Page 28

K age

I’d watched her perfect berry lips part in anger and offense the moment my mood had shifted, heading straight into a bath of toxic waste. Juliette hadn’t deserved the stark switch in moods, yet I couldn’t control them.

She’d snuck up on me, something I should have warned her never to do. I’d been out of my fucking mind, the nightmare more visual than usual. Then she’d been there in my line of sight. In my space.

She’d become a temptation I had no chance of ignoring. Dammit, the firecracker was trouble.

Irritating as hell.

Someone who could drive me bat shit crazy.

A woman who needed a spanking every single day just to keep her in line.

She was also the most engaging, luscious female I’d ever laid eyes on.

Or fucked.

Again.

Against my better judgment and commitment that I’d made to myself.

What had I been doing by tasting her again? Ah, yes, how could I forget. I’d been digging my grave in grand style.

Hostage, my ass.

I’d saved her life and kept her safe from goons determined to turn her into a king’s consort and brought her to my personal home for an undisclosed timeframe and she just didn’t seem to care.

Even worse than her snooping had been the flash I’d seen in her eyes.

So quick even the most well-trained soldiers would have passed right by, but I wasn’t just any soldier.

I was the goddamn broken hero according to Gray.

Maybe so, but that allowed me to identify another soul going through the paces the same way I’d done for years.

She’d gone through a previous traumatic experience. What she’d endured was a direct reason for her reactions. And her resolve.

My teeth ground together as soon as I climbed from the truck. I’d find a way to stay out of her way. I had enough to do around here. Fuck, there were several downed trees. I’d chop wood from sunup to sundown if I needed to.

Tank stared at me from the backseat. He’d been giving me the side eye since she’d left Henry’s library abruptly.

On top of ignoring my personal space, she’d been snooping inside the room.

She’d seen the picture of me with the other SEALs.

I knew her, at least well enough to know she would badger me with questions.

What the hell was taking her so long inside a damn drug store?

Of all the places she’d wanted to drop by first, she’d insisted on this one.

And she’d worn the silly tropical dress she’d purchased on a whim in Bermuda.

Correction, that I’d purchased for her. Didn’t she realize this was Colorado and it was a solid thirty degrees colder?

Grousing wasn’t going to make this torture go any faster.

“Watch the truck, buddy. I’ll be right back.

” At least she’d remained quiet during the ride to the airport to get my truck.

Maybe not talking at all was in our best interest until we could figure out how to keep emotions and sex out of the conversation.

The woman was a walking, talking juxtaposition, her personality tough to pin down. Hard and cold. Intense and defensive. Soft and abrasive. I had no idea what to expect with her.

Woof.

“Don’t you start in on me.” I just bet Tank could read my mind. I wasn’t any easier to deal with. Maybe that’s why we were oil and water.

The pup’s whine was just icing on the cake.

I trudged toward the store, taking a deep breath before walking inside.

The single clerk behind the long register station winced the moment I stepped foot inside.

The locals weren’t used to seeing me out and about.

Let them be scared. Maybe that way they’d stay away from me.

Since I didn’t see her, I started walking the aisles, finally finding her sitting on the floor with her legs crossed, a mirror propped up in front of her. What the hell was she doing?

I walked closer, narrowing my eyes. Was she putting on makeup right here in the store?

When she applied something to her lips, I frowned and she realized she wasn’t alone, every muscle in her body bristling. I noticed the basket behind her was filled with items. Jesus Christ. How much stuff did one woman need?

As I walked closer, she peered up at me. Any other person discovered in this position basically stealing products would act bashful.

Not this girl.

She glared at me defiantly and continued glossing her pouty lips.

I had to admit just looking at her took my breath away. The woman was gorgeous with a bare face and body but seeing her with makeup and something applied to her long hair to make it appear wavy had my cock straining.

The woman had a way of plucking at my demons in her strong-handed attempt at getting to know me. And my desire for her was becoming a touch too obsessive.

The draw to her was incredible, but the continuous tightness in my chest because of her was a pain in my ass. I walked closer, eyeing the cart. “You plan on buying all that shit?”

“No. I’m merely picking out what I need to survive being a hostage. You’re buying all that shit.”

Oh, the feisty woman was intentionally grating my last nerve.

She grabbed the makeup items she’d already opened and used. If she dared try to put them back in the cheap plastic holders, I’d spank her again right here in the middle of the store.

She tossed the items in the basket, now providing a saucy look and a timely wink.

If I gritted my teeth any harder, I’d lose my molars.

“We can go now. Soldier man.”

She did not just walk away from the cart. Was she expecting me to be her chauffeur and some schlepp carrying her bags for her? She had another think coming.

I pushed the basket anyway. The sooner we were done, the sooner I could go into my bedroom, close and lock the door. Somehow, I had a feeling the day was going to be long and arduous.

The clerk continued giving me the same uncertain look when I checked out, even backing away as soon as I’d finished the financial transaction.

My hostage had stood by with a wicked expression on her face the entire time.

At least Juliette had helped load the bags. Poor Tank was already crowded.

When she jumped in, she gave me a sweet smile. “Time for some killer clothes. Do they have department stores here?” The fact her voice was dripping of sarcasm just about put me over the edge.

The woman was more than just a temporary inconvenience. She would drive me into drinking myself into a stupor every night.

If she was teasing me, all she’d managed to accomplish was to drive my mood even further into the crapper. “We have stores. Country folk sometimes like to dress in something else other than burlap sacks. By the way. How’s that bottom of yours?”

The instant flash of red in her cheeks made me deliriously happy for some reason.

I headed to the one store that I’d seen that might sate her. I knew nothing about the place other than that it was pricey but hoped stopping there might appease the wanton socialite.

