Page 128 of Cowboys & Navy SEALs

Corbin wanted to gather Delaney in his arms and whisk her away from the danger. “You don’t have to go through with the concert tonight.” He saw her hesitation, could tell she wanted to flee. But then she tightened her jaw. “No, I’m done running.Cancelling this show wouldn’t bode well for my reputation.” Her voice gathered confidence as she continued. “I’m doing the show.”

“You sure?” While he applauded her courage, he didn’t want anything bad to happen to her. Protecting her while she was on stage in front of hundreds of people wouldn’t be easy. His mind ran through the protocols which were in place. Senator Fleming had his own security team, and they were supposedly checking the credentials of every guest prior to entry. Also, Sutton’s guys were here, along with Anton. Still, there was a large margin for error. There would be no way to guarantee Delaney’s safety. She seemed to be reading his thoughts.

“It’s okay. I know the risks.”

He searched her face. “You sure?”

She lifted her chin. “Yes.”

He touched her arm. “I promise, I’ll be by your side the whole time.”

A strained smile stretched over her lips. “For better or worse, huh?”

“For better or worse,” he repeated.

Chapter Nine

Corbin positioned himself off to the side of the stage, near the front of the ballroom. It was hard to concentrate on keeping Delaney safe when she was so dang intoxicating—fire and dynamite. Her voice had a rich, full sound with a hint of the huskiness he found so alluring. The lyrics flowed out of her effortlessly as she leaned into the microphone stand to sing. It wasn’t just that she had an incredible voice, but also a compelling presence that captured the attention of everyone present. She was gorgeous, her long blonde hair shimmering against the lights. Her outfit accentuated her curves as she swayed to the music. Every time she leaned her head back, he caught a glimpse of her dangling earrings. He let his gaze linger on her shapely legs and fire-engine red, cowboy boots. Finally, he pulled his eyes away from her and back to the crowd. No wonder Delaney was on the cusp of stardom. No one could resist her.

His eyes moved over the guests, mostly high-class, smooth-talking politician types with beautiful women adorning their arms like trophies. Senator Fleming and his wife were seated in the center of the front row. Corbin recognized at least twosecurity personnel sitting nearby, dressed in tuxedos to blend in with the guests.

At least, most everyone was seated. It made it easier to keep track of people. A wait staff dressed in black and white uniforms threaded through the rows, serving drinks and appetizers. Delaney would perform for thirty minutes, then end withHappy Birthday, at which time an enormous cake lit with sparklers would be wheeled out.

Corbin spotted Milo, Delaney’s manager, three rows back. Milo caught his gaze and offered a slight nod. The man was understandably tense. They’d spoken earlier outside Delaney’s door. Milo expressed his appreciation and relief that Sutton had agreed to represent Delaney. Then he questioned if Corbin could really keep Delaney safe here tonight. Corbin had answered honestly that he’d do his best, but couldn’t guarantee anything. There were too many aspects beyond his control. Then again, no matter how thoroughly you planned for a situation or how skilled you were, things could always go wrong. He knew that better than anyone.

No group was more prepared than SEAL Team 7 to go into that Filipino village to rescue the diplomat and his family. And yet, they didn’t count on one of their informants betraying them. By the time they realized it was an ambush, it was too late. And Doug was killed.

Goosebumps prickled over Corbin’s skin. Would that happen here? Would Hugh Allen get to Delaney? He squared his jaw, pushing aside the fears, knowing they weren’t helping. The only way he could keep Delaney safe was to remain vigilant. He scoped the crowd with a practiced eye, glancing across the room at Anton, who was doing the same. Corbin picked out the security team, sitting in strategic locations around the room. Security had checked the I.D.s of every guest in attendance. Everything should be fine.

And yet, it didn’t feel fine. The air reeked of impending doom. Something was about to happen. Corbin could feel it.

Funny that with all these people here Delaney would be so tuned in to Corbin. His jaw was stone, his eyes perpetually scanning the crowd. He exuded such a magnetic energy that she was surprised all eyes in the room weren’t drawn to him instead of her. No wonder she’d noticed him last night at the party. He was a walking poster in jeans, a white-collar shirt, and dark gray sports coat. Corbin Spencer was the kind of guy who could step on heads and make things happen. She could tell he took his job seriously and felt safer with him here. She jerked when she fumbled slightly over the last few lines of her song. Time to shift her focus from Corbin to the performance.

She flashed a bright smile taking hold of the microphone. “How y’all doing tonight, folks?” she boomed.

