“Catalina, I suppose!” The others had left to get things ready for the road, and I was left sitting in the office, still trying to make sense of these latest revelations. Either Lyon was a very good liar, or he really had no idea what his daughter was up to. I didn’t get the sense that he cared enough about what anyone else thinks to hide behind falsehoods, but the alternative is too preposterous to believe.I’m supposed to accept that a ten-year-old child has the mental capacity to put all these things together? Her assumption that there were underground tunnels along the Silk Road is more than enough to leave me questioning my own sanity, but this this is too close to home. I think the thing that’s bothering me most is the slight inkling that she might be onto something.I, for one, never imagined that such a thing could be possible, and since I’ve never put much store in conspiracy theories, I never heard the rumblings of anything hinting at such a thing. Beyond that is the fact tha
It was dark out when I lifted her from the bed and got her dressed to leave. I’m not sure why I chose this hour, but I was caught in an absurd place between not wanting to make this trip and wanting to get it over with. “Come on, baby, you gotta wake up for me.” She’s a grumpy little thing when woken up before her time.I was hoping she’d had enough sleep even though I’d kept her up most of the night. I’m not ashamed to say that I’d spent the night buried deep inside her to escape my thoughts about the upcoming job. I was also battling my conscience because I was basically about to take her into danger without her knowing.Lyon had called one last time to make sure I really wanted to take her with me, but the alternative was not something I could live with. Once again, he’d promised to send in reinforcements that were meant to keep her as far away from the situation as possible, and it was the fact that he seemed almost as stressed about her presence as I was that put me more at ease.
I gave serious thought to strapping her onto my back for fear that she was still too sleepy to stay awake back there, but within ten minutes, she was prattling away in my ear through the built-in headphones, another gift from Lyon that I have to admit is pretty decent. I never would’ve thought of something like this, but that’s because I’m in the habit of riding alone to escape my everyday life on those rare occasions that I have a moment to myself.The guy thinks of everything in such a way that I was beginning to question if our meeting was really just a coincidence, but then I remember that I was the one who’d called Law and hop off that merry-go-round in my head.With the wind at our backs and the early morning rays through our visors, it seemed like whatever dregs of slumber might have lingered were long gone as she exclaimed over the things we saw in passing. The coming fall was already evident in the foliage, and with the backdrop of the mountains, the view was picturesque and p
Holding hands while sitting in an overcrowded bacteria container had to be about the best cover a guy could ask for. No one watching us would think that I was already on the job, which was a two-edged sword. On the one hand, no one knew I was casing the joint, trying to find the undesirables, and on the other, I got to see just how many men in the place had their eyes on my woman.Some of these bold fuckers didn’t even try to hide the fact that they were checking her out, which I find totally disrespectful. I didn’t appreciate the smirks from my boys either, but there wasn’t much I could do unless I wanted to draw her attention to my own asinine behavior.It felt as if I were getting a crash course in dating one-oh-one, sitting there, and I didn’t like any part of it. My guts were in knots, my neck was hot, and what’s worse, I went into fight mode with my hackles raised and a taste for blood that I’ve known only on the battlefield.I think I did a double take when it hit me in the gut
It’s the mountain air; it’s got to be. It’s got to be something that profound that turned my normally timid lover into a fox. I’m not complaining, my dick is very happy, and the jealous rage that had been burning on a slow heat throughout the day had also been appeased.Still, I found myself doing another first as I lay on my side, head propped in my palm, watching her sleep. She looked peaceful, well fucked but peaceful. She was worn out to the point she’d passed out just seconds after her head hit the pillow. But what did she expect after her performance?Not long after overcoming my first surprise at her behavior, I felt something beastly awaken in me as well. Something I would’ve kept under control a week ago because I was sure her innocent little ass couldn’t handle.But once she was done having her fill, actually licking her lips with pleasure, I was amazed once again when she lowered her head and used her tongue to clean me up. Her playfulness only made me grow hard in her mout
It’s like a switch had been flipped somewhere by some unseen hand, and the man by my side had morphed into someone else. Not that he’d ever been gruff with me before, but suddenly, by the third day of our trip, to be exact, I noticed a change in Gabriel. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but he seems to be watching my every move. And as attentive as he was before, he seemed to have ramped it up by a thousand.It wasn’t anything overt, but maybe because I’d come to know him a little in the last few weeks spent together, it was hard for me to miss the changes. I guess you could argue that I don’t really know him that well, seeing as we’d spent most of our time together shut away inside the house, and this was his norm, but somehow, I don’t think so.Even his guys have been giving him strange looks, which I only happen to catch out the side of my eye because everything is top secret with this bunch. I’ve even caught them harshly whispering to him about something before he gives them the
