Silver Shield Security Box Set

by Dee Bridgnorth

  The concern in his voice shook her out of her stupor. She blinked once, twice and focused on where they were standing in the rowdy club. There were people pressing against them and the music was blaring loudly. For a moment, all that had faded away as she’d gazed at him. She caught a whiff of his scent as he leaned close to her ear so she could hear him.

  “I’m sorry I bumped into you.”

  “No, no…it’s fine. Ah, excuse me,” she stepped back and his hands fell away.

  With a wistful look at him, she walked away. When she’d taken a few steps, she let out a sigh. What a fine specimen of a man. But it wasn’t just that he was good looking, her body had responded to him. She hadn’t felt a sexual twinge in more than a year, which was when she’d lost her father and her fiancé. The former to death and the latter, well, he had walked out on her.

  She couldn’t understand why she’d responded to this stranger the way she had. It hadn’t just been a sexual tug, but it was almost as though her soul had recognized him. Catching herself mid-thought, Sierra decided that she was becoming delusional.

  That’s what hunger and sex starvation would do to a person. She made up her mind not to spare a thought for the stranger, but even as she sat with her friends and listened to them chat about stuff, she could not stop her eyes from searching him out.

  **

  Ace Moreno, ex-SEAL and general badass, walked back to where his buddy was seated at the bar, his mind on the brown-haired beauty he had bumped into. He had taken one glance at her and immediately noticed several things about her. She was taller than average. He had been able to look into her eyes without looking too far down. She had a very shapely body and a rack that made him take a second look. He had caught a whiff of her scent and it was something light and elusive. Like he should have known what it was, but could not figure it out.

  Just thinking about her made his body stir. It was crazy. It was not just the physical attraction that made him pay attention. As he’d looked into her eyes, he had felt something inside him click into place. The constant tension and restlessness within him was soothed for those few moments, leaving him a little off kilter.

  “What was that about?”

  Ace ground his teeth. Trust Drew to notice his exchange with the woman. He glanced at him and shrugged.

  “I don’t know, man.” He caught the bartender’s attention and ordered a gin and tonic.

  Drew Campbell gazed steadily at Ace. Even with the poor lighting, Ace could see the amusement on the other’s face. For as long as he’d known him, right from BUD/S school, his friend always saw the funny side of life.

  “You looked bothered,” Drew said with a smirk. “Why don’t you buy her a drink?”

  Ace shot him a look. He did want to buy the woman a drink. He wanted to do more than buy her a drink. He wanted to take her home, make love to her in so many ways and not come up for air for a very, very long time.

  And that was the problem.

  He was not looking for commitment or any kind of relationship, and he had a feeling that if he got tangled in the maze that was so clearly evident in the depths of her eyes, he would never find his way out.

  “She looked really into you.”

  “Yeah, but did you see how fast she got out of there?”

  If he were honest, it had bothered him a little. Although, if her reaction to him had been anything like his reaction to her, then he understood perfectly well why she’d made a run for it.

  Everything in him was warning him to escape now while he could. If the visceral reaction he’d had to her was any indication, he was probably already in trouble.

  Truth was, Ace liked women; heck, he loved women. As long as they understood that he would always move on. A rolling stone gathered no moss, and Ace Moreno was definitely not interested in gathering moss. So he kept rolling.

  And he wanted to keep things that way, which was why he steered the conversation with Drew away from the gorgeous woman. Even though his treacherous eyes searched for and located her across the room. It was almost as though there was a glow about her that made her impossible not to notice. She was laughing with her friends now, and the happy look on her face made him smile, almost.

  “Things have been a bit quiet, which is good I guess,” Drew said.

  Ace wasn’t so sure, he needed action.

  “The sarge asked us to come by HQ in the morning.” He said, referring to the retired sergeant who was their employer.

  “Yeah, any idea what that’s about?”

