Strategic Engagement (Wingmen Warriors 5)

He placed the 9 mm in her hands before she could press him to talk anymore. "Don't aim unless you're willing to follow through." Daniel tucked the .45 into his survival vest and strode toward the door.

She followed. "If you have problems with me pitching in once we step through the door, you're just going to have to get over yourself."

The pounding of her determined steps echoed behind him.

An all-out smile pulled free, so damned incongruous at the moment that he smiled even more. For better or worse, emotionally unavailable was never an option around Mary Elise. A low chuckle rode up and out. "That's my girl."

"What?"

He stopped her in the open doorway, palming the metal frame over her head. And it hit him, full force like the power of the so-damned-pretty green eyes staring back at him. He knew just what had him smiling in the middle of the worst day of his life. "You're back."

"Pardon me?"

Grazing his knuckles along her cheek, over skin still a shade too pale but the woman beneath humming with renewed vitality that had nothing to do with medications. "Before, you were half here, holding pieces away from me."

"I thought we already covered why I felt I couldn't tell you—"

With one finger to her lips, he silenced her. "That's not what I meant. You were holding pieces of yourself back, but not anymore. You're here and in my face, and, yeah, it can be annoying as hell, but I'm so damned glad to see you again, I can't bring myself to do anything more than…"

Screw wise decisions. He'd have to deal with enough of those after he finished securing the perimeter and locked himself inside alone with Mary Elise who deserved a helluva lot more than what he had to offer.

He kissed her, hard, fast and on the mouth before pulling back. His hand still cupped her head, fingers in tangled red curls that would cling to his memory.

"Welcome home, Mary Elise. I missed you."

Eyes fixed on the purples and mauves of the darkening skyline as she jogged down the cabin steps, Mary Elise wondered how the world could look so level when surely the ground under her feet tipped decidedly to the left. Right when she had her feet steady under her, purpose set… Bam! Danny shook things up again.

Welcome home, Mary Elise.She followed Daniel, hand on the wooden rail just to be safe from the rocking-world problem, and tried to reconcile the conflicting images. The man who'd stroked such a gentle caress down her face was the same man who'd dug out an arsenal from under the floorboards. And both fascinated her.

I missed you.

Shadowed by the graceful arch of an oak, Daniel popped the hatch on the SUV and reached inside, providing too tempting a view. Sheesh. She might as well be nineteen again given the way her hormones were acting.

From deep inside, he pulled a stack of buckets. "Before you get your knickers in knot, I'm not asking you to mop a floor." He glanced back over his shoulder.

Busted. Scavenger birds squawked a mocking call from the shoreline. A grin teased her lips as she gave him a wide-eyed look of innocence so overplayed she knew she hadn't fooled him for a second.

How bizarre to feel lighthearted with the worst of threats looming. Not unlike that moment years ago when Daniel had scooped her up in his arms, and while she knew they were both in a mess, somehow his smile made it okay.

A tickle of unease fluttered in her stomach.

She didn't want to depend on anyone for her happiness. And most of all, she did not want to be a little in love with Daniel Baker again.

He hefted out another bag, a jingling sounding inside. She peered inside to find…

"Twenty-penny nails."

Large. Spike-size. Well there was a hefty dose of reality for a girl. "What am I supposed to do with these?"

"Hang tough and watch. You'll need to do this with twenty-three more buckets."

Daniel sat on the back bumper, a handful of the metal spikes beside him. One by one he shoved three through the plastic on one side, then three more on the other. An industrialsize roll of duct tape in his hand, he encircled the outside to secure the nail heads so the points angled slightly down on the inside.

He passed her the bag of nails. "Do this with the other buckets while I fan out and work on the first line of protection. This will be our second ring of defense."

"I'm still not understanding."

"We'll dig holes around the cabin at the most logical places where someone might approach. Drop these inside, cover each hole with a layer of pine needles and leaves over thin twigs. When a foot goes in, it's not coming back out—at least not without a lengthy process and a lot of pain. Even if he works free before we get there, he'll be slowed from the injury."