Page 12 of Deserving Cora
Cora nodded. “Callen Kaufman. Former Night Stalker Army helicopter pilot. He was shot down in the Middle East with his copilot, Jack ‘Stone’ Wickett—who also co-owns The Refuge with you and your other friends. They were held for a couple of weeks while the terrorists tortured them and filmed it all.”
Pipe blinked. Then smirked. “Stalker,” he joked.
Cora couldn’t help returning his smile, but it quickly faded. “I needed to know if you guys could really help me find and rescue Lara.”
The humor fell from Pipe’s face. “If you truly believe sheneedsto be rescued from wherever she is, and our skills are needed, trust me, you want Owl to hear your story. He doesn’t have as much experience as the rest of us with boots on the ground, but he’s smart. It’ll help to have his input.”
Every instinct was screaming that Cora could trust the man in front of her. He’d been nothing but gentlemanly and courteous. He didn’t have to walk her home. Didn’t have to buy her dinner. But here he was. Though…she didn’t believe for an instant that Pipe couldn’t plan a rescue mission by himself.
“Okay,” she said after a long pause. This had been her goal from the moment she’d realized one of the owners from The Refuge would be at the auction. She’d wanted a chance to talk to one of them, to plead her case. To explain what was happening totwoof The Refuge owners was more than she ever dreamed she’d get.
They continued to walk, stopping at a hotel just down the street from where the auction had been held. It wasn’t fancy. A chain hotel Cora herself sometimes stayed at when she traveled, which wasn’t often.
Pipe opened the door and he led her up an escalator to the deserted restaurant on the second floor, toward a table in the back. He sat, gesturing for her to do the same.
“Um, are we supposed to be here?” Cora asked nervously, looking around at the empty tables and the semi-dark room.
“It’s fine,” Pipe assured her. “Not going to take you to my room, that would be disrespectful,” he said as he typed out a text on his phone.
Cora stared in surprise as his concentration remained on the screen in front of him. Many men wouldn’t have thought twice about taking her to their room, even if theyweren’tplanning on making a move on her. In her experience, guys were largely clueless to the things women went through to stay safe. It wasn’t that they were unsympathetic; they just had no reason to worry about walking across an isolated parking lot, getting in an elevator with a man, walking up an empty stairwell, being anywhere alone in the middle of the night, getting gas, and a million other everyday scenarios.
But she probably shouldn’t have underestimated Pipe. He wasn’t like most men, which was precisely why she’d wanted his help.
“Owl’s on his way,” he told her.
“I’m still not sure why you think he needs to be here.”
“I told you, I’m not a good planner.”
“I don’t believe that for a second,” Cora said firmly. “You wouldn’t have been in the SAS if you sucked at that kind of thing.”
Pipe shrugged. “You’d be surprised. The military the world over is the same. They need foot soldiers. Men and women willing to give their lives if necessary, without question. Just like any organization, there are those who excel at thinking and those who are best at doing.”
Cora frowned. “And you’re saying you were an unthinking robot who simply did what he was told?”
His lips twitched. “Not exactly.”
“I know you realize by now that I did my research on you and your friends,” she said, wanting him to understand why she was here with him.
“Yeah, you made that clear.”
“I don’t think I did. Pipe, I live in Washington, DC. You know how many military guys there are around here? Generals? Special Forces? Even private security, people who’ve spent years guarding the freaking President of the United States. Not that I know them personally, but I could’ve used my six thousand dollars to hire one or more of them. I didn’t. You know why?”
She had Pipe’s full attention now.
“One, because the people Ididcontact only wanted my money. Didn’t seem to care about Lara as a person. But mostly because I wanted the best. I wanted someone who would take this as personally as I do. Who would believe me when I told them my best friend was in trouble. Not someone who’d just take my money, do a shit job researching her situation, maybe a little recon, and then tell me they couldn’t help.”
“How do you know I won’t do just that?”
“Because of Alaska,” Cora said softly. “And Jasna. And Reese. You and your friends…you’re protectors. Not only of all the men and women who come to stay at The Refuge, but especially for the people you love. I’ve read all about how you guys used your skills to help the women who now live at the resort with you. And while you don’t know me, or Lara, I instinctively knew without a doubt that you’d do whatever it took to help me bring her home.”
Pipe stared at her for so long, Cora struggled not to squirm in her seat. But she tilted her chin a touch higher and refused to give in to the unease swimming in her veins. She’d spent her life being judged, and she didn’t care about this man’s opinion of her, as long as he agreed to help Lara.
Refusing to admit she was lying to herself about caring what Pipe thought about her, Cora waited for him to say something.
“I can’t promise you anything,” he finally said.
“I know.”