  “Nah.” He watched the woman stand up with two other girls and walk towards the dance floor. “Gotta go,” he said, standing up before he even realized that was what he was going to do. He got to the dance floor just as she did. She hesitated for a moment when she saw him, then walked up to him.

  “Want to dance?” she mouthed.

  He smiled and nodded. Just then the music changed to a hip hop song and he saw her eyes open in excitement. She stepped closer to him and began to move to the beat, swaying and stepping expertly.

  They kept dancing even after the music changed three more times and each time she brushed against him, a lick of flame was ignited. She danced with an abandon that he could not remember feeling, moving to the beats as though she and the music were one. At one point she turned her back to him and began to twerk, fanning the little flames into a full-fledged inferno. Each time her backside made contact with his front, he felt his pants get tighter. He was thankful for the dim lights that hid the state he was in.

  As for the sexy siren who was working her magic on him, he turned her around and drew her body flush against his so she could feel his arousal. Her eyelids dropped in arousal and she pressed up against him. She parted her lips and touched them with her tongue. Ace could not keep the groan inside and before he could think things through, he kissed her.

  She opened her mouth and kissed him back with an ardor that was on par with his. He badly wanted to touch her, to run his hands over her body and learn the feel of her. But he kept his hands on her waist and didn’t move them an inch, even though it was slowly killing him to do so.

  Finally, they came up for air. Ace stared at her, shocked that a single kiss could affect him so thoroughly. Because she was pressed against him, he felt her clench her thighs and heard the sharp intake of air as she struggled with her arousal.

  “Should we take this somewhere else?” he whispered in her ears.

  He felt her shiver before she nodded. “Let me get my purse and I’ll meet you outside.”

  After she left he turned and walked out, knowing that Drew could take care of himself. He hadn’t picked up a woman in years, preferring to be more discriminating in his choice of bed partners. He did not even know this woman’s name. That thought made him calm down a bit.

  Chapter Three

  When she stepped out of the night club he went to her.

  “My name is Sierra Newman and I work with the Chicago Daily. I’m thirty years old and all my parts are mine.”

  Ace felt a smile work its way to his lips. “Really? And there I was thinking some were borrowed.”

  “Nothing borrowed I assure you. So, your place or mine?”

  He liked that she did not beat around the bush. “In a hurry?”

  She shrugged. “You could say that.” She met his gaze and hers was open. “It’s been a while and I’ve had a rough week.”

  “Ah, then allow me to take your mind off your week,” he said and then introduced himself, “Ace Moreno.”

  “That’s what I’m counting on, sailor.”

  “Sailor?” He lifted an eyebrow in enquiry.

  She gave him a look. “Are you kidding me? The buzz cut is enough to give you away, but the way you’re trying hard to show that you’re not tense and alert is a dead giveaway.” She stepped up to him, invading his private space and ran a finger over his arms. “If I’m to take a guess, I’ll say ex-SEAL.”

  Okay, this was crazy. Ace felt some of the buzz from the passion die d
own as he regarded her with suspicion. “Who are you?”

  Sierra raised an eyebrow. “Stand down, sailor. I had a brother that was a Navy SEAL. I can recognize his brothers anywhere.”

  He saw the shadows in her eyes and felt the tension seep out of him. “Had?”

  She looked away with a shrug, “Had.” Her tone was firm, not inviting any further discussion. “Now are we doing this or do I go home?”

  “My apartment is just around the corner. We could go in my car.”

  She eyed him for a few more moments then seemed to make up her mind about something. “Sure. Let me get something from my car.”

  “I’ll walk you.”

  She turned away without an answer and walked towards the car park. Ace followed behind her, scanning the area as he walked. The night was still, and there was a quiet tension in the air. The strangeness in the air took him back to Iraq, just seconds before an enemy bomb was triggered. He never doubted his instincts so he reached out and grabbed Sierra by the arm as he came to a stop.

  “What’s up?” She looked up at him in confusion.

