Unexpected Love

by KaLyn Cooper

  “So it could’ve been a random shooter?” The hope in Top’s voice couldn’t be missed.

  “That’s always a possibility,” Alex agreed. “I just can’t shake the feeling that they were after a specific target.”

  “Agreed.” Griffin stopped with a spoonful halfway to his mouth. “But was the guy really that bad a shot or were they trying to send a warning?”

  “I don’t give a shit.” Alex sipped his iced tea. “If I find him before the police do, he’s a dead man. Nobody shoots at Katlin and her team on their home turf and gets away with it.”

  Every man at the table nodded in agreement.

  In an obvious change of subject, Top slapped Alex on the shoulder. “So are we gonna see your ugly mug on the television today?” With that, the discussion changed to what Alex and Griffin had created as a statement.

  A few hours later, Chief of Police Bob McMullen briefed Alex and Griffin along with a dozen other people. The District of Columbia was in near panic. Every local television station had hauled out footage from the 2002 shootings and the talking heads were speculating on everything from a copycat to a terrorist attack. Homeland’s Public Relations Department was doing an excellent job keeping the identities of the Ladies of Black Swan out of the press.

  Griffin only hoped that situation didn’t change. Every minute that passed by he worried more and more about Grace. Even when he’d been on active duty as a SEAL, he’d always felt safer in the United States. Admittedly, he’d let his guard down once his feet touched U.S. soil. That bubble had now been broken.

  At precisely five minutes before three o’clock, the entourage moved into the wings of the stage. Griffin slid off to the side and watched first the mayor, then the chief of police try to convince the public not to panic. Finally, Alex confidently step behind the podium emblazoned with the shield of the Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia. Dressed casually in a gray company windbreaker over a black polo shirt, Alex looked like a bodyguard. Griffin wondered how many people could see the light imprint of the man’s shoulder holster.

  He actually hoped people saw his own gun. Almost everyone in the room was wearing one except for the press.

  Alex read the statement that Griffin considered damn good then he opened it up for questions.

  “Mr. Wolf, can you tell us who your security team was protecting while jogging through Rock Creek Park when the shots were fired?” The perky bleach blonde tried to look accusing.

  “As I said in my statement, and I see you have a printed copy of it in your hand,” Alex noted, “Guardian Security is fully cooperating with the police, the FBI, and Homeland Security on the situation. The safety of our clients is our highest priority, and that includes their privacy.”

  Well done. Griffin admired his boss and the way he handled the press.

  Alex cut off the shouted questions. “At this time, I’m going to turn it over to the Secretary of Homeland Security.” As he stepped aside, Katlin’s ultimate boss pompously stepped up to the podium in his dark blue suit, light blue shirt—because television cameras had a difficult time with white—and red and blue striped tie.

  He also read a statement that focused completely on the possibility of this being a terrorist act yet ignoring any possibility that his agents may be involved.

  In the Guardian SUV, on the way back from the police department, Alex took several calls from reporters wanting personal interviews. All were politely refused. When the next phone call came across the in vehicle system, Katlin’s name appeared on the ID.

  “How is Lei Lu?” Alex asked without greeting.

  “I just dropped her off at the condo,” Katlin answered. “Her neck is bandaged, she has dozens of teeny tiny stitches that the doctor promises the scars will barely show and she is enjoying life through the quality of modern drugs.”

  Griffin let out a sigh of relief. “What about the big chunk that Nita was concerned was too close to her artery?”

  “After several tests, it was determined that it missed the artery by less than one sixteenth of an inch.” Katlin let out a deep breath. “She was damn lucky. We all were.”

  “So, babe, where you headed now?” Alex turned the last corner toward the Guardian Security D.C. Center.

  “Into work. I’m hoping they have good news.”

  Griffin did, too. He’d love to get his hands on the shooters.

