Page 66 of Her Delta Force Protector

“Tomorrow morning, I’m going to nail a section of plywood to that limb about twelve feet above us. That’s where you’re going to be. You won’t have a spotter, but it’s not like your targets will be a mile away. After I have your perch in place, I want you to go up there, practice shooting from it, get used to it.”

She studied the tree, then lowered her gaze to his. “Thank you for including me.”

“I’d be much happier if you’d leave. Go stay with Parker and Everly.” He sighed when she gave him a look that saidnot happening.

“The problem I see, if I’m up there, how am I going to get a confession?”

Chapter Thirty-Four

If Harper didn’t know him, didn’t know that Kade wasn’t as scary as the face he was giving her right now, she might have fainted dead away. Boy, he could sure look intimidating. She wanted to laugh and tell him nice try, but she decided not to provoke him more than she already was.

“Well?” she said when he stayed mute.

He wrapped his hand around the necklace Chase had given her. “I should take this away from you. You. Are. Not. Getting close enough to any of these men to get a confession. Tristan can get that when we turn them over to the cops.”

She slapped his hand away. “Leave my necklace alone. I’m not about to put myself in their line of fire, but if I get a chance at getting a confession, I’m taking it. Got it?”

“You’re making me bonkers, woman.”

Before she could respond to that ridiculous statement, his mouth crashed down on hers. She’d had a response, but dang if she remembered what it was. His tongue traced the seam of her lips, and she opened them, welcoming him in. As he kissed the ever-loving daylights out of her, she slid her hands under his sweatshirt. She dragged her hands down his chest, and his muscles rippled under her palms.

He rocked his body hard against hers and speaking of hard...his erection announced its presence where it pressed on her belly. A moan escaped her, and she rolled her hips against his. She wanted more of him. That was her mistake because as soon as she made a sound, he moved away from her.

“Why can’t I keep my hands off you?” he said, breathing hard and sounding more like he was asking himself that question and not her.

“You don’t have to.” She’d accepted that when this was over that it would be the end of them, but until then, she wanted his hands on her. She didn’t think that there’d be a man after him who would...whocouldmake her feel the way he did. Until then, she wanted his touches and kisses and all that followed.

“Let’s go inside. We’ve got things to talk about.”

When they walked into the cabin, the guys were drinking coffee, watching a baseball playoff game, and arguing over which was the better team. If she didn’t know better and what was ahead of them, she wouldn’t be able to guess that they were warriors, here to fight for her.

“Viper was bragging about your shooting,” Cupcake said. “A pretty girl who can shoot with the best of us...will you marry me?” He held up a finger. “Wait. Before you answer that, can you cook?”

“Only when I feel like it.”

“Well, honey, let me think about it. That might be a deal breaker.”

She laughed when Viper thumped his head. She’d been around him and Viper back at Fort Bragg, had gone out for beers with them and Kade when they’d been there. Cupcake was adorable and sweet, but she’d never tell him she thought of him like that. He bristled whenever someone told him he was sweet. He was from California and a surfer, and he had the appearance of a very cute one with his blond hair, blue eyes, and boy-next-door looks. If you didn’t know him, you’d never guess he was a soldier, much less a Delta Force operator.

Viper, though, before she got to know him, she thought he was downright scary. He was the biggest man in the room, all muscle, with sleeves of tats on both arms, and she guessed that he was covered with them under his shirt. If he didn’t like you, his black eyes could pin you in place with a laser glare. He was the only man in the room who had an actual beard instead of the stubble the others went for, and his beard was as black as his hair. She’d never been a big fan of beards, but on Viper, it worked. The man was hot, a shameless flirt, and an unapologetic horndog, but he was respectful and attentive to any woman he was with.

She hadn’t formed an opinion on Chase Talon. He was friendly enough, but there was an aloofness about him. He observed a lot, and she had the feeling he didn’t miss anything. There was intelligence in his gray eyes. Not that the others here weren’t intelligent, but she sensed that his brain worked on a higher level than most humans. He sure was handsome, almost pretty.

It was Kade, though, who made her heart beat fast, who made her want to sigh when she looked at him, probably with hearts in her eyes. If she wasn’t careful, he was going to realize she was falling for him. That would scare him off.

“Come look at these photos,” Kade said. He’d taken a seat at the table.

She sat in the chair next to him. “What are we looking at?”

“Some pictures Nick sent over.” His laptop screen came to life. “This is Rex Sorenson, their hacker. What about this one?”

She squinted at the second photo. “It was dark and shadowy, but I’m pretty sure that’s the man I saw with Abby Warton.”

“He’s not the man who came to your house?”

“No.”

“He’s Stockton Rawls. Owns some strip clubs around the base.”

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