Bride Protector SEAL (6 page)

Allie met Sadie’s gaze in the mirror. “The bad part about it is that I wanted to,” she admitted.

Sadie sighed. “Baby, are you sure Damien’s the right man for you?”

Throwing her hands in the air, Allie spun and paced all three steps across the room and back. “I’m getting married on Saturday. No man I just met is going to derail my plans.”

Sadie held up her hands. “Okay. You’re getting married on Saturday.” She tossed the wet paper towel in the trash and tore off a dry one. “If it’s Damien you’re determined to marry, then you have to stop drooling over your bodyguard.”

Again, Allie’s gaze met Sadie’s in the mirror. Her shoulders slumped, and she nodded. “You’re right. It’s not right. I need to go home, get a good night’s sleep and wake up with the right frame of mind.”

“Don’t forget, tomorrow we pick up your wedding dress,” Sadie reminded her.

Allie’s chest pinched. Instead of being giddy with excitement, like a bride should be, she dreaded going. She needed to call Damien. Maybe hearing his voice would help get her back on track. He was the man she was going to marry on Saturday. This was only a case of cold feet. Straightening her shoulders, she stepped out of the bathroom and ran into a wall of muscles.

Sadie squeezed by them and darted back into the bar room.

Some friend she was.

Swede’s arms came up around her and crushed her against his chest. “Are you all right?”

“Yes.” She nodded, and then shook her head. “No. I need to go home.”

“We’ve only been here twenty minutes. Are you sure you don’t want to stay and visit with your brother?”

“No. I’m tired and have a big day ahead of me.” She stepped back. “If you want to stay, I can see if Bear will take me back to the ranch.”

Swede’s jaw hardened. “I’ll take you.” He hooked her elbow in a tight grip and led her back to the table where they said their goodbyes and then left the tavern.

Once outside, Allie sucked in deep breaths, hoping the fresh Montana air would clear her head.

Swede opened the truck door for her and handed her up into the passenger seat. The touch of his fingers against her elbow shot electric currents throughout her body and left her tingling. This couldn’t be. Maybe she’d had too much to drink. Then she remembered, she hadn’t had a chance to order a drink.

As she watched Swede walk around to the driver’s side, Allie moaned softly. She needed to talk to Damien. What she was feeling was lonely and neglected. That was all.

Swede climbed into the driver’s seat and shifted the truck in gear.

Allie stared out the side window, refusing to look his in direction. How he must be laughing at her, thinking she was a two-timing woman, eager to cheat on her fiancé while he was out of town. Allie wanted to tell him that wasn’t the case. That she wasn’t that kind of woman. But she’d had those feelings. And feeling it was almost as bad as actually doing it.

They’d driven past all the houses and continued onto the highway leading to the Bear Creek Ranch when headlights flashed brightly in the rearview mirror.

Swede squinted and tipped the windshield mirror upward. He decreased his speed a little, but the vehicle wasn’t interested in passing.

Allie watched through the side mirror and finally turned in her seat to glance through the rear window. “What the hell is he trying to prove?”

Swede lowered his window and waved the guy on.

The headlights seemed to get larger as the vehicle sped up. Instead of swerving to go around, the SUV rammed into the back of the truck.

Allie jerked forward. The seatbelt snapped tight, keeping her from slamming into the dash.

“Hang on!” Swede yelled. “He’s going to hit us again.”

Allie braced her hand on the dash, her body already bruised from the first attack.

The trailing vehicle rammed them again, hitting at a bit of an angle.

Swede’s truck fishtailed. He fought to straighten it before it ran off the road into a ditch. Just when he had it under control, the attacker raced up beside them and slammed into the driver’s side.

The truck ran off the pavement onto the gravel shoulder.

Allie held onto the oh-shit handle above the door as Swede fought with the steering wheel to bring the truck back onto the blacktop.

It was hard to do with the attacking vehicle pushing him further off the road.

