Page 71 of Nightcrawler

“A piece of what now?” he asked.

I laughed and set the tablet aside, rolling him over until I could straddle him.He clutched my thighs and held my gaze. I leaned down and kissed him.

“I guess I should stick to reading them since I totally suck at writing them,” he said.

I grinned at him. “Reviews you ain’t so great at, Huerta, but sucking…now that’s an artform you’ve mastered.”

He spent the rest of the night proving I was absolutely right about that…and not the least bit boring.

Chapter Twenty-Three

MIGUEL

Raven and I arrived in Oxnard at five, way before the event, and both eager to get this entire ordeal behind us. I’d made love to him most of the night, so rising at four hadn’t been easy. What sleep we did get was peaceful, swept away with each other’s touch, in the way we’d kissed. When I had to drag myself out of his arms to shut off the alarm on my phone, he’d rolled over and looked up at me with those cobalt blue eyes and that’s the moment, I knew I’d fallen in love with him.

The event center had been set up at the Ventura County Fairgrounds indoor pavilions. When we arrived, Cassidy, Mike, Thayne, and Jarrett were already there along with a huge man with startlingly red-orange hair, freckled skin, and hands the size of frying pans.

“There they are,” Jarrett drawled, stepping forward and shaking our hands. “Miguel Huerta and Raven Mathis, this is the friend we told you about, Mac McCallahan.”

The man held out his huge hand with a ready smile. “Hi.”

“Nice to meet you,” I said, shaking. Raven shook too. The guy towered over both of us, dwarfing my six-four by at least three or four more inches.

“Jarrett suggested asking Mac to join us because he’s got lots of tactical training,” Thayne said, stepping forward to shake our hands.

“Nah, it’s just because he’s ex-Special Forces and can kick biker ass,” Jarrett said.

I looked over at the tall man, assessing him. His short buzzcut definitely made him look like a lot of the guys I’d served with in the Corps. “Marine?” I asked.

He smiled. “Army.”

Jarrett clapped the guy on the back, giving him a dimpled grin before turning to me. “Mac here’s a Green Beret and the best damned FBI agent I’ve ever known…a friend to all and loyal to boot.”

Mac smirked. “Thanks, Jarrett. And I can fetch a ball with the best of ‘em.”

I chuckled, looking up at him. “Thanks for coming.”

“Tactical training?” Raven asked, shaking Cassidy and Mike’s hands as they joined us.

“That just means he knows how to get things done, Raven,” I said.

Raven glanced at me. “Kind of like you.”

“Force Recon?” Mac asked.

I nodded.

“Good!” Jarrett said, clapping his hands as he looked at the venue from where we stood in the empty parking lot. “Now that we all know who the fuck we are, let’s get set up.”

I laughed. The guy was funny.

“I figure Jarrett and Thayne should set up somewhere outdoors,” Cassidy said. “Just in case our quarry has friends with him.”

I frowned a bit, turning to look at Jarrett. “You’re a sniper,” I said, making the connection.

Jarrett grinned. “Yeah, but I ain’t takin’ out no Taliban today. Maybe a biker or two.Oof!Hey!” he said, turning to Thayne who’d elbowed him in the ribs.

“You’re not ‘taking out’ anyone. This isn’t the wild, wild West, Jarrett.”

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