A SEAL to Save Her (16 page)

The problem was he was liking her way too much. Tyler's sister. Even as he heeded Rock's warning and got more guilt dumped on him by the bro code, he'd long ago crossed the line. He didn't want to lose Tyler's friendship over this, but he also realized that he was going to hurt her. Because even though she was the most amazing woman and he was amazing with her, and they were amazing together, he still wanted to be a SEAL. Every day in her presence made him think more and more that she was his other unbreakable half. He hadn't known there was a vulnerability in his armor until he'd met her.

He thought he'd fallen before... Jesus...not even close.

Protecting his heart wasn't even an option now.

The woman had done him inside out.

The problem here was that he wanted every moment he could get with her. It was a flat-out admission and his cue to back off. Maybe take stock of the situation, reclaim a little pride, but he didn't take his hands off her. He didn't lean back and give her room, and he didn't lift his head from the curve of her neck.

Screw it—he opened his mouth on the soft, sweet skin beneath her ear. He tasted her with his tongue. He slid one hand up her body and moved her hair away from her neck, letting the silky strands drift through his fingers.

It was just one big forbidden mistake after another and he used his other hand to slide down over her bottom and press her into his hips, grazing her throat with his teeth, letting her scent seduce him.

His match...and he sensed that he was going to lose her, even as he entered her from behind and she gasped and arched her back, even as he thrust and thrust, took her body, took her heart, greedy and insatiable for every sound she made, every gasp, every indrawn breath.

He rolled her over onto her stomach, his shaft so hard and aching as he lost his control and drove into her.

He was lost, caught between what he wanted and what he couldn't live without. There was only one answer, one way he could go.

His job wasn't just what he did for a living; it fulfilled him at a level that nothing else could. He needed both to survive and be whole, but he would have to give up one.

“Dex,”
she whispered in a pleasure-soaked voice, and she rippled around him. He spasmed and came, his body jerking and emptying.

She was still in love with her husband, not over him. He had hurt her last night and with that memory came true, aching regret.

He was so damned selfish. He wanted all of her heart.

He collapsed over her, wincing as he slid to his side. One thing was for sure, he was getting plenty of blood pumping into his wound. He cuddled her against him.

“Dex?” she said into the brightening room.

“Yeah,” he replied, his arm wrapped around her waist, her sated body languid against his.

“I've been thinking. I want to get help.”

He stiffened, his whole body going on alert.

“This isn't the same crap you were trying to feed me last night, Piper. Because you can forget it.”

“No,” she said, sending her hand over the back of his, caressing him.

“What, then?” he said cautiously.

“I want to contact Stephen Montgomery. He's very well-placed, has a lot of contacts, is discreet and he cares about me.”

“I don't know, Piper.” Dex didn't care if the guy was a priest and was personal friends with the freaking Pope. Someone wanted her dead and he wasn't taking any chances.

“Maybe he can make some headway. We can at least talk to him. We don't have to reveal our whereabouts. Just get him working for us.”

He sighed. “You trust him?”

“Yes. I do. Not as much as I trust you, but yes.”

That warmed him up inside like a sappy idiot. “All right, but no particulars.”

After they showered and played some more—damn, she was a tease and made him forget everything—they settled on stools in the kitchen and ate breakfast.

“You sure about this Montgomery guy?”

“Yes. I'm sure.” She bit into her toast and chewed, giving him a reassuring look. Her beauty struck him hard, like a metal pipe to the head—a brutal beauty that twisted a guy the hell up.

He just wanted to say, “Yes. Anything you want,” but Dex was a navy SEAL and he was made of tougher stuff.
O-kay
, he might be 5 percent cream puff around her, but mostly sterner stuff. He had a gut feeling and he was going to follow through with it. She wasn't going to like it, but he figured he'd feed reality to her a little bit at a time. He didn't have anything more at stake here than his own life and Piper's. Those were pretty big to him and he wasn't going to go soft now, not when she needed him armed and dangerous.

