk to Owen. He’s off the fucking grid. I’m certainly not going to dump it on my daughter. We’ve established that I already rely on her way too heavily. I also probably shouldn’t tell Heidi about this. That seems petty and would make me look insecure.

So I guess I just get to stew on it. Great.

“Becca is awesome.” Allie grabs her plate and mine, carrying them to the kitchen as I continue sitting with what is quickly turning into misery. “Maybe I’ll become a software engineer one day too.”

I force on a smile I hope looks authentic. “You can be anything you want to be.”

I do genuinely believe that. Even if Allie isn’t inherently good at something, she’s determined and stubborn enough to figure out a way to excel. I love that about her.

Especially when she’s somewhere safe and I don’t have to worry about her getting herself abducted.

“Maybe I could learn to do what Heidi does.” Allie freezes in place, her whole face lighting up. “What if I went to work for Alaskan Security?”

That’s… Actually maybe not a bad idea.

If it hadn’t been my daughter doing it, the careful way she collected information on the men at the coffee shop—while keeping herself mostly safe—would have been impressive.

But I’m not quite ready to encourage that just yet. It seems like tempting fate. Giving her a green light to do something dangerous again.

And that’s probably a really fucking bad idea. Especially since the man who helped me save her last time might not be coming home anytime soon.

TWENTY

OWEN

I’ve never been so fucking glad to be home. Not only because the op was a fucking shit show and I’m exhausted, but also because, for the first time, I have someone to come home to.

And this fucking plane can’t land fast enough.

I’m not the only one itching to get back either. Maddox is on his feet and waiting when the flight attendant finally opens the door to let us out. I’m the second one down the steps, with Luca bringing up the rear.

“You’re moving pretty fucking quick.” Luca grins at me as we walk to the SUV waiting to take us back to campus. “It’s like you’re in a hurry or something.”

“So?” I toss my bag into the back of the SUV, stepping aside so Luca can do the same. “Are you trying to say you wouldn’t be in a hurry if someone was waiting for you?”

Luca shoots me a glare. “Fucking rub it in, why don’t you?”

“Not rubbing it in.” I know Luca is just as ready to have someone in his life as I was. “Just reminding you.”

“Well remind someone else.” Luca tosses his bag into the back.

I chuckle, because I remember being that touchy at one point. Loneliness is a bad state to be in. Especially in a job like this. What we do is already isolating enough. And while we do have each other—and I’m grateful as hell for the brotherhood of men around me—it’s not the same as having someone to come home to. Someone to share your life with. Someone to miss while you’re gone.

“It’ll happen, buddy. You just gotta be patient.” I know it’s easier said than done. The perfect woman doesn’t just fall into a man’s lap.

Sometimes you have to carry them through gunfire and hide them in an off-grid cabin.

“Easy for you to say.” Luca glares at me over the top of the SUV. “You’ve got a pretty pain in the ass ready to warm your bed tonight.”

I let him think that’s true. It’s not really his business what’s happened between Miranda and me. Our relationship will develop the way it develops. I’m not rushing it. I’m savoring every second I get with her. Every bit of herself she’s willing to share with me.

Luca gets behind the wheel and I take the front seat, with Maddox stretching on the back. We aren’t even out of the lot of the private airport before Maddox is calling Audrey, checking in to make sure she’s okay, and letting her know he’s on his way home.