Bourne Bodyguards: The Complete Series (Books 1-4)

by Mandy Morgan

  Luna had left me shell-shocked. I was in such a rage of emotions, I damn near tore the door off my car trying to get behind the wheel.

  That might have relieved some of my raw anger and aggression, but it would have done nothing to improve my mood.

  I’d restored the classic Camaro to its original beauty myself. I called the car Chrissy, and before I’d met Luna, she’d been the only constant female presence in my life.

  As a seriously shy kid, my high school years had been awkward, and I hadn’t been brave enough to approach girls like the other guys.

  I’d come into my own in the Army, and being shy or fearful was no longer an issue, but I’d never found a woman I could connect with on more than a purely physical level.

  After leaving the Rangers, I’d joined up with three of my Army brothers and worked as a bodyguard at Bourne Protective Services, but I’d stayed single, even though I got my balls busted plenty about it.

  When my BPS teammates asked why I didn’t date more, I’d just shrugged and told them I was allergic to drama and silicone, which never failed to make them laugh.

  But the truth was, I’d been waiting for “the One” to show up for my whole life. I knew I’d found her the second I’d laid eyes on Luna.

  Now, I was sitting in my car with a heart that felt like it had been shattered into a million pieces. And yet, I was as determined as ever to make the woman I loved mine, and mine alone.

  I sat there for a while and thought about the best way to get what I desired. If this was an Army mission, I’d go in guns blazing, and take what I wanted.

  But I wasn’t a soldier anymore. Love and war were not the same things. I had to handle this in a tactful way, not a forceful one. What I needed was some advice.

  I fired up Chrissy’s engine and headed over to see Hunter Murphy. Not only was he my best friend and BPS teammate, but he’d also won over Amelia in no time at all.

  Hell, he’d moved into her house in the blink of an eye, so I figured he’d have some words of wisdom for me. Or at the very least, some booze that was strong enough to drown my sorrows.

  Hunter welcomed me with a grin and a slap on the back, poured me a glass of whiskey, and sat down to listen to me vent about everything that had gone down with Luna.

  When I was finally done, he leaned back and shook his head. “Wyatt, my friend, you have to let this all work itself out.”

  I’d been so busy talking, I hadn’t had any of my drink yet, and when I heard his response, I set the glass down so hard that whiskey sloshed over the rim.

  “You think I should do nothing?”

  “I didn’t stutter,” Hunter replied as he wiped up the mess I’d made. “I think if she wants space, you should give it to her.”

  “I thought for sure you’d have some advice for me. I can’t just let her go, Hunter! I won’t.”

  Hunter held up his hands. “I’m not saying you should walk away. I’m saying she cares about you, man. She’ll come around.”

  I shook my head and felt my anger creeping back to the surface. “I’ve got to do something. I can’t just sit back and do nothing.”

  “That’s exactly what you’ve got to do. Or you could royally screw things up with that hot head of yours. You can’t shoot from the hip on this one, Wyatt.”

  It dawned on me that Hunter was right. I’d let my temper and natural drive to act get me in trouble before. I’d done nothing but fire from the hip in the Army.

  I’d ended up regretting the horrible results, and that was why I’d become a Buddhist and had taken a vow of peace. Which was one of the things Luna liked most about me.

  “Alright,” I sighed and wiped a shaky hand over my eyes. “Letting nature take its course just might be the best plan, after all.”

  Hunter smiled and lifted his whiskey glass. “I’ll toast to that.”

  I lifted my own glass again and clinked it against his. “Here’s to doing nothing.”

  Just as I brought the drink to my lips, my phone rang, and I saw Luna’s gorgeous face flash across the screen. My heart lurched in my chest and I grinned at Hunter.

  “Dude! Doing nothing is working already.”

  He laughed as I answered the call with a smile wide enough to split my face. I swear to God, I’d never been happier to put a phone to my ear.

  But I wasn’t greeted by Luna’s musical voice on the other end. It was the sound of an angry male voice and soft feminine gasps of fear that came across the line.

