by Dale Mayer
“Oh my laptop,” she cried. Mason stepped aside in time for her to hug the big man and snatch the laptop out of his hands. “I’ve been wanting this all day.” She shot them a guilty look and added, “Actually all week. I use my phone for most things, but it’s not the same.”
Swede still had his arm around her when Shadow walked up and tilted her chin so he could check her head wound.
She chuckled. “A couple of hours ago I figured I was all alone, and you guys had dumped me forever.”
“Never,” he dropped a kiss on her cheek. “Glad to see you looking so much better.”
Hawk was the last one inside. He lifted the two bags he carried and asked her, “Hungry? I believe someone mentioned food.”
The aroma hit her first.
“Chinese?” He was hugged with the same fervor that the others had received. Laughing and talking, they all moved into the kitchen where she dug out plates for everyone. Dane returned to find all the chairs full and everyone busy scarfing food.
The others took one look and grinned at his sour expression.
“Sorry you were too late,” Hawk said.
“We can make room for you,” Marielle said, standing up and trying to figure out how. The men completely dwarfed the small room, taking up the whole kitchen. “Somehow…” but her voice trailed off.
“I have a solution to that,” Dane said. He quickly took Marielle’s spot and tugged her down onto his lap. Then he grabbed the last plate and dumped food onto it. With the last fork, he shifted her slightly to the side, picked up his plate and proceeded to eat.
Marielle wasn’t too sure how to handle the new situation. She hadn’t considered this option, but as a solution, it worked for her. And she quickly lost her sense of discomfort as everyone accepted the situation as normal.
It was far from normal, but if this was the “new normal,” she was more than happy with it.
They polished off all the Chinese food with the men looking at the empty containers with sad expressions. She laughed. “If someone puts on coffee, I’ll share the pack of cookies I found today.”
There was a mad scramble as everyone raced to clean up and get coffee on. When she brought the package over, it lasted about three seconds.
“Boy, you guys can eat.”
Swede snorted. “Hasn’t been any food to eat yet.” He stretched up his fingers to spread across the ceiling. “Down home we’d eat real food. Good stuff there.”
“Where’s there?” She looked at him as she walked into the living room with a cup of coffee. She knew by the time everyone got a cup the last person was going to have to put on a new pot, and she wasn’t going to be it. “I presume Sweden.”
“Hell no. I’m from Denmark.”
She shook her head. “That makes no sense.” She motioned to Dane. “I’d have thought he was from Denmark with his name and you from Sweden from your name.”
“Nicknames aren’t from location,” Dane explained as he sprawled across the love seat. “He’s got a great reason for his nickname, right Swede?”
“Says you. If there were some here and now, I’d make that nickname stick all over again.”
Mason laughed. “Marielle, he’s called Swede for winning at a Swedish meatball eating contest we held back when we were still in training.”
“Eating meatballs? I’m scared to ask, how many did you eat?”
He shrugged. “Two hundred twenty-four.”
She blinked. “In one sitting?”
He nodded.
“Not possible.”
Swede laughed. “Hell, Dane here ate over two hundred. Shadow came in not far behind.”
“And Hawk and Mason, how did they do?”
“Hawk counted and Mason timed.”
“I’d have loved to see that.” And she would have. The men were a great bunch of guys. She walked over to the couch but with no place to set her coffee down, she was at a loss as to where to put it.
“Give it to me,” Dane said, holding out his hand. He placed it on the coffee table in front of him. Then tugged her down beside him, her back to the window. “Then if you want a drink you can reach from here.”
She smiled. He looked like a lazy cat. And the grin on his face just added to his Cheshire appearance.
Sitting as she was, she was tucked up against his side, and almost wrapped in a Dane blanket as he curled around her giving her enough room to sit but with himself taking the rest of the available space.
The rest of the men had all taken up spots that ranged from the other couch to the floor to Shadow who’d grabbed a kitchen chair and was sitting on the hearth and using the kitchen chair to work on his laptop.
She had no idea what he was doing now. She thought about asking but wasn’t sure she wanted to bring up the topic. It was peaceful here. Work was going to change that energy. Mason turned on the television and checked the news stations for updates.
When there was talk of a serial killer on the loose, he changed it. When there was talk of an uprising in a local prison, he changed it. When a rapist got off with less than six months for his crimes, he changed it. But not fast enough.
“Is there ever anything nice on the news,” she cried. “Or happy?”
“No. That’s not why the news is on.”
“And that’s why I don’t know any women who watch the news. It’s depressing. You’d never go outside if you listened to all the crazy stories.” She shivered and rubbed her arms.
“Easy. You’re safe here, and hopefully you’ve met all the crazies you’re ever going to meet,” Dane said. He reached out and grabbed her hand. “It’s not all bad news.”
She nodded, not convinced, but willing to let him make her feel better. She leaned forward for her cup of coffee when an odd sound rang out. She was slammed to the floor, Dane’s big body covering hers.
“What happened?” she cried out.
“Someone just shot at you.”
*
AND THAT WAS why she shouldn’t be at a safe house. Like who determined it was safe? Much better to blend into the urban jungle. This was too damn predictable.
