by Roma, Laurie
“No…I, no. Jesus, I just didn’t want you to meet him, okay?” Gage huffed out as he raked a hand through his thick black hair. “I knew he’d flirt with you and then I’d have to punch him. Chaz is a fucking lothario.”
Mikayla tried to rein in her temper. “Do you see them?” She waved a hand at her friends. “These are the men I work with on a daily basis, and they aren’t even the best looking of the group.”
“I heard that,” Adrian growled from where he was standing. “Damn, Lynx. That’s cold, woman.”
“Shut it,” Mikayla ordered without even looking away from Gage. “Contrary to what you may think, I don’t cream my pants every time I see a hot guy.”
Gage winced. “Christ, Mikayla. I didn’t think that.”
“Didn’t you?”
“No, I just… Damn it.” Gage lowered his voice so only she could hear him. “I never thought you’d go for Chaz or anything like that. Hell, can’t you understand that I want you all to myself and it’s driving me crazy having all these fucking men around you all the time? And now you show up with your own harem of them.”
She simply stared back at him, wishing her icy stare could freeze his balls. Stupid man. “You really need to get a handle on this jealousy of yours. I think it’s time for you to work off a little of your testosterone before it chokes you…or I do.” She turned from him and joined the rest of her friends on the tour.
“What’s up?” Rock shot her a questioning look as she stopped beside him.
“He’s having a stupid male moment.”
Rock let out a snort. “Hon, we all have those according to you.”
“Yeah, but this was stupider than most.”
Rock studied her then turned hard eyes over to where Gage stood watching them. Something akin to anticipation lit Rock’s gaze. “Want me to hurt him for you?”
“Naw, I’ll just give him a few minutes to air some of the stupid out of him,” Mikayla replied as Gage all but threw up his hands.
“Let’s head into the range,” Gage called out, stomping ahead of the group.
To her surprise, this time Nick held back to speak to her as they took a shortcut to the other building through a covered walkway. He looked at her with serious eyes. “Go easy on him, Mikayla. The poor guy is completely gone over you. I’ve never seen him like this with a woman before and I can tell you with absolute honesty that this is the first time he has ever invited a woman over to spend the day with his family. They’re too important to him to just have anyone over. Gage really is a good guy. Hell, he’s one of the best men I know.”
“I know Gage is a good man, Nick. I’m…” She sighed. “There are just issues that he and I have to deal with before this can go anywhere.”
“Gage has been my best friend all my life,” Nick said carefully. “And I’ve been in law enforcement since I was old enough to pick up my shield. Serenity may be a small town, but my instincts are good enough to know that there is more to the four of you than meets the eye. Sure, you may be security consultants, but there is more to you than just glorified bodyguards.”
Mikayla studied him in silence for a moment. “What are you asking, Nick?”
“Nothing, yet. It’s not my place, unless you break the law.”
She laughed softly. “Trust me when I say you won’t have to worry about arresting any of us.”
“Good. But I will ask you this, if you aren’t serious about making this work with Gage then walk away now before he gets any more attached. He’s been hurt enough in his life.” Nick walked away before she could answer.
Mikayla slowly followed behind the others, watching as Gage turned around as if checking to see she was still there. As she looked at the man who had her emotions tied into complicated knots she knew that Nick was right. She had to decide if she was all in or she needed to walk away before things got any more serious.
Who the hell was she kidding?
If she was honest with herself, she was already serious about Gage. So much so that she feared he had the ability to hurt her if he walked away from her if he found out who she really was. Gage saw too much when he looked at her. Even though she had only known him for a short time there was a connection between them that left her exposed when she had always been so careful to protect herself.
Now, she just had to figure out if having Gage was worth the risk to her heart.
Chapter Nine
The group entered the smaller building and Mikayla was pleased to see a very sweet setup inside the shooting range. There were basic target practice lanes in the first part of the building, but further back was an interesting obstacle course set up that looked exactly like the IAD agents’ idea of fun.
