Chapter Nineteen

“All right, where is the little woman?”

“Mac, you do not want to call her that, man. She about tore Ace’s head off,” Eagle muttered, and Katya hit him.

Maybe that had been where his little Sunshine had got that, Russell mused, watching the redhead wrap Eagle around her little finger. The guy was a goner. Somehow, seeing Eagle so lost for Katya made his and Susan’s crazy shit seem good. If they could make it, he damn well would.

“What? She did?” Mac grinned, rubbing his jaw where he’d once taken a knife cut that had nearly ended his life.

“She’s getting ready, then we need to take this up to the ranch. Some things have come up, things she should have—” Russell began.

“Should have, could have, would have, no such luck, my daddy always said,” Lacey said behind him.

The smart mouth. Holding out his hand, he grinned up at her only to stop at the look on her face. She looked shocked, as white as a ghost.

“Holy motherfucker! Lacey! What the hell?” Mac stood so fast his chair hit the floor.

“Damn, girl!” Dare grumbled, standing as well.

Both guys wore loopy grins, then they were all over Susan—Sarah—Lacey—whatever the hell his woman’s name was.

“All right, break it up—” he began, only to have Dare shoot him a look like he’d stepped on a mine and had started tap dancing.

“Ace man, you got balls, taking Hawk’s daughter on? Are you nuts? If he were—” Dare shook his head.

“Shut the hell up, Dare,” Mac said. “Lacey, what are you doing? We thought you were dead, girl. Dead. What the fuck?” Mac was pissed off. His brown eyes were dark, his face flushed. He reached up and rubbed a hand through his short hair. He seemed off balance, as if finding out who Susan was had thrown him harder than it was throwing Russell.

“Hold on.” Hold the fuck up. Hawk? “Hawk? Master Chief Fletcher? Daughter named Sarah Fletcher, everyone called Lacey, died last year after a car crash. Hawk passed away…holy fuck, Susan…Lacey.” Thank fuck the chair was there, because he would have fallen on his ass otherwise. Sunshine was there, though, grabbing his hand. Blue eyes concerned, she nibbled her beautiful pink lip and watched him like he might pass out. Hell, he just might.

“Russell…I told you about the hiding, I told you.”

She’d told him? She’d told him shit. She was… “But you didn’t fucking tell me you were Hawk’s daughter.”

She blinked once and patted his hand like an old man. “Sorry, we were a bit busy.”

Holy hell, he had been busy with Hawk’s daughter. More than busy. The toughest, meanest SEAL the Navy had ever produced, Hawk was one tough motherfucker, and a damn good friend. The man had saved his ass more than once when he’d first started out. More than that, the man had been like a dad to him. And damn if he’d not always pestered Russ to meet his daughter, Lacey. But Russell just knew Hawk hadn’t meant for Russ to… Oh, holy shit. His balls drew up tight and he had to swallow several times before he could speak.

“Holy fuck, Sunshine.”

She frowned and shook her head. “You guys, stop it. My dad would have liked Russell and you all know it. Now, stop it.” She scolded his team like a drill sergeant. Fuck, he now knew why. Blue eyes met his and she crossed her arms. “Russell, it’s not that bad. You knew my dad?”

“Hell, we all knew your dad. How come Russ never met you?” Dare asked, sounding a bit accusing.

She shot Dare a look, rolling her eyes the way she did to Russell. She knew these men. The thought was disturbing. Jealousy sucked.

“Geez, I don’t know, because I had enough of you yahoos around to last me a lifetime, so I didn’t meet every sailor my dad knew.”

All right, then. She was pissed off. Her look softened when Dare grumbled. “Look, I don’t know. My dad was always having someone over, so I probably hid when he came to the house.” She grinned at him when he said that.

Russell felt something lighten in his chest. So many things made sense now. So many. The Navy slang she’d understood, the gun, the attitude—even scared, she was a fighter. Her little teases. All of it. She was Hawk’s daughter, a woman he’d been hearing about for years, but had never met.

“He was always having us over. Always was. You were never home, or sleeping.” But he’d tasted her food, seen her picture… The dark hair. The demeanour…it had all masked her. How could he have known his Susan was Lacey, Hawk’s daughter? Lacey had lived in sunny Florida, surrounded by her friends and…he’d never met her.

Dare flashed a smile and quirked a brow at him. “Ace, you look like hell. It’s not like Hawk wouldn’t approve. Lacey’s right, you were always his favourite.” Settling back on the couch, Dare stretched out his legs, looking like he was going to stay a while. He’d ditched his bandages on the trip back home. He still had a few cuts and scrapes, but nothing too serious after his brush with death. “Yeah, so the little woman is Hawk’s baby, huh?”

“Fu—”

Lacey cut him off. “You know, this is my house. I really don’t think it’s a ship, or a truck stop, or a rendezvous; it’s my house, and that’s about it for the cussing. All of you.” She shot Mac a look, then Dare. Eagle got a stare, too, and Katya grinned at her. Lacey turned to the boys and continued, “Or you can eat elsewhere.”

