Safe in His Arms (13 page)

“Come on.”

She eased around him and immediately sounds and sights assaulted her. Smoke filled the air. Firemen, police, the military and hurt tourists filled the lobby. Hotel employees were frantically running from one end of the huge entryway to the other. Some carrying towels, some medical kits, others water and bandages. She spotted Dare through the crowds. He met her gaze for a moment, gave her a tight nod, and a quick once-over then turned back to the three military guys next to him. Ace stopped talking to the men in fatigues near him as soon as they walked up.

“Shit got rough. You good, Mandy?”

She bit her lip and swallowed past a dry throat. “I’m—”

A scream ripped through the lobby, followed by gunfire. A red dot appeared on the side of Ace’s shoulder, then skimmed down to her white shirt, then quickly landed square on Mac’s chest.

“Down!” she shouted, unsure if either of them would take her seriously or not, but Ace shoved Mac to the floor and she went down with them. Bullets burst along the wall where Mac had stood. Next to them, the floor to ceiling windows burst inward, raining glass down on them with an enormous crash. Mac hauled her close and covered her with his body, scaring her so badly she couldn’t stop shaking. She clenched her fists in his shirt and simply tried to will them to survive.

Ace got up on a knee, took aim, and fired his gun, his face dark and intent, so dangerous-looking she felt near tears. If Ace died what would Lacey do? What would she do if Mac died?

More gunfire hit the wall above them and Mac curled his arms around her head and tried to protect her from the violence. Plaster pinged painfully down on her exposed legs and her left arm but she held Mac tightly, refusing to move an inch. From the distance, she heard more shouts, more gunfire then boots running. A blast sounded again and someone shouted in Spanish.

Ace cursed and they shared a look.

“Damn it, we need outta here,” Mac snarled. “Get that damn radio on, and find out what’s taking the back-up so long.”

“It’s here, Wolf. The back-up is here.”

“Shit.” Mac shoved off her, urged her behind a potted plant, and looked her in the eyes. She grabbed hold of his shirt, seeing what he was going to do. “I’ll be back. You stay right there.”

“Don’t you dare get killed. Don’t either of you get killed.” She didn’t let go until both men nodded, Mac with his half grin, Ace with a look that promised whoever was out there would soon be sorry. She curled her knees up to her chest and pretended she was part of the wall.

“Good, you stay right there.” Mac eyed her once more then turned and he and Ace raced across the lobby, hunched down, but jumping over anyone that got in their way. They both made it to the other side of the room and, as she watched, they vaulted over the counter, easily sliding over the marble and onto the other side. Immediately they turned and started firing out of the broken window to her left. She heard shouts, more Spanish, then screams from outside.

This was Mac’s life. This was what he did. She wanted to yank him back to her side, pull him close, and make him swear he would leave this life behind.

Would he?

Around the huge leaves of the plant, she caught sight of Eagle, then Dare and five other men heading back inside the front entrance, all of them but Dare walking backwards, their firearms pointing to where the gunfire had originated from. Dare simply walked in, his head bleeding from a wound, his strut missing. He spotted her, and winced, nodded to Mac and Ace when both of them came back into view and hitched his rifle over his shoulder.

“They mean business. Shit, do they mean business,” he said taking in the damage caused by the attack.

She bit her lip, suddenly feeling overwhelmed with grief for them all. Especially Dare. Ace had Lacey, Eagle had Katya, and maybe Mac had her, but who was there for Dare?

“We’re taking them out,” Mac said, his attention on her, not Dare, but Ace nodded the same way Dare did. “Come on, Mandy, let’s go. The medical team is on the way. We gotta give them room to help these folks.”

“And get off this island,” Ace said. “We’re leaving. I’ll have one of the men get your things, Mandy.”

Get her things.

Nothing she had in the room mattered. The only thing that mattered wrapped his arm around her shoulders and urged her past the uniformed men.

