Red Hot Steamy Romance Boxed Set: A Steamy Military Romance Series Collection

by Penelope Wylde

  Dyson was her sister’s super-hot Marine boyfriend and a fellow unit member of the special forces Recon alongside Reece and Caden when they were still in the Marines. She’d liked him from the second she met him and, in the months, that Abigail had worked for Re-con Securities, she’d come to really appreciate just how small the world was sometimes. Within a week of her sister meeting Dyson, Abigail had landed a job with Re-Con securities. On several occasions she had a feeling there was a little backdoor communication between the men. She just couldn’t prove it.

  “I just thought it was a bad connection. No need to tell Dyson about it.”

  “I understand, Shay. To us it means something else. It means someone is listening in on the conversation. Look, we need to cut this short. We’ll be in touch, and tell Dyson to keep you close until we sort this mess out.”

  “I read you loud and clear, Reece. Is this line secure?” Dyson spoke up in the background and his deep voice carried over the speaker to fill their living room.

  “Dyson. Good to hear your voice again. Yes.”

  “What’s all this about?”

  “There’s been threats placed against Abigail. So far, all we know is that a Mexican drug lord is involved. We just can’t figure out how Abigail got involved and what merited their flavor of special treatment.”

  “Drug lord?” Her sister questioned with a hesitant pause.

  Abigail answered, “It’s a really long story and I’m not sure if we have time now or—”

  “We might be able to help,” Dyson cut her off mid-sentence. She looked between Caden and Reece, who shook their heads in unison for her to continue. “Then I’ll make it quick. Yesterday I received some photos of myself, photos no one would have unless they were watching me from a well-hidden angle on my property, my house was burned down, we were chased by Uzi-toting goons and to top it all off, I received a death threat and the guy who, I don’t know, was given the job of whacking me, left behind a present—a bullet with a symbol carved on it that leads back to a Mexican drug cartel.”

  The line went silent for long seconds for Dyson cursed viciously.

  “Reece, Caden, what the fuck?” Dyson’s tone mirrored her thoughts to the letter.

  “For real man, this is some fucked up shit, but I wouldn’t go as far as to say Uzi- toting, but yeah, that’s the gist of it all.” Reece squeezed her hand and gave her a small reassuring smile.

  “Dane.” Dyson said the name of the guy that had helped them unearth that much information the previous night as if anyone who heard it would understand.

  And it worked. Both Caden and Reece nodded and replied, “Yes. We’ve been in contact with him.” Obviously, these men still held their former team members in high regard. The thought warmed her. And the fact her sister was in good hands with Dyson in case whoever was after her decided two sisters were better than one. And right now she’d take all the silver linings she could get.

  “A few months back, when Shay and I were in Cabos, we had some trouble with a drug lord named Bautista.”

  Abigail froze. Cold chills prickled her skin and her mouth fell slack.

  She clamped her hands over her head. Of course! How could she be so stupid? How could she not have connected the dots between what happened to Shay in Cabos to what was happening to her now? He was once a family friend who wanted a piece of her sister’s flower business to use as a means to transport his drugs. Her sister had the luck of having Dyson there to make sure that didn’t happen.

  “Dyson, it’s Abigail, you think he’s out for revenge against me and my sister? Why would he pick me?” She suppressed the panic edging closer to the surface. Why did knowing who was after her make it scarier? Putting a face to the man behind the attempt on her life should make her feel a step closer to catching him.

  So stupid!

  She palmed her forehead and let out a growl of frustration. She pushed up and stalked over to the floor to ceiling sliding glass doors that led out to the beach. The drawn curtains held the tropical heat at bay, but she could still see the bright flashes of light from the sun bouncing off the water through the thin material. Beyond the deck, the beach lay deserted, and the eerie feeling of someone watching her returned.

  You’re safe, chica, just a little freaked. No one knew where they were staying. The conversation continued behind her between the men.

