Page 7 of Hazard

One long-legged, sweetly muscled calf stride after another, she walked toward him, her smile in place. “Hazard,” she said, “I’m so glad to see a familiar face. Could you point me in the direction of the conference room?”

“No,” he said, so decisively the surprise on her lovely face was pronounced. He switched gears to cover up his visceral reaction. “Let me escort you.”

Her features evened out. “I guess that’s a good thing, since I believe you’re going to be detailed to me again.”

He grabbed her cases and started up the stairs, working hard to keep his poker face at having to work with none other than US Attorney Leigh Waterford.

The brief was short as they were still working the HVT for intel on the cartel. Just information about watching their sixes and introducing Leigh to the team. Skull gave him a sidelong glance. He’d done nothing but complain about the woman during his detail, and Skull had been his sounding board.

After the meeting, Leigh was on the phone at the front of the room. As the guys filed out, Hazard waylaid Iceman.

“Do you think it’s a good idea for her to be here, Ice?” Iceman looked back at Leigh.

“She’s a Special Judicial Attaché and will be lending her expertise and operational guidance to the team with the goal of ensuring we keep to the letter of the law and Alzate gets extradited to the US to stand trial for mass murder.” Iceman appeared like he always did. Imperious, cold, and completely stone-hard serious. “And when she’s out and about, you will be her bodyguard just like you detailed her when she was in San Diego.”

“Copy that, boss.”

Iceman narrowed his eyes. The man missed nothing, and he had a grudging respect for that, but it was a pain in the ass when Hazard wasn’t exactly being truthful. “Why don’t I believe you, petty officer?”

His boss always encouraged them to speak their minds. He turned toward Iceman and lifted his chin. “She’s hard to deal with.”

“Find a way.” Hazard took a hard breath, and Iceman’s eyes narrowed. “You don’t have to like it, Hazard, but I expect you to do your job.”

“To the best of my ability, but the situation here is so iffy?—"

“The attorney general is on the warpath. He wants justice no matter the sacrifice. He’s furious that Alzate took out his whole Southern District Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force, and murdered one of our sailors, along with others indiscriminately. He feels responsible for all those lives. He can’t be reasoned with, and for that matter, neither can Leigh Waterford. She’s determined to be part of this, and our orders from the DoD are crystal clear. She’s going to be embedded with us. There’s no way around it, and you will need to get onboard.” Hazard clenched his jaw, and Iceman’s eyes narrowed. “Is there another reason you’re balking at this?”

“Besides the possibility of sexual assault or a torturously terrifying and brutal death?”

“Yeah, besides that.”

Hazard knew that Iceman was much too observant to miss any of the signs once Hazard was in direct contact with Leigh…scratch that…in the same vicinity of her, better not to think about any kind of direct contact.

He’d avoided that all the while he was guarding her, not that she even noticed his struggle. “Because regardless of the fact that she’s a pain in my ass, opinionated, courageous beyond a fault, and more difficult to deal with than a prickly pear cactus, she’s goddamned beautiful, and she isn’t even aware of it.”

For a moment, that cold demeanor left Iceman and he actually looked sympathetic. “Deal with it, Hazard, like a professional, or not. I fucked up, and it was the best fuck up of my life. I ended up with Rose.”

Iceman slipped out the door leaving Hazard standing there. Right, he groaned. If their boss, a man named Iceman couldn’t resist, what chance did Hazard have?

Leigh finished her phone call, and she looked so damned tired. He relented, headed her way, and grabbed up the cases. He needed to get his head in the game and his focus straight. “Follow me.”

When she went to open the door, it closed with a slam. She eyed his hand against the wood and took a breath. “You have something to say to me. Don’t you?”

“Do you understand how important it is to listen to me and do what I say?”

“Yes, the attorney general made it quite clear to me. If I step wrong, I’m out of here.”

Hazard wasn’t done. “You’re a civilian, difficult as hell, and it’s a dangerous-as-fuck mission. You don’t belong in Bogotá…anywhere near that fucking animal—Alzate,” he bit out. His gut clenched with the thought of what could happen. “Do you have any idea what he could do to you if he gets his hands on you?” His voice got deeper, harsher. “You know he’ll make an example of you. He’s already killed government officials, showing us that he has no fear of us, no mercy,” he said fiercely. “You have no tactical or commando skills, ma’am. No training for this kind of monster. What is the attorney general thinking? Lawyers don’t belong in combat.”

She lifted her chin, and her gaze never wavered. “Well, you’re stuck with this lawyer, and I’m not leaving until Alzate is in custody or in a body bag. You can bet your ass on that.”

3

She delivered what she had to say, then pulled the door open with more force than was necessary. Why wasn’t she surprised this guy didn’t get her or support her? She was used to that her whole life, and she would overcome it like she had in her past. But a small part of her acknowledged that it hurt more coming from a man she respected and admired. When he was guarding her in San Diego, she’d developed a crush she didn’t want to deal with, so all of that emotion was wrapped around all the crap from her past she’d had to endure.

She was sure if he wanted to, he could have held it closed with one hand while she struggled. But he let her have the last words or so she thought.

He grabbed her arm gently but firmly, before she could go into the hall. His intense blue eyes bored into her, searing her with his serious look. “With that all said, you now know my opinion on you being here. I can tell you that no one…no one is getting through me. If they do, I’ll be out of the fight and the only time a SEAL is out of the fight is if he’s not breathing.” The air thrummed with the power of his presence, the echo of it matching the rhythm of Leigh’s heart. Sensation shivered over her skin, and deep inside like an epicenter of an earthquake, puckering her nipples against her sheer bra, generating a mixture of excitement and fear in the pit of her belly. The heat and the male scent of him overwhelmed her thoughts, arousing her body that had been dormant for some time. The man’s ability to turn her on, even during a confrontation, was nothing short of astounding. She just didn’t get rattled. Ever.

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