by Donna Grant
Truth be told, it made her feel safe.
Then again, she’d always felt that way with him, even before he was a SEAL.
With the sounds of the night lulling her against the warmth of Owen’s body, she snuggled closer and felt her eyes burn. She shut them for just a moment.
* * *
Owen knew the instant Natalie fell asleep. He kept her upright so she didn’t fall while her head lolled to the side. Without thinking, he rested his chin atop her head.
He’d never been so scared as when he spotted one of the Russians with Natalie. Owen had reacted instantly—and with lethal force. They could’ve taken her away to rape, torture, or kill.
And it had set him off as few things could.
Later, he was sure his brothers would ask him about it. Right now, he just wanted Natalie at the ranch where he could keep her safe.
Being with Natalie in the dark reminded him of the times they’d snuck out to make love under the stars. It didn’t matter how many women came after her, he only ever saw her face.
Owen wished it wasn’t a life and death situation that had them in such a position now. He wished he’d returned to Texas sooner. He wished he wouldn’t have left that fateful night so long ago.
But he’d left because Natalie was the one thing that could’ve made him stay. He knew what they shared was something special, something that only came around once in a lifetime.
The sound of first one, then a second whistle from each of his brothers told him it was clear. He hesitated. He didn’t want to wake Natalie. Once he did, the reality of the night would come crashing down around her.
“Nat,” he whispered.
It took a moment before she raised her head and remembered where they were. He looked at her and nodded. Only when she returned the nod did they stand, their fingers linking as they walk from the trees.
Her back was straight, her gaze forward, but she held his hand as if her very life depended on it. Regardless of their past, at least she knew he would protect her.
The one thing Owen had always wanted to be was a hero in her eyes. Tonight, he’d gotten his wish. It was the circumstances that made his stomach turn. Natalie should never be involved in anything like this.
It was life and death from here on out.
Which meant her life was in his hands. It was a heavy weight he carried, but he did it gladly. Because it was Natalie.
Because she meant everything to him.
They ran across the yard toward the house. When they approached, Owen saw a shape step from the shadows. Callie opened the door so he and Nat could rush inside.
“I was getting worried,” Callie said.
Owen checked out the window before he turned to Natalie. His mouth went dry as he took his first look at her in the light. She wore a skimpy gown that fell to the tops of her thighs, held on to her shoulders by thin straps. It was black silk with cream lace around the top and bottom.
His balls tightened as he realized that’s what she slept in. That was the material he’d felt against his hand all night. It gave no more protection than a whisper.
Owen hadn’t thought about what she was wearing. His only goal had been to get her out of the house before the Russians arrived.
His gaze took in the numerous scratches and bites on her chest, arms, and legs. Natalie wrapped her arms around herself and shivered.
Before Owen could pull his mind away from imagining stripping her out of the gown, Callie draped a blanket around her shoulders.
Natalie grasped it tightly, bringing it around to hide the black silk from view. “Thank you,” she said to Callie.
“No problem.” Callie then threw Owen a dark look.
He jerked his chin to the kitchen. “I’m sure Natalie could use some coffee.”
“And clothes,” Callie murmured as she walked past him.
Though Callie was curt with him, her hand was gentle when she turned to Natalie and guided her into the kitchen. He followed, standing in the doorway as Natalie sank into a chair at the table and Callie poured two cups of coffee. Owen declined the cup, which Callie kept for herself.
Natalie stared at the table after she’d fixed her coffee. Callie leaned her back against the counter while holding her mug between both hands, looking between him and Natalie.
“Are they all dead?” she asked and lifted her deep green eyes to his.
He wanted nothing more than to tell her a lie. He didn’t want her dragged into the mess Orrin had created, but there was no way around it now. His father had put her there, and she’d willingly walked into it all.
In situations like this, the worst thing a person could do was lie. Natalie’s life was on the line, and she needed to understand that.
Because there was about to be a drastic change she would more than likely fight.
“Yes, they’re all dead,” Owen told her.
Natalie took a sip of the coffee then nodded. “Thank you.”
“It’s what I do.”
“How did you know they were there?”
Callie spoke before he could. “I found a file in your papers.”
“A file?” A frown puckered Natalie’s brow.
Callie pulled the folder from Natalie’s bag and slid it across the table. He watched as Nat’s face paled as she opened it and read the pages. “Oh, my God.”
“I know it’s marked classified. That’s the only word I looked up,” Callie said.
Owen moved to stand beside Natalie in order to see the file. “What does it say?”
“No wonder they came after me. I grabbed this by mistake, but if I’d known it was there, I would’ve taken it anyway.”
He drew in a deep breath and slowly released it. “What is it exactly?”
“Me.” Her green eyes lifted to him. “This is essentially a hit taken out on me.”
For a heartbeat, Owen could only look at her, his brain digesting the news. This couldn’t be happening. He’d left Natalie to make sure nothing like this ever touched her, and here she was, smack dab in the middle of a pile of shit too tall to climb over.
“It lists my address, my mother’s address, and all known associates,” she continued.
