by Susan Stoker
“You’ll call if anything happens?” Smoke asked.
“Of course,” Eagle told him. “If I need you guys, I’m gonna call immediately.”
“Keep your phone on at all times,” Gramps said unnecessarily. “We can track it if anything goes wrong. If the need arises, I can call our connections with the local PD and give them a heads-up on the situation.”
“If you do that, they’re going to want to know why we haven’t come to them before now,” Eagle cautioned.
“I know. And I’ll explain it. But if you’re really as concerned about this asshole as you seem to be, there’s a reason to be worried, even if Taylor can’t describe him or if he hasn’t done anything illegal yet.”
“I can’t explain why this feels fucked up,” Eagle began, but Gramps held up a hand, stopping him.
“And you don’t have to,” he said. “We’ve been teammates long enough for us to know that if the situation feels hinky, then it’s hinky. I’ll make sure the cops know this is a serious thing.”
“I appreciate it,” Eagle said, thankful for the millionth time that he had such an amazing core group of friends.
“Try to have some fun,” Gramps said. “I know you’re both on edge, but Taylor should be proud of what she’s accomplished.”
“I will, and she is. Thanks,” Eagle said as he stood up. “Have a good weekend.”
His friends all said their goodbyes, and Eagle headed out of the safe room. He smiled when the first person he saw was Taylor. She was standing by the pinball machine, trying to give Christine advice as she played.
“There, see if you can hit that—it’s worth double points.”
“Won’t it lock my ball?” Christine asked.
“Yeah, but that’s a good thing. Because if you get two more balls, here and here, then it’ll drop them all at the same time, and everything you hit is worth double. It’s hectic, but the points you get are insane.”
“What do I do if—oh crap,” Christine said as the ball obviously went between the flippers.
“Aw. It’s okay, just keep practicing,” Taylor told her.
“Just don’t get good enough to beat my Taylor, and you’ll be fine,” Eagle teased.
Taylor’s head whipped around, and she smiled. “Eagle! Are you done?”
“Yup,” he said. “You ready to head out?”
“If you’re sure you can leave early.”
“Take him,” Christine begged, her eyes once more glued to the pinball playing field. “He’ll just stand here and annoy me if he stays.”
“You love it when I annoy you,” Eagle told his employee.
“Oh yeah, you just keep telling yourself that,” she sassed back.
Eagle chuckled, then asked seriously, “Everything okay with you, Christine? You’re early for your shift.”
“I’m good, thanks,” she said absently. “The kids are at their grandparents’ house, and Bob is on an overnight trip. So I decided instead of cooking for myself, I’d get out of the lonely house and come eat some of Shawn’s awesome food. And play some pinball.”
“Great. Well, have at it, then. As long as everything’s okay.”
Christine looked up then, and Eagle heard the ball fall between the flippers once more, but she didn’t seem concerned. “Thanks for caring,” she said sincerely.
“You’re welcome,” Eagle told her, then he held out a hand to Taylor. “Come on, glamour girl, let’s go get your stuff, and we’ll be on our way to the ball.”
Taylor laughed. “I’m not sure I’ll ever be a glamour girl, but thanks for the vote of confidence,” she said.
Eagle pulled her close and nuzzled the skin by her ear. Her curls immediately seemed to want to fuse with his fingers as he brushed the strands over her shoulder. “You’re my glamour girl,” he told her softly, loving the way she shivered at the feel of his warm breath in her ear. “I can’t wait to make love to you tonight, where we can both be as loud as we want.”
“How do you figure? I mean, we’ll be in a hotel,” she said shyly as he steered them toward the stairs and away from Christine’s hearing.
“Right, and I don’t give a shit if strangers hear you moaning. But I know you’d be embarrassed if the Silverstone employees heard us.”
“True,” Taylor said with a small smile.
“No objections?” he asked as they headed up the stairs.
