Protected in His Arms: An Elite SEAL Rescue (Texas Elite Seals Book 3)

by Holly Castillo

  Her hands grabbed his on her hips for stability as he began to move her body, lifting her and bringing her back down slowly, his speed increasing with each thrust. She couldn’t stop the sounds she made and knew Santo had been right.

  The force of his thrusts made her breasts bounce, the aching nipples pouting harder. Santo must have seen her body’s reaction in the faint moonlight, as he smiled at what he saw. She lifted her hands to her breasts, cupping them to stop them from bouncing so violently, and she heard the change in his breathing.

  “I want you to touch yourself, Evie. Touch yourself the way you like for me to touch you.”

  His words lit a flame inside her. She lifted her head to look at him and ran her fingers over her nipples the way he did when teasing her. “Santo, this is too much. I don’t know how much longer—”

  “I want to watch you,” he said, his voice tight with passion. “Let me watch you bring yourself pleasure.”

  Breathing heavily, she took her nipples between her fingers and pinched them hard, as hard as he did, and her inner muscles rippled around him in reaction. Moaning and mewling with pleasure and pent-up anticipation, she continued as he asked, then twisted them as he enjoyed doing.

  “That’s it, Evie. You’re so incredible. Do you feel how much I want you? Do you feel what you do to me?”

  “Yes,” she cried, and thinking only of the pleasure he got from watching her, she let one hand slide down her body, into her damp folds, and let her fingers circle the sensitive bundle of nerves clamoring for attention. Her hips bucked against him, and she grew even more excited as she heard his shallow, rapid breathing.

  “You feel so good,” he groaned, thrusting harder against her.

  Tension coiled tighter and tighter within her and she kept her fingers moving rapidly against the flesh stretched open by his hard erection. Her other hand cupped and kneaded her breast, pinching her nipple the way he always did. “Santo,” she whispered, thrilled to watch him watching her drive herself to pleasure.

  His hips began to move faster and harder and she had never been more grateful for the strong hands holding her hips. His movements became erratic, and she knew he rapidly approached his peak. She wanted to make it incredible for him.

  She focused on her body and tightened her inner muscles around him and his hoarse cry of ecstasy nearly caused her to unravel. She licked her lips, her mouth dry from gasping for air. She moaned and dropped her head slightly, giving her body over to the pleasure pulsing within.

  The tension coiled to a point she felt as if she might crumble in his arms. “Let go, Evie. Just let go.” At his words, one of his large hands moved from her waist to replace her hand at her core. The feeling of his rough fingers against her sensitive flesh became too much.

  She screamed his name as she fell apart, her hips bucking madly against him. With great strength, he continued thrusting his hips up and guiding her up and down on him. The muscles in his chest bunched tightly and he yelled her name, thrusting into her a couple more times before his entire body tensed and he let loose a wild cry of release, gasping her name over and over again as they gradually pulled themselves back together.

  He rolled to his side, taking her with him and she could still feel his hard length inside her. “Santo?” she asked hesitantly.

  He swallowed hard and began to withdraw, but her inner muscles clenched tight, not wanting him to go. He clenched his teeth as he forced himself to pull out and pressed a quick kiss to her forehead. “I’ll be right back,” he murmured, rolling from the bed and disappearing into the bathroom.

  Aftermath shocks continued to make her gasp, and she knew, if he wanted, he could take her again and her body would eagerly welcome him. She told herself over and over he needed his sleep, yet when he returned to the bed, she couldn’t keep her hands off him.

  She pressed kisses to his face and down his neck. His hand teased through her damp folds, and the flame inside her began to turn into a wildfire again. “Santo,” she moaned when he pushed her on her back.

  “I’m not finished with you yet.” His voice deep and husky, he nudged her thighs apart and settled between them.

  Much to her surprise, he grabbed another condom from the nightstand. Curious, she reached down and felt his hard arousal. “Santo? I thought you… I mean—”

  “Feeling your excitement fueled my own.”

