Protected by a Hero

by Susan Stoker, Cristin Harber, Cora Seton, Lynn Raye Harris, Kaylea Cross, Katie Reus, Tessa Layne

  “That’s what I thought.”

  She sashayed away from him, and he turned and peered over his shoulder. She had a nice ass. He loved the way her hair fell to the middle of her back, a thick curtain he’d love to wind his fists into before burying his face in it and dragging her scent into his lungs.

  He waited until he heard the shower, and then he went and tried the bathroom door just to make sure she was in there. Locked, of course. He laughed to himself as he pulled his phone from his pocket and powered it up.

  He speed-dialed Matt Girard, making sure he could see the bathroom door in case she decided to creep out and listen to his phone call. It was a risk to call the team, but he needed to do so now while he had the chance.

  His team leader answered on the first ring. “Brandy, thank God, mon ami. Been wondering about you.”

  “All’s good for the moment.” He’d already given his team the general address of this place, but now he added a report about their surroundings. He could hear keys tapping and knew that Billy Blake was hard at work doing what he did best.

  “Kid says it’s the Russian consulate across from you. There’s oil in that part of Qu’rim, and the Russians are big players in the industry there.”

  Nick stared out the window. The consulate was surrounded by a tall stone wall with iron caps. There was a set of gardens leading to the house, which was about a hundred yards from the road. Not quite a football field in length. The windows running along the front of the building were tall and evenly spaced. But were they bulletproof?

  “So Black could be targeting the Russians. Or bin Yusuf could, if Black’s taking his orders from that quarter.”

  “Echo Squad is the closest to you. They’re on standby if you need them.”

  Nick knew his own team remained in Baq, keeping a close eye on Ian Black, but he wished they were here. Not that another team wouldn’t have his back, but still. These were his guys, and he hated flying solo. But, it was necessary if they were going to take down Black Security and put a stop to the shady dealings. Mendez trusted Alpha Squad more than anyone else in the unit, and they weren’t going to let the colonel down.

  “Copy.” Nick sighed and sank onto a chair. “Can’t figure out what we’re supposed to be doing out here, but I still don’t like it. We’re sitting ducks.”

  “Echo Squad can be there in twenty minutes if need be. We’re moving them into position now.” There was a pause. “No sign of bin Yusuf in the Freedom Force’s camp. We think he’s on the move.”

  “Any word on Emily?”

  “A white woman was seen within the past month. But she’s being kept separate from the rest of the camp, so no idea if it’s her or not.”

  “Shit,” Nick breathed.

  “We can’t be certain it’s Emily,” Matt said, “but the description seemed to match. Still, I wouldn’t tell Victoria if I were you.”

  “No, I don’t think it’d be a good idea.”

  Because what if she got her hopes up and it was some other woman? Emily wasn’t the only white woman to fall for an Arab man, surely. People fell in love with who they fell in love with—he knew that from watching his sister fight against her sexuality from an early age. She’d been told there was something wrong with her, and she’d tried to change what couldn’t be changed.

  The shower cut off, and he hurried to wrap up the call. When Victoria emerged about ten minutes later, her hair a dark auburn waterfall down her back, her face scrubbed clean, and her body encased in black pants and a black T-shirt, Nick nearly swallowed his tongue. Damn, she was sexy, and in a way that said she wasn’t entirely certain of her appeal.

  “Thought you were planning to sleep.”

  Her gray eyes had dark circles beneath them. “I was, but I’m too keyed up.”

  “Got a cure for that.”

  He couldn’t help but tease her, mostly because he liked it when she flared up at him. And then there was the knowledge of that kiss they’d shared in the Land Rover and how they’d nearly combusted from that brief touch.

  She glared at him. “Do you ever stop?”

  He shrugged. “Can’t blame a guy for trying. But yeah, I can stop. Just remember, Vic, how good that kiss felt. When you can’t stop thinking about that, when you want to try a little more, all you gotta do is say the word.”

