Broken Dreams (Delos Series Book 4) Read online

  “Hey yourself, Aslan,” he greeted his friend, shaking Matt’s hand and sitting down opposite him. That was Matt’s middle name, and it was Turkish, meaning “lion.” In his team, he was known by that name, and it suited him well.

  “When did you get in?” Matt asked, waving for a server to come his way.

  “Last night.”

  “Did you freeze your ass off?” Matt grinned as he hefted a glass of beer to his lips.

  “Yeah, this time of year, it’s a done deal,” Gage agreed.

  A server came over and Gage ordered a beer.

  Matt wiped his lips and set the heavy, cold glass mug down in front of him. “We just got off ours this morning.”

  “You smell like it, too,” Gage observed dryly. Chuckling, Matt looked down at his filthy uniform. There was mud smeared across his trousers and up across his blouse. He’d left his level-four Kevlar vest back at the weapons locker room. “Yeah, I was dying for a beer before I hit the showers.” He looked Gage up and down. “You’re looking a little on the lean side, my friend.”

  “Three-week op. Got the bastard, though,” Gage replied.

  “Good. Are you in for a rest?”

  “Yeah, my spotter has a thirty-day leave.” He shrugged. “Unless you guys or the SEALs decide to rock it out with a mission, I’m pretty much slumming for the next month until he gets back.”

  Matt leaned back in his chair, tipping the two front legs off the plywood floor. Music was blaring in the background. The men’s voices were nearly as loud as the noise they called music.

  “I’m meeting my sister Alexa. She should be showing up any time now,” Matt said, looking at his watch. “She was coming off a mission about an hour ago, and her first request was for a pizza. She’s a lot like me.” He grinned.

  The server brought over a mug of beer and Gage paid him. He’d never met Alexa, but he knew their sister, Tal, pretty well. She had run the other sniper unit at Bagram until she turned in her commission last July and left the Corps. Gage had liked Tal. She was a no-nonsense sniper unit CO. He hadn’t been in her unit, but he knew everyone respected her. She was deadly behind a sniper rifle.

  “I’ve never met your other sister,” Gage said after taking a huge gulp, feeling the cold brew hit his belly.

  “You’ll know when she comes in,” Matt promised, gesturing lazily toward the closed door.

  “Oh?”

  “Wait and see,” he said, gloating. “She’s my twin, but I was born five minutes before her, so she’s considered the youngest of the family.”

  Family. Gage felt a twinge of sadness, then nodded. “I didn’t know you were twins. Has she got brown and gold streaked hair like you?”

  “Nah, she takes after my mother, Dilara, who has red hair. She’s got hazel eyes, and I got the gold-brown eyes of my uncle Ihsan.”

  Gage knew Matt was part Turkish and part American, with a dollop of Greek thrown in. And with Matt’s dark brown hair streaked with gold, along with his warm brown eyes, Gage figured his mother must have had a premonition about him before he was born. He did, indeed, resemble a golden lion, if Gage stretched his imagination a little.

  “I heard you were home for Christmas,” Gage said.

  Matt smiled a little. “Yeah. I got engaged to an incredible woman, Dara McKinley. She’s a medical doctor. You know her? Last Thanksgiving she and her sister, Callie, did a belly dance here at the USO show for everyone on base.”

  “Sure, I remember that dance,” Gage said. “How could I forget?” He grinned. “Congratulations.” He liked Matt a lot but fought back feelings of envy. “You set a date yet?”

  “We’re working on it. My enlistment is up in March and I’m turning in my Delta Force papers. I’m going home to work with my family at Artemis Security.”

  “I heard Tal talking about that before she got wounded last June,” Gage said, sipping the beer and enjoying the bubbles bursting on his tongue. “You still heading up the Kidnapping and Ransom division once that place comes online?”

  “Yeah,” Matt said, finishing off the beer. “Ah, here comes our pizza.”

  Gage turned to see the bartender carrying an aluminum pan with an extra-large steaming pizza on it. His stomach growled. “Were you ordering that for you and your twin?”

  “Sure did,” Matt said, clearing a place on the table for the pizza. “But jump in. Alexa isn’t going to eat that much.” His eyes gleamed. “You and I will do some major damage to it by the time she gets here.”

