Delta Salvation (Phantom Force, Book 1) (13 page)

“Ignore Coyle. He’s butt hurt I was shot while he was there. Man thinks he’s superhuman and should’ve been able to stop the bullet or some shit.” Oz shook his head.

Alexa thought they were all a little crazy, but kept her mouth shut.

Chapter Seven

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K
ai had never wanted to break his teammate’s fingers like he wanted to Oz’s. Watching him flirt with Alexa had him thinking of all the ways he’d trained to kill a man. He shook his head and turned away from the couple sitting at the island.

“I will clean up.” Alexa’s soft words startled him.

“Go watch a movie with Oz, I got this.” He dismissed her, pouring the grease from the bacon into the trash can now that it had cooled.

“Listen, you guys cooked, I get to clean. Please. Let me do something.”

He dared a glance down at her face, and saw the need for more, sure the same mirrored in his. “Fine, I’m going to check the monitors.”

“I’ll go with you,” Oz said standing up with ease.

Kai didn’t wait for him, walking to the room Rowan had set up for security purposes. Several monitors showed him the property from all the different views, making it easy for him to see where Coyle and Sully were talking.

“You got a thing for our girl or what?” Oz leaned against the wall.

His temper flared as he switched the monitor to a camera farther back, ignoring Oz’s words.

“She’s been through a lot and doesn’t need to have any more grief in her young life, Cap.” Oz walked further into the room.

Spinning around, Kai faced Oz. “What the hell does that mean?”

Oz shut the door. “What that means is, she doesn’t look like the love em and leave em type. On the way here, I did a little research and found she isn’t a player. She’s been a product of the system since her parents left her, and then she aged out of the foster system. That tiny little bundle of female is not like what we are used to. What I’m saying is don’t play with her, then drop her like last week’s mission.”

“Are you her daddy or her boyfriend warning me off,” Kai growled. “This life. Our life, isn’t meant for happily ever afters as she put it. We don’t have time, nor should we put a woman in the place to sit at home and wait for us while we are out on a mission. Our families are bad enough, waiting for that possible call, or for someone to knock on their door telling them we were killed. The only thing I have to offer is a few weeks at best. I’ve never led a woman to believe anything more.” Kai wished for more, and could see Alexa being that woman who he had waiting at home for him.

Oz shook his head. “That’s bull and you know it. There are lots of SEALs who have wives, lovers and the like. What makes you so much worse?”

Kai looked back at the monitors. “What about you, Oz. I don’t see you putting a ring on some ladies finger. None of the men on my team has a significant other. What’s that say for us?” Movement caught his eye to the North of the property. He zoomed in and was sure he saw a figure.

“Oz, I need you to watch the cameras. I think we have company.” Kai strode to the door.

“You going to wake Tay?”

Indecision warred within him, but if they did have someone out and about, and it turned out to be a hunter, Tay would need his rest.

“No, let him sleep. If I need backup I got Coyle and Sully. Don’t let anyone in but us three or Rowan. Period. I don’t care if they say Rowan sent them, or they are his brother from another mother. You ignore them. Tay has reset the codes so only our team has access to the house.”

Kai went to the weapons closet and slung a rifle over his shoulder, made sure his weapons belt was tightened and slipped out the door on the South side. He kept to the trees and made his way back to where he thought he’d seen movement, looking for signs of a trespasser. Neither Coyle nor Sully would have come out so far into the woods, but if they’d heard anything they’d have come out to check. Kai looked for tracks, watching where he placed his feet to keep from making any noise. His clothing helped him blend into the foliage, and he wondered if he was on a wild goose chase when the first sign of an intruder was found.

The indent in the dry leaves clearly showed where a large person had stood for some time. Kai pressed his back up against the tree, looking toward the house, but without binoculars couldn’t see anything. He glanced up and noticed scrapes up the trunk, and wanted to curse. The fucker had climbed a tree and watched the house for god knew how long.

Not trusting he was gone or working alone, Kai worked slowly in tracking the man. A good fifty feet back he found tracks of an off road vehicle that appeared to be a four wheeler or something similar. The man could have been a hunter, but it wasn’t hunting season unless you were hunting a human.

