Rescuing Gracelynn (Special Forces: Operation Alpha) (Bravo Series Book 1) Read online

  He glanced around at the other men. They were all members of R.I.S.C.’s recently formed Bravo Team. As private security contractors, they worked under the leadership of former Delta Force operator, Jake McQueen.

  The jobs they took were a lot like the ops they’d been on in the past, just without all the red tape bullshit.

  In addition to owning the company, Jake also served as Alpha Team’s leader. Alpha Team was R.I.S.C.’s original team and was well-known and highly respected throughout the military and U.S. intelligence communities.

  Along with private jobs, the five man, one woman Alpha Team took on a lot of high-risk, under-the-radar jobs for Homeland Security.

  But, with all the evil in the world, R.I.S.C.’s services were in high demand, so McQueen decided they needed to expand.

  Enter Nate and the rest of Bravo.

  Each member had been hand-picked by McQueen based on their former military experience and area of expertise. Nate was Bravo’s technical analyst, which meant if it involved computers and finding intel, he was your guy.

  Nate swallowed the rest of his beer as the Texas sun beat down on his face, neck, and forearms. There was just enough bite to its heat to let him know summer had officially begun.

  Thankfully, the melt-your-face heat Mother Nature bestowed upon their great state each year had yet to arrive. It was only a matter of time.

  Not that he didn’t love living here. It was just that, having grown up near Richmond, Virginia—where the highest average summer temp was eighty-seven degrees—the Texas heat still took some getting used to.

  Reaching down into the small cooler he’d brought with him, Nate’s fingers met ice cold water as he pulled out his second beer of the day. After flicking the water from his hand, he twisted off its metal cap and looked around at the other men sitting nearby.

  Less than a year ago, they didn’t know each other existed. Now, they were his teammates. His brothers. There wasn’t one man here Nate wouldn’t lay his life down for, if necessary.

  “So, what do y’all think about that new treaty agreement President Russell’s talking about signing?” Zade asked the group.

  “The one with Turkey?” Matt asked. When Zade nodded, Matt shrugged a shoulder. “Sounds like it’ll be good for both countries. If it happens.”

  “What are your thoughts, Boss?” Zade looked at Gabe.

  “I think they’re both politicians,” the surly man grumbled.

  “Meaning?” Nate asked.

  Their team leader scooted forward as far as he could in the tight seat and rested his elbows on his thighs. “Meaning, at the end of the day, they’re working to do what’s best for themselves and their careers.”

  “Well, I think it’s great.” Zade relaxed back into his own chair a little more. “From everything I’ve seen so far, President Russell seems like the real deal.”

  “As real as any politician can be, you mean,” Matt mumbled.

  Tipping his beer bottle toward Matt, Zade raised a brow. “Good point.”

  As the three men continued their discussion on the players of politics, Nate’s focus shifted from that conversation to the voices suddenly coming from the house.

  From behind his sunglasses, he watched as Kole stepped outside the sliding glass door and onto the patio where they were all currently sitting. Held securely between both hands was a large tray filled with several raw hamburger patties and other assorted meats.

  About fucking time. Nate had skipped breakfast and it was after twelve. He was starving.

  As Kole walked over to the large smoker he’d just purchased, Sarah also came outside and made her way to Kole’s side. Her long, blonde hair was pulled up into a messy bun, and her white shorts and black T-shirt showed off her great figure.

  Not that he was looking at her like that. Sure, Sarah was attractive, but the young lawyer was like a sister to him.

  Nate smiled. He may give Kole shit about being tied down, but the truth was, he couldn’t be happier for his friends. After everything those two had been through, they deserved to get their happily ever after.

  A strange twinge fluttered through his chest. It felt a lot like jealousy, but that couldn’t be right. Nate didn’t do relationships, and he sure as hell had no intention of doing the whole picket fence bullshit.

  With Kole and Sarah, it was practically love at first sight. Even after Kole’s shocking diagnosis and Sarah’s near-death experience at the hands of a psychopathic stalker, the couple had managed to stick together.

  Nate had to admit, the love his friends had for each other was almost inspiring. And a little nauseating.

  Nate had zero desire to settle down. That was Kole’s thing. Not his.

  About to take another sip of his beer, Nate stopped just before the glass rim touched his lips. Frozen mid-motion, he suddenly and inexplicably found it hard to breathe.