  She shivered expectantly. Her nails dug into his back as he eased into her once again. Already highly sensitive after their recent climax, their pleasure peaked rapidly.

  Lying in each other’s arms, their breathing slowly calmed, and she felt his body relaxing into sleep. She pressed a kiss to his sweat-dampened temple. “I love you, Santo. I always will. So please hurry back to me.”

  Chapter 31

  “The invoice I have lists your place for delivery. What am I supposed to do with this stuff?” Santo wore a baggy shirt and jeans that hid his muscular frame and held a clipboard in his hands. He also wore a ball cap with shaggy hair stitched into the edges, giving the appearance he had light brown hair that brushed his shoulders.

  The man in front of him stood stiffly, his arms crossed. From his stance and muscular stature, Santo knew the man had a military background and more than likely served as a mercenary. The team had known they needed to do a reconnaissance of the warehouse address they had uncovered as the location for the weapons auction. The idea of a botched delivery attempt presented the opportunity for them to get an idea of the security and other potential obstacles. So far, the guard seemed to be falling for the trick.

  “We haven’t ordered anything. You aren’t welcome here.”

  “Man, I can’t return to the dock with these crates without any answers. This is your address, right?” Santo held the clipboard out for the man to force him to grab it and read it. They’d be able to take fingerprints off the clipboard and, potentially, discover his identity.

  With a heavy sigh, the man took the board and glared at the highlighted address. The door leading into the warehouse behind him swung open, and Santo grabbed his fake glasses as though to adjust them but hit the small button on the side to rapidly snap photos. Another man nearly identical in appearance to the first man stepped through the door, slamming it shut behind him.

  “What’s the problem here?” he demanded, his hands fisted on his hips.

  “This delivery guy got the wrong address,” the first man answered.

  “You’re telling me this isn’t your address?” Santo asked, feigning surprise.

  The second man grabbed the clipboard and glared at the page. “You’re on the entirely wrong side of the warehouse,” he snapped, shoving the clipboard back at Santo. “Did you even pay attention to the numbers at the end of each row of buildings? You’re on row five and the address clearly states row three.”

  Santo again pretended to adjust his glasses, snapping images of each man’s face. “That’s a three?”

  “How long have you been in this business? You may want to consider changing jobs if you can’t read a simple address.” The second man shook his head in disbelief and turned back into the large warehouse facility. Santo caught a glimpse of three other men sitting at a table that held various equipment, from computers to routers to specialized video equipment with the power to transmit globally. The door slammed shut before he could get a picture, but he knew enough to be able to describe everything to Buzz.

  “Sorry for the mix-up, man.” He nodded to the first guy. “Your boss seems like a fun time.”

  “You need to leave.”

  Santo shrugged and jogged down the steps to the delivery truck they had rented. He jumped into the cab and pulled away from the warehouse slowly, tapping his brakes occasionally, and backing up even though he knew he could make the tight turn. He wanted to give them the impression he had no clue how to drive, let alone find the right address, which fit the story he had fed the first guy about being a newbie on the job.

  “You found the right spot.” Snap greeted Sa
nto at the door to their hotel room. With the help of a tool Buzz had given them, they had picked up the internet signal at the warehouse and tapped into the security feed.

  “Seems that way. You saw the pictures?” He pulled the cap off and scratched his head vigorously from where the wig had irritated his scalp.

  “Yep. The security feeds are filling in the spots your pictures didn’t capture.” Snap secured the door behind him and stood to the side of the window for several moments, watching closely to see if anyone had followed.

  Brusco kicked back in a chair near the simple desk weighed down by their heavy equipment. “You play stupid like a natural.” He grinned, and Santo punched him in the arm before sitting on the end of one of the beds, looking at the pictures they’d pulled up on their laptops.

