Protecting Her Heart (Seals Security Book 3) (17 page)

Brent’s eyes narrowed and a dark scowl covered his face as he glared at Wyatt before asking in a deadly tone, “How the hell do you know they’re places she’s been recently?”

“Does that really matter at the moment?” Wyatt asked with a raised brow.

“Yes, asshole, it’s important,” Brent growled.

“She’s been having some trouble with a guy she dated and I’ve been following her because of it. Nothing serious. He just keeps popping up when he shouldn’t and I wanted to be sure it’s not turning into a stalking problem,” Wyatt said.

“Why the fuck didn’t you inform me? She’s my damned sister.”

“Because like I said, it wasn’t what I thought it was. I followed her for two weeks and he wasn’t following her that I saw. I just heard her telling Laney he showed up where he shouldn’t and I wanted to check it out,” Wyatt grumbled, his glare just as hot as Brent’s.

“Fine but the next damned time my sister is involved in anything like that, you’d damned well better tell me,” Brent told him before snatching the paper from him and glancing over it.

“Why would he be watching her?” Derrick asked.

“I don’t know. Maybe because I saved her when the bomb exploded? Or he might have been following me instead of her,” Wyatt muttered. “Either way it’s not good. If he decides to strike at any of these places, there would be massive casualties.”

Luke couldn’t argue that point as Craig handed him the list of places they’d found. Damn, none of these places would have the type of security needed to prevent an attack like the one Terrence would create.

They were likely going to have to put both Wyatt and Monica into protective custody. Maybe they should have someone tail Monica and Wyatt for a week to see if they spotted Terrence. Maybe they could take him out that way. Luke decided that was the best course of action and explained his idea to the others who agreed before they called the local police to come in and knock down this operation.

Stepping into his office later that morning, Luke noticed that Evie wasn’t at her desk but since he was thirty minutes early he didn’t get too concerned. He went to his desk, sitting down to make a phone call to let Wyatt know how his call to the local PD had gone. Wyatt had left the warehouse at around six to meet up with a private investigator he was friends with to see if he’d found any leads on Terrence and hadn’t been there when the police arrived.

“So what’d they say? And was anything else important found?” Wyatt answered, not bothering with any pleasantries.

“No, they didn’t find anything we hadn’t already seen. Just a few more explosive triggers and some more plans for different types of bombs. They were still clearing it out when I left. Don’t know what else they might find but Jack will call if he finds anything he thinks might lead us to him or that we need to know,” Luke told Wyatt, his hand holding the phone to his ear.

“Damn, I was really hoping we might have missed something.”

“Yeah, me too. I waited as long as I could and finally left when they started loading the stuff into the vans. Craig is setting up for a tail on Monica but you two need to avoid being seen together again so we can figure out which of you he’s following.” Luke leaned back, his hand rubbing the back of his neck as he looked up at the ceiling above him.

“Yeah, I figured. I hope he was following me and not Monica,” Wyatt growled and Luke could hear the anger in his tone. Luke had long suspected that Wyatt had a thing for Monica but he couldn’t be sure. Wyatt was the type to hold his cards tightly to his chest.

   “I do too because all we need is him striking at anyone who’s involved with your team. We can’t protect everyone,” Luke muttered, his fingers digging into his eyes as he rubbed at them.

“I hate that this is my mess and you’re having to help clean it up,” Wyatt growled, frustration clear in his voice.

“It’s not your mess, Wyatt. What happened with Terrence and his wife was tragic but it’s not your fault Freddy died. You made the only call you could have made at the time.” Luke could tell that Wyatt was blaming himself for what happened but it wasn’t his fault. People died sometimes on a mission and there wasn’t a damned thing anyone could do to prevent that. Freddy’s death was a tragic risk that any military man or woman signed on for. As for Terrence’s wife, the doctors had warned him not to remove her from the hospital and he’d chosen not to listen. That choice, as far as Luke was concerned, made what happened his fault more than anyone else’s.

