Page 75 of Operation Protector
Colby dug back into the memories of those days when his father had read the philosopher strategist to him. “When we are able to attack, we must seem unable…”
“Exactly.”
He nodded slowly, but with a wince. As if she’d read his mind, Ali said softly, “What about Grace? She’ll think he’s giving up, too.”
His jaw tightened at hearing it put into words. Just the idea of his girl thinking he wasn’t going to fight for her, that she wasn’t worth everything to him, up to and including dying for her, made him even more determined.
“You still have your three hours tomorrow, right?” Hayley asked.
“Unless she tries to yank that, too,” Colby said grimly.
“Then we need to decide if we’re going to tell her anything about the plan,” Quinn said.
“I think we have to tell her something,” Ali said. “We can’t just let her think Colby’s given up on her. She already said she’d run away, and I think that might tip her over the edge.”
She already knew his girl so well. Much better than the mother did. “Ali’s right.”
“That’s putting a lot of weight on a seven-year-old,” Quinn said, sounding wary.
“But a very smart, very special seven-year-old,” Ali said firmly.
“All right,” Hayley said, briskly now. “But we have to keep it to a minimum. The less she knows, the less she can give away under pressure.”
“I’d say we should meet up here,” Quinn said, “but if she’s followed you on these visitation days before, she might be triggered enough to do it again now. We’ve been lucky so far, but…”
Colby nodded. “You’re right. If she’s edgy enough about Ali to tell Grace she can’t even play with a couple of dogs next door, she’s on guard and will be watching closely.”
“So you’ll need to take her someplace open, public, where people go,” Quinn said. “She still hasn’t seen Teague, or me, so we can be in the area without raising suspicion.”
“I’m glad you didn’t say without attracting attention,” Hayley said to her husband, with a glance full of a very pointed kind of heat.
Colby might not be the most tuned in to nuances, but even he didn’t miss the twitch at the corner of the imposing former Army Ranger’s mouth or the heat that flared in his gaze. Colby risked a glance at Ali, who had one of the sweetest smiles he’d ever seen on her face as she watched the couple. He couldn’t blame her, they fairly reeked of “this is forever.”
And suddenly, like a misguided hammer blow, it hit him. Why she’d looked so odd when he’d told her about Cutter’s track record in the matchmaking department.
Every couple he’d mentioned had gotten married or was about to. Did she think he was implying that the same thing would happen with them? Was that what had had her so rattled?
The images that thought paraded through his mind were breath-stealing. And unexpected. He’d never really thought about getting married again, had thought himself a charter member of the “once burned, forever shy” group.
But this was Ali. And Ali was different. Special. Real. True.
He could have gone on for ages with all the things she was. And somewhere down deep he knew that he was as right about her as he’d been wrong about Liz.
And what better to build a life on?
Chapter 34
Ali thought she’d never seen a couple so in tune, so well matched. She and Josh had been great together, but they’d never had this sort of communication-without-words thing.
“—decide where you’re going to take her,” Hayley was saying, making Ali tune back in. “Someplace public, but not crowded, so you can talk without being overheard.”
“And you’ll have to convince her how crucial it is that this is kept secret,” Quinn added. “She’s been good so far, but this is the crunch. You’ll have to tell her in a way she won’t forget.”
“The lighthouse,” Ali said suddenly. They all looked at her. “She’s talked about it, that it’s so close but she’s never seen it.”
“I… She never said she wanted to,” Colby said.
“I think when she’s with you, she doesn’t care about anything else,” she said, trying to explain the idea that had hit her. “But if you take her there, she’ll remember because it’s the first time for her, and you can tie it to what you’re telling her. That it’s…it’s the light in the darkness, and like it, you’ll always be there for her.”