  “You ready to call Buzz?” Lobo asked, sitting on the other bed, drinking coffee in a disposable cup bearing the logo of the diner across the street.

  “Yes. Are you able to see the entire interior of the warehouse with the security feed?”

  “Inside and out. Tall, dark, and charming number two seemed thrilled you were there. Once the feed kicked in, we saw that guy and three others at a table watching something, and it must have been the exterior camera.”

  “Let’s get Buzz on the line so we can run through all of this. We meet with the Texas

  Rangers in just two hours, and then it will be time to bring this party to an end.” Santo nodded to Snap, who hit the speed-dial for Buzz and put his phone on speaker.

  “How do things look there?” Buzz answered, bypassing any greeting. “Did the hurricane cause much damage?”

  “In the copter ride here we saw the toll it’s taken on the entire Texas coastline.” Santo shook his head, remembering what they had seen. “Lots of flooding, and plenty of damage. Fortunately, the wall Galveston built in the early nineteen-hundreds saved them from a lot of the damage the rest of the coast endured.”

  “Y’all aren’t going to like the latest update, I’m afraid,” Buzz sighed heavily into the phone, and the men in the hotel tensed. “From the looks of a few new threads on the forum I’m following, the seller has moved the location of the auction at the last minute.”

  Santo shook his head. “You’re able to see the security feeds we see, right? Clearly, we found the right place.”

  “I think someone is on to us,” Buzz said. “They’re aware we’re monitoring their communication. This is their attempt to shake us and make us go to the other location. More than likely it’s a trap.”

  “For all we know, they could both be traps,” Brusco said.

  “Just take extra precaution with everything, all right?” Buzz said. “Clearly, with the guards and equipment, these people are pros. I’m running their prints and pics through identity software, but no hits yet.”

  The men’s eyes met briefly before turning their attention back on the security feed. Santo knew having eyes inside and out of the facility gave them a significant advantage. “Thanks, Buzz. We’ll connect with you after we meet with the Texas Rangers.”

  The meeting with the Rangers went smoothly, though it took a handful of hours as they went through every step and how the hand-off would proceed. The SEALs would handle the entire breach, but as soon as they identified anyone connected to Greg, they’d hand off to the Rangers.

  The next morning, Santo, Snap, Brusco, and Lobo were up early, running through every check-point to make sure they hadn’t overlooked any vulnerable spots. Keeping in touch with Buzz, they maintained a close eye on the security feed and identified a few more guards had arrived in the past twenty-four hours.

  Santo had struggled to sleep the night before with his mind constantly being pulled back to the previous night with Evie. Her sweet profession of love when she thought he had been asleep motivated him more than anything else to successfully move through their mission as quickly as possible so he could get back to her. They needed to have a serious conversation.

  After a final check with Buzz, they knew fifteen people had arrived for the auction. They gathered together a safe distance away from the building, and, since night had turned their surroundings dark, used their night vision optics to enhance their sight and closely watch everything at the door. Three men stood guard outside, intently watching their surroundings.

  Buzz had been able to successfully identify the two guards Santo had met the day before. Having served in the Colombian Army for over ten years, each had defected and joined a band of guerillas terrorizing South America before going into the business of selling their services as mercenaries. The fact Greg came from Colombia made all of it more than just a coincidence.

  Santo felt a calmness descend upon him. He quickly climbed on top of one of the shipment containers lined up around the perimeter of the multi-building warehouse and pulled out his sniper’s rifle, assembling it smoothly. He frowned briefly, remembering the last time he had needed his rifle had been when he had found the Mitchell family with Evie.

  Shaking the thought from his mind, he let out his breath slowly as he stared down the scope at his first target. He lightly squeezed the trigger and the first target crumpled to the ground without a sound. Moving swiftly, he aimed and brought down the second target. The third target began to reach for his walkie-talkie when Santo’s shot brought him down.