The first section of the obstacle course was eight metal targets on hinges that would fall when hit with a bullet. The targets were on different levels to make it more difficult to hit each of them. Next was a narrow beam of wood with three metal targets on each side of the beam. The shooter would have to cross the beam and stop to hit each of the six targets, using both skill and agility. The final round was a large cargo net they would have to climb to reach the top of a platform.
Gage waited until everyone had taken off their coats and gotten comfortable to explain the phases of the obstacle course. “There are going to be four parts to this event today. Once we start the timer you will have to hit each target to move on to the next. When everyone has had their turn the winner will be the person with the best time.”
“We’ve already put two rifles on top of the platform so you won’t have to worry about bringing something up with you,” Dylan added. “But you can pick whatever handgun works for you in the first two stages from the selection here.” He pointed to a long table off to the side where several guns were laid out.
“What’s the third and fourth part?” Slade asked, intrigued.
“Outside there are targets set up about a quarter mile away. There is a rope with a tag in the center, weighted down by a sandbag. You have to hit the tag so the sandbag breaks,” Katie explained. “The fourth is a target about a half mile away. It’s a target that you can get different points depending on what circle you hit. It’s really hard. It’s a good thing Sebastian isn’t here yet. He usually beats us,” Katie said with a pout.
“That’s okay, honey. I’m sure you’re good at a lot of other things,” Adrian said with a wink, making Gage and Nick frown at him then at Katie as she blushed.
Dylan went behind a counter and began tapping away on a keyboard. A monitor on the main wall turned on and showed several large sandbags hanging from a large post in a cleared area of the property. Another screen turned on and the picture of a large target came into view with a bright-red bull’s-eye in the center. “We have hidden cameras out there to see who hits what and to make sure no one is in the area when we are doing this,” Dylan explained.
“Good idea,” Mikayla said.
Dylan smiled at her then typed in a few more keystrokes. Another screen turned on. This time it was to show a chart, similar to a bowling score card with each of their names listed in the first column.
Rock laughed and rubbed his hands together. “This is so much better than bowling. Let’s shoot some stuff!”
Gage chose to go first, not only to show the others how it was done, but also to work off some of the frustration he was feeling. Why the hell did he always feel like he was fucking up with Mikayla?
Oh yeah, because he was.
He took his time, trying to clear his mind as he sighted on the first eight targets. He felt pleased each time he heard the loud ping of the bullet hitting the metal targets and as he watched them fall. Once all of the targets were down he made his way over the balance beam, turning first to the targets on the left then the targets on the right. This phase of the course was meant to be harder for the bigger men, and it was. It forced them to slow down to maintain their balance so they wouldn’t fall off and have to start again.
When all six targets were down, Gage set his gun and ext
ra clips down on the table at the bottom of the cargo net. He began to climb and let his thoughts drift back to Mikayla. Worry filled him as he thought of how climbing the net might hurt her leg. Perhaps he shouldn’t have invited her here today. Sure it was fun, but maybe she wasn’t the type of woman who enjoyed this kind of thing. Hell, she didn’t seem like the girly-girl type, but what if she was? How in the world had he become obsessed with a woman he knew almost nothing about?
Gage reached the top of the platform and loaded the sniper rifle. Staring down the scope, he pulled the trigger. Miss. Shit, he tried to slow his heartbeat after the climb and fired several more times before finally hitting the tag so the sandbag dropped. He had to reload the rifle twice before he hit one of the middle rings on the final target. He stood up and held up his hands.
“Time!” Katie called out and stopped the timer. She read out his time then Dylan added it to the scoreboard as Gage came down the stairs on the side of the platform.
“He’s a good shooter, for a civ,” Rock said as Mikayla stood next to him. “That counts for something.”
“He’s my lover, Rock,” Mikayla said dryly. “I’m not taking him to war with me.”
