Lethal Protector

by Kaylea Cross

  LETHAL PROTECTOR

  Rifle Creek Series

  Kaylea Cross

  LETHAL PROTECTOR

  Copyright © 2021 Kaylea Cross

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  Cover Art: Sweet ‘N Spicy Designs

  Developmental edits: Deborah Nemeth

  Line Edits: Joan Nichols

  Digital Formatting: LK Campbell

  * * * * *

  This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer's imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental.

  All rights reserved. With the exception of quotes used in reviews, this book may not be reproduced or used in whole or in part by any means existing without written permission from the author.

  ISBN: 978-1-928044-42-0

  Table Of Contents

  ABOUT THE BOOK

  DEDICATION

  AUTHOR’S NOTE

  Prologue

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Epilogue

  Dear Reader

  Excerpt: Undercurrent

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  COMPLETE BOOKLIST

  ABOUT THE BOOK

  She unknowingly threatens his control.

  Single mom Tala Baldwin is no stranger to sacrifice. After losing her leg while serving her country, she’s now training to become a competitive biathlete. With her daughter off to college, she’s able to shoot for her dream of making the national masters team. Even her Christmas break in Rifle Creek doesn’t slow her down. She’s asked her trusted friend Braxton to help her train—all while trying to pretend she doesn’t ache for him. Braxton was there for her during the darkest day of her life and he’s been there for her since…but only as a friend. In fact, he seems more determined than ever to hold her at arm’s length—until a deadly blizzard traps them in the mountains with a wanted killer hot on their trail. Now Tala once again finds her life in his hands as they face the lethal threats together.

  Now he’s at his breaking point.

  Sgt. Braxton Hillard is a master sniper, renowned for his ability to operate without emotion. Except with Tala. She’s all he’s ever wanted—but can’t have. For four long years he’s kept his distance. She’s way too good for him and she would realize that if he ever made a move. But the attraction between them is too powerful to deny, and once she makes it clear she wants him, he can’t keep his distance any longer. As they fight to survive in the mountains, all bets are off. Braxton is ready to sacrifice everything to protect the woman he loves—even his own life.

  DEDICATION

  For my brave Canadian warriors and those who love them. Thank you for your service.

  AUTHOR’S NOTE

  Friends-to-lovers is one of my very favorite romance tropes, and I can’t wait for you to see how Tala and Braxton’s story unfolds. I loved bringing these two together after everything they’ve been through!

  Happy reading,

  Kaylea

  Prologue

  “Is this seat taken?”

  At the sound of that deep voice next to her at the base mess hall table, Tala looked up from her lunch tray and gasped in delighted surprise. “Brax!”

  She jumped out of her chair with a huge smile spreading across her face, and barely resisted the urge to throw her arms around him. That kind of fraternization while in uniform was a definite no-no. “What are you doing here in Kandahar?” The latest rumors she’d heard had placed his unit up north somewhere.

  His sexy grin made her heart somersault. He looked incredible, tall and broad-shouldered, his shirt hugging the sculpted muscles in his chest and shoulders. His honey-toned skin had deepened with his tan, and his full, dark beard made him even more ruggedly masculine. “Just got in early this morning. Heard from Tate that you were here, so I thought I’d track you down and say hi.”

  Her brother was friends with him and Braxton’s best buddy, Mason. “I’m glad you did. You’re looking good.” Even more gorgeous than she remembered, and she thought about him a lot more than she should.

  “Thanks,” he murmured, looking uncomfortable at her compliment. He gestured to the chair beside her. “May I?”

  “Yes, of course.” She sat back down, put an elbow on the table and propped her chin in her hand to admire him, touched that he’d taken the trouble to come find her. “How long are you here for?”

  “Couple days, maybe, just depends.”

  On whether they get actionable intel on their next target. “Is Mason with you?” They were both JTF2 operators, members of Canada’s tier-one, elite counterterrorism unit. Hence the beard, due to relaxed grooming regulations in the SOF units.

  “He’s around. Not working with him directly much right now, though.”

  Braxton was a master sniper. He worked with small teams mostly, attached to a JTF2 assault squadron or another SOF element. “Ah. Well, tell him I said hi when you see him.”

  “I will.” He leaned back in his chair a bit, giving her a slow smile that heated her insides. And she was almost positive he had no clue he had that effect on her. “Everything good with you?”

  “Yeah. I’ve only got another five weeks before I rotate home. I can’t wait to see Rylee.” Her teenage daughter back in Kelowna, right in the heart of British Columbia’s lake country. “We video chat a lot, but it’s not the same.” Seeing Braxton made her feel homesick, reminding her of all she’d left behind.

  “No. She staying with your parents?”

  “Yeah, they’re taking good care of her. They even moved into our place so she could stay in her own surroundings while I’m over here.” Her parents were awesome, had always been there for her, including supporting her as a single teenage mom trying to learn how to take care of a baby.

