by Julie Morgan
Text copyright ©2017 by the Author.
This work was made possible by a special license through the Kindle Worlds publishing program and has not necessarily been reviewed by Cat Johnson. All characters, scenes, events, plots and related elements appearing in the original Hot SEALs remain the exclusive copyrighted and/or trademarked property of Cat Johnson, or their affiliates or licensors.
For more information on Kindle Worlds: http://www.amazon.com/kindleworlds
Guarded by a SEAL
Julie Morgan
Contents
Acknowledgments
I. Andria
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
II. Jax
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Epilogue
About the Author
Also by Julie Morgan
Acknowledgments
Thank you to my amazing readers for your support. You are why I continue to write. Thank you!
To my husband whose mind seems endless on possibilities! You helped make this story what it is. Thank you!
Thank you to Cat Johnson for allowing me to write a new story in her world. I had so much fun! This story saved me when I needed it. Thank you. Always.
To those who have served, continue to serve, the spouses back home, and to the families. May your soldier return home safe.
Thank you for your service.
I
Andria
Prologue
Darkness faded in and out for Andria Huffton while red and blue lights flashed through the windows. A chill settled over her body and she felt curious if the season in Denver, Colorado had begun to shift to winter. A wind gusted and she shivered. Her eyes felt heavy, her head pounded, and her chest hurt. She brought her hand up and looked at the back of it, then her palm. Both were covered in blood. But why?
She felt disoriented, like vertigo was plaguing her mind. She closed her eyes and tried to get her head to stop pounding. When she opened her eyes again, she looked up to the ceiling of her home and realized she was on her back. Movement caught her attention and with a slow blink, she looked toward the commotion across the room.
Two police officers held a man. She could just make him out, but knew it was her ex-boyfriend, Draven Combs. Blood was smeared next to him on the floor, hell, there were pools of it there.
Is it my blood? she thought. The cream-colored paint would be stained. Will I get my deposit back? Do I care about that right now? she asked herself.
Everything in the room seemed to be coated in red. It was as if she were wearing glasses with red lenses. She thought that odd. Blinking, she cleared her vision.
Where is my sister?
With a turn of her head, she looked the other way and found her sister, Suzy, lying still on a stretcher. Someone was talking her to and she watched Suzy’s lips move. She was fine by all accounts.
“Andria? Andria, can you hear me?”
Andria looked up to a man standing over her, squatting down. He wore an officer’s uniform. She blinked and furrowed her brows. “My head hurts really bad.”
“No doubt that it does,” the man responded. He pulled the black walkie-talkie on his shoulder to his mouth and spoke. “I need another stretcher in here and a few EMTs. She has a stab wound and a head injury. Make it quick.” He returned his attention to her and smiled, pressing his hands on her chest. “What do you remember of the events, Andria?”
“Events?” she asked. She closed her eyes and flashes of what took place only moments ago appeared before her.
Screams.
Crying.
Fists, not hers.
A knife.
Her father.
Her eyes opened and she met the gaze of the concerned officer. “Where is my father?”
He looked up at two EMTs as they approached. “Your father,” he started and met her eyes once more. “We’ll talk about your father once you’re safe and stable in the hospital.”
“Stable? What happened?” she whispered. “Ow,” she cried out and looked to where one of the men pushed a needle into her arm. “What did you…oh wow…yeah, I don’t feel anything now.” She relaxed on the floor as a brace was secured around her neck. She felt something hard move underneath her, but she had no cares in the world.
“Andria, Andria, I love you! I’ll come back for you, baby! I will always come back!”
She glanced across the room and found Draven yelling. She waved bye to him and felt a as if she were floating. She looked the other way, outside where the lights became brighter.
“Baby, I’ll find you! I’ll always find you!”
“He won’t be finding you for a long while, darlin’,” came the voice next to her head. “My name is Darryl. This here is James.”
She looked to where the voice came from. “Darryl,” she whispered then attempted a smile. He sounded as if he was from another part of the states, not from Colorado. She looked to the other EMT, James. He had a bald head and laugh lines around his eyes. They were bright blue. Was there someone next to James?
Oh, my eyes are blurry, she thought. Hell, I can’t see straight, but damn I feel good right now.
James smiled. “Hold on, Andria. Keep looking at me. Please, don’t close your eyes and don’t fall asleep. You are safe with us, I promise. Nothing will happen while you’re in our care. But you must promise me not to fall asleep. Can you do that?”
Andria thought about nodding, but decided to smile instead. “Sure, I’ll try.” She thought her voice sounded muffled. She thought of when she would scream into her pillow after fights with Draven.
James smiled. “Good girl. Now, let’s get you to the hospital and cleaned up. You’ll require a few stitches and possibly surgery on your arm.”
As if ‘your arm’ were magic words, the evening came back to Andria like a flash of lightning.