The crowd roared in response. Normally, she felt invigorated when she was performing, plugged into the energy of the crowd. But tonight, she was too tense to completely lose herself.

Keep the energy going,Delaney. “This next one’s a favorite. It’s calledBlue Skies and Rolling Hills, written about my home state Alabama, the beautiful.” Applause sounded throughout the room. She reached for her guitar leaning close by, then placed the strap over her shoulder. She’d done a few fast songs. This was slower, allowing her a chance to catch her breath. After this, she’d do one more fast song, then singHappy Birthday. It was almost over. She just had to soldier on to the finish line.

The song about Alabama evoked a twinge of nostalgia, reminding Corbin of the fondness he felt for Colorado. Especially Birchwood Springs where he’d grown up. He thought of his grandfather Wallace, the most stubborn man on the planet. His heart clutched as he thought of his beloved grandmother Lou Ella who was in a care center being treated for Alzheimer’s. She’d been more of a mother than grandmother to Corbin, and it tore him up inside that she didn’t recognize anyone, didn’t even know her own identity. She was a prisoner inside her own mind.

His thoughts went to his sister Adelaide, or Addie. Two years younger, Addie was feisty, outspoken and mad as a trapped wasp that he’d left Birchwood Springs. Addie somewhat forgave him for joining the Navy. But when he left again, only a few weeks after retiring from the SEALs, Addie went on a rampage, accusing him of deserting the family and leaving her holding the bag to look after their grandparents. Addie was right. He should’ve stayed, but he couldn’t stand being back there—not with Gram in a care center and his conscience railing about all the things he should’ve done differently. He had to get away, lose himself in the commotion of a bigger city. Unfortunately, there was no place far enough or big enough to escape from himself.

Working for Sutton gave him a new lease on life. And the fact that he was intensely attracted to Delaney added another layer. Whether that layer was good or bad he didn’t know. At any rate, Corbin had a second chance to prove he wasn’t a total screw-up, and he was going to do his best to step up to the task.

He looked at Anton whose eyes were fixed on a female server a few rows back. Something about the woman was off. Whatwas it? He took an assessment. She seemed tense like she was about to spring into action. An older man waved to get the server’s attention, but she ignored him, keeping her gaze trained on Delaney. Anton must’ve noticed it too, which is why he was watching her so intently

Alarm bells trilled through Corbin. He turned his head and spoke into the tiny microphone on his coat collar, which patched him into the network of security guards. “Female server in the center, three rows back,” was all he had time to say before the woman tossed aside the tray to reveal a gun.

Corbin acted reflexively, drawing his pistol and firing. Before joining the SEALs, Corbin had been a good marksman, but with the added training, he rarely missed. The bullet hit the woman square in the chest. The force jerked her back as she let out a strangled cry, her hand going to her chest, a circle of blood spilling out from the wound. It raced through Corbin’s mind that the woman had gotten off a shot before she went down. He looked at the stage, relieved to see that Delaney was okay. Murmurs rustled through the group as people scattered like frightened sheep. The senator’s security detail surrounded him and his wife, huddling them out of the room.

Corbin heard another shot. Delaney went to the floor. His heart dropped. Had she been shot or was she taking cover? This shot was fired from a male server in the back. Before the man could shoot again, Anton fired, but missed. Another security guard shot, dropping the man to his knees. Amidst the chaos of the frantic guests, several members of Sutton’s security team moved in to apprehend the shooters. Corbin pushed his way to the stage, his only thought to get to Delaney.

It took him less than a minute to reach her, but it felt like an eternity. He was relieved that she hadn’t been hit. He helped her up, and pushed her behind him, using his body as a shield. “We’ll exit through the back,” he said gruffly. “Stay back,” heordered the band members. They looked puzzled that Corbin was treating them with suspicion, but nodded, stepping back.

When they got off the stage, he took her hand. “Let’s go.” They ran for the back exit where the SUV was parked. All the while, Corbin looked around them, ready to fire should anyone attack.

They’d gone through the plan beforehand. In the event of an incident, Corbin would get to Delaney and they would go out through the kitchen while Anton got the SUV. There were a handful of female servers in the kitchen. When they realized Corbin had a gun, they held up their hands and backed away, faces chalky. “Over there,” Corbin ordered, using the gun to motion to the corner. These women didn’t look threatening, but he couldn’t be sure they weren’t in collusion with the other servers. “Keep your hands up,” he barked.

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