“So, let me get this straight.” Eagle sat forward. Of all the guys here, Eagle had spent the least amount of time around Hawk. Not because he’d not liked the man, but because he’d had commitments here, in Montana. “You’re Hawk’s daughter, and Ace never met you?”

She grinned and nodded, threading a hand through his hair. “Well, duh, no.”

Eagle shook his head and smiled.

“Sunshine, this is a bit much.”

She turned and focused on Russell with those blue eyes, soft and warm and not a bit like her dad’s. “I’m sorry, Russell, but I didn’t know you knew him, I didn’t…”

That got the guys all talking at once.

“I can’t believe you lied,” Mac started, looking like he was building up some steam.

“I’m just glad she’s alive, Wolf. Lighten up.” Dare grunted and folded his arms behind his head. “Man, you’d better have a ring around here somewhere.”

“Yeah, that shit is—”

“Mac, don’t make me have Russell throw you out,” Lacey said.

Russell grinned and hauled her down on his lap. Mac looked so offended Russell was surprised the man didn’t walk out, but he finally shrugged his shoulders and sat down after running both hands through his hair. He needed his hair cut; he still looked like some kind of beach bum.

“Well, there are a lot of SEALs, aren’t there? He didn’t train them all…” She trailed off when the men all grumbled.

Russell pulled her down on his lap. Her dad had trained them all. His unit.

“Ah, can I ask a question?” Katya grinned when everyone glanced at her. “This is all pretty funny, but what exactly is going on?”

Susan shook her head slowly. “Russell is freaking out because my dad was a chief in the SEALs way before they all went in.”

He snorted at that understatement. “That’s a bit mild. Your dad was the toughest, baddest, meanest—”

She jumped up and looked shocked. “He was not!”

Mac snorted. “Yeah, he was. He was the best goddamn SEAL we ever met. A good, solid man and it was a fu—shame that he was taken like that. He had so much life, Lacey, it sucks. Sorry, but girl, it sucked. Him gone so quick, then we find out you— Have you let Mandy think you’re dead, too?” he demanded.

“Mac, it isn’t like I’m on a holiday! There are people out there that want me dead. Dead. As in ‘they put me in the hospital for six months and I was in a coma’ dead.”

Well, that quieted Mac. It shut Russ up, too. She’d been nearly killed? He’d known she’d suffered, known those scars were more than she was letting on, but now, now he knew. The knowledge hit and took time for him, and his men, to get over. They risked their lives on a daily basis for people who never knew them, and Hawk’s girl had suffered more than even most of them ever had.

Russell rubbed his face with a hand and tried to pull her back down but she resisted. She moved closer, though, and her body heat slowly eased his pain enough to think clearly. Or clearer.

“Sunshine, let’s talk about this and the agents at the hotel. You need to call them. Better yet, I need to call them.”

“You were attacked? You didn’t call us?” Dare asked, sounding offended. He’d sat up at Lacey’s admission and pinned her with a stare that had her taking a step backwards before she could stop herself.

She huffed and rolled her eyes. “Listen, I woke up, all right? In a hospital bed, and everything was gone—Dad, the house, me. It was gone. I wasn’t given a choice. I was given this,”—she flung her hand up to indicate the house—“and a new identity, and I was told to come here. End of story.”

“End of story?” Dare looked ready to go on but Russell stalled him with a look.

“That’s about enough. Let’s take this up to the ranch—no more right now. Can’t you think what she went through?” he demanded, pulling her back down on his lap. “Listen, this will be all right.” He needed those agents on the phone. Not everyone looked as on board with that as he was. Dare looked like he was going to argue. Mac looked pissed off and offended. Eagle was serious for once, and Katya wore a worried little frown.

“Let’s think about this over dinner.” Russell glanced around at her boxes and made a decision he wasn’t going to let her say no to. “Looks like you’re packed. Load it all up. She’s coming up to the ranch,” he said.

Dare’s brows drew down and he looked scandalised. “You can’t have Hawk’s daughter live with you, Ace… That’s like…fuc—I mean, come on.”

“I’m not living with him, and I don’t think we asked you, Daren Scott.”

Oh, man. “Well, I think you should think about that. I mean—” Russell began, but she cut him off.

“No, Russell. I’ll come up, but—”

His anger started to rise. “This place is not safe, and there’s no way you are staying here. If those agents had you go in to ID someone, then they fear you’re blown.” He kept his voice low and tense.

“Fear I’m blown?” She paled. “Yeah, I kinda got that idea from the agents, but do you think someone’s found me?”

“Baby, we aren’t taking a chance.” He felt bad for scaring her, but it was best she understand she wasn’t safe any longer. Not here. Not alone. Her home, all of this hiding, wasn’t safe. If the Russian mob were after her and she’d faked her death, things were already hip deep in shit if someone was sniffing around.

