Tags:
thriller,
Romance,
Military,
Women's Fiction,
seal,
action and suspense,
military romance,
Navy SEALs,
midnight delta,
Caitlyn O'Leary,
Her Daring SEAL
me.”
“How are you helping him?”
“Right now my cover is to help him sell the girls. I haven’t done it. Before that happens the girls will be rescued, but I’ve convinced him I can get top dollar for them.”
Rylie watched as Sawyer’s face paled.
“This is about your sister, right? Your real sister, the one who died?” Rylie looked away. She hated thinking about Pammy. “You’ve done so much for so many people already, can’t you just stop? This is too dangerous.”
“Sawyer, now the SEALs are going to be helping, I’m going to be totally safe. I promise you. Why don’t you go inside and start breakfast? You’re my ride to the airport, and I have to call Lydia.”
“You’re not going to be able to talk her out of sending someone,” Sawyer warned her.
“Don’t I know it,” Rylie muttered. Sawyer pulled up the collar of her parka so it better covered her neck.
“I did it because I love you.”
“I know. Otherwise, I would have had you killed.” He gave her a bright grin and hopped up off the stoop and headed inside. Rylie started a Skype session and pinged Lydia Hidalgo, hoping it would wake her out of a sound sleep. She deserved it.
The call was answered without video.
“Rylie! Or is this Sawyer? Or Trey?” Lydia didn’t sound sleepy, she sounded out of breath. She must have caught her and Clint at an inopportune moment. Served them right.
“It’s me—Rylie. Put on some clothes and call me back.” She disconnected. Dare’s photo once more filled the screen. His brown eyes seemed to look right into her very soul. God, she needed more sleep. She traced the curve of his lips with her finger. She’d had some very vivid dreams about that man’s lips. She’d only met him the one time in the Houston hotel room during an operation to take down Alfonso Guzman, but he was a hard man to forget.
She thought about the first time she had met the Midnight Delta SEAL Team. She’d been undercover as Sylvia Hessman in Houston and met Clint Archer, Drake Avery, Darius Stanton, and Lydia Hidalgo. Drake had been an overbearing caveman. He’d actually scared her for the first few moments until she realized he was roaring at her because he was concerned for her safety. But Darius? Dare had seen immediately she was tired and hurting and sat her down, taken off her shoes and began to rub her feet. Rubbed her feet! It had been something out of a romance novel, and it had taken everything she had not to melt right into the sofa.
So as Drake yelled, Darius had looked up at her with care and concern and seduced her with his eyes and hands. She had soaked up his kindness like a desert soaks up the rain.
The Skype session pinged, and she put it on video. Lydia’s hair was still a tangled mess. She almost grinned, but she was still too pissed.
“Stay out of my business. You’ll get me killed.” She hung up and waited. When the computer pinged, she answered again.
“That was mature,” Lydia said. Her hair was a little smoothed out. “Rylie, you could handle this. I know you could. You amaze me.”
“Don’t tell her that!” Suddenly Clint’s face appeared beside Lydia’s. “You need help, Rylie. I don’t care how damn good you are. This shit is real. Albert Liu is a stone cold killer. He’s a sadist. You need to stay home and let us dismantle this operation.” Clint looked ferocious, and Lydia pushed at his face with the palm of her hand.
“Don’t listen to my fiancé. Of course, you can’t stay home. This is your operation, and if you leave now, all of those women will be lost. You have to see this through.”
“But–”
“Shut up, Archer,” Lydia demanded. Rylie settled back and decided to watch the show unfold.
“Lydia, now we know everything about her. She might not be an actual mother, but she is responsible for three children. She can’t