Jake
I watched my target as she moved back to the diner’s counter. The sway of her hips, the way her blonde ponytail bounced with each step—not to mention the outline of her sweet, curvy body in that ridiculously fucking tight uniform she was wearing, all had me memorizing every single detail like my life depended on it.
Fuck, it might yet.
But that wasn’t the reason every fucking part of my being was super charged with adrenaline—the same kind of rush I had felt during my years as a SEAL right before a mission.
The reason was the fact ‘Charlie’ was a girl and not a younger male cousin of Wyatt Reed as initially stated in the intel supplied by my boss’s client.
No, scratch that. The reason was Charlotte Reed was all curves, kind of shy and with big blue eyes. The kind of eyes that had me wanting to explore what lay behind the secrets and sadness I saw in their depths. And the curiosity she couldn’t hide. Yeah, I’d caught that, too. Each time she’d unconsciously licked her lips. The way she’d stood there, staring at me, unsure, but wondering.
That’s why I was so fucking fined tuned.
Charlotte Reed. My target.
A wave of possessiveness consumed me. I breathed deep, letting the need burn in hard, leave its brand.
I wanted her. Wanted to claim her.
To have her beneath me. In bed.
Caught.
Vulnerable.
I felt myself harden. An image of her lying naked and tied spread-eagled on a bed with me leaning over her filled my mind. I’d tell her all the filthy things I was going to do to her. Would she let her curiosity take over or beg for me to let her go?
As if letting her go was an option.
Not with what was at stake with this mission.
Dangerous men who didn’t care how many lives they destroyed as they got rich from drugs and human trafficking and were determined to win at all costs. Charlotte was a pawn in my mission to help bring them to justice.
I glanced across and watched as she chatted with an elderly couple a few tables down from us. Her smile was genuine as she laughed at something the old man said. Her gaze, bright with joy, was filled with warmth. As she went to move away, she lightly touched the woman on her shoulder as if conveying that friendship.
Walking past another table, Charlotte gave a tiny wave to a little girl who was sucking a milkshake. The kid gifted Charlotte with a huge grin, swinging her legs in happiness.
The little blonde waitress cared about people. Showed that in her every action.
And I was the guy about to put her in harm’s way.
The gut-churning idea of her getting physically hurt plowed into me with the force of a knuckle-duster punch to my face. I fisted my hands against my thighs. No fucker would get near Charlotte. Nobody but me.
She was under my protection.
The speed and passion of my decision both shocked and pleased me. For years, my instincts, along with my training, and trust in the men by my side had kept me alive. I didn’t question this new path.
One thing was certain. My mission had now changed.
My mind raced to reconfigure plans previously worked out in precise detail. I hadn’t survived long enough to become a retired SEAL without learning to adapt at a moment’s notice. Having the correct facts in the first place helped. Speaking of which… I glared across at the man sitting opposite.
“What the fuck happened with the local intel?”
Ryder Nolan’s mouth turned down. “I admitted as we entered this dump the guy checking facts back in Dallas fucked up. Charlie Wyatt’s photo was the only one missing from the case file. We only got confirmation Charlie was female five minutes before we walked in.” He shook his head, his blond hair longer now that he was out of the Teams, fell across his forehead. Bastard needed a haircut. “That’s why Lance’s contact in the Feds told us to take charge of the job from this end.”
Jake cursed. Lance Marshall must have been all kinds of pissed when he’d found out about the Feds’ fuck-up. Their first SEAL team leader and owner of the private security firm me and his buddies now worked for expected the highest standard of his employees and those he contracted jobs from.
Ryder’s downturned mouth showed his own displeasure. “The agent’s excuse was he didn’t think someone not directly implicated in the case needed to be scrutinized, and he was busy with other aspects of the case.”
Too busy to run a driver’s license? How time-poor was the lazy ass?
“That kind of mistake costs lives.” Eli Ford sat back in the booth next to me, his voice tight with disgust. The bald sniper had no time for unprofessional behavior on a job. It was one of the reasons I respected the man. “Bastard deserves a demotion at the very least.”
Deke Wallace leaned an elbow on the windowsill. “Is he clean? Maybe his mistake wasn’t so innocent.” His gray eyes narrowed, and I could imagine the questions in my buddy’s head. Deke had interrogated the prisoners they’d captured on missions when time had been short and answers desperately needed.
Such as their last mission in Afghanistan.
But the answers they’d received had come too late to stop—
I drew in a deep breath and forced those memories away. Not today. The sounds of the screams of battle and explosions of gunfire would wait for another time. Like at night when the terrors of warfare haunted a man and stole his sleep.
“The Feds fucked up. I’m changing my plan.” I held up my hand as Ryder opened his mouth. “No. You brought me in to hook Wyatt and use that to our advantage. I’ve got that bastard on his knees. He’s close to a breaking point. Now I’m taking that leverage.” Just in ways Ryder hadn’t planned. “Either way, I have the girl.”
I met the stares of the men sitting in the booth. Skepticism, shock and maybe more than a little jealousy were detected. Deke raised an eyebrow. “You’re claiming her? After knowing her less than two minutes?”
Totally fucking insane maneuver, I know, but that didn’t change my commitment to keeping her safe. More than that, the caveman instinct to throw her over my shoulder and keep her forever only increased as the seconds passed.
I didn’t think about deeper emotions beyond attraction. They were there, building, maybe even at the core of my need to protect her. But for now, I’d concentrate on securing my prize.
“Charlotte’s mine.”
Saying the words aloud should have scared me, but instead, a flood of calmness flowed through my body. Seconds later, a rising tide of anticipation swept through me.
My decision was made. Now I’d claim my target.