“I get what you are saying but I still feel like it is my fault somehow. I was the one over there and in charge when Freddy died. Maybe if we went in another way it wouldn’t have gone the way it did and he’d still be alive. I chose the route into the compound and we got cut off from the others which is why he ended up shot,” Wyatt stated, his voice flat and regret dripping from every word.

“That’s all true but for all you know if you’d gone in another way it could have been worse and more of you would have been dead. That compound was overrun with that group and no one knows how they knew about the mission anyway. It’s still odd to me that they responded that quickly unless they knew about you coming. Besides, any of us who ran a team had to make hard calls. I once had a rookie, only a week out of training, die because I chose to leave him behind to watch our stuff thinking he’d be safer. You just never know when shit will get fubared on a mission. It’s just the way it is sometimes, shit happens sometimes and not everyone gets out. You never can predict when your number’s going to get punched.” Luke wanted to add that Terrence had issues that weren’t his fault either but he refrained. Reminding Wyatt that Terrence had gone off the deep end at this point seemed cruel.

“Yeah, I know you’re right,” Wyatt said after a long pause.

“I am. Since we aren’t sure that Terrence isn’t following you, I want you to lay low for a while and I’ll have Merrick follow you. We need to find this son-of-a-bitch before he sets off another bomb,” Luke grumbled.

“Yeah, okay,” Wyatt agreed.

“Tell me what your investigator found,” Luke said, trying to change the subject.

“Nothing. Which is damned frustrating. Between the frustration and the guilt, I’m getting stomach ulcers. This shit needs to get wrapped up soon or I’m going to go insane.”

“We’ll find him and when we do we will make damned sure they put him away for the rest of his life,” Luke promised and after a few more pleasantries, he hung up and leaned farther back, folding his hands in his lap as he stared up at the ceiling. He really fucking hoped that they got this asshole behind bars soon because the man was stressing out his team and none of them needed that.

Evie entered the office with her lunch, walking towards her desk. She hadn’t seen Luke come in this morning and he hadn’t exited his office all day. She was beginning to wonder if he was here at all as she sat down and pulled out the burrito she’d bought from the food truck down the street that Monica had told her was to-die-for. She unwrapped it while looking at the closed door to Luke’s office, wondering why he was being such a hermit today.

She knew from what Laney said a few minutes ago when they were in line at the food truck that he’d had to meet her husband and a bunch of the other men at two am this morning and she thought maybe he hadn’t come in because he was tired. She didn’t know but it was odd behavior for him. Normally by this time he’d already found at least ten things for her to do.

She lifted the burrito, taking a bite and letting out a pleasured moan because it was divine. Monica hadn’t been wrong; these were amazingly good. She was just taking another bite when Luke came out of his office.

“That from Burrito Bev’s?” he asked.

Evie chewed up the bite before she answered, “Yes.”

“And you didn’t offer to get your boss one?” Luke asked with a sly smile as he came to sit on her desk right beside her. Evie felt a shiver of need slide down her spine

“My boss has been busy and I had no idea he was here,” Evie muttered.

“Huh, you still could have buzzed me to see. I love their burritos.”

“Sorry,” Evie said, lifting it for another bite.

Luke leaned forward, grabbing her hands and pulling the burrito towards his mouth. Evie was so distracted by his touch and the way his hard lips parted that she didn’t realize what he was doing until he’d taken a big bite.

“Hey!” she cried, jerking it back and glaring at him because he’d eaten half of it in that one bite. She held the rest of it protectively to her side. “Get your own.”

“Why should I when yours is so much better?” Luke asked after swallowing. He earned another glare from her for that comment. She looked at the small bit of her lunch that was left after his huge bite and frowned. Damn it, now she would have to go back and get another one or she’d be hungry all afternoon.

“Don’t get all frowny, sweetheart. I’ll go down and get us two more,” Luke said, running his hand over her cheek, a slightly tender smile on his face. Evie was suddenly struck dumb by the look he was giving her. He stared at her for a long moment, the two of them lost in each other’s eyes, before he stood up and with a handsome grin headed out the door, presumably to get them lunch. Evie ate the last two bites wondering what had just happened because she wasn’t sure she knew.

