No Regrets

by Rebecca Deel

  Cade split them into teams of four and drilled them on taking down multiple opponents, then had them practice on each other. Once he was satisfied they were competent in those techniques, he told them to form a circle and took them on, one at a time. When the trainees made mistakes, he showed them the right way to stop him.

  He was patient and found something to compliment each student on. Quite simply, Cade Ramsey was an amazing teacher. Sasha didn’t know anything about combat techniques, but even she could see a difference in the trainees’ skills by the end of their class. Yeah, she was definitely biased and didn’t care.

  Sasha stayed with Cade for another hour, then slipped back into the kitchen to help a frazzled Molly deal with lunch preparations. At least Nate had taken pity on his understudy and scheduled a meal of hamburgers and chips. For two hours, Sasha and Molly flipped burgers and refilled the coffee and tea dispensers.

  Near the end of the meal, Cade received a call on his cell. He glanced at the screen and rose to take the call outside the dining hall. While Sasha helped Molly clean up, she kept an eye out for him.

  When Cade returned, the expression on his face was grim. He walked toward her. “Molly, can you spare Sasha for a couple minutes?”

  “Take her. She’s more than done her part to help out today. Thanks for pitching in, Sasha.”

  “Glad I could help.”

  Cade wrapped his hand around hers and led Sasha from the cafeteria and down the corridor to an empty office. He closed them into the room and drew her into his arms.

  Oh, man. Whatever he’d heard couldn’t be good. “What’s wrong?”

  “Ethan called.”

  “And?”

  “The fire at your house was arson.”

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  “Arson.” Sasha’s voice sounded faint. “I’d hoped Ethan was wrong.”

  Fat chance of that. An Army Ranger with a sterling reputation in the Special Forces community, the police chief didn’t miss much from what Cade had heard and observed himself. “We’ll find out who did this, Sasha. You have my word on that.” Didn’t matter what he had to do to find the firebug. Unlike Ethan, Cade didn’t have to stick close to a set of rules and this was personal. Very personal.

  Her arms tightened around his waist. “Wonder how long my insurance company will take to process the claim since there’s a crime involved?”

  “If they drag out the process, Ethan might be able to nudge them along. You didn’t set the fire. You shouldn’t be penalized.”

  “If I’m lucky, they’ll see it your way. In the meantime, I need a place to live temporarily. I have a feeling you won’t let me live in a house that can’t be secured.”

  “Stay in my home until Rio is back in town. One of my teammates will stay with us to keep the grapevine speculation down.” Durango’s medic lived in a huge Victorian house with his wife. Rio’s cousin worked for Elliott Construction. Mason might be able to nudge his boss into taking on Sasha’s home repairs. With the construction boom in Dunlap County, the waiting list for their services was long. “We’ll talk to Rio and Darcy about you staying with them. They have plenty of room. It’s not unusual for injured teammates or Mason to stay at the house.”

  “I don’t want to impose.”

  “We’ll ask. If it’s not convenient for them, we’ll come up with another plan.” He cupped her jaw. “I don’t want you to stay by yourself until the person focused on you is behind bars. You aren’t safe. Don’t ask me to go along with that, Sassy. I can’t do it. I won’t risk your life.”

  “I don’t want to bring danger to Darcy’s doorstep. She’s my friend, Cade. I can’t do that to her.”

  “Rio has the best security system Fortress offers. He adores his wife. Anyone invading their home won’t leave alive.” Cade needed Sasha to accept the arrangement. Rio and Darcy would offer her sanctuary. The house was large enough that Cade could stay and protect both women when Rio was deployed. The medic would be more than willing to watch over his favorite coffee maker while Cade was on a mission. In his mind, this was the perfect arrangement until Sasha’s home was repaired.

  “We’ll ask,” Sasha agreed. “Maybe Darcy will let me help prepare meals.”

  An excellent suggestion to help sweeten the pot although extra incentive was unnecessary. Cade cupped her face between his palms and pressed his lips to hers, the touch as light as a soap bubble. This wasn’t the time or place to indulge in the kiss he wanted. His need to really kiss her drove Cade crazy, but the indulgence would have to wait.

