Her Delta Force Protector, page 23
There was nothing Kade could do about Duke at the moment, so he turned his attention back to Watson and Harper. She was yelling at him for shooting at the dog, and Kade wanted to tell her not to provoke the man. Watson’s gaze was darting around him. He correctly assumed that if a dog dragging a leash was in the area, so was the owner. Did Watson know who that owner was? Kade hoped not.
Duke had disappeared into the woods and would probably head back to the cabin, where he’d consider it safe. But Kade had missed the perfect opportunity to take Watson out. If he hadn’t been on the phone with his brother and had been watching when Watson turned his gun to Duke, Kade would have had the perfect shot. Regret was a waste of energy, and he dismissed the missed opportunity from his mind.
“Show yourself,” Watson yelled. “Come out and drop your weapon.”
The man was delusional if he thought that was going to happen. If only Harper would drop to the ground, but Kade had no way of telling her to do that. It could very well come down to risking a shot in the hopes Watson didn’t pull the trigger.
Movement from above caught his attention. What the hell was Duke doing? The dog came out of the woods behind Watson and Harper, slowly and soundlessly creeping up to them. As he neared them, he lowered his belly almost to the ground, and Kade was reminded of a wolf stalking his prey.
The game had just changed, and now he had a dog on a mission to factor into the equation. What are you going to do, Duke? There was nothing Kade could do but be ready for whatever happened.
Watson was still stopped and still had his gun pressed to Harper’s back as his gaze searched the woods on one side and then the other. “I’ll shoot her if you don’t show yourself. Come out with your hands above your head.”
“You need to worry about what’s coming at your back, pal,” Kade quietly said as he stepped into view. “You shoot her, I shoot you. Let her go and you get to live.”
Duke was about ten feet from them now, and Kade raised his gun and aimed it at Watson’s forehead, the only part of him visible as he stood behind Harper. He estimated he was forty yards—give or take—from them, close to the Glock’s maximum range. It would be the most critical shot of his life with a variable he couldn’t predict...a dog.
Chapter Forty-Three
Had Kade turned Duke loose? Harper couldn’t imagine he’d do that, not with Theo having a gun. Thank God Theo had missed when he’d shot at Duke. Hopefully, Duke would stay out of sight. She’d noticed his shortened leash and wondered what that was about.
She’d yelled at Theo when he’d shot at Duke, and she’d been too concerned about Duke to realize she should have done something...like spin around and knee him in the balls while he was distracted. If she’d done that, he probably would have dropped the gun. She wouldn’t have hesitated to shoot him if she could have gotten ahold of it. Before Theo Watson, she couldn’t imagine aiming a weapon at a person and pulling the trigger, but she sure could now.
Duke was proof that Kade was around somewhere, though, and knowing that was a relief beyond imagination. She didn’t know how he’d found her, but she had never doubted he would. She wished she still had her comms so he could tell her what he wanted her to do.
Should she try to do something, and if so, what? Or would Kade not want her to do anything that would interfere with whatever he intended? Kade would never be this indecisive, he’d see what needed to be done and then he’d do it. She needed to think like him. She inwardly snorted. Like that was possible. He’d had years of training that made him the elite warrior he was. All she knew how to do was find housing for military personnel and their families.
The best thing she could do was nothing and trust that Kade would do what he did best, that he’d rescue her like he had so many others in situations even worse than hers. And she did trust him...with her life. A calmness settled over her for the first time since Theo had put his hand over her mouth back at the tree.
“I’ll shoot her if you don’t show yourself. Come out with your hands above your head,” Theo yelled.
Harper almost laughed. He was a fool if he thought Kade would walk out of the woods with his hands in the air. Theo Watson, if he was smart, would drop to his knees and beg for mercy.
He poked her with the gun barrel. “Tell him to come out.”
“You think it’s just him in the woods? His entire Delta Force team is here. You’re surrounded by men who eat cowards like you for breakfast.” Of course, she didn’t know if Cupcake and Viper were out there, too, but it was likely.