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  That kiss had felt good, damn him. And the part where he’d been lying half on her, his hard cock pushing against her leg, had felt exhilarating in a way she hadn’t expected. Victoria tried not to blush, but she knew it was useless. Her coloring gave her away every time.

  Nick was watching her with that knowing expression he had that got beneath her skin and made her want to grab the back of his head and yank him down to her for a kiss.

  Oh, he’d like that. The bitch of it was she would too.

  She licked her lips and turned away, going over to her case and unzipping it so she could strap on her guns. The long rifle lay in pieces, ready to be assembled and set up just as soon as they had a target.

  She let her gaze lift to the building across the street.

  “It’s the Russian Consulate,” Nick said, and she turned to look at him, amazed he knew that already.

  But then she realized that he must have called his people while she’d been in the shower.

  “What else did they tell you?”

  His gaze was steady on hers. “Nothing much. The Russians are heavy into the oil industry here, but that’s not criminal. Black is still in his compound, but that’s no surprise. Bin Yusuf hasn’t been seen in camp lately.”

  Her heart gave a little start. They had someone on the inside in the Freedom Force’s camp? “What about Emily? Has anyone seen her?”

  His eyes flickered and her hopes soared. “No.”

  She hadn’t realized how much she’d wanted the answer to be yes until an involuntary whimper escaped her. Victoria bit down on the inside of her cheek as she turned away. She had to remain strong for Emily. Had to get her sister and clear her own name so she could have a normal life again. So she could make sure that Emily had a normal life, or as close to it as she would ever get after living with bin Yusuf for the past few years.

  Nick put a hand on her shoulder and she stiffened, but all he did was squeeze before dropping his hand away again.

  She turned back to him, arms folded over her chest. “I’m sorry.”

  He was looking at her with a troubled expression. “For what? Being upset about your sister? It’s understandable, Victoria. If you weren’t upset, I’d probably think you weren’t human.”

  She dropped her gaze to the floor. “I am upset, but I, uh… Never mind. It’s nothing.”

  She’d wanted to say she was sorry for being prickly with him, that she didn’t know how else to be. But the words stuck in her throat.

  The truth was he unnerved her, and she wasn’t accustomed to it. She’d been pushing men away since she was a teenager, and she didn’t quite know how to stop. She’d pushed because she had goals, and because Gramps had impressed on her that good girls didn’t give away the milk for free if they wanted the man to value the cow.

  She’d thought cows and milk were such a crude analogy, but she’d understood the point. And Gramps had said it with red ears and a throat he’d had to clear every ten seconds, so he’d clearly been uncomfortable. That was her sum total of the birds-and-the-bees talk from him.

  Thankfully, she’d had her friends, romance novels, and cable television to enlighten her. But the lesson had stuck in her head, mostly because of Julia Gibson. Julia had gotten pregnant at age sixteen, left school to have the baby, and never came back. The father had been the star quarterback. He’d gone away to college on a football scholarship, but not before denying to everyone who’d listen that he’d ever had sex with Julia.

  Victoria knew better because she’d been at the party that night when they’d disappeared into a parked car together and hadn’t come out for a long time.

  She was pul
led against Nick suddenly, but it didn’t frighten her. He opened his arms and wrapped them around her, but she didn’t feel trapped. And she didn’t feel like he meant anything by it except to comfort her. His hold was loose and he didn’t make any moves to kiss her or pull her hips into his.

  He just hugged her.

  “It’s okay, Vic. Don’t worry about a thing. You don’t have to tell me anything you don’t want to tell me.”

  She thought she should push him away, but she really didn’t want to. Instead, she put her arms around his waist and held him lightly. Something vibrated through him, but then he was still. He just stood there and held her, not speaking, not doing a thing other than rubbing his hand up and down her back.

  She turned her cheek into his chest and closed her eyes. He was warm, and his heart thrummed hard and steady. After a couple of minutes, she felt a general stiffening in his body and she tilted her head up to look at him.

  He shrugged and gave her a half smile. “Can’t help it, sweetheart. You turn me on.”