“Call him,” Dex said, “but be vague about exactly where you are. You don't even have to tell him you're in DC.” He still didn't like this idea, but they were pretty much at a standstill. He had a hunch he wanted to execute, but he was sure it was going to put Piper in a tailspin. Couldn't be helped. He needed to find answers and he didn't like having to rely on people he didn't trust to deliver.

Piper was right. He was rich and he was a wild card. Dex liked a sure bet. And unless Montgomery was a navy SEAL, he couldn't extend his trust that far.

“Yes, sir,” she said, saluting, and it was downright cute as hell.

He chuckled. “There's no saluting unless there's a cover on.”

“A cover?”

“Hat,” he said.

“You can't make an exception in my case, Lieutenant?” Her lower lip protruded in a pout.

He felt like a sappy idiot again.
Cream puff.
“Well, maybe.” He tapped her phone. “Go. Dial. Put it on speaker.”

She reached for her phone as Dex sipped his coffee. She punched in the number and it rang.

“Hello.”

“Monty?”

“Oh, my God! Pippy!” Dex mouthed,
Pippy
, and arched his brows, a smile forming on his face, and she hit him on the arm. “Honey, it's so good to hear your voice. Edward was pretty closed lipped about you and I was going out of my mind with worry. Where are you?”

Dex shook his head and Piper nodded and said, “I'm safe, but I could use your help.”

“Anything. Name it.”

“I don't know if you're aware, but Ty wasn't all that convinced my car wreck and Brad's death were accidents.”

“That's very troubling. Go on.”

“The police were sparse on the information. I don't even know what they had found out, if anything. They kept telling me it was an accident. Brad had been drinking that night, but he wasn't drunk. I'm sure of that. They think he just lost control of the car, but I'm not sure that was the case. It's jumbled up in my head and I'm not sure myself.”

“Let me get this straight. You think Brad was murdered and the police covered it up?”

“I don't know, but someone tried to kill Tyler by luring him and his SEAL team into an ambush and someone compromised my protection detail. Both of my DS agents tried to kill me. The only connection between Ty and me is that accident.”

“This is very upsetting,” he said, his voice choked. He paused and went on, “Brad was like a son to me. What do you want me to do?”

“I figured anyone who could make those things happen could easily pay off the police. I was wondering if it would be possible for you to use your influence to find out more information from the police. You know the commissioner. Surely, he would be helpful.”

“I will call him now and get back to you with anything I find out. Where can I reach you?”

Dex covered the receiver. “Tell him you'll call him,” he whispered.

Old Monty didn't like that; Dex could hear the disgruntlement in his voice. Before he could badger Piper, Dex hit the end button.

“That was rude, Dex. I didn't even get a chance to say goodbye.”

“Well, when all this is over,
Pippy
, I'll personally apologize to him.”

She huffed a laugh. “Don't you dare call me that. That's his childhood name for me. I bet you have one, and if you're not careful I'll find out what it is.”

“I only have one nickname and it's a SEAL handle.”

“Oh, and what's that?”

“Machine.”

“Machine? As in robot with metal parts?”

“Machine. As in terminator. I don't stop coming.”

“Oh,” she said a little breathless. “That's sure a fitting nickname. I'd prefer you call me Piper, but I do like ‘babe.'” Her voice softened.

“Not Bulldozer?” he said with a wicked grin. “As in you bulldozed me right into calling Montgomery.” He shook his head. One of the richest men on the planet and she was on a nickname basis with him. “Yeesh, I can't believe you call him Monty.”

She laughed and nudged his arm. “Bulldozer is better than Pippy.”

“I don't know. I like Pippy.”

“Stop it, Dex. I swear...”

His hair stood up on the back of his neck and shortly after that he heard a furtive footfall. He cut her off by grabbing Piper by the arm and hustling her out of the kitchen, pulling her with him against the wall. She didn't say a word, her eyes wide and so golden. He put his finger to his lips and pulled his weapon out of the small of his back.

He indicated that she should head to the bedroom. “Get your weapon. Come around the back,” he whispered. She nodded.

He checked his magazine, drove it home and chambered a round, thumbing off the safety, then he set his finger over the trigger, cupped his left hand under his right and took a breath.

