SEALs of Honor: Mason (8 page)

He was a cutie.

But he was a SEAL. And had a mess of women at his beck and call. She knew all about it from Harry. Damn good thing she had the insider scoop. And even as a part of her wished she didn’t know about them, she knew she’d still
know
about them from the look of them. All the men had that hard, been there and can do it again – blindfolded, look to them. That dangerous power emanating from their very skin as if to say there wasn’t anything in the work they couldn’t handle – including a woman in their bed. Or many women in their bed. She grinned.

Mason…well, he had something extra special to him.

“Ready?” Mason stood on the other side of the door waiting for her. She’d been sitting on the counter in the bathroom trying to build up the courage to jump down on her feet. It was going to hurt.

“Yes, coming.”

“Are you sure? I can carry you?”

She winced. So much for all her courageous talking. She rolled over and slipped down off the counter and landed gently. Taking a deep breath to acclimatize, she walked to the door and lied. “I’m fine.”

“Good. The truck is here. And the helicopter is waiting.”

At the word helicopter, all the color bleached from her skin. “Helicopter,” she said faintly. “Really? Again?”

He nodded. “Look, this time it will be fine.”

She stared up at him, willing to be convinced but knowing there was no argument that would be good enough to get the job done. “Are you sure there’s no other way?”

He reached out and clasped both elbows. She looked down to see her arms wrapped tightly around her chest, her fingers gripping her arms in a death grip.

“I promise.”

She narrowed her gaze. “Really?”

He nodded.

She snorted. “That means you are coming with me, right?”

“Uhm…”

At his hesitation she froze. “That means no, and therefore I’m not going.” Good. Decision made. Easy. She’d stay here until another plan could be worked out.

“That’s not happening. You have to go. You have to be safe.”

“And so do you.” She gave a short nod, glanced at the three others standing there, big grins on their faces. “What are you all smirking at?” She raised an eyebrow at them. “Were you the one who threw me out of the last helicopter?”

“No. It was Mason,” Swede said, humor coloring his voice.

“Well, I’ve almost forgiven him for it, but what if this helicopter blows up too? Who’s going to clip me to their parachute and save me then?”

As the men glanced at each other, she added, “Exactly.”

She turned back to Mason. “And if it’s so damn safe, why aren’t you coming?”

“It’s not big enough for all of us.”

“Ha. That’s a lie. Helicopters are big.”

“This is a little one,” he said in exasperation. “And you have to go. They are waiting for you at the base.”

“And what if I don’t arrive.” She shook her head. “No. If one of us goes, then all of us go. No one gets left behind.” And she was going to stand firm on that.

The men grinned.

She glared at them. “What is your problem?”

“You,” Mason said in irritation. “But we don’t have time to argue. And as your feet are too sore, I’ll carry you to the vehicle.”

She snickered. “Can’t keep your hands off me, can you?” She laughed as bright color rolled over his cheeks. But he just sighed and carried her down the stairs. She grinned over his shoulder at Hawk and Swede, the two she could see.

Hawk winked at her.

She laughed. “Your team agrees with me.”

“My men are idiots,” he muttered. At the front door he stopped and waited for the two men to slip out in front, both going in opposite directions and diving to the sides. Hawk was the last to step out in front of them.

“He could get hurt that way,” she said. “If anyone is going to shoot at us, he’s going to get hit.”

“Exactly. He’s trying to keep you from getting hit,” Mason said, his voice hard, careful.

She peered into the surrounding area. Swede had already gained entrance to the large SUV and now it was their turn.

Holding her carefully, he ran to the passenger side and placed her in the backseat. While she shifted into a better position, he leaned over and buckled her in.

“Wait, you’re coming this far, aren’t you?”

He shook his head. “No. Cooper, another of my team, here is driving you to the airfield. Johann is riding shotgun.”

Johann? Cooper? She glanced at the driver, not sure she’d seen him before. How many of these SEALs were there?

But she wouldn’t let go of him. “No. You have to come to the airfield,” she cried. “You can’t stay here. It’s too dangerous.”

