SEALs of Honor: Markus (15 page)

And then what? Where could she go?

Nowhere. But once again, anywhere was better than here. Her new wallet was lying on the night table with her money and new debit card. Maybe she’d be lucky enough to get away with her wallet this time.

“Don’t even think about it.” His harsh voice made her wince, her muscles tense.

“Don’t think about what?” she asked in a low voice.

“Trying to make a run for it.”

She shuddered and glanced at the door. What if she didn’t go down the stairs? But headed for the back entrance? There was one, but she didn’t know the house plan as well as she’d have liked. It was a simple thing to go the wrong way and get caught.

Shit. She didn’t know what to do. But she wasn’t going to stay here and receive whatever punishment he was meting out. Running seemed to be her answer to everything lately. So far it hadn’t been working out so well.

He straightened suddenly and peered out the window again. She slipped to the door, wallet in hand, and raced down the hallway and stairs in a flash. She heard a shout behind her but it just added fuel to her feet and she hit the front door, pulling it open and dove outside. There was no place to go but several vehicles had parked out front. She raced to the side of one.

And hit a wall.

She was picked up and held tight. She lost it.

She wasn’t going down – not now. She was free damn it. “No,” she yelled. “Let me go.”

Fighting like a wildcat, she twisted and kicked only to realize none of it was doing any good. And that the arms holding her were gentle – as gentle as could be given she was trying to scratch and kick him.

“Easy, Bree.” His voice gentle. “Easy, honey. I don’t want to hurt you.”

Finally that voice penetrated the din in her head.

Markus.

Instantly she threw her arms around his neck and hung on as hard as she’d been trying to escape. Still crying, she tried to explain what had happened.

“It’s okay, I’m here now. Take it easy.”

She shuddered and tried to, but damn it the tears and the sobs just wouldn’t quit. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I don’t mean to get into trouble. I don’t know why this keeps happening to me,” she wailed.

He rubbed her shoulders and held her close, his head tucked against hers. Not like a stranger but more like a lover and just that thought…brought tears to her eyes. It had been so long since someone held her close like this. Someone who cared for her. She’d been alone a long time. Sure she had family but that wasn’t the same thing.

It’s not something she’d expected to miss as much as she did, but she did, and she didn’t want to anymore.

She buried her face against the crook of his neck and burrowed in. Shivers wracked her form but no matter what she did she couldn’t seem to calm down.

Finally he sat her down on the truck seat but still held on tight. When she could she explained what happened.

“Are you sure it was him?”

She nodded. “It was him. I know it was him. I saw him downtown and followed him—”

Markus roared. If there were words mixed up inside that voice there was no way to prove it by her. She reared back and gave him a good frown. “What’s the matter?”

“You saw the arsonist and decided it would be a good idea at follow him? On your own? Without telling anyone about what you were doing?” He gave her a gentle shake. “I told you not to do that.”

“How could I tell you? Besides if I’d told anyone then they wouldn’t let me do it,” she cried. “What was the point of that?” She shuddered. “No one else was there and I didn’t want to lose him.”

“Where did he go?” asked the stranger at Markus’s side. He’d come from the front door, and the look on his face… A third man popped up behind Markus as well, his gaze intent as he listened to her explanation. Were there more here? She recognized one – Shadow. He’d taken Jake from Markus when they’d reached the cabin. She could place several of Markus’s friends. There was the giant guy, Swede. And she recognized a couple more that she’d heard Markus use their names. Mason and Hawk she thought they were called. But she wasn’t sure she knew this other man.

“I don’t know,” she confessed from deep inside Markus’s arms. Shadow looked scary and dangerous. He was on his phone talking to someone but his gaze was on her, waiting for her answer. “I lost sight of him.”

“Good thing,” Markus said in a harsh voice.

“I was sleeping,” she whispered, “and woke up to the gun at my neck.” She shuddered.

“You’re okay now,” Markus said in a low, soothing voice.

“What did he say to you?” Shadow asked.

When she didn’t answer right away, Markus nudged her. “Answer Shadow.”

She sighed and relayed what she could remember.

In truth – she just wanted to forget.

A second vehicle ripped up beside them, with several more men all dressed in military gear inside. It parked, hard glances exchanged and men spread out. She watched in shocked silence as half a dozen disappeared into the neighborhood. She pulled back slightly so she could look up into Markus’s face. “Who are they?”

“The rest of my unit,” he said in low tones. “They are searching for the gunman.”

“You need to call them back,” she cried. “They aren’t armed.”

Markus slanted a look at her. “They don’t need to be armed. If he’s here they’ll find him and take him down regardless.”

She blinked. “What are you guys – superheroes?” She managed to ask the question without cracking a smile and was gratified to see him grin at her. His chest rumbled under her ear. She smiled. “Okay, just kidding but seriously, it seems like you are always at the right place at the right time.”

“I wish,” he said in a low pained voice. “But I know I haven’t been in the past.”

“Damn, I’m sorry. I forgot.”

“Not your fault.” He hugged her once then released her. “Let’s get you all the way inside the truck. You’re freezing.”

She shook her head and tried to hop down. “I need to go back to my room.”

He snatched her up close again as if he was afraid she’d bolt. “No way are you going inside.”

“I just bought new t-shirts,” she protested. “I need them.”

He glanced down at her old dirty clothing she still wore.

“See, I didn’t have a chance to get changed yet.”

“And you’re not going to do so now either.”

She stared at him. “Damn, you’re killing me. These clothes are going to walk away on their own. I’m going to walk around naked soon,” she muttered.

“And that’s supposed to be a deterrent?” he asked, his voice rising in humor. “I’d be more than happy to have you in that state.”

