Page 40 of Dangerous Games (Tempting SEALs 2)

He was waiting on her when she walked into the room, his gaze frankly sexual as she moved to the food tray. She hadn't eaten since lunch that day and her stomach was voraciously reminding her of the fact that even that meal had been incredibly small.

She pulled the metal covering from the cheeseburger and fries she had ordered. Being attacked and nearly having one's throat sliced called for calories to celebrate life. Lots of calories.

Clint pulled the nearby chair over to the low table and followed suit as she poured a glass of tea from the pitcher and began to dig in.

She tried to ignore Clint sitting across from her, as well as the implications of what he had implied before the waiter knocked on the door. If Clint intended to take her to his bed, she wouldn't be able to refuse him. Just as she wouldn't be able to protect her own heart. He was her weakness; he had been her weakness for most of her life.

"The girl that was drugged, Cathie Fitzhugh, she worked in the same office complex as you." Clint stated as he slathered mayo over his own hamburger, glancing up at her with steely-eyed purpose as he spoke.

Morganna nodded. "She works in another department, though. That makes three women who worked there and have been drugged by these bastards."

"There could be a link there." He nodded. "Joe is checking it out. Your cover's shot, Morganna. They know who you are."

"And we must be closer to the suppliers than I thought." She shook her head in confusion. "We have a suspect, but nothing concrete. And it would make better sense to attempt to drug me, rather than attacking me at home."

Clint shook his head at that. "The drug can take up to an hour to fully hit the system and make the victim dazed enough that she wouldn't remember who took her out of the club if she did survive the rest of the night. Whoever is watching you is aware that you're being watched as well. They wouldn't have taken that chance."

"The whole damned assignment has been compromised." The reality of that one sucked.

"Not necessarily. They're obviously not willing to move the operation, for whatever reason. That kind of arrogance can weaken any plan. We'll make our own rounds, dig deeper into the lower areas of the club, and see what we come up with. The majority of the women are being hit at Masters' clubs, so we'll concentrate there. Let's see how stupid they can get."

The cold smile that crossed Clint's lips had a chill racing up Morganna's spine. She hadn't realized until now just how furious he was.

"Joe cleared Drage Masters of any involvement with the drugs. They had his clubs staked out for months before I came onto the team. They've also hit a couple of the other more extreme clubs. They're steering clear of the bars and honky-tonks."

"The crowds are larger in the clubs such as Drage's and they're more impersonal. It's easier to strike there." Clint nodded.

"If my cover's been blown, then I'm a liability to the case," she said. "They won't move against me."

"Wrong." His smile was cold, ruthless, but his eyes were shadowed. "They proved that last night, Morganna."

Morganna watched him carefully. "You're angry at me."

She knew that look, knew the controlled line of his lips and the glitter in his eyes.

His jaw bunched. "I've fought for eight years," he finally said. "Thinking you were safe. That what I was doing was keeping you and Raven safe. And I'll be a son of a bitch if you didn't just walk your ass right into danger."

Yep, he was mad. But she hadn't expected anything less.

A smile trembled at her lips as she stared back at him, meeting his gaze head-on.

"I make a difference," she finally whispered, reminding him of the words he had whispered the day he had left for SEAL training.

She had cried because he was leaving again. He had pulled her into his arms as though he couldn't help himself. She had been so young, and he had been a warrior. He still was.

"You're going to be the death of me," he finally said, his voice low, rough. "Because if anything happened to you, Morganna, God's truth, I don't know what I'd do."

DRAGE WATCHED THE VIDEO FEED closely, following the girl's progress backward, hoping to find where she had been drugged and by whom.

Fury ate inside Drage, as the male figure who had attempted to lead her from the club seemed aware of the placement of the video cameras. His face was kept carefully hidden from the all-seeing eyes spread through the ceiling and around the walls of the club. There were very few ways to avoid them, but this bastard had figured it out.

The reverse run of the video followed the girl back to her table, where she had been sitting with several of Morganna Chavez's friends. Jenna Lancaster was there, as were Sandy Mitchell and Craig Tyler. Waitresses had come and gone, and once again the shadowy male had shown up.

Drage watched as the man sat down beside Cathie Fitzhugh. The girl resembled Morganna Chavez a little too closely. Same style of dress, same hair. The drink he held was unobtrusively moved into the place of the drink the waitress

had just brought Miss Fitzhugh. Without looking, without checking, she picked up the wrong drink and began to consume it.

Craig Tyler had turned from the table at the same moment, looking out over the crowd. Sandy Mitchell had been flirting with Jenna Lancaster. It was as though the dark figure sitting among them was noticed by no one but the video camera. And then never at an angle to catch either his profile or his full expression.

---