walked out gun in hand to take any comers.”
“Pure adrenaline.”
Man, Rose missed that. The way adrenaline hyped you up for battle. Fear had been a motivator. “Adrenaline works. Trust it to do its job the next time.”
She shifted against his shoulder to peer up at him. “Were you a psychiatrist in another life?”
“No.” But he understood fear. He had watched a soldier try to climb under a dead body to get away from the gunfire in his own head. That was the type of panic that made the fearless experiment seem like a reasonable alternative. “You good to go?”
A shaky breath rocked her body. “I’m fine.”
They sat close, her pressed tight against his chest, and her lips were... Right. There. Shit, he needed to get his head on straight. He pressed a kiss to her forehead, the desire too strong to deny. She needed comfort. The situation they were facing was a million miles out of her league. And the smooth, soft skin combined with her scent made him want to stick right there and let the team handle the shooting and the accident. That insidious desire wrapped around a man’s soul and helped him straight into the grave. A woman complicated things. He eased her off his lap and resumed his position behind the wheel of the truck. He drove closer to the wreck and moved to the side of the road.
Ryder marched up from the ditch that went under the highway to the lake. Craft and Fowler swept the area around the sedan, guns at the ready.
Rose stepped out of the truck. “Stay here,” he ordered Debi. He joined the team between the wreck and his truck. “Echo got away?”
“No thanks to you, dipshit,” Fowler taunted.
“I’m not the one who missed the shot,” Rose answered.
“My orders were to take him alive. If the rules of engagement have changed, you be sure to let me know.”
“Knock it off.” Ryder’s voice rose above the bickering. “We need information. Craft and Fowler, go retrieve the asset. The blood trail leads up the crevice.” A thick bandage covered his hand as he pointed to the washed-out gully between two bulging bluffs. “Rose, you’re on babysitting detail.”
Staying near Debi, discovering her vulnerabilities and fears, put him at risk of attachment. They both needed some distance. He wanted an active assignment. “What’s your plan, boss?”
“Calling my wife. Make sure everything is all clear.” In the past week, Lauren had been kidnapped, beaten, and drugged. Team Echo had used Lauren as bait to lure Ryder to his death. Echo wanted to end Team Fear and remove all evidence of the experimental program they’d volunteered for. Team Fear lost two good men before they figured out Echo’s deadly plans. Not a one of them was going down easy.
Calling Lauren wasn’t something Rose could do in Ryder’s place, so he was stuck with the temptation for the time being.
“Wait.” Debi hopped from the truck, her heels sliding in the gravel. “Are you going after the guy in the car?”
Craft and Fowler nodded.
Rose nailed her with a glare. “I thought I told you to stay in the truck.”
“The truck was starting to close in.” She moved her hands close to her head like it was being smashed between the walls. “Staying active helps.”
She was right, but that put her close enough to get hurt.
She turned her gaze to the rest of the team. “If the, uh, guy doesn’t make it—”
“He’ll make it,” Ryder assured her.
“But if he doesn’t.” Debi ducked her head, her face pale at the thoughts she kept inside. “A blood sample would help.”
“I like the way you think.” Fowler reached over to give her a fist bump. “Rose, you have any syringes?”
“Shit. Yeah. I should have thought of it.” He opened his medic kit and pulled out syringes. “Along the same lines, I’ll search the car. See if he left any clues behind, maybe some meds. I can swab the blood spatter.”
“That’ll help, but I really need more material to work with.” A skeptical quirk
“Pure adrenaline.”
Man, Rose missed that. The way adrenaline hyped you up for battle. Fear had been a motivator. “Adrenaline works. Trust it to do its job the next time.”
She shifted against his shoulder to peer up at him. “Were you a psychiatrist in another life?”
“No.” But he understood fear. He had watched a soldier try to climb under a dead body to get away from the gunfire in his own head. That was the type of panic that made the fearless experiment seem like a reasonable alternative. “You good to go?”
A shaky breath rocked her body. “I’m fine.”
They sat close, her pressed tight against his chest, and her lips were... Right. There. Shit, he needed to get his head on straight. He pressed a kiss to her forehead, the desire too strong to deny. She needed comfort. The situation they were facing was a million miles out of her league. And the smooth, soft skin combined with her scent made him want to stick right there and let the team handle the shooting and the accident. That insidious desire wrapped around a man’s soul and helped him straight into the grave. A woman complicated things. He eased her off his lap and resumed his position behind the wheel of the truck. He drove closer to the wreck and moved to the side of the road.
Ryder marched up from the ditch that went under the highway to the lake. Craft and Fowler swept the area around the sedan, guns at the ready.
Rose stepped out of the truck. “Stay here,” he ordered Debi. He joined the team between the wreck and his truck. “Echo got away?”
“No thanks to you, dipshit,” Fowler taunted.
“I’m not the one who missed the shot,” Rose answered.
“My orders were to take him alive. If the rules of engagement have changed, you be sure to let me know.”
“Knock it off.” Ryder’s voice rose above the bickering. “We need information. Craft and Fowler, go retrieve the asset. The blood trail leads up the crevice.” A thick bandage covered his hand as he pointed to the washed-out gully between two bulging bluffs. “Rose, you’re on babysitting detail.”
Staying near Debi, discovering her vulnerabilities and fears, put him at risk of attachment. They both needed some distance. He wanted an active assignment. “What’s your plan, boss?”
“Calling my wife. Make sure everything is all clear.” In the past week, Lauren had been kidnapped, beaten, and drugged. Team Echo had used Lauren as bait to lure Ryder to his death. Echo wanted to end Team Fear and remove all evidence of the experimental program they’d volunteered for. Team Fear lost two good men before they figured out Echo’s deadly plans. Not a one of them was going down easy.
Calling Lauren wasn’t something Rose could do in Ryder’s place, so he was stuck with the temptation for the time being.
“Wait.” Debi hopped from the truck, her heels sliding in the gravel. “Are you going after the guy in the car?”
Craft and Fowler nodded.
Rose nailed her with a glare. “I thought I told you to stay in the truck.”
“The truck was starting to close in.” She moved her hands close to her head like it was being smashed between the walls. “Staying active helps.”
She was right, but that put her close enough to get hurt.
She turned her gaze to the rest of the team. “If the, uh, guy doesn’t make it—”
“He’ll make it,” Ryder assured her.
“But if he doesn’t.” Debi ducked her head, her face pale at the thoughts she kept inside. “A blood sample would help.”
“I like the way you think.” Fowler reached over to give her a fist bump. “Rose, you have any syringes?”
“Shit. Yeah. I should have thought of it.” He opened his medic kit and pulled out syringes. “Along the same lines, I’ll search the car. See if he left any clues behind, maybe some meds. I can swab the blood spatter.”
“That’ll help, but I really need more material to work with.” A skeptical quirk
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