Securing Willow (Special Forces: Operation Alpha) (Guardian Elite Book 5)

by KaLyn Cooper

  Remi looked at his watch. “Two minutes and thirty seconds.”

  She scooted into her temporary home, taking a second to scan the living room and bedroom before hitting the bathroom. Obviously, Remi hadn’t spent much time around women. Two minutes wasn’t enough time to do much of anything.

  After a quick glance in the mirror, she decided to multitask. While sitting on the toilet, because damn, she had to pee bad, she touched up her foundation and powder, then ran a brush through her hair. She washed and dried her hands and quickly applied a new coat of lipstick.

  Tap, tap, tap.

  She gave herself a onceover in the mirror. That was as good as it was going to get.

  She and Remi walked side-by-side down the hall, their hands bumping several times. She wanted to reach over and grab his hand and hold it as they made their way to the dining room. They weren’t to that point. Yet.

  Willow decided right then that if Remi made a move, she’d sleep with him again. A short-term fling might be just what she needed.

  The elegant dining room looked as though it had been lifted from a nineteenth-century palace and dropped into the compound. Ornately carved dark-stained wood covered walls broken up by colorful local artwork. The long linen-covered table could comfortably seat twenty large men. Silver candelabras were in stark contrast with the men who stood behind carved mahogany chairs dressed in camouflage and weapons. Bone china, leaded crystal, and solid silver cutlery defined each place setting. Elegance and roughnecks, what a dichotomy.

  A tall man in a white apron and chef hat stood behind the empty chair at the head of the table. Willow immediately thought that was Remi’s seat and she moved toward the empty chair to his left.

  The chef placed his hand over his heart in the traditional style. “I am chef Bruno and it is my great honor to cook for the lovely Miss Willow.” He pulled out the chair and signaled for her to sit. She immediately recognized his accent as Wayuu, one of the many dialects found in Venezuela.

  Smiling, she placed her hands over her heart and replied in his language, “It is my honor to eat the food that your caring hands have prepared for me and my friends.”

  One of the women servers gasped and another claimed, “Oh my God.” Willow was sure that her reply was appropriate and suitable.

  She bowed slightly from the waist before she primly sat in the chair offered. Bruno gently shoved the seat closer to the table.

  Remi hadn’t lied. The meal was better than any she had eaten at the embassy, including formal state dinners. It was a delightful mix of steak, fish, fresh and sautéed vegetables, South American potatoes which she’d grown to love, and fresh fruit in a tart for dessert. She was officially full.

  By the end of the meal, she knew the names of all four men assigned to checking out the oil rigs and where they were from, that Jake Jamison was about to marry his high school sweetheart, and Zeb Fletcher had a woman living in his apartment that he couldn’t seem to get rid of. She briefly met Blake Wallace and Nolan Turner who were on duty, so they had taken their meals to their post with them. The last two men on Remi’s team were with Mr. Dunaway, who was still at the embassy.

  Since they had discussed the plan for the next day, she was aware that Mr. Dunaway, Remi, and the four men assigned to oil rigs would visit at least five oceanic platforms.

  “What are your plans for tomorrow?” Remi asked as everyone left the table.

  “You had mentioned there might be a place for me to set up an office?” She’d seen a small desk in her room as she dashed through. She could make do with that if she had to.

  He showed her the business center that had several large desks with dual monitors and half a dozen printers lined against one wall, including one wide enough to make blueprints. Remi picked up one of the many cables lying on the desk. “The local area network is encrypted so you don’t have to worry about secret communications. Since I’ve been here, nobody has used this room. Once the wells get up and operational, this whole place will probably fill with Zon Petrol personnel until they establish a local office. Will this work for you?”

  “I think I’m in heaven.” Willow ran her fingertips over a desk. She opened a closet to find reams of paper and neatly shelved ink cartridges. “I’ll be sure the embassy reimburses the company for anything I use.”

