SEAL by Fate Read online

  “If we don’t go to the hospital, then you’re okay with dying?” She looked down at him with disgust, putting pressure on the wound, but knowing it wasn’t enough.

  “This is your fault,” he growled.

  “My fault?” She lifted a brow.

  “I gave you the fucking gun. You should have shot him!” He took another long swig of whiskey. Between his copious sweating mixed with stale liquor and the sight of blood, she felt like she was going to throw up.

  “He jumped on me. When was I supposed to shoot him?”

  “Pfft. My mistake was ever bringing you with me. We lost our chance to get him.” His skin was white and his eyes red-rimmed.

  “Maybe this is a sign that you need to move on. If you weren’t so hell bent on seeking some effed-up justice on him, this wouldn’t have happened. We could be anywhere right now besides this Godforsaken mountain.” The entire towel was now covered in blood and her fingers were turning pink. She tossed it to the floor and grabbed another.

  “I won’t stop until I see that bastard buried. The entire Ghost Hawk Ops unit. Why can’t you get that through your fucking head?”

  “Fine.” She jumped up, looked down at her crimson hands and felt her stomach roll. She forced her gaze back on him. “Let’s go now. We can set fire to their cabin and be done with him once and for all.”

  One corner of his mouth lifted. “You twat. Don’t you have sense in that pretty head? That won’t work.”

  “Why?” She went back to putting pressure on his wound. “Because you’re shot? Man the fuck up.”

  He gritted his teeth. “He’ll be on the defensive. With me wounded and you worthless with a weapon, he’ll take us both out. I know him, how he thinks. He’ll get her off the mountain. That’s the thing with good guys. They think of others instead of themselves.” He laughed, but it lacked humor. “But in the end, I’ll get the upper hand again. I’ve snuck one right under his nose and he doesn’t even expect it,” he slurred.

  “Unless…”

  “Stop! Neither of them will suspect anything until it’s too late. I knew she would be as powerful a weapon as any bomb I’ve ever made. Yes, my plan is a bit skewed, but this will be even better.” He reached over, turned on a monitor and a map came up with a tiny red dot moving across the screen. “See, what did I tell you. They’re already on the move. Thankfully we have the tracking system on the snow mobile.”

  “There’s not enough gas for them to get off the hill. They’ll go to the vehicles. I’ll go and kill them both.”

  “Rest yourself, pretty. I have this covered. Watch and see.”

  She handed him a leather belt. “Here.”

  “What’s this for?”

  “I’m going to have to remove the bullet or you’re going to bleed to death,” she said.

  He hissed out a long breath and grabbed her wrist harshly. She jerked and lifted her wide eyes to him. “Listen. I don’t plan on losing one of my legs or bleeding to death. You fuck this up and we’ll both go down. You hear?”

  She nodded once and prepared the tools she needed. Once he bit down on the belt, she took the pliers in her shaky hand. She was shaking too much. “Give me a drink of that.” Grabbing the bottle from his grasp, she chugged.

  “Hey there. Enough.” He grabbed it back. “Drink when you’re done.”

  Steadying the tool above his leg, she warned him, “This is going to hurt.”

  14

  “THE FIRST THING we’re going to do when we get home is—”

  “Call a wrecker to get your vehicle towed?” Stormy said while watching him dig the shovel in the snow. Although she was cold, the layers of clothing and the tarp as well as Lola laying close kept her from freezing. She felt sorry for Gray because he was working furtively to dig the car out of the drift.

  “Okay. The second thing. I’m having Doc Tanner look at your head.”

  “I’m fine. No headaches. Nothing. The doctor needs to look at your knee. You’re still limping.”

  He straightened and looked at her. A sheen of sweat covered his brow. “There’s nothing he’ll say that I don’t already know.”

  “Are you sure about this?”

  “Yeah. Tanner’s a great doctor. I’ve known him all my life, but he can’t fix my knee.”

  “I told you I can help shovel. I’m not worthless.”