Penance, it has got to be. I can't come up with any other reason for me to be dealing with this mess right now. I've always prided myself on being at the top of my game in any given situation, but this shit has thrown me for a loop. For what has got to be the first time in my adult life, I find myself in a situation that I'm not completely in control of. Right now, I should be focused on the job; nothing is more important than that, at least there didn't used to be. But now, even with the danger I was sure was here, given the Intel we'd collected so far, all I could think about was her. And not even in a sexual, I wanna jump her bones every time I see her kind of way, but more like how can I put her in my pocket and keep her safely away from all this shit type of thing. It's not something I expected, not to this degree anyway, and no one ever told me that these things could happen, and if they had, I'd have said not to me. But I am living it, so it's real, and that brings me back t
I looked these people up when I had a chance, and I have to say, Lyon and his kid do get around. I wouldn't have pegged him for the type, but then again, what do I know? Silla was all but jumping out of her skin with excitement ever since I mentioned their names, but I have to count that as a plus since it kept her even more in the dark about what was really going on. I brought my boys up to speed on things later that night once she'd knocked herself out after playing Rodeo Queen on my dick. At least the news knocked the disrespectful smirks off my team's faces, and they switched gears from sticking their noses in my shit and got down to the business we were there for. "I'm only telling you now because it's been finalized on their end. When Lyon called earlier, it was just an idea they were playing around with, but now, apparently, it's a done deal. Here's the thing…" I filled them in on what Lyon had shared in his latest phone call, i.e., the fact that this Ryder person's past con
This is insane. I thought I had it under control, but I didn’t expect the night to be like this. It wasn’t because of all the people that were here in the arena, though it had to be at full capacity, which was around two hundred and fifty thousand people, give or take about ten. No, what was bothering the hell out of me was the fact that my girl was in the middle of this shit. I didn’t think it would bother me this much, especially since I knew that there was no danger here, that the whole tunnel thing was the only thing going on, and the other players had already been taken down, but I couldn’t shake it off. I had this feeling like the feeling you get when someone has you in their crosshairs, but you don’t know which direction they’re in. It could be a case of transferred anxiety because Lyon has been ranting and raving since he got here about some shit going down. It was hell trying to hide my thoughts and feelings from Silla, who was happier than I’d ever seen her. Part
Lieutenant Morgan was more excited about the tickets than even I expected. She was so distracted that that excitement led to her being the one who invited me to tour the tunnels. I didn’t have to use my well-rehearsed speech to talk her into anything. It was so easy I almost grew suspicious until I remembered that this was just like the woman I know. She had no reason to suspect me of anything, and with my clearance, she’d see no issue letting me on site. But as we walked and talked, I couldn’t shake the feeling that someone else seemed to know her as well. Namely Lyon’s daughter. But how was that possible? I’m pretty sure the kid never met her in the flesh. While she talked about how excited her kid was going to be I was looking around for anything that would give any indication that there was more going on here and saw nothing. Not that I didn’t believe Lyon, I did, but that’s how good the operation was. We hopped into a golf cart, and she drove deeper into the tunne
“Where did you go? Did you have fun?” I tried not to sound too much like I was grilling her, but Flanagan and Quinn had me a bit paranoid with the things they’d said about their women and the shit they got up to. Not that I expect Silla to do any of those things; my little innocent is too sheltered for that. But there are other issues at hand. Like the fact that I’d only just started to convince myself that with Sam out of the picture, she was no longer in any danger, plus the fact that the mess I’d just waded through was geared toward kids, so she wasn’t in any real danger here. But I don’t know why I get the feeling that the guys are holding something back. I think Lyon might have told them to ease me into it, which begs the question of just how much worse it can get. I still have no idea what it is that they want me to do in the tunnels or even if I’d actually get the chance. Just because I’m military doesn’t mean they’ll roll out the red carpet, especially if they’re using
