The Ranger’s Chance: A Clean Army Ranger Romance Book One

by Livingston, Bree

  When he didn’t respond, she leaned in and kissed him. He needed to stop her, but the longer he stayed close to her, the more he wanted to be close to her.

  Breaking the kiss, he held her at arm’s length. “There are things you need to know before you kiss me any more. Things I can’t tell you right this second, and you need to know them before this continues.”

  There. He’d done it. It had taken every ounce of willpower, but he’d stopped whatever this was between them.

  Mia tilted her head, a small smile playing on her lips. “And this is why I say you are a good man.”

  He squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head. “I’m not.”

  “Noah,” she said softly. “Whatever this is, it has me a little scared too. I’ve always been told courage is being afraid and still running into the fire.”

  Was he afraid? Was that why he was pulling away? Not because he was trying to keep from hurting her, but to keep himself from getting hurt? That could be part of it. Until he could tell her the truth, though, he needed to keep himself in check.

  He opened his eyes, and whatever determination he’d mustered disappeared again. “Into the fire, then?”

  Mia smiled. “A little singed hair never hurt anyone.”

  “Let me walk you to your room.”

  “Will it come with a goodnight kiss?”

  He chuckled. “I’m not entirely certain I could stop myself.”

  Geez, every minute with her, the grip she had on him tightened. Another twenty-four hours, and it would be in a vice. Could he hope that maybe she’d understand why he had to lie? That putting a known shipper used by human traffickers behind bars was a noble reason? What would his heart feel like if she didn’t agree?

  Crushed. He was pretty sure the correct feeling would be crushed.

  Chapter 12

  Mia floated down the sidewalk. Was there a spring in her step? Oh yeah. Noah had dropped her off the night before and kissed her like his life depended on it. Her lips were bruised, and they tingled hours afterward. She’d spent her dreams lying in his arms in a field of wildflowers. It was cheesy, but it didn’t keep her from waking up with a smile on her face.

  The only thing crimping her Noah-binge besides the realization that she was leaving him that night—which thought she quickly shoved from her mind—was the meeting with Mr. Harrison. It wasn’t until she’d walked into the coffee shop that her nerves caught up with her. What if she didn’t see what she thought she saw? What if she was being judge and jury and he was innocent? Her gut said he wasn’t, but without proof, it was just her word.

  “Ms. Milan,” Mr. Harrison said as he shook her hand and took a seat across from her.

  “Good morning.”

  He smiled, and she worked not to shiver.

  Even knowing Noah was keeping secrets, she knew in her heart he was a good man. I’m not, he’d said with a pained look on his face, a tremble in his voice. Whatever guilt he was carrying wouldn’t weigh as much if he wasn’t a good man.

  This man? Mr. Harrison. He had a rotten feel to him. “I see you already have coffee.”

  “Morning fuel.” She smiled.

  “I’m more of an energy-shot guy, but this is a nice place.”

  “I thought so.”

  He leaned forward on the table with his arms. “I guess we should get down to business so I’m not keeping you from anything.”

  “You’re not.”

  “Well, then, I’ll get to it. I’d like your program installed in the systems I have along the California coast, a few in Seattle, and several more along the East Coast. I’d like them linked in a network so that I have access to it anywhere I might be. That’s possible, correct?”

  She nodded. “Yes, absolutely. I would suggest having your own dedicated server, though. That way, data breaches would be at a minimum. My program will definitely keep you secure, but there will always be someone wanting to take information and hold it for ransom. With a dedicated server, you’d have more control.” Giving him all this information made her queasy, but she needed to keep herself in his good graces. After tonight, when she had her proof, then she could throw up on his high-dollar loafers.

  “It sounds expensive, but it would provide my customers with an added layer of security.”

  “With a dedicated server, you wouldn’t be sharing the hosting with anyone else. It can be a little expensive, depending on your needed data level, but again, security is really priceless.”

  Mr. Harrison nodded and sat back. “I agree.”