He heard the sliding glass door open.

Whoever came through that door was a dead man.

Chapter 15

A
ustin moved into the sunny kitchen, his eyes roaming over the counter, immediately noticing the breakfast dishes and the coffee cups. He moved soundlessly up to the mug and pressed his fingers against it. Still warm.

He was just about to announce himself when a steely voice said, “Freeze.” He was partly shielded by the wall leading out of the kitchen. Austin raised his hands.

He wasn't going to take any chances and piss off an armed navy SEAL. But the guy stiffened and he heard Derrick order Dexter Kaczewski to raise his hands and step into the kitchen.

Derrick and Dexter were about halfway to Austin when Derrick said, “Where's Senator Jones?”

“Right behind you, and I'm feeling a bit wobbly after being chased and almost killed several times, so I would suggest that you get that gun out of Dex's back and drop it.”

“Piper,” Dex warned, but it was too late. Derrick spun and disarmed her, but it was enough for Dex to get his gun up and pointed at Austin.

“Let her go,” Kaczewski said in a voice that said Austin only had a few minutes to live.

“Wait!” Austin yelled. “I'm going to reach for my badge.”

Dexter Kaczewski had some deep, penetrating intimidation going on there in his eyes. A cool, I-mean-business blue.

“Easy,” Dex said as Austin reached into his back pocket and pulled out the badge. “NCIS Special Agent Austin Beck, and that's Special Agent Derrick Gunn.”

“NCIS?”

“We've been chasing you two around the globe. Just missed you in Afghanistan.”

“Is that so?” Dex said in an I-don't-give-two-flying-hells tone. “Well, aren't you the resourceful Boy Scouts? How did you find us?”

“We're here to help,” Derrick said, letting Piper go and putting his gun away. “The boy genius hacker over there tapped your mother's social media accounts and had this hunch you were here.” But Kaczewski didn't move a muscle.

“Thing is. Her detail tried to kill her, so I'm not inclined to trust any alphabetfreakingsoup agency, no matter who they are.”

“I get that, Lieutenant. But you see, I can't be bought. All I care about is surfing and, well, that whole karma thing always comes back to bite you in the ass. And Derrick, well, he's already rich. I'm working on him to come around to the karma-is-a-bitch thing. He's a work in progress.”

The lieutenant looked at Derrick and he shrugged. Piper reached out and clasped her hand around his forearm. “Dex...”

He lowered the weapon and Austin took a deep breath.
Hoo-boy
, nothing like having a gun pointed at you by a guy who's a sniper and a SEAL. Who had the ability to throw a knife across the room with precision accuracy and kill a guy in one fell swoop.

Yeah, he was holding on to that karma thing.

* * *

Piper offered them coffee, but Dex didn't relax. He watched them, his gun on the counter within easy reach.

“Thank you, Senator,” the smart-mouthed one said—the one who did look like a California surfer dude with his messy shaggy light brown hair and blond highlights. The other one looked like an assassin. Dark, cold blue eyes, and he'd disarmed Piper like he was taking candy from a baby.

He got a good vibe off them, though, and he was inclined to believe them. Actually, it was good they were here. He had something he wanted them to do. Piper came over to him.

“Stop glowering at them, Dex. They're here to help.” Piper studied Derrick when he wasn't looking and Dex got immediately jealous. The way she was looking at him got his hackles up.

He went to the coffeemaker and poured himself a fresh cup. He leaned back against the counter and met her gaze.

“You trust these guys? 'Cause it's our lives on the line.”

“I do.”

They had already filled Dex in on the dead PI and the fact the police had no leads on who murdered him. No forensic evidence whatsoever. That meant a hired gun, black ops, probably former CIA.

When Piper went to take a shower, Dex went into the living room. “I have a job for you guys.” He held out a set of keys.

“What are these for?”

“Piper's house. I want you to box up everything in her husband's office, including his computer, and bring it here.”

“What do you think you're going to find?”

