Guarding Cindy (Special Forces: Operation Alpha)

by Paige, Victoria

And maybe more.

  Seeing Maddox so happy with Izzy, he wanted that. He never had that relationship with Dianne, he never—

  He felt angry eyes on them. Cocking his head to his left, he found the source of that rage. A dark-haired man stood to one corner holding a grocery basket, but his stare was directed at Cindy before it slowly transferred to him. Every muscle of Marcus’s body grew alert. When the man approached, he was already stepping in front of Cindy.

  “Cindy.” The stranger’s voice was hoarse.

  She looked up and paled. “Trevor.” She glanced uneasily at Marcus.

  Was this man dangerous? The source of her hang-up calls?

  “That’s as far as you go, man,” he ordered.

  Trevor stopped in his tracks. “Who the fuck are you?” He glared at Cindy. “Who is he? Your new man?”

  Marcus had already tapped the man against his chest, hard enough for him to stagger backward.

  “Back off,” Marcus warned. “She doesn’t owe you an answer.”

  Trevor scanned him from head to toe, mouth twisting in a sneer. “You do have daddy issues, don’t you? How old are you, asshole? You’re old enough to be her father.”

  “You broke up with me,” Cindy gritted out. “You lost the right to question me, much less have a say in who I date.”

  This was interesting. Loverboy here broke up with her?

  “Looks like it’s your loss, buddy.” Marcus took note of the growing spectators. “Unless you want to get your ass handed to you in front of all these people, it’s time for you to make yourself scarce.”

  “Think you can take me on, grandpa?”

  Marcus grinned, and there was nothing humorous in the way he smiled. It was the smile he gave his men before he ordered them to do 200 pushups.

  He advanced on the younger man.

  “Trevor, don’t be stupid. You don’t want to get entangled with the likes of Marcus—”

  “What do you mean?” A wariness stole over Trevor’s features.

  “—and if you’ve been sending me hang-up calls, please stop, okay? We’re over. You ended it.”

  Shit, he didn’t want Cindy to bring up those calls until he’d investigated him.

  “Someone’s been harassing you?” The man’s face transformed to one of concern. And either the man was a good actor or he was truly surprised.

  In any case, Marcus didn’t want to have that discussion here, so he put on his intimidation face and Trevor flinched, seeing for the first time the killer inside him.

  “I’ll say it for the last time,” Marcus said quietly. “Get. Lost.”

  The younger man backed away. “This isn’t over.”

  It was funny how their balls got bigger when they were at a distance.

  Trevor glanced around Marcus. “I’ll call you, Cin.”

  Wishful thinking, buddy.

  He watched the man disappear down the aisles before giving Cindy his attention.

  “Now you see why I can’t?” She raised her arm weakly in the direction where Trevor went. “With you?”

  He remained silent, giving a slight nod that he heard her. Marcus was getting a clearer picture where her headspace was in regards to relationships, but he had an inkling her reluctance in having one with him ran deeper than her latest breakup.

  He intended to find out everything.

  * * *

  Their interaction grew stilted after the encounter with Trevor. Cindy completed the shopping with brisk efficiency but Marcus wondered if that was fueled by her desire to get out of his company.

  They arrived at Drake’s rented house—an all-brick Georgian built on a rural development. Opening the door to greet them, Maddox raised a brow, noting the silence between Marcus and Cindy. Izzy was quick to jump right into conversation with her friend and broke an otherwise awkward exchange. Her excited chatter focused on the construction of their new home which was delayed because Izzy got pregnant with Ana Lisa.

  The two men retreated to the patio where Maddox dusted the steaks, still on butcher paper, with his special spice mix he called the “Mad Dog Special.”

  “What’s going on with Cindy?” his friend didn’t wait asking.

  “Ex-boyfriend showed up at Kroger when we were there.”

  Drake’s brows drew together as he bent over and reached for a beverage cooler that was built into the island housing the grill station. He tentatively offered it to Marcus.