“Don’t kid yourself, Lynx. That’s what our lives are. It might not be on a battlefield, but it’s war all the same,” Adrian said softly as he joined them. “You need someone who can deal with it or it won’t work. And I’m not sure that one has the temperament to stand by you.”
Mikayla remained silent, worried that he might be right.
“Who’s first for your team?” Gage asked as he came to stand in front of them. “Mikayla? Maybe you shouldn’t participate. I didn’t think about the cargo net with your leg…”
“She’s fine,” Rock replied with a laugh. “But Lynx goes last. It’s the rules. I’ll go first.” He chose his weapons from those on the table, checked them over then went to the starting line. Rock took off when Katie started the timer.
Gage looked over at Mikayla, fire burning in his green eyes. Oh, she knew that look. He was on an adrenaline high, and that fighting instinct had turned to lust. For her. He took her hand in his and towed her with him around a corner.
“You did good.”
“I know. I think I deserve a prize.”
“You haven’t won yet,” Mikayla said with a smile, her earlier irritation forgotten.
“Doesn’t matter. Kiss me, woman. Give me my prize.”
Desire struck her hard at his words and made her knees weak. He had looked like a warrior who was ready to take her if she didn’t give in. But if he was going to claim her, she’d claim him right back. She stepped into him, sinking her hands into his dark, thick hair and fused her mouth to his. His arms wrapped around her waist, plastering their bodies together as they fed off one another. Their tongues danced and stroked together, igniting the flames of wanting higher and higher until they were both breathless when they pulled apart.
“I’m sorry, baby. I was an asshole earlier.”
She chuckled. “You were.”
He pressed his forehead to hers and sighed, content to hold her in his arms. “Why do I feel like I’m always apologizing to you?”
“Because you are.” Mikayla sighed and pressed her lips lightly against his again. “But I guess I can say I’m sorry, too. I know this is new to both of us and I could be more understanding about how difficult it is for you to deal with the men in my life, even if my relationship with them is strictly platonic.”
Gage seemed to thinking carefully about what he wanted to say before he spoke. “In the past I’ve stayed away from women who would bring out this side of me. I know how I can get and I don’t like it.”
Mikayla made a decision. She wanted this to work between them, and in order to do that she needed to tell him more about her life. “We both have things we’ll need to work through for this to work. I think we should talk after the games are over. There are things I have to tell you.”
“That sounds ominous. You aren’t married with three kids, are you?”
She choked out a laugh. “No, nothing like that.”
“Then we’ll talk later. Now we should join the others before your friends decide to come check on us to make sure I haven’t ravished you in the bathroom or something.”
Mikayla let a slow smile spread across her face and Gage groaned as he kissed her again. He pressed her against the wall, kissing her until they were both breathless. She let out a laugh as he finally dragged her back to the group, in time to watch Dylan tag the last target on screen.
After all the members of team Stark had gone, only Mikayla was left to make her run through the course. Unsurprisingly, the IAD members were ahead in points even without her score.
Gage watched as Mikayla checked over the various guns on the table. She handled the hardware in such a precise manner that he instantly knew she had done so many times before. It almost seemed wrong, for such a beautiful woman to be so competent with such a deadly weapon in her hand, but on the other it was totally and completely hot.
Before Mikayla could begin her run through the course, the door at the end of the corridor opened, and Sebastian entered the building wearing a fierce frown. Gage sighed. “Will you wait a couple of minutes before you start? Sebastian hates meeting with new clients. Give me a sec to calm him down.” At her nod he pressed a kiss to her forehead then went to meet Sebastian.
“You fucking owe me,” Sebastian said with a scowl. “That damn man can sure talk. I took him on a tour of the property and dropped him back off at his car at the main house. He just left.”
“So, did you seal the deal?” Gage asked with a grin.
Sebastian snorted. “Of course I did. Plus that producer friend of yours said he would be calling you next week to talk to you about potentially filming some of the movie here. So, how is the Stark clan doing?” He paused to shoot a quick glance over to where the group was talking. He started to speak again then his head immediately swiveled back to the group and his jaw dropped. “No fucking way!”
