The next morning, he woke to his mother’s quiet sobs. Walking softly to his parents’ room, he saw his mother holding a piece of paper. He silently crept closer and closer to her until he could read the note over her shoulder. She never knew he was there and he silently made his way back to his own room.
He was only seven, but he could read the one line the note contained. And he knew he was forever changed because of those eight little words.
“You and Colt are better off without me.”
Chapter One
The reception for the newlyweds, Mr. and Mrs. Noah and Brianna Steele, was in full swing. They intentionally kept the wedding small, with only immediate family and close friends invited. Some of the close friends in attendance—like Shadow, Rebel and Bull—were all also employees of Steele Security, Noah’s security firm located in downtown Miami. The unbreakable bond was sealed between the “brothers” when all the men served together in the Army as Rangers, and finally in a remote area in the Middle East in the clandestine Delta Force unit.
Noah and Brianna exchanged vows at sunset on the beach, with the bride radiantly glowing in her early pregnancy and the groom smiling from ear to ear, like he was the luckiest man in the world. Noah and Brianna’s relationship had been through hell and back over the past several years. But with Brianna’s return to Miami, they managed to pull the pieces back together and move forward as man and wife, stronger than ever.
Engrossed in their nuptials and having eyes only for each other, neither Noah nor Brianna noticed the figure lurking in the shadows. The one person who tracked their every move, while keeping out of sight of the guests, the wedding planner, the caterer, and other workers. The one uninvited guest, who had crashed their private party, but remained unannounced, unseen, and unheard. The one who patiently waited for the right opportunity to make a move toward the happy couple.
When the wedding party moved inside an outdoor event tent, the uninvited visitor patiently waited outside. There were plenty of ways to blend into the background—to be invisible and silent—when it was absolutely necessary. This was one of those times. It was absolutely necessary to keep quiet and stay hidden. The intruder’s sole focus was to wait them out, knowing that they eventually would have to leave the sanctity of the tent and head for their waiting limousine.
The intruder patiently waited as the wedding guests danced, laughed, and thoroughly enjoyed themselves inside the fully air-conditioned tent. For everyone except the blushing bride, the champagne flowed freely.
Bull, Rebel, and Shadow all met Brianna in the Middle East when she was on assignment as an investigative reporter. They were actually her assignment, but in a short span of time, they developed a close relationship. They became her brothers, in the same manner that Noah was their brother, and they each took that unspoken oath seriously.
Bull’s commitment to Brianna and Noah was unconditional and unwavering. As Brianna and Noah’s brother, he felt a keen responsibility to keeping them safe, watching their backs, and being available whenever they needed him. He loved Brianna like the little sister he never had and she had more than proven her worth in his eyes.
Brianna shared dances with her new husband, Noah, and then with Shadow and Rebel, throughout the evening. But Bull waited until the end of the evening to request his dance. He viewed his relationship with Brianna as a special one. He didn’t easily trust people and she had earned his trust—actually twice in one lifetime. No one had ever lost his trust and then won it back again. No one until Brianna, that is.
“Can I have this dance?” Bull’s smile lit up his handsome face as he leaned down and offered his arm to Brianna. She had just taken a seat next to her husband to rest her weary, swelling feet when Bull approached.
When Brianna first met the team, it was Bull who was the hardest for her to get to know. She knew right away that he regarded loyalty and trust as the ultimate test of friendship. If anyone failed that test, they would never get another chance. For those who passed the test, they would never find a more loyal friend.
“I don’t know if that’s a good idea, man. Her feet are-,” Noah started to respond, but Brianna cut him off.
“It’s okay, Noah,” she patted his arm and turned to Bull, smiling warmly. “I would love to dance with my brother. I thought he’d never ask.” Brianna smiled as she stood and walked to the dance floor with Bull.
Noah smiled proudly as he watched one of his best friends walk off with his glowing bride on his arm. There was no jealousy in their relationship. Noah knew very well how Bull viewed allegiance, honor, and trust in their tight-knit group. He knew when he met Brianna in the desert that he would one day marry her. There was absolutely no reason to ever question her love and faithfulness to him. She’d already proven that to him with everything they had been through.
Bull was hurt when he thought Brianna had betrayed him. His trust in her was temporarily shattered. After she revealed the truth, and Bull understood all the events of the past, he realized he had been wrong about Brianna’s intentions.
When Noah thought about it, he had to admit to himself that he was relieved that Bull was able to forgive Brianna for her breaching his trust—even if it was for a good cause. It would’ve been hell living between the two strong-willed, hard headed people he loved had Bull not relented.
Arm in arm, Bull escorted Brianna to the dance floor and gently twirled her around to face him as they began swaying to the slow music. Bull looked around the tent, taking in all the happy faces, the toasts and cheers accompanied by glasses clinking. The bride and groom’s deep-rooted love was evident to anyone who even glanced at either of them. He knew his friends would have a perfect life together. Not that there would never be problems, but their trials had only made them stronger and better prepared to face whatever the future may bring.