  “If you’ll email me your data requirements, I’ll work up the cost and give you a rundown of what it would be monthly.”

  “I’ll have my lead tech guy send you the information as soon as he can.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “You know, I tried googling you, and I found nothing.”

  “I keep my online presence to a minimum. It provides my clients with extra security. It’s true that with my skill I could leave no footprints if I wanted, but I work with computers all day. When I’m done, I like living in the real world.” She smiled.

  “I can understand that.”

  “Is there anything else?”

  He shook his head. “No, I’m just disappointed you have a boyfriend. There’s nothing sexier than an intelligent woman.”

  Inside, she was doing the spiderweb dance, trying to get the ick off. This man didn’t care one bit about her intelligence. He was a feral pig. Blech. “I appreciate the compliment, but I’m taken.” Or she wanted to be. By Noah. Perhaps she should have risked him finding out who she was working for and had him meet her at the coffee shop. He was in security, after all, and at the moment, she felt a little nervous.

  “Lucky man,” he said and stood. “Well, Ms. Milan, enjoy the rest of your stay in Miami, and it was nice seeing you again.”

  She stood and shook his hand. “Thank you. You too.” Not. She sat again and watched him leave. There was something off about that man. Aside from what she suspected, she got the eeriest feeling he was dangerous as well.

  Then again, she could just be projecting. Maybe her mind was messing with her. There wasn’t any proof he’d done anything wrong, and she’d even begun to doubt what she saw. It was a warehouse. Of course people would take breaks and sit on the docks. It was hot work. Cool air was blowing in, and maybe they were just enjoying it.

  Her overactive imagination was getting the best of her. Cracking the files would prove it. She’d been seeing things. Mr. Harrison was just sleazy, and that wasn’t a crime. Against humanity, sure. Just not the jail kind.

  * * *

  The second Noah saw Mia leave her room, he slipped inside and dialed Ryder. He’d waited down the hall so he’d have as much time as possible to search her room. As quickly as he could, he began going through her things in the hopes that he’d finish in time to catch her at the restaurant with Harrison. If the man had plans to hurt Mia, Noah wanted to be there to stop him.

  “Hey, I’m in. Are you set up if I find it?” Noah asked as he slipped a listening device under the lip of the nightstand drawer. He would have done it the first night he was in there, but…well, he didn’t have his head on straight.

  “Yeah, I’m ready to go. How was the date?”

  Noah rolled his eyes. “It wasn’t a date. I was staying close to a target. That’s it.” A target he enjoyed holding, kissing, and maybe falling for. Another reason he was glad he’d waited to bug Mia. If he’d done it the first night, Ryder would be giving him even more grief.

  “You like her. You defended her a little too quickly yesterday.”

  “I would have done that for anyone.”

  Ryder laughed. “No, you wouldn’t have. Just admit you like her.”

  “I don’t have the patience for this conversation. I’ve got a limited amount of time,” Noah said as he sifted through her suitcase, working to keep it looking exactly the same. “Are you listening in on Mia’s conversation? Is she safe?”

  Ryder hesitated as if he was going to pr
ess the issue, and Noah braced himself. “She’s fine. They’re talking about expanding her system to his other warehouses up the Florida coast.”

  Noah let out a soft breath in relief. “Is she saying she’ll do it?”

  “She’s mostly skirting the issue, saying she has several jobs lined up, and while she normally has a good idea of how long they’ll take, this one was a large connected computer system, and she’ll have to get back to Harrison.”

  Another breath of relief. At least she’s wasn’t jumping at the chance to work with Harrison.

  “Anything yet?” Ryder asked.

  “No, and I don’t think there will be.” Noah stopped at the small closet and opened the door. Nestled inside was a safe. “I’ll bet money she put it in the safe.”

  Ryder sighed. “Yeah, she does take her security seriously.”

  Noah smiled. Mia wasn’t like most people. “She takes security to a whole new level.” He closed the closet door and made his way back to the exit.

  “Seems like it. Okay, well, break in. I need that laptop.”

