Tumult (TSS Series Book 1) by Lea Hart (23)

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

Tuesday, November 21

New York City

Audrey walked into the Tasty Dumpling, grabbed a table, and considered herself lucky that she’d been stuck in court until after the lunch rush. The small restaurant close to the courthouse was one of her favorites and she was looking forward to spending the next hour with Kelly and decompressing.

The trial she’d been involved with for the last two weeks was tedious due to all the expert witnesses she and the other attorney had been calling, and while she felt she had a decent chance of winning, she couldn’t be completely sure.

Taking off her coat, she slung it over the back of her chair and settled herself at the small table. The warm, steamy interior of the restaurant made her realize how long it had been since she’d had dim sum and she was looking forward to the meal.

Hearing Kelly’s voice, she looked up and saw her friend approach and waved. “Thanks for coming down here to meet me for lunch.”

Kelly slid her cape off and collapsed into a chair. “I swear, I must love you something fierce to come down here in the middle of the day.”

“I know, and I appreciate it. I’m going to be stuck in court for the rest of the month and this is the only time of day that I can see you.”

The waiter approached and Kelly rattled off their usual order and then turned back to Audrey and rested her face on her hand. “You look tired.”

“Thank you.” She smoothed down her hair and then crossed her legs. “If I’m not in court, then I’m writing, and all my usual beauty rituals have gone by the wayside.”

“What about the nightmares, are they still a regular thing?”

Moving her hair off her shoulder, she nodded. “At least one a night since I got home.”

“Have you talked it over with Carrick?”

“Absolutely not.” Laying her hands on the table, she studied her nail polish. “I thank God that I didn’t fall apart until I got home. There is no way he needs to know that I’m having difficulty processing the day in Raqqa.”

“That doesn’t make any sense because he could probably offer you some advice on how to process the experience.”

“I don’t want him to worry and fuss at me.”

“Denial is only going to make it worse and if you won’t talk it over with Carrick, then I’m making an appointment for you with my shrink.”

“I’ll think about it.”

“Please do because the last thing you need to do is let this thing fester.” 

“I know. On a happy note, my writing is going well, and I’m almost done with the first draft. It’s been three weeks since I got home and some of the initial impressions are already starting to disappear, so I’m glad I powered through it while they were still fresh.”

“What about Carrick, is he still fresh in your mind or has his allure begun to disappear as well?”

A pot of hot tea was delivered to their table along with an order of dumplings. “I wonder which one this is?”

Kelly shook her head as she poured them each a cup of tea. “The fact that you’re evading the question tells me he’s still got ahold of you and you have no idea what to do.” 

Picking up her chopsticks, she rubbed them together and pretended that getting rid of any slivers was of the utmost importance. When they were as smooth as silk, she picked up a dumpling and shoved into her mouth. Seeing Kelly’s smirk told her that putting her off wasn’t going to work for long.

“You haven’t said much about what happened between you two, and that leads me to believe it meant more than you thought it would. Keeping mum on the subject will not lessen its importance and make it magically disappear.”

Wiping her mouth, she leaned forward and smirked. “I don’t need to say a thing because you have it all figured out.”

Kelly picked up a dumpling and pointed it at her. “Is he really that bad or are you just scared out of your mind?”

Sighing, she lifted her cup of tea and took a sip. “He’s actually completely amazing and that’s the problem. I thought we’d just end up having a short, torrid affair and that would be the end of it, but he won’t let it go. Every night, he calls, texts, or facetimes to check in. He hasn’t missed a day since we parted in Ankara, and that included the week he spent in Malta.”

“He was in Malta?”

“Yes, and I have no idea why; he said I didn’t have the clearance, so as far as I know, he could’ve been doing just about anything.”

“Who goes to Malta?”

“The CIA, PMCs, and a lot of shady figures.”

“But he called you.”

“Yes, every night.”

“Have you guys…”

“If you think I’m going to divulge what has happened with us intimately, then you are out of your ever-loving mind.”

“Which answers my question. My very proper friend is having phone sex with her hot boyfriend and doesn’t want to admit it.”

The waiter delivered another plate and gave them both a strange look before he departed. “Thank you for sharing that with everyone in the restaurant.”

Kelly looked around and shrugged. “Meh, they couldn’t be less interested.”

Scooping up some of the spicy cucumber salad, she ate it and wondered if what they had done the other day would constitute phone sex. They had been facetiming, so she thought it was probably called something else. Feeling her face heat from the memory, she cleared her throat and wondered why Carrick was so adept at making her lose her inhibitions. It was like he had the key to her sanity and could unlock her hidden desires with just a slight flick of his wrist.

“So, when are you two going to see one another again?”