  “Not Bautista. He’s still in prison serving a life sentence, but it’s not him that would be after you. It would be his family or second in command. It’s true what they say about taking the head off the snake and two growing in its place. In their organizations, if you fuck with one of theirs, they will come after not just you, but your family too. And that would be you, Abigail. There is no way his second in command wouldn’t retaliate.”

  Caden slapped a hand down on the coffee table and cursed. “We should have seen this coming, damn it.”

  “We have one thing on our side— they don’t know where we’re at. We can hunker down until we get a few more people in for backup. In the meantime, when I go for my meeting with the governor of Jalisco, I’ll ask for their support. We need heavier firepower ASAP. Given the nature of the emergency, I’m sure they’ll be all too willing to lend a hand in getting Bautista’s second in command off their streets.” Where Caden sounded pissed off, Reece came off as collected and sounded so sure of how to deal with the clusterfuck that had become her life.

  Which made what she had to say next all the more difficult.

  “Ummm… guys? I… uh…” Abigail turned from the window. She worried her lower lip and grimaced at what she had to tell them. “Fuck, here it is. I left a message for Shay last night and told her where we were going. Not the location, but I mentioned the town and Mismaloya area since that’s what you guys told me last night.” She waved in the air to represent the small hillside community that lined the southern Mexican bay.

  She turned on her heel to face back out toward the water. She didn’t need to see the disappointment etched on their faces to know she screwed up. She clamped her eyes shut, but she could still feel the burn of their stare between her shoulder blades.

  Reece spoke up first. “We need to go. Dyson. We’ll call you when it’s safe.”

  “Go to the marina. I have a buddy with a boat there. I’ll give him a call and—”

  Glass shattered, cutting Dyson off.

  The men’s shouts had her swiveling her head to see Reece diving for her like a linebacker standing on the thirty-yard line. Her eyes widened and she braced herself for impact.

  The gauzy white fluff of the curtain blew across her vision, followed by a gust of wind from outside scented with the salty brine of the ocean. The curtain whipped back and forth in the strong wind then returned to lie against the window. Something red caught her attention, and she tried to lift her hand to finger the strange bright red substance, but her arm wouldn’t budge.

  Heat blossomed out from her right shoulder and it dropped her to one knee. Air lodged in her lungs and her heart beat erratically.

  Oh God.

  Her vision blurred from a shroud of cold that settled over her. Like every ounce of her blood had drained, leaving nothing but a wash of cold tingles behind.

  It all happened so quickly, her mind unable to make sense of anything. Male voices called to her, but she couldn’t reach them. Someone was moving her, pulling her deeper into the living room. She worked her legs, but she couldn’t get solid footing beneath her. Her body nothing more than a paralyzed dead weight.

  Pain swiftly replaced the burst of initial cold.

  More bullets pelted the walls and other windows, sending the glass crashing into the unforgiving Spanish tiled flooring.

  In a sudden rush, every nerve ending between her brain and shoulder came alive with bolts of electricity that raked across her chest and arm in waves of blinding pain. Warm liquid wet her T-shirt and the only thought that came to mind was it wasn’t her T-shirt. She had borrowed it.

  Reece pulled her behind the co
uch and leaned her against the baseboard. “Let me see how bad.” He shoved his sidearm into the waistband of his jeans, then gently peeled back the collar of her shirt.

  She cringed. “Fuck!”

  “Don’t move, darling. I’ve got you.”

  His voice anchored her and helped clear the fog in her mind had slipped behind to avoid the pain from the bullet that pierced her flesh. The full force of it rooted in her brain and she fought against the black veil lulling her closer.

  She shook her head. Her heart raced and she knew if she closed her eyes if only for a second that she would pass out. She’d be damned if she would be some damsel in distress.

  “Did it go through? Graze her? What?” Caden kneeled beside her, holding both sides of her face. “She’s looking really damn pale, man.”

  Three more rounds pinged against the cement column dividing the windows from the sliding back door just off to their left. Too close for comfort, but the men didn’t even flinch. “Look at me, sweetheart. This is going to hurt like a mother, but he has to do it.”