  Remi shrugged. “That’s between you and Mr. Dunaway.” He looked around the room before his gaze landed on her. “How would you like to go for a walk in the moonlight?”

  Walking at night had been a lost pleasure. “Let’s go.” She wanted to grab his hand and tug him out the front door.

  “I have one stop to make before we leave.” In the hallway they turned the opposite direction from the dining room. They wove past hotel room-sized apartments, a gymnasium which she might need to use, and came to a locked door. Remi knocked in an unusual pattern before it opened from the inside.

  “I’m going to show Willow the grounds,” he announced to Nolan.

  She couldn’t help but peek in. The desk looked like it belonged on a space station, with several keyboards, three telephones, and at least a dozen computer screens. She recognized the front entrance, what looked like the sidewalks outside the walls, and a few places in the building that she’d already seen.

  “Yes, sir.” Nolan said as he started to close the door.

  “Remi,” Blake called from somewhere inside. “Be sure to check out the southeast corner. Willow will like it there.”

  “Thanks. I’ll do that.” Remi pulled the door closed and they headed out a back entrance. Crossing a beautiful tiled patio, Willow wondered if the Wi-Fi extended all the way out there. To be able to sit outside in the sunshine, working on her laptop, would be divine.

  They ambled in silence for several minutes, their hands bumping on occasion. Remi seemed preoccupied with his own thoughts, so she ignored him and soaked in the night air. With every breath, she tried to breathe deeper to replace the air-conditioned air she had been breathing for the past months with fresh.

  “What did you mean when you told us you didn’t have anywhere to go?” Remi’s question hit her from left field.

  “Are your parents alive?” She countered.

  He was quiet for a long time before he answered. “Yes. My mom and dad live in the same house where I grew up. My mom, she’s going through breast cancer treatment. She had a double mastectomy two months ago and is now doing radiation and chemo.” He swallowed hard. “It’s tough on her, and my dad.” He sucked in air and forced a grin. “But she’s strong-willed. And with my dad at her side every step of the way, she seems to be improving faster than the doctors expected.”

  Willow reached over and grabbed his hand to give it a squeeze. “I know you are thousands of miles away, but I hope you talk to her every day.”

  She stopped and turned toward him. She wanted to make sure he understood her next point. “Every moment you have with her is precious.” She glanced away before returning to meet his eyes. “I never knew my father. Or my grandparents, or aunts and uncles. When my mom got pregnant with me, they kicked her out of the house. So, see, I don’t have any family. When my mother was murdered, a friend of mine, a cop, tracked down her parents under the guise of notifying next of kin.”

  Willow closed her eyes and shook her head, remembering those terrible days that followed her mom’s death. “They told him that they didn’t have a daughter by that name anymore. To them, she had died at eighteen. When he mentioned me—” Her throat tightened because just saying the next words hurt. “They said since they didn’t have a daughter anymore, they couldn’t have a granddaughter. They hung up on him.”

  Remi pulled her to him and wrapped his strong arms across her back and held on tight. His body was so solid, and warm. No one, except her mother, had ever held her simply to comfort her. Part of her wanted to let everything go and cry in his arms like the child she’d once been, but the adult woman in her savored his kindness.

  “Those people don’t deserve you, Willow.” R
emi pressed his lips to the top of her head. She could feel the moist heat of his breath in her hair. “I feel sorry for them, that they will never know the wonderful woman you’ve become.”

  “Thank you, Remi.” Her words echoed through her head. “I’m constantly saying thank you to you. You have to be the nicest man I’ve ever known.”

  He tilted his head back and lifted her chin until their eyes met. “I’m rarely a nice man. You just make me want to protect you, whether it’s from the inconsiderate assholes who share your blood, or the cowards who want to spill it. I won’t let anyone hurt you.”

  She reached up and cupped his face in her hands. “See. Nice guy.” This time when she pressed her lips to his, he immediately took control and deepened the kiss. She opened for him and he swept in, leaving the sweet taste of sugared fruit. She circled her arms around his neck at the same time he pulled her body closer to his.