“To you making mad love to me and making me orgasm so hard I can’t keep quiet? Um . . . no. No objections. And . . . just saying, the other day when I went down on you, when we stopped at your apartment so you could grab a change of clothes I know you didn’t really need . . . you weren’t exactly quiet yourself.”
Eagle couldn’t help but burst out laughing. He was busted. Even though he’d known they shouldn’t linger in his apartment, he’d figured since it was the middle of the day, and he was with Taylor, it would be all right. He’d needed to get her alone. And when she’d gone down onto her knees as soon as the door was shut and locked behind them, he’d realized she’d needed to be alone with him just as much.
They’d made love at Silverstone, and it’d been sweet and easy. The sex they’d had in his apartment had been frantic, passionate, and almost out of control. Eagle enjoyed both kinds of sex, but most of all he loved seeing Taylor lose all her inhibitions.
“Guilty,” Eagle said calmly as he held open the door for Taylor at the top of the stairs.
She smiled at him, and Eagle did his best to memorize the moment. He’d been doing that a lot lately. Storing up memories of his Taylor to bring out when he couldn’t be with her.
“Do you think Shawn would mind if we took a snack with us?” Taylor asked.
Eagle huffed out a breath. “Do I need to worry about you dumping me so you can marry our resident chef instead?”
Instead of getting irritated, she smiled wider and snuggled into him, her arms going around his waist. “Jealous?” she asked.
“I’m never going to be able to make you a delicious home-cooked meal,” Eagle admitted.
“I don’t need you to cook for me,” Taylor said seriously. “I need you exactly how you are. You have no idea how happy you’ve made me simply by being yourself. You’re the only person who’s looked past my condition to see me. It would be hypocritical to get upset that you can’t cook. I love you, Eagle. I’ve enjoyed getting to know Shawn better, and I might love the food he cooks, but I don’t love him.”
“It’s a good thing,” Eagle told her with a small smile. “Because I’d hate to have to beat him up.”
Taylor rolled her eyes. “Whatever. You won’t touch him, because you like his food just as much as I do.”
“True. I love you, Flower. So much.”
She beamed at him. “Thank you for going with me to Bloomington. I probably would’ve declined if you couldn’t or didn’t want to go. And not because of whoever seems to be following me. I don’t like parties like this. I’m always uncomfortable.”
“That’s in the past,” Eagle said. “I told you before, and I’ll tell you again, I’ve got your back. Now and forever. You showed me the list you got from the agent of people who will be attending. I looked them all up online, so if they approach you, I’ll just whisper who they are.”
Her eyes shone with love. “That’s literally the nicest thing anyone’s ever offered to do for me.”
“You’re with a man who remembers every single person he’s ever met,” Eagle said easily. “I think we’re a pretty good pair.”
Taylor rolled her eyes. “I’m probably getting the better end of the bargain here.”
Eagle looked around and, seeing they were alone, moved his hands down to her ass and squeezed. His fingers were within an inch of her pussy, and he had to force himself to not touch her intimately right there and then.
She went up on her tiptoes. “Eagle!” she exclaimed.
“You gave yourself to me,” he told her. “I don’t take that lightly, and you’re both the best friend and the best fuck I�
��ve ever had. I love you, so much it scares me sometimes. I definitely got the better end of the bargain.”
“We’ll have to agree to disagree, then,” Taylor said, and brushed her fingertips across his nape. He’d never thought he was sensitive there until she touched him. “And I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I’m kind of excited about the party. I’ve never had someone have my back like you do. I’ve always been the awkward girl standing on the side, looking at her watch, wondering if she’s stayed long enough to be polite and if she can leave already.”
“Not tomorrow, you won’t.”
“Nope. And . . . one of the people who’ll be there is an author I’d die to proofread for,” Taylor admitted. “I think if I can make a good impression, she might consider hiring me.”
“She will,” Eagle said confidently. “How could she not?”
“Thanks, Eagle. Your support means the world to me.”
