Special Forces Seduction. C.J. Miller

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СКАЧАТЬ had felt a shift between her and Finn, as well. They were embarking on a mission together. Their career and relationship were colliding.

      Hyde’s father approached and Hyde braced for impact. She didn’t want to lie to her family, but she didn’t have a good, clear way to explain Finn’s sudden presence in Bearcreek or why she was leaving.

      “Alexandra, are you coming by for dinner tonight? The caterer dropped off the leftover food from the wedding. There’s plenty for everyone. Even for your friend.” Her father gestured at Finn.

      No chance of avoiding an introduction. Hyde pointed to Finn. “Dad, this is Finn. We used to work together.” Not a lie and didn’t give away anything about the past.

      Her father extended his hand. “Nice to meet you. Are you in town on business?”

      Finn opened his mouth to answer.

      Hyde jumped in. “Finn needs me to go with him on another job.”

      Her father stiffened and annoyance crossed his face. “Why? I thought you quit that job and were planning to stick around for a while. We’ve liked having you.”

      Finn looked from her to her father, his gaze assessing. Her stomach was coiled with tension. She didn’t want her father to get the wrong idea about them. Having had a happy, forty-year-long marriage, her father wanted his three daughters to have the same. Hyde suspected he worried more about Lydia’s happiness since she was under so much stress, but Hyde concerned him.

      “I did quit. This is one last job. It requires my expertise. Big client and it’s important.”

      Her father appeared resolved. He indicated behind him. “Make sure you say goodbye to your mother. This time, call from the road so we know you’re safe. I don’t like this. I think you’ll get pulled back in by him.” Her father looked at Finn. “I thought my daughter might have been involved in a relationship and that kept her away. She came home, quiet and lost and I figured she had her heart broken. You show up and it pretty much confirms it.”

      “Dad, Finn didn’t—”

      “Come on, Alexandra. I wasn’t born yesterday. I have eyes and I have father instincts.” Her dad looked at Finn up and down. “You’re the type she’d go after.”

      Guilt ballooned inside her. How could she reassure her father that wasn’t the case? She wasn’t leaving Bearcreek to chase after a relationship with Finn. This was about taking Reed Barnett down and helping Lydia. “It’s just work.”

      “It’s never just work,” her dad said.

      Hyde looked away from her father, sure she would spill the entire truth if she met his gaze. “I’ll be fine, Dad. I’ll be home soon.”

      Her dad wrapped her in a hug. “Don’t stay away too long.”

      Hyde left Bearcreek with a heavy heart, but hopeful about the mission. She was doing this for the right reasons and for her family. Making Lydia happy would make this worth it. Being a spy for the last ten years, Hyde had learned to bury her emotions and when it came to Finn, she would do just that.

      * * *

      If she weren’t working an op, Hyde would have enjoyed Reed Barnett’s remote, private island, one of the nicest islands she had visited in the last ten years. Accessible only by private transportation via air or sea, it was the perfect getaway for two people who were harried, stressed and in need of some rest and relaxation.

      What waited for them on the island was none of those things. The West Company had briefed them on the operation, and Hyde was in the zone. The sooner she could nail Barnett and bring down his enterprise, the sooner she could return home. Her father’s words had stuck with her. He had seen something between her and Finn. Her feelings for Finn had delved deeper than she had realized if they were apparent to others. Keeping those in check would be part of the mission.

      She had promised her parents she would call. She’d have to remember to do that and make sure she had a safe way to communicate without dragging them into this operation. Barnett was crafty. He could trace phone calls to and from his island. He could have her and Finn under surveillance. Hyde was prepared for anything.

      The sea surrounding the island was crystal blue, the sky was dotted with white clouds and the weather warm without being humid. The island was ringed by white sandy beaches, blending into a picturesque foliage of palm, casuarina and prince wood trees. Nestled among the greenery at the tallest point on the island was Barnett’s compound, the light tan of the walls and red of the roof gleaming in the sun.

      Barnett was the king of his own private island. Though the island was officially part of a nearby chain, Barnett maintained its independence by paying off the authorities. On this island, Barnett was the law.

      Barnett was staying on the island and cooling his heels. The heat needed to die down after his last big score. The sale and transfer of thousands of pounds of cocaine into Miami, Florida, had netted Reed Barnett millions. If he chose to set foot in the United States, the government would arrest him and try to make charges stick. Barnett let others take the fall for his crimes and he was slippery, sliding into hidey-holes whenever he needed to disappear.

      Hyde exited the private villa where she and Finn were staying while on Barnett’s island. The villa was located on the beach about half a mile from the main compound. The little house was spacious and well furnished with high-end finishes and an open floor plan. Bamboo reeds covered the exterior of the hut and blended with the sand.

      She strode to a wooden lounge chair facing the ocean and adjusted the angle of the chair. Assuming her role as Finn’s jet-setting lover, she mentally prepared herself to meet Reed Barnett.

      Under other circumstances, taking him out quickly might have been her preferred course of action. They wanted to get off the island alive, and it was better to conclude the operation with evidence against Barnett and his cohorts to bring them to justice. When the opportunity presented itself to nail Barnett for his crimes, she would take it.

      Closing her eyes, she stretched out on the lounge chair and lowered her sunglasses onto her face.

      Finn whistled from behind her, and his shadow fell over her as he approached. “You can wear that bikini the entire time we’re here.”

      Hyde rolled her eyes. She was wearing next to nothing. The bikini was light-colored, strips of fabric and string, and left no place to conceal her weapon. She felt feminine and pretty for the first time in months. Though it had taken an extra twenty minutes, she’d dried and styled her hair, smoothing it into soft curls.

      She needed this op as a final farewell to this life, a successful mission to give Lydia closure and to say goodbye to Finn. Giving her sister peace of mind would ease Hyde’s guilt. Losing Finn in her life would be devastating. She hadn’t known a man as smart and brave as he was. Their relationship was intense and exciting. Back home in Montana, she wouldn’t find a man to replace him. Finn was one of a kind. “If you like this, I have some equally fabric-challenged clothes packed.” The West Company had provided her a suitcase containing everything she needed to behave like Alexandra Morgan, the dim-witted girlfriend of a major drug cartel leader operating on the East Coast in the United States.

      The West Company had provided Finn a solid background, identity and large bank account as Finn Moore, as well. His persona would hold water as long as Reed Barnett didn’t press or dig too hard. The experts at the West Company СКАЧАТЬ