“Go get some burgers, Eagle. Take Dare. Put the feelers out on anyone new to the area. Anyone. Mac you head up in the hills above the ranch. I want your eye on the house and the hills. I don’t want any surprises. I’ll contacts the dicks and see what the fuck they’re thinking.” It sure better not be using his woman as bait.

All three men nodded tightly. They knew as well as he did what could be at stake here.

On his lap, she fidgeted but stayed silent. “We’ll meet up at the ranch then head out after I settle things.”

Not surprising him, she protested immediately. “Russell, everyone knows about us. I called the cops on you, for crying out loud. Won’t these guys go up there? Maybe already be there? These guys aren’t joking around. They killed four agents. Four.”

His gut tightened at that little bit of news. “Sunshine, there’s no chance we’re staying here, and we’re only heading up there to get what I need, then we’re hitting it.”

“Hitting it? Are you crazy?”

Eagle chuckled and she glanced at him briefly before centring on him, exactly where she should be. He’d be damned if he’d ever held on to anything in his life, but he was keeping this, this woman, this chance at a life and love. He relished the chance to protect her, keep her safe. She had it all. A house, a job, a love of life he didn’t understand, even more so now after knowing what she’d gone through, but he knew she was the stronger of the two of them. She had everything but safety. A life without fear. And love. He’d give her all three and make her so happy she’d hum around their home for the rest of her life. He could taste it. He could still taste her, his woman. Keeping her safe was what he’d been training for all his life. Or at least it felt like it.

He met her eyes and smiled down at her. “Crazy? Baby, I haven’t even shown you crazy yet.”

“Oh, Russell.” Her eyes softened, the blue darkening the way it did when he took her, brought her to her pleasure and kept her there. If he touched her, he’d fuck her, right now, apologies in advance. He stood them up, took a step back from her heat, but kept her hand in his.

“I’ll keep you safe, and these guys,” he nodded to his team, keeping her eyes with his. It was a promise, and she knew it. “They’re going to help me guarantee it.”

The tension grew thicker in the room. He could do this anyway, without her approval. He could simply shove her over his shoulder and lock her up to keep her safe. But he wanted her to accept that he could provide for her, protect her, give her a life and love her like no other.

“All right, Russell.”

“That’s my girl.”

“Yeah, if you’d called us, we’d have had this in the bag months ago.” Dare was one brave guy, because she shot him a look that Russell had already learned he should be cautious of.

Dare simply grinned and winked. “Sorry, babe, that doesn’t work on me.”

Jealousy raised its head again. “Maybe my fist will.”

If he didn’t know better, he might have thought he’d earned some brownie points with his little Sunshine. She grinned up at him and moved into his arms, looking like a cat with the cream. How had he not known her when his buddies had? He remembered hearing about her—they all had. She’d been with Mandy, Tazz’s sister, more often than not, but not once had Russell caught more than a glimpse of Lacey from a distance. Hawk had wanted him to meet her in a bad way and something had always held him back. Fear most likely, because Hawk’s daughter had a reputation for being one beauty of a girl, inside and out. Hawk had asked him to meet her, and that alone had made Russell’s balls draw up in fear. The man had kept all the guys away from her. To think he’d wanted to introduce him to his daughter had scared the piss out of Russell.

“Right, we’ll meet up when you head out. Going further north?” Mac asked.

He knew they should. The hunting cabins would be perfect. No one would be able to get a mile from them without them knowing it. The cabins sat on a summit, overlooking the area for miles. The land there was bare of trees, too. Anyone coming in or out could be spotted with plenty of warning to get ready. But somehow, that didn’t feel right. If there was a hit on Lacey, the hitman would know about Russell, and everyone in town knew about those hunting cabins. He’d taken hunters out with his stepdad for years. Anyone sniffing around would find out within minutes about those cabins. He was beginning to think Montana wouldn’t do. The States might not do, when it came down to it.

While he was thinking, Eagle and Katya got up and ready. Dare shot him a glance but Russell held back from saying anything. The cabins felt wrong. His gut was never wrong.

Mac got right in Lacey’s face, clearly still pissed off with her. “Gonna call Mandy?”

Lacey stiffened in his arms. He surrounded her in his embrace, tightening his arms to hold her close to his chest and glared at Mac.

“I don’t know where Mandy is, Mac. Not since she left,” Lacey said quietly.

Mac looked pale. What the hell? It was gone the next second, but the man still looked unhappy. Russell knew there had been something between Tazz’s little sister and Mac, but, by the look of his buddy, Mac might have lost something he wanted back, only to find out it was still missing.

“I thought you’d have heard from her.”

Lacey shook her head, looking unhappy.

Time to go. He couldn’t help Mac out right now. “Right, we’ll be back within the hour.”

Next to him, Lacey didn’t say a word, but Russell felt her shiver in his arms—not with pleasure, but with fear. He needed to talk to those agents.