Page 39 of Lion’s Den

Cam shrugged. “Same as all you Montgomerys.”

“You’re not wrong. If your team agrees to come, where are you taking Sedona?”

“An old Army buddy of mine has a friend with a really pleasant cabin, a three-story structure.”

“No.”

Both men turned to stare at her. “No?” Cam threaded his fingers through hers and motioned toward one of the visitor chairs. When she settled into one, he took the other. “You’ve already been kidnapped, Sedona. Even though we caught the three men, they weren’t the brains behind the plan. Someone is out to hurt you, and I refuse to let that happen.”

“I’m staying here. I have responsibilities at school, and I’m still cleaning out that monstrosity of a house, and one of my half-sisters is supposed to arrive at the end of the week. I don’t want her to see the house looking like someone from The Hoarders lived in there.”

“There are such things as substitutes, you know,” David snapped. “What’s more important, Sedona? Showing up at school where you will draw danger to your kids or protecting them by staying away?”

“That’s not fair.” How did she balance the conflicting needs of her life? Those children needed her, but David was right. If she did her job, the children might pay the price, like Julio did. Why would anyone throw an innocent child into a lion’s enclosure just to get at her? Made little sense. What if the man who sent the three kidnappers after her hired more thugs to grab her? What if this time Cam interfered with their plans?

Tears burned in her eyes. He could die because there was no doubt in her mind that Cam would do his best to stop these men, but he would likely be outnumbered just like she was with the three kidnappers.

Cam’s brows knitted. “Hey, what’s wrong? Did I hurt you?”

Sedona shook her head and swiped at her eyes. “No, Cam. It’s me.”

“Tell me. Please.”

“You’re planning to stay with me full-time, right?”

“You bet.” He stilled. “Unless you don’t want me.”

Oh, no. He wasn’t going there. She wouldn’t let him. If only he knew the truth. “I’ll always want you. What worries me is that the mastermind understands you will stand between me and danger.”

“Absolutely.”

“I’m afraid he’ll devise a plan to trap or kill you in order to get me.”

His lips curved. “I’m counting on it.”

She stared. “Are you nuts?”

“Jury’s still out on that.”

The sheriff cleared his throat. “You know what he was in the military, right, Sedona?”

She caught that tone, the one that said she’d missed something important and David was reluctant to tell her the truth. She’d heard that same tone of voice when the rest of the Montgomery brothers were worried about their wives being upset. All right, worrying about how their wives took some upsetting piece of news earned them brownie points in her mind. But treating her as though she were a dunce? Nope, not happening.

Sedona raised her chin to look David square in the eyes. “I know he was Special Forces. More specifically, he was Delta Force, the Cowboys of the Army.”

“Do you know what that means?”

“He’ll find a way to reach his objective and complete the mission. The mission is all. No backing down, no giving up. Just do it.” She rolled her eyes. “I’ll stop before I sound even more like a shoe commercial.”

Both men laughed. Cam squeezed her fingers with his. “Here’s what you need to remember. If they come to me, we’re on my turf with my rules. If I go after them, they have the advantage. Their rules, their location, their game. I’d rather they came to me.”

She thought for a moment about what he said. “You’re setting a trap for them.”

He winked. “Very good. I knew I had chosen a smart woman.”

“This smart woman took too long to figure out that you were setting yourself up to control the game. You’ll play the victim, then turn the tables on them.”

“Excellent.” Cam beamed.