“She’s stunning. She’s on the right side of the law. If I wanted to bet, she looks like someone you have history with.”
“Like hell…” Delta pushed the spry brunette aside, moving forward without her. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“This whole time we’ve worked together,” Sky called after him, “I’ve never seen you get in deep with a woman. I always wondered why.”
Delta didn’t reply, ignoring his half-trained apprentice who was lingering behind him. He didn’t mistake the jealous huff that she let out and felt the proverbial daggers hitting his back. Things had been changing between him and Sky the past few weeks, since Kendra had come back into his life, but he was just ignoring it.
“I’ve got a job to do.”
“Delta”—she moved in front of him again, stopping his body—“don’t ignore me.”
“I need to focus,” he grunted, reminding her why they were there. “Just go home.”
“You know I don’t have one.”
“They set you up pretty nice, last time I checked.”
Visibly taken aback, she crossed her lean, strong arms, watching him closely. “It’s base housing, Delta. Hardly a home.”
“Didn’t expect a soldier like you to want the warm and fuzzies,” Delta said.
“Everyone needs—”
He shot a warning look down at her. “Enough. I have shit to do.”
Whatever she had been about to say, he didn’t want to go there.
She pouted, perhaps involuntarily. “Should I be offended that you’re only ever business with me?”
“I wasn’t looking for a buddy when I took you under my wing,” he said.
“Then why’d you do it? Why did you take me on?”
He knew where she was headed and, once again, where she’d been driving their dynamic. She was pretty enough, in her own way—but he didn’t want that. Never had.
“If I don’t help you control what those hacks did to you, who the fuck will? The world doesn’t need any more evil,” he said.
“You’re not that.”
Sloughing her off, he paced around her and locked his focus on the destination. They were almost there. He couldn’t waste any time.
She called after him, “You need to let yourself live.”
“But I’m not alive,” he grumbled back, meaning something she would never understand. “Not anymore.”
Delta moved to the rear of the building, knocking on the large metal door that was rusted and chipped. The back entrance. He knew it well. It was an underground hangout for a certain type. Loud music emanated from behind the door—the typical thumping bass of nightclubs. The door quickly opened and a heavy-set man looked out on him, snarling. But then he recognized Delta’s face and nodded.
“Brother,” the doorman rumbled, opening the door wider to see Delta’s apprentice tagging behind. “Bringing a friend today?”
“You could say that,” Delta replied, stepping over the threshold and into the dark hallway where the music grew even louder.
Following the dim lighting down the hall, he moved into the open area in the club. Blacklights hanging off the ceilings illuminated the neon lingerie worn by dancing women all around. An audience of mostly men cheered and jeered as they watched the exotic dancers and threw cash on stage. Delta barely caught notice of them, moving deeper to the back, feeling Sky bringing up his tail.
He found a bench at the back wall of the club and slugged himself down to observe the room. He wasn’t there to mess around. He was fucking serious. He was there to get answers from the horse’s mouth.
He didn’t know how pervasive the problem was, but so far, he’d gotten enough leads to point him there. The leads they had all said the same thing. Someone was scouting test dummies, getting them hooked in and throwing them to the scientists. There was no out for them after that.
“You think your guy’s going to be here tonight?” Sky asked as she grabbed a seat beside him, overlooking the room. “The scout?”
“He better fucking be,” Delta grunted, feeling the barrel of his pistol pressing into his lower back. “No more soldiers are going to turn up dead—not on my watch.”
“What do you want me to do?” Sky started, staring him down again, placing her hand on his arm to pull him in, but she retracted as a dancer clad in electric green lingerie moved in on them.
“Hello there.” The seductive woman pushed into him as she sat beside him on the bench, flickering her glittery eyes at him. “Drinking anything tonight?”
“Nah, I’m off the sauce.” He shrugged casually, looking away and keeping his eyes on the crowd.
