ALEC DOVE FORWARD AND fired at the glint of metal behind the rocks.Vara's knees hit the ground, and she pitched forward, but caught herself on her left hand. Her right still clutched a gun."Go," she gasped.Her feet worked, sliding for a moment before her too large boots got traction.God damn she was amazing.Two shots fired over his head, his guys covering for them."Go," she said again.He hooked his arm under hers and turned.Brett and Paxton stood behind the cover of the trees, watching for a threat. Where the fuck had they been when the shooter hit Vara?A bullet blew a chunk out of a tree a few feet from Alec."Get that shooter," he said."There's two of them," Paxton replied. "You two go. I'll hold them off."Alec didn't second guess Paxton's order. The guy was a former sniper. If any of them were going to hit a target that didn't want to be seen, it was him."I'm fine. We need to run." Vara's breath wheezed out of her lungs. She nudged Alec away from her. "We're
SACRIFICE HAPPENS.It was a cardinal truth that came with leading people.Vara knew it, and so did Alec. But he was too blinded by emotion to accept that for them to survive she had to take a risk. And possibly sacrifice herself. Otherwise none of them were getting off this rock alive."I'm coming out, Wyatt. Hear me?" Vara called out.Alec shook his head. Even with the paint she could see the rage lines around his mouth and nose."I have to," she whispered."No," he snarled, for her ears alone.She pulled against his grasp. "Alec, trust me?""He's going to kill you." Alec's hold remained fast."You won't let him.""We have to do something," Brett said again."Toss your guns first," Wyatt yelled."Alec, we have to do this." She pulled out the handgun she'd used earlier. It was one of the firearms she had strapped to her body."Fine." Alec closed his eyes and released her.She wanted to kiss him, to tell him it would be okay, but she didn't dare test his resolve."Okay. I
ALEC SWIPED THE WET rag over his face. He glanced to his left, through the curtain to where Vara lay on a stretcher while a doctor stitched up her wound.It was over.Or at least their part was.Wyatt might very well live.Kolya Sokolov was in federal custody.And Vara was alive. Alec's heart was intact.God, he never wanted to do this again."Esposito," a harsh voice barked.He winced and turned his attention toward Zain. It wasn't normal to see him in the field. Their boss was more of a behind the scenes, tech wizard, but some jobs just needed the personal touch."How much trouble am I in?" Alec asked."A lot." Zain's cool gaze promised retribution. "I promised our CIA friends I'd have your ass for the shit you pulled. The FBI is pleased with the results and want to thank you for forcing their hand. We'll split the difference and call it even."Alec blew out a breath. "Thanks, boss man.""Wheels up. You boys should be home by dinner time." Zain slapped a hand on Alec's sh
ALEC SLID HIS HAND down Vara's back to cup her ass, tugging her up against his body."Stop." She chuckled and pushed at his shoulder."You've been gone two whole weeks." He walked her back until he had her pinned to the wall."You were working." She curled her fingers through his hair. "You wouldn't have gotten to see me if I was here because you weren't.""Exactly." He kissed her cheek when she turned her head."Stop. Dinner's almost done."The smell of the grill and the brisket that had been cooking most of the day had his stomach growling. But he was far more hungry for the woman in his arms."I'll eat later." He kissed her jaw and then her neck. "You haven't told me how your first week on the job was.""Vara? Alec?" Carson called out.Alec dropped his head to Vara's shoulder and groaned."Yeah?" Vara hugged him to her and laughed."You guys going to come out?" Carson's voice vibrated with laughter. She'd spent a lot of time around the house and had gotten close to Vara.
Volume 8: Dangerous HeatPAXTON MILLS PEERED OUT at the passing landscape from behind his sunglasses. There was far too much sunshine after spending twenty-seven hours on planes. All for a wedding. His first wedding, to be exact. He still wasn't entirely sure why he'd agreed to come to this one when he'd avoided every other wedding to date.It was the animal angle. He was intrigued.In a few days' time he and the rest of the guys would head out and assist the park staff and other conservationists in ensuring the safety of the wildlife. Namely, from poachers. It was essentially the same job he always did as a bodyguard. Only these bodies would weigh a couple tons or have fangs and claws or who knew what else.Silas reached over and flicked Paxton's sunglasses, causing them to fall in his lap."What the fuck, man?" He turned his head and glared across the aisle at his best friend. When they'd been paired up in the Marines as a sniper pair Paxton hadn't expected to like Silas. Now
COCO DE JONG FLOPPED down on the padded bench and watched her best friend carry on an animated discussion with the man who would officiate tomorrow's wedding.This was all so surreal.She should have said no and run away when Lacey asked Coco to be the maid of honor. If she'd been in her right mind she would have, but at the time she'd been floored that out of everyone Lacey knew she wanted her. Coco. All her life she'd been picked last or not at all, and now someone made her their first pick.It's no big deal, she kept chanting to herself.Except tomorrow she'd be standing front and center with her crazy, unruly hair alongside these beautiful women. On one side would be Lacey, blonde, slim, perfect in white. On Coco's other was Omarosa, a model gorgeous woman who worked for National Geographic with skin so dark it glowed. And her hair. Coco had so much envy over the woman's sleek, a long curtain of jet-black hair she could scream.Story of Coco's life. Stuck in the middle with he
GOD DAMN IT.Paxton's head was too fuzzy and his mouth wouldn't work properly to get his thoughts out before Coco bolted from the table. He pushed to his feet then had to wait for the ground to stop spinning.He really should have eaten before that first round of drinks. Or the second.One foot got tangled in his chair and he tripped, barely regaining his balance before he face planted on the lawn. In that short amount of time Coco was gone."Shit," he muttered and looked around the party.Except she'd said she was leaving.He turned toward the west. He caught a glimpse of a shadow that looked an awful lot like a curvy woman passing under the boughs of a large tree.Paxton took off, keeping to the level ground until he found the path Coco had taken. She easily outdistanced him, but he was determined. At least he hadn't finished that last drink.The lights grew farther apart, and the music faded. The resort sat inside a sizeable portion of fenced-in land. It was cultivated and k
Before Paxton could answer the bike zipped forward. He found the pegs for his feet and held onto the underside of his seat as Coco pushed the bike faster, only pausing to enter the code to admit them to their destination.The conservation part of the park was located in the old resort area. What he'd read online had impressed him. The operations side of the resort had moved into the old, main building. They'd opened up research facilities for different teams on the grounds, allowing several studies to be conducted at once. Most animals inhabiting this part were temporary patients on the road to recovery and re-release. Those animals that couldn't be released were kept until a suitable new home could be lined up. It was all rather impressive.Here lights chased away the shadows. There weren't any people around, unlike earlier when it had been bustling with activity. Coco steered them toward a cinderblock building with a corrugated metal roof just like any other set of buildings. The