The Hero Read online

He did a double take in her direction. “What?”

  “You drove in exactly that same position when we were eighteen.”

  He smiled widely, laughing as he did. “I never noticed.”

  But she had. She turned her head forward. Why had she said anything? Distance, remember, Nat. She needed distance.

  “You don’t have to be nervous,” he said.

  “I’m not.”

  He grunted. “You are. You’re looking out the window and fiddling with the seatbelt. That was always a sign you were anxious.”

  Natalie could only stare at him. He’d never told her that he’d noticed those things in the past. “It’s all the memories,” she confessed.

  “Yeah,” he admitted. He was quiet for a second. Then he said, “You know, throughout the years I wondered what you were doing, and if you were happy.”

  “Really?” She wanted to say that she hadn’t thought of him at all, but it would be a lie. She’d had enough lies throughout her life. There was no need for more.

  He glanced at her, his chocolate gaze intense and filled with regret. “Leaving you that night was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done.”

  “They why did you do it?” The words were out of her mouth before she knew it. She’d sworn she wouldn’t ask. It was over, water under the bridge and all that.

  But being with him brought it all back in crystal clarity.

  He blew out a breath, a muscle ticking in his jaw as he clenched his teeth. “I thought it was for the best. I knew you’d ask me to stay, and I wasn’t sure I could deny you.”

  “I don’t know what I would’ve done. You didn’t say anything to me leading up to graduation about going off to UT. You didn’t even tell me you applied or were accepted. Since I thought we shared everything, I can’t tell you how much that hurt.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “It’s too late for sorrys.”

  Her harsh words silenced any more conversation. She was fine with that for a while. Until she recognized they couldn’t continue this. They were going to have to talk to get through the next few days or weeks.

  “It’s done and over,” she said. “There’s no use reliving past mistakes.”

  Owen nodded but didn’t respond.

  She’d ended the conversation, so it was up to her to start it back up again. “Was the Navy everything you thought it would be?”

  For several long minutes, Owen didn’t act as if he’d heard her. Then he said, “In some ways. Not so much in others. It’s my life. I serve my country, protecting the land and citizens.”

  “Always the hero,” she whispered.

  He shot her a frown. “I’m not.”

  “I could list everything, but you’d deny it all and say you were just being a gentleman. The truth is, Owen, you look after people. It’s part of you, just as you followed the need to serve your country.”

  Owen continued driving without commenting.

  Natalie shifted in her seat. She rolled his words over in her mind. Would she have tried to convince him to stay? Definitely.

  Owen had been her life, the very foundation that molded her future. When he’d left, she hadn’t been certain what to do. There was no doubt, that had he stayed, she wouldn’t have gone to Wheaton or to Russia to work those years.

  She liked the life she’d led, except for marrying the wrong guy. Then again, who did have the perfect life?

  “I had news for you graduation night,” she said. “I found my letter of acceptance from Southern Methodist University that Mom hid. She’d told me nothing ever came and showed me the letter of acceptance from Wheaton College that she had applied to for me.”

  “Your mom,” Owen said with a loud snort.

  That was all that needed to be said. He knew what kind of woman Diane Dixon was. There was no need to go into her craziness.

  “So you went to SMU?” Owen asked.

  Natalie hid her grin and watched him for his reaction. “No. I decided on Wheaton.”

  His eyes widened as he shot her a surprised look. “Really?”

  “I got my MBA in foreign languages.”

  “I always knew you were going to do great things.”

  She lifted her shoulders to her ears and held the pose for a second as she stretched her back. “It felt nice to be so far from Mom and out on my own. I think it’s exactly what I needed.”

  “You definitely needed out from under Diane.”

  Natalie laughed. “Being away from Mom had something to do with my decision. No one knew my business, though. I could get lost among all the people. I didn’t have to hide anything or fear that someone would see me and run back to tell Mom. I was truly independent.”

  She smiled, remembering how that had felt. “I was terrified of being on my own, but at the same time, it was so exciting.”

  “I know what you mean.”

  There was something in his voice that drew her gaze. He looked sad, but the emotion quickly disappeared.

  “All of that, including a stint in Russia, and you still returned to Dallas.”

  She realized where this was going. She also guessed that Owen already knew about Brad. But he was being his usual self and letting her decide if she wanted to talk about it.

  “Odd how things turn out,” she answered. “I hadn’t intended to remain in Texas. I was looking at a job in Italy a friend had told me about when the Russian Embassy in Dallas contacted me. The money was good, and I liked that I would be working closely with other embassies and governments.”

  “That’s good,” he said with a slight nod.

  She hesitated for a second. “I also got married. And divorced.”

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  Owen gripped the steering wheel tightly. Every time he thought of the jackass who’d dared to hurt Natalie, he wanted to do physical damage to him.

  Then he recalled that he’d also hurt her.

  “I’m sorry, Nat.”

  She forced a slight laugh. “I was devastated at first. I couldn’t believe that he’d cheated on me multiple times, but then I realized that I wasn’t happy. I’d married him because it felt like the next step, not because I was madly in love with him. It’s as much my fault as it is his.”