He held Marielle beneath him while his team scattered. He never heard a door open but knew his men were already searching outside for answers. The vehicle had taken off in a scream of tires and backfires. Interesting that they used an obvious vehicle. Then again like the other attempts, they’d probably tried to change tactics and hired a local thug. Drive by shootings were very hands off. Of course, not knowing if there was someone even now trying to sneak in, he’d hold judgment. But first he had to get Marielle to a safe place. Too bad there wasn’t a garage with a parked vehicle in it. It would be easier to sneak her out that way.
“Go,” she whispered. “Go find this bastard. Don’t worry about me.”
He snorted. “Like hell.” He lifted his weight up off her incredibly soft body and hauled her up with him. Keeping low, he led her through the living room into the kitchen, with her hidden by his body, he searched the gloom around the outside of the house. Mason’s call through the window told him it was safe. He gave an answering call.
Mason entered silently. He gave Dane a hard look, saw Marielle tucked behind him and gave a curt nod. “Nothing outside around the house.”
“Drive by?”
“Not random, targeted.”
Dane nodded. “Ready to leave?”
Mason snorted. “Past ready.”
The others filtered in slowly. Shadow came up behind them. “I’ve already loaded her bags up.”
“Masters?” Marielle asked.
Shadow grinned. “Yeah, he’s as happy to leave as we are.”
“Let’s move.” Dane shuffled Marielle ahead of him and out into the night. She’d barely spoken since the shooting but seemed as willing as the rest of them to leave. They couldn’t stay here now that the location was compromised and how that happened he’d take great pleasure in finding out. The local policewoman had left when they’d arrived.
They were in the v
ehicles and on the road in minutes. Riding convoy style they ran through several practiced maneuvers to make sure no one was tailing them.
Dane headed straight to a house they’d used before. They were lucky enough to have several at their disposal that they’d been forced to use at odd times. Never more than once in a year and with any luck never twice at the same place in a row. But shit happened and even SEALs needed a place to lay low.
By the time he pulled into the garage in the back of the large acreage and turned off the engine, Marielle was asleep. Shadow had been riding shotgun. He unloaded Marielle’s bags and Masters and went ahead of them. Dane walked around the vehicle, opened the passenger door and carefully lifted her out. Using his hip, he closed the door and walked into the house. It was set back on the lot and surrounded by huge trees. And was empty as they’d expected. Shadow had left the door open and was doing a quick search of the premises.
Dane carried Marielle upstairs to the back bedroom that had a deck with a set of stairs leading to the backyard. Easy escape for them if trouble came calling and if it came calling up that set of stairs then they’d get a surprise – him. He had no intention of leaving her here alone.
He lay her down on the covers and flipped the spare material over top of her.
She never woke.
Needing to make sure, he watched her steady slow breathing. She had to be still affected by her injuries. And she was exhausted.
And so damn innocent. He stroked a finger down her cheek.
“Sleep,” he whispered. “You’re safe.”
She murmured something unintelligible and curled deeper into the covers.
Dane took up a position at the windows. A shadow slipped through the trees. One he recognized. Shadow on patrol. That meant the house was empty and he was out checking on the night.
Dane wanted to go downstairs but wasn’t going to leave Marielle alone. Leaving the door open, he checked the hallway to see what else was upstairs. Two more bedrooms. Two more bathrooms. Several closets, all empty. He returned to Marielle’s bedroom and slipped out on the deck, leaving the door open.
He waited for the morning to come.
Chapter 16
SHE WOKE TO fresh air wafting over her, and sunlight, light airy morning sunlight dappling across her bed. She stretched and yawned. She studied the ceiling above her and frowned. This wasn’t the room she’d been in yesterday? Then again she hadn’t been in it very long. She rolled over and looked at the rest of the room. And bolted upright.
The old room didn’t have a deck or an open door. Nor did it have this luxurious decor. This was a beautiful house. She slipped off the bed and stared down. She was fully dressed. Only her shoes were off, and they’d been placed on the floor beside her. The white carpet wasn’t conducive to wearing shoes. An open door on the other side revealed a small bathroom. She made her way over and stopped in surprise. There was nothing small about this bathroom. Like the bedroom, it was stunning in both opulence and classiness. It was almost a shame to mar the beauty by using the facilities. But it had been a long night. Afterwards she washed her hands and face and looked longingly at the shower. Except there was no way she was stripping down in a strange house at this point. Was she a prisoner? Or were the guys here?
Time to find out. She opened the door and stepped out.
The room was still empty. She walked across to the deck door and peered out. Dane sat there watching her. She glanced back at the bedroom and realized he’d known the moment she woke up.
For some reason that didn’t sound creepy to her. Instead it reassured her he was taking such great care.
Then she remembered the bullets firing into the house. And the wild escape. She had no recollection of reaching this destination.
“Good morning,” he said, his eyes bright, assessing. “How did you sleep?”
“Considering I don’t remember going to sleep,” she said, “I slept well.”
She sat down on the deck chair beside him. “Thank you for looking after me.”
His lips quirked, making her heart race.