The dancer laughed hard, as if it was the funniest thing she’d ever heard, touching his arm flirtatiously. He inadvertently flexed at her touch, which seemed to only encourage her further. She flipped back her long black hair, which had a weird fake texture to it.
She gently pushed into him again. “And what’s your name?” Her long, fake eyelashes didn’t stop flickering, sending glitter dust onto his sleeve.
“Matt,” Delta replied, obfuscating and withholding his true reaction. But he found himself wondering what type of man went after all that fake shit.
“Hi, Matt, I’m Jade,” the dancer said, keeping the conversation going. “And are you two together?” She pointed back and forth between him and Sky, sussing out the details.
“I don’t know. Are we?” Sky said slowly, watching him, waiting for him to answer.
He shot Sky a warning look, seeing her scheming face. She was always up to something, which was good when he needed an ally—not an enemy.
Jade laughed again, taking that as her leave to flirt harder with Delta. He clenched his jaw, flexing more. Sandwiched between the two of them, he was getting sick of all the fakery.
“Look, Jade,” he began, trying to level with her. “You seem nice, but you might find a better customer over there.” He nodded toward the pit of energetic, drunken men in an obvious attempt to offload her.
Jade didn’t seem to get the memo and dropped her mouth in a fake-shocked way. “Am I going to have to convince you now to let me stay?” She lightly tapped him again and pulled a twenty out of the back of her thong.
Delta raised his eyebrow at her.
“I found this on the floor. Care for a dance in the champagne room?” She breathed on him, trying damn hard to get him hooked. “You seem like you need a little warming up.”
He stared at her coolly, offering no response. He knew exactly what she was after, what almost every woman that approached him in that way was after. But he couldn’t give it to her—not her, not even the woman he wanted to give it to. His emotional unavailability wasn’t a ruse. It was damn real.
Jade pressed in farther, gunning for an entry point, distracting him. Everything from her hair to her face to her nails to her personality was a sales pitch—a big goddamn fake sales pitch. Delta hid his shudder, preferring his women far more natural—natural hair, natural face, natural vibe. He liked to see them…feel them. He was driven to realness, and damn, that was in short supply these days.
Hell, there was only one woman he’d ever met who had an unwavering realness—an authenticity that challenged him, forced him to look at himself, forced him to wonder if maybe things could be different for him. She was the type of woman… Damn, he thought, stopping himself. As he came back to the moment, feeling the dancer brushing up against him, he realized, Fuck, I’ve got it bad. He was fucking hooked on Kendra. But he was never, ever going to be able to give her what she needed.
He was a goddamn monster—and he had to find out why.
After realizing he wasn’t giving in, Jade just flicked her long hair and cocked her head back in a hearty laugh, pushing her cleavage together and into him.
“Come on. You’re acting like a cop,” she said.
He shrugged. “See many of them in here?”
“Sure, just the other night.”
He locked his eyes with hers, now focuse
d as hell. “Get his name?”
She licked her lips, realizing she had something. Leaning in, she flickered her lashes again. He glared down his nose at her, unrelenting.
She conceded, “Hunter or something equally douche-y.”
He wanted to freeze, but he pushed through, keeping it casual. Shrugging, he acted like it was no big deal that she’d just linked Kendra’s boss to the fucking supply point.
Before Jade could press her tits on him any more, a familiar face appeared at the back of the club, sending chills up his spine. The scout—their target. He kneed Sky and she casually observed what he saw. It was time to make their move. He waited until the man moved back into the dim hallway before standing.
Delta glanced down at Jade, her mouth still agape, giving her a curt nod. She had no idea how much of a lead she’d given him. Hunter was linked somehow to the scout—but for what purpose? All Delta could think about was the possibility that they’d done something to Hunter—and the danger that would pose to Kendra.
Delta, with no words left, ignored his companion tugging at his sleeve. His demeanor started changing, transforming. He could feel it. It was the emotion, the protectiveness that Kendra drove in him. He hadn’t had that much purpose since saving hostages on deployment. Now, it was like Kendra was a hostage—a hostage under Hunter’s thumb. He clenched his jaw, visions of Hunter hurting her flashing before his eyes.