  “Okay, okay,” she gritted out a string of expletives at Reece. He slipped her arm out of the sleeve of her shirt and lifted the now bloody rag over her head and discarded it on the floor. Black dots danced in her vision. She didn’t want to pass out.

  “She’s bleeding, but it’s a clean hit that split an inch-deep gash along her shoulder. It might have nicked the bone, but I can’t see.”

  It felt like something hit bone.

  She bit into the flesh of her lip and tried to calm her breathing.

  “We need some backup and fast, man. The fuckers have us outgunned with Ak-47s. Shots sound like they’re still coming from open water. Could be the waves messing with the sound, but—”

  “You’re right. I saw them. Not them, but a boat earlier when I was standing by the window. It just didn’t click at the time.”

  Reece and Caden looked at each other over the top of her head.

  “Oh, darling, we are going to have a fucking serious talk about you not giving us all intel when it happens, woman. Wait here.”

  “Not. Moving.” She rattled out the two words to Reece between breaths, then went back to trying not to pass out. Another shot whizzed over the tops of their heads to bury in the back wall by the front entrance. She stiffened and shifted her eyes to watch Caden to her left. The bullets didn’t seem to bother him, but he kept glancing back at her, his fingers working the metal handle of his sidearm. He angled himself between the back patio and the front entrance, keeping both in his view.

  Caden eyed her suspiciously. He leaned his back against the bottom of the turned couch and called out to Reece. “Really fucking close. Hurry the fuck up, Reece.”

  Reece crawled back to where they took cover with some kind of cloth in his hand and a clean shirt.

  He stripped off his belt, the leather snapping out of the loops with a loud pop, and wound it around the girth of her shoulder and arm to hold his makeshift bandage in place. “This will slow the bleeding.”

  She nodded. He then shoved her into the clean shirt and positioned her arm across her chest in less than two minutes. Wildfire burst into life and singed every nerve in her shoulder and arm at his quick movements.

  You will not pass out. You will not pass out.

  She panted while repeating the words the whole time Reece made a sling for her arm.

  Her mouth worked open then just as quickly shut. Might not be the best timing, but the need to apologize tightened her chest. She worked her jaw, trying to tell the guys, but she couldn’t find the words.

  She peeled her eyes open and her vision cleared a bit. Whatever Reece did to her arm helped to relieve some of the pain.

  “Abigail, look at me. You’ve lost a fair amount of blood.” Caden knelt in front of her, helping her to sit straight. His eyes searched hers for only a second before he found whatever he was looking for. “We’re moving you to a more secure location. Can you walk?”

  “Of course.” She stretched her legs for good measure.

  “You can lean on me.” Reece snaked his arm around her waist and helped her to her feet. She peered up at him, then at Caden. Solid rock gave more away than their stone cold expressions. She was glad their wrath wasn’t aimed her way. In contrast to their softer sides, her warriors were in full Marine mode.

  She liked it. Liked both sides, but today she needed their training. There was no doubt they’d get her through this hell alive. And they looked pissed enough to take out an entire army.

  She almost felt sorry for the bad guys on the receiving end. Almost.

  “Stay in step. Stay low.”

  “You take the lead. We’re going to get you into the pantry while we secure an exit.” Normally she’d argue about being shoved into a closet, but with her injury, she’d slow them down and that could get them killed.

  Her legs shook at first, but with the help of Reece she finally made it to her feet. She nodded once. “Ready.”

  Reece took one step before all hell broke loose. A curtain of bullets rained down on them. Rounds hummed through the air and landed with a multitude of pings that bounced off her eardrums. Chunks of cement burst from the high-velocity impact. Cotton fluff erupted into the air. Wood splintered under the torturous beating of gunfire.

  “We’re out of fucking time. Cover her!”

  But that was all she saw before a shield of male muscle tackled her to the floor.

