Page 19 of Acting on Instinct
“I love Kira very much. When she’s ready, I’ll ask her again. If she decides to marry me, our engagement will be very short.”
“For her safety. Her uncle is a man who wishes to control Kira’s destiny and would think of it as a family harm if Kira were acting other than in the ways expected by Nadir’s very strict interpretation of a Qatari woman's role, even though she was born and raised in America.”
Ty could feel the rise of the existential threat pressing against his sternum. His heart raced at the thought of any harm coming to Kira, especially if that harm stemmed from their love for each other. The memory of Kira talking about honor killings and acid attacks flashed across Ty’s memory.
He gritted his back teeth.
“Until you’re married, she’s in danger. But this danger is not new to her. Itisnew to you. My understanding of the circumstances is that, while she is grateful for the mission's success, she, as most humans would be, is horrified that she was psychologically manipulated for it. She believes your feelings are real, but is afraid hers are not natural. And she doesn’t want to be trapped in the mirage of a loving relationship.”
Ty frowned. How the crap did they know this?
His mind went to all the people that Kira had in common with Iniquus and how that information might have gone into reports of subsequent violent events.
Kira was part of the great Iniquus web of information.
If this were any other institution, it would bother him big time. But Ty understood why his relationship with Kira might jeopardize his potential job with Iniquus. Why borrow trouble when the position was such a hot commodity that special operations forces begged for an interview?
“Is Kira right? Or is it possible that White manipulated your emotions as well?” Banyon asked.
“No. There’s no possibility that White is responsible for my feelings for Kira, none.”
Ty thought back to the first time he saw Kira. She had her silky black hair up in a messy bun, black leggings, and an oversized shirt. She had her friend’s dog with her. Princess Beatrice ran out into the road. Ty had dashed out to save the pup. Their eyes locked, and he was gone. She was his to love and protect. He recognized that connection instantly. It was like he already knew her. He wanted to gather her into his arms and hold her against his heart, where she belonged.
And that was before he had spoken to her and while he was actively anti-White – White had gone over the video of that meeting with him, and she’d said something that had upset Ty ever since. “Look at you, you’re a natural manipulator.”
According to White, Kira had the physical signs of love at first sight.
But he had manipulated it. Manipulated her. And Kira was right that they needed a lot of time to see if they would emerge from the spell that White had cast over Kira with her applied love science.
Banyon interrupted Ty’s thoughts. “Let me make this statement: Kira’s Uncle Nadir, who has proven himself willing to commit murders under the name ‘honor killing,’ decided that his niece, Kira, should marry Omar Imadi, a man who was twice her age and who was involved in the capture, torture, and impending snuff film of Storm Meyers, as well as other acts of terrorism. And while Omar cleaned up his image, he was simply repositioning on the same terrorist stage.” She paused. “Nadir must have known that. And he must have wanted a marital tie to the man and therefore Omar’s future plans.”
“Yes, ma’am, that is correct.”
“And Nadir still believes that Kira will agree to a new marriage contract once she is told that he has arranged for this because Kira doesn’t feel safe enough to tell him that she is not available for such arrangements.” Banyon raised her brows high, then dropped them. “Is she available for such arrangements?”
“No.”
“But she is silent out of fear.”
“Yes.”
“And that’s why you want to work for Iniquus,” Banyon pronounced those words as if they were definitive.
“Right now, my job takes me where it takes me, when it takes me. I can be running out for a jug of milk, get the call, and head straight into the locker room to suit up. No phone calls, no good-bye kisses, gone. Honestly, this is enormously stressful in my relationship with Kira. She has been through two terrorist events back-to-back. I really don’t want to talk about Kira’s feelings without her permission, but I can say that I feel it’s my duty to keep her safe. And that includes her emotions. The randomness of my job and the difficulty of not being able to depend on me being where I say I’ll be when I say I’ll be there are difficult. If my presence in her life is causing Kira distress or potentially putting her in harm’s way, that’s something I need to rectify.”
“Again, is protecting Kira the reason for your application to Iniquus?”
“Kira’s in my thoughts as I go through the application process, absolutely. But for me, it’s time for me to move forward. Honestly, before I met Kira, I had already determined that Rory’s retirement would act as the catalyst to move me on to my next chapter. I’m following my earlier planned trajectory.”
That answer sounded hollow to Ty. As Banyon led him through the situation, Ty could feel the threat against Kira building momentum.
If he were deployed, how could he keep Kira safe if he didn’t find her a safety net first?
Fast Forward to March
Chapter Seven
Kira
