Ride with the SEAL (Norse Security 1)

Everly grumbled under her breath while she did as he asked, standing off to the side near the fence after pulling up the overhead door. Cam got the Aeon into the garage with only a minor snafu when a rake fell on it. He winced slightly, hoping it wouldn’t leave a mark, but fearing it probably would, then cut the engine and climbed out. Once the car was secure, he closed and locked the overhead door then led Everly inside the house, just as the neighbors were starting to stir.

Everly looked around the place, her expression unreadable. “Not as bad as I expected.”

“Hey, it’s no Ritz-Carlton, but it’s clean and well-stocked.” He opened the fridge to show her bottled water and beer. Then he pointed to several boxes of power bars on the counter. “You thirsty? Or hungry?”

“No.” She rubbed her arms. “What I’d love right now is a shower.”

Cam showed her where the bathroom and guest bedroom were, then left her to it. The last thing he needed was to stand around, thinking about her naked and wet. He double-checked that all the doors and windows were secure, then settled at the kitchen table with a bottle of ale and his cell phone. Time to check in with the guys.

His boss, Kevin “Loki” Low, answered on the second ring. The guy was a former SEAL himself and still kept those crazy pre-dawn hours. “Norse Security.”

“Hey, Lok. It’s me.”

“Where the fuck are you?” Loki demanded, sounding none too pleased. “You were supposed to be back here at headquarters an hour ago.”

Wincing, Cam took a swig of his ale before continuing. “Things went… awry.”

“Awry?” Loki’s tone was less than forgiving. “Shit. I knew better than to send my tech guy out on a mission like this. Is the car still in one piece?”

“Yes. The Aeon’s fine.”

“Then what’s wrong? Why aren’t you here?”

“Well, I kind of got involved with someone.”

“Involved?” Cam could just picture Loki’s raised brow and narrowed gaze. “How?”

“There was someone there when I got to the garage to grab the Aeon. Knight’s daughter, Everly.”

A string of curses that made even a well-seasoned guy like Cam blush issued through the phone line. Loki finally exhaled slow then said, “Where are you now?”

“At the safe house, in Fredericksburg. Everly’s here too.”

“What?”

“Look, she helped me, okay?” Cam scrubbed a hand over the top of his buzz-cut hair. “She’s really good with cars and engines and stuff. I used to know her in high school. She might come in handy on this mission.”

“No.” Loki bit the word out, harsh as acid. “If you need tactical support, I’ll send Hunter.”

“I don’t need Hunter and I can handle this on my own. You never would’ve gotten the Aeon out of that garage without the passcode, which I was able to hack, remember? So, quit giving me shit. I’m the right guy for this mission, I swear. I just need to make sure I can trust Everly.”

“I’m not sure you can.” Good old Loki. Always the voice of reason. “Is she hot?”

Cam wrinkled his nose. “Hot?”

“Yeah. You said you knew her in high school. She in your spank bank or what?”

“Fuck.” Cam rubbed his hand over his face. This was not the conversation he wanted to have at this moment. Not with Everly on the other side of the wall in the shower and not after that steamy kiss they’d shared that had left him with a raging hard-on and enough fantasies to last for a good, long time. He couldn’t tell the truth to Loki. Not without seriously embarrassing himself. “No.”

A silent beat followed, then Loki said, “Well, whatever. You watch yourself. And her. I never trusted a woman as a wildcard and I’m not about to start now. This mission’s too important. Get some sleep tonight and call me again in the morning. Let me know when to expect you.”

The line went dead and Cam stared up at the ceiling, wondering when the fuck his life had gotten so complicated. An annoying buzzing sound kept issuing from somewhere in the house and Cam pushed to his feet to investigate. He found the culprit in the guest room, amidst the pile of clothes Everly had discarded to take her shower. Her phone was halfway sticking out of the pocket of her faded jeans, the screen lit up with a text.

After a quick glance to make sure the bathroom door was still closed across the hall, he picked it up and read the message. No specific person listed as the sender—just Knight’s Garage. Which most likely meant the mob who’d taken over her dad’s place. Apparently, Everly had forty-eight hours to get the Aeon back to them or she wouldn’t be paid.

Cam considered this as he put her phone back. Honestly, he shouldn’t care less whether she got her money or not. He was here to complete his own mission and prove his point to the guys that he could handle things solo. But as he headed out of the bedroom and back toward the kitchen, that damned message niggled in his brain. What money? Why did she need it? Was she in some sort of trouble? He didn’t know a huge amount about underworld chop shops, but he’d guess that since the Aeon was rare, parts wouldn’t be all that plentiful, or lucrative. So why else would they want the car? Could the mob be after the same valuable technology that he and the federal government were? And if so, why had they picked Everly to steal it for them? She was a lot of things—smart, industrious, distractingly gorgeous—but definitely not a computer whiz. Not like him, anyway. She worked with her hands, was good at it too. He couldn’t change a tire without a manual.

Which made this whole situation even more confusing than it already was.