5. Selene

5

SELENE

E verything is happening so fast, I can’t keep up. Between the camera Dane found and the masked intruder, my home has been thoroughly violated.

But the prospect of leaving it still makes me hesitate. Dane looks up from his phone and glares.

“Why are you still standing there? Start packing! C’mon, move it, move it, move it.”

I put my hands on my hips and glare right back.

“Excuse me? This isn’t boot camp, and you’re not my drill sergeant!”

Dane’s face twists into a frustrated grimace.

“We don’t have time for me to be pleasant, just pack up some of your shit and let’s go. That guy could be on his way back, with friends. We can’t stay here.”

“Just pack up my shit?”

He groans and rolls his eyes.

“I didn’t mean it like that. We don’t have time for this.”

He pushes past me and throws open my closet.

“What the Hell are you doing?” I demand .

He ignores me, grabbing a wheeled suitcase and tossing it onto the bed. He yanks the zipper apart and then drags open my chest of drawers. In horror, I watch as he grabs handfuls of my clothes and wads them into the suitcase.

“Knock it off!”

I grab a silk cami before he can destroy it.

“You can’t just crumple everything in there because you’re mad and impatient.”

“I’m not mad!” he snaps, but then he closes his mouth and lapses into silence. His green eyes grow thoughtful. He releases my clothing from his grasp and goes to the window. Dane drags the curtains closed, peering intently out a tiny crack before moving on to do the same in the rest of the house.

I take the wadded clothes out of the suitcase and pack more thoughtfully. He was giving me plenty of undershirts but not much else, for heaven’s sake.

“Whatever they want from you, it’s important.”

Dane comes into my bedroom just as I’m zipping up the suitcase. He’s trying to hide it, but I can read the tension in his body. Dane continuously glances at the windows as if expecting armed men to come crashing in at any second.

“What makes you say that?”

“They had to be watching this place, so they must have seen the police. They still made a move on you, despite the heat.”

“Is that why you’re on the verge of freaking out?”

He flinches, and hesitates just a moment too long before answering.

“I’m not on the verge of freaking out. I just want to get us out of here, quickly.”

He’s lying. If a badass SEAL sniper is worried, then I’m extra worried. I don’t dawdle any longer. With my suitcase stowed in the back, we take off toward the freeway.

“How long have you been doing this?” I ask.

“Doing what? Driving?”

I roll my eyes and let out an exasperated sigh .

“No, you dingbat, how long have you been doing this security gig?”

“It’s my first day.”

I wait for the punchline, but apparently he’s not making a joke.

“Wait, so this is really your first day? And you’ve already had to fight a masked gunman?”

He shrugs. “It’s nothing compared to Hell Week.”

“But someone just tried to kill you... How can you be so calm?”

“You get used to people trying to kill you after a while...”

A shudder travels through my body, enough to make my teeth chatter.

“I hope I never get to that point. No offense.”

“None taken.”

We drive in silence for a time. He’s a tough nut to crack. Dane plays his cards close to his chest. I feel compelled to try and draw him out anyway, and I have a feeling it will be good for him.

“So, Dane, how long have you been out of the service?”

“About forty-eight hours.”

“What?” I cock an eyebrow at him. “You just get out of the Navy, and your first move is getting into a bar fight and taking a job? I would have thought you’d be trying to get laid or something.”

The truck swerves slightly into the other lane. He quickly corrects our course and laughs anxiously.

“Yeah, well, nobody ever said I was the smart one in the family. Harlowe got all the brains, and I got all the brawn.”

My gaze snaps over to him and an incredulous snort forces its way out of my mouth. He glances over at me for a moment before looking back at the road.

“You sound skeptical.”

“Let me tell you something, Dane. You might have everyone else fooled with this big, dumb bad boy hottie act, but not me.”

He cocks an eyebrow at me and laughs.

“Shrewd judge of character, are you?”

“Don’t scoff at me, big man. People think doing movie makeup is about covering up, but it’s really about bringing out. You’re trying to bring the actor’s personality to life. And you’re not stupid. In fact, I think you’re quite intelligent.”

Dane laughs, the muscles in his neck and face relaxing.

“That’s the first time anyone has ever used that word to describe me.”

“Oh? And what words do people use to describe you?”

“Hmm. Mostly they’re four letters long.”

He flashes a grin at me, verdant eyes glinting. It’s hard to breathe, when he looks at me like that. It’s stupid to even think about him that way, with my brother missing and me in danger. But I can’t help it.

I laugh obligingly, but wind down quickly. Dane looks my way, his expression suddenly sober.

“Hey. It’s okay to laugh, even though you're worried about your brother. When you’re in a war, it can be easy to think you need to keep a desperate sense of urgency all the time. But that will get you killed. You stay ready, but you let yourself be human, too.”

“Navy SEAL, detective, bodyguard, and now philosopher,” I say, a smile tugging at my lips. Jesus Christ, he’s so hot. I feel like I could just stare at him and sigh for hours. “Is there no end to your talents?”

His voice drops an octave, and he sets me on fire with his gaze.

“Maybe you’ll get a chance to find out.”

Oh, how my skin burns. I can feel the flush of scarlet rising all over me. I squeeze my thighs together and sit up a bit straighter in my seat, carefully not looking his way.

“I guess I walked right into that one,” I say stiffly. “Just when you were starting to grow on me.”

Dane looks confused for a moment, but a smile quickly returns to his face.

“Well, you egged me on when you called me a hottie.”

My jaw drops open. “I did not call you a hottie.”

“Yes you did. You called me a bad boy hottie or something.”

My pulse quickens. Damn it, I did.

“It just sort of slipped out. Don’t read too much into it.”

He chuckles, and gives me hunter’s eyes. I shudder under the intensity. I would probably explode but he turns his gaze back to the road.

“I’m not reading much into it at all, other than you objectively find me attractive.”

“What?” I sputter, half laughing and half choking. “You’re so full of crap! You’re the one who’s attracted to me.”

Why the Hell did I say that? Not much of a comeback. Especially when he takes the venom right out of it.

“I never said that I wasn’t.”

I fidget all over again, twisting my ring around in circles, staring at my hands.

“If you say so.” I have to swallow the lump in my throat before I can speak again. “Where are we going, anyway?”

“My bug out bunker.”

“Your what?”

“It’s a small compound I own outside the valley. Nothing too fancy, but I doubt Moreno’s men will think to look for you there.”

I re-appraise him in light of this new information. Dane takes notice of my change in expression.

“I know what you’re thinking, Selene.”

“Oh? Did they teach you to read minds in the Navy?”

“No, but it’s written all over your face. You’re wondering if I'm one of those survivalist doomsday people.”

“The thought did cross my mind,” I admit.

“I’m not, or rather, I don’t take it to the point of paranoid delusion. I just believe in being prepared in case a situation comes up where I need to lie low. Like this one.”

“Hey, I’m not judging you, man. I’m really not. I’m grateful you have this place. I’m assuming it’s a lightless cave bunker with zero amenities?”

“It’s just a hole I scratched in the ground with a sharpened stick.”

I wait for him to laugh, but he’s got a great poker face.

“You’re so full of shit.”

Then Dane does something unexpected. He laughs, for real, not holding anything back .

“Maybe,” he says, a genuine smile on his face for the first time. “Guess you’ll have to wait and find out.”

I lean back in the seat and chuckle.

“Guess I will.”

I guess I’ll have to wait to peel back more of his layers, too. But now, at least, I know Dane has them.