  Chuckling, Gage nodded. “Let me pick up the cost of the pizza, then.”

  “Fair enough,” Matt said, asking the bartender for a third plate.

  The smell was intoxicating. Gage ordered two more beers and paid the bartender for everything. It was the least he could do for Matt. He’d been a good friend for years.

  Gage’s mouth watered as he looked at the pizza. It was a triple cheese and pepperoni, and Matt was placing a big wedge on his plate. The two men began wolfing down the slices, nearly burning their mouths, but they couldn’t have cared less. Gage lost himself in the spicy-sweet taste and aroma of the salt and cheese and saw that Matt was busily attacking the rest, gulping it down as fast as he could.

  Suddenly, Gage was aware of a faint, feminine fragrance. As a sniper, his senses were acute, and he picked up the subtle scent of almonds. Where was that coming from?

  He lifted his head just in time to see a young woman stop beside their table and put her hands on her hips, grinning at Matt.

  “Well! I’d better hurry up and grab some pizza, or it’ll be all gone before I can sit down!” She greeted her brother and aimed a warm smile at them both. Gage instantly put down his pizza and stood up, giving her a slight nod of hello.

  Matt did the same and then pulled out the chair between himself and Gage. “Hey, Alexa, you got here just in time! Gage and I were taking no prisoners with this pizza. Have a seat.”

  Gage was mute, however. All he could do was stare. Damn! Alexa Culver was drop-dead gorgeous! Never mind that she wore a shapeless desert-colored flight suit. Her red hair was almost auburn, with gold and burgundy strands mixed into the single braid between her shoulder blades. She was probably around five feet seven inches and maybe one hundred thirty-five pounds. And she was curvy in all the right places. She took off her Air Force garrison cap and stuffed it in a large pocket in the thigh of her flight suit.

  Gage’s heart started a slow pound of appreciation, and he sat down, surprised. Meanwhile, Alexa sat down and scooted up to the table, grabbing a wedge of pizza.

  “Gage,” Matt said, “meet my sister Alexa Culver. Alexa, meet one of the best Marine snipers I have the privilege to work with, Gage Hunter.”

  Alexa turned, smiled, and said, “Nice to meet you, Gage. I’d shake your hand but I’ve got pizza in both of mine.” She laughed, holding his dark gaze.

  “Nice to meet you, ma’am,” Gage said, drowning in her gold-flecked hazel eyes.

  “Oh, please, drop the ‘ma’am.’” She smiled and held his gaze. “I’m Matt’s sister, so any friend of his is a friend of mine.”

  Gage liked that idea. “Then it’s nice to know you, Alexa.”

  She gave him a dazzling, genuine smile. “Same here.”

  Although he’d picked up on the heightened male interest in the room when Alexa arrived, she seemed totally unaware of it. Her full lips closed around the pizza, her eyes blissfully shutting as she savored it.

  Gage felt like a shy teenager again, awkward and out of his league, as he stared at her. And then he caught himself, snapped out of it, and resumed eating, but with less gusto. This woman fascinated him. Everything she did, everything she said.

  He found he was enjoying watching Alexa eat. The woman ate like she meant it, not like a lot of women who picked through their food, leaving half of it on the plate. At the same time, there was a delicacy to her, from her long, slender fingers to the clean line of her neck. He wondered if it extended to the rest of Alexa’s body that was hidden beneath t
he frumpy flight suit.

  He was mesmerized by her mouth, those lips of hers; she didn’t wear any lipstick, but she didn’t need any. Gage’s lower body stirred, reminding him how long it had been since he’d had a relationship. This woman, though, was off-limits. She was his friend’s sister, and that was taboo among military men. One did not go after a buddy’s sister.

  Gage tried to tamp down his interest in Alexa, who was clearly the object of longing, lust, and hunger for the other guys in the room. And why wouldn’t she be? She was like a beam of sunlight in the darker places of his soul. He noted with some satisfaction the stabbing looks of jealousy thrown his way by soldiers at the bar, who were staring like wolves at Alexa, the lamb.

  But she was no lamb. Gage recalled she was an A-10 Warthog driver—an Air Force combat pilot who took a lot of risks at close range, protecting the ground-pounders below. There was a fifty-caliber machine gun in the nose of her fighter, and Gage had seen A-10 pilots risk their lives time and again with low passes, throwing back Taliban attacks on Marines or Army soldiers who had been trapped.

