Hunter’s drawn-out groan pulled a laugh from Anthony’s chest.
“Listen to Grandma, baby.” Glennon shoved to her feet. “It’s way past your bedtime.”
“Okay.” Eyes downcast, feet dragging across the rug, Hunter closed the distance between him and his mother, giving her a tight hug good-night. “When will we be going home?”
Anthony’s stomach sank.
Glennon raised her gaze to his from over her son’s shoulder. The light speckling of freckles across her nose darkened as color drained from her face. “Soon, baby. Mommy just has one more thing she needs to do.”
“Okay. Be careful. Don’t get hurt again.” Hunter released his hold, turning toward Anthony with one hand raised. “Bye.”
“Bye, buddy.” Anthony offered a high-five as he caught Glennon wipe her hand across her cheek. “I had fun playing with you. We’ll do it again, okay?”
With an overexaggerated nod and a quick pit stop to grab his drink from Helen, the four-year-old Caped Crusader disappeared down the hallway with his grandmother close behind.
“That’s the second time I’ve had to leave him here. He doesn’t understand why.” Glennon sank onto the floor, devastation etched into her expression as she stared after her son. Sniffling, she shook her head. “Not sure you’re cut out for playing with my son again.” She nodded at his wound. “You’re bleeding.”
Anthony pulled his shirt away from his skin, the spreading red stain across his T-shirt registering. Damn it. He must’ve torn a few stitches wrestling across the floor. A rough laugh shook through him. “He’s definitely stronger than he looks.”
“That, he is. Come on. My mom has a sewing kit around here somewhere.” Glennon offered him her hand. “We’ll get you stitched back up then go over our next move to find Bennett.”
“There won’t be much to go over. I’ve already worked it out.” Sliding his hand into hers, Anthony ignored the sting in his side and stood. “Your partner started this war. We’re going to end it.”
* * *
A SKY FULL of pinks, greens and oranges—and Anthony was staring at her.
Puffs of air crystallized in front of her mouth as they took position in the tree line surrounding the cabin. A chill swept up her spine, but not from the dropping temperature. Not even from the anticipation of their target walking into Anthony’s crosshairs. Because, after all these years, her heart still skipped a beat at the sight of him.
She swallowed hard, lying on the tarp and blanket they’d brought to protect them from the snow. Aurora borealis danced above them, providing a minuscule amount of light, but Anthony had trained for operations exactly like this as a Ranger. He didn’t need daylight to locate his target. He’d get the job done, even with a brand-new set of stitches in his side. “It’s going to be hard to spot our target if you keep staring at me.”
“I’m good at multitasking.” One edge of his mouth turned upward. He’d armed himself with his favored Beretta, set up a sniper rifle and strapped on a combat knife, but the most fearsome weapon he held was that minefield of a smile. He pressed his left eye against the scope, relieving a bit of the pressure that had built in her chest.
“If you say so. Just remember you’ve already used up the saving-your-life coupon from me, so I’d focus if I were you.” Glennon forced herself to study the span of property between them and the cabin. To prove she could. The trap was set. All she’d had to do was turn on her army-issued phone after coming back to the cabin and wait. With Campbell Lake to their right and a wide expanse of nothing but snow in front of them, they had the best view of anyone coming to collect on Staff Sergeant Mascaro’s contract on her head. Whoever that might be.
Danger edged closer; she could feel it. Cold worked through her thick coat, down into her bones. She scanned the woods surrounding them for movement.
“Hell, I’ve missed you.” The words were rough, rumbly and so low she hadn’t been entirely sure she’d heard him right.
She jerked her gaze back to his face. “What?”
Anthony shifted his trigger finger alongside the rifle. “You know me better than anyone, Glennon, even my team. And I don’t believe in giving up.” He kept his eye pressed to the scope. “Especially not when it comes to us.”
She didn’t know what to say to that. He wanted to have this discussion now? In the middle of the wilderness as they waited for Mascaro’s men? She surveyed the landscape for signs of another soldier coming to collect the price on her head. “And you think now is the time to have this conversation?”
“When else are we going to find a time we’re not being shot at or hunted down?”