Draven came over drunk, unwelcomed. He burst through her door and her sister, Suzy, grabbed the phone to dial 911. He punched Andria when she tried to stop him and she landed on her back. He grabbed for Suzy and yanked the phone from her, throwing it across the room. She managed to successfully dial 911, though, since the police showed up.
Suzy screamed, then there was silence.
Andria closed her eyes and a tear slipped into her hair.
“I need you to open your eyes, Andria. You have a nasty head wound,” said one of the paramedics. James, maybe?
“What did you do?” she whispered.
“I’m going to apply more pressure to your chest, Andria. We’re on our way to the hospital now. Your sister will be there as well.”
Andria stared at the top of the ambulance, the white roof offering nothing of substance. The memories of earlier continued.
Draven made his way toward her. “Come on, you’re coming with me.”
“No! Let me go! I hate you and will never be with you again!”
“You fucking bitch!” He grabbed her by the hair when she tried to run and yanked her back. He punched her in the face once, twice, then dropped her.
Andria looked through swollen lids and saw Draven standing over her, blood on his fists dripping to the floor. Behind him, her father approached with a baseball bat.
“Leave, you son of a bitch, and never come back!”
Andria’s eyes widened when Draven pulled a gun from his pants. She turned to her father to scream when everything changed.
A gunsho
t. All it took was a gunshot. Her father fell backwards, bleeding out from the chest. He did not move, breathe, nothing. Draven stared down at Andria. He bent down and pressed his palms to his knees. “If I can’t have you, no one can.” He grinned, malice-laced. He drew his leg up and brought it down, hard, on her head.
“No!” she screamed and came back to the present.
“Andria, it’s James. You’re safe, you’re safe. I promise, you’re safe.”
“No, my father! He killed my father! Oh my God, he killed my father!”
Another pinch in her arm made her hiss. She screamed once more. “I need to check on my father.” She knew her father was dead, but her last piece of hope held out for the smallest of pulse in his body. Maybe he still had life left in him. She needed to escape. She felt like a captive tied to a gurney.
“I’ve given you morphine and it should be working here very shortly,” James told her.
“What?” she asked and her eyes drooped closed.
“Please, Andria, try to stay awake. I know it will be hard, but trust me. You’ve been hurt in a very bad way. You do not need to feel anything until…” Darryl drawled out to a pause. “Well, let’s just say you have been through more tonight than anyone could or should in a lifetime. Please, trust us to take care of you.”
Both men leaned over her, two men she did not know, while the ambulance moved with the rhythm of the road. Both wore white and both had badges, or maybe name plates. She blinked slowly and thought another person was in the back. She focused her eyes and her vision began to darken.
Andria left behind her home and a part of her died there with her father. When she recovered, and she would recover, she would need to leave town—hell, leave the state—and move as far away from Colorado as possible.
1
Andria stretched in her bed and yawned, then sat up. The familiar sounds of seagulls rang out and she walked toward the balcony window of her room. She pulled the curtains back and opened the glass sliding door. The warm air of Virginia Beach blew around her and she inhaled a deep breath, appreciating the warmth of the sun on her face.
Making her way back inside to her kitchen, the coffee just finished brewing and she poured herself a cup. Adding in cream from the fridge and a teaspoon of sugar, she stirred and sipped. She ran her fingers through her unruly bedhead. Having thick, straight hair was tough enough without having curls.
She walked toward her bathroom to shower and get herself ready for the day. She took another sip and sat the coffee down. Testing the water, it was perfect. She stripped and stepped inside. The warm water ran down her body and she appreciated the silence that enveloped her.
Five years had passed since her father’s untimely death, and the anniversary was fast approaching. Suzy moved to Virginia Beach with her and bought a home not too far from Andria’s. Both women lived on the beach and could not imagine life any other way.
As soon as she finished washing her hair and body, she stepped out, dried off, and pulled on her robe. She picked up her coffee and took another sip. A knock rapped at her door. Startled, she took a deep breath and closed her robe tighter around her body.
She walked to her front door, curious if it was Suzy. She would let herself in otherwise, why knock? She peeked through the hole and found an older gentleman in a suit on the other side.
“May I help you?” Andria asked through the door.
“Are you Alexandria Huffton?”
“Yes, I am. Who might you be?”
“Miss Huffton, I am with the county clerk’s office. I have a certified letter for you, please.” The man held the letter up to the peephole and indeed, he had a certified letter.
Curious, she unlocked her door and looked out, barely opening it. The man held out the letter with a pen. She signed it and handed the envelope and pen back. He ripped off the certified portion and handed her the letter. “Good day, ma’am,” he told her and turned away from her front door.
She closed the door, locked it, and frowned at the letter, until she saw the return address.
Colorado Department of Corrections.