  A beautiful, vibrant-looking woman had just stepped outside and onto the patio. Nate knew from a couple pictures he’d seen, she had to be Gracelynn, Sarah’s half-sister who’d just moved here from Maryland.

  In the pics, both she and Sarah had been a good distance from the camera. They’d gone hiking somewhere, and Gracelynn had been wearing a baseball cap and sunglasses, so it was hard to gauge how she really looked.

  Staring at her now, though, Nate knew without a doubt she was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen.

  Even from behind his dark lenses, he could tell her eyes were the same large, round shape as her sister’s. But instead of being blue like Sarah’s, Gracelynn’s were golden brown.

  They lit up when she smiled at something Kole said, and Nate found himself wanting to drink in every drop of the light he saw shining behind them.

  It wasn’t just her eyes that drew him in. Everything about this woman was captivating.

  Gracelynn’s long hair fell in waves to the middle of her back. Its golden, almost caramel color reminded him of a warm, fall day.

  The thin straps of the yellow sundress she was wearing stood out against the naturally sun-kissed skin of her bare shoulders. And then there was her smile.

  Nate could actually feel its warmth spreading over him as he sat there, staring like an idiot.

  When the three of them began walking toward him, Nate shook himself out of the trance, and took a big gulp to regroup. What the hell just happened?

  “Guys, I’d like you to meet Gracelynn, Sarah’s sister.”

  The other men all said hello, standing to shake her hand and introduce themselves. Rather than the polite greeting he should’ve given, Nate remained seated and took another swig.

  “It’s nice to finally meet you all. And please, call me Gracie.”

  Hearing her voice for the first time was such a shock to Nate’s system he had to catch his breath, again.

  Unfortunately, he still had beer in his mouth when he did.

  Coughing and sputtering, Nate spit most of it out onto the concrete in front of him, which also happened to be close to where Gracelynn—Gracie—was standing.

  Jumping back to avoid the shower of beer, Nate continued to cough as though he were trying to hack up a lung.

  “Are you okay?” Gracie asked at the exact same time Kole reprimanded him.

  “What the hell, man?”

  “Sorry,” Nate managed to choke out. “Beer went down…the wrong tube.”

  After a few more seconds of the embarrassing coughing fit, he cleared his throat and apologized to Gracie again. “Sorry about that. I didn’t get any on you, did I?”

  “Nope,” She smiled back, almost making Nate feel like he was choking again. “Pretty sure my catlike reflexes kicked in just in time.”

  Nate chuckled, her sense of humor making his already half-hard dick twitch inside his cargo shorts.

  Down there, fella. Can’t go sporting wood in front of the entire team.

  “You must be Nate.” Gracie held her hand out to him. “Sarah’s told me a lot about you.”

  He stared at her outstretche
d hand, mesmerized by how small and delicate it was. Her nails were on the shorter side but were manicured and painted red to match her toes.

  Nate could feel the crotch of his shorts becoming tighter and tighter, and fuck-all if he could do anything to stop it. He sure as hell couldn’t stand up to greet Gracie in this condition, which meant he had to improvise.

  Scooting forward in his chair, Nate reached out and took her hand in his. Ignoring the zing of electricity shooting through him, he shook her hand and smiled. “Whatever your sister told you about me, I can assure you it’s all lies.”

  Just before she laughed, Nate could have sworn he heard a small intake of air. Almost like a tiny gasp. Satisfaction rolled through him as he realized she’d felt it, too.

  Felt what? Jesus, man. Get a grip.

  “Oh, it was all good things.” She laughed nervously. “Don’t worry.”

  Nate forced a smile. “See? Lies.”

  Gracie laughed again, and when she released his hand, Nate immediately felt a strange void from the loss of her touch.

  The two continued to stare at each other for what felt like several minutes. In reality, it was probably no more than a couple seconds before Sarah broke the awkward silence.

  “Well, the burgers will be done shortly, so I’m going to go in and set the rest of the food out onto the kitchen island. Is everyone good on drinks? We have beer, wine, soda, and water if anyone needs anything.”

  The guys all nodded except Turner, who stood and walked toward Sarah and the other two.

  “I wouldn’t mind a beer. The invite said drinks provided, so I didn’t bring any.” He lifted his chin toward Nate’s cooler and rolled his eyes. “Apparently not everyone here took the time to read it.”

  Forgetting the company he was in, Nate said, “I read it, asshole. I’m just particular on the kind of beer I drink. Plus, I’m not a fucking mooch, like you.”

