by Sienna Black
He shook his head. "Don't need to know you to see that things aren't right. Way I see it, you get to have some fun, your husband has to decide whether he loves you enough to chase you down. Pretty thing like you," he added, brushing a thumb against the drying tear tracks on her cheek. "He'd be a fool to stick around here and let you go."
If he chased after her, he'd be out of Alex's way. It made sense and Sela had to admire his cunning. Smart men made the catch all the more satisfying.
"I'd just have to wait until tomorrow?"
Alex nodded. "First thing in the morning. Matter of fact," he amended, straightening up. "Maybe not even that long." His gaze shifted to the clock over the bar and slid back to Sela. "How do you feel about taking a walk with me?"
Tyler and Marcus were waiting for her to leave the bar. She was more than ready to find out exactly what they were dealing with and put Alex away. So she swallowed half of what remained in the shot glass, coughed fitfully and blushed like a pro.
"I think a walk would be a good idea."
Chapter Eight
Marcus lowered the filtered binoculars in disgust. The sight of Sela hanging on another man's arm, simpering and flirting shamelessly to keep his attention, made him grind his teeth. She had to play the part to get Alex where they all wanted him. Didn't mean Marcus had to like it. He wouldn't get in the way of how she did her job, not now, not ever. She knew all the tricks to get information out of even the toughest subject.
Getting Alex to talk wouldn't even make her break a sweat.
"How are you with a gun?"
Tyler'd been watching beside him, just as silent, just as tight-jawed. He startled now. "Depends on the gun? Pretty good with a hunting rifle."
"What about a .38?"
He didn't wait for an answer, just eased an extra out of hiding where he'd tucked it into the small of his back. His still rested in the shoulder holster he wore. He offered the spare butt-first and turned his head to look at Tyler only when he didn't take it. "Something wrong?"
Tyler shook himself. "No, no. Been a while," he said as he took the gun, "but I can manage." He fell silent while he tucked it against his back. "You think we're going to need them?"
Marcus pursed his lips. "Let's hope not."
Sela felt like she had melted chocolate under her skin. Even a few sips of whiskey went to her head. She'd been smart to spill as much as she had. More than that and she'd compromise what they were trying to do.
Alex led her along the dirt road that went to the highway. They wandered rather than hurrying, and Alex made small talk along the way. He told her about his time on the rodeo circuit and how a bad fall off an angry bull had ended his career.
Rodeo, he informed her wisely, was a young man's game. Once you got old, staying to play might as well be suicide. So he'd left and worked a string of jobs that lead to this one, each one paying a little better, each one giving him a few more responsibilities.
He spoke fondly of Hector and Vivian, Tyler's family. He felt grateful, he told her, that they'd given him a chance at the Lone Tree. But the time had come for him to move on. The truck idling just ahead by an outbuilding was his ticket out.
Despite herself, Sela's heartbeat kicked up a notch or three. She rarely got nervous, but in better circumstances, she knew exactly when and where Marcus and the team would sweep in for the rescue. Not so tonight. If things went wrong, she might be on her own.
They'd had contact with the teams en route. She knew they were out there somewhere, waiting for an unseen command. She had a .22 strapped to her thigh, but what if there were more than a couple men in that truck? No matter what her rating at the range might be, she still had to respect simple odds. Too outnumbered and she risked everything.
So she kept her gaze moving, hoping for some sort of sign that Marcus and Tyler at least were with her. She trusted them to be there if they could, but she had no guarantees that Alex worked alone. Sela wasn't a religious girl but she breathed a prayer that things went down well all the same.
"You just wait here now," Alex said, startling her out of her thoughts. They'd stopped far enough away from the truck that she couldn't see how many men might be inside. They had a good shot at her, though. One wrong move and she made an easy target.
She put on a smile and nodded. "Those friends of yours?"