“We don’t have any immediate plans to get together. I’m busy with the case and writing and he’s been traveling almost constantly. He has suggested that I come and visit him when I’m done, but I don’t know.”

“Are you kidding me?” Kelly asked with a laugh. “A hot man wants you to go to Coronado and stay with him at his house close to the beach and you aren’t sure?” Holding out her hand, she wiggled her fingers. “Hand me your phone.”

“What for?”

“So I can accept for you.”

“No, thank you, your meddling won’t help.”

Eating the last dumpling, she shrugged, and then wiped her mouth. “I bet you’re making more out of this than there is. Why can’t you enjoy the affair and not worry about how it will turn out?”

“I was more than happy to have something casual with him, but he’s said some things that lead me to believe he’s not seeing this as a short-term thing. In fact, he’s said just about the opposite, so I don’t want to do anything that might lead him on if that’s not what I’m interested in.”

“Just to play my favorite role of devil’s advocate—why couldn’t something long-term happen between the two of you? Does he have some sort of horrific habit that you haven’t told me about? Is the sex just so-so and you don’t want to bother? Is he boring and uninteresting?” Tapping her chopsticks on her plate, she looked up at the ceiling. “I know, he only likes the missionary position.”

Letting out a snort, she folded her hands. “No, definitely not a missionary guy.”

“Thank God because, if he was, it would rock my faith in humanity if all that alpha testosterone was good for just a pump and dump.”

“Where do you come up with these expressions? Jeeeze.”

Another plate of dumplings was delivered, and Kelly looked around the restaurant. “Unlike you, I hang out with mostly creative and colorful people and like to pay attention to what the latest lingo is. It makes things interesting and I like to be on the cutting edge.”

Audrey lined up the bottles of condiments and then looked over at her best friend. “Something happened between us that has never occurred with anyone else and I’m not sure if it was the adrenaline from the trip that made it happen or…”

“If this is the man for you?”

Nodding, she felt a weariness wash over her shoulders. “In a way, I don’t want to find out and just leave all the lovely memories as they are. What if I see him again and it’s not a big deal? What if the magic and connection that I felt was just a one-time thing?”

“What if it isn’t?” She put her hand over Audrey’s and raised an eyebrow. “You have never been a wimp and I think you’d really regret not finding out if what you two made is possible in everyday life.”

“Maybe after I’m done writing the book, I’ll think about seeing him.”

“I have a feeling that he’s not going to wait that long and may just show up on your doorstep one day soon and force your hand. He didn’t strike me as someone who waits around for things to happen; he seems more of a ‘tear the world apart, so his will can be imposed on it’ type of guy.”

“Yeah, I know you’re right.”

Lifting the plate of dumplings, she smiled. “Eat because I think you’re going to need your strength.”

Lifting a dumpling, she nodded in agreement. If and when Carrick came for her, she had no idea what she would do. Hopefully, if it happened, some sort of answer would reveal itself.

***

San Diego

Carrick walked into the conference room of Titan and dumped his tablet on the table along with copies of the after-action reports he’d just completed. Hearing footsteps, he turned around and saw Andrew walk in and do the same thing. “Did you finish your paperwork?”

“Yes, and I dislike it now as much as I did when we were in the Navy.”

“At least we can autofill a lot of the answers on the ones we’re required to file for Titan.”

“Being a civilian has more than one advantage,” Andrew commented as he took a chair. Leaning back, he scrubbed his face and let out a groan. “I have no idea what time zone I’m in or whether I should be sleeping or not.”

“We were in Tanzania day before last, and they’re eleven hours ahead of us, so we should probably be sleeping instead of guzzling coffee.”

Andrew rubbed his shoulder and then lifted his coffee cup and drained it. “I just need to stay awake for another eight hours and I’ll be golden.”

“Are you heading home next week for Thanksgiving or did you put yourself on the active roster?”

“I’m heading home because my sister informed me that I haven’t been back in four years and I’m a stranger to my niece and nephew. Considering she’s a master at applying guilt, I’m heading back and going to reacquaint myself with my family. What about you?”

“I’m thinking of heading to New York to spend it with Audrey. She can’t get out of the city because she has to be in court the day after, so I think it would be a perfect time for us to reconnect.”

“Really?”

Carrick took a seat and then rubbed his hand over his jaw. “Yeah, really. I don’t know why you find it so shocking that I might want to spend the holiday with her.”

Hitting the table with the flat of his hand, he let out a laugh. “You have never wanted a woman in your life for more than a couple of days, so don’t pretend that your behavior is typical.”

“You saw us in Turkey and Syria, do you really think that I would let a woman like that slide through my hands?”

“Honestly, I really didn’t think you had the relationship gene in you. Audrey is a terrific woman and a hell of a catch, but you’ve never been interested in catching anyone.”