  “Pass for now, but I’ll have a root beer if you have one.”

  After their drinks got squared away, they reclined on the patio furniture.

  “You think he’s stalking her?” Drake asked.

  “Not sure.” Marcus recounted the whole scene.

  “Wow. Glad I wasn’t in your shoes. You were always a cool cucumber.” Drake took a swig of his beer. “Commander.”

  Marcus smiled faintly. “Those days are gone, Lieutenant.”

  “Bullshit, I see the SEAL in your eyes. The old geezer who’d make us run that hellish course if we fucked up.”

  He chuckled at the recollection. “Fixed you guys right up, didn’t I?” He blew out a breath. “I haven’t thanked you enough for dragging my head outta my ass. For trusting me again and even partnering with me to form M & H.”

  “If it wasn’t for you that whole mission to rescue Izabel would have gone FUBAR. I owe you. I’d say you’re the one who reminded us about who we are. Brothers. SEALs.”

  “Hooyah, brother,” they declared and bumped their drinks.

  Drake got up to check on the women while Marcus sat back and zoned out as he watched the sprinklers try to keep the grass green on a hot day in September. His mind wandered back to the horror of that day. The suicide bombers decimated an entire SEAL squad—Fire Team. Marcus thought he was the lone survivor, and not long after, a terrorist took out his entire family—his wife, Dianne, and his two boys, Adam and Joe, aged twelve and ten.

  His world imploded that day, causing him to spiral into a vortex of pain killers and alcohol. He was quietly told to resign and he did. He lost everything that meant anything to him. Bless Izabel for her tenacious heart. She didn’t give up on him, pulled him from the bottle and drugs, and got him a job at her firm. After he relapsed and showed up drunk at work, he was given one last chance. Then Drake turned up alive and with a mission. To go after the people who’d been responsible for the Fire Team massacre. It turned out to be Marcus’s chance for redemption and to finally move on.

  Nothing was simple. After getting closure when the perpetrators of the massacre were charged with treason, he took that first step and went to a therapist.

  “Man, that Cindy is a godsend.” Drake returned and broke his train of thought. “An angel. You know she babysits for us so Izabel and I can go on a date? Now she’s prepping us enough food for a week so Izabel can concentrate on being a mom and her job. Well, and lucky me, too. Question is, why hasn’t a man snatched her up yet?”

  Drake wasn’t looking at him, and instead headed to the grill and switched on the burners to preheat. Marcus wanted to pitch his root beer at his head.

  His friend turned to look at him, grinning. “Not biting, heh?”

  “Fuck off.”

  “I see how you look at her,” Drake added.

  “It’s as if the blinders came off.”

  “Time and place, man. You clawed your way back from hell.”

  “We all did. Izabel too. Both of those women in there have an iron will. At that time, I thought Cindy was a cute thing, bringing me casseroles and shit.” And he was too wasted to see the good woman right in front of him.

  But not now. He was seeing her clearly—beautiful, sassy, compassionate, and he definitely wanted to explore the strong attraction he felt toward her.

  “Don’t like where your thoughts are going.” Drake narrowed his eyes at him.

  Marcus grinned salaciously.

  “That went straight to the gutter, didn’t it? Hell, you better not cost us a babysitter.”

  * * *

/>   “So Harrelson here is panting after Cindy Lake?” Tex said over their web conference session.

  “Panting hasn’t happened.” Marcus scowled at Drake. “Knock it off.”

  “Yeah, he’s trying to be an impeccable suitor to our Southern belle.”

  “What do you need me to find out?” Tex asked.

  “Let’s get the business segment out of the way first,” Marcus said. “Have you reviewed the resumes we sent you?”

  “Yup, two looked good to head your control center. The one that’s a former Navy cryptographer, other one has no military experience but has been in charge of cyber security for several Fortune 500 companies.”

  “Can we afford him?” Marcus wondered.

  “His salary is a bit above the industry norm, but with the high-profile clients interested in signing up, you need the best, don’t you think?”