  Ace glanced briefly at her before going back to scanning the car park. “I don’t know yet, but something isn’t right.”

  She drew closer to him then. “Did you notice anything?”

  “It might sound crazy, but something’s up.”

  To his surprise she didn’t argue, just stood quietly beside him, waiting for the go-ahead.

  “Where are you parked?” he asked

  She gestured towards a row of cars a few yards away from them, “I’m right behind those cars, right there.” She brought out her keys and pressed the lock button.

  They did not get a chance to hear the beep from the car. Suddenly, they heard the sound of a loud blast. Without even thinking about what he was doing, Ace’s reflexes took over and he pushed Sierra unto the ground, covering her with his bulk just as a car went up in flames. The ground trembled at the impact and he felt a sharp pain to his head. He could feel Sierra struggling beneath him, but he kept her pinned down till he was sure the worst was over.

  “Are you okay?” he asked, rolling off her.

  “What the hell just happened?”

  In the distance they heard the wail of a siren. Ace stood up and helped Sierra to her feet. From the reflection of the streetlights he saw the shock on her face. Behind her, people were beginning to spill out from inside the nightclub.

  Sierra tugged her hand out of his and began to walk towards where the explosion just happened. Ace grabbed her and pulled her back.

  “Where the hell are you going?”

  “Was that my car? I need to see if that was my car!” She tried to pull away from him again but he just held on.

  “You can’t go there. It’s not safe.”

  She turned to him then and he could see the fury in her eyes. “Who do you think you are? Let go of my arm, I need to see what happened!”

  She struggled frantically until he let her go because he didn’t want to hurt her. Quick as a flash, she ran towards the thick black smoke and disappeared. Ace knew then that if anything happened to her he would never forgive himself. He went after her and caught up with her just as a couple of firemen held on to her.

  “You can’t go there!” one of them shouted.

  “You don’t understand, that’s my car!” Sierra said just as he got to her. “That’s my car, let me go!”

  She struggled hysterically, trying to get free, but they held on tightly to her. Ace glanced helplessly at the woman he’d only met a few hours before. She was shaking her head in shock, trying to pull out of the hold of the firemen. Thanks to the light from the streetlights and the glare of the fire, he could see her face clearly. It was drawn tight in disbelief but there wasn’t a single tear on her face. She stopped struggling suddenly, took a deep breath and shuddered.

  “You can let go of me now,” she said in a controlled voice.

  The firemen glanced at each other and hesitated.

  She took another deep breath and let it out. “I’m not hysterical. I won’t run into the fire. I just need you to let go.”

  Ace took in the scene and stepped forward. There was debris everywhere and the stench of burning rubber filled the air, but his focus was on the woman who was trying so hard to hold it together.

  “I’m with her,” he spoke quietly, and something in his voice must have reassured the firemen because they let her go and stepped back.

  “We need to join the others,” one of them said, gesturing to where other firemen were fighting the fire, which had spread to two other vehicles.

  “Keep her away from the fire,” the second one said as a parting shot.

  Ace watched them leave silently before returning his gaze to Sierra. She looked like she was going to collapse at any moment, and he moved closer to her so she could use his body as support. Instead, she bit her lip and stood straighter. A thin thread of admiration curled around him as he watched her literally pull herself together.

  “I can’t believe they bombed my car…” he heard her mumble.

  Apprehension shot through Ace at that. Was she saying this was deliberately targeted at her? If so, who was this woman and what had she gotten herself into?

  “You must have pissed off some dangerous folks.”

  She kept staring at the inferno before them and didn’t say a word more.

  “This happen to you often?”

  She laughed, but it was a sound tinged in bitterness and could barely classify as a laugh.

  Ace had a lot of questions he wanted to ask her. Like who she was and why a bomb was going off in her car mere minutes before she got into it.

  “Hi, I’m Inspector Fairchild and I need to ask you both a few questions.”

  They both turned to meet the man who spoke.