  “This isn’t your run-of-the-mill hotel safe. I don’t have the skill to get into it. If we want what’s on her laptop, we’re going to need to ask,” Noah said as he peeked out her door. With the hall clear, he let the door click behind him, walked to the elevator, and waited for it.

  Ryder cursed under his breath. “All right, I’ll do things differently. The next time she logs on, I’ll be ready.”

  “We don’t know that she’s working for him, Ryder.”

  “She was meeting with him this morning, wasn’t she? In talks to expand her program to the rest of his disgusting business.”

  The elevator arrived, and Noah stepped on. “That doesn’t mean she knows. It means—”

  “Look, if she doesn’t know, fine. But until we know that for sure, you need to treat her like she does.”

  Noah pinched the bridge of his nose. Mia wasn’t working for Harrison. In his gut, he knew it, but he also knew Ryder was right. There was nothing definitive yet. Taking the chance could put their mission in danger and keep Harrison out of prison. “I know, and I am. She has no idea who I am or what I’m doing here. I wouldn’t jeopardize this, and you know it.”

  “I know, just doing what you’d do if the roles were reversed.”

  “Yeah, I know. Thanks.”

  They ended the call, and he decided it would be better to go for a walk than to go straight to Mia. She would be safe while she was meeting Harrison in public. The need to see her was almost more than he could stand, but he needed a moment to clear his head. Having the morning to himself was a good thing, even if it made him realize just how lonely he’d been.

  As much as he liked Mia, it wasn’t in the cards. And just because he felt something with her he’d never felt with anyone else didn’t mean he’d never feel it again.

  He raked his hand through his hair as he walked out of the hotel and stopped.

  Lies. He was lying to her, and now he was lying to himself. And he couldn’t for the life of him figure out how it wouldn’t end badly.

  It would end horribly, but he had a job to do. Instead of the stroll to clear his head, he needed to tighten the bolts and get back to his assignment. With a renewed determination, he set off in the direction of the restaurant where Mia was meeting Harrison.

  Chapter 13

  Mia roamed the streets of Miami. After her meeting with Mr. Harrison, she’d left the coffee shop with no real destination in mind. She and Noah had made plans to meet for lunch because she had no idea how long her meeting would run. She’d sent him a text letting him know she was done, and when he didn’t text back, a nagging in the back of her mind questioned if he was maybe avoiding her after their talk the night before.

  He had kissed her before they’d parted, and nothing felt off. Maybe nothing was, and she was being clingy. The thought didn’t sit well at all. She wasn’t one of those girls. The kind who couldn’t function without a man.

  Still, she sure missed him something fierce. His absence was profound, and that also struck her hard. She was leaving in nine or so hours. And while that sounded like a lot, when it came to time with Noah, it felt like seconds.

  “You should get the hat,” a voice pierced through her thoughts.

  She turned and found a man standing next to her as she gazed in the window of a shop lining the sidewalk. “Uh, hat?”

  He smiled. “The one that’s hanging just inside? Isn’t that what you’re staring at?”

  “Oh, no, I’m just…” Then it hit her. She’d been so lost in thought that someone had stood next to her and she hadn’t even noticed it. Noah was right. She wasn’t used to paying attention. “I think I have all the hats I need. Thank you. Have a good day.” She turned and walked away.

  The man caught up to her. “I’m sorry. Did I say something wrong?”

  “No, I’m late meeting someone for lunch.” She still had more than thirty minutes, but this guy didn’t need to know that.

  He nodded and shot her a glance. “It kinda feels like I did something wrong. You’re practically running from me.”

  Yeah, she was. Noah’s overprotective, hyper-alert nature had rubbed off on her. They were on a busy street filled with people. What could the man possibly do?

  Mia slowed her gait. “You’re right. I’m sorry. It’s Miami, and it’s spring break. All the stories I’ve heard make me cautious.”

  “I understand. I’ve heard the stories too. I’m sorry if I came across as creepy.”

  “You didn’t. I really am running late to meet someone.”