Okay. He had a point.
Dark blue eyes centered on her, compressing the frigid air locked in her lungs. “You’re the best investigator I’ve ever met. You’re insanely smart, you’ll do anything for the people who matter most to you and you’re not afraid to stand up for what’s right.”
Her insides warmed, counteracting the numbness taking root in her fingers and toes.
“Why are you telling me this?” She licked her dry lips, a minor mistake out here in below-freezing temperatures, but she couldn’t think. Couldn’t breathe. Anxiety clawed an ugly path up her throat. “What do you want from me?”
“Everything, sweetheart.” The tendons along the line of his neck flexed. “When this investigation is over, I want you and Hunter to stay here, in Anchorage, with me. I don’t care what you’re hiding. I can handle every single secret you have.”
Her heart iced, her lips tingling with numbness. No. He couldn’t. Because the second she revealed the truth, he’d walk away. He’d hate her. Nausea rolled in her stomach. And then who would she have? Everyone else in her life had already betrayed her. Her heartbeat drummed too loud in her ears as she pushed to her feet. She curled her fingers into the palms of her thick gloves in an attempt to bring some blood flow back. She couldn’t risk losing him. Not Anthony. Not yet.
Space. She needed to put space between them. “I have to go.”
“Glennon, wait.” His brows drew inward a split second before she cleared the tree line.
The sound of crunching snow followed close on her heels as she waded through the brush. A strong grip wrapped around her biceps. The world blurred as he spun her around. Anthony pressed her into his chest, held her up as her knees shook. He’d left the rifle in position behind him, abandoning his post. “You left me once. I’ll be damned if I let it happen again without good reason.”
He still had his fingers wrapped around her arm, and her breath hitched. Even through her winter gear, he could make her feel too much. Her body’s response to Anthony had always been off the charts. She was too attuned to him. Too sensitive. And that was a very dangerous thing.
“I left because you weren’t there when I needed you the most.” The gut-wrenching shift in his expression filled her with dread. His hold lightened. She swallowed hard, the words much sharper than she’d intended, but she had to make one thing clear. This wasn’t just about the two of them. “And if it happened again, it wouldn’t only affect me. Do you understand?”
The dimple almost completely hidden beneath his beard deepened. “I would never do anything to hurt Hunter.”
“I believe you. Now. And I think you believe that, too.” A blast of Arctic chill swept through her, hammering at her already exhausted defenses. Physically. Emotionally. “But what’s to stop you from re-upping for another tour or deciding your assignments with Blackhawk Security are more important than us?”
The blue in his eyes dimmed. He seemed so much...bigger in that moment. Dangerous, even. But Anthony would never hurt her. Hell, he’d taken a bullet for her. Luck had nothing to do with her standing there. She’d cheated death. Because of the Grim Reaper. But still, he didn’t answer.
Glennon nodded. “I barely kept my head above water when I left Anchorage, Anthony. I won’t put my
son through that. And if this means you can’t help me anymore, I won’t hold it against you.”
Her boots sank into soft powder as she turned away, slowing her escape. But she wouldn’t stop. Couldn’t. No matter how much she wanted to go back, to slip into his hold, they didn’t have a future together. Soon, the investigation into Mascaro would be over and she’d go back to CID headquarters in Quantico. Where she belonged.
The weight of his gaze drilled into her from behind as she climbed the cabin’s front steps. He hadn’t followed her. She should’ve been relieved, but the tingling in her arm—where he’d touched her—spread fast.
Shouldering her way inside, Glennon exhaled the remnants of his clean, masculine scent from her system. She pressed her spine into the thick wooden door. Sweat built underneath her clothing, but it had nothing to do with the flames simmering in the fireplace a few feet away. She’d done the right thing. Pain shot through the back of her skull as her head hit the door. She closed her eyes. “I did the right thing.”
Swiping a glove under her nose, she tossed her winter gear over the back of the couch and escaped to the guest bedroom. Having another door between them wouldn’t erase the past ten minutes from her memory, but it would help to relieve the urge to march back out there in below-freezing conditions. That wouldn’t do any good. What more was there to discuss?