  “Ace Moreno.” The man had a firm grip and met Ace’s stare head on. He wore a light grey shirt tucked into black pants. Summer was over, but it wasn’t cold enough for a coat. He was wearing a dark jacket over his shirt, same as Ace.

  “Sierra Newman.” Sierra’s voice shook lightly. “That was my car and we were just a few yards away when the explosion took place.”

  Fairchild nodded, “Yeah, sorry about that.” He paused for a moment, looking intently at Sierra as though he was trying to determine something, then he asked, “Any reason why someone would decide to bomb your car?”

  Ace was standing right next to her so he felt her body tense, but she shook her head.

  Fairchild considered her words. He looked like he did not believe her but decided to let it go. “Think you can make it to the station tomorrow? We’ll need both your statements.”

  “Sure,” Ace replied and Sierra simply nodded.

  “Great, see you both tomorrow and get some rest,” Fairchild said looking pointedly at Sierra before walking away.

  They were both silent.

  “I’ll take you home,” Ace said.

  “I know I offered, but I honestly don’t think I can work up the energy.” Sierra said.

  It took a few moments for Ace to realize what she was talking about. “Wait…what the hell?”

  She thought he was insensitive enough to follow up on their earlier passion? Sure, she didn’t know anything about him, but Ace could not help feeling insulted. He stared at her long and hard. She looked pale and drawn, her clothes were dirty from laying on the ground. Her hair was in disarray and her makeup was all smudged. Yet she looked so beautiful that he felt compelled to keep staring at her. Finally, he shook his head in mild exasperation, “You need some down time.”

  “You don’t get to tell me what I need, sailor,” she said with as much spunk as she could muster and then deflated right before his eyes. “I’m sorry, I’m just tired. You go on, I can see Alicia heading towards me. She’ll take me home.”

  He followed her gaze and saw the woman she’d been with earlier hurrying to them. “You sure?” he asked, turning back to Sierra.

  She tried to smile, failed
and just nodded.

  Chapter Four

  Ace woke up with thoughts of Sierra Newman. He could not shake her off his mind no matter how hard he tried, though he had to admit that he wasn’t trying very hard. He had never felt such instant attraction before and as much as it excited him, it also disturbed him a little. Running his hands through his hair, he stepped into the bathroom to have a shower and to think. Mostly about Sierra.

  She seemed to burn bright with an inner glow that called out to him, like a moth to a flame. He hoped to see her at the police station, but even if he didn’t, he was going to look for her. There was something between them, the kind of chemistry that didn’t come along too often, he would be a fool to walk away from that. And Ace Moreno was no fool.

  As he got ready for work, Ace decided it was time to stop thinking about Sierra and focus on work in the interim. He wasn’t done with her, not by a long shot, and although he knew for a fact that he could get very badly burned by her, he decided then that he would keep all his barriers up. He would be with her just long enough to get her out of his system. It would be a wild ride, but it would be so worth it.

  Satisfied with his decision, he left for work.

  Ace strode into the offices of Silver Shield Security, also known as HQ by the operatives. Silver Shield was a security outfit started by Sergeant Emily Silver. She was one of the few females who had been in combat and they’d met briefly in Benghazi and then in Mosul. If Ace was the sort to have a best friend, it would have been Emily. He knew he could trust her with his life and she knew he would always have her back.

  Ace, Emily and Drew had been a unit until she retired three years back, when her daughter was kidnapped. Drew and Ace had left the navy a year later, Drew because of an injury. For him, it had just been too much. He’d served in the military for close to two decades and he figured it was time to get out. But once he did, he’d been at loose ends. The call from Emily to join her at Silver Shield had been a lifesaver in more ways than anyone could imagine.

  “What happened to you, boy, rough night?”

  There were only two people in the world who got away with calling him boy. One was his grandma, who had raised him, but she was long gone. The other was standing right in front of him, standing at four feet, three inches and barely reaching his chest. She smiled and held out a steaming cup of coffee.