  She kissed his jaw, teasing affection in the touch.

  How could an innocent caress fire him up in two seconds flat? Sasha might have reservations about how far their relationship could go. Cade didn’t.

  “My headache is almost gone,” she murmured.

  He chuckled, tempted to take what they both wanted. Not the time or place, he reminded himself. Anyone could walk in on them, and Trent would have his hide if he was late to their training session because he couldn’t keep his head in the game. If he kissed the woman in his arms, Cade wouldn’t stop for a while. He was already addicted to her touches. He had no doubt a real kiss would be even more habit forming. “Don’t tempt me. Bravo’s training session starts in five minutes.”

  “That’s enough time.”

  He shook his head. “Not even close. I don’t want our first kiss to be rushed or in an open-access office.”

  “Are you romancing me?”

  “I’m courting you, Sasha. You deserve the best from me. Let me show you how special you are.”

  She sighed. “How have you stayed single this long, Cade Ramsey?”

  “Easy. I don’t date much, not since….”

  Sasha pressed her fingers over his mouth to stop his next words. “If there’s no time for a kiss, we don’t have time for an explanation, especially not two minutes before a training session.” She smiled. “Besides, I want to watch you work with Bravo team. I missed the rescue since I was unconscious. I want to see what your team can do.”

  Cade stepped back and held out his hand. “Come on. I don’t want Trent to add more training time because I’m late.” He squeezed her hand as he led her from the office to the training area.

  Trent turned as they approached. “I was about to send a search party for you, Sasha.”

  “What about Cade?”

  A wicked smile curved Trent’s mouth. “He was fifteen seconds from having another two miles added to his run.”

  Liam whistled. “Close call, Cowboy.”

  “Worth it.” He’d gladly run an extra two miles to hold Sasha Ingram in his arms.

  “Quit bragging,” Simon griped. “Except for Trent and you, the rest of us are currently dateless.”

  “It’s because Cade is such a smooth talker,” Matt said.

  He scowled as his teammates burst into good-hearted laughter. “Let’s go to work. I have plans later.”

  “You staying to watch, Sasha?” Trent asked.

  “If I won’t be in the way.”

  “I could use your help.”

  Cade’s eyebrows shot up. Trent never needed help torturing Bravo team.

  “What do you want me to do?” Sasha asked.

  Trent handed her a stopwatch. “We need to run through the obstacle course in less than six minutes. We’ll keep doing it until we meet the goal.” He gave Sasha a clipboard. “Record the time for each person on here.” Trent’s gaze over his team. “Five miles for warmup.”

  Cade squeezed Sasha’s shoulder. “There’s a bench at the side of the track where you can sit while we run. After that, we’ll shift to the obstacle course.” He dropped a quick kiss on her lips and hurried to catch up with his teammates as Trent signaled him to move.

  “Good thing you kissed her now.” Matt elbowed him as they ran. “Beautiful Sasha won’t want anything to do with you after Trent’s finished with us, at least not until you shower.”

  “You won’t be as fresh as a daisy, either, buddy.”

/>   “How are we handling Sasha’s security tonight?”

  “Depends. Do you want me to tap Simon or Liam for tonight?”

  “And miss her magic coffee? No way.”

  “Thanks, Matt.” He would have been happy to have any of his teammates watch his back and Sasha’s. Matt, however, was his best friend, and he trusted the medic more than he trusted his own family.

  “Yep. Come on. Let’s show these trainees how it’s done.” He tilted his chin at the growing audience of students watching on the sidelines.

  They picked up their speed and pushed the team’s pace. After they’d finished the run, Trent led Bravo to the obstacle course.

  His team leader’s skill and quickness amazed Cade. Trent was well over six feet tall and 250 pounds of pure muscle, and yet he moved faster than Liam, the shortest and lightest member of Bravo.

  As Cade sailed over the climbing wall and sprinted toward the finish line, he noticed their audience now included most of the PSI staff as well, including the Search and Rescue trainers with their dogs.

