She knew Jake’s people believed they were close to finding who had made the threats against Zach, but she was also aware that Jess thought they would make a move soon. So Dani kept herself wary and just sipped at the sangria Zach had ordered.
“You’re not on duty,” he said and refilled her glass.
“I know.” She forced herself to relax. This was likely to be a one-off—why not enjoy it? She tuned out the people all around her; she’d gotten good at that in the army, where privacy was limited. Instead, she concentrated on Zach. “So what’s bothering you?”
A smile flickered across his face. “Trust you to go for the straightforward attack.”
“Well?”
For a minute, he gazed over her shoulder, then he looked her in the eyes. “I don’t want you to go back into the army.”
She jerked back at his words, knocking her glass and spilling the crimson liquid onto the tablecloth. Dabbing at it with a napkin, she tried to come up with a suitable response. She’d believed they had an unspoken agreement that they wouldn’t discuss the future. But maybe Zach wasn’t working to the same rules. Or more likely, he was a natural-born rule-breaker.
“I might not even go back to Afghanistan,” she said. “I could be posted anywhere.”
“L.A.?”
She blinked while she tried to make sense of his comment. “I don’t think so. What’s this about?”
“I…” He smiled. “Nothing. Leave it. We’ll talk some other time.” He pushed his plate away. “We should have brought swimming things. You want to walk—go kick some surf?”
The beach was crowded. It was the height of the season, but she loved the salt tang in the air. When she was little, up until twelve, her family had gone to the seaside each summer and the smell brought back bittersweet memories.
“Why not?” she said.
She hadn’t found a dress; instead, she wore shorts and a T-shirt. She kicked off her flip-flops and picked them up. Zach took her free hand in his and they strolled along the sand. She was aware of people watching them, but that would happen wherever Zach went. They were probably wondering what he was doing with someone like her.
The surf was cool against her bare toes and she pressed herself up against his side. “Is this normal enough for you?” she murmured.
“Maybe if I can zone out the big guy with the disapproving stare behind us.”
“He is a little hard to ignore, isn’t he? But he’s good at his job.”
A couple. A normal couple. Is that how he thought of them? She couldn’t get her head around it; it didn’t fit into her worldview at all. And what had he meant by his L.A. comment? Did he want to see her again? She couldn’t see how that would work once she was back in the army. She could visit him on leave—though it would be hard once she was deployed.
Did she want to see him again or was this something she should put behind her? She’d always considered it as a timeout from real life. Now he was suggesting they make it real.
But Zach didn’t do commitment and she couldn’t bear to see him with other women after what they had been to each other.
Not if she was armed. She might shoot one or both of them.
She didn’t like that she felt possessive—that wasn’t supposed to happen.
But then nothing was turning out as she’d thought. Maybe no-strings sex didn’t work for her. And she didn’t want any strings; certainly she didn’t want to care for Zach. She had a disastrous track record with people she cared about.
No, it was best to keep things light and then her world wouldn’t collapse when he left her, as he no doubt would. Because she wasn’t the only one with a bad track record. Zach was still the same person. He’d never committed to a woman in his life. Why would he start with her? How could she even consider changing her life for a man who would no doubt eventually get bored of her and relegate her to the very overcrowded ranks of his ex-girlfriends turned just friends.
A scream pierced the air, ripping her from her less-than-happy thoughts. Dani turned to stare out to sea, immediately on the alert. A woman was in the water about fifty feet out, clinging to the ropes that cordoned off the beach area and pointing at something close by. A capsized dingy.
“My daughter!”
Dani searched the water and caught a brief glimpse of a bright blond head before it disappeared beneath the waves. She hadn’t noticed that the wind had picked up, but the sea was quite rough now, breaking against her knees.
Without thinking, she tossed her shoes to the ground and jumped headfirst into the surf, swimming strongly toward where she’d last seen the girl. She was vaguely aware of Zach close behind her, but she concentrated hard on the spot. When she reached it she dived, but found nothing. She came up for air and glanced toward the woman still clinging to the ropes. “I can’t swim,” the woman gasped, pointing at a spot to the left.
Dani dived again, her eyes straining through the gloomy water. Finally, she caught a glimpse of red—the girl’s swimsuit. She could feel the tug on her lungs, signaling the need for air. But she couldn’t give up. She couldn’t fail. Not this time.
Her fingers snagged in the long blond hair and she tightened her fist around it, dragging the girl toward her and pushing to the surface. She came up gasping and lifted the little girl’s head above the water.
Dani could detect no sign of breathing, and she swam strongly for the shore.
She laid her on the sand and knelt by her side. She looked about six, the same age Sam had been…
Pinching the girl’s nose, Dani breathed air into her mouth. “Come on,” she muttered.
Finally, a choking sound. Dani crouched back on her knees as the girl rolled onto her side, retching as she spewed up the seawater she’d swallowed.
Dani closed her eyes for a second, weakness flooding her system. “You okay?” she asked.
The girl nodded, then sat up, blinking her huge blue eyes just as her hysterical mother descended on them, dragging her daughter into a merciless hug.
The last of her strength oozed out of Dani, and she sagged. A large, tanned hand stuck in front of her. She grasped it and allowed Zach to tug her to her feet. He wrapped her in his arms and pulled her close. He was wet. His clothes clinging to his body. So was she.
“Hey,” he murmured. “You did good.”
She smiled and burrowed her face against his chest, content to be close.
“Thank you.” The woman’s voice spoke from behind them, breaking the moment. Dani peered around to see the woman still clutching the girl to her side as though she couldn’t bear to let her go. “I thought it would be safe, but then the sea got rough and the dingy capsized, and I thought… Thank you.”