  He nodded, opened his mouth to say something else, stopped, and pulled his phone out of his pocket. He gave the screen a cursory glance, then tucked it away with a sigh. “Really sorry, but I gotta go.” He stood.

  “I do too.” She wished they’d had more time together. But duty called. “Hey, if you end up being here for a few more days and have some time to kill, drop me a text and we’ll meet up for a coffee or whatever. If you want,” she rushed to add.

  “I’d like that.” His deep brown eyes were warm as he gazed down at her, the corners crinkling slightly with the hint of a smile. He was fond of her, but she wasn’t sure if there was anything more for him than that. She wished there was. “Take care of yourself.”

  “Yeah, you too.” She allowed herself to watch him walk away for a few seconds before forcing her attention back to her half-eaten meal. Except her appetite was now gone. Seeing Braxton reminded her too much of home—and also what she could never have.

  Braxton was married to his unit, and tended not to let anyone in. There was no place in his life for anything else, including her. And for some unknown reason that still wasn’t enough to make her stop dreaming of him or imagining them together.

  Returning her tray to the stack by the door, she left the mess hall and hurried back across base toward her barracks, an
xious to get this next patrol over with so she could enjoy some downtime tomorrow. Rylee had exams this week and would no doubt be up late cramming. Maybe they could have a quick video call tomorrow.

  Seated in the back of the APV fifteen minutes later, she found her concentration fragmented as they headed outside the wire and out of the relative protection of the base. Their mission today was to provide security for some brass on the way out to some rural villages to foster relations with the local farmers in the region.

  Communication buzzed back and forth between the officers in charge up ahead of them in the convoy, and the sergeant riding shotgun in her vehicle. She stared out the small armored window at the dun-colored landscape, her mind wandering back to Braxton.

  Twenty-plus miles into their trip, the vehicles slowed as they approached a large village. EOD teams had been busy here during the night, clearing the road of any mines or IEDs in preparation for their arrival today. Still, Tala tensed, her pulse speeding up as she tightened her grip on her C7 rifle.

  She jerked when bullets raked the side of their vehicle, sucking in a sharp breath as her heart rate shot up.

  “Contact right, two hundred meters,” her sergeant barked into the radio.

  Tala glanced around, looking for signs of the enemy. More rounds pinged off the armored plating and kicked up puffs of gray-brown dust as they hit the ground.

  The sergeant twisted around in his seat to say something, face tense, but a fireball exploded at the front of the convoy. The force of it shook their vehicle.

  The radio traffic surged as the two vehicles in front of them opened, the soldiers pouring out to assume a defensive position. Tala forced back her fear and exited her vehicle with the others, rifle to her shoulder as she searched for a target. She flinched and ducked when another explosion rocked the air, another vehicle ahead of them going up in flames.

  Her sergeant was yelling at them over the noise, ordering them away from the vehicle. Tala reacted immediately, glancing around for the nearest cover. She was in a bad spot, out in the open, midway between the road and the irrigation ditch to the left.

  Tala ran for it.

  She only made it a few steps before a blast of heat seared her back. The air rushed from her lungs as the force of the nearby explosion shot her forward, lifting her off the ground.

  She landed hard on her side and scrambled upright, her ears ringing, and did a quick assessment. The APV she’d just been standing next to was a burning mass of metal. Two people were lying on the ground.

  People all around her were running for cover. She had to help the wounded.

  You’re not hit. Get up.

  Shaken, she rolled to her feet and rushed for the closest casualty.

  Brilliant white light seared her retinas a second later. More heat, this time beneath and in front of her. Then she was airborne.

  The world turned upside down. She hit the ground hard on her back and lay there staring up at the smoke-filled sky. It took a moment for her brain to kick back online, the world spinning around her, the stench of cordite stinging her nostrils and her mouth filled with dust and blood. Shit. Had she been hit?

  Get up. Get up.

  But she couldn’t. Could only push up on her elbows, her mind reeling, her body refusing to obey. She was hurt.

  Rylee.

  Her daughter’s face flashed in her mind, galvanizing her. Have to get behind cover.

  Through the thick cloud of dust, a figure appeared above her. A man. Kneeling down beside her. “Tala.”

  She blinked up at him, stunned but recognizing that voice. Braxton. Where had he come from?

  She tried to respond but only a wheeze came out. Something was wrong.

  He was reaching down, past the limited field of her blurry vision toward her legs. She felt tight pressure around her right calf. “Medic!” he shouted over his shoulder. “I need a medic over here!”

  Tala went rigid, her heart shooting into her throat as her gaze snapped to his broad back, blocking her view. Was she injured? She didn’t feel anything except the stinging from where the blast wave had hit her in the face and hands.

  She struggled to lift her head, tried to see what had happened to her, but Braxton was in the way. Two more people ran up to help.

