Exchange of Fire (33 page)

“Only if you promise to change the sheets weekly,”
Romeo quipped.

Grady blinked and cursed. “You left your comm on?”

Sandra giggled and shrugged. “He’s actually a romantic sap who reads romance novels. It seemed cruel to shut him out.”

“I guess they’re homeless too until this mess is sorted out, huh?”

She shrugged and faced away from the growing group of employees gawking at them in front of the arcade section. With a smile she answered, “Love me, love my team.”

Gradwick Adventure Center, After Hours—Two Days Later

Sandra closed the door to Grady’s office and leaned against the frame. She could stand here all night and watch Grady go about his business and still not get enough of him.

He rocked forward in his leather chair and adjusted the phone against his shoulder. The creases in his forehead relaxed, and the twinkle in his blue eyes returned.

Her insides quivered and she sucked in a breath at the gorgeous image he presented. Who needed a fancy suit? Give her Grady in his Gradwick polo and her libido turned to mush. Though picturing him in a Tom Ford tuxedo had her salivating.

Sliding a shaking hand up behind her, she snicked the dead bolt home. He raised an eyebrow, but continued his conversation.

Even though it was after hours, she didn’t trust that a security guard or one of the straggling employees wouldn’t barge right in. So much had happened in the last few days, they’d not had a moment to talk beyond business stuff or screaming orgasms before they dropped dead asleep, then started the cycle again. And with the team still camped out at the house, this was the only place they could have a modicum of privacy.

The three-headed dragon pendant she had given Grady winked in the fluorescent light as it rested against the base of his throat. Her neck felt empty without it, but seeing it dangling from the silver chain filled her with something primal.
Mine.
She had marked him with her team’s crest, proclaiming to those in the know that she and the rest of her team would fight to the death to keep him safe.

Grady dropped the receiver back in its cradle and said, “Good news. That was Henry’s wife. She said they’re transferring Henry out of the ICU and into a private room in the morning.” His eyes held hers. “He’s going to be okay.”

Sandra breathed out and felt a weight lift off her shoulders. “Thank you, Lord. I’ll let Cappy and Snowman know. The Senator and DoD’s hastily cobbled-together cover story seems to be holding up, but it’ll be interesting when Romeo and Magician, using their aliases, visit the suspicious old man,” Sandra said, moving deeper into the room.

Grady pushed out of the chair and rounded the desk. He leaned against the front and gripped the edges. “I’m sure the story about the cartel wanting you dead because you’re a federal special agent who witnessed their activities won’t be a stretch for Henry to believe.” Grady gave a self-deprecating smile and rubbed his head. “After all, he did witness your handiwork in taking me down.”

Sandra puckered her lips and mocked him. “Aww. Poor baby. The biggest thing I hurt on you was your pride.”

His eyes narrowed and he yanked her forward. She allowed herself to fall deliciously against him. “I don’t think,” he said in a husky voice, “you understand the level of importance a man places on his pride.” He nuzzled her neck, causing her toes to curl. “Your lack of respect for it is tantamount to throwing down the gauntlet.”

“Hmmmm. Can’t have that,” Sandra moaned, lifting her chin higher. She gripped his bicep and trilled at his flexing the muscle. “I wouldn’t want to do something as silly as kicking your ass twice. That’d just be mean.”

He lifted his head and arched an eyebrow. “Now see, you’ve done it again.” He swatted her butt. “You owe me compensation, woman, and I have just the payment in mind.”

She drew her fingertips over his wide shoulders. “I can just imagine what it entails.”

Grady flashed her a mischievous smile and steered her toward the sofa. “I had the most vivid dream on this very couch the other day.”

“Oh yeah? Picturing evil ways to torture Talon?”

“Hardly.” Grady plopped onto the center cushion, his playful aura was now subdued.

Just what she had hoped would happen, as much as she regretted it. Grady had the ability to make her lose her resolve to talk when he started kissing and touching her.

He rubbed his palms down his jeans-clad thighs and asked tentatively, “Has his confession the other night changed anything? Now that everything’s settling down and it’s had a chance to sink in, do you—”

“No, Grady, no,” Sandra rushed to answer, sitting next to him and curling her hand against his shoulder. “I meant what I said to you on the porch. My reaction was, and still is, based on shock at how I missed seeing the signs, not because I have some latent feelings for him.” She cradled Grady’s chin and pulled until his eyes met hers. “I want to make one thing crystal clear. You are
always
going to be the
only
one for me. Before I even met you, I fell in love with a picture in that magazine and have kept on falling every second since. You hear me? I love
you
, Casper Grady.”