  I quickly hit the mute button on my phone and then pressed it back to my ear. I wanted to be able to hear what was going on without the shouting asshole knowing it.

  He’d just made the biggest mistake of his life by messing with Luna. But I wanted him to think he had nothing to worry about. I wanted to give him a nasty little surprise he never saw coming.

  With icy rage racing through my veins, I shot to my feet, and turned to my best friend and brother at arms.

  “Hunter, we have to get to All Saints. Right freaking now.”

  Chapter Five

  Luna

  Whatever peace I’d regained while meditating flew away at the sight on an armed man storming up to the hospital’s front door.

  I had no idea what was going on or what to do about it. But every fiber of my being was telling me to get the hell out of there and under cover.

  Most of the people in the ER had no clue what was about to come bursting onto the scene. I knew I had to warn them, so I rushed up to the check-in area, and pushed past the patients waiting in line.

  “There’s a man with a gun heading this way,” I said in a low, urgent voice to the nurse behind the desk. “I think he might also have a bomb.”

  Her eyes went wide and she picked up the phone to alert hospital security and the Scarlet Springs PD. I didn’t wait around to listen to the conversation. I raced toward the elevator, hoping to get out of sight.

  As I hurried past, I saw Lily and Blair looking at me in confusion, and I veered over to grab them each by an arm and drag them out of immediate danger.

  “There’s an armed man coming this way. We have to get down to the lab. Amelia’s there alone, and we’ll probably be safer on the lower levels of the hospital.”

  I breathed a sigh of relief when they followed me without saying a word. We didn’t have the time to talk about what was going on. And even if we did, I wouldn’t know what to tell them.

  The three of us took the elevator down to the bottom floor and dashed for the relative security of the lab. I closed the door behind us and turned the lock, hoping it wasn’t too flimsy to hold up, if push came to shove.

  Amelia looked at us like we were insane. “What the hell is going on? Why are you all busting in like that?”

  As I told Amelia all about what I’d seen, the look of irritation she’d been wearing faded into one of fear, and I watched realization dawn in her eyes.

  “Do you think this could be the guy, Luna? The one that’s been making the threats?”

  My stomach sank but I couldn’t admit I might have been wrong. About all of it. “No, no! I’m sure it’s just some nut looking to get on the news. We’ll be fine!”

  I smiled brightly and tried to project confidence. But the truth was, inside I was feeling sick again, and I knew in my heart I’d done the wrong thing by refusing Wyatt’s help and pushing him away.

  Lily and Blair were looking back and forth between me and Amelia. They were still in shock about being dragged down here. So, I filled them in and watched two more of my friends grow angry with me.

  “Luna! Why would you not let Wyatt help you?” Lily asked as she shook her head. “You know what the men of BPS have done to protect me, Blair, and Amelia.”

  “I know, I know,” I moaned as I covered my eyes with my hands. “I was being stupid and stubborn, and I’m not proud of it, alright?”

  I felt horrible about not only casting one friend out of my life, but also putting three others in danger, and it was all because I’d ignored my intuition an
d let my fear take control.

  I realized that now, and I was instantly overwhelmed by the need to have Wyatt with me, and to let him do what he’d wanted to do from the beginning—protect and care for me.

  With trembling hands, I freed my phone from my pocket, pulled up Wyatt’s number, and had just pressed the send button when a pounding sound came from the other side of the lab’s door.

  All of us jumped as it flew open so hard, it bounced off the wall, and almost took the angry-looking man who came flying into the room off his feet.

  It was the same man I’d seen earlier. I knew it had to be Frank Hall, the pissed off patient. He barked out a curse at almost falling and waved his rifle around. He obviously wasn’t used to this kind of thing.

  But the wild and determined look in his eyes struck fear in my heart. I’d never wanted to have Wyatt by my side more than I did right then. I’d taken how safe I felt around him for granted.

