Page 74 of Dangerous Games (Tempting SEALs 2)

"Macey." He didn't have to turn to the other man.

"I got her, man," he swore. "She won't move from here. I swear it."

"I need you to do this, Morganna."

He watched the knowledge in her expression that he was right and the impotent anger that filled her eyes. She knew -he wasn't experienced enough, and it was eating at her, tearing through her.

But God help him, even if she had been, he wouldn't have been able to take her with him. He was a killer. Stone cold. Without remorse when it came to the enemy. And Fuentes and any of his men were the enemy.

"Macey, find out if Markwell was into anything. If this was a personal hit. Get Kell and Ian out here; we'll need their help."

"I'm on it." Macey stood behind Morganna, prepared to stop her if she tried to follow Clint. He was terrified she would try to do just that.

He jerked her into his arms because he couldn't help himself. His lips covered hers, tasting her tears, her fear, then her heat. Pulling back, he pushed her to Macey. Clint didn't wait to be sure the other man was holding her back; he knew Macey would. Clint ignored her cry, ignored the need to touch her one more time before he move

d quickly for the stairs.

"Macey, I need some hardware." He detoured to the other side of the room, moving behind the stairwell to Macey's stash.

"Take what you need."

He did. He chose quickly, pushing ammo into a small duffel before slinging the automatic rifle over his shoulder and pushing the handgun into his waistband. Ignoring Morganna's arguments, he raced up the stairs and through the open entrance.

Fuentes had caught him unaware. It wouldn't happen again. He knew the monster stalking them now, and he'd be damned if he would let the bastard touch Morganna.

Chapter 20

"DAMN YOU, CLINT," MORGANNA CURSED as Clint disappeared up the stairs and left the basement. She raced up the steps, catching the wall as it clicked shut behind Clint's exit, effectively blocking her in once again. She pounded her fist against the wall before kicking out at it furiously.

Stomping back down the stairs, she faced the quiet, somber Macey as violence surged through her.

"He can't do this alone." She had seen the grief in his eyes, soul deep, filling his being and breaking her heart. "Go with him, Macey."

"Chill out, babe," he sighed, crossing his arms over his broad chest as he glared down at her. "You're forgetting who you're dealing with here. You're a hazard out there with him, just as he said. And so am I. Let him keep his head clear; he doesn't need to come back here to find you in Fuentes' hands." "He hasn't caught me yet," she snapped. Macey snorted. "He hasn't really tried, darlin'. Fuentes has been playing. It's what he excels at. He'll play in earnest now. He's taken out one of our men and that's not an easy thing to do. Right now, Clint needs to do what he does best. Hunt. While I do what I do best and track."

She flinched, stepping back as helplessness washed over him.

"They killed his men," she whispered. "He's destroyed, Macey-"

"He's a SEAL, Morganna." Macey rolled his eyes at her. "He's lost more friends than you can imagine. Nathan last year and now Markwell is a heavy hit, I admit, but he's stone cold when he's in work mode; don't you doubt it. That boy is an instrument of death right now, and you don't want to see that. Hell, you don't need to see that."

"He's hurting-"

"He's out for vengeance." Macey's smile was cold. Hard. "And trust me when I say Clint knows how to do death the right way. So just chill out and let him do his thing. Staying safe is the best way you can help him."

Her gaze flicked to the monitors then, seeing Clint step into the garage, the black-and-white monitor showing more than color ever could have.

The shadows shifting around his expression sent a shiver up her spine. His eyes were cold, hard. Chips of dark ice as he moved to the truck. He looked like death.

"Yeah, hell of a change, huh?" Macey grunted as he caught her expression. "He'll be back, Morganna. I can promise you that. He knows what he's facing, and he has more than his own life to fight for. He won't fail."

She stared back at him, hating the tears falling from her own eyes, hating the helplessness that filled her.

"What does he have left?" she whispered. "All he does is fight."

He shook his head slowly. "Clint's loyal to his men, don't doubt it," he growled. "But something anyone who really knew Clint understood was that you are his soul. He fights it. He denies it, but trust me, Morganna. Clint's not fighting for friends or family now, or for himself. You're his innocence, girl. And that a man would fight the devil himself for."

She shook her head slowly. "He'll always fight loving me."

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