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He nodded to Joseph. “Thank you for the opportunity. What details and information do you have for me? The past cases. The notes, threats, and contact the man has had with Mia, or anything else that will help. Do you want to text or email me? That might be more ideal so I can have the notes to refer to and not waste time talking about it right now. I’ll hunt him down and have him to the authorities soon.” He looked at Mia and nodded. Yes, he’d capture the refuse of humanity who’d kidnapped and enslaved other women and dared make this woman his next target. Zeke would make sure she was safe, and he’d avenge the other women. Turning the spineless scum over to the authorities would be the hard part. Vigilante justice sounded just right in situations like this. “Don’t worry, Mia,” he said. “You’ll be safe.”
He turned to go.
“Zeke!” Holly called to him.
“Cap!” Joseph joined her.
“What?” He turned back.
“The National Crime Agency in the UK and the FBI here are working together to track the guy down,” Joseph explained. “There are two suspects, but they’ve both completely disappeared. We don’t have enough information to send you off hunting for either of them, or whoever it might be, and that’s not what we’re asking of you. We’d like you to stay here with Mia. Actually, at Papa’s house where her two security guards are staying. They, and the rest of our family, will keep eyes on the cameras, sensors, and monitor the property. The man has found and taken each of the other women he’s targeted no matter what protection the police have provided or the victims have hired on their own. We can’t have that happen to Mia. We want you to protect her, stick to her like glue, until the man is captured. Or until your leave is up, at which point we’ll have to reevaluate the situation.”
Zeke stared at Joseph, then he looked at Holly and finally, his gaze swiveled to Mia. For Joseph and Holly’s parts, they looked absolutely serious. Mia was biting nervously at her lower lip. Why was she doing that? He liked to understand why people had nervous ticks. Demo ran his hand through his hair, Chaos thumped his fist against his leg, and Zeke’s own was rubbing at his neck. He was surrounded by men most of the time and no man he knew bit at his lower lip like that. It was highly distracting. It made her look … appealing.
A protectiveness filled him that he had no choice but to act on. He had to keep Mia safe, but he could do that best by tracking the guy down. He couldn’t … hole up in a beautiful house in a beautiful valley with a beautiful woman. He had to look at this mission objectively and unselfishly, but he’d go absolutely insane not acting and not moving and … being trapped with a woman as enticing as this one.
“You want me …” he began slowly, still focused on Mia. For some reason, those three words made her dark eyes light up in the most beguiling way he’d ever seen.
She wanted him.
Unfamiliar sensations of light, joy, and warmth seemed to crash into each other inside his chest.Shewantedhim? He’d met a lot of women who wanted him physically. Because of his hatred of human touch, he’d never been tempted to reciprocate. Rachel had broken down his walls, somewhat, but it had taken her years, and then she’d decided she absolutely didn’t want him. But Mia seemed to want him, all of him.
He blinked to clear his vision and realized how ludicrous his thoughts were at the moment. He cleared his throat and pivoted to Joseph. “You want me to stay here and protect her like a glorified bodyguard?”
Joseph nodded. “I can’t think of anyone I’d trust more.”
“But she already has security with her. And what about all your with-it and qualified nephews, niece, daughters, and son?”
Joseph barely knew him. Sure, they’d worked extremely well together those few weeks in September, but if this man had any idea how messed-up Zeke was on the inside, he’d never want him alone in a house with his niece.
“Remember what you asked me to do with Zander and Jessie?” Joseph fired back. Kind of hitting below the belt, honestly. Zeke knew exactly what he’d asked of this overprotective father, and he didn’t want to have to reciprocate the trust Joseph had granted Zander. “Despite how hard it was as a father to allow any man to be so close to my daughter, we both knew that Zander was the ideal choice to protect Jessie because he would stay by her side around the clock and he had a vested interest in her. Holly and I felt this situation could be just as … ideal.”
Ideal for who?
“But … but …” Zeke gritted his teeth. He hated stammering. He used to do it as a child because he’d been afraid. As an adult, he acted like everything was radio communication, which meant thinking through his words before opening his mouth. Either that, or he didn’t speak. Stammering was for wimps. He rubbed at the back of his neck. He was feeling backed into a corner.
Hehadasked Joseph to allow his friend and Chief Petty Officer, Zander Povey, Master EOD “Demo” to be Jessie’s bodyguard because Jessie was the Secret Keeper, in extreme danger, and Demo had been head over heels for her.
“Demo liked Jessie,” he tried to explain. “I don’t like …” His eyes widened as he realized what he’d just said. He spun back to Mia and held his hands up. “Apologies, ma’am. It’s not that I don’t like you, but I don’t like anybody. Please don’t take it personally.”
For the first time, her warm brown eyes weren’t sparkling invitingly at him. They were flashing fire. He had the feeling he was about to hear an earful of British slang that would curl a proper Brit’s toenails. He didn’t like that he’d hurt her feelings, but this situation would not work out. It was better she knew now that he was cold and not interested in her as a woman. That always ticked women off, so he found it was easier to get it out right up front.
He should probably back toward the door. One glance at Joseph and Holly said he’d upset everybody now.
He was a soldier. A human weapon. A man of action. He was not a stay by the beautiful woman’s side type, or a bodyguard of appealing British blondes.
If he could only escape this situation and go find Thor or Greer or one of the Delta men. He’d love a good fist fight about now. Then he’d get back to the Air Force Academy and coerce some gung-ho, honored-to-meet-him pilot to fly him out of Colorado as soon as possible. He hated to let down Joseph and Holly, but they could find someone to do bodyguard duty for a gorgeous woman in danger. Most single warriors in the world would jump at the chance. Not him.
The dangerous part? Hooyah.
But being alone with a beautiful woman? Not acceptable.
ChapterTwo
Lady Mia Burton could only stare at the handsome, too-tough military machine in front of her. Machine fit much better than human. Captain Zeke Hendrickson couldn’t be a mere mortal. More like Rambo, Thor, or maybe the Terminator had strutted into the living room. Just the way he moved was like he owned the world and could best any person in it. It was downright appealing, especially with the danger she had pursuing her.
The only time he hadn’t seemed like a human weapon was when he met her gaze with his smoky grayish-blue eyes or when he’d shaken her hand. Then he’d felt real. Too real. The kind of real, flesh and blood bloke that could warm a girl up all the way through. Blimey. It was right stuffy in here.
He’d been stoic and quiet until his impassioned desire to go hunt down the stalker and his equally impassioned refusal to be her bodyguard. Then the clincher, when he’d said that he didn’t like her. He’d amended it to that he didn’t like anyone, but it had felt personal. It had not made her feel too cheery. Had shocked her, more like.
