Chapter 11 Flash was tense the entire ride back to the resort. He couldn't help but remember what happened the last time he'd been in a vehicle in this country. It helped that his team surrounded him, keeping his mind occupied with questions about the abduction. He couldn't concentrate quite so much on how bright everything was after being in that damn bus for so long, or how every time he looked out the front window of the van, it seemed as if they were going to crash head-first into another car. Instead, he did his best to pay attention to what was being asked of him, and the soothing feeling of Kelli's thumb brushing back and forth over his hand. He hadn't let go of her since he'd joined her outside of the bus, in the jungle surrounding that damn hole in the ground. He'd held her hand as Kevlar inspected the wound on the back of her head, confirming that he didn't think she needed stitches, but suggesting it should be looked at again once the wound was clean, just to be sure. Even as they'd crawled into the van, Flash couldn't let her go. He was feeling off-kilter. So many emotions swam through his veins. Anger, frustration, worry, and of course relief that his team had come through so quickly and found them. He recounted everything that happened, from the time the inner tube had popped in the rapids, forcing him and Kelli to share a tube and making them late to reach the pick-up point. He described Heckle and Jeckle as best he could-even though his team told him the names of the two men who'd kidnapped them, he preferred the stupid nicknames he'd come up with-and how they were forced into the buried bus. "How come you didn't disarm him?" Smiley asked. "And don't say you couldn't have. We all know it would've been easy for you." Flash pressed his lips together. He'd already had a similar conversation with Kelli and didn't really want to rehash it. He still felt a little guilty because if he'd done what he'd been trained to do, it was likely they wouldn't have had to spend any time in that buried bus. "I didn't know if Heckle...er...Brown had a weapon. I didn't want to risk him shooting Kelli while I was dealing with Jeckle," Flash said as succinctly as he could. To his relief, his teammates all nodded. They understood. Yes, he could've taken out Brant Williams. Disarmed him in seconds. But if the consequence of that meant Kelli getting hurt, he wouldn't risk it. "Besides, I knew you guys would figure out what happened and where we were," Flash said. "He could've shot you after you were in the bus," Safe said. "Like fish in a barrel. Easy pickin's." Flash felt Kelli tense next to him. "But he didn't," he said firmly. "Did Jeckle really call the commander and ask for only fifty thousand dollars?" He wanted to change the subject. Talking about Kelli getting shot made his stomach clench painfully. The rest of the trip was uneventful, and Flash and Kelli were brought up to date on what had happened since the guys arrived on the island. How they'd talked to the tubing company, found Errol Brown. And in the morning, they'd see if they could round up Brant Williams. Flash didn't volunteer to go with them. He didn't want to leave Kelli alone at the resort. No, that was incorrect. He didn't want to leave her alone anywhere. The two of them had been through some bad shit together, and while he wanted to make sure she was all right emotionally, he also wasn't anywhere near ready to let her out of his sight. When they arrived at the resort, everyone was wearing clean and pressed uniforms. Flash felt uncomfortable...grubby and out of place. The lights annoyed him. All the people annoyed him. This happened sometimes after missions in remote places. It was hard to acclimate back to normal life. "Come on, I talked to the manager. We packed up yours and Kelli's things, and the resort put you guys in connecting rooms. Tex is getting us flights out of here tomorrow afternoon, so you have plenty of time to eat, sleep, and get clean," Kevlar told them. "If you need anything, all you have to do is ask. Everything has been comped." Flash looked at Kelli. She was staring at the floor, not meeting anyone's gaze. Her shoulders were hunched and she looked completely uncomfortable. He needed to get her out of there. "Sounds good. We still have our passports, right?" "Yeah, you're good," Preacher said. "I'll order you guys some food so you don't have to come out of your rooms until we're ready to go tomorrow. Protein, bread, and some dishes without too many spices. Again, if you need or want anything else, just pick up the phone and order it," MacGyver told him. "Thank you," Flash told his friend. He was grateful that was one less thing they needed to worry about. "Let me know how tomorrow goes. Looking for Jeckle." "We will," Blink said. "Take care of her." He gave a small nod toward Kelli, who was glued to his side. Flash nodded, then turned toward the lobby doors. They stopped at the front desk to get their new keys, and the entire time, he could practically feel the stress radiating off of Kelli. He needed to find out what was wrong, but that would wait until they were alone. Their rooms were on the other side of the resort from where he'd stayed before-was it only a day ago?