Page 58 of Peace Under Fire

The rest of the group joined Grumpy. More back thumps and pithy insults about Jacob’s choice of transportation. One by one, the men were introduced to her, but their names left her mind as quickly as they entered it. They all looked the same—big bodied, black clothing, guns snugged in holsters that were tight against their sides, shuttered faces, and assessing eyes.

Jacob had been wrong. They were judging her. She could see it in the hard planes of their faces, and the watchful expressions in their eyes.

She lifted her shoulders and stared back at them. Who cared what they thought of her? She certainly didn’t, no matter how her squiggly stomach insisted otherwise.

It wasn’t until Jacob introduced Gray Winters that she paid close attention. The man Jacob and Brick had been arguing about on the plane looked just like the others—same tall, muscled build, same shuttered face, and sharp eyes. He didn’t seem like a player. Or at least he wasn’t flirtatious. Not in the slightest. But then, this was hardly the time and the place for flirtation, was it?

When Jacob stepped closer to her during the introduction and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, hauling her against his side, she almost dropped the food in her arms and swallowed her tongue.

What the…?

She missed most of what was said after that. Her damn brain had short circuited the instant his arm went around her, going all foggy and floaty, solely concerned with the way his hip and thigh rubbed against her stupid body with each step they took.

Hopefully, he was unaware of the spiteful things her hormones were doing to her as she suffered through his strange performance. He was acting like he was staking a claim on her—just like those alpha heroes did in all the books she’d read. But the heroes in all those novels had wanted the women they’d claimed. Jacob, on the other hand, had made it quite clear, repeatedly, that he didn’t want her.

Not as a friend…not as a lover…in no way whatsoever…

So, what in the world was this performance about?

When she finally tuned back into the conversation, they were headed for the two large vehicles parked at the edge of the tarmac.

“We did a cursory sweep of the target site,” Grumpy said, his gaze constantly on the move, sweeping from one corner of the small, snowy airport to the next. “An outer perimeter drive by.”

It didn’t take long to realize that all the men were on edge, their bodies tense. Their eyes constantly shifting this way and that. Their hands close to their guns. Did they sense danger closing in, or were SEALs always so adrenaline-fueled?

They piled into the two huge SUVs, but even with the men split evenly between the two vehicles, it was still a tight fit. Jacob dragged her so close to him, she was almost sitting on his lap. Good God, all this holding and carrying and sitting on laps was not conducive to cooling her overactive libido. She needed a distraction.

“I thought you were going to show me how to shoot a gun once we landed,” she said with an accusing tone. An argument would make a perfect distraction.

“Not upon landing,” Jacob corrected with a glance down at her. “When we reach the insertion point. We’ll have a few minutes while equipment is parsed out and checked.”

Shoot. There went that distraction. When Jacob turned his head to look out the window, she carefully eased the food and water in her arms onto the floor. If the food was out of sight, maybe he’d forget to insist that she eat.

“What kind of terrain are we looking at?” Jacob asked, still staring out the window. “Rural or urban?”

“Rural, and snowy as hell. Thank Christ Tex sprung for the Land Rovers,” Grumpy said as he settled more comfortably into the front passenger seat. “The place is surrounded by forest. Closest house is three klicks to the west.”

“Giulia likes her privacy,” Mandy told them, staring out the windshield at the snowbank flanking the road. The trees were still flocked with snow, almost ethereal in the moonlight.

Although like wasn’t a strong enough description. Giulia was obsessive about her privacy. Brenna might have made the money to pay for the place—but Giulia was the one who’d chosen the location and even the property itself. She was the one who’d craved the haven the remote wilderness property had offered.

She was the one who’d needed the isolation.

“What was the property used for before you moved in?” Grumpy asked without turning to look at her. “The place is practically a fortress.”

“It was a white supremacist survival camp,” Mandy informed them. “Kaylee found it after a government raid closed the facility. The fence and gate were intact. Kaylee added the computer security system after we moved in.”

“That explains the location, fence, and gate. Those bastards are as paranoid as it gets,” Grumpy muttered.

Mandy nodded. But then, paranoid described Giulia and Kaylee as well.

“Did you go onto the property? Drive by the buildings?” Jacob asked.

“No.” This time Grumpy glanced over his shoulder. His gaze lingered on the masculine arm cinched around Mandy’s shoulder. There was surprise in his eyes and more than a little irritation. “Tex was very specific in his orders. We canvassed the perimeter of the property but remained on the other side of the fence. We saw no tracks in the snow going in or out of the property. No sign there are other eyes on the place.”

Jacob grunted. Dropping his arm, he wiped a palm down his face. “They could be watching from a distance.”

“Yeah? From where?” Grumpy challenged. “Trees, trees, and more trees. That’s the only thing out there. Even drone coverage would stand out like a flare in the dark.”

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