Swede changed tactics and slammed on his brakes. The truck skidded in the gravel but slowed faster than the attacking full-sized SUV. His maneuver bought them a few seconds, allowing Swede to drive back up onto the highway.

No sooner had he righted the truck, something hit the front windshield dead-center between the driver and passenger sides.

Allie’s heart plunged into the pit of her belly. The hole in the windshield was perfectly round. “They’re shooting at us!”

“Get down!” Swede shouted. He spun the steering wheel and hit the accelerator at the same time. The truck did a complete one-hundred-eighty-degree turn.

Another bullet blasted through the back windshield, through the headrest of the passenger seat and exited through the front windshield. If Allie hadn’t ducked when Swede told her to, she would have been hit in the back of the head. Her stomach flipped, and she remained low in her seat.

“Switch places!” Swede yelled.

“What? Are you insane?”

“They’re coming around. Hurry. Switch places.” Swede shifted the seat back and slammed his foot on the accelerator.

Allie slid across the console and into Swede’s lap. Once she had control of the steering wheel, he crawled out from under her and lifted his foot off the accelerator.

He fell across the other seat, righted himself, lowered the window and poked out his handgun.

The other vehicle had performed a slower version of the turnaround Swede had executed moments before and was now quickly catching up.

Her heart pounding against her ribs, Allie slammed her foot all the way down on the accelerator, while Swede leaned halfway out the window and fired.

The trailing SUV swerved, but kept coming.

Swede fired again, hitting one of the headlights.

Another bullet hit the back windshield, spraying glass fragments throughout the truck’s interior.

Allie kept her head low and her gaze on the curving road ahead. Reaching town meant the guy behind them might veer off and leave them alone.

Swede fired again, but the SUV kept coming.

Allie rounded a curve, reaching out to grab Swede’s belt to keep him from flying out.

He stayed with the truck and fired again on the SUV.

After flying around another curve and over a rise, Allie nearly cried out in relief when the lights of Eagle Rock twinkled from below. She drove faster, refusing to slow for the curves leading into town. The lights behind her disappeared as she made the last turn, drove onto Main Street and straight toward the local sheriff’s office.

Swede dropped back into the passenger seat, still holding his handgun in one hand, while his other covered his right shoulder.

Allie pulled into the parking lot of the county jail and sheriff’s office, honking the truck’s horn. She shoved the shift into park, dropped down out of the driver’s seat and ran toward the door.

Sheriff Joe Barron stepped outside, his hand resting on the handle of his service weapon. “What the hell’s going on?”

Allie stopped in front of him, breathing hard and shaking from head to toe. “Someone tried to kill us.” She turned back to look at the road leading into town, happy to see it empty of traffic. Especially the kind of traffic that fires bullets.

Swede dropped down out of the truck, having holstered his handgun beneath his jacket. He held his hand over his right arm. “You don’t happen to have a first aid kit in your office, do you?”

“I do.”

“Good.” Swede pulled his hand away from his arm. His palm and fingers were drenched, and the sleeve of his black leather jacket shone with wet, sticky blood.

Allie swayed, and her heart leaped into her throat. “Damn, Swede, you’ve been shot.”

W
ithin minutes
, the volunteer firefighter paramedic, local doctor, Hank, Bear and Sadie converged on the sheriff’s office. Between all of them, they insisted on moving Swede two buildings down to the only medical clinic in town.

Swede shook his head, insisting the injury was nothing but a flesh wound. Upon closer inspection, the doctor and paramedic agreed, but it had nicked him deep enough to cause a significant amount of bleeding.

“Did you get a look at the license plate?” Sheriff Barron asked.

Swede shook his head. “I didn’t.’

“Me neither,” Allie confirmed. “It all happened so fast, and bullets were flying. We didn’t have time to breathe, much less jot down a license plate.” She hovered near Swede, offering to hold the adhesive tape or hand them a bottle of rubbing alcohol when needed.

