“Want to see the shoot house?” he asked.
Her eyes lit up with interest. “Yes.”
He led her across to the warehouse. There was a pin pad on the door, and he entered the code. The door opened, and the inside was dark and cavernous.
As they stepped inside, lights clicked on in the entry. They illuminated racks of laser training weapons, as well as night vision goggles.
She gasped. “Are those real guns?”
“No. They’re laser weapons.”
She smiled. “So, you big, tough security guys come here and play laser tag?”
He smiled back. “Tactical training.”
“Sure,” she teased.
He grabbed a set of night vision goggles. “How about we test it out?”
Her brows raised. “I’ll probably be terrible.”
“Don’t worry, I’m a good teacher.” He leaned down and nipped her lips. “And you can always bribe me later for a better mark.”
“Really?” She brushed her body against his. “I like the idea of that.”
He settled the goggles over her head, then pulled a smaller laser rifle off the rack and handed it to her. He showed her how to use it.
Her smile was a flash of white as she looked it over. “Ooh, I feel so tough.”
He swatted her butt. “Go. The main floor is filled with obstacles, and the back of the warehouse is fitted out with a two-story office space. I’ll give you a head start, then—” he narrowed his gaze and lowered his voice “—I’m coming to find you.”
“We’ll see.” She spun and took off into the warehouse.
Smiling, Cam selected a laser rifle of his own.
God, how much more did he smile now, since Saskia came into his life?
When he’d first met her, despite the pull, he hadn’t been ready. He’d been too lost. Still too broken and raw.
But being home, with his mom, brothers, friends, and working at Norcross, and now Saskia, he’d slowly been healing.
The pieces would never fit back together the way they had before. He touched the scar on his cheek.
But that was okay.
He thought of Kris.
I’ll always love you, man. I’m sorry I couldn’t save you.
He felt none of the usual choking, black sorrow, just the bittersweet throb of things he couldn’t change. He thought he heard the echo of Kris’ laugh.
Live, Morgan. And have a drink for me.
Turning, Cam strode across the warehouse to find his woman. “You can’t run from me, ballerina.”
He heard a distant giggle and shook his head. She’d be a terrible Ghost Ops recruit.
He moved through the obstacles—chairs, desks, crates, and temporary walls. Then he heard her footsteps on the metal stairs. She was going up to the office area.
That’s when he heard something else. A ping from his phone.
Stilling, he yanked it out.
Someone had tripped the exterior sensor alarms.
Fuck.
Chapter Sixteen
Jogging up the stairs, Saskia tried to adjust to the weird green light of the night vision goggles.
She couldn’t hear Cam at all, only her racing heart and her own footsteps.
She stepped into an office. There was an empty desk and two chairs. She ducked down. There were several small windows looking down into the open part of the warehouse.
Peering out, she couldn’t see anything. There were the shadows of the boards, temporary walls, and other obstacles.
A flash of movement. Cam.
“Saskia, someone’s on the property,” he yelled, voice echoing through the space. “Stay hidden.”
What? Her heart went into overdrive. She clutched the laser rifle. Cam disappeared from view.
Maybe it was one of the Norcross Security guys? Her belly turned into a knotted mess. But if it was, they would’ve called first.
God. Were Mikhailov and his goons here? How?
She kept looking through the goggles down into the warehouse. Somewhere, a door opened and closed, the noise echoing loudly.
Saskia’s sweaty hands clenched on her weapon.
She kept staring.
There.
She saw the large figure of a man moving cautiously through the maze of obstacles.
Then another.
She let out a breath and tried to stay calm.
Neither of those men were Cam. God, what if he ran into them?
He was too good. He had this.
Then she spotted another guy. All three were moving cautiously, and something told her that the weapons they held in their hands were real.
Then she saw one guy just disappear. One second, he was there, the next second he was gone.
She grinned. Her man was badass.
She swallowed, and then saw one guy realize his friend was missing. He turned back to—
There was a noise outside the office where she hid. Saskia stilled and shrank down.
Oh, God, oh, God, oh, God.
The scrape of a shoe. Someone stood at the door to the office, more shadow than anything else.
She didn’t dare breathe or move. How many of them were there?
Then there was a muffled shout from down below. The figure in the doorway spun. With a curse, he took off down the stairs.
Her pulse was skittering like crazy. She looked through the small window again.
She only saw two of Mikhailov’s goons now. They were charging through the obstacles, searching for Cam.
“He’s got this,” she whispered soundlessly.
Then she saw him. He rose up behind one of the guards.
He attacked with brutal speed and power. He and the man scuffled. It was hard to make out every move in the green-cloaked darkness. They slammed into a fake wall, and it tipped over with a crash.
Another man ran toward the fighting pair, shouting.
She smiled. Cam would deal with these guys, no problem.
But then Saskia spotted another shape sneaking up behind Cam’s location. Someone moving slowly and silently.
No. Clutching her laser weapon, she gasped. Cam wouldn’t even know that guy was there. Unlike the others, he was being careful.
She leaped up and quickly darted out of the office. She made it to the stairs, trying to step as quietly as she could.
When she reached the bottom, she moved in a large circle around the fighting men, toward the man creeping up on Cam.
There was a grunt, the sound of body slamming into something.
Saskia carefully crept closer. She saw two figures fighting, trading vicious, sharp jabs and kicks. It wasn’t elegant or pretty. This was the real deal.
Fighting for your life.
Cam—she’d know his muscular, tall form anywhere—kicked the guy. The man slammed into a table and flipped over.
Where was the other guy?
Then a shadow moved. It leaped up, racing toward Cam.
“Cam!” Saskia charged forward.
The goon fired, the shot deafening. She swung her laser rifle like a bat. It slammed into the man’s arm, knocking the pistol out of his hand.
The man cursed in Russian and turned.
Then Cam was on him.
The sound of flesh meeting flesh made her wince. She straightened and made herself watch.
Cam was fighting to protect her.
It was all so fast and brutal. It was hard to make out the individual blows. Then with a fierce kick to the head from Cam, the goon collapsed. In the darkness, Cam grabbed her hand and towed her through the warehouse.