Page 70 of Dangerous Games (Tempting SEALs 2)

"That won't help-"

"The hell it won't," he snapped, staring back at her, certain that the stakes in the game Diego was playing were much higher than he had ever imagined. "I won't let Fuentes have you, Morganna. He knows you were the one that witnessed those dealers' spiking that drink. He may even know who I am. I won't give him a chance to take you."

He'd hide her as far back in the mountains as he could get her and pray to God they could catch Diego before he found them. If Fuentes' network was back in place, then they could all be screwed. Royally.

"Raven's blocking my calls to Reno," he informed her tightly. "When we get to Macey's, call her; get Reno on the phone. They could be in danger as well. He needs to know what's going on now."

"God, Raven will kill both of us for ruining her honeymoon."

"She'll live. That's what's important," he snapped back. "When you get Reno on the phone, Morganna, I want to talk to him."

"Sure. Fine. Whatever." He heard the safety click on her gun before she opened her purse and stored it inside.

God. He couldn't believe this. Years, fucking years of fighting to protect her, only to have her in danger now because of him. Flashes of the videos taken in as evidence in the past two years that drug had been sifting through the party scene had his guts tying in knots.

The women were brutalized. The thought of Morganna being taken, drugged, hurt in such a way, was more than he could stand. His hands tightened on the steering wheel in a killing grip as he drove through the late-night traffic to the seedier side of town.

Macey wasn't anyone's idea of a good ole boy. A huge bruiser with a head for electronics like nothing Clint had ever seen and a fist that packed a hurting. Pulling his cell phone from its holder, Clint punched in the number.

"We're on leave." Macey's voice was warning.

"I'm in trouble," Clint said softly. "I have Reno's sister with me and we have some bad shit going down, Mace."

"How far away are you?"

"I'm five minutes from you. I need wheels and the ones I have need to show up in an area far, far from here.

"

"Hell of an order," he grunted. "Pull into the back; the garage doors will be open. We'll store your beauty there until we can round everything up."

Macey wasn't one to waste words. The line disconnected just as fast as he had answered.

"We have to warn Joe," she said as Clint pocketed the cell phone.

Clint sighed deeply. She was a friend to Merino, he understood that, but she wasn't hard enough, cold enough, to understand that a friend's knife would slash your throat faster than the enemies' would.

"Clint, we can't leave him in the dark," she pressed again.

"We can't risk it, Morganna." He shook his head firmly. I don't know who I can trust on that team, but I know one of them betrayed us. Only Joe's team knew where we were going to be ahead of time. Not even Trina knew we'd be showing up."

"It can't be Joe," she whispered. "Clint, he's lost friends in this assignment already. You haven't seen the effect it's had on him. Joe wouldn't do this."

She wasn't hard enough. God help him. And her.

"And he won't believe it was one of his team," he snapped back. "He trusts them, Morganna, just as I trust Reno. Use • our head here. We don't trust anyone. Macey understands the rules. I'll get what I need and then we're out of there. Period. He screws me and he won't live to spend whatever Fuentes might have tried to bribe him with. Macey won't screw himself like that. I can't say that about Merino or his men."

Chapter 19

She was too innocent for this. Too tender. He caught the flash of hurt that crossed her expression, the stillness of her slight body.

"I'll take care of you, Morganna." He ground the words between his teeth and looked over at her, reaching out to touch her, to cup her pale cheek. "But you have to trust me, baby. Trust me."

Clint pulled back as he neared the end of Macey's street He pulled into the alley behind Macey's less than pristine house, then turned into the small junkyard behind it.

The garage door was open as Macey had promised. Clint drove the truck into the dark interior, the heavy doors sliding closed behind him as the overhead lights lit up the area.

There was no way to reassure her. Not yet. He had to keep her alive. He had to keep his wits about him. If he touched her, God forbid if he weakened enough to hold her, then his control would be shot. And that neither one of them could afford.

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