“Cooper will come back and pick us up later.”

She stared at him, hating to leave. But he seemed to be completely unfazed.

Get a grip
, she said to herself.
He doesn’t give a shit
. She leaned back and in a cool voice said, “Fine. Thank you for your assistance. Good-bye.”

She stared straight ahead, ignoring his start of surprise.

He backed up and slammed the door shut with a little too much force. She sniffled, trying to hold back the tears as Cooper started up the vehicle.

Suddenly her door opened. Mason leaned in. “It’s not okay,” he snapped. “But it’s the job. I’ll contact you later.”

And he kissed her. As in he placed his lips on hers, her body temperature shot up ten degrees and curled her toes.

Then he backed up and slammed the door in her face.

She gave a happy sigh and settled back for the trip.

He did care.

*

“
H
A.
D
AMN WELL
time.” Hawk looped an arm around Mason’s shoulders. “Told you he wasn’t stupid.”

Swede smirked. “Of course if he doesn’t follow through there’s still a chance for us.”

The others all agreed.

“She’s not up for grabs,” Mason snapped. Something was bugging him, but he couldn’t place it. Except she was gone and damn if his life didn’t seem a little darker. A little cloudier. As if a ray of sunshine had just gone behind a cloud.

Foolish thoughts. He’d get over her like he’d gotten over every other woman he’d met. She was no damn different.

Liar.
Christ she was different.

“Let’s go. We have things to do and places to be.”

“We do indeed.” They all stood in place and watched the dark SUV drive away. Dust clouded the air in front of them.

As they watched, another dark SUV pulled out of a hiding spot from deep in the tree-lined road and pulled in behind them.

“No.” Mason stared, his heart beating against his chest. “No, please not.”

“Oh, Christ,” the men whispered in horror.

“Wheels. We need wheels.” Swede was already on the phone. “Skip the wheels. I’m bringing in the helicopter.”

The men scattered. Except Mason. He watched the two vehicles head down the road.

Then he remembered the old dirt bike he’d seen in the back of the shed. In ten seconds he’d ripped to the shed, flung the door open so hard it came off the hinge and pulled it out. The tank was half full. Good enough. He turned the key sitting in the engine, she fired up. Good baby.

Without giving a second thought, he spun her around and raced off behind Tesla.

Like hell he was going to lose her now.

Chapter 11

S
HE SLUMPED INTO
the buttery leather seat. Tears were clinging to the corner of her eyelids. She sniffled them back. There was no way she was going to let them fall. She didn’t dare. The dam would break and she’d bawl like a baby. So not good for her strong-can-handle-anything look. She had one like that… Didn’t she? Hell no. She’d
had
one like that way back. Her initial reserve on meeting someone often gave them that impression of her. Cool. Unaffected. Disinterested. And she’d done nothing to break that barrier down to make it easier for everyone. Her father would say show them who’s boss right from the get go. Then you could pick and choose who to befriend. That was
after
you figured out who were your enemies.

His method clearly hadn’t worked so well in high school and just added to her cool edge.

She stared down at her ragged nails. They’d been perfect pale ovals once. Now they were short, jagged and bloody. She had a couple she could still use as weapons if she had to. But her fighting days were over. Hopefully.

On that reminder, she glanced out the windows. Good-bye small town. Good-bye jaunt in the back woods. Hello more scary helicopter ride and more military.

The military she’d take any day. Now getting back into another helicopter – so not.

Her stomach knotted at the reminder of her free-fall the last time. It would be good to go back in, just like falling off a bike. You had to get back on again immediately.

This was a whole different story. She’d do the bike thing any day. The helicopter, however… She took one deep breath, then another deep breath. The third one almost felt natural.

Until she noticed the driver keeping a careful eye on the road. She knew Mason wouldn’t have let her leave if he didn’t think it was safe to do so. But what if they were being followed? What if someone had tracked them to the house and was waiting to make their move.

Mason really shouldn’t have let her leave alone. She hated that she only felt safe with him beside her. It was understandable after what she’d been through but…that was going to be difficult in the future.

