Shades of Gray

CHAPTER 25

P.J. tried to get off the plane by herself, but even she had to admit defeat. Her leg was like one giant exposed nerve. Perspiration beaded her forehead and upper lip and she was clammy. Her breathing was shallow and rapid, and she wasn’t sure if she needed to puke or pass out.

After trying to take two steps, her knee buckled and she nearly went down. Cole was there to catch her, and without saying a word or bitching at her for attempting to walk, he simply swept her up and marched off the plane.

She nearly groaned aloud when she realized they’d flown into Henry County, which was the Kellys’ home airfield where they kept their jets hangared.

She was pleasantly surprised, however, when Cole whisked her into a waiting SUV. None of the Kellys were present. No one from KGI had met them, which meant there was no lecture to endure. Maybe her team would escape unscathed from all the trouble she’d caused.

Steele stuck his head in the door after Cole had laid her in the backseat.

“If you need anything, holler, Cole. I’ll be checking in periodically. Keep your ear to the ground and trust your instincts.”

“You heading home?” Cole asked their team leader.

Steele shook his head. “I have to give report to Sam.”

P.J. cringed. So much for her team not having any fallout. “I’m sorry. You shouldn’t have to answer for me.”

Steele eyed her coolly. “Who says I’m answering to anyone? And moreover, who says it’s about you? I make the decisions on this team and I stand behind every one. If there’s anything to be said, it will be said to me. Not my team.”

As he shut the door, Cole glanced in the rearview mirror. “And that’s the law according to Steele.”

P.J. smiled. “He’s a total badass. I love that about him.”

Cole snorted. “You would.”

“You’re a pretty big badass yourself, Coletrane. I like it.”

“Glad you approve,” he said dryly. “Now, what do you say we get the fuck home and eat some decent food. I wouldn’t feed my dog the shit we’ve eaten the last few days.”

“You have a dog?”

“Nope, but if I did, I’d feed him better than we’ve been eating.”

She laughed. “Can’t argue with that. What’s for supper?”

He glanced in the mirror again as he pulled onto the county road leading away from the airfield. “It’s a perfect evening. I was thinking about grilling some steaks on the back patio and counting fireflies over the pond.”

She closed her eyes and grabbed the image he described. It was so perfect it made her ache. “I’d like that,” she said softly. “I’d like it a lot.”

“Don’t think we’ve forgotten about the hospital bit. Just in case you got your hopes up.”

She scowled and he chuckled back at her.

“I convinced Steele that dragging you now wouldn’t accomplish anything other than making you more cranky than you already are. I promised him I’d get you to Fort Campbell tomorrow morning first thing but that tonight I was going to get you to relax and enjoy a good meal.”

She was besieged by the awkward funny feeling in the pit of her stomach, the one that squeezed her heart and caused butterflies to flutter her insides. She hadn’t felt this silly since her first crush in junior high.

“Thanks, Cole. I appreciate it. I’ll feel much better about taking on Cathy tomorrow.”

His eyebrow rose in question. “Who’s Cathy?”

“My partner in crime,” P.J. hedged. “She’s the one who helped me fly the coop last time. I met her a couple years back. As much as we’re in and out of Fort Campbell, we ran into each other, started talking. She’s probably the closest thing I have to a friend.”

Cole frowned at that. “You have friends.”

P.J. smiled. “I meant girl friends. I don’t have any girl friends. Cathy’s older than I am, but she’s great. She even gives me shit about not respecting you navy guys enough. She’s former navy herself.”

“She gets a hooyah from me then. Although I’m going to have serious words with the woman about busting you out of the hospital. That was a stupid move.”

She didn’t respond to that one. Maybe it was. Maybe it wasn’t. But at the time it was what she had to do. She couldn’t very well try to analyze her state of mind at the time because she was honest enough to know she had been a head case. Cathy knew it too, but she hadn’t tried to tell P.J. she was wrong, and for that she was appreciative.

No one had broached the subject of seeing a shrink yet. She was just waiting for it. She knew the wives of the Kelly men, and even Rio’s wife, Grace, had been through some heavy shit. She respected them for it. They weren’t shrinking violets for women. They knew how to kick ass in their own way.

Shea especially had P.J.’s deep respect, and P.J. suspected that she and Nathan’s wife could be friends if they ever hung around each other long enough. Shea had taken a lot of pain and torture on Nathan’s behalf. She’d helped him survive hell and was the sole reason that he was home with his brothers after spending months imprisoned in the Middle East.

She doubted she’d ever fit into the Kelly inner circle. That was reserved for their wives, and the Kellys were fiercely protective of them. But did she want to? Had she reached a point in her life where she wanted to fit in somewhere and have a network of friends to lean on for support?

Months before she would have said emphatically no. She liked her life the way it was. She did her job, she went home, no one bothered her.