  Sasha scribbled his time on the clipboard, then recorded the time for the rest of his teammates as they sprinted over the finish line.

  Trent bent over at the waist, huffing as much as the rest of them. “How did we do, Sasha?”

  “Incredible.”

  He grinned. “Time?”

  “All of you were under the allotted time.”

  Applause broke out from the sidelines. Trent held up his fist, and the noise petered out. “Six minutes is your benchmark. To do what we did, you must be in top physical shape. It’s time to stop whining about PT. If you haven’t run today, hit the track. Five miles.” He signaled two other instructors to monitor the trainees who left to run, then turned to his team. “Crime Town. We need a hostage and terrorists to defeat.”

  “Use Gerard’s and Kelso’s teams,” Cade said. “Let them hunt us while we search for the hostage.”

  “We need a hostage.” Trent turned to Sasha. “Want to be a willing hostage this time?”

  “What do I do?”

  Trent signaled Gerard and Kelso to approach. The two men jogged across the open expanse.

  “Yes, sir?” Gerard gaze skimmed over Sasha before he faced Trent.

  Cade moved to Sasha’s side, not liking the gleam he’d seen in the trainee’s eyes. Yeah, Cade was acting like a jealous jerk. He trusted Sasha. Tony Gerard was another matter.

  “Bravo needs to run a drill in Crime Town. We’d like your team and Kelso’s to be terrorists with a hostage.”

  Kelso frowned. “Two to one? That doesn’t seem fair.”

  “The odds aren’t in our favor in the field,” Cade said.

  “Who’s the hostage?” Gerard asked.

  “Sasha has agreed to play hostage for us. Kelso, escort the hostage to the building and room of your choice in Crime Town. Your job is to stop us from rescuing the fair maiden.” Trent smiled. “If you can.”

  The operative snorted. “No problem.”

  Behind Kelso, Cade’s teammates scowled. Both team leaders were arrogant, a trait that would bite them if they weren’t careful. And that was the reason Cade suggested them for this exercise. Durango’s leader had talked with Gerard and Kelso two weeks ago about this problem, apparently without success.

  “Make sure you switch the bullets,” Trent said.

  “Bullets?” Sasha pivoted to Cade, worry in her gaze. “I thought this was an exercise.”

  “We use rubber bullets for this training. Still hurts if we’re hit, but we’ll be in full gear.” This wasn’t the time to tell Sasha some of their injuries occurred during training. Training hard meant a better chance to walk away from a mission. “You sure you want to do this? One of the trainees could be the hostage.”

  “I’ll be fine. This time, I know it’s not real.”

  “You have your phone?”

  She nodded.

  “If there’s a problem or you’re uneasy for any reason, call me.” He kissed her, then stepped back.

  “Let’s play hide-and-seek with Bravo, Sasha.” Kelso cupped her elbow and led her into Crime Town followed by the two teams.

  “Suit up,” Trent ordered when the trainees were out of sight. Ten minutes later, he said, “Kelso and Gerard are ready, and the hostage is secured. Fifteen minutes to complete the exercise. If we go beyond that time limit, we do it again.”

  Cade frowned. “If Sasha’s up to it.”

  Trent inclined his head. “If she’s not, I’ll draft another hostage. Cade, Matt, go right. Liam and Simon, go left. I’ll take the center. Don’t let the trainees show us up.”

  Bravo team moved into position. At Trent’s signal, the five men surged into Crime Town.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  Sasha sat on the floor in the corner of a plywood building. Kelso had escorted her to the third-floor room and pointed at the corner. With one last instruction to stay put and keep quiet, he left.

  Unfortunately, he’d been replaced by Gerard. What was it about the blond-haired, blue-eyed trainee that gave her the creeps? Sasha slipped a hand in her pocket and wrapped cold fingers around the cell phone, her lifeline to Cade. Had he suspected a problem might develop when he confirmed she had her phone? Maybe he anticipated Sasha’s memories surfacing from her own hostage situation. She had to admit, the similarity was eerie.