  Reece’s handgun resounded next to her ear. Her heart lodged so deep in her throat she gasped for every breath. Her shoulder cried out in pain and she couldn’t move for the weight of Reece on top of her.

  “Let’s move,” Reece shouted next to her face and she hauled ass to where Caden held his hand out to her. He pulled her through the kitchen entrance, taking cover behind the island in the center of the floor. “Stay low. I’ll be right back. Take this.”

  Caden pressed his 9mm into her palm. She slipped the clip loose and checked how many rounds she had then slid it back into place, sliding a round into the chamber.

  Only three left. God, she hoped they had more ammo. From the sound of it, there was a small army out there.

  “I’m fine. Go.” She nodded and crouched, her shoulder pain off her radar. Thank God for adrenaline rushes!

  Five rounds fired from inside the house. Then stopped.

  “We only want la señorita. Give her over and then we leave. You have our word, amigos.”

  She stiffened against the wood paneling of the kitchen island. Neither Caden nor Reece answered. She trusted they knew what they were doing.

  Shadows moved over the far wall. She followed their projection to the door that led to the side of the house.

  She pushed up and launched herself at the door just as the handle started to turn. With deft fingers she slipped the bolt home, then sagged against the wooden frame.

  Shards of glass broke over her, the stained-glass panes in the top half of the door busted by a beefy fist.

  She fell forward.

  “Guys. Get the fuck in here, like right fucking now!” Hysteria skidded along the fringes of her words, which was just fine because any minute she was going to go bat-shit crazy. She didn’t do combat. Guns and bullets were okay, but hand to hand is where she drew the line.

  That was so far out of her league she’d end up dead before landing even a single punch.

  A sensation niggled the base of her spine.

  She looked over her shoulder but saw no one coming. Sausage fingers reached in and fumbled with the lock.

  She aimed.

  Metal grated against metal and she watched the small handle to the deadbolt turn counter-clockwise.

  She fired.

  A flurry of Spanish burned her ears, and she knew her aim was dead on.

  She backed to the side and stood rigid in the space between the door and the back wall. Wood splintered and broke off. She threw her good arm up, but not in time to block all the debris from nicking her face and neck. Adrenaline pu
mping through her veins blocked all the pain, the wet stickiness of her blood the only sign she was injured.

  She threw her eyes open. Three feet in front of her stood a very heavily armed, pissed off man three times her size and she would be a liar if she said she wasn’t scared as hell when he turned his black eyes on her.

  But now she had more to lose than just a house and some silly shed.

  Raw anger rooted deep in her stomach. Fire boiled in her and it wasn’t out of fear. This needed to end.

  Abigail leveled the muzzle of her gun through the cracked wood of the door, took a deep breath and fired off two more rounds.

  Blood blossomed out from where her rounds buried in the thug’s left shoulder. He dropped to his knees but didn’t go down. She took aim again and stepped out from behind the door. Several shots fired off in the distance, but she couldn’t focus on that right now.

  Her attention zeroed in on her immediate threat.

  She sidestepped the broken wood on the floor, her gun leveled at the man in front of her. With a wide berth, she eased in front of him. “Mirame, carbon.” She planted her feet, ready. “I said, look at me, asshole!”

  Her raw words brought his face up, and their gazes locked. He wore a sneer, but it didn’t intimidate her. So much hatred. She’d never met the man, but the hatred she saw in the depths of his black, soulless eyes chilled her to the bone.

  “We just want you, puta.” His words dripped acid and a small part of her didn’t care that she’d just wounded another human being. Labored breathing tore from the thug’s chest, but she wasn’t fooled. He could overpower her even with three bullet holes in him.

  “I’m not going anywhere with you. And there’s no way you’re leaving here alive.” She pulled the trigger, aimed right at his heart.

  Nothing happened.

  Out of bullets.

  The thug lunged for her, his weight and size crashing her into the unforgiving floor. Her head smacked against the tiles with a resounding thud that sent shockwaves of pain up and down her body. She gritted against it and the need to shut her eyes.