“I don't know. Since his death was deemed an accident, they didn't disturb any of his stuff, but Piper did say she had a break-in the day after Brad's death. I think someone was looking for something.”

The surfer dude nodded. “I'd be happy to go over the computer.”

“He went to Cornell,” Derrick said dryly.

“And you went to the School of Hard Knocks,” Dex said, but Gunn just shrugged again.

When Piper emerged from the shower, she looked around and set her hands on her hips. “What did you do with the nice federal agents, Dex?”

“Sent them on an errand.” He came up to her and brushed at the hair on her forehead. “Why don't you call Monty back and see if he's uncovered anything?”

“What are you up to and what errand?”

“Hopefully something that will shed some light on this whole situation.”

Piper wasn't going to like that he'd violated her husband's office and her privacy. She'd told him she hadn't been in there since he died. Everything was exactly where he'd left it. What if there was something in his papers or files that indicated whether he was dirty or vindicated him? Something on his computer. He wasn't sure Piper wanted to know, but he was going to press the issue. Maybe he was digging up dirt on one of his fellow senators. Robert Mullins came to mind, the senator that was giving Piper a hard time about this corporate change bill. As far as Dex was concerned, he was at the top of his list of people who might want Piper dead.

His search for any information on the guy was limited by his abilities and his access.

Piper narrowed her eyes at him, but even though her stare was right up there with one of his Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL—or BUD/S for short—trainers, he didn't budge. She would find out soon enough.

She walked over to the counter and dialed, then put it on speaker.

“Hello? Pippy?”

“Hi, Monty. Did you find out anything?”

“Yes.” His voice was subdued. “After some digging, I found that the lead cop was paid off. Don't ask me how.”

“I want to talk to him. What is his name?”

“It won't do you any good. He was killed in the line of duty. The incident report he filed said your crash was an accident.”

“Killed?” She threw Dex a look that said the conspiracy was covering their tracks. “When?”

“A week after the accident. I can try to follow the money trail for you and see where that leads.”

“That would be great. Thank you, Monty.”

As she hung up, Austin and Derrick came in through the garage carrying boxes. They set them down and went out for more. Finally, they ended up with ten stacked in the hall. Austin handed Dex back the keys.

Piper's mouth thinned and she eyed the boxes. “What are these?”

Dex didn't answer and Austin and Derrick exchanged glances. She marched up to one of the boxes and pulled off the lid. Her breath caught and her eyes went moist and Dex felt like the biggest asshole on the planet.

“These are my husband's...things. You went to my house and packed up his office. You think he's dirty.”

“Piper,” Dex said, drawing her to the side. “I don't know. I know this is hard, but we can't find out any information if we leave everything where it was when he died. This will give you a chance to move on. Put this behind you. Maybe get answers.”

“I can't see him doing anything illegal to get ahead. I've thought about it since last night, and I swear I'm being as objective as I can be. He wouldn't, Dex. Not this. Not to me, not to his constituents, his backers. He just... It's not who he was any more than it's who I am. For any price.”

“Don't take this the wrong way, but what if he wanted the White House? You said he was ambitious. What if he was willing to do anything to get there?”

“He would have told me he was going to run for president. I would be affected by that.”

“Would he, Piper?”

“You didn't know him.”

“No, but you did. You told me you did everything for him. Maybe he just expected you would be on board for the presidency. Political royalty, politician's wife, just a couple of steps to First Lady. I'm not saying he's dirty, but we have to keep all options open.”

She looked into his eyes for the longest time, then gathered herself and said, “I know. I understand. But you've talked a lot about gut instincts. That's why I told you about Brad. It's why I've kept nothing back, ever. I knew I trusted you instinctively. I won't believe it's true until I see some proof.” Her eyes looked bruised. “I can't believe you did this.” She turned and left the room.

Austin and Derrick looked at him. “Let's get this stuff into the dining room,” Dex said, watching Piper walk away. He'd give her some time. He was sympathetic to her feelings, but he cared more about getting to the bottom of this and making sure the threat to her was neutralized. He wanted her safe, no matter what it cost him. Even if it cost him her. “There's a big table in there we can use.”

