Watching From The Shadows: Trident Security Book 5 (30 page)

The quiet of the surrounding area was suddenly broken, as Babs’ chopper roared over the top of the barn, sideways, with Abbott aiming her sniper rifle out the open rear door. Putting his life in his teammate’s hands, he pushed Paula’s body as far away from his own as he could, without letting go of his grip on her hand. A high-powered shot rang out and a split second later, Paula’s head exploded with the impact. Her instantly dead body pulled him to the ground as it dropped and he ignored the blood splatter which hit him in the face. Within seconds, his teammates on the ground came running forward and Boomer fell to his knees next to Marco and what remained of his stalker.

“Keep a good grip. Let me see if I can remove the belt first.”

“Hurry.” Marco glanced up and saw Harper running toward him, but McCabe ran up behind her, grabbed her around the waist, and held her back from the blast zone. The fear in her eyes was making Marco’s stomach churn more than the explosive device or the fact that his face was covered in blood and brain matter. As Boomer figured out how to remove the suicide belt, Marco looked up at his best friend. “In my go-bag, get me something to wash this off. I don’t want it to touch Harper when I get my arms around her.”

A few minutes later, Boomer placed the belt far enough away in the field to the west of the barn so everyone was out of the blast zone. Marco refused to let go of the remote and Paula’s lifeless hand until his teammate rejoined them by the vehicles. Once he did, a loud boom resonated through the air as the device was detonated without harming anyone.

Brody had retrieved a towel and wet it with a bottle of water, before handing it to him when he finally released his grip and stood. He quickly wiped his face, neck, and arms, and ripped off his bloodied shirt, before rushing over to where Harper stood crying and struggling against McCabe’s firm but gentle grip. Marco nodded and the man let her go, so she could run into his arms.

Her body hit his with an impact that sent him back a step, but he didn’t care as he crushed her to him. She sobbed into his chest as he caressed her head and back. “It’s over, Butterfly.
Shhh
. It’s over.” His gaze went to Abbott and Babs coming around from the rear of the barn where they’d landed the bird. He mouthed “thank you” to both women, who just smiled and gave him a pair of thumbs up.

He didn’t know how long he stood there, holding Harper in his arms, before the sound of sirens approaching reached his ears. Ian had called the local sheriff to alert him of the situation. Paula’s partner would be turned over to them and apparently he needed a trip to the emergency room. Harper may not have knocked him out with the two-by-four, but she did break his wrist when he threw his arm up to ward off the blow.

It would be a few hours before this was all cleared up, but he planned on keeping Harper as close to him as possible. Exactly the way he wanted for the rest of his life.

E
PILOGUE

Three Months Later

Holding Mara, who was sound asleep on his shoulder, Marco watched Harper open, inspect, and close all the cabinets in the empty house’s new kitchen, after they’d walked through the entire place twice. They had just accepted a bid on her house while his was already scheduled for closing next month. His place was where they were living for the moment, as they packed up the belongings of both houses and donated what they didn’t need double of. Between the three closings, if they needed to, they could stay at Nick and Jake’s apartment again for a few weeks.

This one-level, four-bedroom ranch currently belonged to Parker Christensen, whose company, New Horizons, flipped houses a few times a year, in addition to its numerous commercial construction jobs. It had been completed a few days ago and Marco was impressed by how it had turned out, compared to the ‘before’ pictures he’d seen. Parker was giving them first shot at purchasing it, at a reduced price, before putting in on the market for several thousand dollars higher.

Harper spun around and walked toward where he was standing in the huge, attached family room. “Well, what do you think?”

Shrugging, he grinned. “You know me. As long as we install Egghead’s top security system, and there’s a lock on our bedroom door for when sweet cheeks here starts walking, then I’m good.”

Her laugh echoed in the barren room as she stepped over to the sliding door leading out to the backyard, which already had an in-ground pool. It was wonderful to see and hear her carefree again. After a full investigation, the team had been cleared of any wrong doing in Paula’s death. It had been a clear-cut case of self-defense—although the local sheriff wasn’t happy they hadn’t contacted him about the situation before rescuing Harper.