He felt the grass and leaves where the vehicle had sat, checking to see if the tracks were cold or warm. The fact the trail was indeed still warm meant he’d missed the intruder by minutes at most, yet he’d not heard the sound of the motor. Wind whistling in the woods mocked him, making him wish for the eerie stories where all was silent except for the heavy breathing.

Making his way back toward the cabin, he circled back, checking for more signs. If the man wasn’t alone, and more were up in a tree, they were in a shitload of trouble since the cabin was surrounded by hundreds of the big fuckers.

Coyle and Sully stepped out of the tree line on either side of the house at the same time as him, both wearing similar gear that helped them blend into the landscape. Their grim expressions didn’t ease his own doubts. Using hand motions they all made their way to the home, entering as one. Kai took one long last look, before he closed the door, making sure the locks engaged.

“Tell me what you saw,” he looked to Sully first.

Bright green eyes stared behind Kai.

Before he turned, Kai knew Alexa was there. His inner alarm had already told him she was aware of their presence, and instead of waiting for her to leave, or taking the conversation to the room Rowan had set up for security, he walked further into the kitchen. “Go ahead, Sully. She should hear what’s going on.”

“I saw markings on a few trees, like someone had climbed them recently. I backtracked to see if I could find the fucker, but there was no trace. Whoever it is was really good, or more than one.”

Exactly what Kai thought.

“I noticed tracks on the ground. They’d tried to be careful, but I got an eye for detail. When I circled back and met up with Sully, the markings there were not made with the same weight. Meaning, we have more than one threat out there. I wish I could say it was a group of hunters, which in a sense is true, only they aren’t hunting anything that runs on four legs. Of that I’m positive. The scrapes on the tree were far enough apart I could tell one of the men was around two hundred pounds, and the other around one-eighty. They were using special shoes that allowed them to climb, without causing too much damage to the tree, and by my guess, they were on a reconnaissance mission.” Coyle’s voice held no inflection.

“We should leave,” Alexa said, her hands were balled into fists against her chest.

Kai shook his head. “It’s too late for that, luv. We leave now, they could be waiting on the road, or set up traps that nothing short of a tank could survive. Our best bet is to see what they come at us with. This house is a veritable fortress, not to mention you got five SEALs here to protect you. If worst comes to worst, there is the safe room. You go in there and nobody can get in or out unless you let them.” Kai’s arm reached out, his fingers brushed down her cheek, the need to reassure her too much for him to resist that small caress.

“Hey,” Tay cut in. “Y’all are being fatalist. This is a huge area that for the most part is empty. Maybe they are just hunters who got scared when they realized there were people staying in the cabin.”

Oz’s booming laugh cut across the room. “I got some ocean front property to sell you in Kansas for cheap.”

Kai held his hand up. “We have to think there is a threat. Oz was shot at point blank by a friendly. I got a scrape by an unknown who shouldn’t have been able to get into a secure building. We have another team’s member who was injected by some drug that incapacitated him. Hell, for all we know that entire team is on the take. I want Alexa to keep to the interior rooms. I’m sorry, but no TV watching for you in the great room. Those floor to ceiling windows are a nightmare even though they are bulletproof.”

“I’m fine, damn it.” Oz pulled his shirt up, tugging off the white bandage covering his right upper chest.

Alexa’s indrawn breath drew Kai’s gaze. He’d seen a lot of bullet wounds and knew Oz’s injury was nothing, but wasn’t sure why she was freaking out over the sight of his friend.

“That was so close to your heart.” She moved around the island. “Why would you put your life on the line for someone like me?”

Her hand touched Oz’s chest tentatively as if she was afraid he’d knock her arm away.

“It’s what we do. Besides, I’m alive. You know, failure is not an option.”

Kai grinned as all five of the SEAL team said the last at the same time, making Alexa’s eyes widen.

“You are all crazy. You don’t know me. I could be some deranged woman...or deserving of...”

Oz cut off her words with his palm over her mouth. “Don’t do that. We serve with honor and integrity on and off the battlefield, don’t take that from us by belittling yourself. Your life, every life is worth saving, except asshats who are traitors to our country or theirs. I have no qualm about taking them out. Hoorah.” The last was yelled.

