Bride Protector SEAL (12 page)

Allie burst through the side door of the church leading to the playground. She ran around to the front where she’d parked her truck. She could have gone back inside and asked her father or Eddy to drive her home, but right now, she couldn’t face them. And Damien was going all whacko on her. She dove into the driver’s seat and shut the door just in time.

Damien body-slammed into the side of the truck and slid to the pavement.

For a moment, Allie thought he’d hit his head and hurt himself. She opened the door and got out, stepping over his body.

“Damien?” She bent to shake his shoulder. That’s when she saw a bright red stain on the back of his shirt, spreading wider with each second.

As her brain registered that it was blood, she heard a sharp popping sound followed by the window behind her shattering.
Damn
. Someone was shooting at her. Allie threw herself to the ground beside Damien’s inert body, glancing all around for the source of the gunshots.

A man ran toward her, his gun held out in front of him.

Allie rolled beneath the truck and out the other side. Before she could get her feet beneath her, someone grabbed her by her hair and slammed her head into the side panel of her pickup.

The blue sky of Montana went black.

S
wede ran
toward the room Damien was supposed to be dressing in for the wedding. He was met in the hallway by Miles, Damien’s butler.

“They’re gone,” the older man said, his face paler than usual.

“Who’s gone?” Swede demanded.

“Mr. Reynolds and his fiancée.” He pointed to the exit at the end of the hallway. “They ran out that door.”

Swede pushed past the man and sprinted for the exit. Outside, he found himself near a playground. A scream sent him running toward the front of the building, Hank close on his heels.

A man in black trousers lay face down on the ground next to Allie’s truck, blood staining his white shirt.

“Allie!” Swede shouted, drawing his Glock from the holster beneath his jacket.

“Swede! Be careful! He’s got a gun!” she shouted from the other side of the vehicle.

A man who looked like the picture Hank had shown him of Jean-Claude Martine stood, dragging Allie by her hair, a gun with a sound suppressor pointed at her head. “Move, and I’ll kill her.”

“I’m not moving.” Swede held up his empty hand. “Just don’t hurt the girl.”

“Where’s the damned suitcase?” the man said, pulling back hard on Allie’s hair. “I want that damned suitcase.”

Her face was red, her neck extended back. “What suitcase?” she breathed.

“The one Reynolds gave you. I want it now.” He pressed the gun into her temple.

Swede glance around, searching for a miracle to get Allie out of the situation.“Martine, let her go. You’re not going to get very far.”

“Shut up!” He fired into the air and then put the gun to Allie’s head again.

“The police and the FBI are on their way. They know you and Reynolds are behind the killings of the soldiers.”

“They won’t take me. Not as long as I have her.” He turned Allie so that her body was positioned in front of him. Again, he spoke next to Allie’s ear. “Where is it?”

“In the truck,” she said, gasping. “Take it. I didn’t want it in the first place. I intended to give it back.”

“It wasn’t Reynolds’s to give in the first place. I made all the sacrifices. Reynolds didn’t have the stomach for it, once we started.”

“Let go of the woman,” Swede said. “Take the suitcase and the truck. Just leave the woman.”

“No way. She’s my ticket out of here. I’m going, but I’m taking her with me. Make any moves toward us, and I’ll kill her. Just try me.” He opened the passenger side of the vehicle and tried to shove her inside.

“Swede, don’t worry. He’s nothing but a rattlesnake.” Allie started to climb in, stumbling, her head tipped back so far she probably couldn’t see. Then she fell, slipping down to the ground, bringing Martine’s hand down.

Swede had only one chance. He had to make it count. He raised his weapon and squeezed the trigger before Martine could jerk Allie back in front of him. The bullet left the chamber.

For a long moment, Martine stood there, his eyes widening. The gun he held to Allie’s head slipped from his fingers and dropped to the ground, discharging a round. Then he slumped like a rag doll slipping from a child’s hands. His body landed on top of Allie.

Swede ran toward them. “Allie!” Fear knifed through him. Had the bullet from Martine’s gun hit Allie?

He rounded the hood of the truck, grabbed Martine’s arm and dragged him away from Allie.

She lay still for a heart-stopping moment, her eyes closed, a bruise on her forehead rising into a goose-egg-sized lump. Then she blinked her eyes open and stared up at Swede. “Is he dead?” she whispered.

A huge wave of relieve brought Swede to his knees. “Oh, sweet Jesus, Allie. Yes. He’s dead.”

Hank rounded the truck and stared down at his sister. “Oh, thank God, she’s all right. The cops and the fire department are here. I’ll bring them over.” Hank left them alone, hurrying over to the emergency vehicles gathering in the church parking lot.

Allie smiled and raised a hand to her forehead, touched the bump and then winced. “That’s going to leave a mark.”

Swede laughed, gathered her into his arms and held her for a long time, his heart so full he thought it might explode. Allie was alive, the bad guys were dead and all was right with the world, again. His eyes stung with tears, and he blinked them away.

She reached up and cupped his face, her finger tracing the scar on his cheek. “Are you okay?”

He choked on a laugh, his throat constricting. “I’m okay.”

“Thanks for killing that rattlesnake.”

“You’re welcome.”

“And for the record, I’m glad you’re my bodyguard.”

He swallowed against the constriction in his throat. “I am too. You’ve got a pretty darned amazing body to guard.”

She held up her ring finger. “I broke off our engagement before…before that man shot Damien. I’m a single woman.”