  That’s when she realized that a specific part of him was harder than the rest. She took a step back and let him go. “I’m sorry.”

  He laughed softly. “Don’t apologize, Victoria. When it comes to you, I’ve learned it’s gonna happen whether I want it to or not.”

  She could feel the heat creeping into her cheeks. His brows drew together, and she knew he’d seen it too.

  “Does it really bother you that I’m attracted to you?”

  She swallowed. Did it bother her? Hell, no. But it did disconcert her, because for once in her life she really hated that she had so little experience with this kind of thing. Who got to be twenty-five years old without having had sex with a man? And how in the hell did she ever admit that to a soul?

  It sounded so stupid, so unbelievable. And there was no way he would believe her, so she wasn’t exactly intending to tell him the truth.

  “It doesn’t bother me,” she said, her voice a little rustier than she would like.

  “I think it does in some way.” His voice was quieter than before. Thoughtful. “I hope you know—really know—that I’d never use my strength against you.”

  Her eyes widened and she could feel her blush deepening. “N…no, of course not. I never meant to imply—”

  “I didn’t think you did. I just wanted you to know it. I don’t know what kind of guys you’ve worked with before, but if any of them ever, uh, assumed anything… well, I don’t. I’ve teased you up until now because you piss me off in so many ways that I can’t quite believe it. But I’m not an asshole, Victoria. I’m really not.”

  The effects of that speech were still reverberating through her. Warming her and stunning her at the same time. Yes, she’d had to fend off some of the guys she’d worked with, though none of them had ever physically assaulted her. But they were men and she was a woman—and as the sniper on a job, she was in charge, and macho guys didn’t usually appreciate that very much. She’d put up with her share of snide remarks, though she’d never felt Nick’s remarks were meant to belittle her.

  Dammit, she liked him. Too much. It hit her as she stared at him, at the hard, firm line of his jaw, the tanned features, the serious eyes that were mostly green but had a touch of brown that made them so mesmerizing to look at. His lashes weren’t too long for a man, but they were long enough that she felt a little twinge of jealousy.

  His dark hair was longer than it should be, but she liked the way it curled up at the ends and the tousled look he wore when he raked his hands through it. He was looking at her so seriously now, but it hit her that she liked it when he smiled. He didn’t smile much, at least not with her, but the few times he had, her breath had caught and she’d had to remember to breathe.

  Beautiful man.

  “I know you aren’t an asshole,” she said, because she had to say something or she’d start to drool. “I think we piss each other off, probably, but that doesn’t mean we’re bad people, right? We just rub each other the wrong way.”

  She’d just given him the perfect line to say something about rubbing each other, but he didn’t. Not that she’d intended to do that when she’d spoken, but always before now he’d tripped her up on her own words and made her sputter and fume. Not this time.

  “We do piss each other off. I wish we didn’t, but we can’t seem to help it.”

  She hugged herself tighter. “Maybe we can make an effort to be civil then. Not assume the other one is trying to get under our skin just because.”

  “Sounds good.” He went and grabbed a pair of binoculars before sitting down in one of the chairs and lifting them to scan the consulate across the street. She had the strongest urge to reach out and thread her fingers through his messy hair, to make him look at her one more time.

  But he’d disconnected himself from the situation, and it left her feeling out of sorts and confused. Why, when she’d been so flustered by his interest, was she suddenly disconcerted by the lack of it?

  * * *

  Garrett Spencer sat in a chair and stared at the television over his head. The guys were laughing and talking about something, but he was watching the CNN commentator talk about unrest in the Middle East—except he didn’t really hear a thing. It was just talking heads and words scrolling across a screen to him. His mind was back in Georgia, thinking about how his baby girl was celebrating her ninth birthday and he wasn’t there to see it.

  He didn’t talk about Cammie to the guys. Or about her mother. Especially not her mother.

  Though they’d been separated for years, Sara had finally asked for a divorce when she met someone else who could finance her lifestyle much better than he could. He’d given it to her and good fucking riddance. If not for Cammie, he’d have been happy never to have to see his cheating, manipulative ex again.

