Page 63 of Being Bold
Bo
The flight from Saber Tech to the airport near their rented cabin was too short. Bo could’ve spent another hour with Selene tucked against him, and it still wouldn’t have been enough, not after being on the sidelines while she’d been thrust into danger. Hugging her closer as the aircraft landed, he squeezed his eyes shut at the fear that had coursed through him.
He’d known Dao would use any chance he had to get rid of Selene. It was why Bo had snagged the security badge of someone on a smoke break and snuck into the building.
The man who shot her showing up proved he’d been right. Dao had never planned to play nice. But the fucker who came after Selene wouldn’t be a problem anymore.
Bo’s right hand gripped the handle of the SRK strapped to his thigh as the remembered rage pulsed through him. That lowlife deserved worse than he got. Still, Bo made sure he’d drawn his last breath.
After dispatching Felix, he’d spoken to Yumi, telling her about the body and the need for a cleanup. She’d handed him the package the man left for Selene. It was a phone. He figured it was Dao’s way of saying he’d be in touch. The sociopath would likely use it to contact Selene with the final details of their meetup.
None of them trusted the phone not to have some sort of tracking device, though. Yumi scanned it and said it was clean, but her reassurance didn’t make him any less worried about carrying it on his person.
When the rotor blades slowed, Bo opened his eyes. The team, apart from Duke, had already exited the helicopter. Had Selene fallen asleep, or was she just as reluctant as he was to let go?
He didn’t know how he would cope with just standing by while she was put in danger again. The mere thought of anyone trying to hurt her sent his pulse through the roof as his vision hazed in blood.
Sighing in frustration at what he couldn’t control, he released her, then took off the aircraft’s headset. She sat up slowly and stared out the windscreen. “Is Felix . . .?”
She wanted to know if he’d killed the man, and Bo wouldn’t lie to her. In a gruff voice, he said, “Yeah.”
She turned to look at him. “Good.”
Her face was both hard and sad. He cupped her cheek, brushing his thumb across the pinched line beside her mouth. “He can’t hurt you anymore.”
She nodded at his murmured assurance. “Thank you.”
When her words didn’t fill him with the usual guilt, he leaned forward and kissed her forehead. “It’s my job to protect you. I won’t let anyone hurt you. Especially not Dao.” He couldn’t helpthe growl that leapt into his voice. He wanted to kill that fucker something fierce. For Nugg. For Selene. And the multitude of people Dao would harm if he were allowed to keep breathing.
For some reason, she seemed sad at his outburst. Her eyes glossed with tears she immediately blinked back.
Before he could ask what was wrong, Duke’s voice sliced through their bubble. “Okay, love birds. Time for the next leg of the journey.” He cut all power to the helicopter and hopped out.
Ignoring his team member’s cheeky-ass comment, Bo exited, then turned to help Selene.
She groaned when she stepped onto the tarmac. “My legs are already sore.”
His gaze fell to her jean-clad thighs, and he couldn’t help thinking he’d love to massage them for her, soothe her tired muscles until he could mix it with another kind of release.
Shoving those thoughts away, he took her hand, ostensibly to hurry her along, but truthfully because he wanted the connection. Touching her soothed something in his soul.
Seeing the team had already boarded the Learjet, he broke into a jog, pulling a groan out of Selene as he forced her to keep up. “Sorry, beautiful, but you can rest soon.”
The flight to Montreal would take three to four hours, depending on Duke and the weather. She could nap while he spoke to Victor because he still needed to apologize for blowing out of the briefing yesterday.
When they reached the jet, Selene paused at the boarding stairs with a whine. Panting, she said, “Oh God. Notmorestairs.”
Swooping her into his arms, Bo started to climb the steps. Her wide-eyed expression told him he’d surprised her, but then she broke out into a laugh. It made him smile as he carried her to the top. Once they were inside the plane, he set her down.
She leaned in and kissed his cheek. With a smile, she murmured, “Thank you.”
The word didn’t bring him an adverse reaction, and the lack of guilt made him return her smile. “You’re welcome.”
Her breath stuttered, and her gaze fell to his mouth. Damn, he wanted to kiss her, but not when they had an audience. Victor, Herc, and Romeo could see them from their seats. The plane only had room for eight passengers, albeit in cushy tan leather chairs with dark-wood tray tables.
Bo steered Selene to the back row since the guys took the front three places. It could hold three people across a set of bench seats. After they hit cruising altitude, she’d be able to lie down if she wanted. Telling her this, he settled opposite her in a rear-facing seat.
Her eyes shifted away, alerting him that Duke had poked his head around the cockpit partition. “Wheels up in five.”