As soon as I pulled up to the curb, she glanced at me with a funny expression, but that quickly turned into the briefest hint of fear. I’d been right. She was reliving some shit in her past. Weren’t we all?

“What?” I snapped.

“You’re not coming in?”

“Do you need my fuckin’ approval for clothes?”

“Well, you are buying.” Some of the fire had sprinted away, her eyes now searching mine.

“Just buy whatever you need. I don’t care. I’ll take Tank and get a few items myself.”

“How long will you be?”

Snorting, I almost told her a week, but the slight crack in her voice yanked away the asshole inside of me. “Not long. Just stay inside and everything will be fine.”

“Okay. Just come into the store when you get back. I’ll try and hurry.” She unfastened her seatbelt, twisting around so she could love on Tank. “Miss you, buddy. All one hundred or so pounds of you.”

My little buddy ate up the lavished attention like the traitor he’d turned into.

As soon as she jumped out, he managed to squeeze his big body between the two front seats, claiming hers. His whine drew her attention and she turned back and blew him a kiss.

“Jesus,” I muttered. As I drove away, I laughed mostly at myself and pulled my phone from my jacket pocket, dialing Gray.

“Is she safe?” he asked by answering, concern pitched in his voice.

“She’s safe.” I started to tell him she was still a pain in my ass, but remembered she was his goddaughter.

“Good. Glad to hear it.”

I glanced into the rearview mirror, the same nagging feeling lingering in the back of my mind. “Did something happen to Juliette before?”

“What do you mean, happen?”

“I don’t know, Gray. Was she the victim of a crime?”

His heavy breath and instant hesitation gave me an answer. “There was a break-in at her father’s house a long time ago. Maybe when she was twelve or thirteen. I don’t know much because we weren’t talking any longer by then. All I know is that Juliette was home alone when the incident happened.”

“Were the fuckers caught?” What the fuck? Home alone at that age? Her father was a real dick. I instantly bristled, winding my hand around the steering wheel with enough pressure the leather squeaked.

“Don’t know that either. As you might imagine, that’s one reason Randolph was quick to offer a ransom.”

“Any takers?”

“Usual nutcases, but the Feds aren’t keeping me up to date,” Gray hissed. “None of our business.”

“Of course not.” The likelihood this had anything to do with what happened in the past was zero. That didn’t mean reliving the trauma wouldn’t make the situation and every reaction a tightening of a noose around her neck.

“Do me a favor, Kage, and stay on the downlow.”

“You’ve heard something.”

“Let’s just say the people who took her are unhappy.”

“Who are they, Gray? I need to know what to look for. That shit the Bermuda police tossed out is crap and you know it. There’s not a gang in any country organized, structured, and funded enough to pull off what was about to happen to Juliette.

There are too many questions. Who owns the goddamn property in Bermuda?

Is her father selling to the wrong people or is the man dirty?

Shit like that keeps me awake at night.”

“You have your own personal demons keeping you awake at night, buddy. Maybe you need to deal with that.”

I sucked in my breath and pulled the phone away from my face. After exhaling, I resisted the urge to punch my fist into the windshield. “Fuck you, Gray. Find someone else to be your flunky.”

“I’m sorry, Kage. That was fucking uncalled for.”

“Yeah, it was. How’s your conscience treating you lately, Gray?”

“Fuck,” he muttered and I glanced into my rearview mirror for a third time.

Force of habit.

I wanted to make certain I wasn’t being followed.

Maybe leaving her alone wasn’t a good idea, but we hadn’t been followed into town.

I’d made certain of that and at this point, the property was still listed in Henry’s name since I hadn’t decided completely if I wanted to sell the place.

What bothered me was the limited protection I could offer.

Even the woods, while providing some cover, could also be considered a liability given the dozens of access points.

The only saving grace was there were two main roads leading to where I lived.

“The property in Bermuda is owned by a shell corporation. It took me a while to run it down but South American owners.”

“So cartel?”

“That’s what it looks like. The man in charge is Juan Degardo.

He’s been on every law enforcement’s radar for almost a decade.

A brutal son of a bitch. But he’s not into human trafficking, at least not that the DEA can determine.

All this is classified and I can only provide you with so much information. ”

“I got it.” I pulled into the liquor store. At this rate, I’d need to up the whiskey content. “What do they want with her?”

“That’s the classified part. All you need to know is that Juan is a son of a bitch who sold his own daughter off to some American crime lord after dismembering the man’s son. That’s some sick kind of payment.”

“So he’s psychotic.”

“Exactly.”

“Fine. That I can handle.”

“Not if he sends his death squad.”

I snorted and jumped from the cab. “Does Juliette’s father know she’s alive?”

“He knows she was rescued, but I’ve kept her whereabouts from him. I’ve stalled things to buy some time for you. However, I’ll need to provide him with proof soon enough. He’s still offering a reward so try and keep her out of the public eye.”

“Is he still a suspect?” There I went gritting my teeth again. Now my jaw ached. Keeping her locked down was going to be difficult as hell.

“He’s a decent man, Kage. I don’t think he wants his daughter hurt.”

That didn’t mean he hadn’t gotten himself in over his head and someone was coming after him. Gray was hiding one too many things, but I was only the hired gun, not the commander as I’d been told more than once. “Why are you doing this, Commander?”

“You know why.”

“There’s more to the story.”

Gray laughed. “Don’t read into everything, Kage. I needed your expertise. That’s not a lie.”

Yeah, but he was holding something back. He’d never been very good at doing so. “No one else knows where she is. Correct?”

“Correct.”

“Keep it that way.” I ended the call, closing my eyes briefly before heading into the store. Why did I feel like I was in the middle of some communications war? Unless Randolph’s diversification skills had driven him into other arenas. Greed was a powerful, demonic animal.