  Chapter 12

  Grace collapsed on the U-shaped couch and threw her legs onto the large ottoman that filled the center. It had been one heck of a day after a very short night. She glanced over at Lei Lu who was stretched out on the other side. “Can I get you anything?” She offered.

  “No, I’m good.” Lei Lu hesitantly touched the bandage on her neck. “It’s a little sore and tight, mostly from the stitches.”

  “Bad news, ladies,” Katlin announced as she strode into the condo with Tori right behind her. “We’re headed back out at midnight.”

  “What the fuck?” Nita complained as she walked out of her bedroom, her hair pulled back from her face and mascara wand in her hand. “I was going to get laid tonight.”

  “Jack wants us out of here.” Katlin slouched into the overstuffed chair facing the others. “We need to hunt down another one of Nassar al Jamil’s brothers, Khalid Junyard this time. There’s still a fucking contract on our heads.”

  “That’s who we figured would take over,” Tori pointed out.

  “How much are we worth?” Nita asked. “For the right price, Nita Banks could die. No problem faking my own death. I could handle living on a remote island for a while. Katlin, could I go live at your place in Costa Rica?”

  Grace noticed the hopeful look on Nita’s face. Not for the first time, she wondered if her friend had the hots for Katlin’s brother, Daniel, who was undercover a few miles across the Nicaraguan border. The last few times they had gone to Costa Rica, Nita had volunteered to be the one to play temptress, supposedly seducing Daniel from the bar at the hotel next door to give him an excuse to leave and come visit Katlin.

  “Not possible right now,” Katlin went on to explain, “Sean’s team is staying there for a few days before extraction.”

  “I heard they screwed the pooch on their mission,” Tori interjected.

  Katlin shrugged. “I don’t know what happened, but we lost Nicholas Campbell.”

  “Oh, no.” Nita shook her head. “I really liked Nick. He had some of the dirtiest jokes I’ve ever heard and didn’t mind telling me. Some of the men try to clean up their act around women, but to Nick, I was just one of the guys.”

  “Yeah,” Tori curled up in one the soft, comfy corners. “He was a really nice guy. When I first came to Section 7 we were on a team together. When you spend that kind of time with someone, you get to know each other pretty well.”

  Katlin popped out of her chair and crawled up next to Tori, embracing her in a warm hug. “I’m so sorry.” All the women joined in for a group hug.

  After several moments, Grace knew she had to change the direction of this morbidity, especially given their impending departure. Every mission involved danger that could result in the same ending for one of them. Grace announced, “I have a date with Griffin tonight. Who’s going to help me pick out something wear?”

  “I think you should wear that pretty little sassy black dress.” Nita popped off the couch to follow Grace into her room. “Dresses are perfect if you only have time for a quickie.”

  “I’m headed over to Alex’s. I want to spend as much time with him as possible.” Before Katlin disappeared into her bedroom she announced, “I hate to cut everyone’s evening short, but we need to be ready to roll out of here by ten. We’re expected to be wheels up at midnight. Tori, you’re flying pilot tonight. I’ll be right beside you.”

  “Got it,” Grace and Nita joined the choir of female voices. She was up next in the rotation, but figured Katlin changed things around to keep Tori’s mind busy.

  “You nervous?” Nita scrounged throug
h Grace’s closet for the right pair of shoes.

  “No.” She wasn’t at all apprehensive. Perhaps a little disappointed because she doubted they’d have time to make love once again. Hopefully she would see him when they returned.

  Nita set the low heeled sandals next to the little black dress.

  “Interesting choice,” Grace noted.

  Nita slid her a glance. “Just in case you have to run. This fucker could still be out there hunting us. One of those bullets came damn close to you.” She ran her hands over Grace’s scalp, fluffing her hair then pulling a small portion away from her face. “This gorgeous hair is pretty memorable and like a red beacon. Part of me would like to convince you to pull it up into a bun and wear a big hat, but that’s just not you.”

  Truly nervous about the situation for the first time, Grace suggested, “Maybe we should just stay home and watch TV.”

