Hostile Ground (The Arsenal #7) - Cara Carnes Page 0,107
few hours won’t hurt and enough of us know sign language to communicate with him,” Johnny said. “We’ll watch out for him.”
Addy could tell Kristof was torn. She touched his thigh. “Let’s make his last memory of Russia a happy one. Or, as happy as it can be.”
“You’re right.” He looked at Gavriil. “And the missing Sidorav leaders? Were they found?”
“They were, along with a few others who’d escaped,” Gavriil said.
Which meant their mission business was resolved for now. She shifted the conversation back to the planned fishing expedition. “And you’ll come?” Addy asked Gavriil. “I can ask Zoey if she has any more pictures of Stacia. She said she was going to try and get a few more.”
“You know the way to a man’s heart.” His gaze shimmered. “I’ll be there as soon as I can. I’m thinking Olaf isn’t the only one you’re trying to make happy memories for.”
Addy shrugged. Kristof’s entire existence had revolved around avenging his mother. Then Olaf. And apparently her. The last part unsettled her because she wasn’t used to someone caring that much about her. Sure, she had her teams and the girls, but no one outside her work world had ever cared about her enough to avenge her.
Kristof leaned in and kissed her lips. “Thank you for including him. Today is a new beginning for us all.”
It was. Anticipation hummed through her veins.
24
Kristof loaded the packed picnic basket onto the small boat. Anticipation warred with unease when he made his way across the yacht’s deck and found his quarry.
“Are you gonna let that little fish kick your ass?” Shep taunted.
“Shut it,” Johnny growled as he worked his fishing pole. “You haven’t done much better.”
“That’s because he’s not even trying,” Addy said with a grin. She sipped her beer. As if sensing his presence, her gaze cut to him. Her eyes softened when she smiled outright. “Hey. I was wondering where you disappeared to.”
“I had a few things to gather,” he replied. “I have a surprise for you.”
Addy’s eyebrows lifted. Beast and Thunder both chuckled. She punched Cracker’s shoulder when he joined in.
“What kind of surprise?” She sing-songed the words. Each one surged blood into his dick.
This was the playful Addison he’d fantasized about often. Relaxed. Comfortable. Curious.
He moved forward, stood between her legs and wrapped his arms around her. Silky hair streamed through his fingers as he pressed her head against his torso. “I’m kidnapping you.”
“Oh? Not sure it’s a smart move to warn me,” she teased. “I’m pretty good at taking an opponent down, you know.”
“Are you going to resist?” His dick hardened. Their mock wrestling last night had been brief because of his injuries. Once he was healed…
He took a deep breath as the realization hit him. He’d already come to terms with the decision to leave Russia because he couldn’t imagine a life without Addy. She was worth the risk of starting over.
“Not sure a kidnapping is a smart play,” Marshall said as he joined the group. “We should stick together in case there are some targets still out there.”
Kristof tightened. He’d expected a disagreement but hadn’t thought about the potential risk of his plan. All he’d wanted was some time alone with Addy.
“They’ll be fine,” Beast said. He took a pull from his beer. “Go. Relax. Do whatever. We don’t want the details.”
“She’s got a tracker and they can both handle themselves,” Gage said as he joined the group. Arms crossed, he looked at Kristof. “We may as well talk about this now. Jesse thinks Olaf should wait another two or three days before coming to The Arsenal. Mary agrees.”
Marshall’s eyebrows furrowed. “I wasn’t expecting that. Another three days here wasn’t the plan.”
“It still isn’t,” Gage said. “I think we should pack our teams up and head back home. Kristof and Addy can cover security here.”
“We aren’t leaving her behind,” Beast said.
A gleam appeared in Gage’s gaze when it returned to Kristof. His eyebrow lifted, a silent challenge for him to weigh in. He didn’t understand why the man was suggesting all the teams leave without Addy, but Kristof was fully on board with the idea.
“My men and Gavriil’s can provide any additional protection needed,” Kristof said. “They’ve proven they’re up to the challenge.”
“They have,” Shep said with a sigh. He glanced over at Addy, who’d kept her head rested against his stomach. “What are you thinking, Red?”
“I want to stay. Kristof and I can take care of ourselves.”