Protected by a SEAL: Hot SEALs (Volume 5) (10 page)

Rick glanced down at her but couldn’t see her well enough to determine how upset she was. A fall of hair shielded her face from view.

“You okay?” he asked.

She moved her head in what was half nod, half shake but didn’t speak.

Tires squealing had Rick whipping his head up, wishing he had someplace close and safe to stash Sierra so he could do something proactive. Something other than lying there like a slug while playing human shield.

Who the hell knew he should have asked Jon for body armor too? For both of them.

He recognized Brody’s truck and breathed freely for the first time in minutes. Finally confident that they’d get out of this situation, he pushed up, taking his weight off Sierra. “My guys are here.”

“Now what?”

“Now we get you the hell out of here and someplace safe.”

“Where?”

“We’ll figure that out as we go.”

As a security van squealed onto the scene and Chris and Brody flanked the truck, guns drawn and eyes peeled on anyplace the shooter could be hiding, Rick let Sierra sit up. She leaned against the truck tire with him squatting in front of her so she was still shielded.

She frowned at him, looking angry. “You mean you don’t have a plan?”

What the hell? The situation had just changed literally minutes before and she was pissed he didn’t have a plan? “Not at the moment, no.”

“Then what am I paying you for?”

Rick tempered his own anger, although not completely. He had a few choice words he was weighing, but he considered how angry Jon and Zane would be if he said them to their big client.

Chris backed around the truck and saved Rick from his own tongue and the potential backlash of speaking his mind.

“You a’ight?” Chris’s gaze swept Rick and Sierra before he went back to surveying the area.

“Yeah. We’re good.” Rick figured if Sierra was well enough to bitch, she was doing just fine.

“What’s the plan?” Brody rounded the other side of the truck.

Rick heard Sierra’s snort at that question and chose to ignore it. “I want her off this lot.”

“Agreed.” Brody nodded.

“And long term?” Chris asked.

“Out of town until we catch this guy.” Obviously the only way to protect her was to remove her from the situation.

He respected her for wanting to keep working, but after today, that wasn’t going to happen. Since the damn movie folks couldn’t keep the lot secure, they would just have to deal with it.
 

A security officer came around the truck. “Everyone all right?”

Rick glared through his sunglasses at the man, who still had no weapon to speak of. “Another inch and I’d have a hole in my head God didn’t intend me to have. Besides that, yeah, we’re okay.”

“Jesus.” The guard glanced around, pulling his cell off his utility belt. Rick supposed he was calling in reinforcements, who likely would be equally unarmed and unprepared for this situation.

Now, more than ever, Rick missed the teams. Thank God he had back up in the form of Chris and Brody. “Anybody call Jon or Zane?”

“Yeah, I did while Brody was driving us to find you. They should be here any minute, with the police. They were all together in a meeting with the hotel when we called.”

Crap. They’d be in the police station for hours filling out reports after this shit. Rick hated reports. That was one thing he didn’t miss about the teams.

He drew in a breath and turned his attention back to Sierra. At least she should be safe in the police station. That would give him and the guys time to regroup and figure out their next move.

In the back of his mind Rick knew the shooter would be doing the same thing—planning his next move.

That sealed Rick’s determination. He’d do everything in his power to convince everyone that Sierra needed to be kept under lock and key, whether she liked it or not.

Knowing her, she wasn’t going to like that one bit.

CHAPTER 12

Sierra drew in a breath as the police officer sitting across the desk from her asked the same question over and over again, just in a slightly different form. “As I told you before, I really didn’t see anyone or anything.”

She wasn’t a suspect, so why did she feel as if she was the one being interrogated?

“Go over the events for me one more time.”

“I already did that. Twice.”

“Do it one more time, Ms. Cox. Please.” His tone remained even and calm.

Good thing he had enough patience for both of them. Sierra was rapidly losing hers.

She sighed. “We drove through the gate of the lot. Rick was behind the wheel. I was in the passenger seat. We were in his truck.”

“What kind of truck?’

“I don’t know. The kind with an open back thingy. You know, where you put things.”

“A pick-up truck?” the officer asked.

“Yes. A big one.”

Huge actually. The kind of truck a man drove when he was making up for shortcomings in other areas.

Interesting theory regarding her bodyguard, and it would also explain why Rick was so pushy and bossy. She rubbed her elbow. She’d hit it pretty hard when he’d knocked her to the ground. That was definitely going to leave a bruise.
 

“Were the windows open?”

“No.” She rethought that answer. “Mine was closed but he had rolled his down to talk to the guard at the gate.”

“Did he roll his back up?”

“I don’t remember.” And she really couldn’t see what this had to do with anything.

“Okay, then what?”

“He asked me where to go. I told him how to get to my trailer.”

“Which was?” he prompted.

“Exactly where you found us when you drove up.” What the hell? Was this guy brain damaged or just destined to be annoying?

“I mean what path did you take in the truck.”

“We drove past the main building and turned right. The trailer is just past there. On the left. It’s maybe a quarter of a mile, I guess.” She lifted one shoulder, beyond caring at this point.

How had Rick escaped this inquisition? He wasn’t in the room with her. As far as she knew, he was out having a nice meal somewhere with his bruiser friends.