“You’re welcome.”
“What are we doing here?” She thought she’d done well to not immediately ask a million questions that were bubbling up. She was surprisingly calm about the whole thing.
“A new safe house.”
She laughed. “We could have come here first, it’s beautiful.”
“Had to do it as ordered.” His voice hardened. “Until the safe house was compromised.”
“I gather you weren’t happy about the first safe house?”
He shrugged. “It is what it was. I often disagree with authority.” His big grin flashed white. “It’s why I make a great SEAL. Not hampered by the same rules as everyone else.”
She laughed. “I can see that. And you do make a great SEAL. I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for you.” She pondered that then added in a serious voice, her hand reaching across to his beefy forearm, “I do appreciate all you’ve done for me, so thank you.” She leaned across and kissed his cheek.
At the last moment he turned and her lips landed on his mouth. He reached up with his free hand and held her head so he could kiss her properly. By the time he released her, she sagged back into her chair a happy boneless jelly mold.
“You’re welcome,” he said, a smirk on his face.
She glared at him. “You did that on purpose.”
“Did what?” He feigned innocence. “You kissed me.”
She snorted. “I started to kiss you. But you ended up kissing me.”
“No,” he corrected, his eyes dancing with the devil, “I kissed you back.”
She sighed. “This is a ridiculous conversation.”
“But fun.”
She laughed. “True. So now that I’m awake, my body is screaming for food.”
“Not caffeine? I figured that would be the first requirement.”
“They go together,” she admitted. “And I’d love both.”
“Good, then I arrived at the right time, so it’s me you will appreciate this morning,” Swede said as he walked in with two big mugs in his hands.
“Oh.” She hopped up and walked over to him. “I so appreciate you.”
“The same as you appreciate this big idiot,” he asked hopefully, a twinkle in his eyes.
Heat washed over her face as she realized he’d seen the kiss. “Absolutely,” she lied with a grin and gave him a chaste kiss on the cheek.
When he laughed and made no move to take advantage of her, she turned back to Dane, the coffee in her hand, and said, “See, he’s a gentleman.”
“No, he just knows I’d pound him into the ground if he did more.”
She gasped and turned to Swede whose grin widened as he said, “You could try.”
Dane laughed. He kicked his legs back and stretched out. “If you’re here to look after sleeping beauty, I’m going to grab five.” And he closed his eyes.
Marielle watched in surprise as he visibly relaxed in front of her to the point that deep relaxed breathing slid out of his chest in regular rhythms in no time. She scooted her chair over to Swede in order to not wake Dane while talking.
“Can you sleep like that,” she asked in a low voice. “So fast?”
He nodded. “We learned to catch rest where and when we can. We’ve been running sentry duties all night to keep watch and when our watch is over we power nap until it’s time to wake up again.”
“Amazing.” And so damn helpful. She could learn a lot from these guys.
*
HE WOKE ALONE. He lay still for a long moment letting his body adapt. Awareness of his surroundings was instant. His instincts were calm, no danger approached. In fact, it was a lazy summer day. He opened his eyes loving the blue sky and light breeze. A beautiful day. And not a day to die.
With a light energy burst he surged upwards and walked the small deck, shaking out his limbs. His gaze found Hawk in position. He gave him a hand signal and watched the returning gesture. All ok
ay. Then he’d expected that. No one should know about this place.
And having arrived under the cover of darkness with only one vehicle on the premises, no one could know how many men were on site.
Just the way they liked it. The element of surprise was everything.
Inside the bedroom he found Marielle’s bed made and her original travel bag beside the bag he’d brought her lying on the bed, but closed and ready to go at a moment’s notice. Smart girl. His gaze lingered on the huge bed wishing for a few nights alone with just her and away from the danger that surrounded her. She was someone he admired. And would love to get to know better. Hell, he’d love to bed her and hope that would take the fascination away.
It always had before.
This time he didn’t think it would. She was something different. Right from the first moment she’d seen him in the garden in Germany he’d been fascinated. That she’d recognized him for what he was and had come running to him when she’d been in trouble – yeah, that said a lot about her.
Now he could only hope they had a future to figure out just what this craziness between them was all about.
Noises drifted up from downstairs. They were in the kitchen. From the aroma floating his way, he suspected brunch was in the offing.
Just in time. His stomach was trying to eat its way out.
He stopped at the doorway, surveyed the backyard, the trees and the outside of the house. Satisfied that all was as it should be, he made his way to the kitchen.
And Marielle.
Chapter 17
MARIELLE KNEW THE minute Dane woke up. Like an instinctive jolt to her psyche. By the time he walked into the kitchen her nerves were alive and singing. Damn, this man moved her in ways she’d never known.
She smiled at him as he walked in and laughed. “Good morning, sleepyhead. Did you have a nice nap?”
The snigger started behind her. And wrapped all around the room.
Mason patted the seat beside him. “Come sit young’un. Do you feel better now?”
Shadow guffawed. Dane walked right up to Marielle, reached down, picked her up and kissed her – thoroughly. Then put her back on her feet. She grabbed for the counter as her body sagged.