  He broke the kiss to nip at her jaw then trace her rapidly beating pulse down to her collarbone. She tilted her head back to give him better access and massaged the back of his neck. As far she was concerned, he could keep going right down her body until he reached the apex of her legs, which was already wet with need.

  She ran her fingertips down his spine, and he arched back in pleasure. When she rocked her hips into his, she was sure he wanted her as much as she wanted him.

  Remi dropped his forehead to hers. “We can’t do this out here. No matter how much I want you right now.” He rocked his erection into her belly to prove the truth of his words. “There are cameras that show every inch of this compound, inside and out.”

  Willow stepped back and slapped her hand over her mouth. “Are you telling me that Nolan and Blake have been watching us?”

  “They hadn’t better be. That’s why I stuck my head in the security control room.” He grinned and took her hand. “Come on. Let’s keep walking.”

  Landscape lighting turned on as they sauntered down the curvy path that broke up the straight line of the huge white wall. It looked as though someone had put a lot of thought into the design, safety, and plantings. Closest to the wall were tall bushes with long thorns, but during the right time of year, had the most gorgeous red flowers. In the scallops, the gardener had planted bushes and flowers of diminishing sizes. Small animals couldn’t even hide among the foliage, say nothing of an adult male attacker.

  Tucked in a corner at the far side of the compound was a much deeper garden that stretched down both sides of the wall for fifteen feet. Everything seemed to be in bloom and emitting the sweetest fragrances. A riot of color filled the space.

  Someone had conveniently placed a wood and cast-iron bench catty corner so they could take in almost all the beauty at the same time. Willow walked over and sat down. At first she tried to take in everything at once and then decided to start on one side and work her way to the farthest point on the other wall.

  Remi sat beside her, saying nothing, holding her hand.

  “Thank you, for sharing this with me.” She shook her head. “There I go again. Saying thank you.”

  He bounced their clasped hands on his thigh. “You’re very welcome, but I have to confess, this is my favorite place in the entire compound. My mom loves…loved…to garden. When we were little, we used to pick her flowers from her own garden and bring them to her as though they were great treasure.”

  Willow could only imagine what an unselfish little kid Remi had been. Mischievous, no doubt. Thoughtful, absolutely. Considerate, the bouquet. “I’m positive your mother cherished them. Have you sent her flowers lately? I’ll bet they’d make her day.”

  “That’s a great idea,” he admitted. “I’ll order them online and have them delivered tomorrow by the time she gets home from chemo.” He grinned at her. “My turn to say thank you.”

  They sat in silence for a long time enjoying the night air and the colorful blossoms.

  “What happened to your mom?” Although he asked quietly, the question seemed loud and jarring.

  Even though it had been over ten years, she still got choked up when she talked about her mother. “We didn’t live in the best part of D.C.. My mom used to clean offices at night and worked as a maid at a hotel downtown during the day. She was walking the few blocks between jobs and got mugged.” Willow let out a long slow breath. “Stealing her purse wasn’t enough. They beat and kicked her, leaving her for dead.” Her voice broke on the last word. “I didn’t even know she was in the hospital until the next morning.”

  She quickly added, “See, I left for school, community college, about an hour before she got up to go to work at the hotel. After my classes, I waitressed at one of the bars close to campus. I used to go home and do my homework then crash into bed hours before she got home.”

  Willow rolled in her lips and bit hard to give her another source of pain to counter the ache in her heart. “I rarely got to see her other than brunch on Sunday mornings. She’d always get up early and cook us a really big meal.” Willow scoffed when she compared her mother’s cooking to the dinner they had just finished. “Sometimes it was simple as sausage in white gravy over homemade biscuits.”

  “My mom makes that. I thought it was a northern thing.” Remi squeezed her hand.

  “I don’t know. I have no idea where my mother was raised. She never talked about it. I think it brought back too many bad memories for her.” Willow twisted on the seat to face him. “She always told me to live in the moment, because the next one isn’t guaranteed.”