Callie nodded. “Of course, they wanted to know where you might go if you happened to get past them.”
“The ranch is listed, as well.”
“Because you and Callie were talking,” he said. “You set off alarms all through the embassy digging into Ragnarok.” Owen could only imagine the things the Russians had seen and heard Natalie doing each time she spoke with Callie.
Callie ran a hand through her hair, pulling the ponytail out as she did. “I don’t like this. We were careful not to discuss specifics on the phone.”
“That doesn’t matter,” he said, waving away her words. “Nat’s snooping made her a target. They let her live only because they hoped she might lead them to the bioweapon.”
Natalie looked from him to Callie and back to him. “And now?”
“Now that my brothers and I are here, you’re in the way. They’ve pieced together that you don’t know anything.”
Callie twisted her lip. “I really want to put an end to these assholes.”
“We will,” he promised. There was no other way. It had to be done. And they couldn’t waste another second. “However, we can use them, as well.”
Callie shook her head. “That’s a dangerous game.”
“Do we have a choice?” Natalie asked.
An image of the asshole backhanding Natalie flashed in his mind. “No, we don’t. We have no idea where Orrin is or how to find him. The Russians are the best chance we have.”
“And Ragnarok?” Callie asked.
He lifted one shoulder in a shrug. “We find Orrin, we find the weapon.”
Callie sat her mug down next to the sink. “Let’s get busy, then.”
Owen couldn’t take his gaze off Natalie. She hadn’t yet realized the impact of what had happened tonight, but she would soon enough.
The first step was isolating her from everything. If the Russian group wanted her, they would have to go through him to get her. And that would never happen.
It was right that she was now staying at the ranch. She belonged there.
She belonged with him.
Always had. Always would.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Natalie could only stare at the paper that so casually called for her to be killed. It left her … shaken. Cold.
Terrified.
Had Owen not come, she would be dead now. All because she’d looked up Ragnarok. Whatever this bioweapon was, she was glad Orrin had hidden it to keep it out of Russian—or US—hands.
She heard Owen talking behind her. Natalie didn’t need to turn around to know he was speaking to his brothers. Now that she was safe in the house, the horrors that occurred earlier rushed back to her.
The sound of the gun, the spray of the bark. The sight of the muzzle of the pistol pointed at her face. Her cheek hurt from the hit, but it was nothing compared to running for her life.
Her mind drifted to Owen. He’d been calm, as if he experienced such things on a daily basis. And that’s what saved her life.
She recalled how he’d fought ruthlessly and without an ounce of compassion. Natalie could never do such a thing, but then again, she wasn’t a soldier like the Loughmans.
Owen and his brothers did what they had to do for their country and those they loved. They didn’t stop to think of the consequences or if it might get them killed. They reacted instantly.
“Oh, girl,” Callie said as she sat next to Natalie at the table. “It’s a good thing Owen isn’t seeing this face of yours now. He’d have you in his bed in the next second.”
In his bed. In his arms. Beneath the night sky. She’d take any of it. To be alive after coming so close to death.
“He made a choice. I wasn’t what he picked,” she said.
Callie eyed her. “But you still have feelings for him.”
“I’ve had enough of men, and enough of coming in second.”
At this, Callie snorted. “Men are pigs.”
“Amen. How different my life would be if I hadn’t married my ex.”
“Wouldn’t have’s, couldn’t have’s, and shouldn’t have’s. It’s safer to leave those out of conversations. You can’t change the past. It’s already done. Looking back only keeps you there.”
She knew Callie was right, but it was hard not to go through her memories of Owen because there had been some truly wonderful times. “I’d be dead if it weren’t for Owen.”
“Do you regret your involvement in the whole Ragnarok thing?”
Natalie shot her a wry look. “I told you from the first, no.”
“They weren’t following you or attempting to kill you then.”
True. That was also before she comprehended how important Orrin’s mission was. “It doesn’t change anything. I’m in this now whether I want to be or not. And I don’t want out. I want to find these guys and those giving the orders. Someone has to pay for the murders they’ve committed.”
“These people have no idea who the Loughmans are. I almost feel sorry for them,” Callie said. Then she smiled. “Almost.”
Natalie returned Callie’s smile. It hadn’t taken them long to strike up a friendship. Even though Natalie remembered Callie from before, they hadn’t exactly hung out.
As a young girl, Callie had been beautiful. The kind of gorgeous you saw on magazine covers or the movies. But Callie’s was all-natural. She didn’t wear makeup, and always kept her hair long so she could pull it back or braid it.
Natalie burrowed deeper into the blanket. “The Russians could be anywhere.”
“They won’t touch you, trust me. Owen lost his mother to such brutality. He just lost the two people who raised him in a heinous way. You won’t be added to the list.”
“I know he won’t let anything happen to me or you, but I am going to help. He’d better get used to that idea.”
Callie chuckled. “I’m sure you’ll have no problem convincing him of that.”
“I’m going to need some clothes. My bags are still at my mother’s house, and I don’t have time for a trip to Dallas.”
