Authors: Marliss Melton
“
So beautiful,” he whispered, ducking his head to suckle the pert tips, even as he donned a condom.
Dylan moaned. Behind her closed eyelids, the world became encapsulated in this perfect place and time. With a trembling hand, she reached between them, encircling his velvety erection.
Tobias lifted his head to consider her. “Better now?” he asked. Water droplets clung to his lashes. His hopeful expression made her smile.
“
Much better,” she agreed, lifting a knee to coil a leg around him. Heat flared in his eyes as she signaled her desire to make love right there under the shower’s caress. Lifting her in his powerful arms, he pinned her between his larger body and the cool, tiled wall. Their breaths mingled and their gazes locked. Over the drum of water, Dylan could hear her heart thudding in her ears.
“
I love you,” she declared, bracing herself to receive him.
“
We’re going to make it, Dylan,” he promised, filling her with his certainty, as he filled her with his body.
Joined to repletion, she had to admit she could not imagine a life without his teasing smile, his positive presence. She needed him like she needed the air she breathed. In spite of their differences, she had to believe they would thrive together.
Epilogue
Dylan
’s ears pricked at the sound of Milly’s happy bark. She’d left the dog sniffing at the fresh spring grass in the yard, while she, Gil, and Chet worked inside the barn, setting up the cooling unit that would keep their first harvest of apples crisp this coming fall. The faint crunch of gravel on the driveway suggested that a car was crawling up her driveway. Her heart gave a leap of hope.
Tobias?
It couldn
’t be. After their last, heated argument, he wasn’t ever coming back.
Pain lanced her chest at the memory that had ended in his departure a week ago. Hours of cell phone silence had turned into days. And she
’d been too proud, too ashamed to call him first. It was her fault that he’d left in the first place. Despite the passion that kept them breathless and laughing and delighted with one another’s company, she hadn’t been able to accept his upcoming assignment. Not only would it take him away from her for a month or more, but he’d been ordered to operate undercover, to use his wiles on the girlfriend of an arm’s dealer in the Washington Metro area. Her stomach had twisted at the thought of him flirting with another woman, perhaps kissing her or . . . worse, all in the name of doing his job.
“
You’re just Uncle Sam’s puppet,” she’d yelled at him. “And I can’t stand the thought of you in my bed if you take this assignment!”
And he
’d stormed out.
Not a day had passed in the long week following that she hadn
’t regretted her harsh words. What she ought to have said, instead, was the truth: that she feared he would fall in love with this other woman, the way he’d professed to falling in love with her. It wasn’t their differing political views that had driven a wedge between them. It was her insecurities and jealousy.
“
You expectin’ someone?” Gil Morrison asked, setting aside the wrench he was using.
“
Nope.” She waved Gil back and headed toward the barn doors herself. “You two keep working. I’ll check it out.”
Shading her eyes against a bright April sun, she gave a soft gasp as she glimpsed Tobias
’s neon-green Jeep fording the driveway under endless boughs of blooming apple trees. Milly raced alongside it, barking in joyful welcome. Tears of relief moistened Dylan’s eyes as it drew steadily closer, then slowed to a stop, just yards away. Toby’s window lowered. The sight of his wind-tussled hair, dark blue eyes and broad shoulders had her biting her bottom lip to keep from bursting into tears.
Without a word, he pushed out of the driver
’s seat, crossed to where she was standing and spun her in a circle while Milly pranced around them. “God, I missed you,” he grated in her ear.
His hoarse confession and the familiar scent stealing over her freed the sob that she was holding in.
“You came back,” she cried softly against his neck. “Thank you. Thank you for coming back.”
Milly moved away to sniff around his car.
Tobias pulled away just far enough to assess her emotional reaction. “Sweetheart, don’t get upset,” he begged, putting her down to cup her face in his warm hands. “Of course I came back,” he chided. “You think I’m that easy to get rid of?”
Dylan tried to blink away her tears.
