Page 50 of Unintended Love

Clint showed off the counter edge and started pacing again. “It pisses me off that Lukas would run his mouth like that. Even think such a vile thing. No one from my current team, other than Javier, was there the night we got married. Even my family didn’t know that I was married.” He grinned. “Every woman on the team was there, though.”

“Do you think he was trying to stir up hate and discontent among the men?” Boomer suggested.

“Maybe, but why?” Clint shrugged. “I’ll remind him that he’s still on probation with this new promotion, and that I don’t appreciate him throwing that shit out there.” Clint drained his glass of bourbon. “Before we take off tonight, I’ll have a talk with the men.”

Boomer set his glass in the small wet-bar sink and turned to walk out. “Clint, if there’s anything else I can do besides correct the rumors, let me know.”

“Enjoy yourself this weekend and rest up.” At the door, Clint held out his hand. “Thank you for coming and letting me know what you heard. I understand you’re in a difficult position, being the new guy on the team, but I appreciate you coming directly to me as quickly as you did.” Clint looked at his watch. “I’ll see you at the car in thirty minutes.”

Clint was at the bedroom door in three strides and swept Ashlin into his arms. He held her tight for a long moment. “You aren’t going to fucking believe the rumors.” He told her everything as they double checked the hotel suite for any forgotten items and zipped their bags closed.

At the hotel’s side entrance they ran into Dog and Coyote. “Hey, Ashlin, I need to talk to these two men a minute.”

She grabbed their bags and started to make a pile next to the door while he pulled aside two of the men who had worked for him at Riggs Corporation for years. It took him less than a minute to confirm that Boomer had told him the truth. Lukas had truly said those things. Before he could question them further, a Guardian Security limousine and a panel van pulled up. Once all the gear was loaded into the van and everyone crawled into the limousine, Clint tucked Ashlin under his arm.

As soon as the wheels started to turn, Clint confirmed the privacy screen between them and the driver was up. It was time. He wanted to get this over as soon as possible so they could all move on. “I’m sorry I haven’t introduced you properly to my wife, Ashlin.” He bent down and kissed her temple. “I have to confess, I was so excited to see her and spend time with her these past few days that I completely forgot my manners. Forgive us, we’re relatively newlyweds. We’ve only been married a little over seven months. I guarantee you, though, that we did not get this assignment because we’re married. The fact is, our marriage made Katlin Callahan Wolf hesitate and reconsider our contract. We have assured her that we will maintain complete professionalism during the mission. But when were not on duty, we’re going to act like husband and wife.”

Smiles flashed all around the back of the limousine as the men congratulated the two of them.

“We need to talk about Javier.” Clint let the statement hang in the air. “I know we should have done this as soon as I brought him back from that last mission, but I’ll confess, I was torn up with grief. As some of you know, he had been my First Sergeant for years when we were on the Delta team. He was one of my best friends in this world. He was also my best man when Ashlin and I got married.”

Clint swallowed hard. “We never saw the man until he was right behind Javier. And we were looking. We were vigilant.” Clint glanced out the darkened window at nothing. “He died in my arms while we were waiting for extraction.” His voice broke, but he had to get through this. “He made me promise that I would take care of his wife and the baby.”

He reached for a bottle of water and downed half of it. “I believe I have met my obligations. When Theodora wasn’t comfortable with the obstetrician, she asked me to accompany her, and I did. Earlier this week, I helped her find a safe vehicle and a good, solid house for her and the baby. Before we left on Tuesday, I made sure she was set up with insurance for both her and the baby and that the life insurance had paid out.”

Clint drank the rest of the water and crushed the bottle. “We’re heading back to Texas now because I neglected to make sure that she had the best security system possible. I’m sure you heard over the phone earlier today that her house was a foreclosure. The man who used to live there broke in, thinking it was still his home. As part of my promise to Javier, I feel it’s necessary for me to go there now and install a security system to ensure she’s as safe as we can make her and the baby.”

“Last,” his gaze held every man in the car, “and I want to make sure you completely understand this, with absolutely no question in your mind, that baby in Theodora’s belly is Javier’s. I have been monogamous to my wife since I put this wedding ring on her hand, and she put this one on mine.” He held up their left hands in the car and laced their fingers together.

“I know you wouldn’t cheat on me.” Ashlin looked at him with a smile. “Because you know if you did, I would cut off your balls and stuff them down your throat, then cut off your dick and stuff it up your ass. They’d never find the body.”

The men stared at her with huge eyes.

Clint looked down at her and gave her a soft kiss on the lips. “I have no doubt that you would do that. There will never be another woman in my life except you.” He wanted to whisper into her ear how much he loved her, but that wasn’t the right time or the right place.

Ashlin seemed to read the room better than he did because she quickly asked, “Where’s a good place in San Antonio to find authentic Tex-Mex? I haven’t been there in years.”

The tension in the car seemed to instantly evaporate, with the men bantering about the best food and the definition of Tex-Mex. No one seemed to notice that the windows had been blacked out until Shadow’s gaze darted around the limousine.

“Why can’t we see out?” he asked.

Clint glanced at the nearest window, then back at Ashlin. He didn’t need to ask the question.

As though their telepathy as a married couple had kicked in, she gave him a small smile and turned her attention to the men. “You have each signed a nondisclosure agreement, which includes our equipment. Our jet, we call her the Black Swan, is kept at a hidden location under several layers of guards,” Ashlin explained. “Only a few people are allowed to know the exact location of her permanent hangar.” She giggled. “Even the President of the United States doesn’t know where Black Swan lives.” She cocked her head to the side. “I’m not even sure he knows about us.”

She shrugged. “The remainder of our ride will be in blackout. We have a while before we get there. We talked about places to eat in San Antonio. What was the worst meal you’ve ever eaten? Mine was in the Middle East. We had just eliminated a high-value target that was known for—I’ll just say that the women in the town were thrilled that he was gone. They went out and killed the goat, cooked it over an open pit—head and all. I’ll be honest, I like goat, especially seasoned the way they do in that area. I was not thrilled at all, though, when they handed me the eyeball. Nope. Nada. Even now, the thought of that squishy white ball.” She shook her head and shivered. Most of the men laughed. Several agreed about goat, and a lively conversation carried them all the way until the limousine stopped.

“Get your gear and walk straight into the building,” Ashlin instructed before the doors opened. “Do not speak to any of the guards. Do not speak to our drivers. Do not look around. Leave your phones in your pockets. I’ll meet you inside.” She looked at Clint and again, didn’t have to say a word.

Ashlin exited the limousine, walked straight to the van, and picked up her two bags. In less than a minute, she had disappeared inside the ugly green building.

Clint waited until every man had collected their bags, then nodded to Boomer to lead the way. Clint was pleased the men had listened. No one had spoken a word, nor had their eyes wandered. That all changed as soon as they entered the bright hangar.

“Holy shit.”

“Fuckin’ a.”

Piper broke their amazement. “Gentlemen, welcome to our beautiful bird. Black Swan will be your transportation in the sky for the next couple of days.”