Stay with me.
Why did that idea feel so...right? Whatever she felt for him now wasn’t real. At least, not anymore. She’d fallen in love with him years ago. Her feelings—however clouded—were an echo of that time. Had nothing to do with the last three days. Had nothing to do with the fact he’d stood by her side, protected her, saved her life. Had nothing to do with the way he’d gotten Hunter to laugh or given her son a pass on tearing open his stitches. Floorboards groaned under her weight as she paced to the curtained window. Did it?
A laugh burst up her throat. She was Military Police, for crying out loud. Yet here she was, hiding. Hiding from the truth. Glennon ran a hand through her hair, turning at the sound of heavy boot steps coming down the hallway. Soft beeping reached her ears. Anthony had set the alarm. A door closed softly, followed by the sound of running water. The shower. She was kidding herself. Of course she’d started falling back in love with him. How could she not?
Anthony Harris was the kind of man any soldier would be lucky to have by her side, the kind of man who loved fiercely and protected loyally. She exhaled hard. Hell, she couldn’t believe she was doing this. Glennon ripped open the bedroom door. He was the kind of man who could make her forget the nightmare around her, if only for a night.
Steam worked its way from underneath the bathroom door. The bright red light on Anthony’s new security alarm panel said the cabin was secure. Mascaro’s crew wouldn’t get in without her knowing, but hesitation still gripped her hard, her hand positioned over the doorknob. One twist. That was all it would take. She could have everything she’d ever wanted. The chance to have a real family. One breath. Two. Shouldering her way inside, Glennon froze.
Standing outside the shower, stripped down to nothing but a pair of dark cargo pants, Anthony stood as though he’d expected her. Ridges and valleys shifted across his bare abdomen as he tossed his shirt to the tile floor. The tattoo she’d traced countless times twisted up his arm. Death Before Dishonor. And wasn’t that the perfect representation of a Ranger. “Glennon, I—”
“I don’t want to talk.” A slow exhale escaped her control as she met his gaze. Unflinching. Bare. Vulnerable. Taking a single step forward, she gripped the edge of her T-shirt, lifting it over her head. Her hair fell in loose strands around her face. Discarding her shirt, she removed her boots using her heels. “Tonight, I only want you.”
Chapter Eleven
Silence woke him.
Sliding his hand over the sheets, Anthony reached out for her. Glimmers of green and pink illuminated the edges of the single window in his room. He rubbed his eyes with the ball of his palm. Damn, how long had he been asleep? Two hours? Three, tops? Time had lost all meaning once they’d finally climbed out of the shower. And he didn’t regret a single moment, the feel of her wrapped around him still fresh in his mind. Her scent still clung to him. Being with her again... Hearing his name on her lips had been everything and so much more. He’d never forget tonight. And couldn’t wait for so many others.
He rolled onto his side and scanned the bed with what minimal light came through the curtains. Empty. He narrowed his gaze to see through the dark. She couldn’t have climbed out of bed that long ago. The sheets were still warm. “Glennon?”
A tingling sensation climbed up his spine.
The pressure of a gun barrel dug into his back. “Where is she?”
Anthony shot up and swung hard, knocking the weapon out of his assailant’s hand. The thud of the gun hitting the floor resonated loudly in his ears.
Pain exploded across the right side of his head with a direct hit, but didn’t slow him down. Grabbing his masked assailant by the back of the neck, he launched his knee into the attacker’s stomach as hard as he could. No way in hell this bastard would get to her. He wouldn’t fail her. Not again.
The intruder rammed his shoulder into Anthony’s middle, shoving his bare feet across the cold hardwood floor. He slammed his elbow down into his opponent’s spine. Once. Twice. His heart beat loudly behind his ears as the operative dropped—hard—but Anthony wasn’t finished. Straddling his attacker, he rocketed his fist into the man’s face. A knee caught him in the back and he launched forward, his head hitting the nightstand.
The intruder swung down, every move, every strike, militaristic.
