He sought out her gaze, steeling himself against those tears and their effect on his sanity. He’d have to deal with them—because she obviously needed to get it out. To be honest, he wanted to know. He gave up all pretense of eating and leaned forward to return the food pouch to the communal space between them, then cleared his throat softly.
“Eve?”
Her wide gaze shot to his. “What is it? Did you—”
He held up his hands. “Relax. I didn’t hear anything. I haven’t all day. I was just thinking about something you said about Carrie—” He broke off as she stiffened.
Odd.
He swore Eve was more tense now than when she thought he’d sensed someone else’s presence in the rapidly encroaching night. If anything, her reaction only made him more determined to get to the bottom of what had happened. But to do that, he’d have to proceed carefully. As much as he disliked the idea, he’d have to treat her as a tactical combat objective to be studied and then overcome.
He gentled his voice as much as possible and took the first step. “Eve, how can Carrie Evans be your sister?”
He knew it was a good call when she relaxed.
But she didn’t answer.
A good thirty seconds of jungle silence dragged into thirty more. Just as he was about to question his approach and revise it, she sighed.
“We went to college together. UT.”
“University of Tennessee?”
She shook her head as she reached for the packet of instant cocoa. “Texas—Austin.” He poured out a cup of water from the canteen and passed it over. “Thanks.”
“I take it you two were in the same ROTC program.”
She nodded as she stirred the powder into the cup and took a sip. “A couple of us started an all-women’s military sorority our freshman year. We called it Sisters-in-Arms.”
That would explain the sisters, then.
Blood wasn’t always thicker than shared experiences. Twelve years in the Army had taught him that. Evidently Eve and Carrie had learned the lesson as well. It also explained why she seemed especially devastated. But if they were sisters because of some sorority— “What about the others?”
She blinked. “Excuse me?”
“You said a couple of you started the sorority. How many calls do you have ahead of you when we get back?”
For the second time in as many minutes, she stared at him silently, this time over the cup of cold cocoa.
Her voice finally broke, “Three.”
From the depth of the sigh that followed, they wouldn’t be easy either. And those didn’t even include the calls and personal visits she’d have to make to her crew chief’s family.
“Tell me about them.”
Her mouth dropped open. Obviously he’d surprised her.
Hell, he’d surprised himself. He actually wanted to know.
When was the last time he’d encouraged a woman to talk just to hear the husky rasp in her voice? Or worse, to get to know her better? Come to think of it, when was the last time he’d honestly wanted to get to know a woman at all outside the bedroom?
The devil with the jungle, this was dangerous ground.
Perhaps it was time to rethink his strategy in getting to the bottom of whatever Eve was withholding.
Unfortunately, it was too late.
She polished off her cocoa and set the tin cup down. “Anna’s Navy. She’s an Intel officer currently stationed in San Diego. Samantha’s Air Force. Sam and I met in an engineering class the first week our freshman year. We were both aerospace engineering. Sam’s a theater missile systems design expert out of Kirtland, New Mexico.”
He couldn’t help it, his low whistle escaped.
She chuckled softly. “Don’t worry, Sam’s the brilliant one. I just fly.” Her laughter faded into a soft smile, and he nearly lost his grip on his canteen cup. Even half-formed, Eve’s smile had the power to sear straight through a man. The subtle curve was much too teasing and much, much too tempting.
He brought the tin cup to his mouth and forced himself to swallow the remainder of the cold coffee before he dared to risk speech. “You mentioned three. Who’s the other one?”
She nodded. “Meg. She’s Marine Corps. I’m not sure where she is right now. No one ever is.” Despite her shrug, he sensed the admiration in Eve’s husky voice.
“Why?”
“Meg works personal protection. Generals, Marine Corps or other visiting military officers, or anyone else she’s assigned to protect. Men or women, she watches their backs and keeps them alive—whether they want her there or not.”
“I take it she’s good.”
That tantalizing half smile returned. “The best.”
He suspected they all were. Which brought him back to the chopper. He was beginning to wonder if whatever Eve was holding back had to do with Carrie’s actions that morning. Had Carrie done something that directly or indirectly caused the crash? Given the woman’s behavior with his sergeant as well as her distraction, it was more than possible. It was also becoming downright probable.
Unfortunately, he couldn’t come out and ask.
“So…you and Carrie were close because you were both Army?”
Her lips curved again, but this time down. He suspected the shadows had returned to her gaze as well, but he couldn’t be sure. Dusk had settled in, cloaking the jungle in near-total black.
“We both wanted to fly, but it was more than that.”
He was sure of the shadows now. He could hear them in her voice. “How much more?”
She sighed. “Carrie’s mother died when we were sophomores and she…well, she didn’t have anyone else. Not really.”
He knew he’d hit a tender spot when Eve failed to continue. He waited, but there was nothing save her soft breathing amid the insects and nocturnal jungle life waking to the shroud of night.
He decided to risk it.
“Eve…what happened to your family?”
Again, nothing but jungle.
He wasn’t surprised.
But he was startled by the unexpected knife to his own heart when she wouldn’t share her pain. He reached out—but she was gone, scrambling to her knees as fast as her cracked ribs would allow. Eve averted her face and began cleaning up her mess as well as his own with a zeal he suspected she’d rarely afforded another man.