But how much of that was a product of what had happened on her S.W.A.T. team? She had to admit, she’d been pretty young and idealistic when she’d landed a spot on the team. Not only had she been the first woman, but she’d also been the youngest recruit ever for her particular team.

She’d had to work twice as hard to earn the same respect as the men, and she thought she’d gotten there. She thought she had their loyalty. She’d been more crushed than she wanted to admit at the time. When she’d realized how naïve and just how wrong she’d been, it had been humiliating.

When she’d hired on for Steele’s team, she’d gone in expecting the worst and she trained accordingly. Gradually she’d relaxed, but she’d never let her guard completely down. Not like she’d done with her S.W.A.T. team. She’d assumed way too much with them, and she was determined not to make the same mistake again.

But Cole and her teammates were slowly proving her wrong. They’d stood behind her. Her team leader had stood behind her even at the risk of his own reputation and position within KGI.

That meant something, didn’t it?

Yeah, it meant a damn lot.

“You asleep back there, P.J.?” Cole called back. “We’re almost there.”

She sat up, gingerly pulling herself upward so she could see out the window. She hadn’t been asleep but she’d sure been in another world contemplating her circumstances.

The SUV slowed and Cole turned onto a dirt road that was marked only by a county road number. There were no residences on the road. Only a thick stand of pine and hardwood.

At the end it opened up into a cleared area where a small house stood. In the back, a huge pond spread out for several acres. It was practically a small lake.

The house wasn’t entirely what she would have expected. Maybe she’d thought he’d have gone for a more rustic look, but the home was modern looking with brick and wood and large picture windows. It looked cozy and inviting, and it fit in well with the landscaping.

Neat hedges that looked newly trimmed. A lawn that looked as though it was freshly cut. Several smaller trees dotted the open ground, and several azalea bushes and other flowering varieties lined the edges of the house.

“You own all of this?” she asked.

He pulled the SUV to a stop in front of the house, not bothering to park in the garage.

“Yep. Bought a hundred acres from a paper company who was selling off land in the area. Same company Sam got all the KGI property from. They pulled out of Tennessee. Got a pretty good deal on it. I cut enough timber to pay for the land and then built the house and had the pond dug.”

“So who keeps this up for you? You’re not home enough to take care of all this.”

He laughed. “I have a guy who comes by when I’m away.”

“Nice bachelor pad. Do you have the prerequisite man cave going on in there?”

He went quiet and then didn’t respond. He got out and then opened the passenger door behind her.

“I don’t want you to move, okay? I’m going to put my hands under your arms and pull you my way. It’ll be easier than you trying to maneuver your body around and banging that leg up.”

She didn’t argue.

His arms slid under hers and his hands splayed over her chest and belly. Then he started easing her backward until her ass hung off the seat. He rotated around so he could put one arm underneath her knees and then he lifted her effortlessly from the backseat and elbowed the door shut.

“I’ll get our gear later. Right now I want to make sure you’re comfortable and get some pain medicine in you.”

She frowned. “I don’t want to sleep through the steaks and fireflies.”

He laughed as he carried her toward the door. “Don’t worry. I’ll give you just enough to take the edge off. I don’t want you snoring through dinner either.”

He set her down on the front porch, careful not to let her put any weight on her leg. Then he unlocked the house and shoved the door open.

“Can you make it inside or you want me to carry you?”

She very nearly blurted that she wanted him to carry her, but how wussy would that sound?

She only had a few weeks to get her shit together, and she wouldn’t accomplish that by having Cole treat her like an invalid.

Bracing herself for the inevitable flash of discomfort, she took a step, holding on to the doorframe so she didn’t humiliate herself by going down.

She clenched her jaw and took another step, finding it easier if she just kept moving rather than pausing after each step. Cole hovered at her side, no doubt waiting to see if she face-planted.

Gratified that she was still on her feet and not kissing the floor, she grew a little bolder and limped into the living room.

The leather couch looked inviting, and she made it her sole purpose to get to it as soon as possible so she could sink into the waiting softness. She was already imagining a long nap with that sumptuous-looking leather hugging her body.

A few muttered curses later and she was there. Knowing there was no graceful way to settle in, she let herself fall awkwardly onto the cushions. She grimaced when the impact jostled her leg, but then she pulled it up so she could lie on her side comfortably.

She let out a huge sigh of relief and closed her eyes for a moment. This was good. Perfect, even. She could totally stay here the rest of the day. Except they were supposed to grill steaks and watch fireflies.

“Give me an hour,” she said to Cole. “Just want to rest here for a little while. Then we’ll go out and watch the sun go down.”

He smiled and reached down with his hand to touch her cheek. It was such a simple gesture, but it was sweeter than any kiss or more overt sign of intimacy.

“Take all the time you need. I’ll go take stock of what’s in my freezer.”