“But you said the assignment would last about a month, and it’s only been a week.”
He sent her a crooked smile.
“I didn’t take the assignment.”
Confusion assailed her.
“But you said you didn’t have a choice. Either you took the job or you…you quit.” Her voice trailed away as remorse dropped in her belly like a rock down a well. My God, he’d chosen her over his career?
“
I didn’t quit,” he added, baffling her further.
“
Oh.” So where had he been this whole last week?
“
After our blow out, I did some serious soul searching about who I am and what I’m passionate about.”
Her heart thudded with mixed hope and trepidation.
“And?”
“
And I’m passionate about us and keeping my country safe—in that order. Honestly, I couldn’t stand the thought of cozying up to some other woman. And you deserve better than a husband who’s going to take off to God-knows-where at any given moment. That means no more undercover jobs for me.”
Overwhelmed by the messages bombarding her, she jumped on the latter statement.
“No more undercover work? Then, what will you do? What about the ATF?”
“
Don’t get ahead of me.” The twinkle in his eye belied his stern tone. “I still have to feel like I’m contributing to the general welfare of the population. It’s who I am. I’m still going to work for ATF, and even for the Taskforce, if they need me.”
“
And you should,” she countered earnestly. “I should never have called you a puppet of the government.” She clutched his sleeve. “Tobias, I’m so sorry.”
Her apology rendered him mute for a second. A slow grin split his face.
“That wasn’t so hard, was it?”
Not nearly as hard as she thought it would be. Not when it meant having Tobias permanently in her life, in her bed.
“Not really, no.”
“
So, do you want to hear the solution my supervisor and I came up with?”
A whine and a yelp coming from inside the back of his car provided her with her first inkling. Stepping around Tobias, she neared the car to see what held Milly
’s interest. Two bright sets of eyes gazed back at her out of crates stowed in the shadowy interior.
“
Puppies?” she exclaimed, reaching in to let them lick her fingers through the bars. They appeared to be slightly older pups, perhaps six months old, almost fully-grown.
“
Future bomb-sniffing dogs,” he clarified, joining her at the window. “I’m going to train them the same way I trained Milly. That’s my new job description.”
“
Really?” Dylan tore her attention from the puppies to eye him in astonishment. “You’re giving up the Special Response Team?”
“
I’m specializing. We’re not all about snuffing out the fireworks, you know. We train dogs, too.”
Tears of gratitude stung her eyes. She shook her head in amazement.
“Puppies,” she breathed.
“
Trust me, it’s not all games and slobber. It’s going to take consistent, hard work on my end to turn these pups into absolutely reliable working dogs. No feeding them treats on the sly,” he cautioned.
“
Oh, I won’t. I promise.”
“
And this way, I’ll be right here on the farm, so I can help you run the orchard.”
It seemed too good to be true.
“Milly wants to meet the puppies,” she observed. Then she gasped and whirled around to face him. “Husband?” she cried, a wave of pleasure rushing over her. “Did you say husband?”
“
Whoa, lady, you are long on the uptake. I thought you’d either forgotten I said it or purposefully left it hanging because the thought horrified you.”
“
Horrified! Tobias Avery Burke, are you asking me to marry you or not?”
“
Damn straight.” He stepped back, opened his jacket and let her read the message on his T-shirt: KEEP CALM. AND WILL YOU MARRY ME?
She stared at the message, letting the full implication of it steep in her brain a while, before meeting his eyes again. Her heart beat at twice its usual rate. She could have sworn her feet were floating off the ground. God, what this man could do to her! In a matter of five minutes, she
’d gone from utter despair to euphoria.
Hurling herself at him, she caught him off guard, managing to knock him flat.
“Oooph.” They rolled and tussled for a moment in the cool, tender grass until Tobias gained the upper hand, pinning her beneath him.
“
That was anything but calm,” he pointed out.
“
You caught me off guard.”
“
Should I take this as a yes, or what?”