  “And as I told you, I’ve got this. A few more shovelfuls and we’ll be good. I mean it, you should go sit in the vehicle. You can turn the engine on again.”

  “We have to save gas. Neither of us expected that the assholes would drain most of the gas from the tanks. Anyway, we used enough when we first got here.”

  He didn’t argue. Probably because he knew she was completely right.

  “The roads are still covered. How will we get down the mountain?”

  “We’ll be down in no time. Ever been sledding?”

  She clenched her hands. “I guess that’s better than staying here where there’s a lunatic on the loose.”

  “I have to agree.”

  “You’re taking me to your childhood home with you? Will your dad be okay with this?”

  Gray laughed, and the rich, powerful sound made her nipples tighten. “Don’t worry.” He straightened and rounded the car, tossing the shovel into the back seat. “I think we’re good. Ready?”

  Lola jumped into the backseat and Stormy took the front seat. Once Gray started the engine and turned up the heat, she defrosted and was able to relax some, but they weren’t out of trouble yet. Because the tires were so small on the car, instead of gripping the snow and pulling out, it spun and the smell of burnt rubber filled her nostrils. Gray’s frustration shown in the hard set of his jaw.

  “I’m going to have to push it out,” he finally said.

  “What? You can’t.”

  “Is that a challenge?”

  “No. What about your knee?’

  “Come sit in the driver’s seat and when I give you the command, lightly press on the gas. Okay?”

  Although she wanted to argue, to say something to convince him that he shouldn’t do this, he was dead-set on pushing. So when he climbed out she slid over to the driver’s seat and waited. Once he gave her the command she did just as he told her to do, and amazingly, the vehicle spun, caught hold and they were out.

  And on their way down the hill.

  *

  The relief of being on the road released some of the tension from Gray’s muscles, but once they were turned around and heading toward the small town at the basin of the mountain, the roads were nothing but ice. He hoped he’d made the right decision in getting Stormy out in the weather. No doubt Phantom would have made a move after his leg was taken care of, and then Gray and Stormy would have been at the mercy of that bastard.

  Neither of them spoke as he drove carefully on the slick, icy road. The tires were nothing against the snow, but once he got the perfect speed and just enough pressure on the brake pedal, the car ate up feet and finally a mile.

  Out of his peripheral he saw Stormy, her hands clasped tightly in her lap. “It’ll be okay.” About the same time those words were out of his mouth he saw that the road was blocked by a snow drift as high as the car’s fender. He pressed on the brake and the car resisted and slid sideways, slowly sliding until it smashed up against the drift in a loud thud.

  “Damn.” He struck his palms against the steering wheel and then he felt a soft touch on his forearm. He looked around to find Stormy watching him and he forced his muscles to loosen. She didn’t need to see is irritation. She was in this as deeply as he was, and he didn’t want her to worry.

  “At least we made it most of the way down the hill.”

  He liked that she could see the positive side of things. Yeah, he was glad they had made it this far, but it wasn’t nearly as far as he would have liked. A snow mobile could eat up the distance in less than an hour, but they were in a car. All he could hope is that Phantom was babying his leg and resting. But Gray knew it w
ould take hours to dig a path through the snow drift. And then what? He couldn’t ask Stormy to walk because the only things she had on her feet were delicate flats. She’d packed for a vacation, not a hike in the snow at below zero temperatures. Thanks to him, the snow shoes were somewhere on the mountain.

  “Look what I kept from the cabin.” She reached into the backseat and brought out the unopened bottle of whiskey. “If we’re going to be stuck here we might as well stay warm.”

  15

  “YOU’RE AWFULLY QUIET.” He tilted the bottle, took a swig, then handed it to Stormy. “Want to talk about it?”

  Her seat was laid back and she was covered with a blanket. Lola was tucked beside her. They’d eaten a couple of granola bars that she’d also brought from the cabin. What Gray wouldn’t give to have a juicy burger and loaded fries at that moment.