The tension in his shoulders drained and her favorite dimpled grin appeared. “I don’t think I’m ever going to get tired of hearing you say those words to me.” He pecked her fingers. “Have you talked to him yet?”

Her stomach tightened. “No. Does he even realize I overheard him?”

“Don’t know, but you shouldn’t wait too much longer. It’s no secret I think he’s an asshole, but whether he knows you heard him or not, assuring his connection to you as a teammate hasn’t been jeopardized is the right thing to do.”

“You’re right.” She threaded her fingers with his. “I can’t say I’m looking forward to the conversation, though.”

“You and your big heart.” He squeezed. “Look at it this way: Not talking to him is hurting him more than telling him you don’t feel the same. Right now, he could still be holding out hope you’ll change your mind, which’ll prevent him from moving on.”

Damn. She knew Grady was right, but had no illusions the conversation would be easy.

“Speaking of overdue talks, I have something of my own I need to say to you.”

Sandra snapped her head up and searched his eyes, blood pounding past her ears. She couldn’t read a damn thing in his now closed face. Shit. Was he about to pop the question? What would her answer be? They’d only just started a real relationship two days ago.

“I’m sorry.”

Oh God. Not pop the question.
He’s changed his mind!
She felt a little sick.

His breathing stuttered as he continued. “I owe you an apology for the way I reacted in the cabin. I accused you of awful things and twisted your explanation to feed into my anger.”

“No, Grady.” Sandra picked their entwined hands up and pulled them to her chest. “You have nothing to be sorry for. I don’t need your apology. I’ll always be the one who owes that to you for not being honest in the first place.”

“When we were in the woods hunting Mars,” Grady said as if he hadn’t heard a word she’d said, “and I saw how you completely shut down, fighting against the terror of your memories, that’s when it hit home that I was being an ass. But I was still so upset, I wouldn’t allow myself to admit it. I’m sorry.”

“Stop, please.” Sandra clenched their hands together. “It all worked out in the end. We both survived wrestling with the ghosts of our pasts.”

His shuttered gaze collapsed and his irises showed . . . pride? “You were amazing on Wednesday. I stood up from Carlos’s dead body to see this fierce warrior staring down at me, holding a wicked sniper rifle without a hint of anguish. Breathtaking. I’ll never forget it, but how are you doing now?”

Sandra inhaled, the air wobbly. “I’m okay, actually. I’ve found a measure of peace inside I haven’t felt in years. When Carlos lifted his gun to kill you, all the self-loathing, doubt, and recrimination shattered. Saving your life was the only thing that mattered. And after I pulled the trigger, I knew I’d permanently broken free of the chains.”

She shifted until she straddled his lap. “
You
are the reason I feel free. I can finally imagine having a future again, and when I picture it, it’s filled with love and laughter.”

He leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers. She instantly opened for him and he delved inside. They freed their tangled fingers, and she wasted no time pulling the front of his shirt out of his jeans.

He gripped both sides of her head and angled it so he could deepen the kiss. She roved her hands over his killer abs while he mirrored her actions by burrowing his hands underneath her polo.

Their tongues dueled and danced and—

Her phone chimed.

“Ignore it,” he murmured against her lips. She lifted her chin and he placed a row of kisses down her throat.

The tone beeped again.

“Damn.” She pulled back. “I should at least see if someone’s missing a limb or not.” With great effort, she fished it out of her front jeans pocket.

“For interrupting this, someone might be,” he mumbled.

She tilted the phone for them both to read the two text messages from Cappy. The first one was a group message to everyone on the team.
Charlie and Echo Squads left to go to ground. SBG in turmoil. Sen. Harris has temp. control—Delta Squad still active duty. Meet back at Command Central in thirty minutes.

AKA Grady’s house. The team had pretty much taken over the place.

The second was sent only to her.
Have you made a decision to accept the position?

And just like that, every hot, salacious feeling fled, leaving behind cold reality. She swallowed over her pounding heart and peered at Grady. His shuttered expression said so much, yet nothing at all.

Sandra sighed. “I told Cappy I needed to talk to you first before making any decision.”

“Do you want to be the team sniper again?”

“I honestly don’t know.” She tried to control the raging turmoil the question caused, not that she had any effect. “I’m so afraid that an element from that world will find its way to this safe haven again. I couldn’t handle it if my actions destroyed everything you built.” She swallowed and looked away for a moment, hating to have to admit that she had already impacted his livelihood. “I mean, look at what you’re going through now. Business is down and parents have expressed a concern about sending their kids to a place that may not be safe. Christ, a few of them even packed their children up when they saw me crossing the floor, I guess convinced the cartel will try again.”