He hesitated and ducked his head. "Acquaintances. People you'd be better off to avoid in a dark alley, but they have their charms." He leaned down and kissed the corner of her mouth. The gesture was uninvited and the hitch in Sela's breath was real, but she tilted her chin and let her smile warm. No reason to blow the whistle just yet.
Alex sauntered off to lean in the window of the idling flatbed for a moment, then slapped a hand on the door and turned toward the lone outbuilding nearby. His hand dipped into his pocket for a set of keys. Once the door was open and the light inside on, whoever was driving shut off the truck's engine. The driver side door swung open and one man slipped out.
Sela held her breath waiting for passengers to follow. The door remained ajar but no one else climbed out. One man to handle an arms transaction? Maybe this stop was insignificant enough that whoever headed up the organization figured they could skimp on security.
Bad for the bad guys. Good for the good.
Alex and the stranger carried a crate between them back to the truck. They hauled it up on the bed and Alex swiveled the top open. He pulled something out and held it out to the other man. Who took it and held it high enough that its shape could be clearly seen. A rifle, probably a semi-automatic. That was enough evidence for Sela. She started hitching up her skirt.
The sound of gunfire shattered the night. One of the truck's headlights blew. She saw shapes moving and heard people shout commands before the second followed in short order. She sat where she stood and worked the .22 out of its holster. Perfect. Backup, just as planned. Now the important part was keeping track of Alex.
He made it far too easy. He charged toward her, shouting her name. Sela kept her finger on the trigger of her pistol as she climbed carefully to her feet. The quaver in her voice didn't take much of a boost. She hated fighting in the dark. The nerves he heard were real.
The flatbed engine roared to life and the running lights lit up. The report of another shot being fired stopped the driver before he could flee. Sela heard him shouting in pain.
One down, how many more to go? "What's going on? Alex? What's happening?"
"Someone double-crossed me," the man said. "Three guesses about who and the first two don't count."
The sound of Alex's weapon being cocked sounded loud as a thunderclap. It got drowned out by the roar and whine of another shot being fired.
Alex spun, his shoulder leading. He dropped to the ground and writhed, screaming that he'd been hit.
Sela hadn't, though she'd felt the bullet pass, a streak of heat that almost touched her cheek. Weak in the knees, she staggered around to see who'd saved her.
And ended up in Tyler's arms. "Got you," he murmured into her hair. He crushed her tight against his chest. She could hardly breathe.
Marcus jogged across the road, knelt for a moment by Alex, then straightened and joined them. "Got them," he announced. "There's nobody else in the truck. We can clean it up."
Sela held a hand out to her partner. She hadn't left Tyler's embrace. She didn't want to any time soon. "Marcus, please."
The big man hesitated. She knew something passed between her two men. She heard Marcus exhale and felt Tyler relax a second before Marcus folded them both into his arms.
"We did good. We all did good. Make one hell of a team," he allowed, voice gone gruff.
Tyler laughed, more breath than sound. "Not so bad for a country hick, then?"
Marcus chuckled. "Not so bad."
Sela rubbed her cheek against Tyler's chest. "You guys left me hanging. I didn't know where you were."
"Covering your six," Marcus answered fondly. "And your five-and-a-half." She felt his lips brush
her forehead and she closed her eyes. "Always watching over you, Reeves. You don't have to worry about that."
"Yeah," Tyler echoed, after a few moments had passed. "He's quick, for a big guy. Good at watching your back."
Sela smiled, a surge of pride filling her chest. "He's a good one. I got lucky." She looked up at Tyler and nudged him with her hip. "Are you sorry that you got in the middle of all this yet?"
He shrugged and cracked a crooked grin. "Too much curiosity for my own good. You guys made me paranoid. Just in time."
"Get used to being paranoid," Marcus said. "The fun's just getting started. I'm going to apologize to you and your family now. Tomorrow morning, there's gonna be a whole hell of a lot of people crawling around the place."
"But we owe you," Sela added quickly. "Thank you."
