Read Online Close Quarters (Her SEAL Protector #1) by Roxie Rivera - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Roxie Rivera
Tags: romantic suspense
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the key into the ignition and slammed the door.
After throwing the vehicle in drive, he let his foot hesitate on the brake. A voice inside his head screamed for him to go back to the shed and talk to her. He was so angry and disappointed. Didn't she understand how risky this was? How fucking reckless she had been? It wasn't only her life she had put in the crosshairs, but Peyton's. When it came to his sister, no one was allowed to cross that line, not even Jamie.
But she seemed so sure she had everything neatly wrapped up and Peyton protected. He wanted to believe she was that good at masterminding a plot like this one, but his hand drifted to the dull ache in his side and the old scar on his neck. Even the best laid plans could be blown to hell in the blink of an eye.
Certain they would only scream and yell at each other if he got out of the SUV, he eased down on the gas and drove away from the cabin. They needed some space to decompress. He had to decide how much deeper he wanted to be dragged into her scheme. This was the sort of thing that could derail his career and get him in a shitload of trouble.
She's worth it.
His fingers tightened around the steering wheel as he raced down the long stretch of empty highway. Her forlorn, resigned voice echoed in his head. I wasn't ever enough of a reason for anyone to stick around.
She really believed she wasn't worth fighting for. She wouldn't have done something so dangerous if she didn't believe it. In her mind, she probably thought she was alone. The scars he had traced on her body were proof enough that she had been living a wild, carefree life. Just how far had she pushed the envelope? How many of her decisions had been influenced by the guilt she felt for her dad's death?
Peyton had told him that Michelle still blamed Jamie for her father's death. Her mother believed she had been a distraction during the trip, a distraction that had cost James his life. As far as he knew, Michelle had become an even heavier drinker since James' burial. Jamie had no brothers or sisters, no grandparents or aunts or uncles or cousins. She was an only child with no one else to support her. Although she was still best friends with Peyton, he sensed the two had grown apart. He figured that was a normal thing, especially when one of them was immersed in academia, and the other was trying to find herself by risking her life.
He wiped a hand down his face and expelled a noisy breath. Was it so wrong for her to want revenge on the man who had taken her father's life? He thought of all the hazardous missions he had completed in his seven years as a SEAL. How many of them were undertaken to mete out justice? Wasn't that what she wanted? Justice for her father's murder?
But there were better, easier, and much cleaner ways of getting justice.
As he pulled into the small parking lot of the only grocery story for fifty miles, he still didn't know what he was going to do when he got back to the cabin. He wasn't going to send her away. She might think she had everything under control, but he wasn't convinced.
No, they needed to get out of town as soon as possible. He thought of some of the remote hunting blinds and cabins he had visited with his father over the years. There were half a dozen within a day's driving distance. Those were better places to hide her, but he needed supplies. He also needed to call in some favors from friends who owed him big-time. Someone needed to pick up Peyton and stow her some place safe.
Pushing a cart down the first aisle, he chose some apples, bananas and oranges, fruit that was easy to store and eat. Peanut butter and bread were next on his list. He spotted that hazelnut spread he had watched Peyton and Jamie devour as kids and grabbed a jar. It wasn't exactly an apology for blowing up at her, but he hoped it would soothe her a little.
"Leland!" George Perez, the owner of the auto shop, greeted him with a broad smile. Wearing his usual uniform of jeans, a worn
After throwing the vehicle in drive, he let his foot hesitate on the brake. A voice inside his head screamed for him to go back to the shed and talk to her. He was so angry and disappointed. Didn't she understand how risky this was? How fucking reckless she had been? It wasn't only her life she had put in the crosshairs, but Peyton's. When it came to his sister, no one was allowed to cross that line, not even Jamie.
But she seemed so sure she had everything neatly wrapped up and Peyton protected. He wanted to believe she was that good at masterminding a plot like this one, but his hand drifted to the dull ache in his side and the old scar on his neck. Even the best laid plans could be blown to hell in the blink of an eye.
Certain they would only scream and yell at each other if he got out of the SUV, he eased down on the gas and drove away from the cabin. They needed some space to decompress. He had to decide how much deeper he wanted to be dragged into her scheme. This was the sort of thing that could derail his career and get him in a shitload of trouble.
She's worth it.
His fingers tightened around the steering wheel as he raced down the long stretch of empty highway. Her forlorn, resigned voice echoed in his head. I wasn't ever enough of a reason for anyone to stick around.
She really believed she wasn't worth fighting for. She wouldn't have done something so dangerous if she didn't believe it. In her mind, she probably thought she was alone. The scars he had traced on her body were proof enough that she had been living a wild, carefree life. Just how far had she pushed the envelope? How many of her decisions had been influenced by the guilt she felt for her dad's death?
Peyton had told him that Michelle still blamed Jamie for her father's death. Her mother believed she had been a distraction during the trip, a distraction that had cost James his life. As far as he knew, Michelle had become an even heavier drinker since James' burial. Jamie had no brothers or sisters, no grandparents or aunts or uncles or cousins. She was an only child with no one else to support her. Although she was still best friends with Peyton, he sensed the two had grown apart. He figured that was a normal thing, especially when one of them was immersed in academia, and the other was trying to find herself by risking her life.
He wiped a hand down his face and expelled a noisy breath. Was it so wrong for her to want revenge on the man who had taken her father's life? He thought of all the hazardous missions he had completed in his seven years as a SEAL. How many of them were undertaken to mete out justice? Wasn't that what she wanted? Justice for her father's murder?
But there were better, easier, and much cleaner ways of getting justice.
As he pulled into the small parking lot of the only grocery story for fifty miles, he still didn't know what he was going to do when he got back to the cabin. He wasn't going to send her away. She might think she had everything under control, but he wasn't convinced.
No, they needed to get out of town as soon as possible. He thought of some of the remote hunting blinds and cabins he had visited with his father over the years. There were half a dozen within a day's driving distance. Those were better places to hide her, but he needed supplies. He also needed to call in some favors from friends who owed him big-time. Someone needed to pick up Peyton and stow her some place safe.
Pushing a cart down the first aisle, he chose some apples, bananas and oranges, fruit that was easy to store and eat. Peanut butter and bread were next on his list. He spotted that hazelnut spread he had watched Peyton and Jamie devour as kids and grabbed a jar. It wasn't exactly an apology for blowing up at her, but he hoped it would soothe her a little.
"Leland!" George Perez, the owner of the auto shop, greeted him with a broad smile. Wearing his usual uniform of jeans, a worn
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