Meanwhile, she was being held in this room like a prisoner with nothing but crappy police station coffee and no food.

God, she was starving. And she’d give anything for a Starbucks sugar-free vanilla latte.
 

Would they bring her one if she asked?

“Go on.” The police officer’s prompting knocked her out of her caffeine and food fantasies.

She drew in another loud breath. If the guy couldn’t see by now she was annoyed, he was denser than she’d thought.

“I opened the passenger side door of the truck. I stepped down. I closed the door of the truck behind me. I had my bag on my left shoulder. It’s a Hermes I bought in Paris. I was wearing my Prada sunglasses. Black ones. I had on the same black yoga pants, zip-up sweatshirt and running shoes I’m wearing now.”

Sierra ran through the events, purposefully filling her recount with details she knew were of no consequence to demonstrate to her inquisitor exactly how pointless this questioning was.

He didn’t seem to notice. “And where was Mr. Mann?”

“He got out of his side of the truck.”

“Which side?” he asked.

“The driver’s side since, you know, he was driving.” Holy guacamole, was this man that dumb?

“I meant how was the truck positioned in relation to the trailer and the street?”

“Oh.” She frowned, picturing the scene. “I was closest to the trailer. His door was on the street side. He had to walk around the truck to get to me and the trailer.”

The officer nodded. “Did you enter the trailer?”

“No. I was about to but I didn’t have a chance before he jumped on top of me and knocked me onto the ground.”

All six-foot-whatever inches and at least two hundred and fifty pounds of his muscle-bound brutish body had been on top of hers for what seemed like a very long time. She’d never had a man so huge on top of her before.

Her last boyfriend was in good shape, yes, but he’d been an underwear model. He had plenty of muscles, but he kept himself super lean. Too thin, in her opinion. Brad ate less carbs than she did. He kept himself photo shoot ready and she did have to admit, he photographed well.

When Brad’s weight had been on top of her, Sierra had barely felt it. He certainly hadn’t been built like Rick.
 

All big and bulky. Hard and bulging. When he was on top of her, she’d been very much aware he was there.

She swallowed hard, refusing to let the brute get to her. He might have the over developed body of Hercules but he had the super-sized attitude to go with it. Always telling her what to do. Pushing her around.

Sure, he’d probably look pretty amazing with his shirt off.

His pants too since she hadn’t missed the size of the man’s thighs. Holy hell, how did he get those quads so big? But being with a man like him would definitely not be worth dealing with the ego that came with the bod. Nope.

“Ms. Cox?” The officer’s voice knocked her out of her internal debate about the pros and cons of sleeping with a man like Rick.

“Um, sorry, did you ask me something?”

“I said we’ve got enough for now. You’re free to go. We’ll call if we have any further questions.”

“Thank you.” Now that she had been set free, she wasn’t sure where to go. “Do you know where my manager is?”

“I’m not sure, but the group of men who came in with you were outside in the waiting area last I saw. Mr. Mann said he’d be waiting for you.”

No doubt he would be, like any good watchdog. She stood and waited for the officer to open the door for her. “Thanks.”

Sierra dug into her bag and pulled out her sunglasses. She’d rather not be recognized coming out of a police station if she could help it. Of course, if word had spread and the paparazzi were outside, no sunglasses would prevent her from being recognized, and photographed, and speculated on.

Sometimes she hated her life. Particularly now, as Rick strode toward her with an expression of determination on his face.

“Come with me.”

“Yes, sir.” As if she had a choice as he gripped her elbow with one beefy hand and turned her down the hall. “Where are we going? If you don’t mind my asking, that is.”

Hopefully her sarcasm had penetrated the thick muscle between his ears.

“You are going to the ladies bathroom.” He gave her a little push toward the door.

“I don’t have—”

“Just go.” He drew in a breath. “Please?”

“Fine.” She scowled at being told what to do yet again, but he had said please. She supposed she should reward good behavior.

Sierra pushed through the door and came face to face with a smiling blonde who looked at her like she knew her.

The woman stepped forward. “Hi, I’m Darci Mann. I’m Rick’s sister.”

“Oh. Um, hi.” Surprised that his sister wasn’t Amazonian in proportions, Sierra took Darci’s offered hand and shook it.

“Rick and Chris have a plan to get you out of here.”

“Okay. I guess it involves you?”

“It does.” Darci beamed a wide smile at her. She looked much too happy about the whole thing. “I’m sorry. I’m just such a fan. Meeting you in person is huge for me, but to be able to help you and be part of another GAPS assignment—I can’t tell you how exciting that is.”

Fan girls, Sierra was more than used to. But something else Darci had said, about helping on
another
assignment, was interesting. “You’ve worked with them before?”

“Only once and if Rick had anything to say about it, I’d never do it again, but this is kind of an emergency situation. They needed me so he couldn’t object.”

Ah, so Rick ordered his sister around too. Good to know Sierra wasn’t the only one in that regard.

“So what’s the plan?” Sierra asked.

“I walked in a few minutes ago wearing what’s in this bag.” Darci thrust a duffle bag forward. “We’re close enough in size that the guys figure if you walk out of here, alone, wearing the same clothes I had on, with your hair in a ponytail and the hat and sunglasses, anyone watching won’t know it’s you.”