  No, Alexa might have looked like a fresh, beautiful flower, but despite her wholesome appearance, he knew she was a fearless, competitive combat pilot.

  This woman was, no doubt about it. She wasn’t arrogant or surly or pushing the fact that she was a captain in the Air Force. Nor was she squeamish about marching into a canteen that was 99 percent testosterone.

  So what moved her? How could she have this confidence and still not strut around or think she was better than her enlisted counterparts? If anything, Alexa seemed to be humble, like her brother. Maybe it was a family trait.

  Gage suddenly had a lot of questions about this gorgeous woman who was joyfully chowing down on her pizza between him and Matt. He could see the resemblance in their faces: the high cheekbones; the wide-set, intelligent eyes; the shape of their mouths and strong chins.

  There were tendrils of red hair across her broad brow and around her temples. Her hair was straight and lay on her shoulders. Matt’s hair was a little of both. Gage saw her finish the wedge and hold up her greasy fingers, realizing she didn’t have a napkin. He quickly pulled his from his plate, handing it to her.

  “Here you go,” he said. Their fingertips met, and he silently enjoyed the brief touch. It was her eyes, however, that took hold of his heart. She lifted her chin, meeting his gaze, that glistening mouth of hers curving into a sweet smile of thank you.

  Gage didn’t see a player in her, or a woman who enjoyed manipulating others. He’d run across far too many of them in the past. Finding himself spun into her green and gold eyes, touches of sienna deep within them, he felt his heart widening. It was the most bizarre sensation, and for a moment, he couldn’t think of a word to say.

  “Thanks, Gage. My own brother is too busy chowing down.” She gave Matt a playful look as she wiped off her fingers with the paper napkin.

  “Hey,” Matt sputtered between bites, “I was paying attention to my pizza! Gimme a break, will you, Alexa?”

  “I want the last slice,” she told them firmly, giving both of them a warning look. “You guys have already consumed five pieces each.”

  Gage had the good grace to blush; something he hadn’t done in so long, it took him off guard. This woman was making a pretzel out of his mind and his body. Even now, he could feel himself straining against his jeans, and he groaned inwardly. That was not what he wanted now. Not here. Not with Matt’s sister present. If Matt saw it, all hell would rain down. Gage pushed the aluminum tray away from himself. “You got it.”

  She smiled, gloating at Matt. “Where did you find this guy? He’s much more of a gentleman than you are.”

  Matt grunted and pushed his greasy fingers down his dried-mud-covered trousers. “You know,” he told her lazily, “there’s a reason why his last name is Hunter, Alexa. He’s just being nice because you’re a girl.”

  Alexa burst into laughter and leaned forward, gripping a strand of Matt’s hair and tweaking it a bit before releasing it. “You’re such a bad boy, Culver.” She turned to Gage. “How do you put up with this hombre?”

  Gage felt the blast of sunlight from Alexa’s full attention on him. His whole body reacted. Badly. Groaning, he tried to control his physical reactions to this winsome woman who was smiling at him. He had her full attention, felt it in every cell of his body. “Actually,” Gage deadpanned, “he usually puts up with me. I’m not as nice when I’m out on an op.”

  Matt chuckled. “He got that right, sis. You gotta watch men like Hunter. He’s a sniper. He might say very little, but he lets his actions speak for him.” Matt shook his finger toward her. “He’s a woman-killer.”

  Alexa’s eyes widened and she gave him a thoughtful look. “Really, Gage? Are you?” She hooked her thumb over her shoulder. “My brother here is the devil’s advocate in our family. He’ll say things that aren’t true, just to stir the pot.”

  A grin edged Gage’s mouth as he considered Matt for a moment. “Well, if there’s a lady-killer around here, it’s him. But I hear he’s off the market now. He just told me a pretty doctor’s got him hog-tied.”

  Smirking, Alexa shot her brother a look. “Yes, Dara McKinley is an incredibly beautiful person. Not to mention that she’s smart and she’s a pediatrician. Matt got very lucky.”

  “I did,” Matt agreed, giving them a serene smile.

  Alexa turned her attention to Gage. “Are you always this quiet?”

