Page 98 of Relentless

“Afraid not. When I’m stressed, I don’t want food.”

“You need the calories even though your stomach isn’t giving you hunger signals. We’ll find something your stomach will tolerate when we reach the lodge.” He exited the vehicle.

While the nozzle deposited fuel in the tank, he grabbed a handful of disposable towels and rubbed away dirt on his SUV. At one point, he disappeared from view. When he stood, he glanced at Piper and winked.

Some of the tension eased from her body. He found the tracker and removed it.

He opened her door. “I’m going inside for soft drinks. Lock the doors. I’ll only be a minute. If something spooks you, honk the horn.” Another quick kiss and he closed the door again. When she activated the lock, he walked to the convenience store, stopping a moment to admire a sports car. He touched the bumper as though checking out the finish and went inside the store.

Piper grinned at the smooth transfer of the tracker from his SUV to the sports car. True to his word, he was back in less than two minutes with two drinks in his hand.

He handed her a soft drink that contained ginger and cranked the engine. After entering the lodge’s address into his GPS, Liam drove from the gas station. “We’re taking a circular route to the lodge. I don’t want to lead Barone’s henchmen to Bravo or Texas.”

For the next hour, Liam made random turns, asking Piper questions about various sites they passed. When he deemed it safe to proceed to the lodge, Liam followed the GPS directions.

“What do you know about the Texas unit?” Piper had heard them mentioned by Bravo and Durango but no one gave details about the group. Maybe they didn’t talk about other units for security reasons.

“Bravo worked a few missions with them. They’re an interesting bunch.”

“I know they’re from Texas.”

“They’re also from various branches of law enforcement and have some very unique skill sets. It’s unusual for one of our units not to have former military members in their ranks.”

“What are their skills?”

He shook his head. “Oh, no. I’m not telling their secrets. Find out for yourself what they can do.”

Piper frowned. “It’s not fair to whet my curiosity and refuse to tell me. I won’t be spending much time with them.”

“Don’t worry. You’ll figure it out.”

She huffed out a breath. “Hurry up, then.”

His laughter filled the cabin as the SUV leaped forward. Within thirty minutes, he parked at the back of the lodge next to the trio of Fortress SUVs. Liam circled the hood to open Piper’s door. “Come on, beautiful. Let’s get you inside in case I missed an unfriendly tail.”

Holding hands, they walked to the back entrance. Halfway down the corridor toward the bank of elevators, the back door opened again and Cade entered.

“Anything?” Liam asked his teammate.

“Nope. You’re clear.”

“What does that mean?” Piper asked.

“No one followed us from Hartman except Cade. You’re safe here.”

“We’re safe here,” she corrected. “I’m as concerned about you as you are about me.”

“We have your back, Piper.” Cade caught up with them and pressed the call button for the elevator. “Let us worry about your safety and Liam’s.”

She didn’t think Liam would cede control of the situation to his teammates. He was a hands-on kind of man. Her cheeks burned. Very hands on. She loved the frequent touches, the hand holding, and the kisses.

They rode to the fourth floor in silence and Cade led the way down the hall toward the back of the lodge. He stopped in front of one door and knocked.

A moment later, the door opened to reveal a man whose height topped six feet four inches with a chest that seemed as broad as the span of Piper’s outstretched arms. If she’d seen this guy on the sidewalk at night, she would have crossed to the other side of the street to avoid him.

The stranger’s lips quirked. “About time you got here.” His voice was deep and rich. “We were about to send out a reconnaissance party to escort you to safety.”

Liam snorted. “I’m touched by your confidence in my skills, Jesse. You planning to let us in?”

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