Chapter 4

CHAPTER FOUR

"I'm not so sure about this plan," Wren told Safe with a small furrow in her brow.

It was around three in the afternoon, and Safe was sitting on the couch, with Wren back in his recliner. They'd heard back from Jessyka a few hours ago, who confirmed her purse had been found in the bar, but her keys were missing. And her driver's license. Which was super creepy. Safe could picture the guy rifling through a purse specifically for those two items. It put a menacing spin on his actions that gave him the chills.

Wren had given Safe as many details as she could about her apartment complex, and then he'd pulled it up on a satellite map program he used for the Navy. He'd scoped out the surrounding streets and figured out the best way to approach her apartment without having to drive up to the complex on the main street. He had no idea if Matt was watching for her to return, but he wasn't going to take any chances .

Yes, drawing him out might make it easier to figure out who he really was, but he would never use Wren as bait. He had confidence that Tex would find out his real name and give the info to the police so Wren could press charges. The last thing he wanted was for Wren to have to face the asshole today, when everything that happened was still so fresh.

Now they were relaxing—or trying to—and waiting for night to fall before heading over to her place. Kevlar had apparently talked to Preacher, because he'd called Safe and informed him that he was going to come with him and Wren to her place. Safe was happy for the backup. He didn't need the entire team, that would make them more conspicuous, but he could use Kevlar's assistance.

"What aren't you sure about?" he asked Wren.

"Um…everything? Bo, you're acting as if there are gonna be bad-guy Matts hanging out on every corner and under every bush. You seriously want to climb up to my second-story balcony and break in through my patio door? That's…crazy!"

"If this Matt guy is hanging around, the last thing I want is him seeing you," Safe said calmly.

"But if you're with me, there's no way he'd do anything."

"Seeing me with you could actually set him off. His big plan didn't go the way he wanted it to last night. I just don't want him doing anything rash."

"Like climbing onto my balcony and breaking in?" Wren muttered.

Safe thought she was kidding, but now he could see she was honestly concerned. He leaned forward. "I can be a lot," he told her seriously. "I get a little too excited about things sometimes. You should see me around the holidays with my sister's kids. I go overboard every year. Buy too many presents, go over to their place at midnight and tromp around the yard in my boots…hell, I've even bought reindeer poop on the Internet and sprinkled it in various places in their yard and on their roof."

A smile formed on Wren's lips. "Let me guess, your SEAL training has helped you never get caught."

"Of course," Safe told her. "And while this might seem a little overboard…"

One brow raised, and Safe shrugged.

"Right, it probably is overboard. This Matt guy could have stolen stuff out of your purse solely to terrify you. To make you uproot your life and move out of your apartment, or even out of town, all while he's actually long gone. But…what if he's not?"

Wren's expression wiped clear of any kind of amusement.

"I just want you to be safe. I can't stand the thought of you walking into your apartment and this asshole getting his hands on you."

"Why? You don't know me," Wren said quietly.

"Honestly?"

"Always."

"You're right, I don't know you. But there's just something about you. And I know that sounds like a line, but it's not. A part of it is because you came to me for help, because I was the one in that hallway when you needed assistance. But it's more than that. I've dated my share of women. And you know how many of them thought my choice of breakfast cereal was appropriate?" Safe didn't give her a chance to answer. "Zero."

"I'm not sure sharing a love of sugary cereal is a reason to be going as out of your way for me as you are," Wren said with a shake of her head.

"It's not just that. It's you talking with my teammate for a full twenty minutes and not thinking it was weird. It's me going overboard with this infiltration of your apartment thing, and you not immediately walking out the door. It's you not freaking out after you woke up in a stranger's house this morning and giving me the benefit of the doubt. It's simply talking to you, Wren. Your blunt honesty and the way you cut straight to the point. You're…interesting. That's a lame word, but it'll have to do for the moment.

"There hasn't been one second today when I've second-guessed what the hell I'm doing. Wishing I could take back my invitation to have you stay here for a while. I feel as if I've known you for years, and yet I get little butterflies in my belly every time you smile at me. I sound like I'm a schoolkid with my first crush, but…well…I like you, Wren."

Safe wanted to kick himself. Too much, too soon. He sounded like a psycho. But he wouldn't lie to this woman. There was something about her that had caught his attention from the get-go. And being around her today hadn't dampened his interest in the least. It had only grown.

And he still didn't know a damn thing about her.

Was this normal? No.

Did he care? Also no.

"I'm not normal," Wren told him with a completely straight face.

Safe couldn't help it—he laughed. Using that particular word only made him realize they were on the same wavelength .

At the look of hurt she quickly tried to hide, Safe said, "I'm not laughing at you. Honestly. It's just…I'm definitely not normal either. I spent hours today planning an infiltration of your apartment as if it was a life-or-death situation deep in the heart of enemy territory…and I had fun doing it. I don't want normal, Wren. I want…companionship. Fun. Someone who lets me be my weird self, but who still knows when to tell me to tone it down. I want loyalty, support, and someone who's just proud to have me as her man. As proud as I am to have her."

Okay, this conversation had gotten way too deep, and now Safe felt like an idiot. It was too soon. Way too damn soon.

"It's just…I didn't have a good childhood," Wren admitted. "My teen years weren't much better. I'm almost thirty, and I haven't found even one person I can trust implicitly. Because of that, I constantly look for the bad in people before the good, and yet I'm stupid enough to not learn my lesson and come back for more even when I get screwed. I'm not a good bet, Bo. And you seem like the kind of good guy who deserves a woman who isn't…broken."