  “There’s really nothing to say.” She handed him back the bottle.

  “I don’t believe that.”

  “Okay, I’ll tell you.” Her words were a little slurred. “This is all my fault.”

  “How do you get that?”

  “I left Duncan at the altar.”

  Gray blew out a long breath. “And if you didn’t, you would be married right now to a man you don’t love. Not much worse than that.”

  “I’m talking farther back. I shouldn’t have agreed to marry him. Hell, I shouldn’t have even dated him. What was I thinking?” She shook her head. “I thought he was a good guy. Aren’t they all just so charming until the beast comes out to play.”

  “We all have a mistake story to tell, sweetheart.”

  She looked at him. “You have made a mistake? Nooo…not you.”

  Damn, he felt like he’d made one after another since he drove up Whispering Mountain, but those weren’t the mistakes she was referring to. “Her name was Hannah. We dated all through high school and I guess it was expected for us to marry.”

  “You were married?” She shifted and rolled over, dragging the blanket up over her shoulders.” Lola jumped into the back.

  “No. I broke it off a few months before we were supposed to walk down the aisle. I don’t think she ever got over the fact that I enlisted.” He rolled his hand around the steering wheel. “She told me she was lonely and that’s when she found her way into another man’s arms. I told her I’d forgive her, but truth was, I knew things would never be the same. I broke her heart because she pleaded with me to give her another chance, but I didn’t have it in me. I hated seeing her cry. Hated knowing that after so long together we just weren’t right for one another. In the end, she would never have survived my career.”

  “You did her a favor. It wouldn’t have been fair to marry her if you wouldn’t have been happy.”

  He shrugged, staring through the front window as the snowflakes dropped and melted. They were being very conservative with using the heater, but they didn’t need it because the whiskey warmed their blood. “She married one of my buddies. Had a couple kids, but they divorced a few years ago. I could have told her he wasn’t suited for marriage. The guy had it out for every skirt in town.”

  “That’s not your fault though.”

  “Hell, maybe. Maybe not.” He rubbed the bridge of his nose. “How did you meet Duncan?” If she continued to talk, he’d ask questions. He was curious about her life. Maybe he was a bit curious if she had room for a man like him.

  “Colette had dragged me along to a block party and he was there. The rest is history—and very boring. I couldn’t tell you more than three things about his past. He had even been sh—”

  Gray’s cell whined. Lola barked and Stormy jumped.

  “Relax, girl. It’s just my phone warning me it’s almost dead.”

  “Scared me to death.” She tipped the bottle and drank.

  He picked up his phone from the console and clicked on the screen. “Damn!”

  “Still no service?”

  “I’m not surprised.” He dropped the phone back into the holder and laid his head back on the seat rest.

  “How is your knee?” She laid her fingers on his thigh and he automatically clenched.

  “It hurts.”

  Man, she was gorgeous with her hair spread out against the seat and the sweet flush to her skin. He was hard just looking at her and she had no clue what she did to him. Hell, he had no right to have these feelings. They faced so many obstacles and they were only a hair’s distance away from danger and yet his body still responded. He continued to stare at her. Unable to turn his gaze away from her beauty,

  Truth was, he wanted to kiss her again, take his time in exploring her lush lips and taste. To thread his fingers in her silky hair and soft skin. He wanted to have her squirm under his palms as he made her wet and ready for him. They would be good together. He was sure of that fact.

  He rubbed his hands down his thighs and inhaled sharply. Could she see the tension in his expression? The discomfort and craze in his body? It was getting harder and harder to hide his emotions and to control the desire. The need grew, and he couldn’t understand it. Why was this unlike anything he’d ever experienced?

  She turned her cheek and looked out the window which broke some of the tension. He shifted, easing some of the constriction behind his zipper, wanting to shuck his jeans and that would take care of part of the problem, just not all. His knee ached and his cock throbbed. If he wasn’t careful, he’d have damage to both.

