veiled her eyes. If he left her like this, she’d be an easy target for anyone on Team Echo. Keeping an eye on the car embedded in the hillside, Rose slid across the seat. He released the buckle on her seatbelt and lifted her to his lap. “Deep breath.” He demonstrated and watched her chest rise and fall as she complied. “Listen to my voice. You’re safe.” He rubbed a hand up and down her back with each inhale and exhale. “The danger’s past.”
“Liar.” Her tone held the bite of humor despite bending over like an old woman. “Reality, remember.”
“Ok, it’s not past. I need to go make sure we have this guy on lockdown.”
“Where’s the rest of the team?” She barely got the words out past the panting breaths. Sweat coated her skin.
“Fowler and Craft were at the top of the cliff.”
“Snipers?” she guessed.
“That’s right.” Rose didn’t see Ryder, but he had preposition in the ditch on the approach to the lake. “I need to make sure you’re not a sitting duck before I leave you alone.”
“Not helping. Thinking about some loser.” Shuttering breath. “Attacking while I can’t see. Definitely not helping.”
“Embrace reality.”
“Ass.” She lifted slightly. “Did your sisters try to kill you in your sleep?”
He chuckled, working to distract her, to get her attack under control so he could get Echo under control. “No, but Mari painted my fingernails while I slept. Once.”
“What did you do?”
“Went to her parent-teacher conference with hooker-red fingernails.”
“Hard to live. That kind of thing. Down.” Her words came out breathy. Short.
“Wasn’t a thing for me.”
“Sure. Big guy. Like you. Who would tease you?”
“Mari on the other hand.” He scrubbed a hand across her quivering shoulders. The sedan hadn’t moved, and he hadn’t seen the driver exit, but that didn’t mean the guy wasn’t loose. If Echo bolted, Ryder might be in a position to intercept. “Mari never did anything like it again.”
“Did I hear gunshots?”
“The shots were our guys. All part of the plan. When Lauren wrecked here, Ryder recognized the location as the perfect spot for a sniper.”
“Which one? Fowler or Craft?”
“All of us have sniper skills, although Fowler has the best accuracy at greater distances.” A shiver passed from her body and into his and the vulnerability kept him rooted. Despite training. Despite mission. Gradually the tremors passed and the tension in his gut eased. “You good enough for me to leave?”
“Peachy.” She straightened, the movement sliding her butt across his thighs.
Beside them, someone pounded the door panel.
Debi’s scream nearly shattered his eardrum.
“Let’s go, let’s go, let’s go.” Fowler jumped up and slid across the hood.
“Watch the truck,” Rose muttered. “Asshole.”
Debi collapsed against his chest. “Jesus, that scared me.”
“Don’t think about it. Listen to the sound of my voice. Just be in the moment.”
“The moment sucks.”
He smiled against her hair. “The moment’s not so bad.” Nestled like a gift in his arms, she smelled of strawberry shampoo. “Reinforcements have arrived. You’re safe.”
“We’re safe.”
Rose was never truly safe. Those he loved were in danger, so he stayed away for months on end, but he couldn’t get away from the woman whose smell filled his head. “You know, this wasn’t really a panic attack.”
“Nice try, Rosie. Definitely panic.”
Ah, there was the bite of sarcasm he enjoyed. “A panic attack is the fight or flight response at inappropriate times due to a perceived danger. This was the real deal.”
“Marginal difference.” She continued to lean into him, her breathing evening out. She snuggled into one side and breathed deep. “Besides, I’d like to think when the time came, I could defend myself rather than cowering.”
“You can. You have. The night the two soldiers from Echo tried to infiltrate your house. You
“Liar.” Her tone held the bite of humor despite bending over like an old woman. “Reality, remember.”
“Ok, it’s not past. I need to go make sure we have this guy on lockdown.”
“Where’s the rest of the team?” She barely got the words out past the panting breaths. Sweat coated her skin.
“Fowler and Craft were at the top of the cliff.”
“Snipers?” she guessed.
“That’s right.” Rose didn’t see Ryder, but he had preposition in the ditch on the approach to the lake. “I need to make sure you’re not a sitting duck before I leave you alone.”
“Not helping. Thinking about some loser.” Shuttering breath. “Attacking while I can’t see. Definitely not helping.”
“Embrace reality.”
“Ass.” She lifted slightly. “Did your sisters try to kill you in your sleep?”
He chuckled, working to distract her, to get her attack under control so he could get Echo under control. “No, but Mari painted my fingernails while I slept. Once.”
“What did you do?”
“Went to her parent-teacher conference with hooker-red fingernails.”
“Hard to live. That kind of thing. Down.” Her words came out breathy. Short.
“Wasn’t a thing for me.”
“Sure. Big guy. Like you. Who would tease you?”
“Mari on the other hand.” He scrubbed a hand across her quivering shoulders. The sedan hadn’t moved, and he hadn’t seen the driver exit, but that didn’t mean the guy wasn’t loose. If Echo bolted, Ryder might be in a position to intercept. “Mari never did anything like it again.”
“Did I hear gunshots?”
“The shots were our guys. All part of the plan. When Lauren wrecked here, Ryder recognized the location as the perfect spot for a sniper.”
“Which one? Fowler or Craft?”
“All of us have sniper skills, although Fowler has the best accuracy at greater distances.” A shiver passed from her body and into his and the vulnerability kept him rooted. Despite training. Despite mission. Gradually the tremors passed and the tension in his gut eased. “You good enough for me to leave?”
“Peachy.” She straightened, the movement sliding her butt across his thighs.
Beside them, someone pounded the door panel.
Debi’s scream nearly shattered his eardrum.
“Let’s go, let’s go, let’s go.” Fowler jumped up and slid across the hood.
“Watch the truck,” Rose muttered. “Asshole.”
Debi collapsed against his chest. “Jesus, that scared me.”
“Don’t think about it. Listen to the sound of my voice. Just be in the moment.”
“The moment sucks.”
He smiled against her hair. “The moment’s not so bad.” Nestled like a gift in his arms, she smelled of strawberry shampoo. “Reinforcements have arrived. You’re safe.”
“We’re safe.”
Rose was never truly safe. Those he loved were in danger, so he stayed away for months on end, but he couldn’t get away from the woman whose smell filled his head. “You know, this wasn’t really a panic attack.”
“Nice try, Rosie. Definitely panic.”
Ah, there was the bite of sarcasm he enjoyed. “A panic attack is the fight or flight response at inappropriate times due to a perceived danger. This was the real deal.”
“Marginal difference.” She continued to lean into him, her breathing evening out. She snuggled into one side and breathed deep. “Besides, I’d like to think when the time came, I could defend myself rather than cowering.”
“You can. You have. The night the two soldiers from Echo tried to infiltrate your house. You
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