Untamed
Page 1
Books by Shirleen Davies
Romantic Suspense
Eternal Brethren, Military Romantic Suspense
Steadfast, Book One
Shattered, Book Two
Haunted, Book Three
Untamed, Book Four
Devoted, Book Five, Coming Next in the Series!
Peregrine Bay, Romantic Suspense
Reclaiming Love, Book One
Our Kind of Love, Book Two
Edge of Love, Book Three, Coming Next in the Series!
Contemporary Romance
MacLarens of Fire Mountain Contemporary
Second Summer, Book One
Hard Landing, Book Two
One More Day, Book Three
All Your Nights, Book Four
Always Love You, Book Five
Hearts Don’t Lie, Book Six
No Getting Over You, Book Seven
‘Til the Sun Comes Up, Book Eight
Foolish Heart, Book Nine
Macklin’s of Burnt River
Thorn’s Journey
Del’s Choice
Boone’s Surrender
Historical Western Romance Series
MacLarens of Fire Mountain
Tougher than the Rest, Book One
Faster than the Rest, Book Two
Harder than the Rest, Book Three
Stronger than the Rest, Book Four
Deadlier than the Rest, Book Five
Wilder than the Rest, Book Six
Redemption Mountain
Redemption’s Edge, Book One
Wildfire Creek, Book Two
Sunrise Ridge, Book Three
Dixie Moon, Book Four
Survivor Pass, Book Five
Promise Trail, Book Six
Deep River, Book Seven
Courage Canyon, Book Eight
Forsaken Falls, Book Nine
Solitude Gorge, Book Ten
Rogue Rapids, Book Eleven
Angel Peak, Book Twelve
Restless Wind, Book Thirteen
Storm Summit, Book Fourteen, Coming Next in the Series!
MacLarens of Boundary Mountain
Colin’s Quest, Book One,
Brodie’s Gamble, Book Two
Quinn’s Honor, Book Three
Sam’s Legacy, Book Four
Heather’s Choice, Book Five
Nate’s Destiny, Book Six
Blaine’s Wager, Book Seven
Fletcher’s Pride, Book Eight
Bay’s Desire, Book Nine
Cam’s Hope, Coming Next in the Series!
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UNTAMED
Eternal Brethren, Book Four
Military Romantic Suspense
SHIRLEEN DAVIES
Copyright © 2019 by Shirleen Davies
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
For permission requests, contact the publisher.
Avalanche Ranch Press, LLC
PO Box 12618
Prescott, AZ 86304
Untamed is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is wholly coincidental.
Book design and conversions by Joseph Murray at 3rdplanetpublishing.com
Cover design by Sweet ‘n Sassy Designs
ISBN: 978-1-941786-98-7
I care about quality, so if you find something in error, please contact me via email at shirleen@shirleendavies.com
Description
She never should’ve agreed to a girls’ night out.
Untamed, Book Four, Eternal Brethren Military Romantic Suspense Series
Quinn “Wrangler” McCord is brash and impatient, known to push buttons, skirt tradition, and be counted on to stir things up. As the brother of the undercover motorcycle club’s president, and one of the youngest members, he never pushes enough to damage his career as a Navy SEAL. Underneath the false front, all isn’t jovial. Memories of a past mistake, one he can never rectify, haunt him, pushing him to take chances. Whether it’s a mission or a new woman, he’s always up for a challenge. Anything to help forget what he left behind.
Rebecca North clawed her way out of a devastating breakup to become a respected paralegal. She’s come a long way from the lost young woman who had few choices and little money, becoming confident, independent…and a mother. Her new job in Liberty Lake provides a great income and brings her closer to home and her mother. It never occurs to Becca her safe haven will be the place where her past and present collide.
A short flirtation at the club’s bar turns into an explosive reunion. Recovering quickly, he jumps at the chance to heal his mistakes. She can’t turn him down fast enough, wanting nothing to do with the cocky motorcycle club member. A man who’ll never be allowed back into her life.
Intentions, though, are fragile. When Becca is threatened by the very men the Eternal Brethren are tasked to neutralize, Wrangler wastes no time spiriting her away. Protecting people from danger is something he’s trained to do. Overcoming the pain he’d caused isn’t. Especially when the secret she never intends to divulge stands before him, his bright, searching eyes the same as his.
Will a common cause be the thread which holds them together? Or will past mistakes and a secret life he can’t share be too much for either to overcome?
Untamed is the fourth book in the Eternal Brethren Military Romantic Suspense Series by best seller Shirleen Davies. It is a stand-alone, full-length novel with no cliffhanger and a guaranteed HEA.