  They were bankrolling the company with Maddox’s inheritance, but they had money coming in from Exetron Oil. Each SEAL family was receiving 10 million dollars in payout for its CEO’s role in the Fire Team massacre.

  Drake and Marcus looked at each other and he tilted his chin in an affirmative.

  “That’s fine. We can look in the private sector,” Drake said. “But Harrelson and I want to keep the company at least at eighty percent veterans.”

  “Understood. I’ll look at the other applicants for your field agents and do their background check.”

  Their discussion moved to the setup of the security/control center. Tex made suggestions on equipment and the best configuration for their needs which was to provide home security for their clients or, at the most, link up to an existing company.

  Tex grinned. “So what fun stuff do you have for me, Harrelson?”

  Dinner had been more relaxed and Marcus was able to get information out of Cindy.

  “Cindy has been getting hang-up calls. It coincided around the time she broke up with her last boyfriend, Trevor Ford.” He relayed the encounter to Tex, the same way he told Drake earlier.

  “The most obvious sometimes is not our guy,” Tex said.

  “Not a fan of Occam’s Razor, my friend?” Marcus drawled.

  “Just prefer a challenge. You got another?”

  “Keith Barrows. He works with Cindy as their tech support.”

  “Hmm … a fellow geek. What makes you suspect him?”

  “Besides the way he looks at Cindy? It seems he gets bullied a lot and she’s the only one who shows him kindness.”

  At this, Tex straightened in his chair. “Now we’re talking.”

  “Don’t get too excited, we’re talking about a possible stalker. I for one know how twisted some of them could get.”

  “That’s right. How was Quantico?”

  Marcus shrugged. “It was okay. Drake and I were talking about holding classes for our agents just so they could identify these kinds of threats and how to handle them.”

  “You guys accepting celebrity clients?”

  “With the way our politicians are behaving, think there’s a difference?” Maddox quirked a brow.

  Tex laughed. “I’ll get working on this. Seems like this is the priority.”

  He couldn’t be more right.

  Chapter 4

  Dinner went better than Cindy expected. The tension between her and Marcus melted away as easy as the butter that hit upon the sizzling steak. Or maybe it was the therapy of cooking that loosened the knots in her stomach caused by the appearance of Trevor. Food had that effect on her.

  “I can’t thank you enough.” Izabel gushed as they packed the individual, cooled-down containers in the freezer. Drake’s portions were larger, though not by much because Izabel was still breastfeeding. Cindy calculated the calories for her friend. Ana Lisa was a voracious eater and Izzy needed a lot to keep up. The nine-month-old baby was adorable, having tires for legs that reminded her of the Michelin Man.

  Right now she was busy tapping her spoon on her high chair.

  “Looks like Ana Lisa is still hungry. Maybe feed her apple slices. I cut extra when I made the chicken salad.”

  Izabel smiled gratefully and proceeded to feed her daughter, who seemed more interested in playing with the slices than eating them. Cindy looked on with tenderness. Izzy might have the harried look of a new mother, but there was no doubt she was deliriously happy.

  The men returned from their meeting.

  “I’m ready for dessert,” Drake said. “Want some coffee, man?”

  Marcus’s eyes were focused on her, and she returned his appraisal without flinching.

  “Depends. What time are you leaving, Cin?”

  “Uh, why?”

  “I’m taking you home. Staying at your place.”

  “What?” she said on a nervous laugh. “Aren’t you taking this bodyguard duties a bit too seriously?”

  “Your safety is a serious issue,” Marcus shot back. “I’m just going with the facts, sugar. You’re getting hang-up calls. Your ex shows up at the supermarket and confronts you about dating another man—”

  “That does sound troubling, Cin,” Izabel said.

  “I don’t have any extra rooms made up.”

  “I’ll take the couch. We’ll think of other arrangements tomorrow.”

  “Wait. How long are you staying at my place?”

  “Until we figure out if Trevor Ford is a danger to you.”