She did know that something had changed between them since the last time she’d seen him. She wasn’t sure what it was but she knew that it was going to end with her heart broken. Evie couldn’t deny her feelings for Luke anymore. She was in love with him and she didn’t want to think about the fact that she was going to have to quit her job soon because there was no way she could work here and watch him day in and day out without losing her mind. She had enough money saved that she and Rory would be okay. They’d have to move out of their swanky apartment but they wouldn’t have to live in a hellhole like they did before.

Evie was still trying to figure out what to do about her feelings for Luke when he sauntered back in thirty minutes later with a bag of burritos for them. Evie reached out to take one when he set the bag down on her desk but he snatched it away.

“Hey, I thought you got one of those for me?” she asked frowning.

“I did but you have to pay for it first,” Luke informed her.

His grin was large and slightly wicked, making her leery as she eyed him. She reached for her purse intending to pay him like he’d asked. He let out a chuckle and caught her reaching hand.

“Not with money,” he whispered before pulling her forward to kiss her.

It was a deep kiss that lasted long enough to leave her breathless and a little lightheaded when he moved away. Evie stared at him wide-eyed as he pulled slightly back from her but still close enough that when he spoke his breath caressed her lips. His thumb brushed over her still parted lips gently.

“Hmm, I’m not sure which one I want to eat first, you or the burrito,” he whispered against her lips as he leaned in toward her for another sipping taste of them before he pulled away and grabbed one of the burritos from the bag handing it to her.

“Thanks,” Evie managed to squeak as she took it with a trembling hand. From the way her cheeks heated she was sure they were stained with a blush. She unwrapped the package feeling her blood pumping violently through her veins. She tried not to let him see how much his kisses affected her because she didn’t want to seem desperate or needy. She had a feeling that if she acted clingy he would run as if the hounds of hell were after him.

“Least I could do since I ate yours,” Luke told her, grinning as he pulled two more foil wrapped burritos from the bag. He was still sitting on the edge of her desk as he opened one and took a bite while watching her. She tried not to look at him but it was hard and she found herself taking small bites between sneaking glances at him. Luke didn’t seem bothered by the fact that he was leaning on her desk while they ate. Evie was feeling oddly shaky inside as she took another little bite of her lunch.

“What are you doing tonight after work?” Luke suddenly asked her between bites.

Evie froze because she wasn’t sure how to answer that question. Did she tell him the truth, that she and Rory planned to watch a movie they’d downloaded, or should she lie so that she sounded less pathetic considering it was a Friday night. Evie was silent so long that the smile on his face dimmed a bit.

“Just watching a movie,” she blurted, unable to think of something fast enough.

“With a man?” Luke asked, a dark frown taking over his face and she saw him shift slightly on the desk. Evie thought about saying yes but the dark scowl on his face made her tell the truth because even if she didn’t want to sound like she was pathetic, she couldn’t deliberately hurt him. 

“No, Rory,” she muttered, taking another bite.

A wide grin spread over his face then and he reached out, running a hand over her cheek, his eyes darkening with desire. She felt her insides quiver as she looked up at him. Luke leaned closer but stopped himself halfway, shaking his head. He stood up grabbing the last foil package and dropped a quick kiss on her forehead.

“I’ll talk to you later. I have work to do,” Luke said over his shoulder as he headed into his office. Evie watched his hard butt flexing in the jeans he was wearing. Her mouth watered and she was so captured by the view she didn’t realize he’d stopped in his office doorway and turned until she heard a little tsking sound come from him. She felt the blush that stained her cheeks rush down her whole body as she looked up at his face to find his grin wicked and his eyes twinkling.

“Such a naughty girl staring at my ass like that,” Luke teased, making her embarrassment over being caught ogling him complete. He let out a little chuckle before reassuring her in a husky tone, “Don’t be embarrassed, sweetheart. If it was your ass in tight jeans I would have been drooling.”

Evie’s mouth dropped open as he entered his office shutting the door.
Holy crap, that man was hot and he knew it too. What the hell was she going to do?