Her heart felt as if it stopped, or maybe skipped a beat. Adrenaline shot through her body and her stomach flipped in waves of nerves.
She sighed and closed her eyes. Daddy’s anniversary is coming soon. Why now? Why this letter? He wasn’t up for parole. What happened?
Andria opened her eyes and bit her lip. She slid her finger under the lip of the envelope and opened it. She skimmed it and looked for the important part of the letter, the part that dealt with Draven. She would never escape him. She would always be notified if something happened to him, whether that was moving him, or a possibility of parole, which they told her was impossible.
Then she found it, the part that would explain the letter. Her hands shook and tears slipped down her cheeks. She fell to her knees and cried.
“No, please God, no!” She pressed her palm to the wall and made herself stand. She wiped at her eyes and walked to her cell phone on the charger. Pressing the speed dial to Suzy, she waited for her sister to answer.
“Hello, sister. What are you…”
Andria cried into the phone. She didn’t give Suzy a chance to finish her sentence.
“Shit, what happened? Andria, are you home?”
“Yes, I’m home. I just received a letter from Denver Corrections.”
“Oh no, what happened? Did someone kill the fucking bastard?”
“You think I’d be crying about that?”
“Oh, sorry, no. Andria, tell me, what happened?”
Andria sniffed and took in a deep breath, then slowly exhaled. “Draven has escaped prison. He escaped two days ago.”
“Go nowhere. I’m coming over. Do not answer the door unless it’s me, understood?”
Andria nodded into the phone, then realized Suzy could not see her. “Yes, understood.”
“Good. I’ll see you shortly.” Suzy hung up and Andria put her phone down.
She walked to her bedroom and sat down on the bed. Staring out the window, the seagulls flew by in search of their morning breakfast while Andria’s coffee grew cold in her cup.
The sound of a door being opened caught Andria’s attention and she stood from her bed. She knew it was Suzy coming over, but it didn’t matter, fear still clenched her chest. When Suzy stepped through and locked the door behind her, Andria sagged on her bed.
“I’m up here,” Andria called. She setup her floor plan to have the master bedroom have direct sight access to the front door of her home. The garage door was locked, and the sliding doors of her home were also locked. All bedrooms were upstairs where the den and kitchen were on the lower levels.
Suzy made her way upstairs. When she entered Andria’s room, she stood and Suzy came to her with open arms. She hugged her sister and Andria sobbed onto her shoulder.
“Why? Why on Daddy’s anniversary?”
Suzy shook her head. “I don’t know, sis, but we’re not going to take this sitting down, you hear me?”
Andria pulled away and wiped at her eyes and nose. “What’s your plan?”
“You are going to get some sort of security detail. No idea what or how it will happen, but that son of a bitch always finds you and I’ll be damned if he does anything to you ever again. I almost lost you when we lost Daddy. I won’t let that happen again.”
Andria nodded and lowered her head. The day her father died, Draven almost killed her. When she arrived at the hospital, she had received morphine. Something she wished she could go back in time and thank the EMTs for doing. When she woke in the hospital, post-surgery, she had stitches over her right breast and her left arm in a sling.
Draven had shattered her wrist and forearm. He had also stabbed her in the chest with a steak knife.
“Okay,” Andria started and walked to her dresser. She pulled out capris, a short-sleeved t-shirt, and undergarments. “First things first. I need to get dressed. When the letter arrived,” she turned to face Suzy, “I did
nothing until you arrived. I felt like I couldn’t move.” She shook her head and opened her robe. “After five damn years, that asshole still holds fear over me.” She pulled on her panties and fastened her bra.
“He’s a plague that needs to be extinguished,” Suzy offered.
“Exactly.” She pulled her on pants and top, then ran her brush through her dark locks. She looked to Suzy and noticed she had pulled her hair in a messy bun. They had the same hair and skin color, but where Andria had green eyes, Suzy’s were brown.
“My computer is downstairs. Come on.” Andria led the way and offered coffee to her sister. She refilled her own cup and took a seat at her desk.
She sighed and stared at the blank Google screen. “What do I put in?”
“Try personal bodyguard.”
She looked to Suzy. “Do I need a bodyguard?”
“Umm, yeah. Restraining orders don’t do shit. Type it in.”
She nodded and turned back around. She put in ‘Personal Body Guard,’ then hit search. She was surprised the number of results that returned, along with the Whitney Houston Bodyguard movie.
The first one on the list, GAPS, she clicked on.
“Guardian Angel Protection Services—‘They've Got Your Six!’" she read aloud.
“Wow, look at them,” Suzy remarked.
Andria turned her head to face her sister with a raised brow. “You’re being creepy. Back up.”
She smiled. “Can’t help it. Former SEALs? Hot.”
Andria shut her laptop screen and turned in the chair to her sister. “I’m not looking for a dating agency, I’m looking for someone to keep me safe.”