Blocking the punch with one hand, Anthony rammed his fist into his assailant’s rib cage. He shoved to his feet. A growl—predatory and full of rage—ripped from his throat as he closed in. These people just didn’t get the message. Glennon Chase was off-limits. She was his. And he’d put a bullet in every single one of them to keep her safe.
A solid kick to the man’s chest sent his opponent straight into the bedroom window. Broken glass rained down around them as his attacker slumped to the floor. But the fight was far from over. They’d already broken into his house twice, somehow bypassing his security. There wouldn’t be a next time.
The bedroom light blinded him for a split second and he swung around, prepared for another fight.
Glennon stood in the doorway. Wearing nothing but one of his large T-shirts that covered her from mid-thigh up and her unlaced boots, her service weapon was firmly gripped between both hands. Standing there, unashamed and determined to do the job. And damn if that wasn’t the sexiest thing he’d ever seen. Broken glass crunched under his attacker’s boots as the bastard got to his feet. Glennon closed in on her target. Her gaze shifted to Anthony then back. Was that hesitation he read across her expression? “You know the drill, Bennett. Put your hands on your head and drop to your knees.”
“You going to arrest me, Glennon?” The mask hid the intruder’s features but that voice... Anthony recognized it straight off the bat. First from the break-in, then from the docks.
With slow movements, the attacker gripped the black ski mask in his hand and pulled it from his head. Brown hair and a sharp, shadowed jawline stood out against the hollowness that had consumed the sergeant’s features. Running from the authorities had obviously taken a toll. “Here I thought we could still be friends after everything I’ve done for you.”
Son of a bitch. They’d recovered Bennett Spencer. The investigation was over. His gaze cut back to Glennon. Anthony curled his fingers into his palms as a wall of heat rushed against him from the vent above his head. He’d gone to bed—and fought Bennett—in nothing but his boxers, but he wouldn’t move a damn inch to get dressed as long as the bastard was free of cuffs.
“Done for me?” A rough laugh worked up her throat as Glennon shifted her weight to her back foot, widening her stance and mak
ing herself a smaller target, exactly as he’d taught her in basic. “You’ve got to be kidding. For two years, all you’ve done for me is lie. What you should be saying is, ‘Thank you for not putting a bullet in me, Glennon.’ Or ‘Hey, partner, by the way, I’m part of the operation we’ve been tasked to investigate. Thought you should know.’”
“Well, I thought taking care of that sniper who put a bullet in your shoulder or saving your life at the side of the road was awful nice of me. I guess I could’ve let those assholes kill you.” Bennett shrugged. The muscles along his jawline sharpened. Brown eyes—darker than coffee—locked on her, sending the controlled rage Anthony held on to close to the surface. “And, hey, partner, by the way, I’m not part of Mascaro’s operation. At least...not anymore.”
“What? Did they revoke your membership once they found out you’ve been moonlighting as CID?” Glennon adjusted her grip on the gun. “And you’re the one who ran us off the road in the first place. How am I supposed to trust anything you say?”
“You killed the sniper and that shooter on the shoreline.” Anthony crossed to the closet and scanned his thumbprint for access to his gun safe. In another two, maybe three minutes, Glennon’s arms would start to ache from holding her weapon up so long, but Bennett wouldn’t get the drop on them. He loaded a magazine into his Beretta and secured a round in the chamber. Not again. This time he’d put the traitor down if forced. “If you were with Mascaro and his crew, why bother?”
“No offense, Ranger—” Bennett interlaced his hands behind his head “—but I think I’d be more comfortable having this conversation with all of us wearing clothes.”
“No, we’re doing this now, partner.” The last word sneered from Glennon’s lips. She lowered her weapon but the rage etched into her features intensified. The safety on her gun remained off. She didn’t trust Bennett. And with good reason. The sergeant had successfully infiltrated the Military Police—background checks, polygraph tests, multiple interviews. He’d lived a double life for years. Hell, if Bennett weren’t part of the crew trying to kill the woman he loved, Anthony would have half a mind to recruit him into Blackhawk Security. “You betrayed the army. And me. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if you’re the one who deleted my files off my backup drive.”
Rules in Rescue Page 12