“
Definitely. Take it—and this,” She lifted her head to claim his lips in a tender, love-filled kiss, “—as a yes.”
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Everyone says that writing is a solitary occupation, but I have to disagree. My books are a product of a large group effort, and THE ENFORCER is no exception. Oftentimes, contributors don
’t even realize that they’ve added a key ingredient to making my story sparkle. My gratitude overflows to everyone who participated in this production, from its earliest inception to its final publication. Special recognition is reserved for my friend and lead editor, Sydney Baily-Gould, without whom I would never have figured out this story’s ending, let alone written a story fit for reading. Thanks also to Rachel Fontana, a reader-turned-writing-expert, who taught me how to “show” more and “tell” less. Hats off to all of my wonderful Beta readers, Cindi, Cyndi, Suzy, Susan, Barbara, Bobbie, Penny, Lori, and Nicole. Your sharp eyes eliminated zillions of typos and errors, ensuring enjoyment for other readers. Thank you to Mark Goodin for helping me grasp Dylan’s political philosophies and to Officer Chris Lyons and Deputy Larry Lineweaver for advising me on police and law enforcement matters. And, finally, thanks to April Martinez, my cover artist, and to Judi Fennel, my formatter, for putting the icing on the cake. I could not have completed this feat without any of you!
Coming Soon
MARLISS MELTON
’s
Next Navy SEAL Team 12 book
DANGER CLOSE
(The subsequent pages were published as part of a short story in the
SEAL of My Dreams Anthology
, Fall 2011. The story will continue in DANGER CLOSE to form a full-length novel.)
Madison Scott jerked to her elbows and plumbed the dark dormitory for a threat. Something had wakened her. Her heart was trotting with terror, but the room looked exactly as it should beyond the mosquito netting.
It must have been a dream that disturbed her, brought on no doubt by the overpowering heat and the sounds of the city beyond the closed shutters. If only it were safe to open the windows. The fan secured to the crossbeam did nothing but stir the humid air.
Coated in sweat and desperate for relief, Maddy kicked off the sheet that felt shrink-wrapped to her body. It wasn
’t enough. She hauled the confining length of her cotton nightdress to her hips. The suggestion of cooler air had her pulling her arms out of the elbow-length sleeves, as well, and pushing the damp fabric to her waist.
Better
. This was how she usually slept—stark naked—but as a teacher of an all-girls’ school it was up to her to set a modest example. With a long-suffering sigh, Maddy flopped back down onto the bed and wondered if she’d ever get a good night’s sleep again.
Hah. The real question was would she live to see her next birthday?
A startled scream erupting out of the alley behind the school, made her gasp. It curtailed abruptly with the shattering of glass.
Dear God.
Fisting the damp bedding, Maddy swallowed fear that had leapt up her throat. How long could she keep the drug lords out of the school now that her colleagues had departed? The rest of the staff at
El Santuario
had abandoned the building weeks ago, all except for Maddy, who’d pleaded with her colleagues to stay.
What would happen to the girls without their protection? The perverse images that crept into her head left her sick to her stomach. Pimps controlled the streets of Matamoros, forcing girls as young as thirteen into prostitution. She couldn
’t just abandon them and hope they managed to fend for themselves. But she was starting to fear that she was going to end up dead. Or worse.
The compound was enclosed by cinderblock walls, all topped with broken bits of glass, but the security guard had fled with the rising violence. The only things keeping the predators out and the girls safely inside were the locks on the doors and shutters. And how long before those were compromised?
With a whimper of helplessness, she closed her eyes and clasped her hands together, raising them in prayer. “God, I need your protection here,” she whispered. “Someone has to keep the girls safe—”
The faintest suggestion of a chuckle cut her petition short. She whipped her head toward the ghostly sound, every muscle in her body jerking with the realization that she was not alone.
***
Striker Team
’s orders were to nab the recovery target as quietly as possible. Her father had warned them that she might resist. They had entered Miss Scott’s chamber with painstaking stealth, hoping to grab her while she slept.