  She couldn’t stop the water that filled to the rims of her eyes. In that moment she decided to take her mother’s advice. Leaning forward, she wreathed her arms around Remi’s neck and kissed him. She didn’t care if the men in the security center were watching. She needed this man, his touch, his unending care.

  They sat on the bench kissing like teenagers for what seemed like a long time.

  With her head next to his, she heard the male voice. “The package will arrive at the compound in two minutes.”

  She ended the kiss and leaned back. “You’re getting a delivery this late at night?” She tilted her head. “Are you wearing a communications unit?”

  Remi laughed. “Mr. Dunaway will be arriving at the compound in less than two minutes and yes, I’m connected to everybody on my staff, and by extension, the operations center in Miami.”

  Willow stood. “I guess that means you need to get back to work. I should go unpack.”

  Hand-in-hand he walked her to her room. “Thank you for…everything. This has been one of the best evenings I’ve spent in months. Maybe years. I really appreciate you bringing me here. I’ll try to stay out of everyone’s way as much as possible.”

  Remi bent down and gave her a quick kiss. “The limousine just pulled in with Mr. Dunaway. I’ve got to go.” He gave her one quick kiss and disappeared down the hall and around the corner toward the front door.

  As she unpacked her backpack, pulling out her computer, office supplies, and post it notes, she had an idea. Grinning, she wrote Remi note reminding him to buy flowers for his mother. She peeked out her door. No one was around, but male voices echoed from another room. She quickly scooted out and put the note on his door.

  Hopefully he’d buy his mother some pretty flowers.

  Chapter 9

  “Hi, Mom.” Remi smiled at his cell phone as he walked down the hall toward his room.

  Her weak smile reached her tired blue eyes. She moved the phone so he could see the beautiful bouquet of yellow, white, and purple flowers that had been delivered shortly after she returned from chemotherapy. “I love them. They’re beautiful.” Her voice broke. “And I love you, son.”

  As he passed Willow’s door, he noticed it was closed. He wondered if she had been working in the office all day. He’d left specific orders with the security crew that she was not to go to the embassy. At least not without him at her side. President Guerra’s visit wasn’t scheduled until the end of the week. If Ambassador Snyder needed to talk to her, they coul
d do it over a secure phone line.

  “You deserve beautiful things, Mom.” That made his mother start to cry so his father took the phone.

  “You trying to make me look bad, boy?” The wrinkles around his father’s face seemed to have deepened. It was as though his mother’s illness had aged him as well. He wondered if Mr. Dunaway would have to return to the States anytime soon. Remi would love to catch a flight to Buffalo, if only to hug his mother and father and see them for a few hours.

  His dad held the phone in front of his mother for a moment. “Time for you to rest. Say good night to Remington.”

  His mother touched her fingers to her lips then to the camera on the phone. “Please, take care of yourself, Remington. We love you.”

  “Love you too, Mom. Now get some sleep. I’ll try to call again in a few days.” The phone bounced as his father carried it into the living room and he collapsed in his recliner. This had become their way, a time and place for him to talk privately with his father. “How is she doing?”

  His father managed a small grin. “Better, now that she’s talked to you.” His father gave him a genuine smile. “The doctor said she’s doing real good. She might not have to do as many rounds of chemo as they had initially said.”

  “That’s wonderful, Dad. The best news I’ve heard all day.” Because his day had been long and hot, interrupted by bad news. He heard his sister in the background. “Looks like Jeannie has arrived and hopefully she brought you supper. Speaking of supper, I need to shower before ours is served. I’ll call you again in a few days, Dad. I love you.”

  “I love you, too, son. You be careful.” His father’s farewell had always been the same.

  “I will. You take care of yourself. Bye.” Remi swiped the end button and let out a long slow sigh.

  Before he got that shower, he wanted to check with Bruno. He asked the chef to pack a picnic basket for him and Willow. He thought she’d like sitting out on the grass eating supper tonight.