“Shut the fuck up. One of them tries to—”
“You shoot her, I shoot you. Let her go and you get to live,” Kade said, stepping into view. He raised his gun and pointed it at them.
A low growl sounded behind them, and without thinking, she turned to see what was happening. Theo had turned, too, and they both froze at seeing Duke, his teeth bared, flying through the air at them.
At the same moment Duke’s teeth latched on to Theo’s arm, a shot rang out. Not knowing where it came from, Harper dropped to the ground, but when she saw Theo’s gun land a few feet from her, she scrambled over to it. She grabbed it, then rolled over and aimed it at him. Duke had his teeth in Theo’s arm and was shaking it for all he was worth. Theo was punching the dog in his throat and on his face, despite all the blood spewing from where half of Theo’s ear was missing.
“You hit my dog one more time, and I’m going to—”
“I got this,” Kade said from behind her as he reached over and took the gun away from her.
She looked up into the eyes of the man she hadn’t been sure she’d ever see again, and she’d never been so happy in her life. She waved her fingers at him. “Hi.”
He grinned. “Hi.”
Don’t ever leave me, she wanted to say, but she didn’t. He wasn’t hers to keep. She sat up and watched in amazement as Kade ordered Duke to stand down, and the dog instantly obeyed. “Is Duke okay?”
Kade kicked away her rifle, then grabbed Theo’s arm and pulled him to his feet with the ease of a puppet master. “I’m pissed,” he said. He tapped his finger between Theo’s eyes. “I was aiming for right there, but you moved, so you only lost half your ear. My vote, you bleed out before medical help gets here.” Kade glanced at her and winked.
What was up with these operators that they could be winky when her heart was jackhammering because this was just too much of a near-death experience for a normal person?
Kade walked Theo a few feet away. “Sit.”
“I’m a detective. This woman is wanted for questioning in a murder.”
“Shut it.” Kade snapped his fingers at Duke, and the dog trotted to him. After running his hands over Duke’s face and neck, he glanced at her. “He’s fine.” Then he patted Duke’s back. “Watch him.”
Duke sat in front of Theo, slitted his eyes, and growled.
“Who is that dog, and what did you do with Duke?” she said when Kade came and squatted in front of her.
He glanced at Duke and chuckled. “I’m wondering that myself.” He gently touched a finger next to her cut. “What’d he do?”
“Cut me with his ring when he hit me.” The bleeding had stopped, and her eye had cleared up, but it still hurt.
“We need to get it looked at. You might need stitches. I should kill him, but I promised my brother that I wouldn’t kill any of these dirtbags.”
“I’m glad you didn’t. I wouldn’t want you to have to live with that. And I’m fine. Really.” Mostly. She glanced at Theo Watson, who had his hand pressed against his ear, then back at Kade. “So, you meant to shoot his ear off?”
“That’s what I meant to do, and I only nicked it.” He grinned. “Pierced it for him free of charge.”
She snorted.
“You’re making a mistake,” Theo called. “She’s a suspect in a murder, and I’m a police officer. You’re interfering in an investigation.”
Kade stood and pointed at Theo. “One more word out of you, and I’ll let the dog do what he’s dying to do...chew you to pieces.”
As if agreeing, Duke growled again.
Two men walked out of the woods, and Harper grinned, happy to see Tristan and Viper. “You start the party without me, Ace?” Viper said when he and Tristan reached them.
Kade bumped fists with Viper. “’Fraid so, man. You can blame Duke for that, though.”
“Sounds like a story there,” Tristan said.
Harper eyed Duke. “Why’s half his leash missing?”
“I tied him to a tree so he’d stay put while I came for you,” Kade said. “Next thing I know, he’s stalking dirtbag over there. He had to have chewed his leash in half to escape. About the time I decided I was going to have to shoot a cop, Duke attacked. I had to settle for shooting his ear.”
