Her Guarded Hero (Black Dawn Book 5)

by Caitlyn O'Leary

  “Papa!”

  Dalton figured it was his training that kept his jaw from hitting the floor in amazement. Really? She really got through to her father?

  The Spanish was rapid fire. She tearfully explained he had grandchildren. And she was beyond thrilled when the man told her he was on his way. That was as far as the conversation got before the line went dead.

  He got up and walked across the room, leaning against the wall so he could watch the small family. Dex had tried to contact him during the firefight out in the courtyard, and again while he was checking the house. He’d indicated that he was okay but couldn’t respond, so now he took the time to check-in.

  “About damn time you responded,” Dex practically yelled.

  “How’s Wyatt?”

  “He’s going to make it.”

  Dammit, he could hear a ‘but’ in Dex’s voice.

  “What?”

  “He needs surgery for his leg. Aiden is trying to work his magic.”

  Dalton’s gut clenched. “Saving his life is the most important thing,” he replied. “You better not be waiting on me. I’m good. I’ve cleaned out all the rat’s nest here, nobody will be following us. I have three innocents that I need to ensure are safe, then I will get to you.”

  “We’re having Griff circle back to you.”

  “No need, I’ll be fine.” He hated the idea of Griff exposing himself to more time in the hurricane than necessary. He should just stay with the team and keep heading to the coast.

  “Sullivan, this is protocol,” Gray Tyler said through his receiver. He his tone brooked no argument.

  “Got it, Sir.”

  “Good.”

  “Now tell me who these innocents are.” Gray asked.

  “Woman who is the housekeeper and two small children. She’s been abused. My guess is she was kept here against her will. Her father is on his way to pick her up.”

  “I’m not going to ask how the hell that’s going to happen,” Gray said. “I trust that you’ve got things under control, so get your ass here as quickly as possible.”

  “Yes, Sir.”

  There was a pause, then Dex came on the line. “Griff should be there in less than an hour.”

  “Tell him to be careful, it’s always possible there was someone outside the compound that I missed.”

  “Thanks for telling me how to do my job, Sullivan. Any other words of wisdom?” Griff said with a laugh.

  Even over the howling of the hurricane, he could hear the others chuckling. Damn, he was tired if he was sticking his foot in his mouth like that.

  “Yeah Griff, stay dry.”

  “Shut it,” Aiden said harshly. “We need to get Wyatt moved now.”

  Dalton waited for Griff to respond, he knew the situation with their wounded comrade and where the team was located in correlation with the coast.

  “Depending how long we have to wait for the housekeeper’s family, we should be able to catch up with you before you hit the midway mark,” Griff said.

  “Good,” was Aiden’s clipped answer. Dalton knew they were done. He also knew that Aiden must be pretty damned worried about Wyatt, because his Second-in-Command didn’t normally come off so grim. Dalton turned his entire focus to the little family.

  “How long will it take for your father to arrive?” he asked in Spanish.

  “Not long.” She dislodged herself from the children and went over to the shuttered window. She started to open it.

  “No!” Dalton was across the room with his hand on shutter before she could unlock it. “It’s not safe, leave it shut. Why did you want to open it?”

  “I wanted to point to where my village is.”

  “You don’t have to. Can you just tell me how long it normally takes to get from your village to this hacienda?”

  “A little less than an hour.”

  Dalton’s hopes were dashed. If they usually made it by truck in an hour than hour, then it was going to take five to six hours to get here in this mess. The only good thing was that the storm seemed to be abating.

  “When they get here, you’ll need to stay, you understand that, right?”

  “He is bringing many men from the village. They will be here very fast.”

  Sure, they would.

  “Normally they walk when they come here, instead they will run. Even in the mud, they will come fast. Two of my brothers have been killed trying to rescue me.” Her chin trembled. “I am his only daughter. Their only sister.” She shoved her face into her hands.

  “Mama?” The little boy pulled his little sister with him. The little girl stared up at him for just a moment, her brown eyes now curious, not filled with fear.