  Whoever this Duncan fellow was had been lucky to have a woman like Stormy. Not only did her beauty go beyond just the outside, but she had a big heart. There was something very special about her, maybe a bit of innocence as well as determination. He got the feeling she didn’t tap into her wild side often, but the lid was about to blow. He also respected the fact that she had seen a bad situation for what it was and got out of it, even if she thought she should have done something long ago. Many people would have stayed and endured things, then lived in misery.

  He sighed and rubbed his forehead, feeling exhausted.

  He didn’t know what time it was. Three or four maybe. He couldn’t allow himself to sleep. It wouldn’t be safe. And yet he couldn’t remember being so beat. He’d been in hairy spots before, yet when he just had himself to worry about he could handle it, but Stormy’s safety was his top priority.

  What the hell did he just say?

  For the first time catching the bad guy wasn’t his one and only priority. For a moment he could see himself as a man and not just a lawman.

  He could sit here forever staring at her, remembering how good she’d felt in his arms. Soft and warm. Just right. His balls clenched with a need even though it was only forty degrees in the car and they had a terrorist sharing the mountain.

  Gray wondered what Phantom’s game was outside of setting off explosions? This cat and mouse chase seemed deeper than a bad guy staying on the lamb so he could continue wreaking havoc. No, Phantom was scheming. There was reason to believe he held a grudge, and if that were the case, he would now be especially pissed that he had another bullet wound to remember Gray by. That was okay, Phantom could allow the rage to boil because angry men acted impulsively. This would be in Gray’s favor.

  Right now, he wanted to concentrate on the angel that had reached in and stroked his every need. What exactly were they doing?

  Gray got a good idea of what was happening. They were dancing around the attraction, denying their bodies a need as old as ancient time. They could pretend the chemistry wasn’t there, but it wasn’t going anywhere, only growing by the minute. The flames were strong inside his body, consuming him. How long could he take the heat before he’d burst?

  Her fingers moved over the frayed edge of the blanket as if she were calming herself. He fantasized how nice it would feel to have those fingers on his naked skin. What would she feel like naked? Hearing her moan and whimper in passion. Her hair caressing his chest.

  A hell of a lot better than anything I‘ve ever known.

  He reached for the bottle and down
ed some of the whiskey, squinting as it burned all the way into his stomach. He wanted the punishing need to pass already. She had him wanting things he couldn’t have. Acting like a teenager. Dreaming up a future. It had been a long time since he’d made plans for his future outside of moving onto the next assignment.

  Her chest rose and fell rhythmically. Why was he so disappointed? He should want her to sleep. She needed sleep, but he missed her. When had he ever missed anyone? Not even Hannah.

  It was truly for the best that she stay asleep.

  He pulled on his hat, positioned his gun in the waist of his jeans and got out of the car for another walkabout the area to make sure nothing was amiss. The moon was shining brightly although the sky was filled with dark puffy clouds. He didn’t need a lot of light to see because he’d grown accustomed to using his senses. During training in the SEALs, he and his team had been blindfolded for days, doing everything without their sight so that their other senses were honed. The military had made him who he was today. He’d like to think he was a powerhouse, skilled and strong, because he’d been through some of the worst situations. Dangerous circumstances that made a man reevaluate himself and his commitment level. All these things wrapped in a nutshell made Gray a Ghost Hawk. However, being an elite agent meant he had to keep a clear head, but since Stormy had popped into his life, he’d lost some of the vision. That worried him because one slip and his life, Stormy’s life, could be on the line.

  Pulling up the collar of his coat, he trudged through the deep snow and stood on the edge of the road, listening. In the distance he could hear an owl hooting and a pack of coyote howling. That meant warmer weather was coming.

  Going back to the car, he grabbed the makeshift leash he made for Lola, tied it to her collar and whistled for her to jump out. She reluctantly followed his command. She didn’t like the snow any more than he did.

  After the dog did her business and the area was patrolled, he got back inside the car and, although it wasn’t heated, it felt a lot better than outside.