Page 16 of Jay Bird

Riley looked at Willow as tears filled her eyes. “Because she saved my life.”

Silence fell around them.

Mia stared at her. “What?”

“When Chen had me, Willow was there.” Riley’s eyes filled again as she looked toward the unconscious woman. “She helped me escape. She gave me that knife.”

Jay Bird knew enough about Riley’s kidnapping to understand what that meant, and he wasn’t the only one. Everyone on Bravo team did.

Chen Pham. The name hit like a fucking grenade going off in his head.

Jay Bird looked down at the little girl in his arms, then back at Willow, the weight of what he was seeing settling in all at once. Son of a bitch.

“She risked everything to help me,” Riley continued. “If she hadn’t...” Riley swallowed and glanced at Nails. “I don’t know if I would’ve gotten out.”

Mia began crying, and Stitch turned her into his chest, holding her while Riley wiped at her own cheeks.

Jay Bird didn’t say anything. He couldn’t. His mind was already spinning through every possible scenario, automatically assessing threats and trying to fill in the gaps before anyone else even realized there were gaps to begin with.

If Willow had been with Chen for three years and helped Riley escape, could Chen have eventually discovered her betrayal?

If that were the case, it meant that Willow hadn’t just escaped. She had likely been running for her life, and she had done it all while carrying a two-year-old with her.

The little girl shifted against him, lifted her head, and was staring at Willow’s closed eyes. “Momma sleep?”

Her bottom lip trembled.

Shit. Crying kids were definitely not covered in BUD/S.

Jay Bird adjusted his hold, making sure Willow remained supported while allowing the little girl to stay against his chest.

“Hey,” he said quietly.

Her big brown eyes turned toward him.

“Your mommy’s sleeping right now.”

“Momma?”

“Yeah. She’s tired.” He lowered his voice even further. “So we have to be really quiet and let her rest, okay?”

The little girl stared at him, and Jay Bird put a finger against his lips. “Shh.”

She mimicked him, putting one tiny finger against her mouth. “Shh.”

“Exactly.”

She settled her cheek against his chest again.

Jay Bird glanced up and immediately realized every damn person around him was staring.

Bear looked like he was fighting a grin. Joker wasn’t even bothering to hide his. Snow’s eyebrows had disappeared somewhere beneath his hairline, while Duke looked as if he were witnessing a scientific phenomenon that required further study.

“What?” Jay Bird growled.

Joker’s grin widened. “Nothing.”

“Then quit staring at me.”