  “Come here baby,” Carmelita said. Then the three of them wrapped their arms around each other and gave one another comfort.

  “You are good children. Soon you will meet your grandfather,” Carmelita said as she peppered them with kisses.

  Dalton had to look away from the touching family scene. Why couldn’t Lacey have protected Reagan the way this woman cared for her children?

  “I’m going to keep watch. You and your children stay here, okay?”

  “Yes.” She didn’t look up, she just nodded, holding her kids close.

  Dalton went outside the room and took position at the end of the hall. He crouched down and settled in along the inside wall right before the ornate bannister. From that location he could still see anyone who might start to come up the stairs. There was something soothing about having higher ground.

  He looked over his shoulder at the closed bedroom door. The elephant in that room had been the little girl, maybe not an elephant, more like a little Hello Kitty. She hadn’t been much bigger than Reagan.

  Did every single thing, every single time, all circle back to Reagan? He blinked rapidly, his eyes getting gritty, probably from all the sweat and grime. But the little girl hadn’t had blue eyes, they’d been brown, not quite like Aurora’s but similar.

  Dalton rested his head against the wall, three days with barely any sleep came crashing down.

  “Suck it up,” he growled under his breath.

  Aurora. Her name and face played through his mind like a siren’s song.

  For five long months he’d done everything in his power to keep his mind on the present, on anything but that small oasis of time that could never amount to anything. Hell, he’d even volunteered to do an assignment with Zed and his Night Storm team in Virginia.

  He heard a subtle sound, and in seconds, he made it to the room where Carmelita and her children were. Was that a giggle? Was that even possible?

  He slowly opened the door and peeked in. Yep, Carmelita had her son smiling and her daughter laughing. He quietly closed the door and went back to his post.

  He surveyed the bullet ridden first floor, ensuring that there was no sign of movement.

  He looked at his watch. Only ten minutes had passed since Carmelita had called her father. Twenty minutes had passed since he’d been informed that Griff was on his way. He figured he had another forty-five minutes of waiting for his teammate.

  A picture of Aurora, soothing Aladdin flashed, unbidden, into his mind. She was magical, the way she could soothe and bring comfort. He let his head drop against the wall, enjoying the small hurt. He’d been able to bury so much of their time together for months, but not today, why not today?

  He smiled grimly.

  Gee, could it be the way that Carmelita’s family had died trying to rescue her? Wasn’t that like the Dressler’s, Erwin and poor Hal? Then there was the fact that the little girl’s eyelashes were as long as Aurora’s. God, he had it bad.

  Great. He wasn’t really happy about all this alone time in his own head. Even the five months since he left Tahoe he’d done everything possible to keep busy so that he didn’t have to think. And he sure as hell hadn’t wanted to feel.

  Fat lot of good that had done him. And now, after seeing Carmelita with all that compassion and bravery, how could he not thi
nk of Aurora? Dalton took a deep breath and repositioned his rifle so that he was ready if anyone made a move downstairs. He kept a keen watch on everything, but his thoughts turned inward, back to his last time intimate time with Aurora.

  10

  Aurora’s hair smelled like it looked, shades of fragrant honey. Dalton lifted a silky strand to his face.

  “Are you sniffing my hair?” her laugh was languid.

  “Busted.” Not that he cared, she smelled delicious and he wanted to savor every moment of what little time they had left together. He looked down at her.

  He saw the same need reflected in her eyes.

  “When are you going?” she asked.

  He shook his head. He didn’t want to talk about it now. She rested her cheek against his chest. If he could, he would make a habit of sleeping on a hard floor so that Aurora would always end up sleeping on top of him. He enjoyed having a blonde blanket. That was the problem, he liked her, this, too much.

  He swept his hand down under the blanket and cupped the swell of her bottom. She looked up at him underneath her dark lashes. “Are you looking for an encore?”

  “We need to get back to the house. Your grandfather is going to send out a search party.”