PLEASE NOTE: This series contains strong language common within the military. It is also a steamy romance with open door love scenes.
Book 1: Steadfast
Book 2: Shattered
Book 3: Haunted
Book 4: Untamed
Book 5: Devoted
Visit my website for a list of characters for each series.
https://www.shirleendavies.com/books/character-lists/
Table of Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Epilogue
About the Author
Books by Shirlee
n Davies
UNTAMED
Chapter One
Eternal Brethren Clubhouse
Liberty Lake, Arizona
Fall
Quinn “Wrangler” McCord crawled silently over the uneven desert ground. Even the thickness of his tactical gear couldn’t stop the discomfort to his chest and stomach from them scraping across the sharp rocks. At least his night vision goggles helped avoid saguaro cactus and venomous scorpions.
Taking point had been his idea, one he’d fought Caid “Wrath” McCord for approval. His oldest brother and president of Eternal Brethren could be a real pain when in command mode.
Behind him, Rock led a small team of experienced Navy SEALs on the recon mission. Men who’d been handpicked years before by Wrath and Admiral Grayson. The undercover motorcycle club had been on many assignments since its founding, each one completed without loss of life to a single Brethren.
The time had come for the original nine members, the Posse, to take some of the less risky missions, allowing new members to complete the more perilous assignments. To Wrath’s irritation, Wrangler always stood at the front of the line.
Tonight, though, Wrangler was teamed with three of the Posse. Rock, their sergeant-at-arms, plus Gunner and Moses. He’d trust them on his six anytime.
The unmistakable sound of laughter had him stilling. Grayson’s order had sent them to a possible location where traffickers held kidnapped teenagers and young women before shipping them to buyers throughout the world. If the information provided was accurate, they might have a major break in a ring which had alluded them for months.
A consortium that included the Night Devils, one of the worst outlaw motorcycle gangs in the western United States. Into drug smuggling, money laundering, human trafficking, and moving illegal merchandise, the MC didn’t care how they made money. Or who got hurt in the process.
The Night Devils president, Burn, was smart. He used different gang members for different runs, sometimes having simultaneous jobs going on the same night. The variety of activities, and his approach, didn’t make it easy to close them down. And they were only one of the outlaw MCs the Brethren tracked.
Inching closer, Wrangler lowered his voice and spoke into his comm unit. “Two buildings half a klick ahead. The larger one could be a warehouse. Movement between both. I need to get closer.”
“Roger. We’ve got you.” Rock’s words reassured him they knew his position. “Do not approach until we rendezvous.”
Wrangler would’ve preferred to go in alone, get the intel they needed, and retreat. He might be on point, but Rock was the man in charge for this recon mission.
“I’ll report when in position.”
Rising to a crouch, Wrangler increased his speed, dropping to the ground when within fifty yards of the buildings. Two men walked out of the smaller, woodsided one. Talking and laughing, they made their way to the larger building constructed of weathered corrugated metal, an indication of its age.
From his position, he guessed the ground level to be three thousand square feet. If people were being held inside, it might contain a bathroom, as well as cots or pallets. Anything more would be unusual. There were no luxuries in the human trafficking trade.
Not long after the men disappeared inside the warehouse, two of them emerged again, shepherding a group of what looked like young boys around the side of the building toward two outhouses.
“Fuck.” The disgusted growl whipped through his comm unit to the others.
“Report, Wrangler.”
Pulling out a pair of night vision binoculars, he confirmed the first sighting to Rock. “There are four boys, hands bound in front of them, being moved from the warehouse to portable toilets. Ankles are tied, with about a foot of give. Estimating they’re between eight and twelve years of age. Two men guarding them. There may be more children inside.”
“Hold your position. We’re twenty yards behind you.”
Every fiber in his body urged Wrangler forward, urgency surging through him. Shifting the binoculars in a wider arc, his jaw clenched at headlights approaching from the north. Two vans, most likely their transportation to another location, stopped outside the warehouse door.
“Two vehicles have taken positions outside the entrance to the warehouse. Both drivers are getting out, walking to the smaller building.”
“Roger that, Wrangler. Continue to hold your position. We’re almost there.”
Watching the boys enter and exit the two toilets, he cursed when the guards marched them toward the waiting vans, huddling them together several feet away. Another group of three boys, tied in the same fashion as the first, left the warehouse with the other man Wrangler had first spotted, beginning the same routine, when Rock, Gunner, and Moses moved beside him. A moment later, a third man left the warehouse, joining the first group of children.
Lowering the binoculars, he handed them to Rock. “Seven boys. Three men plus two drivers. They’re moving them out tonight. We can’t let them get away.”
