The second thing she noticed was the woman who came out from one of the garage bays to greet them, wearing coveralls and wiping her hands on a rag. Bree wasn’t sure what surprised her more—the fact that the woman appeared to be a mechanic or that she was strikingly beautiful. Dark hair was pinned haphazardly on top of her head; her nearly colorless eyes were framed by long, thick black lashes.
The tow-truck driver greeted the woman by wrapping his big hand around her tiny waist, pulling her close, and giving her a brief but passionate kiss that left Bree breathless.
“Take care of her, will you?” he said to the woman, nodding in Bree’s direction. “I’m going to pull the rental around back.”
The dark-haired woman watched him walk away, her eyes gleaming with feminine appreciation and stark possessiveness. Bree had to admit, there was a lot to appreciate.
“I’m Nicki,” the woman greeted with a friendly smile once the guy was out of sight. “Come on into the office, and we’ll take care of business.”
Bree followed her inside. The office was neat and tidy and surprisingly clean. Nicki sat down behind the metal desk and indicated that Bree should take a seat, too.
“Got a driver’s license and a copy of the rental agreement?”
Bree produced both and handed them over. Her curiosity got the best of her. “You’re a mechanic?”
“Among other things,” the woman answered with the hint of a cryptic smile.
“I haven’t met many female mechanics.”
Nicki looked down at the license she held in her hands. “You’re a long way from home, Gabriella.”
“Yes, I am.” Bree smiled politely. “And it’s not been a great trip. How long do you think it will take to get a replacement rental?”
“If you’re planning to stay in the area, we can give you a loaner,” Nicki explained, reiterating what the tow guy had told her earlier.
“I’ll be in Sumneyville for the next few days.”
“That’ll work. Business or pleasure?”
“Business.”
“What kind of business, if you don’t mind me asking?”
“I work for the Sentinel Voice. I’m here to do a piece on Sanctuary. Do you know of it?”
“I do,” Nicki confirmed.
Bree waited for her to say something more about them, but she didn’t. Apparently, Nicki was immune to whatever made other people want to overshare.
“What kind of car do you like to drive?”
Bree thought of the cars she’d glimpsed when they pulled in and the curvy mountain roads she’d be traveling. “Got something a little sportier than an economy subcompact? Maybe a convertible?”
Nicki’s smile was absolutely wicked. “How do you feel about American muscle?”
Chapter Six
Cage
“Thoughts?” Church looked at each of those assembled in what they called the war room.
The once-ballroom now functioned as their center of operations. It was where they discussed and planned and held impromptu meetings about things, such as renovation plans and the recent request for a public interview.
Church’s expression was as unreadable as ever, but Cage sensed he wasn’t particularly crazy about the idea. Sanctuary was a private facility. As SEALs, they’d accomplished the majority of their missions quietly and efficiently and were handling Sanctuary the same way—without fanfare, without wanting or expecting recognition.
“It could be good publicity,” mused Doc, though he didn’t sound stoked about the idea either.
“Or it could rise up and bite us on the ass.” That was from Smoke, who avoided public interaction whenever possible.
“Do we know anything about this ... what’s it called? Sentinel Voice?” Heff asked.
“It’s legit,” Cage confirmed, tapping away on one of the many computers in the room and scrolling through the results. “National circulation, based on the West Coast. They appear to cover a variety of issues deemed politically significant as well as exposés and shit.”
“So, what do they want with us?” Mad Dog wondered aloud. “How’d they even hear about us in the first place?”
“That’s the question, isn’t it?” Doc said, rubbing the blond stubble on his chin. “What we’re doing here is important, but it’s hardly front-page news.”
“Maybe they’re looking for a feel-good story,” Heff suggested. “Something to counteract all the bad news these days.”
“I find it hard to believe someone is going to fly across the country to do some feel-good, vanilla piece,” Smoke said somberly. “They’re looking for stories, and I, for one, am not keen on sharing mine. I doubt anyone else here is interested in sharing theirs either. This is supposed to be a safe space, remember?”
Not a big talker by nature, Smoke’s string of consecutive sentences illustrated just how strongly he felt about the subject. Murmurs of agreement followed.
“We don’t need the publicity,” Mad Dog added thoughtfully. “We’ve already got more applications than we can fulfill. At this rate, we’ll be adding another wing.”
“Besides, if we do okay this thing, there’s the possibility that the interviewer is going to want to talk to some of the locals, too. Depending on who they tap, that might not be a good thing.”
More nods and murmurs followed Heff’s statement. While they had the support of many of the people in Sumneyville, there were those who wanted to see Sanctuary fail and were undermining them by quietly casting doubts and suspicions on their true purpose. At first, it’d appeared to be only a select few, but after the kind of shunning both Sandy and Kate had experienced, they realized it was a growing problem. Some whispered rumors had even gone as far as suggesting they were nothing more than borderline psychos with lethal training.
“Good point,” agreed Doc. He turned back to Church. “It sounds like we’re in agreement. Decline the interview. Cite respect for the privacy of the guests or some shit like that.”
“It might not be that easy,” Church said, his lips pulling into a thin line. “I got a call from our friends in Pine Ridge. Sean Callaghan towed a rental that broke down on the back road between Pine Ridge and Sumneyville. A woman who told Nicki that she worked for the Sentinel Voice and was headed to Sanctuary.”
Cage shifted, the image of a woman with glossy, dark curls and glittering eyes coming to mind.
“She’s here?”” Heff asked, frowning.
Church nodded. “Apparently.”
“That’s a little presumptuous, isn’t it?” Doc asked. “Coming out here before we’ve even responded?”
“She must have been on her way when she made the request through the website.”
“It’s smart,” Heff said thoughtfully. “Probably figured it would be harder for us to say no that way.”
“Better to beg forgiveness than ask permission.”
“I bet she’s attractive, too.”
“She is,” Cage said without thinking.
As one, they turned narrowed eyes his way.
It was Church who asked, “You’ve met her?”