Page 6 of Master Vidar & Vali

“I’m going with you.” My words probably surprised everyone. I avoided traveling, but this wasn’t something I’d let him do alone.

“I’m going too.”

Jared’s declaration surprised me. Our playboy friend wasn’t usually the type to volunteer for things, and we hadn’t even said we wanted volunteers, nor that we’d welcome any to join us. Jared would have been the least likely of everyone here, being the resident jokester and rarely taking anything in life seriously. I loved him like a brother, but when things went down, his wasn’t the first name that came to mind.

Gabe cocked his head as if trying to puzzle something out. “Jared, you’re not even in the company. There are no civilians on this trip. What makes you think you should go?”

“Because these two need someone with a cool head in case they run into any trouble and because I’m not part ofthe company, I’m free to gather intel, or worm my way in somewhere. I wouldn’t be recognized.”

It was a good argument, though I wasn’t sure how much help he’d be.

“No. I don’t need you sticking your nose into my business.” Colin snarled.

The tension between the two went back to our college days, and I hated it. Jared used to tease him for being a tag-along and my friend had resented him ever since.

“Then it should be me.” Declan’s calm voice dared any of us to argue. “I will spearhead this rescue team and stay in direct communication with Gabriel to make sure you knuckleheads don’t get out of control.”

As much as I respected the man, he was an idiot to believe that him being there wouldn’t cause more problems than it solved. Colin jumped into situations because he was afraid to ever hesitate again. I could usually hold him back, but with the addition of his brother it would be impossible.

Friction built between the two brothers until Gabe cleared his throat. “Listen, I love you both for offering, but unless an issue arises that, for the first time since the inception of G&H, we can’t handle with our own staff, I won’t call on either of you to fill in. We don’t know what is going on or if anything even is. Lincoln and Colin will go with four more and set up a reconnaissance mission until we can gain more intel. Rose will set up the mission parameters and I will be the one in charge of this mission, making sure they have what they need.”

Before Declan’s smile could piss off his brother, I tried to end the conversation so we could start actually planning. “Let’s get the show on the road.”

“They can use my private jet,” Jared offered. “It’s registered to a shell company that is connected with some of the topbusinesses in the country. If anyone looks into who owns it, they’ll never find out the answer.”

Why did he have a private jet not registered to him?

“That would shorten the timeline,” Rose said gently, pressing her hand onto Gabe’s forearm.

Maybe it was just my contrary nature, but the more everyone offered to help, the more cautious I became. When we all agreed to meet up in the morning, I decided I would take the rest of the night and find out just exactly who Zara Foster was and if she was really in trouble.

Chapter Three

Colin

Sleep is for the weak.

Or at least that was what I kept telling myself as I walked into the G&H offices. I hadn’t gotten a single night of good sleep since I left Albania. Even in my dreams I did nothing but think about her. Every morning, I woke up either scared for her or so aroused it was as if I was a horny teenager going through puberty.

The memory of our hands briefly touching, the heated zing of her touch was burned into my mind. The way Zara’s blonde hair framed her face in loose waves made it seem like she was surrounded by a halo of sunlight. But it wasn’t just her good looks or sexy curves that held my attention. It was her light blue eyes clouded with unease that haunted my thoughts.

The way she fidgeted in her sharp, tailored business suit that highlighted her slender frame and sexy curves, while still exuding an air of professionalism was damn candy for my raging libido. It was her slumped shoulders, as if she were waiting for an invisible hammer to drop, which revealed another story.The woman was an enigma to be sure. Why hadn’t she at least accepted my invitation to come to dinner? Had she picked up on my wanting to help her and had deliberately turned me down, or did she think I might hurt her as well?

Trust wasn’t something people gave to strangers. Would telling her what I’d overheard have changed anything? Could I have convinced her at least to talk to me about what was worrying her? Why had I let professionalism override my sense of right and wrong?

Damn it. I’d ignored my instincts once before when I was in the military and had regretted it every day since. My sanity might not survive if the outcome was the same this time. If Zara paid the price of my hesitation it would irrevocably break something inside me.

In my good dreams, I spoke up and flew her home to safety with me. I was the white knight, or security knight, coming to the rescue of thy fair maiden, or some shit like that. She would meet Lincoln and our chemistry would be explosive. Underneath the innocent image she projected would be a tigress ready and willing to take us both on.

She would not only be willing but want to be the center of our attention. Lincoln would artfully tie her in colorful ropes while I ran soft furry mitts over her skin and watched as she shuddered with pleasure. Control and teasing driving her toward a mind-numbing orgasm. I would edge her until she begged for release then push her that little bit further.

Unfortunately, that was a fairytale; the nightmares were growing more viscous each night. In those, I went back but arrived too late. Her lifeless blue eyes would stare at me with accusations. Once again, I’d been too slow, too indecisive. I had failed her.

It wasn’t as if I was a stranger to waking up thrashing. I couldn’t even count the numbers of times the sound of Lincoln'svoice was the only thing that helped me break free of the night terror. It was as if my new potential fuck up had joined with the demons of my past. No matter how many times I told myself the situations weren’t the same, that this wasn’t war and she wasn’t a helpless villager, my emotions refused to settle. The moment my subconscious took over my dreams, I was helpless.

I’d tried repeating over and over before sleep that what I’d overheard was just a normal argument with her boss. That even if she wasn’t happy, she wasn’t in danger. Zara was a grown woman who had turned down my offer of help. Unfortunately, emotions don't work like logic and were never synonymous in my world.

When I’d enlisted in the military, my brother had yelled at me for days. He said I was too reckless, too impulsive to follow orders. Determined to prove him wrong, I’d been the perfect soldier. Followed every rule, every order to the letter.

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