I guess Flanagan was wrong after all because the places the women drove to just seemed to be the usual tourist traps. They did take a little detour on the way back, but it seemed to be a more scenic route, something anyone might do when visiting a new place. It can’t be overlooked the fact that the mountains here are some of the most beautiful in the country. “I guess they did only go for a joyride after all.” I made the distinction out loud when I saw Flanagan and Quinn mapping the route they’d taken. “It’s good that you think that.” “What do you mean?” “Not sure yet; I’ll let you know when we figure out what they’re up to. I have to get this information to Lyon.” He reached for his phone while I went back to what I was doing, feeling at ease for the first time in hours since she left. Every once in a while, one of my boys would make a sound of disgust from across the room, but since I’d already given them the option to bow out, which they all refused, I saw it a
“What’s wrong boss? Something bothering you?” Mace asked me quietly as I watched the door where the women had just left. “No, it’s not that.” I couldn’t give him an answer because I didn’t know what it was that was making me twitchy about the whole thing. I wasn’t sure if it was my natural sixth sense or my new overprotectiveness where she was concerned. It didn’t help that Lyon’s men didn’t look too settled either at the idea of their women going joyriding in the middle of an Op. Maybe that was it. This whole situation has left me feeling more bereft than my first firefight. I’d rather dodge bullets in the desert than deal with this evil shit that I’d been pouring over for the last few hours. How anyone could deal with this shit day in and day out and not lose part of themselves is beyond me. It's only been a few hours, and my skin is already starting to crawl. Now, I’ve always known that men can be evil monsters; I’ve seen some of the worst they can do to each other, or
Shit, blast and damn. How do I leave her behind without hurting her feelings? She’s so dang innocent; I was sure a rebuff, though not meant to be one, would hurt her feelings. Was I ever this innocent? No, but some of my new sisters used to be when we first met, so I know the signs. I was thinking hard about a plausible excuse when she clapped her hands across her mouth and looked at me like she’d committed a crime.“Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean… I just got so relaxed with you two; it’s like we’ve known each other forever. I didn’t mean to overstep; I’ll just go back to the room and leave you two alone.” She rambled off the words before starting to walk away, and both Kelly and I had to stop her. Okay, this one might be more sheltered than the others, and it almost broke my heart. Over the last couple of years, I’d come to recognize the signs of past trauma in women, and she had a boatload. “No, you didn’t overstep. I was just worried about how your man would r
This is happening. Things have been moving really fast in the last few days and the honeymoon was over. True to his word, Lyon had sent in a crew, or squad as he calls them. Two couples, the men seeming just as anxious as I was, having their women close to this shit. I wasn’t sure how we were supposed to do this, keeping the women in the dark, I mean. But I needn’t have worried because Quinn and Shane knew exactly what they were doing when it came to that part of the Op. Silla, I was happy to see, was only too happy to make two new friends, and these women must’ve taken classes or something because they had her hooked in no time at all. I’d barely seen her interactions with Chantal back at the house, but it was good to see that she played well with others. There was no cattiness among these women and I couldn’t help but notice the difference between these two, Arianna and Kelly and Nikki. It’s been days since I even thought about her, but I guess I figured one headach
I looked these people up when I had a chance, and I have to say, Lyon and his kid do get around. I wouldn't have pegged him for the type, but then again, what do I know? Silla was all but jumping out of her skin with excitement ever since I mentioned their names, but I have to count that as a plus since it kept her even more in the dark about what was really going on. I brought my boys up to speed on things later that night once she'd knocked herself out after playing Rodeo Queen on my dick. At least the news knocked the disrespectful smirks off my team's faces, and they switched gears from sticking their noses in my shit and got down to the business we were there for. "I'm only telling you now because it's been finalized on their end. When Lyon called earlier, it was just an idea they were playing around with, but now, apparently, it's a done deal. Here's the thing…" I filled them in on what Lyon had shared in his latest phone call, i.e., the fact that this Ryder person's past con
Penance, it has got to be. I can't come up with any other reason for me to be dealing with this mess right now. I've always prided myself on being at the top of my game in any given situation, but this shit has thrown me for a loop. For what has got to be the first time in my adult life, I find myself in a situation that I'm not completely in control of. Right now, I should be focused on the job; nothing is more important than that, at least there didn't used to be. But now, even with the danger I was sure was here, given the Intel we'd collected so far, all I could think about was her. And not even in a sexual, I wanna jump her bones every time I see her kind of way, but more like how can I put her in my pocket and keep her safely away from all this shit type of thing. It's not something I expected, not to this degree anyway, and no one ever told me that these things could happen, and if they had, I'd have said not to me. But I am living it, so it's real, and that brings me back t