Viper high-fived Kade. “Dude, you’re so going to get free beers off that story.”
“Won’t turn those down.” He bumped Tristan’s shoulder. “What was that about Miss Mabel running into the back of Earl’s truck? How many times does that make now?”
“I stopped counting. I think she does it on purpose just to get his goat.”
The two brothers looked at each other, then burst out laughing. Harper exchanged a glance with Viper, and they both shrugged. She didn’t get what was so funny to the brothers, but she loved seeing Kade laugh.
Tristan told them what had happened when Theo and cohorts drove through town, and by the time he finished the story, she and Viper were laughing, too.
“You assholes laugh now while you can,” Theo said. “I’m going to throw every charge I can think of at all of you.”
“Thought I told you to shut up.” Kade stepped next to her, touching his arm to hers. “Why don’t you two get this douchebag out of here?” he said to Tristan and Viper. “He probably needs to see a doctor. Harper and I will be right behind you.”
Tristan and Viper hauled Theo up by his arms, and as they walked away with him, Theo was yelling threats about what he was going to charge them all with. Duke started to follow, then stopped and looked back.
Kade waved a hand at him. “Go on. You know you want to.”
After giving them a bark, Duke caught up with the three men and nipped at Theo’s heels.
“I think he considers Watson his prisoner,” Kade said, sitting next to her. “You want to rest a little before we head back?”
“No, but I wish you could poof me back.” It was at least a thirty-minute walk, and she wasn’t sure she had that much energy left.
“I’ll carry you.”
She rolled her eyes. “You will not.”
“Up you go then.” He stood, then held out his hand.
When she was on her feet, she forced her legs not to show him how rubbery they were as they started walking. What she wouldn’t give for a warm bath, a glass of wine, and then a bed. “How’d you find me?”
“I didn’t. Duke did.” He wrapped an arm around her waist. “Wish we’d reached you sooner, before Watson hurt you. Did he say anything about his activities or Abby Warton?”
“Oh, he sort of admitted he had something to do with Abby’s death. I really hope the necklace Chase gave me is working because my mind’s a little fuzzy on everything he said.” The arm Kade had around her was all that was holding her up, and she was sure he knew that.
When he’d appeared and she’d waved hi, what she’d really wanted to do was jump in his arms and for him to kiss the ever-loving daylights out of her because he was so happy to see her. Other than a grin and a wink, she hadn’t gotten any emotion from him. Pretty much what a best friend of his would get. She wasn’t surprised, but she’d hoped she was more than a BFF by now.
She didn’t have to be a rocket scientist to figure out that their time was over. But she couldn’t think about that right now or she’d cry in front of him, and that, she refused to do. He’d been up front with her, hadn’t made her promises he wasn’t going to keep. If she’d fallen in love with him and wished for a lifetime with him, that was her secret. And, suddenly, she wanted nothing more than to be home with her dad. He would hold her while she cried and told him about a man she loved.
And someday, it wouldn’t hurt anymore. She had to believe that.
Chapter Forty-Four
Kade walked out of his cabin after his interview with the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation. The SBI had arrived and taken over his cabin, bringing him, Harper, Viper, and Cupcake in for separate interviews. Harper had gone in first, and then him. Thankfully, the necklace had worked and recorded what Watson had said to her. Kade thought the SBI would be able to collect enough evidence without the recording to charge Watson and his cohorts with some serious crimes, but the recording was the icing on the cake. They felt they could use it to get confessions from those involved. The SBI told him they were bringing in the FBI.
One of the SBI agents and Tristan had taken Watson to the hospital to get his ear and dog bite treated, then they’d take him to the Horace County jail where Rawls and his muscle were being held until the SBI transported them to wherever. Kade didn’t really care. It was over and Harper was safe. That was all that mattered.