-and by the time they arrived at their doors, Kelli still hadn't said a word. Flash was even more worried. This wasn't the woman he'd gotten to know. It was as if she'd closed in on herself. Shut herself off. He wouldn't allow her to pull away from him though. He knew exactly how she was feeling. He'd been there in the past, after especially gnarly missions. But he'd been trained. Knew what to expect. The adrenaline drop from being a captive one minute, then rescued and on the move the next...It was a lot. He slid one of the plastic keys into the slot in the first door and stepped inside with Kelli's hand still firmly in his. He didn't even offer to open the other door, since they were connected anyway. He simply pulled her inside with him. The room he'd been given was big. Much larger than the one he'd had before. This one was a suite. It had a full kitchen, complete with a sink, stove, and refrigerator. There was even a dining table and chairs in a sitting area. A couch was against one wall, with a huge TV on the opposite wall. Sliding glass doors opened onto a huge grassy area of about twenty yards across, before meeting the sand of the beach beyond. The room was fancy, but all Flash cared about was Kelli. "Kelli?" he asked gently. She looked up at him with a small furrow in her brows he longed to soothe away. "Talk to me," he said softly. "The room is nice." That wasn't what he meant. "What are you thinking? Are you all right? You're really quiet. I'm worried about you." "I'm just...overwhelmed? That sounds stupid. I mean⁠-" "It's not stupid," Flash interrupted her. "An hour ago, we were sitting in the pitch darkness, telling fairy tales about possums turning into giants and a grasshopper named Fred. And then our life turned upside down. Again. In a good way this time, but it's jarring all the same." She nodded. "It feels surreal. As if I was dropped into someone else's life. And my senses are going haywire. I could smell chicken cooking as soon as we got out of the van at the resort. And the salt from the ocean. The lights from the other cars and in the lobby almost hurt my eyes, they were so bright. It's hard to adjust." "It is," Flash said, proud of her for articulating what she was feeling. "It gets better." She nodded slowly. "It's better already. Now that we're not around so many people. Oh, no offense. I mean, I was happy to meet your friends and very glad they found us." She looked up at him. "I was rude, wasn't I? I should've talked to them more." "No, you were fine. They understand. Trust me, they definitely understand. We've all been there. You want to check out your room?" She tensed next to him and let go of his hand. That, out of everything he'd been through in the last day and a half, hurt Flash more than anything else. "What? What's wrong?" he asked. She shrugged. "Nothing. Sure, we can look at my room. I'm sure you want to shower. So do I." But she was shrinking into herself again. And Flash wasn't going to let her pull away now. They'd been through too much together. He reached out and grabbed her hand, then pulled her toward the dining table. He pulled out a chair and sat, yanking her onto his lap. "Flash!" she protested, sounding more like the Kelli he'd gotten to know. He put one arm over her thighs and the other was around her waist, holding her securely on top of him. To his immense relief, she didn't struggle. Didn't try to get up. If she had, he would've let her go. "What's wrong?" he asked again. She sighed and closed her eyes, and Flash could feel her relax against him. He tightened his hold. "I don't want to look at my room," she said quietly. "I want to stay here. With you. If that's okay." Relief swept through Flash so fast it made him dizzy. "If that's okay?" he asked. "It's more than okay. I don't think I could've handled you being in another room very well." "Because you think I'm weak?" "No. Because I am." That had her staring at him in disbelief. "It's true. The thought of being away from you freaks me out. You've been my rock throughout this entire ordeal." "Now you're being ridiculous," she said. "No, I'm not. I was pissed that with all my training, all the warnings I'd had about leaving the resort, all the things I've done as a SEAL, I'd gone and gotten myself into a situation that could get me killed. You kept me focused on what needed to be done. If I'd been alone, I probably would've hurt myself trying to find a way out of that bus instead of staying