Swede let the doctor treat the wound. He’d seen what happened when soldiers didn’t take care of themselves. Infections could be lethal, or cause the loss of a limb. But he drew the line at stitches. “Just slap on a butterfly bandage. It’ll heal.”

The doctor flushed the wound with water and alcohol and then pressed a couple of bandages across it. “Change the bandage daily, or if it gets really dirty. Other than a nice scar, you’ll probably live.”

“Thought so.”

“But not if that guy is still running loose.” Allie held out Swede’s jacket. Sadie had rinsed the blood out of it as best she could and dried it with towels and a blow dryer while the doc worked on him.

Sheriff Barron shook his head. “I don’t know what’s going on around here, but we have to get to the bottom of it. We can’t have the good citizens of the county afraid to come outside.”

“So far, Reynolds and Allie seem to be the targets,” Hank said.

“Yeah. We’re trying to track down the source of the C-4 and the paint used to deface the stable before it burned to the ground. The state forensics lab is working on it, and a hundred other hot cases.” The sheriff drew in a deep breath and let it out. “In the meantime, to make sure you get home safe, I’ll escort you to the Bear Creek Ranch, personally.”

Allie smiled at her friend. “Thank you, Joe.”

He draped an arm over her shoulders, and hugged her. “I’m sorry this is happening to you, but I’m glad you had someone like Mr. Svenson with you. Your own personal SEAL to keep you safe when the crap hits the fan.”

Allie nodded, her gaze seeking and connecting with Swede’s.

Swede felt a warmth flooding through him that had nothing to do with the jacket he’d shrugged into. The arm felt fine, but he’d like to get back to Bear Creek Ranch where Allie was surrounded by people who loved and looked out for her. After the attack that evening, Swede wasn’t sure his skills were enough to keep Allie safe.

“You know, Allie,” Sheriff Barron was saying. “You really might consider postponing your wedding. With the way things have been going, it would make too big a target for these yahoos to pass up.”

Allie’s eyes narrowed and her lips thinned. “I’m getting married on Saturday. Scare tactics aren’t keeping me from my wedding.”

The sheriff raised his hands. “Just saying, it might not be safe for you or your guests.”

Her brows furrowing, Allie seemed to chew on Joe Barron’s words. “I don’t want anyone else to get hurt because of me.” She looked up at her friend. “I’ll think about it. But as far as anyone knows, the wedding is still on.”

Swede’s stomach bunched at the determination in Allie’s voice. What did he expect? She was engaged to a wealthy man and had been, well before Swede showed up in Eagle Rock. Besides, he wasn’t in the market for a long-term relationship. Not with his hang-ups. Hell, he was barely satisfactory at his new job. A man who was at one hundred percent would have taken out the attackers. But he’d missed, allowing the bastards to live.

Sheriff Barron waved toward the door. “Allie, if you’re ready to go, I’ll escort you two to the ranch gate.”

Allie glanced at Swede.

Swede nodded. “We’re ready.”

“Call me when you get home.” Hank pressed a kiss to Allie’s forehead. “I like to know you’re okay.”

Sadie hugged her. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Do you want us to swing by and pick you up for the trip into Bozeman?” Swede asked.

Hank shook his head. “No. We will all drive in at the same time. Sadie and I will meet you at the gate to the Bear Creek Ranch.”

“And I’ll bring up the rear,” Bear said. “I want to swing by the hospital and check on the soldier, and then I’ll go by his unit to talk to his commander.”

Swede had wondered how it would be as a civilian, without the support and camaraderie of his SEAL team. Not much had changed. With Hank and Bear nearby, Swede knew they had his back. He hoped, between the three of them, they could keep Allie safe.

Allie insisted on driving Swede’s truck back to the ranch. With the sheriff’s SUV behind them, they had no repeat performances from the earlier attacker. The sheriff parked at the entrance to Bear Creek Ranch and waited until Allie was halfway to the house before he turned to go back to town.