  Owen jerked his gaze to her, meeting her deep green eyes. “That’s bullshit. You didn’t make him cheat.”

  “I know. Watch the road.”

  He turned his attention back to driving. “Don’t you dare blame yourself.”

  “I blame myself for the marriage. I could’ve called it off. I should have, but I really thought I could be happy with him.”

  “If he hadn’t cheated, would you still be with him?” He quickly cut his eyes to her to see her reaction.

  Natalie nodded slowly. “I’ve never believed in divorce. You know that. You marry because of love and work to keep the marriage going. So, yes, I would’ve stayed with him. But … he broke my trust with the cheating. It was only after I filed for divorce that I grasped how badly I wanted out of the marriage. Perhaps I pushed him to have those affairs.”

  “No. No,” he repeated it more forcefully. “People get married for all kinds of reasons. It doesn’t matter what one spouse does or doesn’t do, none of it justifies an affair. None of it.”

  She reached her hand out and laid it gently on his arm. “Thank you.”

  “Just speaking the truth.” He really wanted to break both of the bastard’s arms. And possibly his legs.

  “What about you?” she asked. “Were you married?”

  “No.” No one could ever compare to the best thing that had ever come into his life—Natalie.

  “Did you come close?”

  He glanced her way. “Once. Fourteen years ago, to my high school sweetheart.”

  She didn’t smile. Her green eyes were shrewd as they stared at him. “You wanted to marry me?”

  “It’s why I left without talking to you. I knew if I saw you, I’d propose.”

  “Huh.”

  That’s all? He expected more
from her. But if he wanted to see some kind of compassion or even—dare he say it?—love, he would be waiting a long time.

  He’d really hurt her. And he hadn’t been the only one.

  He couldn’t continue this conversation while driving. He pulled off the side of the road and put the truck in park. Then he turned to her.

  “I knew what I was getting into, Nat. I knew the life ahead of me in the Navy. I also knew I was going to be a SEAL. I saw firsthand what kind of life my mother had as the wife of a SEAL. The worry, the waiting. I didn’t want to put you through that.”

  Natalie’s green eyes looked at him as if he were from another planet. “That was my decision to make, not yours.”

  “No,” he said firmly, with a shake of his head. “You would’ve made your decision based on your feelings. You would’ve never listened to the facts about military life.”

  “It was still my decision.”

  “And mine.” He ran a hand down his face. “A marriage takes two people. Do you think I wanted to come home to find you bitter that I’d been on yet another mission? Or demanding that I give up the life because I got wounded or was sent away after only just returning?”

  She held up a hand to stop him from talking. “Did your mother ever demand your father quit?”

  He paused as he sorted through memories. “Not that I recall.”

  “But you fully expected me to be the kind of woman who would do that?”

  “I didn’t say that.”

  “You certainly did.”

  “It’s a hard life, Nat!”

  “But we would’ve been together!”

  That’s when it hit him square in the chest like a 50mm bullet. She was right. They would’ve been together. He wouldn’t have been alone all these years.

  Yes, they might have fought, but they would’ve worked to keep their love alive and their marriage going.

  “There’s no sense in rehashing this. We’ve both moved on,” Natalie said and faced forward.

  He wasn’t so sure after that kiss. He looked out the windshield and felt as if he’d just lost her again. That wasn’t possible, though. He’d let her go the first time, and this time, she hadn’t even been his.

  But he’d had hope.

  A hope he hadn’t fathomed was growing within him until she snuffed it out so indisputably.

  He put the truck in drive and pulled back onto the road. The rest of the ride was done in silence. Though their conversation continued to play over and over in his head.

  By the time they were on the highway, he had noticed a beige car that stayed the same distance from him regardless whether he slowed or sped up. He’d suspected something like this might happen.

  When he drove onto the Baylor campus, he was ready to get out of the truck and get on with their task. He found a parking place and checked his cell phone. Nothing.

  It wasn’t as if he’d expected anything, but he’d hoped Callie and Wyatt had some news. Or even Cullen, who should’ve made it to Dover AFB last night.

  Owen shot Cullen a quick text before his gaze went to the rearview mirror.

  “What is it?” Natalie asked.

  “Three rows back and to the right is a beige Ford Taurus.”

  She turned and looked. “I see it.”

  “I spotted them on the freeway quite some time ago.”

  Natalie swung her head to him. “The Russians?”

  “Possibly.”

  “Should we leave?”

  He shook his head. “No. This is important. I’ll get you in and out without incident.”

  “So, what’s the plan?”

  “Act normal. Put the container in your purse. Then we’ll head into the building.”

  Her eyebrows rose. “That simple?”

  “That simple. Look around. There are a lot of people. Those men will stand out.” As long as they didn’t have someone on campus blending in with the students, but he kept that worry to himself.

  There was no need to put more anxiety on Natalie than there already was.

  She unbuckled her seatbelt before turning and leaning between the seats. The sound of a zipper opening filled the truck. Then Natalie was facing forward, stuffing the container in her handbag. Owen was glad she carried a large purse.