Bull had accepted long ago that he would never have this—a wife, someone who holds his heart, someone with whom to share his thoughts or someone he could trust with every facet of his life. He was happy for his friends but it just could never be in his cards. That decision was made for him—inside him—long ago. He didn’t share his feelings, dreams, fears—or his love—with anyone outside of his group. He sure as hell didn’t give his heart away to anyone who could hurt him.
“You look gorgeous, Sunny,” Bull said, referring to her with the nickname she’d earned when she first met them while on assignment. “It was a beautiful wedding and Noah is a lucky man. I can’t wait to be an uncle and help Noah teach that baby boy a few hand-to-hand techniques.”
Brianna burst out laughing and put her forehead on Bull’s expansive chest. His high school football coach gave him that nickname because of his enormous and formidable stature. Following through on his duties was tantamount to his sense of honor—and one of his duties was to be an uncle to the baby growing inside of her. And his honor would not be impugned.
Brianna shook her head in only slight disbelief at his statement and asked, “What if it’s a girl?”
With an equally serious face and tone of voice, Bull answered. “She can learn, too.”
When Brianna laughed, Bull finally conceded and laughed along with her. “Seriously, Brianna, I am looking forward to being an uncle. You and Noah will be great parents.”
“Thank you, Bull. That’s so sweet of you. I mean that,” Brianna responded before straining on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek.
“I want you to have fun on your honeymoon, but I want you to be careful, too, Bri. Don’t leave Noah’s side if you can help it. I don’t want anything to happen to you. Promise me.” His smile was gone and so was any glint of humor. He was instantly back on soldier duty and she was his charge.
Bull’s sudden seriousness and frankness caught her by complete surprise. Bull was normally a man of few words, but when he did find it necessary to issue a command, he meant what he said. For him to specifically ask her to stay close to Noah and be careful meant he knew something she didn’t know. She’d learned that much about him
, and she also knew better than to quiz him about it. Years of working on a “need to know” basis made him keep information to himself much more than the average person.
Still, Brianna searched his eyes for any trace of worry or any other sliver of information she could use later to pry everything out of Noah. Bull felt her penetrating stare, knew what she was looking for, and steeled himself against it. The last thing he wanted was to add undue stress on her, especially while she was pregnant, but he learned to rely on his instincts many years ago. Those instincts had kept him alive in many hazardous conditions.
Realizing she would have better luck penetrating Fort Knox than penetrating Bull’s thoughts and feelings, Brianna nodded in agreement. She responded, “I promise, Bull. I don’t intend to leave Noah’s side the whole two weeks unless I absolutely have to.”
Satisfied with her word, Bull escorted her back to Noah, who waited patiently at the bride and groom table. As they approached, Bull watched Noah’s eyes take in his new wife. He was amazed with how they instantly filled with love and admiration every time Noah looked at Brianna. They also demonstrated how possessive and protective he was of Brianna.
He became even more possessive and protective of her after he learned of her pregnancy. In honor of the love that flowed between Noah and Brianna, Bull made a silent oath to do whatever it took to keep Brianna safe. He meant what he said—he was looking forward to being an uncle and he would use any means necessary to protect his family.
Noah’s eyes reluctantly left Brianna and met Bull’s. Brianna saw the immediate shift in Noah’s demeanor—the crinkling of the outer corners of his eyes, the hard set of his jaw, and the deep breath he inhaled that drew Noah up even taller than his normal Greek-god self. She knew he saw something in Bull’s countenance that set him on guard. Noah and Bull had worked together for too long and had too many full conversations without ever saying a word for Noah to have missed it. She just wished she knew what it was.
Noah took Bri’s hand and pulled her into him for a full body embrace. Since he towered over her, Brianna couldn’t see the looks he and Bull exchanged or even guess at what the looks conveyed to the other. When she pulled back, Noah lowered his head and gently brushed his lips on hers, his hands on either side of her face, then deepened it to kiss her thoroughly and completely.
It really didn’t matter how many times he’d kissed her in exactly that manner, every time made her weak in the knees and gave her heart palpitations. Mr. Noah Steele was one fine specimen of a man, and she was so thankful that their lives were reunited.
“It’s time to go on our honeymoon, Mrs. Steele. Let me take you away from here now,” Noah whispered seductively to Brianna. Brianna knew full well that his words held a triple meaning. It actually was time to leave, he wanted to get her alone, and he knew something was wrong and he wanted her as far away from it as possible. She decided to go with the meaning that she liked the most.
“Take me away, Mr. Steele. Take. Me. Away,” she replied as she wrapped her arms around his neck, stretched on her tiptoes, and kissed him back. As his strong arms wrapped around her, she forgot about Bull’s warning. She forgot about the guests who were most likely watching. She forgot about anything and everything else that the world wanted to throw at them.
It was time for her honeymoon with the man she loved.