Only, no sooner had they eased into the shadows of her darkened bedroom than she
’d lurched awake. Sam, who was using NVGs to make a positive ID, had almost swallowed his tongue.
Viewed through the neon green of his lenses, with her auburn hair in disarray about her shoulders, Miss Scott struck him as the antithesis of a humanitarian aid worker. To him, she
looked like an exotic flower, endangered and delicate.
As she stared fearfully into the dark, her breath rasping in the quiet, he ordered his brain to engage and his mouth to announce their presence
.
Except the words never made it to his lips. In a flurry of movement, she kicked off the sheet, wriggled her gown over her hips and yanked it off her shoulders, exposing the prettiest thighs and tits this side of the Rio Grande.
Too stunned to speak, Sam watched her lie back down, clasp her hands together, and whisper a fervent prayer.
He was still reeling when Harley, who stood in the shadows behind him, loosed the chuckle he was holding in.
***
With a shriek of terror, Maddy scrambled to her knees. The shadow she
’d mistaken for her wardrobe detached itself from the wall, taking the shape of a very large man. She could hear him speak as he moved in her direction, putting away what looked like . . . binoculars? But blood roared past her eardrums muffling his softly-spoken words.
He sprang toward her bed to haul aside the mosquito netting, and Maddy bolted. She leapt off the far side of the mattress, just avoiding his outstretched hand. With a squeal of terror, she sprinted toward the door, only to draw up short as a second man intercepted her path. Spinning about, she loosed the scream building in her chest as they boxed her in.
A large hand clamped down over her nose and mouth, cutting her scream short. A thick arm encircled her waist and plucked her off her feet. Caught up against a hard, male body, Maddy fought desperately to free herself.
“
Quiet,” commanded a gruff voice as he squeezed the air from her diaphragm.
No problem. She couldn
’t draw enough breath to make a sound.
How can this be happening to me?
She had fought so long and hard to eradicate human trafficking from the earth. Yet here it was, happening to her. These men were abducting her! She would disappear into the underworld, another victim caught up in the sex trade.
Denial surged into her bloodstream.
Not if I can help it.
Determined, Maddy bared her teeth and sank them into her captor
’s palm, biting down with all defiance she could muster. He yelped, releasing her so suddenly that she crashed to the tiled floor. Pain radiated up her spine. Ignoring it, Maddy scrambled desperately toward the door. Freedom was only a few feet away; she could make it.
“
Umph.” A tremendous force hit her from behind, tackling her to the floor. Her right cheek struck the tiles. The coppery taste of blood filled her mouth. She tried to struggle free, but her attacker’s weight kept her prisoner. With the air driven from her lungs, she grew lightheaded.
“
Hold her still,” hissed a voice she associated with the laughter earlier.
“
I’m trying,” panted a deeper voice in her ear. “She’s a maniac.”
“
We can’t hurt her.”
“
Well, tranquilize her, then, before she kills us both!”
Maddy thrashed and managed to draw a painful breath, at last.
“No,” she cried. But the man on top of her was triple her size. The only part of her she could move was her head, so she threw it back without warning, slamming her skull against his face.
Crunch.
“
Ow.
Damn it, woman! Hold still. We’re not gonna hurt you.”
The prick of a needle piercing the muscle of her upper arm made a liar out of him. She wailed, dreading the immediate lethargy that swamped her limbs and turned them into limp appendages.
Oh, God. They’ve drugged me.
That was what they did to their victims, creating addicts too high and too numb to protest the misuse of their bodies.
“
Ease up, LT,” said the first voice, and the man crushing her to the floor lifted his weight cautiously.
Maddy drew a second painful breath, but she couldn
’t move her tongue at all to speak, let alone a muscle in her body.
Oh, God. So, this was how it felt.
“
Roll her over. Crap, I hope we didn’t bruise her.”
“
She broke my fuckin’ nose,” growled the other shadow.
