Heart of Duty by Natalie Debrabandere

Author:Natalie Debrabandere [Debrabandere, Natalie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-02-14T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER

16

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Quinn did not mention that she had struggled with debilitating guilt on top of the other symptoms she listed. Evan Alvarez was a battle-hardened reporter already by the time she’d embedded with her squad. Street-tough and funny, she felt like one of the guys after her initial two-weeks of tagging along with the team. Yet, Quinn never forgot that she was her responsibility. As well as whatever mission she was tasked to accomplish, she was also supposed to keep the reporter safe. To bring her home in one piece. And she had failed. Before the road transfer to the British FOB, Alvarez had been adamant that she wanted to ride in the lead vehicle. Quinn thought it would be safer for her in the second one. She was correct in theory. They argued, but not for long. Quinn was in charge, of course. But did Evan unconsciously know? Could some part of her psyche anticipate what would happen? Was it the reason for her insistence, and would she have survived if she had been riding with Quinn? These were impossible questions that Quinn would never know the answers to, and it also didn’t change the situation. Alvarez had been killed. She had lived. End of story. All the Intel reports that she had reviewed before the drive stated that the way would be clear. What ended up happening was out of her control. Quinn knew it for sure; everyone had reminded her of that fact. But it had not stopped her from almost giving herself a nervous breakdown with the What-Ifs at one point.

“You’re drifting off on me again,” Lia murmured, tracing a light finger over her jaw.

“Sorry.” Quinn smiled. “I’m here.”

“I’m sorry too if I reminded you of painful times.”

“That’s okay. I wanted to answer your question honestly.”

“Thanks. And I have to be honest with you too…”

“Yes?”

Lia snuggled a little closer.

“I’ll want to ride with you again one of these days.”

Quinn rolled her eyes and she chuckled, as much to lighten the mood between them as to hide the sudden rush of desire that washed over her. Talking about Iraq had made her forget where she was for a moment, but now she was very aware of it, and of Lia in her arms.

“You’re not telling me anything I don’t know,” she said.

“Am I really that easy to read?”

“Well, you’re a reporter.”

“And?” Lia pushed her with a grin.

“Stubborn. Obstinate. Bull-hea—”

“Hey!”

Laughing, Quinn caught her wrist just as Lia tried to flick her on the chin.

“Careful. I’m injured too.”

“Oh, are you now?”

“Yep.”

“Thought you were just busy being a bossy cop.”

“Well, if you want me to shut up, you should—”

Lia swallowed the rest of her sentence with an impetuous kiss that had the same startling effect on Quinn as the first one. Any other thought drained out of her brain, silence flooded her mind, and the only thing that she remained conscious of was Lia. Lia… With her arm hooked around her neck and her free hand on her cheek to better guide the kiss.

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