She continued to stare at him with a distrustful frown on her face.
Phantom wasn’t a gentle man. And he wasn’t known for having the most tact, but it was important she understand he was doing this for her benefit. “I’ve rented a small house right on the beach. It’s on the North Shore of Oahu, a Navy SEAL I know found it for me. You’ll have a room to yourself, I have no intention of bothering you. I’ve seen more than my fair share of shit in my life, and trust me when I say that listening to the ocean and taking the time to center yourself is the best thing you can do right now. When you’re stronger, when your bruises have faded and you’ve put on some of the weight you’ve lost, you can go home in a better frame of mind.
“I’m not saying you’re a prisoner. If you really don’t want to stay, I’m not going to force you. But I think if you give it a chance, you’ll find that you really do need the time to decompress. There’s no rush to tell anyone that you’re alive. This might sound cold, but…everyone thinks you’re gone, Kalee. They’ve grieved. Taking a few weeks to find yourself, to relax and figure out what you want to do next, isn’t going to hurt anyone. But rushing home and realizing that you can’t deal with the people, with the crowds, and trying to figure out your life amidst chaos, could hurt you. And you’ve been through enough as it is.”
Phantom held his breath waiting for her reaction. If she truly didn’t want to go to Hawaii with him, he’d get her a ticket to California, but he wouldn’t be happy. He felt in his bones that she needed the calm of the ocean and no responsibilities in order to get her equilibrium back, time to fight her demons. Because he knew she had them. She had to.
After what seemed an eternity, Kalee nodded once.
Relief spread through Phantom. He gestured toward the documents in her hands. She hadn’t even looked at them yet. “My name is Forest Dalton, but no one calls me that. I’m Phantom to my friends and teammates. I’m on a Navy SEAL team with five other men, my best friends. Rocco, Gumby, Ace, Bubba, and Rex.”
Kalee looked around as if to ask, where are they?
“They couldn’t come,” he told her, stretching the truth. “It’s just me. I had a pretty good idea where you were, thanks to my computer-expert friend, and my plan was to come in, get you, and get the hell out. You’ll meet them sooner or later, especially since Piper is married to Ace.”
Kalee didn’t say anything, but she did look down at the documents in her hands. She took her time, examining his IDs as if she could tell if they were fakes simply by looking. He had the feeling she was memorizing as much information about him as she could…just in case it turned out he didn’t have her best interests at heart.
Little did she know exactly how much he really did care. She couldn’t know that he wouldn’t hurt her. That he’d do whatever it took to get her home safe and sound.
He’d been obsessed with finding Kalee for months, but from the second Phantom had put his hands on her back at the dilapidated building where she’d been holed up, he knew he was in trouble.
Phantom had spent his entire life distancing himself from people, women especially. After what his own mother and aunt had done to him, he hadn’t ever felt a connection with any females.
Kalee was different. He’d known it before setting foot back in Timor-Leste. And the feeling was becoming stronger with every minute he was near her.
He cared about her. More than he’d ever cared about a woman before. And it wasn’t the same kind of feeling he had for Avery, Zoey, and the others. It went deeper. He wanted to stand between Kalee and anything or anyone who might dare try to hurt her.
Taking a breath and pushing his feelings down deep inside him, Phantom concentrated on the task at hand. Namely, making sure Kalee felt safe enough to shower and change and then fly to Hawaii with him.
Looking at his watch, Phantom saw they had only about three hours until the embassy opened. It was important that they not miss the flight that was leaving later that afternoon. He needed to check in with Rocco and Commander North. Prove that he was in Hawaii like he’d said he was. Of course, if they checked flights, they’d see he’d done the exact thing he’d been forbidden to do, but fuck it. Kalee was with him. Safe. He’d do exactly the same thing a hundred times out of a hundred if the outcome was the same.
Phantom rummaged in his backpack once more and pulled out a set of clothes. They’d be a bit large, as he’d estimated her sizes based on what she used to wear, but they should still work until they could get to Hawaii and find something else.
He walked over to the dresser—trying to ignore the way Kalee took a small step backward—and put the clothes down. Then he walked back over toward the bed, making sure not to block her access to the door. “I brought some things for you to change into. The less people who see you wearing the black clothes the rebels are known for, the better. There’s a shower down the hall, it’s a communal bathroom, sorry about that. But it’s early still and there won’t be many people up and about. I’ll stand outside and make sure no one bothers you while you’re getting changed.”
Kalee’s green eyes stared at him with an intensity that was almost unnerving. He had the feeling she desperately wanted to say something, but whatever demons she carried still had a firm grip on her and wouldn’t allow it.
She walked over to the clothes and picked them up. Phantom could see her hands shaking, but she nodded at him in agreement.
The pride he had for her grew exponentially. He didn’t know what had happened to her while she’d been in captivity, but trusting him couldn’t be easy.
Phantom motioned for the door, and she walked to it and entered the hallway. Just outside the door, she put her back to the wall and waited for him to pass her. Phantom knew what she was doing. It was always better to keep your eye on the enemy. Putting her back to him by walking in front of him would be inviting an attack.
The thought of someone hurting Kalee made Phantom’s fists clench, but he immediately relaxed, refusing to give the woman any reason not to trust him. The time for her to turn away from him in disgust would come soon enough. But he wanted her safely on American soil before that happened.
He led the way to the bathroom and, when he got there, turned. “Wait here, I’ll make sure it’s empty.”
She frowned and gestured to the large sign on the door that said WOMEN ONLY.
Phantom chuckled but ignored her concern. He didn’t hear anyone inside and was relatively certain it was empty. But he needed to make sure.
In five seconds, he returned to the hall. She hadn’t moved. “It’s clear. Take your time, Kalee,” he said softly. “We have a little while before we need to set out for the embassy. You’re safe. I’ll be right out here in the hall. No one will come in, including me. You have my word on that.” He stared into her eyes, willing her to believe him.
He saw the doubt on her face, but she nodded anyway. Phantom took a few steps away from the bathroom door, and she quickly walked past him and disappeared into the bathroom.
Sighing, Phantom leaned against the wall with his arms crossed. A scowl took over his face and he pressed his lips together.
He should be feeling on top of the world that he’d found Kalee as easily as he had, and that he hadn’t had any issues getting her away from her captors. But it was more than obvious that while he might’ve rescued her, Kalee had one hell of a mountain to climb if she was going to be able to transition back to her life in California.