“You have some good people here in Montana,” Swede noted.

Allie snorted. “Except the ones trying to kill me?”

“With that exception. I think the good people outnumber the bad.”

She nodded. “You’re right. I love living here. I love the people I grew up with and the sense of community. Although, sometimes they can get into your business when you don’t want them to. But for the most part, everyone looks out for everyone else.”

“You’re lucky to have them.” Swede’s hand rested on his pistol. Even though they were on the Bear Creek Ranch, he couldn’t let down his guard for a moment. He had done so earlier, and it had almost gotten them killed. All because he’d wanted to kiss Allie.

And still did.

He sat in silence as Allie drove up to the house and parked.

“What will you tell my father about your truck?” Allie asked, staring at the holes in the windshield.

“I’ll tell him I got behind a gravel truck.”

“What about the dent in the door?”

“It could have been a rude driver in the Blue Moose parking lot, backing into me and driving off.”

She nodded. “He might buy it.”

“You need to talk to Damien,” Swede said.

She stared at the house in front of her. “I know.”

“He has to know more than he’s telling us about this threat. If we could talk to him about it, we might have a better starting point in our search to locate the attacker.”

“I’ll try to get in touch with him tonight. If he’s on the other side of the world, it might be difficult to contact him.” Allie unbuckled her seatbelt and reached for the keys in the ignition.

“Why are you marrying Reynolds?” Swede asked before he could stop himself. It wasn’t the kind of question a bodyguard asked his client. But there it was.

Her hand froze on the keys. “Why do you ask?” she countered. She didn’t glance his way. Instead, she stared at the keyring.

Swede studied her face, looking for a reaction, a clue to her feelings about the man she had promised to marry. “I don’t know him well, but you two just don’t seem right for each other. Like you don’t fit.” Again, as soon as the words left his mouth, he wished he could have taken them back.

Allie’s fingers curled around the keys, and her mouth pulled into a tight line. “You’re right. You don’t know Damien. And, for that matter, you don’t know me.” She pushed open the door, stepped down on the running board and dropped to the ground.

Swede rounded the front of the truck and took the keys she held out to him. “You didn’t answer the question. Why are you marrying Damien?”

Allie pushed back her shoulders and met his gaze. “That’s none of your business. You’re just the bodyguard my fiancé hired to protect me. After the wedding, I’ll be on my way to the Cayman Islands, and you’ll be on to your next assignment. What does it matter?”

Swede gripped her arms, wanting to wring the truth out of the woman. But, he knew she was right. It wasn’t his business. Still, he didn’t understand the relationship between Allie and Damien, and one thing was bugging the hell out of him. “You never said you loved him.”

Allie stared up into his eyes, her hands pressed to his chest, neither pushing him away nor bringing him closer. “I don’t have to say the words to you.”

Swede pulled her closer until their bodies touched, hip to hip, breasts to chest. “Do you want to kiss him when you’re dancing?”

“Why are you doing this?” she whispered. “You said you aren’t into relationships. Why are you interested in mine?”

“Answer my question.” He leaned closer, his mouth moving nearer to hers.

Allie licked her lips, sending a burst of flame through Swede’s system. He couldn’t go back now that he’d started down this path.

Swede’s voice dropped lower, his groin tightening as the ridge beneath his fly rubbed against Allie’s belly. “Does he make you want to fall into bed and make love to him with only a glance?”

“You don’t know what you’re doing,” she said, her gaze slipping to his mouth, her tongue sweeping across her lips again.

“
Me?
I think
you
don’t know what you’re doing. Or what you really want.”

“And you know me well enough to know what I want and need?” she challenged.

“No, but I know what
I
want.” His hands slipped down her arms and around to rest on her lower back. “I want that kiss.” Then Swede broke all the rules he associated with being a bodyguard and kissed the woman he was sworn to protect. Not only did he kiss her, he branded her with his mouth, taking everything she would give and sweeping past her teeth to take even more.