  His brows went up. “Well—”

  “He’s an introvert, Alexa. Give him a break, will you? Not everyone is Miss Extrovert Sunshine like you, okay?” Matt razzed her.

  Laughing, Alexa gave Gage an apologetic look. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to embarrass you.”

  “You like him.” Matt gloated, giving her a brotherly nudge on the shoulder. “That’s why you’re picking on him.” He pointed his chin in his sister’s direction. “Gage, you need to know how Alexa operates. If she likes you, she picks on you unmercifully. If she’s not interested, she’ll ignore you.”

  Gage watched their byplay, both amused and nostalgic. He forced himself to stay in the present.

  “Oh, Matt, that isn’t true!” Alexa huffed, glaring at him. “You are really full of yourself this afternoon!”

  Matt grinned broadly. “I only do it because I love you.”

  “Phooey.” Alexa turned, reaching out, touching Gage’s arm for a moment. “Don’t listen to him, Gage. Please. I don’t ignore anyone. I like people.”

  Gage felt as if he were caught in a firefight. Both brother and sister were strong personalities, and, frankly, he liked them separately as well as together. He replied, “Matt and I have known one another for over five years. I think I’ve got his MO down; no worries.”

  He saw instant relief come to her eyes. “Good,” she breathed, then gave her brother a chastening look. “I wouldn’t want you to think ill of me, Gage.”

  His chiseled mouth curved faintly. “Oh, you don’t need to worry about that.”

  “You know, Gage,” Matt drawled, leaning back in his chair, “Alexa’s not in a relationship right now . . .”

  The twins, from Gage’s perspective, were loving, feisty, and had a solid, playful connection between them. It was something to behold. Matt clearly enjoyed pinpricking Alexa. But Alexa didn’t take any prisoners, either. He didn’t know how he knew it, but he’d have put all his money on that.

  CHAPTER 2

  Alexa felt as if she were on one end of a north-south magnet and Gage Hunter was at the opposite end. The moment she’d walked up to Matt’s table and looked down into Gage’s deep blue eyes, her whole world had shifted. She couldn’t tear her gaze from his when he looked up and saw her standing there with her hands on her hips. She didn’t know this friend of her brother’s—at least she presumed they were friends. He had an oval-shaped face with high cheekbones; a coal-black, scruffy beard; longish hair; and serious, straight brows.

  And Alexa was intrigued, to say the leas
t. In fact, impressions were slamming through her at Mach three with her hair on fire. Gage was tall with broad shoulders and an air of brooding intensity. He could well be a sniper, she decided, and as her gaze moved from his face downward, she saw the hog’s-tooth necklace he wore, indicating that he was indeed a graduate of the highly respected Marine Corps sniper school.

  No one could wear a hog’s tooth unless they got it upon graduation from that tough, world-class military school. She recognized it because her older sister, Tal Culver, had earned one, too.

  And then she wondered why she hadn’t ever met this guy before, since Tal had run one of the two sniper units at Bagram. Alexa had met all her sister’s snipers off and on through those years. Vaguely, she remembered there was a second sniper unit based at Bagram; maybe this guy was a part of that unit.

  The look in his eyes was that of a born hunter, for sure, with that intensity all snipers possessed, but there was more, much more to this quiet man, who studied her just as openly as she studied him.

  Alexa had always prided herself on being vulnerable, absorbing a lot of energy when she was around people. She knew a lot about astrology, and she knew her moon was in Pisces, an oceangoing pair of fish, which made her super sensitive to her immediate environment. She was always picking up information, hits, on other people if she opened herself up to them. And with this Marine, her internal radar was wide open and receiving so much about him that she almost couldn’t keep up with all the information her intuition was sending her.

  More than anything, she felt his deep sense of loneliness, coupled with a whole lot of grief. The loneliness actually made her wince, because she felt it like a knife cutting into her fully alive senses. He was not “pretty boy” handsome, but he was so very male and rugged, with such weary eyes that she knew Gage had hit a wall in his life.

  And in the midst of all these feelings, Alexa was struck by something else—he had a yearning for her! His expression hadn’t changed one iota, but when she connected with his gaze, she also connected with him on a whole other nonverbal level. Alexa was well acquainted with what went on beyond words, and she took seriously her ability to ferret out how another person truly felt toward her, whether good or bad.