"Nah. I figure we're even." Tyler tightened his grip. "You guys'll be taking off once this is all wrapped up, right? Off to do more Agency things." One shoulder rose and fell. "So call it a wedding present."
"Tyler ... "
"Just saying I know where my place is." She felt him shrug again. "I should probably get out of your way, speaking of."
He slipped out of the cluster before Sela could stop him. When she would have followed, Marcus held her still and nodded toward the approaching silhouette Victor Flores made. Just like Jerry promised, the cavalry had arrived.
"Work first," Marcus murmured. "We'll fix the rest later."
She wanted to protest. She knew he had it right. "I'm not letting him go," she told Marcus quietly. "Job or not, this is not the way we're going to end."
Marcus held on a moment longer, then he let go too. "Let's get this wrapped up, Reeves. Then we'll decide how it goes." She watched his silhouette stand straighter, shoulders settling into their usual impassive place.
Sela summoned up her best smile and waited for the debriefing to begin.
* * * * *
It took the better part of a day to get through all the reports that had to be made. Sela and Marcus both took turns being questioned, in person and on the phone, eating up hours of airtime going over the details again. Faxes and emails flew between agents and reports were checked and double-checked. Efficient, if exhausting. Rewarding.
One arm of the network they'd been tracking for months had now been disabled, thanks to Tyler's help. Sela smiled as she sat on the borrowed cabin porch, kneading muscles in her neck, eyes closed. He'd done well, better than she had expected. He'd helped when he had every right to walk away and have nothing more to do with her.
He hadn't spent the night.
Not that anyone got much sleep. She still wanted him where she could see him. She needed to know he was doing all right. Taking down the bad guys sounded less terrifying than the reality. She'd been trained to cope with those sort of stresses. Tyler was a civilian. She had no way to know if he'd crack.
"Hey." Marcus sank into a crouch behind her, hands taking up where she left off, thumbs digging carefully into her shoulders. "You ought to get inside, get some rest."
Sela leaned gratefully against his knees. She let her head drop back until she could see him, albeit upside down. She didn't want to turn around. "Are you going to rest too?"
"Thought I might watch over you," he countered, shaking his head.
"Sounds good." She closed her eyes again.
Marcus kissed her. Despite being upside down, their mouths fit together perfectly. Surprise didn't keep her from nibbling at the swell of his bottom lip or keep him from tracing her upper with his tongue. When it broke, Sela chose to move after all, tucking herself into the curve of the arm he offered.
"We could," she murmured, "do something other than sleep. Celebrate," she suggested, working a finger between his shirt buttons to stroke a finger along his ribs.
"You sure you're up for it?"
She grinned up at him. "Isn't that what I'm supposed to ask you?" The sudden thought that she might have lost the man who'd come to mean so much to her dimmed her smile. She heard the hope in her voice as she asked, "Are we good?"
Marcus brushed his thumb against her bottom lip. "We're good," he promised. His gaze lifted and warmed, she thought. He nodded over her shoulder. "And you've got company."
"With bad timing."
Tyler stood behind her, hands buried deep in his pockets. He tugged one free as she started to stand and gestured her back to sitting. "You don't have to get up. I just wanted to come say goodbye. Rumor is you're leaving first thing tomorrow. I'll be out taking care of the horses and such, but I didn't want to miss you."
Sela held out her hand. She'd make the gesture if he wouldn't. She held her breath until he stepped forward and used his grip to pull herself to her feet. She didn't let him protest, but stepped into him, framed his face between her hands and kissed him sweetly.
She felt him tense against her, but she didn't end the kiss until he'd relaxed again. Until he'd responded and kissed her back.
"Sela ... "
"It's not bad timing," she told him, holding his gaze. "It's perfect. I was worried about you."
"I'm okay," he told her, flashing a smile that didn't last.
"No, you're not," she argued, brushing her fingers over the line between his eyebrows. "Talk to me."