  The man smiled and stuck out his hand. “Camden Smith.”

  Mia shook it, but something cautioned her to refrain from giving her name. “Blakely Usdan.”

  He regarded her for a split second as his lips turned down, and she knew she’d made the right call. Once again, his smile returned, and he held her hand almost too long. “Nice to meet you, Blakely.”

  “Well, it’s nice to meet you, but I do need to get going,” she said and began walking again.

  Camden strolled next to her. “Do you mind if I walk with you?”

  Silently, she prayed Noah would be early. “Uh, sure.” Her reasoning was that it was better to know this guy was tagging along than to worry he’d try to follow her without her being aware.

  “Have you liked your stay in Miami so far?”

  She could sum up the collective greatness of her trip in one word: Noah. “Yes, it’s been wonderful. It’s so alive and colorful. I had Cuban tacos yesterday that set me on fire, but they were delicious.”

  “Oh? Mind if I ask what restaurant?”

  “It was a food truck. Not far from the Vizcaya Museum.”

  He smiled. “A museum lover as well? I thought it was just me. I love them. All the history and grandeur. I haven’t been to the Vizcaya. Did you enjoy it?”

  “Oh, it’s incredible. Lots of rich history, a beautiful garden, and the views of the water are fantastic.”

  “Good to know. I may have to check it out.”

  “You should.” Another block or so, and she’d be at the restaurant. What if Noah wasn’t there? Could she defend herself if this guy tried something? Why was she so paranoid anyway? “I take it you aren’t from Miami either. What brings you here?”

  He looked up and to the left. Her heart plummeted to her stomach. According to the class she took, whatever came out of his mouth would be a lie. “You’d be correct. I’m here for a dental convention.”

  Yeah, and she had a ticket to ride a unicorn. “Neat.”

  “Not really. They’re boring. It concluded last night, and I stayed an extra day so I could mill around Miami.”

  Another half a block. Inwardly, she pleaded for Noah to be waiting on her. “That’s nice.”

  “It has been. I’ve even had the pleasure of walking next to a beautiful woman. Although, it seems she’s a bit nervous.”

  Mia laughed. “I’m not nervous, but I don’t want to be late
to my lunch date.”

  Just then, Noah came into view, and she’d never been happier to see anyone in her life. She pounded the pavement, launching herself into his arms and hugging him around the neck. “It’s so good to see you.”

  “Is something wrong?” Noah asked.

  “The man walking next to me. I don’t have a good feeling about him.” All of a sudden, she couldn’t stop shaking. It wasn’t until that moment that she realized just how afraid she was. She hated that feeling.

  Noah leaned back, his eyebrows drawn together. “The man walking next to you?”

  She looked over her shoulder, and Camden was gone. Her heart fluttered like hummingbird wings. “Yes, that man. He said his name was Camden. I was looking in a shop window, and he started talking to me. I asked him a question, and I knew he was lying. Something about him was off, and I can’t explain it.”

  He squeezed her tightly to him. “It’s okay. Go with your instinct. If you think he was bad, he’s bad.”

  “If you hadn’t been here…” And against her wishes, tears pooled and spilled down her cheeks.

  Noah put his lips against her ear and whispered, “But I am, and you’re okay. I won’t let anyone hurt you. I promise.”

  She pulled back. “I feel stupid. I wasn’t paying attention. After everything you said, I wasn’t observant.”

  He brushed his thumb along her cheek, drying her tears. “But the moment you did become aware, you paid attention to him. You didn’t brush off the weird feeling. You did great.”

  Mia sniffed. “I deserve to be lectured.”

  “A lecture right now isn’t going to help you. You deserve to be held and told everything’s going to be okay. I would like to teach you some self-defense before you leave Miami tonight. Just small moves that could come in handy.”

  She hugged him and buried her face in his neck. Noah had to be the kindest man she’d ever met. No lecture, no harsh words. Just pure compassion. “I don’t know that I want to leave now. Or if I do, I may have to kidnap you and take you with me.”