“Only if you are too,” she snapped. “Besides I’ll have goose bumps all over from freezing,” she warned. “That’s not a pretty sight.”

“I’ll keep you warm,” he promised, a twinkle in his eyes.

She blushed. She actually blushed. She could feel the rosy heat rising on her neck and cheeks. “Hell, my temperature is going up already just thinking about it,” she muttered under her breath.

“I heard that.”

“Well you weren’t supposed to.” She glared at him.

He grinned at her.

She rolled her eyes and scrambled back up into the front of the truck. A quick boost from him, and she was sitting on the front seat and now eye level with him. “You’re too pretty for your own good.”

“I’m what?” he asked in outrage. “I am
not
pretty.”

“You don’t like the implication that pretty is feminine, do you?” Inexplicably she felt pleased to have poked him.

“Do I look feminine to you?” He glared at her.

She withheld her grin but took her time looking at the heavy square jaw, the huge hazel eyes locked on her, the massive shoulders and neck. She gave a happy sigh.

“Nope, you look like a cross between a Hell’s Angel and one of Heaven’s angels.”

His eyebrows shot up and he looked so surprised, she had to grin. “Well, you do look so damn tough I wouldn’t want to meet you in a back alley at night and so damn soft I
would
arrange to meet you at nighttime,” she explained.

His gaze warmed and a twinkle shone in his eyes. “I do like the sound of the last part.”

“See, there you go flirting even in these situations.”

“You flirted first,” he protested, but his gaze sharpened and he was looking behind her shoulder.

And she realized that the whole time he’d been talking to her he’d been keeping watch…always with an eye to her safety. Only he’d done so in a way that had kept her attention off the danger surrounding them.

“You’re very good at your job.”

“What job is that?” he asked.

“Being a guardian angel.”

“I thought I was a cross between two different angels.”

She beamed at him. “You are – that makes you the guardian angel.”

*

She really was
nuts. That was the only explanation for her odd comments. But she just might be his kind of nuts. And he could really use that. But was he what she needed? Not that they had been together long enough to find out. She was cute as hell. Not pretty. Gamin was the word his grandmother would have used. A huge mobile mouth that was quick to smile. Her eyes were a soft blue, and they stayed with a permanent, almost ethereal look to them. Would that be the case later when she’d recovered her strength and health? Or should they deepen to a more normal color? There was a silvery tint to them to add to the ghostly appearance. But with her button nose and high cheekbones she was an appealing package. Now if only she was a more normal weight.

Still, she’d done everything right. She’d survived. That was more than most and all anyone could ask of her.

She reached up her arms. He tugged her forward and she hugged him close. “Thanks for being you,” she whispered.

He was charmed. He didn’t think he’d ever met anyone else like her. Well maybe…but they all belonged to his SEAL team. Not that the women would agree with the term “belong.” They were all strong independent women. And so was this one. But she was in trouble, and there was something about that that brought out the protective instincts in all men. If it had been Shadow who had found her, would she have connected the same to him? No, because Shadow wouldn’t have allowed the connection. He had someone so damn special in his life already – two someones as his partner cared for her younger brother as well. Shadow was a contented man. So what if it had been Evan? Would any single man have managed that same connection?

She reached up and kissed his cheek, then snuggled close to his chest. “I’m so damn cold.”

“Sorry.” He rubbed her back and tried to infuse her body with warmth. He didn’t know what it was going to take, but a hot bath and layers and layers of blankets might help. The best would be a hot and heavy lovemaking session as that would heat her from the inside out. Then the bath and bed. Plus food in there somewhere. She couldn’t keep this up.

“I’m fine,” she whispered. “Stop worrying.”

“You’re not fine,” he fussed.

“You’re fussing.”

“I am not,” he said horrified. “I wouldn’t.”

“You are.” She snickered. “But thank you.”

In disgust he tried to pull back from her arms, but she wouldn’t let him, clinging like a limpet and laughing. “I mean the thank you part. Seems like a long time since anyone gave a damn.”

“That’s not good. Everyone needs friends – of both sexes.”

“I agree.” She smiled. “My old boyfriends didn’t. They hated the idea of us doing things without them, so over time the friends all fell away until I learned that it was the boyfriends I should be getting rid of, not the girlfriends.”

“Right.” He just didn’t get that. Was everyone so insecure that they couldn’t stand to let the other person have friends independent of the relationship? Naturally friends of one became friends of both over time but to not let the other partner develop a life
out
of the relationship—that wasn’t healthy.

He rubbed her back gently, frowning again as his hands slipped over her sharp shoulder blades.

“Stop. I’m fine. I’m getting better,” she scolded him for worrying so much.

“No, you’re not. You’re going from trouble to trouble. It’s going to get you killed.”

“And so what am I supposed to do?” She leaned back and challenged him with a look. “I will end up going back to California at one point, but running away from here isn’t a great answer.”

“It’s not running away if you don’t enjoy what you find at one location or another.” He dropped his chin onto her head. “It’s all about perspective.”

“I’m not sure I’m ready to jump into the rat race at home again, and I’d feel like I had to make a living. This pace,” she waved her hand around the neighborhood, “I like it. There is so much less stress. That’s what was killing me before.”

“So find something less stressful to do.”

“And you know what rent costs, the utilities back in civilization? Here I pay less than five hundred a month including everything and can make money to bank at the end of the day working at a place like Boomer’s.”

“If Boomer is still alive and can rebuild the diner – that’s one thing, but what if he can’t?”

Her shoulders sagged. “I’ve been trying to ignore that possibility.”

“It’s burned to the ground. Unless he wants to start all over again.”