Chapter Two
The wedding reception ended with the tradition of the bride throwing the bouquet and the groom removing and shooting her garter into the crowd. The crowd whistled catcalls when Noah lifted Brianna’s dress and slowly dragged the garter down her leg. She blushed bright red when he stopped midway and softly kissed her thigh. The smoldering look he gave her left no room for doubt of exactly what he had in mind.
Bull, Rebel, and Shadow each took their assigned locations to guard all sides. Each man automatically covered and protected Noah and Brianna’s flank without giving it conscious thought. Bull’s position put him in the optimal location to catch the lucky garter when Noah shot it into the crowd.
The surprised and disgusted look on Bull’s face at catching the feminine adornment was priceless. He was such a big, macho man but he had no clue what he was expected to do with the girly garter Noah had just removed from Brianna’s leg. He turned it over in his hands, smirking at the crowd of people who clapped him on the shoulder to congratulate him, though he had no idea why they thought it was such a big deal.
Brianna teased him, telling him it was the male equivalent of the bridal bouquet. It meant he would be the next male there to get married. He quickly tried to pawn it off on any other single, unsuspecting male but no one would have it. He vehemently argued with his brothers that he would never get married. He had big plans to be a career bachelor.
With the festivities and fun coming to an end, Brianna and Noah left the shelter and sanctity of the tent and took their exit as man and wife. Their friends and family tossed birdseed onto them as they left. They entered the waiting limousine with beaming smiles, obviously excited to leave for their two-week honeymoon at a secluded resort in Fiji.
The uninvited guest was still hiding in the shadows, trying unsuccessfully to catch a glimpse of the newlyweds as they walked from the massive tent to the waiting stretch limousine. A giant man strategically blocked every viewpoint of the bride and groom. None of the men moved until the happy couple was safely tucked away in the limousine and the car was then driving away.
Bull, Shadow, and Rebel exchanged glances and turned back toward the tent and beach area, each man taking a different route and moving with the confidence and prowess of a well-trained reconnaissance team. After a few minutes of nonchalantly mingling with the few remaining friends and family members, each man’s eyes conveyed their path he would cover as they separated. A few members of Brianna’s family were still gathering the last of the wedding gifts as the three men made their way around to the area behind the enormous tent.
Their time together in the military made them a lethal machine that could operate without any verbal communication. The way they could communicate and read the other’s thoughts was more than a little intimidating to others. They stealthily moved into position, quickly identified the culprit’s location, and descended. Focusing too much on where Noah and Brianna were, and not enough on the immediate surroundings, the intruder was suddenly cornered by the three intimidating giants. And there was no way out.
One of the giants spoke first, his voice low and instinctively threatening. “This is a private party. And since I don’t know you, I know you weren’t invited.”
When the intruder didn’t answer, Bull spoke more forcefully. “Tell me what you want with the bride and groom. Now.”
“I have business with Noah Steele,” she finally answered, tentatively.
“Not today you don’t,” Bull responded in an end-of-discussion tone.
“You don’t understand. I have to talk to him,” she argued.
“No. You don’t understand. He’s married now, so whatever you think the two of you had once upon a time is long over. You have no business with him now.”
Confusion etched her face for a moment as Bull’s words sunk in. “Oh, no, it’s not like that at all. I, um, I,” she stammered under his watchful glare.
“Yes?” he prodded, his irritation and disbelief obvious in his voice.
“I’m in trouble and I need protection. Noah Steele—he owns Steele Security, right?” she hedged, pressing on with her questions about Noah.
Bull’s threatening stance toward her didn’t change. He instinctively knew there was more to this lady than she revealed. Her persistence in reaching Noah, at his wedding of all places, was blatant and now she was asking questions to which she obviously already knew the answers. He decided that he would get answers from her and then he would personally escort her from the premises.
Bull narrowed his eyes, tilted his head, and thoroughly examined her from head to toe. He knew from the first glance that she was accustomed to looking and beha
ving in a more refined manner than her current casual appearance displayed. She wasn’t someone who had lived a life in the criminal element. In other words, she didn’t appear to be very street smart, but Bull never trusted anyone at face value.
She had long, black hair that was thick and naturally wavy. The natural tan glow of her skin made her mint-green eyes stand out and be noticed. Her lean, muscular frame fit her five-foot-seven height with perfect proportions.
She wore khaki mini-shorts with a stylish, flowing tank top that showed off her tanned arms and shoulders. Her fingernails and toenails were expertly manicured and she wore the exact amount of jewelry that was considered appropriate but not overdoing it. She was truly a beautiful lady and he would definitely be interested under better circumstances. Interested for a night or maybe two, that is.
When her mint-green eyes fearfully looked up into his, Bull felt electricity arcing between them. The attraction was immediate but he didn’t trust that feeling. He was never one to give in to sudden impulses, so he mentally shook those thoughts away and continued with what he knew best.
“I think you know Noah Steele owns Steele Security. But what I don’t know is why you came to his wedding to ask for protection instead of calling his office. The office that has manned phones, twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week,” Bull retorted, his Southern drawl more evident now than earlier. He’d learned to hide his accent fairly well, but it was still ingrained in him.
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