For a pair of barbarians, their hands were surprisingly gentle. But then they wouldn
’t want to mar the merchandise, would they? The realization that they spoke English sawed at her outrage like a serrated blade. How dare Americans participate in such savagery?
Please,
she tried to cry, but the word came out as a puff of air.
The man who
’d stabbed her with the needle looked up at his companion, his blue eyes visible even in the darkness. “Aren’t you going to tell her?”
Maddy
’s gaze swiveled to the brute who nursed his nose while eying her mulishly.
Tell me what?
“
Later,” he said, on a terse note.
“
Suit yourself.”
They spoke with articulate efficiency, like they
’d done this many times before, the bastards.
Just then, the room brightened. A neighbor by the east wall had flipped a light switch. Its radiance sliced through the cracks in the shutters, illumining the bully
’s face. He struck Maddy as only partly Hispanic. Blood was sliding from his swelling nose, and a frown was carved between his eyebrows. In spite of either disfigurement, he was the most ruthlessly handsome man she’d ever seen. His dark green gaze looked her over with similar interest.
Oh, my God, I
’m naked!
The realization doused Maddy in horror. She was lying on the floor with her nightgown in a twisted hoop around her hips, no underwear.
“
We need to cover her,” said the brute on a regretful note.
What?
Confusion addled Maddy’s already-sluggish thoughts.
His companion openly grinned.
“I have to say, sir, this is a first,” he chortled.
Together they worked to make sense of her bunched and twisted gown. Inept and cursing under their breaths, they dressed her with surprising care. Maddy scurried to a safe, dark corner in her mind, fighting her awareness, while at the same time grateful that her brain was still functioning at all. If she could just keep her wits about her . . . Fingers brushed her taut belly. She ground her teeth in denial.
That’s not pleasure I’m feeling
. It had to be the drugs they’d shot into her system, confusing her senses.
She felt the dark thug thread her arms through her sleeves. As the knuckles of his hand rode the outer curve of her breast, her breath congealed and her nipple stiffened.
I did not enjoy that
! she berated herself.
It was mortifying, degrading to feel pleasure at his touch. She refused to imagine what the rest of her ill-fated life would be like if she let them take her.
You’ve got to help me, God!
Blue Eyes gave a final tug, and she was blessedly covered.
“Okay let’s move.”
The first man
’s watch flared in the darkness. “We’re three minutes behind,” he clipped, sounding annoyed.
His companion squeezed a button on a cord she hadn
’t seen till now, hanging across his chest. “Target recovered,” he murmured. “We’re coming out now.”
Target recovered. Target recovered.
The words both disturbed and comforted Maddy, but the tide of oblivion that had rendered her body useless was now seeping into her brain, keeping her thoughts from processing.
Target recovered . . .
What did it mean?
Her eyelids sank shut and would not open again, despite her efforts to keep awake. She felt the men hoist her off the floor, felt them carry her to the window on the far side of the room, beyond the wardrobe.
“Hand her down to me,” said the bigger thug, lowering her feet to the floor. She heard the shutter creak, heard him clamber onto the ledge and jump. A light splash sounded in the courtyard below. His companion scooped her up and swung her feet-first out the window.
A wet mist sharpened Maddy
’s senses as she felt herself being lowered. Sure hands caught her knees. Powerful, protective arms encircled her thighs securely. The man above relinquished her, and she slid with little fear down the length of the bigger brute’s body.
Good lord.
Even with her senses dulled, Maddy recognized what a ride that was.
Stay awake! Don
’t sleep!
she commanded herself.
But a black-velvet current pulled her relentlessly toward oblivion. Her head, too heavy to hold up, lolled against a broad shoulder. Her nose slumped toward a warm neck that smelled like baby wipes and dryer sheets.
As the darkness encapsulated her, that last sensory detail left her bewildered. Weren’t miscreants supposed to reek of body odor and villainy? Just what was that stuff they’d injected into her, anyway?