Page 10 of Protecting Bree
“Because he knows all about you and your situation.I’ve kept him briefed over the last several months,” Smiley told her. “He has the ability to take me out of deployment rotation, and I need him to agree to do so. The best chance I have of getting him to do that, is by letting him hear your story firsthand.”
Bree stopped dead in the hall and turned to him. “Wait—why would younotwant to be deployed?”
Smiley couldn’t tell if she was kidding or not. “Seriously?”
“Yes.”
“I already told you, until this asshole is caught, I’m not letting you out of my sight. And if I get deployed, I can’t make sure you’re safe.”
“I’m not your problem, Smiley. I mean, yes, I’d like your help but in the end, what happens to meisn’tyour responsibility. We don’t even know each other!”
“You once made a three-layer birthday cake for your neighbor’s five-year-old daughter because she couldn’t afford to buy one.”
Her brows instantly scrunched down. “Huh?”
“You always worked overtime for coworkers when they needed time off. You regularly went in early and stayed late,” Smiley continued. “You visited the retirement home down the street from your apartment every other week.”
“Smiley…”
“I know you,” he told her. “I’ve spent the last several months learningeverythingthere is to know about you. I’ve talked to your neighbors, your coworkers…everyone and anyone I could, trying to figure out where you could’ve gone. Where you were hiding. Not one person had anything bad to say about you.”
“Then you must not have talked to the old fart wholived in the apartment beneath mine. He always complained that I walked too heavily. That I stomped around purposely just to disrupt his life,” she murmured.
“Ididtalk to him,” Smiley countered. “He was shocked that you’d disappeared. Yeah, he told me that he bitched about you walking too loudly, but admitted that he only did it because you’d bake him homemade cookies to apologize. And since his wife died a few years ago, and he can’t cook to save his life, he missed having home-baked sweets.”
“Oh my God,” Bree whispered.
“Iknowyou,” he repeated. “And as far as you not being my responsibility, I suppose you’re right. But that doesn’t mean I don’twantyou to be. The man who’s hunting you was going to take Josie away as well. Anyone who hurts one of our own isn’t allowed to get away scot-free. And thelastthing I’m going to do is allow him to take someone else who’s important to me—you. So I’m going to circle the wagons, use every resource I have to make sure you’re safe, and take that asshole down. But in order to do that, I have to behere. Not in a foreign country taking out some terrorist.”
Bree blinked—and Smiley was alarmed to see tears in her eyes.
“Oh shit, don’t cry. I can’t handle it.”
She let out a cross between a snort and a chuckle. “You take out terrorists on a regular basis and don’t bat an eye, but you can’t handle a few tears?”
“No.”
“If you ever have a daughter, she’s going to have you wrapped around her little finger.”
“I don’t want kids,” he blurted—then wanted to smackhimself in the head. This wasn’t the time or place for a conversation about hypothetical future children.
“You don’t?”
“No.”
She stared at him for so long, Smiley shifted uneasily.
“Are you saying that because of all the research you did on me?”
Smiley frowned. “I don’t understand.”
“I don’t want children either. Most people think I’ll change my mind once I fall in love. That my biological clock will start ticking or something. But…I don’t think I will. I’ve never felt a need to have kids. I love them, like playing withotherpeople’s kids. But don’t want any of my own.”
That was the moment Smiley knew this woman was meant for him. He already lusted after her. Was intrigued by her. Was desperate to make sure she was safe from the asshole searching for her. But hearing that? Hearing her say exactly what he felt in regard to kids?
He was done for.
“I didn’t know that about you,” he said.