With killer instincts, he moved through the back of the club, but before he got to the door into the hall, he spun, looking down on Sky to issue his final orders.
“Stay here—and keep an eye out.”
She shook her head, defying him and pushing forward, obviously wanting to be with him. He grabbed her shoulder, immobilizing her. That wasn’t what the deal was. Her eyes widened as he grew fiercer, causing heat to rise up his neck.
“Listen.” His voice grew into a dark snarl, drawing immediate obedience from her. “Stay the fuck here.”
He released her shoulder and spun into the hall, removing his pistol from the back of his jeans. He gripped it, his pulsing strength threatening to bend the steel. His focus was unbreakable as he deepened into the zone.
Dogged, he approached a closed door at the end of the hall, every muscle snapping in his body—that feeling he got when he was at the apex of a raid. Power surged through his veins, blazing both hot and icy cold. Thundering blood rushed to his extremities, and he felt like he could tear down the entire fucking building with one hand. He was so goddamn strong. Too strong.
One night with Kendra had reinvigorated him to the point that he feared. His self-control was on a hair trigger. It wouldn’t take much…
“Delivery.” Delta thumped on the door, demanding entrance. It whipped open, revealing the scout standing in the frame, shocked to see an angry motherfucker aiming a pistol at his face.
“Shit,” the scout stumbled, trying to draw his own gun.
But Delta rushed him, lunging forward with precision. He wasn’t worried about losing. He was worried about kicking the guy’s ass too damn hard before he got any answers. Clutching the scout’s neck, feeling life escape the man’s body, Delta’s lucidity faltered as all he could think of was what he had to do to protect Kendra from all of it.
Chapter Thirteen
It had been four days since Kendra had gotten home from Bakersfield. Four.
And there’d been complete radio silence from Delta.
Sitting over her breakfast bar, scrolling through her phone while sipping on her morning coffee, Kendra didn’t know how to feel. Coming down off the Delta high was harder than she remembered, leaving her squarely depressed, and it wasn’t just because she was exhausted. She’d thought about his words more times than she could count. She’d fought every urge to send him messages, begging him to care. And she’d found distractions to keep her heart from sinking.
The same narrative played through her head again. It was all a game. She meant nothing to him. The whole ridiculous story about a lurking, shadowy danger was cooked up to make her fall into him when he wanted her—when it was convenient for him. It was unconscionable that he wasted so much energy trying to get her to believe she was in danger and that he wanted to protect her. One minute, he was all in. The next minute, he was gone. It was a complete and utter rollercoaster. Her mind was made up. He was not allowed near her anymore.
She had never been good enough for him…not in a real way. Never good enough for a hot, ripped Navy SEAL who could have any woman he wanted. And who was she? Some boring forensic scientist with dry skin and thick thighs.
Sitting up straight in her chair, she tucked her cream blouse into her gray slacks. She had to be on the road shortly to get to the lab and get to work. It was a welcome distraction from her unending singledom, which she was not looking forward to explaining to her son one day.
A barrage of noise came from her front door as someone opened it and moved inside. Kendra turned in her chair to see her sister, Sienna, coming in. Flipping her much longer blonde hair over her shoulder, Sienna heaved the stroller into the front entrance landing. Kendra immediately jumped up, lunging forward to help.
“Good morning!” Kendra beamed as she greeted her older sister. “How was your walk?”
She smiled as she looked down into the stroller and saw a perfectly sleeping angel—her beautiful little boy.
“Little Leo can’t seem to stay awake much past breakfast,” Sienna whispered as she smiled down on the baby.
“Ah, well—he’s barely grown out of his newborn days.” Kendra leaned over, aching to pick him up. She really needed a hug.
