Page 48 of Acting on Instinct
Kira never knew when to expect him.
He came home when he came home.
His time and his body were parts of the vast US military machine.
It was one of the things that Kira couldn’t get used to. That, and Ty was, more frequently than not, unreachable by phone.
Since the summer before last, in Tanzania, Kira would have been fine with that. She had her work, her friends, her hobbies, her routines. If she added a man to her life, while theydated, he would merely be a component of her day, not her focus.
And then Ty arrived on the scene.
Ty.
It was instant for her—trust, desire, comfort, a sense of safety that she’d not realized that she wanted in her life. She’d not really had a reason to want in her life.
Kira paused and let herself massage those thoughts, gauging their substance.
But London sent herthering. And it could only have something to do with Uncle Nadir.
“There will come a day when you must betray someone you love to save someone you love. At that moment, you will not hesitate to use this ring.” London hadn’t hesitated. If she’d hesitated, London would have lost the short-term memory of Uncle Nadir’s plan.
“You will know exactly what to do,” the crone had said.
This ring portended danger.
When Kira opened the ring to see what was inside the secret snuff compartment, she knew that life would change.
She wished that Ty were home and was looking with her.
“Be brave, Kira. Open the ring.” She licked her lips. “Rip the bandage off, see what’s underneath.” When Ty went to work, Rory went with him. It would be nice to have Rory.
Kira felt her bladder pressing down, and she pushed her knees tight. She wasn’t sure she was going to make it to the toilet.
Putting the box on the cushion and bending at the waist, Kira wriggled off the sofa and waddled hunched over to the powder room. Clicking on the light, flipping up the lid, Kira’s bladder felt like it had done its duty, and pee dripped out as she forced her pants down and plopped over the bowl.
She kicked off her pants.
When was the last time she’d peed herself? That was twice today.
She was so far out of control that even her body couldn’t hide the truth.
Kira fished her phone from her pocket and checked the time.
How did that happen? She’d been in a stupor since four.
Hours of fuzziness.
It was because she knew her little bubble of time with Ty was over.
She knew it that morning when he took her to bed.
Kira exhaled.
Placing the ring on the counter, Kira wiped and flushed, then picked up her soiled pants and walked bare-bottomed up the stairs, where she dumped her clothes into the hamper and climbed into the shower.
A quick scrub, a quick rinse, a towel wrapped over her breasts, she went to her room to dress, her hands reached for hiking pants instead of pajama bottoms.
When she opened the ring, she’d have to act. She’d better be dressed for it.