Safe wanted to take this woman in his arms more than anything. But he also didn't want to freak her out. "My sister, Susie, was roofied in college and gang-raped by three men."

Safe closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Jesus. So much for not freaking her out.

He opened his eyes and met her gaze, not surprised by the shock and concern he saw there.

"She was devastated. I was pissed. Beyond pissed. It took her a long time to get over what happened. She pressed charges, and the men were found guilty…thanks to the video on e of them took of the entire incident. It was on his phone. He'd deleted it, but it was still in the cloud. Watching that video in court was the hardest thing I've ever done in my life. And that includes every single mission I've ever been on. Seeing those assholes violate my sister while she was unconscious made me want to kill all of them. Seriously. I almost attacked them in court. But I didn't…because it would have hurt Susie even more if her big brother went to prison.

"Now, my sister is married, and they have two of the most adorable kids on the planet. My point is, it wasn't easy for her. She couldn't trust either. She always looked for the bad in men after that. And yet…today, she's happily married with a family. It's still not easy sometimes. She doesn't like to be out after dark. She can't and won't do the Halloween thing with her kids, because it requires being out after dark, and because adults wearing masks give her the creeps. Meeting new people is still difficult for her, especially men. And she doesn't ever go to bars anymore. She simply can't be around so many men while they're drinking. And yet she's one of the strongest people I know.

"Our experiences shape us. They make us into the people we are today. You, Wren, wouldn't be the woman I want to get to know better, if you hadn't gone through whatever you've gone through. I don't know what happened to you, but I hope I earn enough of your trust for you to tell me one day. Whether I do or not, I have no doubt it's made you into the strong woman I see before me right now. Despite your difficulty trusting others, you weren't sitting at home, feeling sorry for yourself. You were attempting to meet people, to find someone to be your partner in life, like all of us do. And when that date went wrong, you didn't just sit at that table in Aces and accept your fate. You fought to get help.

"I'm not asking you to marry me here, Wren. I'm just asking for you to let me help you. To get to know you better. It's much more likely you'll want to kick my ass to the curb long before I want to do that to you. For now, we can just be friends if you'd like. That's it. If you can put up with my quirks, I'll give you a safe place to stay while my people find this Matt asshole. Then you'll go back to your apartment and hopefully we can stay in touch, and we'll go from there. Okay?"

Safe knew he'd said too much. Had gone on and on and on. But this was important. He felt that down to his toes.

"What are their names? Your sister's kids?"

Safe blinked. After all he'd word vomited, that was her question? "Anders, who is five, and Inez, who's three."

"Oh, those are unique names," Wren said.

"Weird, you mean," Safe said with a small smile. "And don't worry, she'd agree with me. But she wanted her children to have unique names that would stand out. They're great kids. Happy, healthy, and curious as all get out."

"They live here in Southern California?"

"In Ohio, actually. I wish they were closer, but I make the most of the time I get to spend with them when I can."

Wren licked her lips, then nodded. "Okay."

"Okay?" Safe asked.

"I'd like to be friends. Stay here for a while and…then see what happens."

Safe beamed. "Awesome."

"And, Bo? "

"Yeah?"

"I might have given you crap about going overboard in planning a mission to my apartment, but I have to admit…it all sounds kind of fun. Do we get to wear black clothes and put black goo on our faces to blend into the darkness?"

Safe laughed. "Dark clothes, yes. The other stuff, no. It's so damn hard to get off."

"That's what she said," Wren muttered under her breath.

For a moment, Safe wondered if he'd heard her right, and when she blushed and looked up at him, he realized he had. He couldn't hold back the belly laugh.

This woman…He had no idea what she'd been through in her life, he didn't doubt that it wasn't good, but she wasn't broken. She was resilient, just like his sister. And nothing she might've said or done in that moment could've drawn him to her any more. He wanted a strong woman. Someone who wouldn't break at the slightest bit of adversity thrown her way.

"Sorry, that wasn't appropriate," she said.

"It was hilarious," Safe countered. "You'll hear a lot worse from my friends. They try to be good, but we're military guys who hang out with other military guys and deal with some pretty bad shit. We tend to say whatever comes to mind, which isn't always appropriate. Come on, I need to find you something to wear other than your pretty outfit."

Wren gave him a small smile, and her cheeks pinkened again. Safe had the thought that she hadn't been complimented enough, if his words were enough to embarrass her. He made a mental note to rectify that.

He stood and stepped toward his recliner and held out a hand. She smiled wider and took it, and he helped her up. Holding her hand in his felt…right. But since he didn't want to make her uncomfortable, he let go as soon as she was upright.

They stood there for a beat, staring at each other. It took every ounce of discipline Safe had not to lean down and kiss her, but they'd just agreed to be friends. He couldn't screw that up right out of the gate.

Turning, he said, "Come on, follow me and I'll find you one of my T-shirts. It'll be too big, but we can tie it at your waist or something. Pants might be more of an issue, but maybe Susie left something here that'll work. She's constantly forgetting clothes in the guest room when she comes to visit."

"Bo?"

"Yeah?"

"If I forget to tell you later, thank you. For everything."

"You don't have to thank me for doing the right thing."

"Actually, I do. Because most people wouldn't go this far out of their way to help a stranger."

"We aren't strangers anymore, remember?" Safe said.

"Right. Friends."

"That's right," he agreed. Even though he wanted more, he'd settle for being this woman's friend…for now.