  Nita threw the dress at her. “Definitely not. Go out. Have fun. We don’t get to do that very often.” She turned at the doorway to face Grace. “We only get one life. Never be afraid to live it.” The advice was so Nita, and Grace decided it was perfect.

  Thirty minutes later, Grace’s phone rang. “You ready, sweetheart?” Griffin asked the moment she answered.

  She looked at herself in the rectangular mirror over the dresser she hated more every day. She hadn’t made it furniture shopping yet, but it was at the top of her list. “As ready as I’m going to be.”

  “I’m waiting for you downstairs.” He sounded anxious.

  After yelling good-bye to everybody who was in the condo, Grace opted for the elevator rather than the stairs. When the doors opened she flew through the small lobby and grinned at the black limousine where Griffin stood with the back door open.

  “How did you know I love riding around in a limousine?” She popped a kiss on his mouth before ducking inside. She noticed he did his bodyguard thing, checking three-hundred-sixty degrees around them as well as looking up. Although she’d watched him do it dozens of times, she’d never truly felt like her life had been threatened. This time was different. She was so thankful for his training. She chastised herself for letting her excitement override her personal vigilance. She should have stopped and checked for possible threats but she was so excited to see Griffin and had always felt safe in and around the D.C. condo.

  When he slid in next to her on the back seat, she cuddled into him. Never had she been allowed to do that before since they had always been surrounded by her team. For once, it was just the two of them.

  She then looked around and asked, “Is this glass bulletproof?”

  “Yes.” He pulled her close to him and lifted her face placing the gentlest of kisses on her lips. “You need to be safe.”

  “And here I thought you brought the limo to impress me.”

  “Impress you? We ride around in limousines all the time.” He looked puzzled.

  “Yes, but that’s different. I always figured we got limousines because there were so many of us.”

  “That’s partially why, but Katlin had always requested a bulletproof limousine and personal protection. I used to think she was paranoid. To be honest, I never thought the threat was real. I thought the five of you were socialites who’d fly into Miami for a few days of fun in the sun and club crawling all night.” He hugged her close to him and placed kiss on her temple. “That was before I knew what you did for a living. Now, it’s all too real.”

  She smiled up at him. “You were right about the sun and clubbing part. Katlin was the only socialite. The rest of us are just junior military officers who wanted to let loose after a strenuous mission.” Changing the subject, Grace asked, “So, when was the first time you rode in a limousine?”

  “Oh, that’s a tough one.” He gazed into the spacious emptiness. “The first time I remember, I was three, maybe four. My dad had taken us to Washington D.C. to see Gramps. I can remember romping around in the back of a car about this size.” He glanced around. “The adults stayed at this end talking and kind of gave us the run of the place. It was fun because for the first time we didn’t have to wear seatbelts.”

  “My first time was with you.” She watched his face for any kind of reaction. “It was shortly after the first mission Katlin and I did together. We were on a team with a bunch of men, working for Section 7, and they gave us a week off after we made it home safely from the sandbox. She invited me down to her place in Miami.”

  “The beach condo?” Griffin asked.

  “No, she had a timeshare on one of the islands,” she explained. “It was great. Someone from Guardian—I don’t remember who, but it wasn’t you—picked us up at the airport in one of the SUVs and took us out there. Later that night, when we wanted to go clubbing, you picked us up in a silver Mercedes stretch limousine. That big huge car for just the three of us. You remember now?”

  “Yes, I do.” Griffin rubbed a hand up and down her bare arm. “Damn, that had to be three years ago. That car wasn’t bulletproof so we traded it in for one that was.” He smiled as though he had a secret joke. “It was a pretty old limo when Alex bought it, but in very good shape. That was right after Alex bought the Miami office and put me in charge.” He shook his head. “Seems like forever ago. Alex and I have been through so much together since then. It was certainly a sharp learning curve.”

  “Do you like what you do?” Grace asked, although Griffin always seem to enjoy his job.

