I'm not sure how an important meet up that I'd traveled miles for deteriorated into little more than a gossip ring, and even hours later, I'm still not convinced that these men weren't pulling my leg with this shit, that it wasn't some kind of smokescreen to throw me off for whatever reason. What I do know is that it's the oddest damn experience of my life.In between laying out plans for the next few days, while Logan, Connor, and Law asked me questions about my relationship with Silla in a joking manner, Mancini was busy trying to recruit me; I was sure of it now because he didn't even try to hide it.His no-nonsense straight-shooting style left no doubt as to what he was after. And from everything he said, I got the idea that he'd run me and come up with more information than was readily available unless you had big enough scissors to cut through red tape. Just exactly who is this guy? According to my research, he's some bigshot entrepreneur that the FBI, Interpol, and every other a
It was still dark out when we got back into town, just a hint of light in the predawn morning.As soon as I pulled into the yard, Wolf appeared. I didn't say a word when he opened the back passenger door and lifted Chantal out just as I'd done with Silla. Neither of us spoke on our way inside, maybe so as not to wake the girls, but I have to say, it was one of those experiences I never imagined having.He didn't linger after putting her in bed beside Silla, which I guess meant I couldn't either since he acts like I'm the night stalker anytime I come near the room with her in it, like my.... Like Silla isn't in here as well. Neither female budged, but I felt the emptiness as soon as I laid her back on the pillow. So that's a real thing, that feeling of loss that feels like a deep wound to the gut.I spared a moment to look down at her as if expecting the answers to jump out at me. It should be unfair, shouldn't it, that someone else could sneak in under your guard and destroy all of you
I woke up in my borrowed bed and didn't know how I got there. The last thing I remember is Gabriel whispering me awake at the other place. Chantal was still fast asleep beside me, and I settled down onto the pillow to watch the light play against the window as I went over the night again in my head.There were so many questions. Like, why had we come back after only a few hours? Why had we gone there in the first place? And what did all of his have to do with Sam and Billy? I was beginning to think Chantal might be onto something, but what could it be?Surely, it's not the missing kids she talked about. Stuff like that only happens to people you don't know or on TV, right? Whatever the case, I'm pretty sure Gabriel isn't about to tell me. He hadn't mentioned anything on the drive there, and I hadn't asked because I wouldn't know where to start.It was enough that he hadn't brought up my embarrassing confession from the night before; in fact, we'd both acted like it never happened. Like
This fuck! I'm not sure how many people Mancini plans to recruit, but he's hard at work on this bunch, giving no thought to the fact that I'm the one who's going to have to find someplace to put them. I can't fault his taste, though; so far, everyone in the squad has proven their worth.It's not lost on me that I'm surrounded by military fucks who all seem to be trained by the same monkey and who I now have to retrain to suit my purposes. This Gabriel Lorde had passed the test as far as I'm concerned; he had all the prerequisites. He's in the business of saving the innocent, which is high on my list, and he's ass deep in something or other with an annoying ass female.Any man who's that turned around behind a woman would fit right in with the rest of these tools. I kept my mouth shut as Law, and the others gave him the runaround like they were any different when they took the hit from their women. I'm just waiting for one of them to lose their mind and bring me into their shit.Before
"Hey, Wolf boy, we're going over there to talk; it's a private convo, so don't use your canine senses to listen in." How does she have the nerve to talk to him like that? As quiet as he is, I get the feeling he's not one to be crossed. But when I looked at him, he was… is he blushing? It's hard to tell with his darker complexion, but I could swear his cheeks looked ruddy.Chantal dragged me to the other side of the yard, where we'd been enjoying the evening breeze under Wolf's watchful eye. I got the feeling he was supposed to be with the others upstairs but was sticking close either of his own volition or because he'd been ordered to.Ever since she woke up this morning, Chantal has been playing detective, trying to figure out why we went where we did and why we came back the same night. I, of course, wasn't about to ask. "See what I told you?""No, actually, I don't." It's hard to keep up with her sometimes."About something going on around here. Who in their right mind would need al
"Chantal!""Fuck-shit!" I almost jumped out of my house slippers and had to grab my chest to keep my heart from flying out of my chest."Watch your mouth!" Like hell! He'd scared ten years off my life. Where is his spooky ass anyway? I looked around the room in the dark but still couldn't find him. "Where are you?" He stepped out of the shadows and walked into the light coming through the window."That was a very dangerous thing you did. Your friend could've drowned.""How did you… I don't know what you're talking about." His hiss sent shivers down my spine, and I was tempted to make a run for it when he started walking toward me, but for some reason, my feet seemed stuck.I felt that strumming pain between my thighs, and my body felt hot, as if the blood heated beneath my skin. My eyes fell to his lips as soon as he stopped in front of me before flying back to his eyes. "Did you just lie to me?" His lips brushed my ear when he leaned in to talk to me, and I had a whole-body orgasm. I
I'm almost certain she set me up. No, not her, the friend maybe. Silla isn't that bold, and I doubt she has a deceiving bone in her body. Or maybe that's just my prejudice talking. Without realizing it, I've built up this vision of her in my mind. One of a pure, untouched, and unsullied little beauty who knows nothing of the wiles of the world.I'm not sure why my mind chose to see her that way since she's got a body made for sin, which I now know is even more potent than those ugly clothes she wears had shown. Now I can't get the image of her lying naked in clear water free of bubbles out of my head, as if she wasn't in enough danger already, and I'm not talking about Calhoun, or whoever else was after her.Whatever she'd been up to, she could have no idea of the Pandora's box she'd opened with her little stunt. The feelings I experienced tonight when I thought she was gone were raw, savage, and I'm still fighting that primal need to reassure myself in the only way I know how that she
I felt nervous and jumpy all day as the hours went by, and there was no sign of him. It was the first time since he'd brought me home with him that I'd gone this long without seeing him or feeling his presence nearby, and it was almost as if I could no longer function. The feeling is not to be envied. I'd stretched myself awake in his bed sometime this morning, the night's events coming back to me at once, and looked around for him. The chair was still pulled up next to the bed, which gave me a warm tingle as I imagined him sitting there watching over me all night while I slept.I shamelessly laid there waiting for him to appear while my heart knocked a hole in my chest, only realizing after about ten minutes that there was no other movement in the room, and he was long gone.I'd rushed from his room to mine to get washed up before heading downstairs to find him, even though my face was as bright as the sun. I was still hopped up on the high from the night before and knowing deep down
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