"What's to talk about? You got your guy. You'll be shipping out, right?" His gaze lifted to Marcus and came back to hers again. "That's it."
Sela's chest felt tight. "It doesn't have to be. We get time off. You have to get vacation, even if you're working at a vacation resort."
Tyler ducked his head and chuckled. "Yeah, sometimes."
"So." She watched him hopefully. When his smile didn't return, she sighed. "Hughes, help me out."
She heard the laughter in his voice and knew he was smiling though she didn't face him. "Standing invitation," he offered. "When we're in the States. If our time matches up." He paused. "You want it, we can make it work."
Tyler's gaze shifted between them again. Surprise dominated his expression. "You sure?"
The porch creaked under Marcus feet as he stood. "She goes for what she wants," he offered conversationally and paused again before adding, "Guess I'm learning to go for it too. "Say thank you," the big man suggested. When Sela looked over her shoulder at him, he gave her a slight nod.
"Marcus," Tyler protested. "I didn't mean to steal your girl."
"I know," he answered easily. "But you can't steal what isn't mine. Sela makes her own choices." That said, he turned and stepped into the cabin. He left the door open behind him.
Sela tugged his chin down so Tyler would look at her again. She brushed her thumb beneath his bottom lip this time. "What do you say?"
Tyler opened his mouth and shut it again. "You kissed me in front of everybody."
She smiled. "Want me to do it again?"
A wry smile twisted one corner of Tyler's mouth. "Will it get you fired?"
She laughed quietly and shook her head. "They wouldn't dare." The weight of what she was about to confess stole her breath. She put her head against his chest and knotted her fingers at his back, another moment's stalling before she looked up again.
"I love him. Marcus. But I miss you, too. I think," she added, picking at a non-existent loose thread on his shirt. "I think I'm still in love with you, too. I didn't realize it until I saw you that first day, but I don't want to give you up. Not when I just found you again."
"I don't want to be lost," Tyler answered, one hand threaded into his hair. "But Marcus --"
Her shoulders lifted. "Likes you." When his brow furrowed, she insisted, "Really likes you. He's not the touchy-feely, tell-you type, but I know it. You know it too. If you don't, you've got a thicker skull than I thought."
She had him smiling and that made her chest loosen. "You heard him. I go for what I want. I want you. I want him." She nudged him with her hip. "He's got great hands."
Tyler laughed again, this time the sound more solid. "Don't remind me. You can have them. I think about them, I start forgett
ing everything else I have to do."
"Can I have yours too?" She held her breath, hoping. Willing him to agree.
It seemed like it took forever for him to say anything. He groaned, the sound drawn out but quiet. "There's ... stuff to work out. Details. It could get complicated."
Sela beamed and stepped back, then caught his hands. He let her lead him onto the porch and through the still open door. When she closed it behind then, when she leaned back and considered both of her men in the same room, she wanted to shout for joy. "Complicated's good."
Marcus cocked an eyebrow, glancing between them.
Sela slid her arm around Tyler's waist and nudged him toward the other man. "Can we keep him? He followed me home."
"Might be hard to fit him in a suitcase," Marcus pointed out, watching Tyler's approach.
"Guess you'll need a crate. Or a very large box. Or lots of free time." Tyler held his hand out in an offer to shake.
Marcus took it, but he didn't stop with friendly gestures. He pulled Tyler close by that grip, slid the free hand into his hair and kissed him hungrily.
Tyler wound his arms around the taller man's neck and kissed back with enthusiasm. Sela leaned against the door happily.
Maybe coming back to Texas wasn't such a bad idea after all.
Sienna Black
Sienna Black is a thirtysomething author living in northern California with her partner and a handful of animals, large and small. She's been writing since she was small, but she's a relative newcomer to the world of m/m fiction. To say that she's thrilled to have found an audience would be an understatement.
She writes primarily paranormal romances for her boys, but there's no telling where they'll lead her next.