Where was she? She’d refused to go to the hospital to have her cut looked at, but Cupcake, the team’s medic, had cleaned it and put a butterfly bandage on it. A bark and then a splash caught Kade’s attention, and he shook his head. The hero of the day was Duke, and if he wanted to grow gills and be a fish for the rest of his life, that was fine with Kade. It was the woman sitting at the end of the dock, watching Duke play in the water, that he wanted.
“I called my dad to let him know it’s over,” Harper said when he sat next to her.
“That had to make him happy.”
She laughed. “Understatement of the year. He’s coming to get me.”
Did someone just stab him in the heart with an ice pick? She was looking at him as if waiting for...he didn’t know what. “When will he get here?”
“He’s leaving now and driving all night, so in the morning.”
It wasn’t an ice pick. It was a damn sledgehammer. He rubbed his chest. “Stay with me tonight.” He’d always known she’d leave when this was over, but he wasn’t ready to let her go yet.
“Not sure that’s a good idea.”
It was the best idea. She had her arms wrapped around her knees, as if protecting herself. From him? He’d never hurt her. That was why he wasn’t trying to stop her from leaving. “Please stay.” He’d never begged a woman before, and he wasn’t sure why he was now. He filed that away to examine later. “After everyone’s gone, we’ll grill a couple of steaks, sit on the porch while they’re cooking, and have a beer or two, and then some you-and-me time.”
She lowered her face, resting it on her knees. “Okay.”
The word was whispered so quietly that he barely heard her, but he had. He could count on one hand the times in his life he’d truly been happy, and this one moved to the top. “Good.” Good? That was the best he could do when a girl had just given him what he wanted more than anything?
“How’s your head?”
“It’s fine.”
He wanted to touch her, but since making it back to his cabin, she’d seemed distant, as if she already had one foot out the door. This urge to wrap his arms around her and not let her leave was only because he liked having his best friend around.
Yeah, keep telling yourself that’s the only reason. He’d already accepted that he was falling in love with her, and since he still didn’t know what to do with that revelation, he’d wish her the best and send her on her way. But for tonight, she was his.
* * *
After their steak dinner, Kade sat on the porch drinking a beer, his eyes on Harper as she stood in the yard talking to her dad. He’d stopped to eat somewhere in Georgia and was returning her call so she could tell him where she’d meet him.
The easiest place to meet up was the Kitchen, and Kade would take her there in the morning. They’d promised to stay in touch, so he should be good with how everything had turned out. Should be were the operative words because he wasn’t feeling so good. Maybe he was coming down with the flu.
“I’m going to miss her,” he told Duke. The dog tried to lick his face. “Sit.” Duke rolled over. “So, you’re back to pretending you were absent when the brains were passed out? Sorry, bud, won’t work. I’m onto you now.”
“Okay, Dad will meet us at nine at the Kitchen,” she said, returning to the porch.
“Come here.” He took her hand and pulled her onto his lap. She leaned her head on his shoulder, and he wrapped an arm around her back. “What are you going to do when you get home?”
“I don’t know, and I don’t want to think about it right now.”
“Hmm. What do you want to think about?”
“This.” She kissed him.
He loved everything about this woman—how soft her lips were on his, her coconut scent, how her body fit his, the way she brought peace to his soul. “Bed,” he murmured. He stood, chuckling when she yelped.
“I can walk, you know.”
“I know.” He wanted her in his arms for as long as he could have her. When he reached the bedroom, he lowered her to the mattress. He had a sound machine on the night table that sometimes helped him sleep, and he reached over and turned it on. Because her coconut scent made him think of the beach, he selected the ocean.
“Are we at the beach?”
“Yes, and I’m admiring the pretty girl walking by in her tiny bikini.” He unzipped her hoodie. “I’m trying to think of my best line because I have to meet her.” He leaned down and kissed her. “I might die if I miss my chance.”
“Oh, you better have a good line then.”
“So much pressure. Sit up.” He slipped the hoodie off, then slid his hands under her sweater. “No bra?” If he’d known that, his hands would have been sneaking under her sweater all through dinner.