  I’ll never do that again. If we get out of this alive, of course…

  Wishing for Wyatt reminded me of the call I’d been trying to make. I didn’t want Frank to see my phone and take it, so I turned slightly away from him and slipped it slowly back into my pocket.

  All I could do was hope Wyatt had heard the chaos on the line. I knew in my gut that if he had, he’d know something was wrong, and would get here as fast as he could.

  I breathed a sigh of relief when I heard the sound of sirens approaching in the distance. It looked as if the nurse at the front desk had been able to get a hold of the police.

  But would they do everything in their power to get to my side? Would they put their own lives on the line to save mine? Maybe. Or maybe protecting people was just a job to them.

  I knew it was much more than that for Wyatt and the other members of BPS. They were the ones I was putting my faith in, to be honest, and I wanted to help them, if I could.

  So, I took a deep breath, plastered a smile on my face, and turned to face the man who was holding me and my friends at gunpoint.

  “Hello, Mr. Hall. I’m Luna Walker, and I think you’re here to see me. Why don’t we talk about what’s got you so upset?”

  Chapter Six

  Wyatt

  I tossed Hunter the keys to my Camaro. I wanted to be able to keep listening to what was happening on the other end of the phone line. We jumped into Chrissy and raced for All Saints.

  “You need to let Brock and Mason know what’s going on,” Hunter said and handed me his phone. “Give them a call while I get us there, would you? And have Brock call it into the PD.”

  I now had a phone pressed to both ears. My heart felt like it was about to bust out of my chest. I was sick with worry for Luna and her friends. But I was also electrified with excitement.

  I was on the way to save the woman I loved. I couldn’t stop a grin from spreading over my face. Not only was I going to get the chance to kick some nut-job’s ass, but I was also going to be able to show Luna just how much I cared.

  I got Brock on the line. Lily’s husband and the owner of Bourne Protective Services was as eager to get to the hospital as I was. And so was Mason Hanson, the second-in-command of BPS and Blair’s other half.

  Both men listened intently to what I had to say. “Meet me and Hunter at the back of All Saints, near the loading dock. There’s a kind of secret entrance to the lab back there.”

  I ended that call and went back to listening to what was going on with Luna. I could tell they were in the lab by the echo on the line, caused by the concrete walls, and I strained to hear every word I could.

  My gut was telling me the owner of the angry male voice was the same guy who’d been calling in threats to the hospital. And that the cops wouldn’t be able to act in time.

  I’d never wanted to hurt someone more than I did right then. I could practically feel my fist pounding into his face and my pulse raced even hotter at the thought.

  But when I heard Luna engaging the man in casual conversation, my internal temperature went from blazing to freezing, and my stomach clenched with fear.

  Why would she egg him on, instead of just staying quiet, and waiting for help? Then I realized Luna was trying to buy us time to get there, and I swelled with pride at her smarts and bravery.

  I had no real idea of what the other members of BPS and I were getting into. Only that our women were in some kind of trouble, and we needed to get to them ASAP.

  I hadn’t thought I could get any more pissed or worried. But what I heard Luna say next took me to a whole new level of fearful rage, even though she still sounded totally calm and in control.

  “Frank, why don’t you put the gun down, and talk to me about what’s got you so upset? And is that black box on your chest what I think it is?”

  It was like Luna was feeding me information, so I wouldn’t have to go in blind, and I damn near drowned in the overwhelming rush of love and possessiveness I felt for her in that moment.

  “Guy has a weapon,” I told Hunter as we peeled into the parking area behind All Saints. “He’s also wearing a device that may or may not be explosive.”

  Hunter’s face went white and then blood red. We jumped out of my Camaro and raced to the loading dock. Just as I’d suspected, the police were all out front, and looking as if they wouldn’t be much help.

  Moments later, Brock and Mason screeched to a stop nearby in Brock’s car. They hurried over to me and Hunter, and I filled them in on the newest details. The air around us was almost vibrating with tension and anger.