calm, using my head to utilize what Heckle and Jeckle left for us, and waiting for my team. I've always just let MacGyver be the smart one. I've always been the muscle guy. You let me see myself in a new light-and I liked it. The thought of you leaving me now...frankly, it makes me nauseous." "I think that's either hunger or our smell," she joked. Flash wasn't sure he was ready to lighten the conversation, but he'd give Kelli time for what he was saying to sink in. That he wasn't blowing smoke up her ass. She really was his rock. And she'd done more for him in that bus than she realized. Not wanting to think about what the next day would bring, the fact that they'd go their separate ways and he'd have to deal, Flash gave her a small smile. "Want to check out the bathroom?" "Yes!" she said enthusiastically, showing some of the spunk he'd come to expect from her. "I'll even let you go first," he said magnanimously. She gave him a side-eye. "Is that because you're being nice, or because you want first choice of whatever your friend is sending via room service?" Flash burst out laughing. "Busted," he said, although he hadn't even thought about that. But now that she'd said it, his stomach growled. Loudly. He helped Kelli to her feet then took her hand once again. Glancing down at their fingers laced together, he saw how filthy they were. They both had dirt under their nails, and their skin was also covered in more grime, blood from her head wound, and rust flakes from the metal of the bus. But to him, she was beautiful no matter what. Simply because of who she was. How strong she'd been. How resilient. "Flash?" He stopped in his tracks. "Yeah?" "Thank you." He wasn't sure what exactly she was thanking him for. "I'm well aware that you could've gotten away. You know, before we were put in that bus. You could've done your thing, your SEAL thing, and probably beaten Heckle and Jeckle to pulps. But you didn't because of me. You let yourself be put in that bus when you didn't have to. I..." She swallowed hard. "I don't think anyone has ever done anything so unselfish for me in my entire life." "That's a shame. Because you're the kind of woman wars are fought over. Who make men act like fools because they're desperate to catch your eye. And I'll tell you something, if I had to do it all over again, I'd do everything exactly the same way, just to keep you safe." "Flash," she whispered, clearly overwhelmed. Taking a deep breath, Flash tried to ease up. He wanted this woman, but he didn't want to come on too strong. Ha. Who was he kidding? It was too late for that. Way too late. "Come on, let's check out the bathroom. Then I'll grab your suitcase from the connecting room so you can get your toiletries and stuff before you shower." The bathroom was huge. Another step up from the basic rooms they'd had before. The shower was separate from the Jacuzzi tub and more than large enough for two people. But this was no time to think about anything other than their basic needs. Getting clean, eating, and sleeping. Flash hurriedly grabbed her suitcase from the other room and returned. Kelli was standing in the middle of the bathroom, right where he'd left her, staring at herself in the mirror. She looked sad and freaked out again, so Flash came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. He rested his chin on her shoulder and stared at their reflection. They looked good together. Even with the blood on her skin and cover-up, the dirt on their faces and hands, the dark circles under both their eyes. They fit together perfectly. Complemented each other. His dark hair, her lighter strands. His six-two to her five-foot-two stature. His green eyes, her brown. His lean muscle mass, and her curvy figure. He loved how different yet compatible they were. "We're a mess," she whispered, putting her hands over his forearms at her belly. "Yup," Flash agreed. "But we're alive. Those assholes didn't win." "Yeah." He didn't want to let her go. Wanted to pull her into the shower and clean every inch of her body. Wash away the fear and uncertainty from their ordeal. But he knew it was too much, too soon. He'd give her the privacy she hadn't had much of recently, even if it killed him. "I'll look at your head when you're done. Take your time. Seriously. We have no plans." "Other than to eat. I swear, I could eat a horse." Flash chuckled. He felt the same. "We might have to make due with some chicken and beef. Maybe pork." "I'm all right with that. Flash? I'm sorry. I know it's silly that we have two bathrooms, and yet I don't want to go into the other room to shower." "It's not silly. It's normal. Trust me." "Okay. But I still feel bad that I'll be getting clean and you have to wait." "Don't. I get first dibs on the room service, remember?" Flash joked. He was rewarded with her smile. "Well, don't eat it all. Save