They started hauling. After about ten minutes, Derrick sat up straighter.

“What is it?” Dex asked.

“Maybe nothing, but there are several articles from the Net that Jones printed out.”

“Investment?”

“Maybe. Worth noting.” Derrick picked up his cell and punched in a number. “Hey, Amber, I need you to do a search for me. Omni Corp, Sundown, LeesonGroup and JackTrades. All you can find. Also, do me a profile of Senator Robert Mullins.” He listened for a minute. “Yup, that would be the guy.” He smiled a rare smile. “Yeah, yesterday.”

“Amber? Amber Dalton? You work with her?”

“Yeah, we know she's marrying your brother's best friend. We're keeping her in the dark. Personal connection and all.”

Dex nodded. “She's good people.” He relaxed a bit. If these guys worked with Amber, they had to be on the up-and-up. She was a really good judge of character, as evidenced by her falling for Rock's best friend.

Dex went to the bedroom to try to talk to Piper one more time. He felt like hell that he had to force this issue, but she would have pushed back on this. As he approached, he stopped dead. Muffled sobs drifted to him as he stood outside the door. His gut clenched and he put his hand on the jamb to steady himself.

And he knew there was no protecting himself from this. Or from her.

* * *

Hours passed and midnight came and went, with disheartening results. The computer was wiped, completely and unrecoverably wiped. Austin couldn't restore anything. Of course, they weren't sure who had wiped the system, but it couldn't have been Brad because it had occurred after he was dead. On the night of the break-in. Not a coincidence.

Derrick's cell rang and he tapped the speaker. Amber's voice said, “Hey, guys. I got that information you needed on Omni Corps, Sundown, LeesonGroup and JackTrades, which are all Fortune 500 companies trading on the stock exchange. They are also heavy supporters of Robert Mullins, according to what I could find. No red flags there, but I did find that Mullins was connected to a CEO of—” she ruffled some papers “—Markset Limited, who was found dead in his penthouse apartment in New York just before Brad Jones died. It might not be anything.”

“How did he die?”

“Alcohol poisoning. Ruled an accident.”

“Did he drink?”

“It seemed moderately. I couldn't find much about him drinking in excess, but people in the limelight don't broadcast that. Also, there was a PI killed in New York that same week. Sam George. I thought it was interesting because he worked out of Brad Jones's office.”

“It seems a lot of people surrounding Mullins end up dead.”

“Seems so.”

“You got a profile on him?”

“Yes. Robert Michael Mullins. He's fifty-seven years old, a former New York governor who is well-known for revitalizing the FDNY. He also served as New York's attorney general, intelligence briefer for President Sharons, CIA station chief in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and before that he was an analyst for the CIA. Education, BA Princeton University, JD Harvard Law School. Married to Crickett Ames of the Texas oil baron Ameses with two college-age daughters. He's pugnacious and unapologetic and brings a brash style to everything he does. He was known for being a hard-charger when he was attorney general. He's often accused of embracing an ego-driven and needlessly abrasive style. Otherwise, guys, Mullins profile reads like he deserves to be the next president of the United States. The guy's Mr. Clean.”

“Thanks, Amber.”

“Anything else you need researched, let me know. Bye, Derrick.”

“Bye, Amber.”

An hour later, Austin jerked in his seat at the halfway point with five boxes down. He rubbed his eyes. Dex was losing steam, too. “Good job, Hang Ten.”

Austin grinned and held up his fist for a bump. “You gave me a call name, so maybe you're warming up to me?”

Dex sighed and fist bumped him. “We'll see.”

Austin looked at Dex and nudged him. “What call name would you give Derrick?”

Dex never hesitated. “Assassin.”

“Yeah, I see that. He's got that dark and deadly thing going on there.”

Derrick just rolled his eyes and set down the file he had been riffling through.

“Let's call it a night, guys. There are three other bedrooms in this place. Choose whichever ones you want. I will see you in the morning and we'll go through the rest of this stuff.”

Austin groaned when he stood and stretched. “Don't worry, man. She'll come around. It is better to know.”