Their tongues danced a sensual tango, thrusting and parrying.

Allie’s hands slid beneath Swede’s jacket, curled over his chest and locked behind his neck, pulling him closer.

Swede knew what he was doing was wrong, but something drew him to Allie. Something he found irresistible. Unfortunately, one kiss would never be enough. With her imminent marriage to a man who didn’t care enough about his fiancée to be with her when someone was out to kill her, looming, Swede’s stomach knotted and his heart hurt. He tore his lips away from hers.

“No.” Swede lifted his head and stared down into her face. “No.”

Allie looked up into his eyes, her green ones glazed, her breathing coming in labored breaths. Her body still pressed to his, her hands flattened against his chest. She blinked and the glaze cleared. Her eyes widened, and she gasped. “Damn you.” Allie stepped back and swung her arm, her palm connecting with his face in a resounding slap.

Swede’s cheek stung with the force of the blow. He stood there, unmoving, knowing he deserved every bit of it. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done that.”

Through gritted teeth, she said, “Don’t. Ever. Touch. Me. Again.” She spun on her heels and ran in the house.

If he wasn’t mistaken, Swede could swear he heard a sob before the door closed behind Allie.

S
he didn’t stop running
until she reached the sanctuary of her bedroom. After she shut the door, Allie leaned her back against it and slid to the floor. Tears rolled down her cheeks. Allie touched her fingers to the tears. What was wrong with her? She was never this emotional. The last time she cried was the day her mother died. Since then, her father insisted crying was only for babies. She wasn’t a baby; she was a grown woman with a wedding ahead of her.

For a minute more, she allowed herself to sink into the depths of despair, sobbing quietly so that her bodyguard couldn’t hear her break down. Then she got up, stripped out of the pretty dress, wadded it into a ball and stuffed it in the very back of her closet. If she never wore the dress again, that was just fine with her.

Pulling a T-shirt over her head, Allie peeked out into the hallway. Nothing moved. A light shined beneath the door of Hank’s old bedroom, her father’s room was dark and the bathroom door across the hall was open with the light on. She crossed to the bathroom, closed and locked the door, then brushed her teeth and scrubbed off the little bit of makeup that hadn’t washed away with her tears.

Allie brushed her hair and secured it in a ponytail on top of her head. Looking in the mirror, she appeared much like the little girl who’d lost her mother. Right now she missed her mom more than ever. When she opened the door, she half-feared, half-wished she’d run into Swede in the hallway. Again, it was empty.

After trudging across the corridor to her room, she closed the door and collapsed on the bed. She lifted the phone, dialed Damien’s number and waited. She heard one ring and his phone rolled over to voicemail.

Damn.

Tomorrow she really needed to talk to Damien. That kiss had only made matters worse. Now, not only had she cheated in thought, she’d cheated in deed. How could she go into a marriage with the guilt of that kiss weighing on her mind? Then again, how could she tell Damien without hurting him?

Allie curled up on the bed, hugging a pillow to her chest. For a long time, she lay still, willing herself to sleep, hoping everything would appear brighter with the morning sunshine.

After tossing and turning until the wee hours of the morning, Allie finally drifted to sleep.

It was her wedding day. She wore the dress she had picked out, and had her hair piled high on her head with ringlets falling down her back. Her father walked her down the aisle very slowly, his face grim. As they passed the rows of guests, people whispered and pointed. They knew. Her face heated and her belly churned.

When Allie finally reached the altar, she turned to face the man who would become her husband until death should they part. But Damien wasn’t the one waiting for her. The man in the tuxedo stood taller and straighter. A man of military bearing and discipline. Waiting to marry her was the man who’d been hired by her fiancé to protect her.

Swede.

Pounding on her door woke her at 8:00 the next morning. Her father’s voice boomed through the paneling. “If you want to eat, you need to come down, now. Georgia is cleaning the kitchen, and she’s waiting on you.”