“I hate being scared. Why can’t I just have a normal life?”

Alexa looked around, but Kai noticed Oz shrugged and stepped away.

“Oz is right. We’ve put our lives on the line for people we’ve never met for our country. You are a woman who in my book is a good person. I’d be more than happy to stand in front of you as a shield.” Tay smiled.

The fear reflected in the unusual eyes didn’t sit well with Kai. “Okay, listen up team. We are stepping this up. I don’t want us out in singles, it’s a two man team from here on out. Nobody goes out alone. Got it? Sully and Coyle, you two partner up and do a perimeter check. Make sure if you see anything fresh, you report back. We have cells for a reason. They clearly know we are here, so I want to know what you know when you know it. Tay and I will take the next round.”

“Bullshit,” Oz growled. “I’m not a fucking liability. When is my turn? I’m not a babysitter, who’s not good for anything else. No offense, Alexa.” He turned and grimaced at the stricken look on her face.

“Oz, you are guarding the girl. That’s the most important job.”

“Great, then that’s the perfect job for you.” A muscle ticked in Oz’s cheek.

The urge to punch the big redhead in the jaw was almost overpowering. “Fuck,” he swore and spun on his heel.

“Why don’t all of you go out, and I’ll stay inside by myself. I mean I’m safe you said?” One dark brow raised in question.

Kai looked at his four SEAL team members and wanted to beat the shit out of each of them. The smirks on their faces let him know they were waiting to see how he’d handle the situation.

“Alexa, you are safe, and we mean to keep you that way. However, we are not leaving you alone. I’ll take first watch inside. This is a large property. I want everyone checking on the thirty mark. Let’s set our clocks.” Each man raised their wrists, making sure their times were exact.

Sully and Coyle slipped out the back, while Oz and Tay eased out the front. Kai heard the alarms engage, yet he inspected each one to make sure the red light shone brightly, indicating they were working properly.

“Want to play a card game, or something,” Alexa asked.

He stared down at the woman he wanted beyond endurance, and imagined a game of strip poker. “Do you know how to play poker?”

She smiled. “Yeah, but is this gonna cost money or clothes.”

Damn! Just like that his body responded. “Baby, you are tugging a tiger’s tail with words like that.”

“You sorta left me hanging earlier. I think turnabout is only fair.”

The little minx licked her lips, and giggled. Kai decided he didn’t mind her teasing if it wiped away the fear she’d had for the last few hours.

****

A
lexa couldn’t believe the way she was acting or the things that were coming out of her mouth, yet she wasn’t able to stop. Watching the play of emotions flash across Kai’s face was a wonder in itself, and knowing she was the one to surprise him gave her a boost of confidence she’d lost somewhere along the way. She wasn’t sure how long the other four men would be gone, but had decided he wasn’t slipping away from her again.

Her big bad SEAL was about to see how far she was willing to go to get what she wanted.

“I don’t know what you are thinking, but it’s a bad idea, Alexa.”

She shook her head. “Are you scared of little ole me?”

Kai backed up. “Let me go find some cards and I’ll see how good you are at five card stud.”

As he hurried down the hall, she barely kept from laughing. She only wished she had something sexy under her borrowed clothing.

A glance at the clock and she calculated they had approximately twenty-six minutes before the guys checked in for the first time. Surely they could get a few rounds of cards in, and hopefully most of their clothing off in that time.

“Here we go. A brand new deck. I hope Rowan wasn’t keeping it for anything. It looks like a standard one to me.” Kai shrugged, then sat at the small breakfast nook in the kitchen.

Watching his fingers expertly shuffle the cards, Alexa thought about earlier and how it felt when he’d been touching her. She looked up to see his eyes staring intently at her breasts, and knew he could see the outline of her nipples through the thin material.

“What game we playing?” Her voice cracked.

“You are playing with fire.” He nodded toward the stack of cards.

Alexa shook her head, not wanting to separate them, actually wishing she could leap across the table and kiss the stubborn man. “Just deal, big boy.”

One of Kai’s eyebrows raised, but a hint of a grin kicked up his lips. By the time he realized she did in fact know how to play poker, he got serious.