“I’ll get Brit.” Fuse strode inside, considering his words.
After dinner, she’d moved into her bedroom to work. Fuse had gone with her, checking the bedroom and patio before declaring it safe. Before shutting the door behind him, he’d kissed her. Quick, hard, and deep.
Each time it happened, he’d sworn not to kiss her again. Each time, his desire for Brittany outweighed common sense. Her presence messed with his mind, his determination not to get involved beyond sex. His heart hadn’t gotten the message.
Rapping lightly on her door, it surprised him when it opened within seconds. Although minutes before midnight, it was obvious she’d been working. Holding the knob, she stood on the other side in her sleep clothes, one brow lifting in question. Walking past her, he turned, closing the door behind him.
“Change clothes and pack.” He tossed a lightweight duffel on the bed.
Curiosity turned into surprise. “Pack?”
“No questions. Toss whatever you need into the duffel.” He began pulling clothes from a drawer, flinging them onto the bed.
“I don’t understand.” She grabbed pants, shirts, and underwear, dressing, then quickly stuffing the rest into the large bag.
With the drawers empty, he scooped up toiletries on top of the dresser, dumping them over the clothes. “What else?”
She went to the closet, dragging a windbreaker and sweatshirt off hangers, adding them and shoes to the pile. “That’s it.”
He lifted the black sweatshirt, handing it to her. “Put this on.”
Slipping her arms into it, she zipped the front. “What now?”
Fuse grabbed her computer and accessories, sliding them into the case before handing it to her and picking up the duffel. “Time to go.”
Entering the hall, she noticed most lights were off. The others lowered to just enough for them to move through the house. She made out a silhouette of one of her protectors near the front door, knowing there were others close by.
Taking her arm, he guided her through the office and onto the deck. “On my word, we’ll run from here, through the barn to the fence a little more than fifty yards away. Mitch and Gunner will meet us there. Once we start, there’ll be no hesitation and no talking. You ready?”
Wide, indigo eyes met his. Licking her lips, she gave a slow nod. Unable to stop himself, Fuse leaned down, kissing her soundly before straightening.
Lifting a fist into the air, the area around them went black. Fuse gripped Brittany’s hand, squeezing once. “Now.”
She gripped her computer bag in one hand, tightening her hold on Fuse with the other. Following his lead, Brittany dashed through the barn and out the back doors. Two figures waited by the fence. Mitch and Gunner, dressed in black and holding rifles, their focus not on Fuse and Brittany, but the area around them.
Fuse helped her over the fence before climbing over himself. Mitch and Gunner followed. The four shoved through the thick brush, stopping at the edge of an old farm road as a black van rolled up. The door slid open before it stopped. The four jumped inside, closing the door as the van took off.
“ETA?” Fuse asked, tugging Brittany next to him.
Ghost shifted in his seat up front. “Thirty minutes.”
Mitch and Gunner had taken positions at the back of the van, watching for anyone following. Brittany took in the vehicle and its sparse interior. Other than a rack holding three rifles and a metal case with what she assumed to be ammunition, there were two bench seats and nothing else. The four windows were in the front and back, with no interior lights.
Pulling her knees up, Brittany wrapped both arms around them. Resting her chin on her knees, she thought of the last few weeks. So much had happened since leaving D.C. She obtained the job she’d coveted, only to be torn away from it and whisked to a town in northern Arizona. Since then, the house she believed to be secure had been breached, four of the attackers killed.
Brittany had no idea how long she’d be forced to live this way. She wanted to return to Phoenix, to her job with the senator, the excitement of the political life. At least, she thought she did.
The last weeks with Scott, his hot then cold moods, confused her while making her long for more. Brittany knew their years apart had done nothing to cool her feelings for the handsome, sexy SEAL.
There’d even been times she’d fantasized about them getting back together. Out of nowhere, the phone would ring and Scott would be on the other end, asking her to meet up. From there, they’d have dinner, take walks, make up for the lost years.
Their time together now had brought reality into sharp focus. If her father hadn’t insisted Fuse help protect her, he’d have never reached out to her. Brittany had done her best to try to mend fences. He’d firmly shoved her aside, uninterested in anything from her.
She’d been surprised to learn he’d never married. His short call with a woman named Linda confirmed he didn’t lack for companionship. Brittany wondered about his interest in her when he had another woman waiting for him.
The van made a sharp turn, causing her to slide into Fuse. His arm went around her, tugging her close.
“Not much longer, Brit.” His fingers played through the fabric of her sweatshirt, spirals of heat flowing through her.
She had to remember all Fuse wanted was sex without complications. He was the consummate gentleman about it, if there was such a thing when a man asked a woman for such an arrangement. The offer had been clear, her response the same. Yet he continued to be affectionate, kissing her, taking her breath away, then setting her aside. She was tired of it.
“Two minutes,” Ghost called out.
She looked up at Fuse, brows drawn tight. “What are we doing?”
“The van will stop, we get out with Mitch and Gunner. Rock and Ghost will take off.”
“But where are we going from there?”
“Into our new home, sweetheart.”
Chapter Eighteen
Four Eternal Brethren appeared from the trees, nodding at Fuse, Mitch, and Gunner before taking their places in the van. Rock leaned out the window. “Place is stocked. We’ll patrol the highway, and your truck is in the garage, Fuse.”
“Thanks, man. I owe you.”
Rock guffawed, raised the window, and drove off.
Fuse set a hand on the small of her back, escorting her up the path to a large log house. Mitch went in first while Gunner did a perimeter check.
“Take care of Brittany while I confirm we’re secure.” Mitch disappeared down a set of stairs.
“Whose place is this, Scott?”
Ignoring the question for now, Fuse closed the door behind them, hustling her to a bedroom down a long hall. “You’ll be staying in here. I’ll be right next door.” Setting her duffel on the bed, he faced her. “I don’t know the owner. Wrath set this up.”
“Do you think the men after me know about this?” She glanced around the large room with its own bath.
“No. We had men following and another group ahead of us on the way here. You saw the men who replaced us in the van?”
She nodded, setting the computer on a desk.
“They’ve been here all day, making certain no one approached the property. Raider upgraded the security system, and we’re wired into the clubhouse. According to Wrath, the ownership is buried behind several corporations. Connecting us to it would be almost impossible.”