  “Fuck, yes.” He shot her a glance and apologized. “I’m sorry, I know you don’t swear. It just seems to jump out of my mouth when I’m around friends.”

  “Have you met Nita?” Grace laughed. “I’m not sure that woman can complete a sentence without dropping an F bomb.”

  Griffin grinned. “Yeah, but she’s just so damn funny. It’s tough to stay professional around her sometimes. All the guys really like her.”

  “Men in general like her.” Grace hoped Nita was going to get her wish and get laid early so she could still be ready to leave by ten. That reminded her, “Griffin, we have to cut the evening really short, and I’m sorry for that.”

  He put his fingers over her lips. “I know you got called out. Alex told me. Actually, I’m going to take you home and load up the others while you change. We’re taking all of you in this limo tonight. Alex doesn’t want to take any chances.”

  “So where are we going out to supper, since we’re not supposed to be exposed?” Grace suddenly worried about being a literal sitting duck in a restaurant.

  “An Italian place Alex told me about. We’ll enter and exit by side door and be seated in one of the private rooms in the back. I’ve been told more political deals have been solidified in that back room than anywhere else in D.C.”

  “Oh. Clandestine meeting rooms where Democrats and Republicans hash out their differences over Chianti. If only the walls could talk.” They both laughed.

  The restaurant lived up to its reputation. The food was absolutely awesome from the antipasto all the way through the Tiramisu. Grace regretted that she could only sip some of the Amarone wine served, but she wanted to be able to fly just in case someone else couldn’t.

  At nine o’clock Griffin, put his arm around Grace and hurried her the three steps to the waiting limousine. Another Guardian employee had joined them and rode shotgun. As soon as Grace was settled in the back seat, Griffin pressed the button to speak to the men up front. “We’re good to go. I’m closing the privacy shield. Let me know when we’re five minutes out.”

  “Will do, sir.” The reply came clearly through the car’s communication system.

  Griffin pressed the button to close the thick glass separating the two of them from the front seat. He also double checked to see that the red light indicating the communication system was off.

  He pulled Grace onto his lap, and she wrapped her arm around his shoulders to steady herself. “I don’t want this to be good-bye.” He crashed his mouth on hers, almost in desperation.

  She immediately opened for him an
d ran her hand up his chest. When he tilted his head to deepen the kiss, her body was all twisted. Without breaking the kiss, she stood then placed her knees on each side of his hips. Better.

  As she relaxed onto his lap, she could feel his erection was lined up with her center.

  “Christ, sweetheart. I can feel your heat all the way through my pants.” He nipped down her neck, and she arched back to give him better access. His hands immediately came to her breasts, cupping them, then circling her nipples with his thumbs.

  “More,” she begged.

  “We don’t have much time. Nowhere near enough time to do everything I want with you.” He continued kissing down the scoop neckline then running his tongue over her mounded breasts.

  Grace picked his head up forcing him to face her. “So, I’m not a one night stand?”

  Incredulity flashed in his eyes. “How can you say that? Grace, I’m sure of one thing, I am nowhere near done with you. I won’t let last night be our only night together.”

  Playfully, she offered, “Well, I’m sure we’ll be on more missions together and those usually last several days…and nights.”

  “That’s not what I’m talking about and you know it.” He pulled her to him, chest to chest, and tucked her head into his neck. “When I woke up this morning and rolled over to find a cold bed, I wanted to scream. I wanted to share the morning with you. Have breakfast together. At least we got to run together for a little while.”

  “I don’t want to think about this morning,” Grace shot back. She pulled away enough so she could see his face. “Sometimes I can be rather dense, especially when it comes to men. I’m just a Midwest girl who married her high school boyfriend, so I don’t have a lot of experience with vague talk. Be straight with me, Griffin. What are you trying to say?”

  He cupped her face in both hands. “I want to go on another date with you. And another one after that. I want to take you on a picnic to the beach.” He grinned. “I want to see you in that little red bikini again.”