“What?” Gage’s gaze tracked over to where Sebastian was looking.
“Holy shit, it is them!”
“You know them?” Gage asked, curious as to why his cousin was gawking at the twins.
“Not really, but I know of them. We were in the Army together. It was hard not hearing about the Savage twins. Jesus. What the hell are they doing here?”
Concerned now, Gage gave Sebastian his full attention. “Adrian and Rock are Mikayla’s friends. Sebastian, what’s the deal?” Gage pulled his cousin further away from the group then lowered his voice. “Should I be worried about something?”
“No,” Sebastian shook his head. “I’ve heard nothing but good things about them. But if they’re really friends of Mikayla, I’d worry that they’ll kill you if you hurt her. And I’m not joking.”
“Shit,” Gage groaned.
“Yeah. Buddy, I think you need to rethink your relationship with this chick. Look at her friends, Gage.” Sebastian jerked his head to the side. “There is more to her than she’s telling you. You can’t trust her if you don’t know who she is.”
“Damn it, Seb. I know I should stay away from her, but I can’t stop thinking about her. I want her more than I’ve ever wanted anything. I think I’m fucking obsessed with her.”
“Fuck.”
“Exactly." Gage sighed. "Come on, I’ll introduce you.”
Gage walked back over to the group and introduced Sebastian to Rock and Adrian while keeping an eye on Slade with Mikayla at the table. He couldn’t help feeling annoyed as the other man leaned in to speak to her.
“I’ve met you before…somewhere,” Rock said to Sebastian as he studied him.
“I served two tours over in Afghanistan and one in Iraq. There was a camp outside of Baghdad where my platoon was pinned down one night. We had an idiot senator with us that had insisted on seeing the war-zone—”
“Ah, I remember that.” Rock nodded. “Didn’t he piss his pants?”
Sebastian laughed. “He did. We had him locked down tight in between two boulders, but there were two groups of militia pinning us down and we couldn’t move. Then all we heard was multiple gunshots and it was all over.”
“Our unit was in the area when we heard the distress signal over our comm. We thought we’d stop by and join in the fun,” Adrian said with a grin then turned to address Slade as he joined them. “Hey, Sebastian here was part of the senator’s piss party outside of Baghdad.”
“That one was a clusterfuck waiting to happen.” Slade sighed. “Yeah, good times.”
Sebastian stared at the other man in disbelief, unsure if he was joking or not. “I don’t know if it was good, but it sure was something. I only saw you guys there,” he said to Adrian and Rock. “But I knew you had a shooter on the ridge above us." He turned to Slade. "That was some really impressive shooting.”
“Oh, I was there, but that wasn’t me on the ridge,” Slade said with a wide grin. “That was all Lynx. Come on, you don’t want to miss her run the course.”
Sebastian’s eyes widened. “She’s Lynx! No fucking way!”
“What?” Gage asked, eyes narrowed on his cousin.
“Lynx is the code name for a legendary sniper. There’s no way that girl can be the Lynx!” Sebastian exclaimed.
“She ain’t no girl. Watch and learn, son,” Rock replied.
“Lynx, you ready?” Adrian called out.
Mikayla looked over at him, grinned then turned to Dylan. “Start the clock,” she ordered and took off. Clearing her mind, she prepared herself for the obstacle course as she would any mission. The solid weight of the steel in her hand was familiar and she automatically controlled her breathing as she approached the first set of targets.
Shooting with accuracy wasn’t about speed. If she rushed, she’d miss. If she missed, her heart rate sped up and on a real mission that could get a sniper killed. Mikayla centered herself, legs spread in a good stance and took aim. Time slowed down like it did when she was in the zone, and she was always in the zone with a weapon in her hand. She waited one heartbeat, then two and fired, watching as each metal target fell as she continued to shoot.