  Cindy opened her mouth, but closed it again. She had lost count of how many times she explained that Trevor was the one who broke up with her. Although judging by his reaction to Marcus, it looked like he regretted it.

  How did she get into this tangled mess?

  That damned dating website, of course.

  “I don’t want you to put your life on hold for me.”

  “I’m not.” Marcus walked toward her and clasped her shoulders gently. “I’m taking my life where it needs to go.”

  Izabel emitted a dramatic sigh.

  Cindy’s cheeks burned hot.

  And it looked like her resolve to give up dating for the foreseeable future was rapidly crumbling.

  * * *

  It was ten p.m. when she pulled her Toyota into the single vehicle garage while Marcus parked his Expedition on the street in front of her home.

  “Nice house,” Marcus said as he appeared in the garage.

  Cindy grabbed the bags from the back of the vehicle. “Thanks. I’ve been here six years. I invited you a couple of times, remember?”

  “I do.” There was a hint of regret on his face. She let him grab the groceries from her as she unlocked the garage door that opened into the kitchen.

  After they put the groceries away, she leaned against the countertop and faced him. “I think we need to be on the same page.”

  He crossed his arms, bunching his biceps, and leaned against the opposite counter. At forty-six years old, Marcus looked healthier and more formidable than he did two years before when he was spiraling into alcoholism. He always looked physically fit, but his eyes had been haunted. Now, he looked every inch the lethal SEAL commander she imagined he once was.

  “I agree,” he said. “Don’t you think we should get more comfortable in the living room?”

  “No.”

  He arched a brow. “No?”

  “You know I had a crush on you,” Cindy said.

  “Had?”

  “It was meant to be harmless, Marcus,” she said. “I knew you weren’t in a place to entertain a relationship and I wanted to take care of you.”

  His brows drew together. “Are you saying you were feeling sorry for me?”

  Cindy cringed. “It’s not that.”

  “Was I that pathetic?” She expected him to be pissed, his pride hurt, but there was amusement on his face. “You and Izzy were like mother hens. Are you saying, now that I’m showing interest, you’re not?”

  “Marcus! It’s not that simple.” She threw up her hands, wanting to get out her resentment of his judgy tone earlier. “You never approved of my online da
ting life. You scowled all the time when I mentioned it, and just this morning, I didn’t like it when you asked if I was still a member.”

  “Meeting someone online is dangerous.”

  “Meeting someone online is like meeting a blind date at a coffee shop.”

  His face darkened. “I’m not sure I want to discuss your dating life.”

  “Is this going to come between us?” Cindy asked. “I realized that there’s … there’s this…” How could she say it without offending him?

  “Generation gap?” he offered.

  “You said it, I didn’t.”

  “I can read it all over your face.” Marcus sighed. “If my age bothers you then there’s nothing I can do.”

  “So you’re giving up?”

  “Does my age bother you?”

  “No, but—”

  “Then we don’t have a problem.”

  She was frustrated because she couldn’t articulate her concerns without saying them outright. “You think I’m a slut.”

  His eyes widened in horror, and then anger flashed through them. “That never occurred to me, Cin. Not once. I was only concerned for your safety and the reason I didn’t want to discuss your dating life was because I’m finding myself getting extremely jealous of the men from your past.”

  Her jaw dropped, mind swirling with this change in their relationship. “I didn’t sleep with all of them,” she blurted out.

  His face hardened. “It’s in the past. You don’t have to explain yourself.”

  “I just want to put it out there, get it off my chest.”

  “Looks to me that you’re feeling guilty about using the site.”

  “I shouldn’t. Other people just use it for a good time, but sometimes it feels like false advertisement. And after Trevor, I didn’t want to hurt him, but I’ve hurt all three of them.”

  “Three?”

  “I’ve used RightSpark for three years. I’ve been matched with twenty. Met 6, and out of the six, three had become my boyfriends.” She said that all without taking a breath, and when she exhaled, Marcus chuckled, although it didn’t seem to have a trace of humor.

  “C’mere.”