  “I think granddad knows what’s going on,” she said wryly.

  He winced inwardly, he really hadn’t wanted to consider that. Thank God for the man’s discretion, he’d done absolutely nothing to indicate that he’d noticed anything. Still, it made him feel lower than pond scum.

  She shifted, raising herself up so that she was leaning on her crossed arms, her breasts a plumped feast.

  “You’re looking pensive. What’s wrong?”

  He tucked a thick lock of hair behind her ear. Then because he couldn’t resist, he lifted and kissed the pulse point that he’d revealed.

  “You really have a thing for my hair. I heard you breathe in, don’t even deny it Sullivan.” God love her, she was trying to lighten the mood.

  “I’m leaving tomorrow,” he said baldly, answering the question she’d asked before.

  “I was pretty sure, since I was the one who folded your laundry,” she sighed.

  He couldn’t figure if that made him feel better or worse. Better that she knew, or worse that she’d figured it out without him talking to her first.

  She cupped his face in her calloused hands. Hands he reveled in. “Dalton, listen to me, you never once made a promise. We covered this, okay?”

  “But tomorrow?”

  Shit, why was this hitting him so hard? Hell, he’d had a couple of relationships since Lacey. Well, not relationships exactly. Now that he thought about it, he really couldn’t pretty it up that much, a relationship inferred emotions were involved, and he never let one emotion get past his walls. How in the hell had Aurora gotten past every single one of his barriers?

  “-life.”

  “What? I’m sorry I didn’t get that.” Shit, now he wasn’t even listening to her.

  “I said I understood you had to get back to your normal life.”

  “Did I ever tell you how much I love coffee?”

  She stared at him like he’d grown a second head. “Well no Dalton, you’ve never mentioned that you were a coffee connoisseur.”

  “Chocolate too. I love chocolate.”

  “Okay.” She bit her bottom lip, and it turned a deep red.

  “Raspberries. I fucking love raspberries. Shit Aurora, your eyes, coffee and chocolate, and your lips are like the sweetest, ripest raspberries. I don’t know how the hell I’m going to be able to drink another cup without thinking about you.”

  He clamped one arm around her waist and fisted his other hand into her tangle of honey hair, forcing her luscious lips down to his. She twisted against his naked body, grappling for his erection, making him groan against the devastating power of her kiss. He bucked up, needing more, needing so much more of this woman.

  Ah God, did he taste salt?

  He pulled away.

  “Ignore it. I need this.” She slammed her mouth onto his and straddled him. He felt her wet core stroking up and down his cock. He heard denim being dragged across the cement floor. She reared up, she had a foil packet from his jeans pocket, she tore it open with her teeth.

  He didn’t think he would last when she sheathed him.

  She pushed down, enveloping him in the tight depths of her body. He pushed back her hair, so he could see the glittering emotion in her beloved eyes. She held him enthralled. Dalton traced his fingers up the ladder of her ribcage until he cupped the bounty of her breasts. Aurora mewed her pleasure as his thumbs circled the beautiful tips, then plucking them to tight nubs.

  He did a partial sit up as she continued to ride him. He had to taste her. He took a nipple into his mouth and suckled.

  “Dalton,” she shrieked softly. He squeezed his eyes shut as her core tightened around him, she was strangling his dick. He’d never come close to feeling such pleasure. He carefully bit down on her nipple, and her body gripped him tighter. It was too much.

  He stopped teasing her, he looked into her eyes. “Are you with me?” he gasped.

  “Now.” Tears dripped down her face.

  “Aurora?”

  Her rhythm faltered. She moved her hands and gripped his short hair, then whispered in his ear. “Fuck me.”

  He reared up and grabbed her ass. He slammed upwards.

  “Yes,” she panted. Her short nails dug into his scalp, her teeth bit into his neck. “Harder.”

  He couldn’t go any harder, he didn’t want to hurt her. Instead he twisted, moved his hand just a little so his thumb found her clit.

