Page 2 of Protecting Peyton

Terry came up behind her. “Stop bugging her about riding her bike.” He wrapped his arms around his fiancée. The two were so clearly in love, I expected to see tiny hearts circling their heads.

“I was offering, not bugging,” Grace clarified.

A short while later, they announced the move from the restaurant to the bar for pool, darts, and, undoubtedly, more drinks.

When I exited the restaurant, March popped open the back of his Porsche Cayenne SUV. “I’ll give you a lift.”

I unlocked my trusty e-bike. “No, thanks. I’ll ride and meet you over there.” He was a temptation I needed to avoid, and the bar was only five blocks away.

“Come on, Peyton, live on the wild side for once.”

His attempts at flirtation were cute. But I still needed to resist the attraction.

“It’s not that dark yet.”

“Okay,” he practically sighed. “I’ll see you over there.”

Taking in his dejected look, I almost changed my mind and accepted his offer.

Almost.

Zane

I closedthe back of my company Porsche Cayenne Turbo GT.

Peyton’s response to my offer had been predictable, and disappointing. She was quite the challenge.

Tall and blonde, with curves to die for, I’d noticed her the very first time I’d been stationed at Grace’s company, SpaceMasters, as security. After talking with Peyton, I’d learned she was much more than a pretty face. She had a humble intelligence, a presence, a visceral allure I couldn’t describe.

She was also nervously observant. At first, I’d guessed she’d been posted overseas at some point. Her relentless attention seemed somewhat like my compulsion to check out the street before entering here.

When I’d asked, she changed the subject without an answer—something she did with ease.Agency spookcame to mind. Whatever it was, I’d figure it out, eventually.

Unfortunately, whenever I tried to engage her, she gave me the cold shoulder, but SEALs like me knew how to be persistent. Some battles took time to win.

She started off on her e-bike.

I let her get ahead and then followed slowly.

With the electric assist, she whizzed along the street fast enough that I didn’t have to pull over to stay behind her. She was already locking up her bike when I pulled into the lot to park. It was a busy night at the bar, and Ihad to park at the far end.

Being called Tito’s, I’d imagined the bar to be something along the lines of a pizza joint, but the wordsaloonflanked by two old wagon wheels said cowboy more than pizza.

After several tours overseas, it was ingrained in me to stop at the door and check out the neighborhood. Even though I was stateside, gauging potential exit routes, along with possible shooting or surveillance positions for the enemy, was a hard habit to break.

Knock on wood.I rapped a knuckle on the doorjamb for good luck as I pushed inside.

Nope. Not pizza or Italian in any way. The space was enormous, with sawdust on the floor. The dance floor was populated, but not crowded. Pool tables lined the back, and as I moved in farther, looking for our group, I spied a mechanical bull that looked like it might be fun to try.

Locating our party by the pool tables, I started that way.

Vigilant Peyton was the first to notice me. It made me feel good to see the initial smile she quickly hid when I approached. Yup, as much as she insisted on fighting it, I stood a chance with her.

I’d only recently joined Hawk Security, but they had welcomed me with open arms. Much of my work gang was here this evening and had split into pairs at the pool tables.

Winston Evers, the big ex-FBI agent, was playing against short Constance Collier, formerly of the Secret Service, who had once been on the First Lady’s protective detail. Winston had warned me not to cross her, or I’d end up on my back in the blink of an eye.

Lucas Hawk, our leader, had the dark eyes of a stone-cold killer. Foreign graveyards were littered with men who’d underestimated him. Even the toughest SEALs spoke his name in awe. He looked to be clearing the table against his brother, Jordan Hawk. Jordy was our tech genius, who Duke had told me could hack pretty much any system we ran up against. He hadn’t followed Lucas into the Army, but I’d watched the two grapple once in the gym and Jordy was no slouch.