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now.
Oh, well, pardon me for interrupting. I ll just leave you to it then, since you don t have anything
else to worry about other than zombies. Isn t there someone after you?
Low blow, Taggert. Danny, turn it off please. It s obvious he has something to say, Kelly said
quietly.
She moved off the floor to a sitting position on the bed and Danny turned off the TV. Danny
gave T. J. a hard look. That was a dumbass thing to say.
There was a look of shame on T. J. s face, but he masked it quickly before speaking in a brisk,
military-like tone. All right, I took a bit longer than I expected, but I have everything set up. Three
tickets to leave for Barbados tomorrow night.
What time is the flight? Kelly asked. Do we go through JFK in New York or Miami?
It s at ten p.m., and New York is closer and quicker.
So that means we should arrive in Barbados around three or four a.m. barring delays?
Danny piped in, What about the other aspects of our little trip?
It s all in place. I have a Sergeant in charge of it on this end. He s going to monitor any flights
out of Charlotte for our destination, especially any with military discounts or titles. He ll get the
flight manifest and send them directly to me, and from there, we should be able to narrow the
search down. It s the end of September now, and from what I hear, there s a lull in tourism,
especially in the Caribbean.
Meaning what, exactly? Kelly asked.
Meaning there aren t many flights out of Charlotte to Barbados, and he ll be easy to track,
Danny supplied. He knew exactly where T. J. was going wit this plan, and it was ingenious.
Uh, one little question. He s been smart enough to keep the cops and you off his trail. Don t
you think he ll figure it out?
Kelly, that s not the point. If he figures it out, I m assuming that he s so obsessed with you,
he ll still follow you.
Or he ll think we re so stupid for thinking that we could hide you from him that he ll come to
prove us wrong. Either way, we have him, Danny added.
And I m the bait?
We ll be right there, bait, Danny said and fondly patted her on the head. She smiled at him and
punched him in the arm, a gesture that caused him to grin. Kelly was a trip to be around, even in this
hard time.
With a sweet smile, T. J. said, You ll be able to forget your troubles on the beach.
You reminded me a few minutes ago that I should keep my mind on my troubles. Someone
after me, remember? Kelly replied in a surly voice. No need to try to butter me up. This is a
mission, and I know that.
Ouch, Danny said under his breath and hid a smile. Oh, you stepped into it now, buddy.
I m tired. Could you two go talk somewhere else?
They walked toward Danny s door and looked at her before going into his room. Behind them
they heard the door click.
Good going, T. J. Why d you have to go and bring her down? Danny smacked T. J. upside the
head lightly.
I didn t do anything. I just saw her with her head in your lap, and it irked me a little. That stuff
just slipped out. And keep your big mitts off me.
Uh-huh, so you were jealous?
No, he said hastily. I just . . . well, it bothered me, okay!
The man doth protest too much.
I m not protesting, I thought it was inappropriate.
Why was it inappropriate? Danny drawled. He sat back and watched T. J. pace the room.
Will you forget it, Danny?
Okay, then I guess when we are on the tropical island I can dance to the conga with Kelly. She
probably looks great in a bikini with that
At T. J. s low growl Danny laughed, his assumption about T. J. s feelings for Kelly was right on
the ball. Face it, lieutenant, you got it bad for the little Caribbean momma in the next room. He
laced his fingers behind his head and looked at T. J. squarely. So either you do something about it
or watch other men drool over her when she walks down the beach.
I m supposed to protect her, Danny. It s against the rules.
Fuck the rules, she s not a soldier. She s a woman, a woman who s afraid and getting mixed
signals from you. Figure it out, and quick, because she has goddamn feelings for you. Be with her or
let her alone!
Since when did you become her defender?
Since now. She makes me feel like a big bother, man, and I ain t going to see her hurt, so think
on that. Danny held up one big hand and folded it into a fist. Or this will be the mitt you ll be
feeling next, T-man.
Remember who taught you all those combat moves. T. J. grinned.
Yeah, but I m still bigger than you, and a brawler. They had a mutual understanding and their
friendship was important. Teasing about a fight was something they did from the old days back in
the service together.
We ll get dinner uptown later, so I m going to get showered and chill a while.
Knock when you re ready to leave, Danny said.
* * * *
T. J. went through the door to the hallway and went to his room. He didn t want to disturb her,
and he didn t think he could face her yet after how he had reacted. She had wanted to forget for just
a little bit, and he had acted like an idiot. He looked at the door that separated his room from
Kelly s. When he tried the doorknob, he discovered she d locked him out as well. He ran his hand
through his hair in frustration and flopped down on his back on the bed.
His life had been so simple, and then Kelly just blew in like one of the hurricanes that whirled in
the ocean before destroying an island. Now he didn t know which end was up where his emotions
were concerned. He knew he couldn t get her out of his mind, out of his dreams. He had woken up
with a hard-on almost every night even when he hardly knew her. The shimmer of her skin was like
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