  “Since you know the back way to get in, I want you running point on this,” Brock told me in a tight voice.

  “Damn right, I will,” I grated out and led my team through a door tucked away and out of sight. “Stay close and silent, brothers.”

  I had a brief, shining moment of pride at being put out front for this mission. But the truth was, I wouldn’t have had it any other way. Boss or not, there hadn’t been a chance in hell I would have conceded to Brock.

  Not when it was my woman at the center of the threat. Luna might not know she was mine yet, but I’d known it from the moment we’d met.

  It didn’t even matter if we were ever officially a couple, or not. In my heart, Luna would always be my woman. It was as plain and simple as that.

  We crept down the hallway to the lab, pressing our backs to the wall as we drew closer, and making sure to keep our hands on the guns we each carried at all times.

  The door to the lab was wide-open and I could see a man with an assault rifle in his hands. Luna, Blair, Lily, and Amelia were all standing in front of him with their hands up.

  He had his back to us, and I knew it was now or never, so I took a deep breath and led the charge. We were going to save our women, or die trying.

  Chapter Seven

  Luna

  When I’d told Frank Hall that I was the one he was there to see, he’d turned his rifle and pointed it at my chest.

  My friends gasped, but I kept my calm smile in place, and just kept talking. I knew Wyatt was coming. I could feel it in my bones.

  I just had to keep the crazy man busy long enough for the calvary to arrive. “Why are you here, Mr. Hall? And why are you so upset? I’m listening and I really want to know.”

  The man with the gun sneered at me. “I’m here because you messed up my damn lab tests so badly that my doctor thinks I’m dying!”

  I nodded sympathetically. “I can see how that kind of news would be disturbing. Did you talk to your doctor about a treatment plan?”

  “Well, no. I was so angry that I rushed out of his office. But I’ve always been as healthy as a horse, dammit!”

  He hesitated and then shook his head. “That means this must all be a mistake. And my doc was basing his diagnosis on lab results you gave him. I saw your name on the paperwork.”

  I nodded and pointed at my workstation. “I can run the tests again, right now, if you’d like.”

  Frank lowered his gun a bit. “You can?”

  “Of co
urse!” I gave him an even brighter smile. “I’m happy to do that for you, Mr. Hall, if you’ll just get rid of your weapons.”

  He raised his gun again and tightened his grip. “Sorry, but I can’t do that. I’m in this too deep already.”

  “How about we make a compromise? I’ll run your tests again for you, if you’ll just get rid of the explosive device.”

  “This thing?” He laughed and poked the black box strapped to his chest. “It’s a fake. I whipped it up with spare parts in my garage.”

  I knew that would even the odds for Wyatt and heaved an internal sigh of relief. I was about to tell Mr. Hall we could go ahead and get started when I saw movement behind him.

  Wyatt and the entire BPS team had arrived and were in place by the door to the lab. I gave the man holding me at gunpoint my most charming smile yet and spoke in a loud, clear voice the bodyguards were sure to hear.

  “Okay then, since you don’t have a bomb, I’m happy to re-run your sample, and see if we can get you the right results.”

  The men of BPS didn’t hesitate. They rushed through the door with Wyatt in the lead. His face was full of anger and protectiveness. I’d never seen anything better in my entire life.

  Wyatt had my would-be shooter on his knees in the blink of an eye. His teammates covered their brother-at-arms with their weapons, and I watched as Frank Hall was disarmed.

  He went from a threat to a broken man in mere seconds. And just like that, the whole thing was over. I felt the forced smile slide off my face and tears filled my eyes.

  Before I knew it, Wyatt was there, and he’d wrapped me up in his arms. I sank into the comforting security of his embrace as if I’d been doing it my entire life.

  “Oh, Wyatt, I’m so sorry!” I wanted to say more. I needed to say more, but I couldn’t seem to form the words.

  Wyatt ran his massive hand over my hair and held me closer. “There’s nothing to be sorry about, Luna, I swear. All that matters is you’re safe and in my arms.”