Chapter Eleven

Mandy pulled her backpack on tighter and stared at Mac. She couldn’t take her eyes off him. She’d tried, but, after the mafia attack, she’d been full of such fear she’d lose him, she couldn’t stop making sure he was there. He seemed just as alert to her. Their eyes met and he blew out a breath through his nose. She loved it when he did that. Like some angry, sexy matador.

“Damn, you look good in the camo, sugar.”

She rolled her eyes. He was trying to lighten the mood.

He walked across the Naval base’s airport security office and tipped her head up with his fingers. “You do. Sorry about the room?”

“What, that you didn’t spank me?”

He grinned and startled her by smacking her butt and kissing her protest at the same time. Fine, two could play. She’d learnt she’d never get anything in this life if she held back and waited. She pulled his head down closer with one hand and kissed him with all the pent-up frustration she felt. And she felt a lot.

He groaned into her mouth and dragged her closer, cupping her ass in his hands. He tasted like cinnamon and beer. She tilted her head for a better taste, but when he shoved his erection against her, she pushed between them and curled her fingers around the thick stalk of flesh through his BDUs. He cursed against her lips.

“Fuck yeah, baby, get used to that size, ‘cause later you owe my solider some tender care.”

She laughed. “I doubt you’ve earned that kind of reward,” she told him, happy when her voice came out teasing instead of breathless.

He pressed into her, clearly more than ready for the challenge. “I’ve been a good boy, sugar. I deserve one hell of a reward.”

The door opened and she jumped, tried to pull out of his arms with a great deal of effort, and only managed it because he let her go with a low laugh. The man was like an octopus. And obviously didn’t care who saw him all over her.

“Mac!”

He gave her a frown, mocking confusion, but grinned when she finally got out of his arms to face Ace already walking in the room.

“The copters are ready,” Ace said. There was a deep, long cut along his arm, another on his forehead, but, for surviving a bomb, none of them had suffered any real damage.

Lacey came in behind Ace and immediately rushed up to hug her. Mandy hugged her back, wishing with all her might that her friend didn’t have to endure this stuff. She deserved more than this. They all did.

“This is so screwed up, Mandy. I’m so glad you are okay.”

“I’m so sorry about your wedding, Lacey. Will you be okay? The wedding?”

Lacey snorted and gave her the ‘duh’ look. “Forget the wedding. I don’t want anyone killed!”

“Baby, it’s going to be okay. The men will contain it, and we’ll be fine,” Ace assured her.

Lacey snorted, and faced off against Ace. Mandy needed to take some notes on this, she realised, watching her friend—who barely came to Ace’s chest—stand her ground.

“Don’t. Just don’t. Don’t you think I know what you’re planning? I swear to God, if you go out there and play solider, you can find a new couch to sleep on, ‘cause—” Ace closed the space separating him from Lacey and pulled her into his embrace. He looked so concerned, Mandy glanced over at Mac. Mac wore a look so intensely focused on her, she blinked.

“It’s not going down like that. I’m with you. Those guys can handle this shit, Lacey,” Ace said.

Ace spoke low, but she heard him, and yet she couldn’t tear her eyes away from Mac. It was like they were alone and he was saying those words to her. She turned back to Lacey to see her reach up and brush a hand over Ace’s dark hair. “I know, I know, I’m sorry. It’s just you won’t be happy on the sidelines.”

Ace chuckled. “I won’t be on the sidelines, sunshine, I’ll be running the show.”

Lacey laughed and shook her head against his shoulder. “As long as you run it from the sidelines.”

Ace pressed a kiss to her forehead and nodded.

“Ready?” a guy asked from the door.

Mandy didn’t turn. She couldn’t. She knew that voice. She closed her eyes, squeezing them tight enough that she saw flashes behind her lids. The low tone, the way he practically whispered that one word sent a slice of fear down her spine. Her heart raced and her anger rose making her skin feel too tight.

“Just give us a second,” Ace called.

“Sure thing, Ace.”

She’d know that voice, the tone of it, anywhere. He wasn’t holding her down, face to the wall, whispering sick disgusting things in her ear, but she knew him.

