Page 3 of Saved By the Marines (Soldiers Of Misfortune)

I turned and faced him. “Please. Just call me Bailey.”

He blinked at me for a moment and I wondered if he’d ignore me. He seemed like the kind of guy who was all business all the time. “Bailey,” he finally said. “You might want to change.”

I looked down and heat spread over my chest and up my neck toward my cheeks. I was still in my swimsuit. “Right. I’ll be down in two minutes,” I called out as I ran back into my room.

Slamming the door shut, I leaned my head back against it. The man probably thought I was an idiot. His friend thought I was a rich brat. Who knew what Kip thought? If I was lucky I’d be able to keep my distance from them as much as possible.

I grabbed a skirt, blouse, and some shoes and threw them on in record time, putting them over my dry suit to save time. Pulling open the door, I hopped on one foot as I put on my second heel.

There was Wolfe. Still waiting on me. I frowned at him, unsure why he was still here, but there wasn’t time to ask. I headed downstairs with him on my heels.

CHAPTER2

Bailey

Dad’s guests hadn’t gotten here just yet, so we sat and spoke in one of the smaller dining rooms in the embassy. It had more than one for occasions like this, so important meetings could happen and not be interrupted.

“Why are these guys following me around, Dad? Who are they?” I asked for the hundredth time in a matter of days. They bothered me. They were a distraction…and if I was being honest, sex personified. I wasn’t the kind of girl to be panting after men, but something about them drew me whether I wanted it or not.

I’d grown up used to people constantly being around. Having secret service close by was one thing, but Dad only got assigned a military security detail when something was up. So even though he was staying quiet about who they were, I knew something was off.

He sighed and shot me a look. “They’re Marine Force Recon.”

“English please?”

Dad had been a Marine, but I hadn’t been interested in learning much about his career, or following his footsteps into the military. The fact that I’d been born a girl was his biggest disappointment. He’d even told me once that if I’d been the son he’d prayed for I’d be serving out my time in the Marines and then would go into politics afterward, just like him. My eyes couldn’t have rolled any harder at the time.

He loved me, for the most part, but he never let me forget that I’d been born with the wrong equipment. That, plus his ‘take no prisoners’ approach toward raising me after Mom had died, made me a little resentful. I’d been in his sole care since I was seven. Losing my mom to a car accident had caused me to sink further into my shell. I wasn’t the rebellious type, so I’d gone along with whatever my father wanted. And everything he wanted always benefited him.

That was why I avoided coming home at all costs. It hadn’t been until I’d gotten some freedom that I realized I could be someone completely different. Anyone I wanted to be.

“They’re the Marines version of Special Forces.”

I frowned and gave him a worried look. “Why are special force units following you around? Us, around?”

“I’m only telling you this so that you start taking this seriously, Bailey. I’ve been receiving some threats.”

My lips thinned out as the worry escalated. “What kind of threats?”

“The death kind,” Wolfe rumbled as he walked into the room.

I glanced over at the tall dark-haired man. I wondered again if the three of them were brothers. They were all over six feet tall, muscle stacked on muscle, had tattoos, dark hair, and brown eyes. Wolfe had eyes so warm they could be melted pools of chocolate. It was anyone’s guess as to whether Wolfe was his last name, or some nickname he’d been given. He certainly hadn’t answered me when I’d asked that question.Maybe it’s because, if you’re lucky, he’ll devour you like a wolf.Where the hell had that thought come from?

Despite the military uniforms, they didn’t wear their name tags or Marine insignia. I hadn’t thought much of it until now. I didn’t know much about the military, but I knew that that was unusual. He’d introduced himself and his teammates on the first day we’d gotten here, but he hadn’t said much else up until a few days ago. That was when Jas and I had started sniping at each other. It was mutual annoyance at first sight.

“Are we safe here?” I asked, directing my question back to my father.

“That’s what we’re for,” Kip said as he and Jas walked into the room.

I kept my mouth closed. The last thing I wanted to do was start a fight right before Dad’s guests arrived. It was yet another boring meeting with his advisors and I wasn’t sure why he wanted me here for it. But I knew better than to skip it and arguing with his bodyguards right beforehand would earn me a boring lecture.

An amused look passed over Kip’s face at the mulish look on mine while Jas glared at me. I wasn’t sure what was perpetually stuck up his butt, but he and Kip seemed to be complete opposites. Kip was always grinning and Jas looked like the stick was lodged a bit too far for comfort. Wolfe seemed to be the peacekeeper and was the leader of their little group.

Dad’s advisors walked in and I stood up while he greeted them. He was running for re-election and all of his time had been focused on campaigning and what he needed to do to keep his Senate seat. At least until he decided to take this impromptu trip to South America.

Honestly, his campaigning was fine by me. It meant he was too busy to pay me much attention most of the time. I just didn’t understand why he’d put it on hold to be here. I had every intention of finding out. As his assistant I had his itinerary, and the trip was full of charity fundraisers and things that helped support bills he’d passed, and getting out and being seen was always important. But to beheredoing that was what made no sense. We should be home, in America.

It was unfortunate he was forcing me to be here with him this summer. These kinds of events didn’t interest me. More than that, they were a way for my father to ensure that he had a say in everything I did. I shook hands with the men gathered around my father, then stood back, wishing I was anywhere else.

---