  “Hey, Ice, what’s got you all wound up today?”

  Garrett looked up as Jack Hunter flopped down on a chair beside him. They hadn’t seen Jack in a while as he’d been on special assignment somewhere else—no doubt due to that gorgeous pop star he’d married and the fact she wanted to keep his ass in one piece—but he was here now and everyone was more than happy to see him.

  “Nothing much. Just chilling and waiting for the go order.”

  Jack took a sip of his beer. “Yeah, I get that. I’ve missed the fuck out of this kind of thing—and I haven’t, if that makes sense.”

  Garrett snorted. “With that gorgeous wife of yours, I’m surprised you even think of us at all.”

  Jack grinned. “She keeps me busy. And Eli—holy shit, that kid never stops.”

  “No, they don’t when they’re young.”

  Jack just laughed. “You must have little nieces and nephews.”

  Garrett only nodded. “Yeah, right. Energetic little shits.”

  “Gina’s pregnant.” Jack’s voice was soft, his eyes shining with that faraway look that Garrett had never understood. He’d cared about Sara, but hell, they’d fought so much he didn’t think he’d ever had the chance to feel dreamy about her.

  “That’s great, man. Fucking great.”

  And it was, but it also hit him in the gut in a way he hadn’t expected.

  “Yeah. She hasn’t announced it yet.” Jack shook his head. “I still can’t believe I’m married to a woman who has to announce things to the press. It’s fucking unreal how much they care about our lives.”

  “How’s it working out for you, living in that little town on the Eastern Shore?”

  “Waterman’s Cove? We love it. They’ve gotten pretty used to us there. Hell, I heard from Cindy at the Crab Shack that Mr. Russell over at the body shop chased away a reporter who’d come to town asking questions. Disabled his vehicle and then said he didn’t have the parts. Had the car towed to Cambridge, and the guy had to go with it or be without wheels.” Jack shook his head. “It’s funny, but I think the town feels protective of Gina.”

  “People surprise you, don’t they?”

  “Yeah, they do
. She seems happy there.”

  The door opened and Mendez walked in. The guys all stopped what they were doing and came to attention.

  “As you were,” the colonel said.

  Everyone relaxed, but no one sat down or turned away. They wouldn’t dare.

  “We’ve got a report that bin Yusuf is in the southern quadrant of Qu’rim. Is he going to the consulate in Ras al-Dura, or is he after Victoria Royal? No fucking idea, and nothing more on Black’s organization.”

  The colonel looked ready to explode in that intense, subdued way he had. The man was like an IED waiting for the trigger. You had no idea how dangerous he was until it was too late.

  “Brandy didn’t have time to breach Black’s server room, but we know where it is. We could infiltrate, sir.”

  This came from Flash. A couple of the other guys nodded. Mendez shook his head. “Black’s got that place wired six ways to Sunday. If we bust in, he’ll know it and he’ll go underground. We’ll never find him or figure out who he’s working for. We have to leave it until Brandy returns and gets inside.”

  No one liked that option, but it was the only one they had if they wanted to stop Ian Black.

  “Should we tell Brandy to get the fuck out?” Kev MacDonald asked. They all knew he meant the location where Brandy was holed up with Victoria. If bin Yusuf was on his way there, they could be in danger.

  Mendez shook his head. “We’ll send him a message and warn Echo Squad to keep an eye out. But no, he’s got to stay until the last possible moment. We have to know who the target is in the consulate. That’s the missing puzzle piece that might just help us take down Black once and for all.”

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  Nick frowned at the phone in his hand. The text message was coded in such a way that anyone looking at it wouldn’t understand. But he did. Zaran bin Yusuf was on his way to Ras al-Dura. No idea why, and no idea if Victoria was in danger.

  But they had to stay put because to move would compromise the bigger mission, which was to learn Ian Black’s secrets. Echo Squad was near, watching the building and ready to launch into action. That made things better, but not perfect.