“I’ll just keep him in here for now, so we don’t wake him up,” Sienna said, gently rocking the stroller back and forth in the entranceway. “Are you heading to work?”
“Yes, I am—but I can stay back if you need me,” Kendra said quickly, reassuring her sister that she wasn’t trying to run out on her.
“No, no—it’s okay. I know it’s been crazy busy since you’ve been back at work.”
“I’m asking a lot of you.” Kendra looked down slightly, reflecting on how the past few weeks had gone.
“Not at all.” Sienna offered a compassionate smile. “That’s why I’m here.”
Kendra stirred under the warmth of her gaze. God, she was so lucky to have her sister living with her. It added company and help was so appreciated. Sienna’s husband, who in the Marine Corps, was overseas, so Kendra had invited her to shack up there temporarily so they could help each other out. It had been a hard year for them both.
She bit her lip, pushing memories out, not wanting to feel the pain.
“You know, I’m worried about you,” Sienna whispered, her voice fraught with concern. “You’ve been distant, disconnected—ever since the car accident.”
Kendra let out a deep breath, knowing she couldn’t lie to her sister. They were too close for that to fly.
“Well, you’re right. My head hurts,” Kendra disclosed.
“And you aren’t seeing a doctor—why?”
“Because I don’t think it’s from the accident.” Her gaze flashed to her sister.
A brief moment of silence took over the front hall, and Sienna’s compassionate eyes were too much for Kendra. She turned, looking into the mirror hanging on the wall to inspect her temple. The bruising was almost healed by that point, but whatever hurt inside her head hadn’t.
“Someone… Someone has come back into my life,” Kendra said slowly, her voice cracking. “Someone I didn’t expect.”
“No…it’s not him. He’s not back, is he?” Sienna pushed, deep concern in her voice. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
Kendra closed her eyes, her pain rising. “It all happened so fast. I should have said something.”
“What happened? Is he trying to get back in?”
Kendra pursed her lips, not knowing how to answer that. She wished she hadn’t brought it up at all.
“I don’t know what his game is or why he’s back,” Kendra admitt
ed, turning to her sister. “I can’t trust a word the man says.”
And yet I gave myself to him.
Sienna pressed on, venting, “This guy has been nothing but bad news, Kendra. You need to stay away from him.”
“I’m trying to,” Kendra grumbled.
“Like hell you are,” Sienna sighed, knowing. “Just talk to me. What’s been going on?”
Kendra found herself falling back against the wall, thinking about the past week. “He just showed up at a scene to warn me that I was in danger.”
“A scene?”
“Yes—the military vet.”
“Is that why he was there?”
“Either that—or me. I don’t know anymore.”
“He’s got an angle. I know it,” Sienna declared, shaking her head in disdain and looking down at the baby. “Be careful what you share with him.”
“Don’t you think I should tell him?”
Sienna took in a deep breath, finally replying, “Yes—eventually. But you need to be okay first, and you are not okay right now.”
Kendra locked eyes with her sister, and things got too real. She pushed off the wall, searching for her exit.
“You know what? I should get to work. Let’s catch up later.”
Sienna took a step forward, looking down on her. “You have to ask yourself some serious questions first. What do you want?”
What I can’t have—the thought ran through Kendra’s mind. She bit her lip, hating it all the same. She could never admit those words to her sister. Tears welled in her eyes and a ball formed in her throat, which she should have expected.
“Look… I’ve got to go.” Kendra grabbed her tote and leaned over the stroller to kiss her baby goodbye.
His face was so calm and peaceful, unaware of the turmoil between his parents. She didn’t want to disturb him, though all she wanted to do was hold him. A tear rolled down her cheek, which she carefully wiped away. It was time to go. She had a lot to do—and strength to regain. She had to push through.
Her hand on the doorknob, pulling it open, she became aware of her sister’s encouragement behind her.
“Remember that you are amazing. I’m here for you, Leo’s here for you—and we are not leaving.”
Under Pressure Page 10