Randy Lairson had recovered from the injuries he’d received, but had been shafted and killed during a fight in prison while awaiting trial. During an interrogation at the hospital, after he’d regained consciousness, he had admitted he was the one who’d assaulted Harper in her home. He was supposed to have kidnapped Mara that night, but thankfully the baby had been with her grandmother. Lairson had also hired the bomber, who he’d known for a few years from the streets.

As for Paula, they’d located where she’d been living for the past year from the address associated with the license plate on her car. The deceased homeowner’s body was found stuffed into a full freezer in the garage. With no known relatives, Marco had made sure the poor guy got a proper burial. Upstairs in one of the bedrooms of the house, the obsessed woman had created a shrine to Marco. Most of the pictures covering the walls were of him at various locations around Tampa and at his house and had been taken from a distance with a high-powered zoom lens. The tracking device she’d place on his truck had been recovered from the undercarriage on the passenger side. He had no idea how long she had been stalking his movements, but the pictures seemed to date back to when she’d still been working for them.

Shoving the unwanted memories from his mind, he focused his attention on Harper’s delectable ass. The black slacks she was wearing were the perfect fit to showcase her curves, and she’d paired them with his favorite pair of stilettos and a blue, short-sleeved blouse. He’d bet anything that, despite the pants, she was wearing a pair of thigh-highs underneath, and he couldn’t wait until he could find out later if he was right.

“Well, I love it. It’s even nicer than the other one we looked at. Parker outdid himself. There’s plenty of room back here for a jungle gym. I love the open floor plan, too. But…” She faced him again, giving him a steamy, seductive look which had his cock stirring. “My favorite part is that the master bedroom is on the other side of the house from the children’s rooms. I won’t have to have a pillow thrown over my face when you make me cum.”

God, he loved this woman. Her fingers went to the new collar he’d had a jeweler design for him. It was two chains braided together—one silver, one gold, since she liked to wear both depending on her wardrobe. Last week, they’d had a ceremony on the center stage at The Covenant, where he’d vowed to be her Dom—to love and cherish her, and take care of her every need for as long as they had each other. She, in turn, had knelt and bestowed upon him her undying love and submission.

Last month, he’d gotten another tattoo and updated the first one. He’d had Mara’s name, in script, added to the spot under Nina’s angel, so his sister was always watching over her niece. The new tattoo was on his right upper arm and was an intricate design which represented Harper and his D/s relationship, with her name underneath. But the significance of the fancy Triskelion, with three intertwined pieces, would only be recognized by those in the BDSM lifestyle. Harper had gotten a smaller version of the design done on her right ass cheek, with his name, so Marco would see it every time he spanked her.

What Harper didn’t know, was that in his pocket right now was her engagement ring. She’d told him he didn’t need to get her one—that she was happy enough with the collar and a future wedding ring. But, yeah, he wasn’t buying that. Plus, his soon-to-be mother-in-law, along with the women at Trident, would give him hell if he didn’t get her the ring most women dreamed of receiving for most of their lives.

After swearing her to secrecy, he’d taken Jenn shopping with him, to get a woman’s point of view, since he had no clue what to look for. In the end, he’d found the perfect ring. A platinum and gold setting, with a one and a half karat diamond. But his favorite characteristic was the four small stones, two on either side of the diamond—a garnet, aquamarine, emerald, and pink tourmaline—his, Harper’s, Nina’s, and Mara’s birthstones, respectively. He’d even had a baby bracelet made for Mara with the same stones, and it was in his pants’ pocket as well.

He smirked and shook his head at her. “Not too sure about that, Butterfly. You take sexual screaming to a new level. I think I need to start looking at ball-gags for you.”

