Nanny for the SEALs by Cassie Cole

26

Rogan

I hesitated, then hit send.

Rogan: If you can’t wait until tomorrow, Asher or Brady can always keep you company.

Heather: HAH!

Rogan: I’m serious. They both really like you. I don’t know if anyone has told you, but you’re ridiculously hot. I don’t mind if they hold you over until I can be with you again.

Heather took a long time to respond. The little text message bubble danced, disappeared, and then danced again on my screen. I wondered if I had pushed things too far. Was my suggestion really that insane?

Heather: Okay, time-out on the playful texts. I legitimately can’t tell if you’re joking or not.

Rogan: We both agreed this is just physical. Neither of us want a serious relationship. If you want to sleep with other people, I’ll understand.

Heather: Yeah, but them? They’re your business partners.

Rogan: All the more reason I would trust them with you. Better than some stranger at the club.

Heather: Hey. It’s been a long time since I’ve gone trolling for dudes at the club. I have some self-respect.

Rogan: I’ll be thinking about what I want to do to you the next time we’re both home. In the mean time, have fun tonight with the guys. If you want.

Heather: Be careful. I might just take you up on that.

Rogan: I hope you do. As long as you don’t lose interest in me!

Heather: Don’t worry. There’s zero chance of that ;-)

I’ll admit: I was a little jealous that Asher or Brady might be fooling around with Heather tonight. But it wasn’t the kind of jealousy that stemmed from being possessive about her. It was jealousy that they were at home and I was stuck in my SUV, watching a client’s house in the middle of the night.

But I meant what I said. I would rather Heather be with the two men I trusted more than anything in the world than with some random bro at a bar.

Asher, Brady, and I had been through hell together. We had shared tents, sleeping bags, and even Kandahar caves. Sharing a woman wouldn’t be a problem.

Suddenly there was movement over by the perimeter wall of the property. All thoughts about Heather disappeared, and the tactical part of my brain clicked on. I froze in the car and scanned the distance.

One second ticked by. Then two. Had I imagined it? The trees were swaying in the wind, and the first droplets of rain were beginning to patter against my windshield. I was tired, and the mind played tricks when it was deprived of sleep. Maybe I should have sent Brady rather than—

There. More motion along the wall, moving from right to left. A figure.

I held the walkie-talkie to my mouth. “Cooper. Report your current position.”

“Haven’t moved, boss. Dining room table, where I have eyes on Apple Pie’s bedroom door.”

The figure wasn’t Cooper out patrolling the perimeter. It was someone else.

“Something wrong, boss?”

The figure was crouched low as it moved along the wall toward the house. Trying to be stealthy.

“Stay sharp, Cooper. I’m going to check something out.”

I got out of the car slowly, then gently rested the door against the frame without closing it, to avoid making any noise. I pulled the collar of my jacket up to protect against the rain, which was coming down harder now.

I crouched low and followed the figure toward the house.

The rain masked the sound of my pursuit, but it also kept me from hearing the intruder. I moved on a diagonal to intercept them, catching glimpses of their shape through the trees. There were long periods where they disappeared behind a tree trunk and I lost sight of them for several seconds. I had to keep guessing where they were.

I slowed down as we both neared the house. Amirah’s bedroom window, fifty feet away now, was totally dark. The intruder was definitely heading toward it.

I checked my P226 sidearm and clicked the safety off. But I kept it in its holster. According to California law, I could use deadly force in self-defense or the defense of others, so long as I had a reasonable fear of imminent harm. If the intruder was a peeping Tom with a set of binoculars, I would restrain them and call the police. If they had a weapon…

I lost sight of the figure again behind a tree. I continued stalking forward. Rain pattered against my jacket and soaking through my clothes, but I didn’t notice any of it. The only thing I cared about was the figure on the other side of the tree, who should be fifteen feet away by the time I came around the side…

I rounded the tree and stumbled over a shape that shouldn’t have been there.

The shape grunted in surprise as I caught my balance.

Lightning flashed, and for a brief moment, everything seemed still. The figure I had tripped over was a man wearing a trench coat. His face was upturned to look at me, and a long rifle was held in his hand. It was aimed at the house.

He reacted with expert quickness, swinging the rifle toward my chest and flicking off his safety in one motion. I kicked forward with my boot, striking the gun near the trigger. I felt fingers crunch under my kick, and the man screamed and dropped the rifle.

I reached for my sidearm, but the intruder swung his arm before I could. I ducked back from the blow, hearing the razor-hiss of a knife slashing through the air where my neck had just been. Two more slashes forced me backward, and then the man lunged for my belly. I barely had enough time to knock the thrust away before it spilled my guts onto Amirah’s yellow flowers.

The man was good, and I was slow and tired. Even with adrenaline pounding in my temple, I wasn’t able to get my pistol out of its holster. All I could do was avoid the slashing knife.

My heel caught a tree root and I began to fall. The man leaped at the opportunity, but as I hit the ground I immediately spun sideways, anticipating the blow. The knife cut through my jacket like it was paper, and I felt heat on my upper arm.

I ignored it and gritted my teeth. I didn’t survive all those years in Afghanistan just to be killed by some celebrity-stalking punk.

The next slash narrowly missed my face, and then I decided it was time to roll the dice. I leaped forward, closing the distance and grabbing the arm holding the knife. Both of us rolled to the ground, grabbing and grappling to get on top.

He might have been quick, but I was stronger. With a roar I rolled him sideways and pinned his arms to the side, then threw a headbutt into his face. The cartilage of his nose gave way beneath my forehead, and the man screamed.

I grabbed the knife and tossed it away, then punched the man in the face twice. Finally, I drew my sidearm from its holster and pressed it against his chest. Rain streamed down my face and dripped onto his, which was red with blood.

“Who the fuck are you?” I growled.

He spit up at me.

“Wrong answer.” I reached behind me for the walkie-talkie.

I never saw the blow that hit me in the back of the head. My vision went white, like another lightning bolt had flashed across the sky, and then the ground lurched up and hit me in the side of the face. Everything spun like I was drunk.

“I got the gun,” one man hissed. “Let’s go.”

“My knife!” the other whined.

“No time. Let’s go.”

I don’t know how long I lay on the ground. I was totally soaked by the time I managed to get to my hands and knees. The earth still swayed as I pushed to my feet, and I had to use a hand to steady myself.

“Cooper,” I said into the walkie-talkie. “Two suspects are fleeing the property. They’re armed.”

“What’s their route of egress?”

“Do not pursue,” I said firmly while scanning the ground. “Stay with Apple Pie and call the cops.”

“You okay, boss?”

“I’m alive. Took a blow to the head before they fled.”

“Fuck,” Cooper cursed. “I can’t believe they got away.”

A flash of lightning cut the sky, illuminating a piece of steel on the ground. I picked up the knife and held it in my hand.

“Yeah, it sucks they got away,” I said. “But they forgot something important.”