“Back atcha,” he said. “Now, as much as I’d like you to put your legs around my waist so I can carry you into a room and make love to you until you’re limp as a noodle and I feel the same, we need to get going.”
Taylor took a deep breath, then nodded. She stepped back, and Eagle dropped his hands reluctantly. It was insane how he wanted to touch her all the time. He wondered if the feeling would ever fade, then decided he hoped it wouldn’t. He wanted to be eighty-five and still so madly in love with his woman that he needed to hold her hand, or be otherwise touching her, all the time.
“What are you thinking?” she asked, her head tilting in question.
“Just how much I like being with you,” Eagle told her. Then he grabbed her hand and pulled her toward the kitchen. “Let’s see what Archer left in the fridge. I won’t tell our employee you pilfered anything if you hurry.”
He grinned as she pulled her hand out of his grip and rushed ahead to see what goodies there were for her to take with them to snack on.
This would be their first road trip, and Eagle was eager to see what kind of traveler Taylor was. Would she sleep? Want to talk? Listen to the radio? Need to stop every thirty minutes to pee? He couldn’t wait to find out. Every little thing he discovered about her made him love her more. Bloomington wasn’t that far a drive from Indy, only around an hour, but he’d drive across the country with her if that’s what she wanted to do.
Knowing he was smiling like a crazy man, and not caring, Eagle put his hand on the small of Taylor’s back as they walked out of Silverstone Towing minutes later. He couldn’t wait to get to the hotel and show his woman how much he loved her.
Chapter Sixteen
Taylor couldn’t remember being this happy. Ever.
Which was pretty amazing, considering tomorrow night she’d be standing among the people she most wanted to impress in the book industry. Agents, authors, editors, other proofreaders. In the past, she’d have been in a full-blown panic by now.
Instead, Eagle had given her the confidence to actually look forward to what was ahead. She’d seen firsthand how he’d studied the pictures of the people who were going to be in attendance tomorrow night. She had no doubt he’d be able to stealthily let her know who was approaching or who she was talking to without making it seem weird. She’d seen him do it time and time again in the last couple of months.
She still had to pinch herself to believe she’d somehow found a man who seemed to respect and cherish her the way Eagle did. At first glance, she was aware that they looked a little odd together. He was tall, muscular, and gorgeous . . . or so Skylar had informed her. And she knew longing and admiring looks when she saw them, and that was what she saw on a lot of women’s faces when they looked at her man. In contrast, Taylor thought she was the definition of average looking. Her best feature was her curly hair, but she wasn’t sure that made up for her average height, average hair color, and average weight.
But Eagle loved her body. And said her height was perfect for him. And he loved her. As for Taylor, she didn’t care how attractive others found Eagle; he was hers, and she wasn’t giving him up.
If he decided one day that he didn’t love her anymore, it might utterly destroy her. But for now, he did love her, and she loved him, and life was good.
She looked over at Eagle as he drove like he did everything else—with confidence. He had one hand on the steering wheel, and the other was currently holding hers on the console between them. Every now and then, his thumb would brush against the back of her hand, sending goose bumps down her arms. She couldn’t help but look forward to getting to the hotel and seeing what dirty things Eagle had planned for the two of them.
There hadn’t been much traffic on 37, and as they approached the interstate that would take them into Bloomington, Eagle asked, “You want to take the scenic route?”
Taylor bit her lip. “Is that dangerous?”
“I don’t think so. I’ve been monitoring the vehicles behind us and haven’t seen anything suspicious,” he said.
“In that case, I’d love to,” Taylor said eagerly. “This part of Indiana is so beautiful. Anytime I can take the back road instead of the interstate, I’m all for it.”
“Great. We’ll get off at Martinsville. There’s a road called Low Gap that I’ve driven before. It goes right through the Morgan-Monroe State Forest. It’s beautiful. We’ll be a little later arriving at the hotel, but I think it’s worth it.”
Taylor sighed in contentment. “If I forget to tell you later, I had a great time this weekend.”