After the attack, she’d dreamt of smashing his body into the wall and watching the life drain from him. The violence of that night, the shame and cold horror of what he’d done, had given her nightmares for years until she’d turned that attack into her own kind of nightmare.

Could she kill a man? Watch him die?

He stood barely ten feet away. So close, she could have turned and reached out and touched him by simply walking a few steps. Just thinking about how he’d shuddered and groaned while he’d hurt her made her want to throw up.

Now if she did anything, said anything, would he kill Mac? She’d warned them all what he’d said, but she didn’t believe Mac had taken her seriously. He was a killer, he’d said, he killed for a living. But he could die. She remembered clearly the phone call from her stalker describing how he’d watched her through his scope. There wasn’t time to chance telling Mac now. The room was too small, the space too tight. Lacey was here. Ace. Mac.

She opened her eyes and Mac filled her vision. Her body felt like it was shaking apart from the inside out. What if he simply aimed a gun at Mac right now and shot him?

She gripped her backpack strap harder. Fearfully, she tried hard to work up the nerve to turn around. What if he stood there, just staring at her? Did she know him? He didn’t sound like any of the men she knew. For that, she was grateful.

“What is it, Mandy?”

She glanced down at where she’d tightened her hand on her backpack strap to avoid giving away anything and took a chance on glancing behind her.

No one stood there. They were alone. She hadn’t heard the door shut let alone Lacey and Ace leaving but no one else was in the room. She struggled to get her heart rate back to normal, half afraid she’d fall down. Or simply dive into Mac’s arms and let him make it all better.

She couldn’t do that so she locked her knees and simply breathed. She couldn’t tell Mac. Not now. He would kill whoever had been there before he ever thought it through. Maybe go to jail. Or get killed. She remembered the threats to Mac. ‘
Tell him. Tell Wolf what I’ve done. He’ll know then how worthless you are. And if he still does want you? I’ll kill him. Kill him for the fun of it, the pleasure.’

Mac frowned at her, concern on his handsome face. She would wait until they were out of here then tell him.

“I’m just tired.”

He gave her a searching look but finally said, “Did you pack your inhaler?”

Relief that he’d let it go surged through her. She could have fallen—if she’d not locked her knees, she might have. The relief was that great. She nodded and watched him scan her face. Seeming satisfied, he brushed his knuckles along her jaw. God, she hated lying to him.

“You’re going to be okay?”

She nodded quickly and tried to force a smile past the numbness. “Sure, my first ride in a helicopter, how bad could it be?”

Mac gave her a crooked smile. “Behave and maybe I’ll ask if you can sit up front, crazy cat.”

Mandy felt her heart do an odd flip in her chest. He used to call her scaredy cat.

Reaching out, he leaned an arm oh so casually around her shoulders and turned them towards the door, but she knew it wasn’t casual. Everything Mac did had purpose. He opened the door and ushered her by the men filling the low-lit room with dark uniforms, hushed conversations, and buzzing electronics.

He was marking her as his.

How long had she wanted that? Years. But now, with the killer possibly in the room, she realised his mark of possession might get him killed. Tightening her grip on her backpack strap, she tried hard not to get upset all over again. Focus is what she needed.

The attack on the hotel had been well planned out and dangerous. Members of the Gonzales family—and how fucked up was it that she shared a last name with the killers—had staged it to harm as many of the men responsible for taking out the head of their family as possible. All they’d managed was to murder four tourists, wound fifteen others, and miss every active military and retired military personnel there.

This time.

Mac seemed to think this was just their first strike. Ace agreed. She’d heard them talking and had shared Lacey’s concerns that both men wanted in the battle. And it was going to be a battle.

She knew the look in Mac’s eyes. She’d seen it before—with Sarge. Her stepdad had taken every opportunity to smack her around, mostly when he’d had one too many whiskeys. When Mac moved in and had realised what had been going on when her brother was gone, he’d worn such a look. He’d been a fifteen-year-old kid, a boy, really, but when Sarge had got drunk and hit her, Mac had followed him to the local bar and made sure her stepdad never laid a hand on her again.