Damn it, her mind was back on Mason again. And that long lovely expanse of bare skin she’d woken up to. She’d always been a morning person. To think he’d been there in her bed, and she didn’t have the right to touch. She could have persuaded him…maybe, but she didn’t want a ten minute bounce in bed. She wanted to get to know him. Yeah right. She wanted to jump his bones. But she couldn’t have handled rejection this morning, and he would have turned her down.

With a groan she leaned her head back, determined to forget the man. And that wicked kiss he’d laid on her.

“You all right, ma’am?” Cooper asked her, concern written on his face.

She mustered up a bright smile. They were all lovely men. “I’m fine. Just not looking forward to going on another helicopter.”

“You’ll be fine.”

Right. She was pretty damn sure she’d been told that right before the last helicopter blew up. But there was no point in bringing that up again.

“I’m sure I will.”

The second man pointed at something in his rearview mirror. He had some kind of phone in his hand, but it looked big, odd. More like a GPS unit but with other capabilities. Interesting. She loved technology. She and Harry had both been big on computers growing up.

Now she wished she had something in her hands. She had no phone, or purse, so no ID. She felt cut off from the world.

Especially without Mason.

Then her world exploded.

The first shot shattered the rear window and punctured a hole right through the front windshield.

She screamed and leaned over. That was when she realized Johann’s blood was all over the front dash. And Cooper was swearing a blue streak.

Oh no. Oh crap. Oh Lord.
Please not again.
She unbuckled her seatbelt and hit the floor.

“Hang on,” Cooper yelled at her.

But the SUV was zigging and zagging so severely across the road as the driver tried to avoid letting the shooter get a clean shot at him that it was damn near impossible to hang on. She leaned forward over the center console where the passenger was slumped and checked if he was breathing. She hadn’t seen where he’d been shot, but she didn’t need to look twice.

Except…he held a gun in his hand. She reached forward and pulled it free. It was covered in…yeah, she didn’t want to know. She wiped off as much as she could but kept being knocked over with Cooper’s evasive maneuvers. She tried to pull herself up enough to look out the back window.

“Stay down,” Cooper snapped.

The SUV lurched to the side, taking her with it. Damn it. She crawled to the back of the vehicle, sat up, her head hidden by the rear corner of the big machine. But now she had a clear view out the busted rearview window.

Her gaze narrowed as she realized something else.

She had a clear shot.

Of a man leaning out of the window getting ready to take another shot.

She lifted the pistol. Checking that the safety was off, and using all the techniques she’d applied many times at a target but never in real life, she sighted on her target and pulled the trigger.

The man who’d been leaning out of the front window of the second SUV, weapon in hand, collapsed, his body hanging limp over the passenger door.

“Nice shot,” Cooper crowed. “Thank you, ma’am.”

“You’re welcome,” she muttered but had to tear her gaze away from the man she’d killed. She bowed her head and silently apologized then added out loud, “I had to do it. You were trying to kill me.”

“And you remember that. We’re not out of trouble yet.”

She immediately pulled herself together. The SUV had dropped way back now that they were up against firepower. And with any luck there was only a driver in the vehicle too. Only it wasn’t to be. As she watched, the passenger door was opened and the dead man tossed out. Another man took his place.

“There’s another shooter coming up.”

“Damn,” Cooper called out. “We’ve got a bike coming down the hill on the left.”

Oh no. She didn’t want an innocent bystander getting in the middle of this nightmare. It was probably a teenager doing what he did best – ripping rubber. She could hear the noise of the engine now that Cooper mentioned it. She was peering from the corner of the rearview mirror when a shot fired through the rear window, high but hitting part of the window still hanging, showering her in glass.

“Ack.” She flung herself to the floor.

“You okay?” Cooper called, trying to look around for her.

“I’m fine. That was just a little too close.”

She slid upwards into the corner again, still hidden but where she could watch as the asshole aimed again. He’d miss her, but he was likely going to hit the tires. Not happening. She couldn’t stand to be tossed around any more than she had been.