“That’s a good thing, because I’m planning to ask you out on a date.”

“What’s stopping you?”

“Not a damned thing.” He bent to press his lips to hers in a tender kiss. “Allie Patterson, would you go out with a washed-up old navy guy?”

She tilted her head, pausing for a long moment.

Swede held his breath, searching her sweet face until she finally responded.

“No.”

His heart skipped several beats and he frowned. “No?”

“No.” Her brows dipped low. “But I would consider going out with a highly skilled bodyguard who can shoot like nobody’s business.” Her smile flashed. “I figure I’ll never have to worry about rattlesnakes again.”

Swede laughed and hugged her to him.

She pushed away enough to look him in the eye. “I have one condition.”

“What’s that?”

“Ruger comes along with us.”

“Deal.”

Then he kissed her, believing for the first time he might just have found his place in the civilian world, on a path to that happy ending he never thought could happen to him. If he played his cards right with Allie, he might be heading in that direction, starting with their first date.

T
wo weeks
later

Swede leaned against the stone fireplace at the White Oak Ranch, a long-neck beer in one hand. He studied the group of men gathered in Hank’s house.

Besides himself and Bear, a SEAL from their old unit had joined their ranks, along with another soldier from D-Force who’d worked with them on one of their joint operations back on active duty.

Hank stood in the middle of the room, never more in his element since he’d left the navy. “Brotherhood Protectors is growing fast. Apparently, there’s more of a need for personal security services than I’d originally anticipated, and word is spreading fast. I’d like to welcome you aboard and thank you for giving this organization a chance.”

Bear shook his head. “No, Hank, thank you. We’re just glad to have jobs.”

Hank dipped his head. “You all come highly recommended, and have special training and weapons skills.”

“Yeah. For what it’s worth.” Former D-Force soldier, Carson ‘Tex’ Wainright rocked back on the heels of his cowboy boots.

Ben ‘Big Bird’ Sjodin, sat in a leather armchair, his long legs stretched out in front of him. “We’re highly trained in combat skills, but there aren’t too many opportunities as a civilian to use that training.”

“Exactly,” Hank agreed. “The challenge is to remember our clients aren’t all familiar with the military way of thinking. We need to be open to learning about our clients’ lives and what it will take to keep them safe.”

Swede chuckled, thinking of Allie and how she’d taught him a few things about ranching. He was getting better at horseback riding and caring for livestock. And he’d taught Allie a few things about shooting she didn’t already know. That had been their second date.

“The assignments can be more dangerous than we originally expected,” Hank said. “So, don’t let your guard down.” He nodded toward Swede. “Swede’s first assignment was protecting my sister Allie from some seemingly unexplainable attacks. We found out her fiancé was involved in smuggling gemstones from Afghanistan to the U.S., using soldiers as mules. Five people died in that operation. Three American soldiers, Allie’s fiancé and his partner.”

“His point is, don’t think this will be a cakewalk,” Swede said.

Hank picked up a handful of file folders. “The good news is we have work. Plenty of it.” He glanced in the folders and handed them over to each man, one at a time. “Look over your clients’ portfolios and requests. If you have questions, ask now.”

The men studied their folders and compared notes, asking various questions about locations and protocol.

After the formal part of the meeting was over, Sadie joined Hank, her hand on her belly, which had begun to show a bit of a baby bump.

“Anyone need another beer?” Allie entered the room, carrying five long-necks. She made her way around the room, dropping them with the men, and coming to a stop in front of Swede. “Who’d you get?” she asked, leaning over his shoulder.

“An older woman afraid her neighbor is planning on taking over the country,” he said, liking that she was interested.

Allie’s eyes narrowed. “Older woman?”

Swede shrugged. “Really old. Thirty-six.”

She crossed her arms over her chest. “I’m not so sure I like the idea of you being a bodyguard to another woman. How do I know you won’t fall in love with her?”

“Jealous?” Swede pulled her into his arms and brushed his lips across hers.

“Maybe.” She lifted her chin. “You’re growing on me, and I don’t want to lose you to a cougar.”

“We’ve been out together on fourteen dates, one for each day of the week since we started dating. You’re not losing me to a cougar, bobcat or any other kind of feline.” He nuzzled her neck. “I have my own little Allie cat. Sweetheart, I’m in this for the duration.”

She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back. “Good thing, or I’d have to hire you as my permanent, personal bodyguard.”

Swede kissed her long and hard, convinced he’d found the woman for him. Two weeks wasn’t a long time, but he knew in his heart he wouldn’t find another woman like her. “Babe, I’ll guard your body any time you want. How about now?”

Allie threaded her hand in his, glanced around at the others in the room, and, with a wink, tipped her head toward the door. “I’ll show you where the teenagers go to neck.”

“A woman after my own heart.” He chuckled and followed her out of the house. She hadn’t been after his heart, but she sure as hell had it in her capable hands.

B
ear’s Story Coming May 3
, 2016

E
LLE JAMES
also writing as MYLA JACKSON is a
New York Times
and
USA Today
Bestselling author of books including cowboys, intrigues and paranormal adventures that keep her readers on the edges of their seats. With over eighty works in a variety of sub-genres and lengths she has published with Harlequin, Samhain, Ellora’s Cave, Kensington, Cleis Press, and Avon. When she’s not at her computer, she’s traveling, snow skiing, boating, or riding her ATV, dreaming up new stories. Learn more about Elle James at
www.ellejames.com

• @ElleJamesAuthor