  Gerard stood near the window opening across the room. He alternated between watching for Bravo team and staring at her. How long before Cade and his teammates located her? Not long, she suspected. Trent pushed his team members to their limits. As long as the training kept them safe.

  “Are you dating Ramsey?”

  Sasha’s gaze jumped to Gerard’s. “Yes.”

  “Why?”

  Odd question. “Why not?”

  “You could do better.”

  Not in her estimation. “You don’t like him?”

  “Nope.”

  “He’s a good, honorable man. I’m happy to be with him.”

  A smirk. “You deserve a real man, not a jerk like Ramsey.”

  “A man like you?”

  “You’re not my type.”

  Good thing. Didn’t make him less creepy. A loud curse drifted up from below. Gerard stiffened and edged closer to the opening in the plywood wall. Sasha scrunched deeper into the corner and rested her forehead against her raised knees. Only then did she allow a small smile to curve her lips. She had a good idea what the cursing meant. From the darkening expression on Gerard’s face, so did he.

  “Get up.”

  She raised her head. “Excuse me?”

  “You heard me. On your feet.”

  Was this part of the exercise? She didn’t want the trainee touching her, even if it was to better train Bravo. Sasha was about the refuse when he grabbed her wrist and yanked her to her feet. Between one heartbeat and the next, he pressed his real gun hopefully loaded with fake bullets to the side of her head and jerked her back against his chest.

  “Let go of me.”

  “Shut up, Sasha. You volunteered to help your boyfriend. I guarantee he’s the one coming into the room to save you. Let’s give him some real practice. If he cares about you as much as you think, he’ll be willing to die for you.”

  Had this idiot changed his bullets to the rubber kind? She wouldn’t put it past this trainee to use the real thing. Would Cade’s gear protect him if Gerard was arrogant enough to try to hurt him?

  Sasha swallowed hard. If Gerard was using real bullets, that meant she had a fully loaded weapon pressed to her head. Again.

  Although Sasha didn’t hear anything, the trainee must have because he tightened his grip on her and moved her closer to another window opening. Was she allowed to fight back? She opened her mouth to again demand that release her.

  Gerard clamped a hand over her mouth and pressed hard enough to hurt. Panic flared in her gut. What was he doing? Trent hadn’t mentioned anything about this. Cade wouldn’t have agreed to let her participate if he’d known.


  She fought to free herself. Gerard’s response was to press the gun tighter to the side of her head. The gun dug into the bruise left by the bank robber. Sasha moved her head, hoping to ease the pressure. Gerard’s hold on her made it impossible.

  Tears trickled down her cheeks as the pain multiplied by the second. Once this was over, she would have a massive headache. Great. Just when the original headache was almost gone. She wanted that kiss Cade promised her. A shadow moving in the hallway told her Cade and the others were seconds away from storming the room.

  Cade dove into the room along with Matt. They both rolled to their feet, weapons in hand. A second later, the gun was gone from Sasha’s head, and the weapon discharged. The trainee flung Sasha aside as Cade hissed and charged. Although Gerard swung a fist at Cade’s head, Cade inclined his head enough for the punch to miss, then took Gerard to the floor. Seconds later, the trainee was immobilized.

  Matt knelt beside Sasha. “Are you hurt?” Rage filled his voice although his touch was gentle as he helped her sit up.

  “Head hurts again,” she whispered.

  “Matt,” Trent said.

  The medic turned toward his team leader who pointed at his best friend. He scowled. “Cade, how bad?”

  Sasha pushed away from Matt and peered around his broad shoulder. She gasped when she saw blood streaming down his arm. “Cade.”

  “I’m all right, Sasha.” He torqued Gerard’s arm, making the trainee howl with pain and rage. “Gerard won’t be in another minute.”

  Trent crossed the room with Simon at his side. “Let him go, Cade. We’ll take it from here.” The two reached down plucked the cursing trainee from the floor. They marched him from the room.

  Cade crouched beside Sasha and gathered her against his side with the uninjured arm. “Did he hurt you?”

  “Not really.”

  He lifted her chin with the edge of his fist. “Those tears on your face say otherwise. What happened?”