  “Ready,” she said with a nod.

  “We’re going to get out and unhurriedly make our way to the science building.”

  She took a deep breath. “Sounds easy enough.”

  “It is. Ready to find out what this is all about?”

  “Yes,” she said emphatically.

  “Don’t look at the car,” he cautioned her as his hand rested on the handle.

  He opened the door, and she followed a second later. They exited the truck and walked around to the front. Together, they then made the trek to the science building.

  Several times, he looked in the windows and glass doors as they passed and spotted the two large men who got out of the Taurus in the reflection.

  Only when they were in the stairwell making their way up to the second floor did he pull out his phone and send a text to Callie, Wyatt, and Cullen that the Russians had tracked them to Waco.

  “They’re still following us, aren’t they?” Natalie asked in a whisper.

  He tucked his phone into his back pocket and gave her a nod. “They’ll be looking for us, but they’re keeping their distance.”

  “But they know we’re here for a reason and not a social visit.”

  He grinned. “That’s true. Most likely, they’ll think we came to see if anyone has any information on the biochemical.”

  “I thought they kept the making of it private.”

  “They did. That means someone let the information leak to our government.”

  Her eyes widened. She tucked a long strand of light brown hair behind her ear. “They don’t know who betrayed them, do they?”

  “Probably not. They’ll look for anyone who seems suspicious. Usually, if they can’t discover the culprit quickly, house cleaning is done.”

  “So innocents are killed.”

  He nodded solemnly.

  “That’s wrong.”

  “That’s life.”

  They walked down a long corridor and turned left. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Natalie’s posture change. Her smile was huge as she hurried to meet a petite woman with black eyes.

  Emily Ashcroft was nothing like Owen had pictured. She wasn’t the typical professor one might encounter at a university. Emily had streaks of purple in her short, midnight hair that was spiked all over.

  She wore an AC/DC shirt that was cut up and a red tank beneath. That was paired with a black leather mini skirt, black tights that had skull designs barely visible, and tall, black boots.

  The hairstyle fit her narrow face and frame. With large black eyes, full lips, and a body that would have his younger brother on his knees, Emily was a pleasant surprise.

  She pulled away from Natalie and looked to him. Her dark gaze ran up and down, taking in his black tee, jeans, and black boots.

  “Military,” Emily said.

  Owen smiled. “SEAL.”

  “Of course.” A thin black brow lifted as she glanced at Emily. “Natalie, where have you been hiding him?”

  “He’s the one who’s been hiding.”

  He snapped his gaze to Natalie, but she was smiling down at Emily. So that’s what she thought? That he’d been hiding?

  “Come on inside,” Emily said as she motioned him to follow.

  He waited until the door to the lab closed behind Natalie, then he looked down the corridor, waiting for the men. After five minutes without a sign of them, he strode into the lab.

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  Natalie smiled as Emily talked a million miles a minute. It wasn’t because Emily was nervous. It was mostly due to the fact that she was highly caffeinated, which was normal.

  “Missed you at the party this weekend. They’re simply not the same without you.” Emily walked around the tables an
d stools to the front of the lab. “Brad looked awful. He kept asking if I’d call you for him. I refused, because frankly, honey, you’re better off without him.” Emily then threw a look at Owen and wiggled her brows as she grinned.

  She should’ve known Emily would bring up her ex-husband. Emily had never been a fan of Brad’s.

  “Now he, on the other hand,” Emily said and pointed to Owen, who stood by the door, “is a different story. He’s a hunk.”

  Words wouldn’t budge past her throat. All she could do was nod. Because he was exactly that.

  “Is he single?” Emily leaned in close to ask in a whisper.

  “I believe so.”

  Emily’s gaze narrowed as she stared at her. “There’s history between the two of you.”

  “How can you possibly know that?” Now she wondered if it was written all over her face. She thought she was doing a better job of hiding her feelings.

  Emily shrugged. “By the way he keeps looking at you, it’s obvious. Now, spill. I want all the juicy details. Because, sweetie, I’m not sure how you could’ve let that go.”

  “I didn’t. He left me.” She cringed when it came out louder than she’d expected.

  She didn’t bother to look behind her. She could feel Owen’s presence approaching by the way her skin prickled with awareness.

  “Yes,” he said in his deep baritone. “It was my fault.”

  She thought she was past all the hurt and resentment, but apparently, she’d been wrong. Having Owen with her, kissing her, touching her, was bringing back feelings she wasn’t prepared to deal with.

  “Interesting,” Emily said with a wide smile. “Very interesting. Now, let’s get to work, shall we?”

  “Please,” she mumbled.

  She started to walk away when Owen’s hand grasped her wrist and kept her in place. He leaned in so close she could feel his breath on her neck, which made her heart race with anticipation and delight.

  “Look at me, Nat. I won’t bite.” There was a long pause before he said, “Hard.”

  She stopped the moan before it passed her lips. Damn him for tempting her in such a fashion. But she kept her back to him.

  “Look at me,” he demanded softly.

  She could never refuse him when he used that smooth baritone filled with sensuality and the promise of exquisite pleasure.