“Dammit,” Rock muttered, seeing the same horrifying images as Wrangler. “We’re on a recon mission, not a DA, Wrangler.” The four weren’t approved for a direct action mission.
“We don’t have time to be blessed by Grayson,” he argued, not willing to allow the young boys to disappear into a black abyss from which they might never emerge.
Rock already knew Wrangler’s vote. He looked at Gunner and Moses.
“I can’t be this close and not help those boys, Rock.” Gunner was already preparing his M4 rifle.
Moses began doing the same. “I’m right with him, boss. If those vans leave, the boys may never be recovered.”
Rock checked his own M4, making a decision. “Moses and Gunner, take out the tires on the front van, then move to the second. I don’t have to tell you men the safety of the children is paramount. They will return fire and use the children as shields.” He looked at Wrangler. “You’re with me. Have the drivers left the shack?”
He held up the binoculars. “They’re coming out now. The three men with the boys are walking around the vans to join them.”
“Anyone guarding the kids?” Rock asked.
Lowering the binoculars, a slow grin appeared on Wrangler’s face. “Nope.”
“Dumb shits. All right. Change of orders. The five men are clustered up right now. Moses, take out the drivers. Gunner, you’ve got the three guards. They’re the ones with the UZIs. Give us to the count of twenty to take our positions. We’ll be heading straight for the children the instant you fire your first shots. When the five men are down, move forward to provide cover.”
Rock looked at Wrangler. Crouching, he gave a brisk hand signal before moving as fast as he dared into position. Wrangler stayed right behind him, glad the men had no idea of their presence. They got to within fifteen yards from the children when Gunner and Moses executed their orders.
The two drivers hit the ground, followed by one of the other three. They thought that left only two men, but their count had been wrong.
Hearing the gunfire, two more men rushed from the smaller building, both holding UZIs. Shouting, they pointed their weapons into the dark, firing wildly. Though their shots weren’t accurate, their bullets forced Gunner and Moses to flatten themselves on the hard ground.
Rock dropped to a knee, raising his M4, hitting one. Continuing to fire, his shots provided cover for Wrangler to approach the children, motioning them toward him. Five stumbled forward, unable to run with the bindings on their legs. A sixth held another boy’s hand, unable to get the frightened child to move.
Crouching, Wrangler pointed for the first five to continue behind the barn, his heart breaking at the terror on the young faces. He heard the scream of another man. Making his way to the last two children, he lowered the M4, scooping the youngest up while gripping the hand of the last boy.
A blast of gunfire whizzed past, missing him and the children by inches. Making a quick decision, he rushed to the open door of one of the vans, shov
ing the boys into the back. Whipping around, his heart stopped at the sight of a man aiming an UZI at his chest. Having no time to raise his M4, all Wrangler could do was unsheathe his knife before the trafficker pulled the trigger, then pray the bullets didn’t pass through him to the boys.
In a way, his prayer was answered. The man’s slight pause was all his team needed. In a split second, two bullets hit his chest, eyes going wide in shock before he fell backward and collapsed to the ground.
Handing the younger boy to Rock, Wrangler grabbed the older one and jumped from the van, heading straight toward the group huddling on the far side of the warehouse. Rock set down the child, adjusting his comm unit.
“Gunner and Moses. Report.”
“Office is clear and secure, Rock,” Gunner answered. “I took IDs and anything else that could help us identify the bodies.”
“Warehouse and vans are clear and secure. This place is a hovel.” Moses didn’t hide his disgust. “I’ve got keys to the vehicles.”
“What do you want to do about the stash of weapons, boss?” Gunner asked.
“Leave them,” Rock replied. “We don’t want to be found with a load of UZIs. Rendezvous with Wrangler and me on the northeast side of the warehouse. We’ve got to get the kids back to our transport and haul our butts out of here before the law shows up.”
“And the bodies, Rock?” Moses asked. A devout Christian and expert sniper, he had no sympathy for men such as the ones they eliminated tonight.
“Forget them. Getting the boys to safety is our new priority, men.” Taking a few steps away, Rock’s voice became urgent. “Team A to base.”
“Go ahead.”
“Tangos dispatched, area neutralized, Wrath. We have seven children needing transportation and medical attention.”
“Already on it. Look up and to the north.”
Wrangler heard the whap-whap of an approaching helo, pointing to the approaching lights. “Now isn’t that a beautiful sight.”
“Gunner, set off the flares.”
“On it.”
Pulling out their ka-bar knives, Wrangler and Rock moved between the boys, removing the bindings. When Moses arrived, he removed his medical kit, pulling out disinfectant and a tube of salve.