some for me." In response, Flash dropped his arms and shifted to her side. He kissed her temple, ran his hand lightly over the back of her head, then backed toward the door. "I will," he reassured her, shutting the door as he left, her gentle smile burned into his brain as he lost sight of her. It took a few moments for him to regain some control over his emotions. She was right there, on the other side of the door. Even so, he had to remind himself that she was fine. No one was going to break into the room through the wall and hurt her, or steal her away from him. Forcing himself to step away from the door, Flash went into the bedroom and saw his own suitcase on the bed. He opened it and grabbed his toiletries and some clean clothes. In the kitchen, he brushed his teeth for what seemed like five minutes straight. That was one of his favorite things to do when he returned from missions. Cleaning his teeth properly. Tonight was no exception. When he was done, he didn't dare sit on the couch in his dirty, smelly swim trunks and T-shirt. So he paced. He couldn't stop himself from imagining what Kelli looked like in the shower. The memory of her in that black bathing suit, perched on his lap as they floated down the river in the same inner tube, struck him hard. The woman truly was a goddess, and she had no idea. A knock on the door interrupted his thoughts, and Flash was glad for it. He needed to stop thinking about Kelli's body...and what it would look like without the suit. When he opened the door, his vision filled with three carts covered with as many dishes as would fit on them. The attendants wheeled them in and put everything on the table and kitchen counter. The room filled with the most delicious-smelling food. It made Flash's belly clench painfully. He wanted to uncover every dish and stuff whatever was on each into his mouth, like an uncivilized heathen. But he restrained himself. Barely. He couldn't stand to eat without Kelli. As if she could smell the food from inside the bathroom, the water shut off. Moments later, the door opened and her head appeared. "Oh my God, that smells so good. I could smell it in the shower!" Steam wafted around her as she peeked out the door, and Flash could see she was wrapped in one of the huge towels the resort was known for, swathed from chest to calves. Aside from her naked shoulders, she was more covered than she'd been in the last two days, and yet to him, she was even sexier. Her skin was clean and flushed from the heat of the water, and the smile on her face seemed brighter. This was a woman who wasn't currently thinking about how her body compared to anyone else's, how vulnerable she was in a room, naked under her towel with a man she'd met only a few days before. She was living in the moment. Focused on food and only the food. "Get dressed and get out here, woman, and we can check out what MacGyver ordered for us." Her head disappeared and the door shut behind her. Flash grinned. He made a mental note that when his woman was hungry, nothing got in her way. His woman. Yeah, he liked that. A lot. Kelli reappeared minutes later, skin still flushed, wearing a pair of loose cotton pants and a sweatshirt. She inhaled deeply and another happy smile broke out across her face. "I'll never take food for granted again," she said. Then she turned to him. "Well? What are you waiting for?" Flash reached for the nearest dish to uncover it, but Kelli stepped toward him, shaking her head. "No! I meant, it's your turn in the shower. It'll be slight torture waiting for you to get done, but it probably was for you too, me being in the shower when all this food came." "You don't have to wait for me. Go ahead and start while I'm showering." Kelli stubbornly shook her head. "No. There's no way I'm going to eat without you." Damn. This woman. She slayed him. "I'll be fast." "Take your time. The shower is awesome. The pressure is perfect." That reminded him. "I need to check your head wound." "After. Shower, Flash. It feels amazing. I would never deny anyone else feeling the way I do right now, especially you. The food will be here when you're done. I'm not going to die of starvation if I have to wait another twenty minutes or so to eat." It wasn't going to take him twenty minutes to shower. That was a given. Still, Flash wanted to hug her. Wanted to bend her over his arm as he'd done in that damn bus and kiss her the way he ached to. But now that she was squeaky clean, he didn't want to touch her with his disgusting self. Knowing if he opened his mouth, he'd say something that was too intense, he simply smiled, then turned and headed for the bathroom. In a romance-themed observation show, several participants undergo a series of interactions and conflicts filled with love, misunderstandings, and power struggles. In the end, one couple rises to over...