  Santo quickly tore down his rifle and met back with the team. They moved quickly and silently, undetectable in their full black attire. Even their faces were covered with black cloth, making it virtually impossible for anyone to see them making their way to the warehouse door.

  “We’re approaching the warehouse,” Santo said softly into his com. “Have you worked your magic on the surveillance cameras, Buzz?”

  “Affirmative. It’s on a loop. They’ll never see you coming.”

  A light dangled above the door they needed to breach, and Lobo took a quick shot at it with the handgun sporting a silencer, putting it out. The most anyone nearby could have heard would sound like a soft pop as the glass of the light shattered. No one inside the warehouse would have been able to hear such a faint sound.

  They reached the door to breach, and Lobo formed the head of the stack, followed by Brusco, Santo, and Snap bringing up the rear. They used ECT, Explosive Cutting Tape, at the door hinges and stood back as Lobo detonated it. The door flew off its hinges with a loud explosion and clatter, and Lobo tossed a flash-bang into the room. They hovered at the doorway, having lifted their night vision optics so they could see within the bright interior of the building. Within a couple of breaths, the flash-bang went off, and they moved in rapidly as shouts filled the warehouse.

  Several pops sounded as Lobo, Brusco, Santo, and Snap all aimed at targets and took them down. Santo moved through the warehouse quickly, following his brothers, watching closely for anyone else with a gun. Several men stood in the center of the warehouse with their hands either up in the air or still covering their heads as they tried to recover from the flash-bang. Five men lay sprawled over crates or on the ground. Some were dead, others were seriously injured.

  Eight men in total. Santo shook his head. It seemed almost too many men to cover an arms deal. He strongly suspected they had been tipped off that they were coming. Snap and Brusco took on the task of securing the men that remained in the room while Santo and Lobo scouted the perimeter, making sure no one had attempted to flee.

  The Rangers had assured them they would have a handful of minutes alone in the warehouse before they moved in. They needed that time to identify the man, or men, that were in charge of the sale. They didn’t have time for questions. Using a quick scanner, they sent fingerprints to Buzz, but all came back without any connections to Colombia.

  They were out of time and didn’t have any additional answers. But they had secured the weapons that were about to be sold and knew that the men would be questioned thoroughly by the Rangers before they were handed over to the ATF.

  As the Rangers moved in, the SEALs quickly vanished into the dark of t
he night. The weapons had been collected and the mission a success. Santo looked forward to returning home to Evie’s warm embrace.

  “The transactions have just been stopped. It seems they took the bait and went after the auction.” David smirked as he watched all wireless communications drop from the connection with the warehouse in Galveston.

  “Perfect. I need you to—”

  “If I didn’t know what needed to be done next, I wouldn’t be in charge of all the technology you and your friends expect me to handle, would I?”

  Greg gripped the cell phone he held to his ear tightly. If he didn’t need David so desperately, he would tell the man exactly what he thought of him. Unfortunately, due to the actions of Judge O’Connor, they both needed each other at the moment. At least until they had hard copies of the evidence stored in the hidden files on the site and the game had been destroyed.

  He sat in the back seat of one of two trucks headed down the highway between Falfurrias and Hebbronville. Soon everything would be under control again, and the idea of sending one of his men to execute David held great appeal. He didn’t know if David had a fail-safe plan, though, to ensure his safety given the type of men he worked for.

  “How much time do you need?”

  “Less than fifteen minutes.”

  “Perfect.” Greg smiled, excited to finally have the nightmare he’d been living with about to conclude. “I’ll call you as soon as I need your help with the next step.” He disconnected the call and leaned his head back against the seat cushion. He couldn’t wait for the tension of the last several weeks to finally fall off his shoulders. More than anything, though, he couldn’t wait to see the look on Evie’s face when she saw him.

  “We’re still no closer to figuring out who might be after Evie,” Santo sighed, staring out at the passing scenery. They had been supplied with a truck to return to the ranch, even though it would take them nearly four hours on the road before they could call an end to their day.