The creases in his forehead deepened, and he asked solemnly, “Put all that aside for a minute. If you had the perfect scenario here, would you
want
to be a sniper again?”

“What about you? Would you want me out in the field again? Could you sit here while I’m out on a mission?” Yes, it was a stall, but she needed time to think.

“Who said anything about me staying here?” His face screwed up into incredulous indignation. “You don’t think I’d allow you to go out on assignment without me there to cover your back, do you? Screw that. Delta Squad member or not, where you go, I go.”

She couldn’t help it, she leaned forward and placed a large kiss on his lips. “Who would watch the center?” she asked when she pulled back . . . reluctantly.

His cheeks turned pink and he cleared his throat. “I didn’t want to say anything just yet since we’re still trying to figure everything out, but I’ve been drafting an ad for a full-time manager to run the place. I think having this person here on a daily basis and us only here sporadically might help bolster the community’s confidence that the center itself is safe.”

“Oh, Grady, that’s such a great idea, but I know how much you love it here.” Sandra felt torn between hope that he’d support her return to Delta and guilt that he’d be giving up his passion.

“I love you more,” he said bluntly. “I’m not selling Gradwick, so I’ll always be able to work whenever I want, but I think it’s time I hand over the reins to someone else.”

Sandra couldn’t stop the grin from spreading. “Then I guess I’ll text Cappy and tell him it’s a definite possibility.”

Though it may be my name on the front of the cover, I need to say thank you to a few of the many people who helped bring this story to life. This list is in no way comprehensive and I wish I could name every person but here is the condensed version.

Thank you to my husband for his unending support and encouragement. No matter how many times I had to talk through a point, you were always there to listen and offer your opinion. You deserve an award for stepping in and keeping the house from falling apart and dinner on the table.

To my agent, Michelle Grajkowski, a huge thank you! Your desire to stretch your wings into the world of romantic suspense and taking a chance on an upcoming author is humbling, and I can’t thank you enough for choosing me. Your patience, feedback, and brainstorming sessions have been invaluable. Still Snoopy Dancing!

Katherine Pelz, Berkley editor extraordinaire! Your insights have made this story even stronger. Amazing how with just a small tweak, you can make a whole paragraph come to life. Thank you so much for branching into the romantic suspense world and believing in my story.

To the rest of the amazing folks at Berkley and Penguin I heartily give my thanks. My cover is beautiful (okay, yummy is probably more accurate), my words are polished through the dynamic copyediting of Kate Hurley, my publicist Courtney Landi has helped this novel to be discovered, and my story is formatted and visually appealing and accessible on every e-reader.

Thank you to Retired Police Sergeant John R. McGee; AKA Dad. Conversations with you are always so much fun. Talking guns, ballistics, and how investigations work are so much easier when I don’t have to worry about being placed on my local police department’s watch list (especially when some of my questions involve killing people).

Jean McGee, you aren’t just my fabulous stepmother, you’re my biggest cheerleader. Your support and one-hundred percent belief in me carried me through days when I thought for sure this story would just remain in my head.

My beta-readers and sounding boards must have doused themselves in awesomesauce. Mandi Derhammer and Amy Gledhill, you guys rock. Your honest feedback is something I can’t begin to quantify, but your biggest accomplishment is your ability to understand my mad ramblings. I know I talked in circles or a mile a minute as I tried to describe the vision I had for the story and bless you two, you were right there in my crazy world helping me paint the picture.

A big thank you to Captain Randy Shepherd of the Guilford County, NC Sheriff’s Office. Your patient, detailed explanations helped me understand all the technical aspects of a sniper rifle and what it means to be a sniper. I truly appreciate your time and experience. I own any and all errors in this book.

Lee Lofland needs to be thanked for his Writer’s Police Academy. Through this multi-day intensive conference, I received hands-on experience and a host of contacts in the law enforcement community I never would have met on my own.

Thank you to Corporal Stephanie N. Cosby, USMC for providing me with the correct military lingo. Also, thank you to two people in my local Subway who I see at least four times a week—Manisha Patel and Pravin Kher. You two are awesome. I don’t even need to say my order anymore. You’ve kept me well fed during the writing of this book.

But I saved the best for last. A massive thank you to
you
, the reader, for taking a journey with me in this first book of a new series. I hope you love these kick-ass characters as much as I do.