  “Yes,” she hissed as she slumped. He held her up and she trembled.

  “It’s too much.”

  Joy washed over Dalton as he grunted out a laugh.

  “Harder,” she gasped. He circled the nub of flesh again. “Too much,” she panted.

  He thrust up, pressed and circled, watching her as he tortured her. “Which is it, Sunshine?”

  “Both. It’s both,” she breathed out. “Keep doing it.”

  She thrashed and squeezed.

  “Ahhh. So good.” Her smile outshone the sun. “So good,” she cried as she found her bliss.

  She was right it was so good he thought, as he found a joy he never thought he would again.

  “We have company,” Griff’s voice whispered into his receiver.

  It took a split second for Dalton to comprehend that Griff said ‘we’ have company, indicating they had additional incoming. He looked at his watch. Thirty-five minutes had gone by. He gave his head a swift shake and spoke into his mic.

  “Could be friendlies,” Dalton cautioned as he stood up and took another visual sweep of the foyer. “I have a woman and two children in here with me, she called her father and others from her village to come and get her.”

  “I’m checking them out,” Griffin Porter said.

  It seemed like a long time, but according to Dalton’s watch it was only three minutes, Griff spoke again. “These are amateurs. They’re talking loudly about someone named Carmelita. Is that the woman?”

  “Affirmative.” Dalton was relieved to think that Carmelita’s family was arriving so quickly, that meant that he and Griff could hotfoot it to the team and Wyatt. His jaw clenched at the idea of just how bad the younger man’s injury could be. Aiden could sometimes be an angry son-of-a-bitch, but he always kept it together when he was dealing with a patient. If he let even a tiny bit of emotion show, that meant it had to be bad.

  “Shadow them Griff, I want to make sure they get here safe, and we can hand off Carmelita and her kids. I want to get back to the team ASAP.”

  “Ditto,” the other man said grimly.

  Shit, shit, shit. Nothing sounded good.

  It was ten more minutes before a ragtag group of six men proceeded Griffin Porter through the front door of the hacienda. Two of them were carrying rifles that had probably been manufactured fifty years ago, however all of th
em had wicked looking knives.

  Before he could go down and start a conversation with the oldest man, a younger man pushed him aside and bounded up the stairs.

  “Carmelita,” he yelled at the top of his lungs. “Carmelita! It’s your brother, Jose!” he shouted in Spanish.

  “Griff,” Dalton yelled out. Then he darted down the hall as the door to the bedroom swung open.

  “My brother Jose is here?” Carmelita cried. “Take me to him,” she demanded. “Please take me to him.”

  Dalton sighed. He wanted to ensure that everyone was who they said they were, but really, was there any doubt?

  “Carmelita, have your children stay in the room until we’re sure everything is safe, okay?”

  “I want to see my brother. I want to see my Papa.”

  “Tell your children to stay in the room and not come out until you come back for them, got that?”

  “But-”

  “Carmelita, do what I say.” She still hesitated. “Now.” His voice was a low roar. She winced, then ducked back into the room. She came out and glared at him. He bit back a smile. It made him happy to see someone who had been so sorely abused not afraid to go head to head with him.

  “Stay behind me.”

  They went to the top of the stairs where Griff and the man named Jose were waiting. It was then that the waterworks started. Dalton had always thought his command of the Spanish language was excellent, but there was no hope of him keeping up with the two siblings. They literally fell into one another’s arms. Then came the father. Now that man he could understand, but that was because he was mostly talking about defiling a dead man. Dalton understood vengeance.

  “Wait. Wait.” Carmelita held up her hand. At last she was speaking clearly, and Dalton and Griff could keep up. She grabbed her dad and brother’s hands then tugged them down the hall. Shouts of delight were heard as they were introduced to their young relatives. Griff and Dalton were left staring at the other four men who had accompanied Carmelita’s family.

  “Everyone is dead, eh?” A man with dead eyes asked.