“I think that’s true of most men until they meet the one. She’s not like anyone I’ve ever met, and it has taken a lot of damn work on my part to convince her to keep in touch. She wasn’t all that interested in staying in contact after the trip and the only reason we’ve managed to is because I call or text her every night.”

“Damn, had no idea. I thought she might be the one moving the thing along.”

“Hell, no. She’s digging in her heels and throwing up every roadblock she can think of. It’s damn irritating, and if I’m being honest…I may have to up my game so she stops it once and for all.”

Laughing, Andrew shook his head. “And how are you going to manage that?”

“Not any of your business.”

“Not that I know shit about romance, but you may want to add some flowers or something, so she doesn’t feel like she’s on the sharp end of your sword. I’ve seen you when you up your game and what works on the battlefield might not work with a woman.”

Before he could reply, Rear Admiral Foster walked in and looked between the two of them. “Everything all right?”

“Sure, Andrew was just offering his relationship advice.”

“That sounds dangerous,” Foster replied. “I checked the schedule and I see you both have signed yourselves off the active duty roster. Any chance I can talk either one of you into rethinking it?”

“Is it vital to national security?” Andrew asked.

“No, a client from the North Carolina office has a requirement and I told them I’d see if we could make someone available. It’s a personal security assignment, so it’s an easy one.”

“I’m headed home,” Andrew commented, “I don’t feel like listening to my sister complain if I cancel, so I’m going to respectfully decline.”

“I am too, sir because I’m headed back East to see my girlfriend.”

Tapping his knuckles on the table, he nodded. “Good enough. I’ll let the office know.”

“What are your plans for the holiday?” Carrick asked.

“My daughter has invited me to join her and Frisco for dinner. Unfortunately, Chance won’t be able to join us because he’s on active duty with HRT.”

“It’s great to see you and Brooke reconnect,” Carrick commented.

“It’s been a long time coming and I’m grateful to have a chance of having a place in my daughter’s life again.”

Carrick watched the emotion cross his commander’s face and knew his words barely scratched the surface of what he was feeling. He’d been all but estranged from both his kids for more than ten years and the fact that Brooke was willing to give him an opportunity was a damn miracle. Standing, he handed him the after-action reports. “That’s the last of the reports I owe you.”

Taking them, he nodded. “Thank you. I checked the training schedule and it looks like you two have agreed to take the next set of classes, so let me know if you need anything.”

“Roger that,” Andrew replied as he handed him his reports. “A week in-house is exactly what I need right about now.”

“Makes sense,” Foster replied. “The last thing I want is burnt-out operatives. We didn’t let it happen when we were employed by the government and I’m sure as hell not going to let it happen here. There will always be demand for our services, but I’m not risking you men to satisfy corporate directives.” He nodded to them both and then walked out of the room.

Carrick let out a chuckle. “He’s the same commander now as he was when we were on the Teams. His men always came above everything and that included some of the fucked-up assignments we got.”

“It was because he was an active SEAL for close to fifteen years before he became a commander. He knows what it takes to complete a mission successfully and never much cared how much push-back he got from the brass.”

“True.” Lifting his tablet, he decided to start looking for flights. It was time to see Audrey and he didn’t much care how many arguments she gave him against the idea. In fact, he wasn’t going to tell her, and he’d make it a surprise. That way, when he saw her face, he’d know for sure how she felt. Her words couldn’t get in the way and her eyes would tell him everything he needed to know.

Hell, what had happened several nights ago told him how strong their connection still was. When he’d started to tease her, he had no idea if she would go along, and when she did, it had blown his mind. Along with another significant body part.

Smiling, he thought about what their reunion was going to be like and wondered if he’d last until next week. He missed the shit out of her and not just physically. All the conversations they’d had over the last month had reaffirmed that she was his perfect match. Not only could they talk about inconsequential mundane things, but they could exchange ideas about world events. They came at most things significantly differently, but it didn’t bother him. In fact, it made things interesting because she was open-minded and was always interested to hear what he had to say. Even if she disagreed with it.

Which made him want to listen and understand her point of view. For the first time in his life, he didn’t feel the need to be right and, as far as he was concerned, that meant he was evolving. Since it was probably way past due, he tried not to make a big deal about it.

When he looked at the flights, he decided to take the redeye out on Tuesday, that way he could go to court and see Audrey in action. Thinking of what her face was going to look like when she caught sight of him made him laugh.

“What’s funny?” Andrew asked.

“Just thinking about how surprised Audrey is going to be when I show up.”

“You’re living on the edge, my friend. I hope it doesn’t blow up in your face.”

“Not a chance,” he replied confidently. “She’s going to love it.” He clicked on the flight and started inputting his information. In one week’s time, he was going to be headed to New York, and he could hardly wait.