“For now, there are some fatigues in my stuff that’ll work.”
“Not exactly my style, but it’ll be better than what I’m wearing. I’d like to be more covered the next time I talk to Owen.”
Callie laughed as she walked from the kitchen. “You might rethink that if you’d seen Owen’s expression.”
Now Natalie wished she had seen Owen’s look. Flirting with that kind of passion again was setting herself up for heartbreak, but she couldn’t seem to help it when it came to Owen Loughman.
He’d had her heart from the moment he asked her out.
Natalie rose and followed Callie, glancing to see that the brothers had moved out onto the porch. “You know, I held on to him and our love for a long time, and in the process, I ruined several relationships because I couldn’t admit he was gone.”
Callie walked up the stairs, glancing back as she reached the landing. She halted near a closed bedroom door. “How did you let go?”
“With difficulty,” Natalie admitted. She stopped, memories flooding her. “I thought Owen was the one I’d marry, the man I’d spend the rest of my life with. His need to serve was stronger than any love we had. Discovering that, and allowing it to sink into my brain, was how I was able to slowly let go.”
Callie slid her gaze to one of the doors farther down the hall—Owen’s bedroom. “And now?”
Natalie twisted her lips. “It’s like I never learned to let go. All those feelings are back again.”
“Damn,” Callie said softly.
Natalie shrugged. “I learned my lesson, though. I won’t go down that road again.”
“Good luck with that.” Callie opened the door and waved for Natalie to follow. “I moved some of my gear up here last night.”
“Moved? You mean you haven’t been living in the house?”
Callie chuckled as she opened one of the bureau drawers. “Yeah, the brothers assumed the same thing. I live on the ranch, just not in the house. There’re some old bunk houses that I renovated.”
“The guys didn’t like you out there alone, huh?”
“I didn’t want to be out there alone.” She grabbed a few things and pushed the drawer shut before she stood. “I may like to be on my own, but I like being alive.”
Natalie smiled at her. “Smart.”
“That I am. One day the guys will know that, as well.”
There was more to the story, but Natalie knew she wasn’t going to hear it right then. Perhaps later she might ask Owen.
“Here you go,” Callie said and handed over the stack of clothes. Callie walked out and down to the next room, opening the door for Natalie. “It’s just us here. The guys are guarding the place, so if you want to sleep, go ahead.”
Natalie didn’t get to respond as Callie left with a smile. Natalie walked into the room and closed the door behind her. After she set the clothes aside, she sank onto the bed with a sigh.
She fell back, her gaze going to the ceiling. At one point, when she and Owen were deep into their relationship and talking about the future, she’d actually thought the house would be hers.
With how much Wyatt hated the ranch, everyone knew he would leave and never return. Owen was the next eldest, so would inherit. Natalie had envisioned their children running around, learning to ride horses, and helping work the ranch.
How naïve she’d been. Her mother even cautioned her not to get her hopes too high while shoving Natalie toward rich men from Dallas.
Natalie sat up and threw off the blanket. Then she removed her gown and began to dress. The only thing she was missing was a bra, but it wasn’t as if she really needed anything. She never had much in the way of breasts. Ant bites her mother used to call them.
This was one time she didn’t mind not needing a bra. She left the shirt un
tucked and looked down at herself. The black fatigues and shirt were just like the ones Owen had worn.
The boots they’d shoved on her feet were too big, so she left them off but put on the socks. A quick look at herself in the mirror and fingers combed through her hair, then Natalie left the room.
She folded the blanket and brought it back downstairs. She found Callie standing in the living room with the lights out, looking through the window.
“Three men can’t guard this entire ranch,” she said.
Callie shot her a look. “They’re not going to be doing it alone.”
With all the training Callie had gone through with the FBI while training to join and then working with Orrin, Natalie could well imagine how proficient Callie was to help the brothers.
The same couldn’t be said for Natalie. She knew her way around a gun, thanks to lessons from Owen. Ever since then, Natalie made sure to keep up her training.
She’d also taken a few self-defense classes. A woman living on her own—in any country—needed to be able to defend herself. But none of her training meant much with what was going on. Yet, she wasn’t going to sit by and do nothing.
* * *
Owen remained at his post high in a tree as lookout while his brothers finished putting the final touches on the plan they’d come up with as the sky lightened. He was farthest from the house, but he knew Wyatt and Cullen wouldn’t let anyone near the girls.
He couldn’t stop seeing Natalie lying on the ground with the big guy over her. In all Owen’s missions and all the people he’d protected, not once had he ever lost control as he had then.
All Owen wanted was the Russian’s blood, to feel the life draining from him for threatening Natalie. Never mind the fact that the man was probably part of the team that had killed his aunt and uncle.
Death was something Owen had gotten used to as a SEAL. It was part of his life, part of what he was trained for. He’d never taken pleasure in killing. Until last night.
Knowing there were more in the group out there had him on high alert. They had gotten onto the ranch without being detected before. That wasn’t going to happen again. It didn’t matter that it was just he and his two brothers watching over several thousand acres.