Page 28 of Under Fire

“Well, once this blows up in my face, it will just prove what I already know. There are some things I’m great at and some things I’m not—” her voice trailed as she caught herself in the mirror again.

For the first time in forever, she saw herself, and wondered if she was meant to be something more. That’s when she realized that she was about to get a lot more than she bargained for in their little deal. And hopefully—just hopefully—it wasn’t going to end up shattering her.

Chapter Ten

Alisa

“I’ve never been up here before,” Alisa said, running her finger along the passenger window in Warren’s pickup truck. No dust. She wasn’t surprised.

She took in the wild range around her. It was absolutely breathtaking. Higher up, into the mountains framing the LA basin, the air grew drier, more arid with every mile. And the population grew scarcer, as did the amenities. It struck Alisa as an odd setting for an engagement party.

“Wrightwood?” he asked, turning down a long, dark street. “Not much to see.”

“Then, why are we here?”

He didn’t reply.

She glanced at her cell. Reception was getting thin, and dead spots were becoming more frequent.

She continued, “Should I be nervous that you are carting me into the desert?”

“You’re funny.”

“I’m serious.”

Warren grinned. “Guys on my team live up this way.”

“But, you’re a SEAL—”

“So?”

“So, SEALs train down the coast, out of the Navy base on Coronado, right? That’s not really a secret.” Alisa turned to him, recalling the few facts she knew about the Navy’s elite special forces.

“Yeah, we are stationed there.”

“This must be a little far to commute all the way to San Diego.”

He just shook his head—clearly unwilling to reveal anything more.

She pursed her lips to ask, but something about his flexing arms told her to stop. She arched an eyebrow as she realized that she was getting a little too close to something she shouldn’t know. She wondered if he was working up there…somewhere off the grid. Anything was possible. What did she really know about Warren?

Yucca trees peppered the gritty land. In the setting sun, she swore she saw the reflection of tiny eyes emerging from holes. But she couldn’t focus as they whipped by. Turning in her seat, Alisa caught on to something unusual—a high-security gate off the side of the road, high-tech looking.

“What was that?” Twisted in the seat, she was losing sight of it already.

Warren shrugged, adjusting his watch. “Who knows.”

“Who knows?” Alisa mused. “I bet you know.”

His side-long glare told her to stop. So, she kept going.

“Could it be a secret military training facility?” She leaned over his way.

Sure enough, a clear threat crossed his face. “You want to start off the night like this? Just give me a reason to bend you over my knee, pull that dress up and—”

Then he raised his hand like he was ready to release the spanking of her life. She shrunk down a few inches, unable to wipe the grin off her face.Maybe that’s exactly what I want.

“Keep smiling. You’ll regret it,” he said.

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