He grinned. “Ditto.”
They drove for a bit, then Taylor asked, “Can I ask you some stuff about Silverstone?”
Eagle immediately nodded. “Yes, but there might be some things I can’t tell you.”
“I know, I’m just curious about how you decide where to go and what missions to take on.”
“Sometimes it’s a simple matter of listening to the news. Other times we consult with our FBI contact. We look at the most-wanted lists, both national and international. We also have contacts around the country who might call and ask us to consider taking something on.”
“Like a referral?” Taylor asked.
“Sort of. Because of our time in the military, we have some Special Forces contacts. For instance, there’s one guy who lives in Pennsylvania—he’s an expert at digital sleuthing,” Eagle told her.
“What does that mean?”
“His computer is his weapon. There’s literally nothing he can’t do with his keyboard. He can find people no matter where they are and track down the smallest bits of information. He’s a miracle worker, and my team and I were grateful for his help when we were on active duty. He’s asked us for a few favors since we formed Silverstone, and we haven’t hesitated to grant them.”
“He sounds impressive,” Taylor said.
“He is. He’s helped us gather intel before missions a time or two, and been spot on with his info every time. There’s another guy out in Colorado who specializes in finding missing women and children. His own wife was kidnapped when they were on vacation in Las Vegas over a decade ago. He was frustrated with the lack of information generated by the authorities, so he formed his own team to rescue people who’ve been kidnapped into the sex trade.”
“Wow.”
“Yeah, the best part is that he did eventually find his wife—alive. It took ten years, but they’re now living happily ever after in Colorado.”
Taylor’s eyes filled with tears. She had no idea why she was so emotional over a couple she’d never met, but she was. “That’s . . . I don’t know what to say.” They’d turned onto the scenic road now, and it was as pretty as Eagle had promised. The densely packed trees on either side of them lent an additional aura of intimacy to their conversation, as did the frequent gentle curves in the road.
Eagle squeezed her hand. “Silverstone had never said yes so fast when he called and asked us to go down to Peru to take care of the leader of the sex trafficking ring that had taken his wife.”
“Really?” Taylor whisper
ed. “You killed him?”
Eagle nodded once.
At that, she started crying harder.
“Tay?” Eagle asked with concern. “I’m sorry! I never would’ve said anything if I knew you’d get so emotional.”
“I’m just so proud of you,” she choked out. “You probably saved so many people.”
Eagle shrugged. “Unfortunately, someone will step in to replace him. They always do.”
“I know, but that man and his wife have to be so relieved, knowing her tormentor won’t ever come after her again.”
“They are,” Eagle said with confidence.
“I love you,” Taylor told him. “I know I’m probably supposed to be appalled and think that what you do is morally wrong . . . but I can’t. I was never abused sexually when I was growing up—which was a miracle, considering how many foster homes I lived in—but I knew other kids who had been. I’ll never understand how adults can think that’s okay. Never. But knowing there are people like you and your team, and like the man who lives out in Colorado, who are fighting for the less fortunate . . . it makes me feel good.”
“I’m glad.”
“I talked to Skylar about Silverstone when you were on your last mission, and she told me a bit about her kidnapping. But what intrigued me most was the rating scale.”
“The one-to-ten thing?” Eagle asked.
“Yeah.”
“Bull told us about that.”
“It makes more sense now that you told me about the sex trafficking guy. Anyone who would keep a woman hostage for a decade is most definitely a ten,” Taylor said with feeling, wiping the last of her tears off her face.
“All of us have different definitions of that scale,” Eagle said.
“You do?”
“Yeah. Of course terrorists like Khatun and Mullah are tens. Their entire goal was to kill as many Westerners as possible. And that piece-of-shit sex trafficker was up there too. But while Bull might consider Ricketts, the pedophile who kidnapped Skylar, a three . . . I don’t.”
“What would you rank him?”
Eagle sighed. “Are you sure you want to talk about this?”