“
Hmmm.
” Her eyes lit up. “Oh, my God. Thanks for reminding me. I have to get the rest of the stuff I need for the goodie bags for Kristen’s shower next week. We have them separated—white bags for the vanilla guests and blue for those in the lifestyle. Definitely can’t mix those up, otherwise, there are going to be a lot of confused and embarrassed women out there.”

They’d all been grateful when the ultrasound, which had been done in the emergency room, showed little John Devon Sawyer, or J.D. as he’d already been affectionately dubbed, had not been harmed by the flash-bang grenade or Taser shock. The happy parents-to-be had found out last month they were expecting a boy in about twelve weeks, and Devil Dog was over the moon about it. They had also been relieved to hear Kristen’s ex-husband’s lawsuit for half of her royalties had been ruled in her favor. Tom Rydell wasn’t appealing since he had far bigger problems to deal with, such as the multiple state and federal embezzlement charges which had been filed against him.

Harper glanced at her watch. “We should get going. We don’t want to be late for the ceremony.”

The school where Nina had been a teacher was dedicating a garden memorial in remembrance of the beloved educator and co-worker. The growing family from Trident was meeting them there in an hour, along with students, teachers, and other friends. Even Jake and Nick had flown in for a long weekend to attend. Carter had called with his regrets that he couldn’t attend, but promised to swing by and see it the next time he was in town.

“Before we go…is this it? Are we going to tell Parker we want the house?”

Taking one more quick look around, Harper nodded. “I think so. Everything is brand new and there’s plenty of room. It’s close to the compound. Shelby and Parker live two blocks away. There’s an elementary school right up the street and it’s a quiet neighborhood, so I don’t think we’ll find anything nicer or more ideal than this.”

“Good.” Reaching into the pocket of his dress pants, he made a fist around the ring and pulled it out. Making sure he had a good hold on his sleeping daughter, he went down on one knee in front of Harper, grinning when her eyes almost bulged out of her head. “I never knew what I wanted, before it all fell into my lap out of the blue. I am madly, hopelessly, in love with you, Millicent Harper Williams. I know we did things a little backward, but I’d be honored if you would accept this…” He opened his hand to show her the ring. “…as a sign to the vanilla world that you belong to me. Will you marry me?”

Tears poured down her cheeks as she nodded. Clearly her voice had deserted her. He stood, and with one hand under Mara’s diapered butt, slid the diamond on Harper’s extended left ring finger. He pulled her toward him and gently, and then not-so-gently, kissed her lips until the baby began to stir between them. Reluctantly letting his new fiancée go, he glanced down to see a pair of grey eyes, which matched his own, staring up at him. Lifting Mara over his head with both hands, making her giggle, he grinned at her. “Mommy and Daddy are getting married!”

T
HE
E
ND

C
OMING
S
OON

W
HISKEY
T
RIBUTE:
A
T
RIDENT
S
ECURITY
N
OVELLA –
B
OOK 5.5

Curt Bannerman never thought he’d have to follow through with a promise to ensure his best friend’s wife and children were taken care of in the event of Eric’s death after the two men retired from the Navy SEALs. But an assassin made the promise a reality. Eighteen months later he’s still keeping an eye on the family, however, somewhere along the line his feelings for the pretty widow have changed.

Dana Prichard had been both a mother and a father for her children during her husband’s multiple deployments, but once Eric retired, she thought those days were over. Now she has to do it with no chance of him ever coming home again. While his SEAL teammates have been there for her since Eric’s death, one of them stands above the rest. The one man who is slowly invading her dreams.

They started as friends, but now, both want more. Can they move past the feelings that they are betraying a dead man by wanting each other? Or is Eric always going to stand between them?

A
BOUT THE
A
UTHOR

Samantha Cole is a retired policewoman and former paramedic who has started a third career as an author. She has lived her entire life in the suburbs of New York City and has plans to become a ‘snow-bird’ between New York and Florida. Her two dogs, Jinx and Bella, keep her company and remind their ‘mom’ to take a break from writing every once in a while to go for a walk, of course with them in tow.