  And then Braxton spun around to straddle her torso, leaning down to cup her face in his hands. They were slick with blood. The metallic scent of it turned her stomach. He stared down at her, face grim, his dark eyes holding her immobile. “You’re gonna be okay. Just keep looking at me.”

  He was trying to prevent her from seeing her lower body.

  Fear tore through her. Gunfire rattled all around them, the stench of blood and burning metal stinging her nostrils. She struggled to turn her head to see past him, see what the other two people were doing to her.

  And then the pain hit. Vicious and hot. Searing through her right calf.

  She sucked in a ragged breath, eyes squeezing shut as a cry of agony came out. She instinctively thrashed, trying to escape it. My leg…

  Strong hands held her in place. Braxton was pinning her shoulders down, his weight anchoring her hips. His urgent voice echoed in her ears but she couldn’t understand him, couldn’t focus through the pain and terror.

  Oh God, oh God, oh God… She was shaking now. Freezing cold in spite of the heat, her stomach roiling.

  “Don’t move, Tal. Just stay still. You’re gonna be okay.”

  Tala forced her eyes open, shock taking hold. Was he lying? She was hyperventilating, the fear and pain colliding. She met his gaze for a second, then slid hers to the left.

  Through the dust and smoke she saw a boot lying in the dirt a few meters away. Several inches of bloody bone and tissue were sticking out of it.

  She stared at it in horror, reality hitting her like a sledgehammer.

  Oh my God, that’s my foot.

  Gagging, she rolled her head to the side and retched onto the bloodstained ground.

  Chapter One

  Four years later

  Butterflies swarmed in Tala’s stomach when the Missoula airport came into view down the highway, the buildings awash with the reds and golds of sunset. Behind them, reflected in the passenger side mirror, the soaring mountains cut a jagged purple silhouette against the glowing horizon.

  When they picked up Braxton in just a few minutes, she would finally be face to face with him for the first time in sixteen months. It seemed like an eternity.

  She’d flown down here from Kelowna last week to spend the Christmas holidays with her daughter and brother in Rifle Creek. And the prospect of seeing the man who starred in all her romantic and erotic fantasies had her all tangled up inside.

  “When’s the last time you saw Braxton, anyway?” she asked Mason as he drove them in his Jeep. Her eighteen-year-old daughter Rylee was in the back with Mason’s service dog, Ricochet. The Aussie shepherd-border collie cross had his head stuck over the front seat, his chin resting on Mason’s shoulder so he could look out the windshield at the passing scenery.

  “Almost a year now. He was on a short leave between deployments and came to visit me in Calgary. What about you? I know you guys talk all the time.”

  “Not all the time.” Maybe a few times a month. Not nearly as often as she’d like. “Mostly we email or text, with the occasional video call thrown in there.”

  She tried to make it sound casual, though for her it wasn’t casual at all. Her feelings for Braxton were as serious as they came.

  “And the last time I saw him was at my parents’ place last August when you guys came to see Tate,” she added. She and Tate shared a father. They had grown up together as kids and had remained close in spite of having spent so many years living apart—her in Kelowna and him down here in Montana.

  “I remember that,” Rylee said. “Uncle Tate got so drunk, you guys had to carry him to bed.”

  “Oh, yeah, that time,” Mason mused with a fond smile. “And you weren’t supposed to see that. I thought you were fast asl
eep in the other guest room.”

  Rylee snorted. “Not like I could help it with how loud you were all being.”

  Tala smiled. Being able to spend time with her daughter again was a Christmas gift in itself. They’d always been close, but things hadn’t been the same since Rylee had started college down here in August. Tala missed having her at home.

  “That was a fun day,” she said with a faint smile, remembering that day last summer vividly.

  They’d all gone out onto Okanagan Lake together on her dad’s boat. The guys had waterskied. She’d spent the afternoon secretly staring at Braxton’s bare, sculpted chest and arms from behind the safety of her dark sunglasses. Everyone had been in swimwear except for her, because she’d been uncharacteristically self-conscious about him seeing her prosthetic on full display.

  After Mason parked the Jeep, they walked into the terminal together and went to the baggage claim area. People from Braxton’s flight were already gathering their luggage.

  Tala scanned the crowd, searching for him, excitement bursting inside her when she spotted him. “There he is. Braxton!” She waved her arm over her head.

  He looked up and locked gazes with her across the busy space, and her belly fluttered at the smile he gave her. The nerves rushed back, mixing with anticipation. She needed to make sure to hide her feelings for him while he was here, though that was getting harder all the time.

  He looked away for a moment to grab his Canadian Forces-issued duffel from the conveyor belt. Hefting it over one broad, muscular shoulder, he started toward them.

  Tala’s pulse beat faster as she drank in the sight of him. He was taller than Tate and Mason, wider through the chest and shoulders. And by far the most reserved of the three. He looked even better than she remembered. Bigger. Sexy enough to make her remaining toes curl in her left boot.