  Matt flipped him off as he walked by, giving Nate the sudden urge to trip the bastard.

  “It’s not mooching if you’re told in a formal invitation that drinks will be provided for you.”

  Nate snorted. “If you consider a hand-written note that’s been Xeroxed a formal invitation, I’d hate to see what other events you bless with your presence.”

  “Eat a dick, Carter.”

  “No, thanks. I’ve seen some of the places yours has been.”

  “Aaaand, we’ve come full-circle, ladies and gentlemen,” Zade said dryly. “Back to talking about Matt’s sexual history.”

  Nate gave him a smirk, and the two men clinked their beers together.

  “No fighting, boys.” Kole raised his brows. “Sarah’s only rule for today.”

  “Only one? I’m sure there are plenty of other ways we could cause a ruckus.”

  Kole shook his head at Nate. “You do, you’re gonna have to deal with my fiancée.”

  Nate considered this a moment, then sat back and relaxed. “No, thanks. I’ve seen her when she gets pissed.”

  “Right? That woman is a force to be reckoned with, for sure. Luckily, I don’t usually see that side of her unless I’m watching her try a case in court.” With a wink, Kole walked back over to flip the burgers and brats.

  Nate smiled back at him, but his eyes soon became glued on the woman on the other side of the glass door. He could see Gracie moving gracefully around the kitchen as she helped Sarah get everything ready. Matt, the fucker, had just said something that made her laugh.

  The same, unfamiliar feeling returned from before, only this time it was stronger. Wilder.

  The longer Nate continued to watch Matt talking and laughing Gracie, the less he could deny what it was.

  He was jealous.

  Out of nowhere, Nate pictured himself standing up, storming into the kitchen, and pounding the shit out of his teammate.

  Whoa. Where the fuck did that come from?

  Nate shook his head and looked away from the door. Maybe Matt was right. Maybe he just needed to get laid.

  After the thing here was over, Nate decided he’d go back to Bucky’s—the country bar and dance hall they’d all gone to the night before. He’d see if he could find the woman from last night and try to sweet talk his way back into her bedroom.

  If that didn’t work, he’d surely find someone half-way decent who’d be willing to take him home for the night. Or at least to his truck for a quick one-off.

  For the rest of the afternoon, Nate and the others ate and shared a few drinks. When it began to get dark, the temperature dropped and a cool breeze came rolling through. They all moved their chairs around the stone fire pit Nate had helped Kole build a few weeks back.

  There was a lot of laughing when the guys began telling Sarah and Gracie a few funny stories. They talked about their time spent training together when Bravo was first formed and some jobs they’d been on since.

  They didn’t share details, of course. Their jobs—especially those they did for Homeland Security—were highly classified. Only those with a certain level of government clearance could be read in on the specifics.

  Thanks to her former position with the NSA, Gracie held almost as high a clearance as Nate and the rest of Bravo Team. He was still shocked she’d given up a job like that for what basically amounted to an office manager’s position in their company.

  “I can’t believe you left a job with the NSA to come work for R.I.S.C.,” Matt said bluntly, mimicking Nate’s most recent thoughts.

  Gracie simply shrugged. “Trust me, my job in Maryland wasn’t very exciting. Plus, I wanted to be closer to Sarah and Kole. I love what R.I.S.C. does, and even though it’s only been a week, I can already tell Mr. McQueen is a much better boss to work for than my last one.”

  “Yeah, Jake’s awesome,” Matt agreed. The other men all nodded their heads, as well.

  “The entire Alpha Team is, really,” Zade added in his thoughts.

  “They’re right, Gracie,” Nate joined in on the conversation. “You won’t find a more supportive, respectable boss. As long as you show up and do your job to the best of your ability, McQueen will have your back one hundred percent.”

  Gracie’s perfect, bow-shaped lips turned upward. “That’s the impression I got when I spoke to him on the phone that first time. And he was so nice when Sarah introduced us in person my first day in Dallas last week. Your team was in Mexico then, right? Working a human trafficking case?”

  “We were,” Nate answered, not surprised she’d been apprised of what the team was working on at the time.

  Gracie’s brown brows turned inward. “It’s so scary how easily young girls and women can find themselves caught up in all that.”

  “Not just girls, either.”

  They all turned to Gabe, who’d been sitting quietly and listening for most of the evening.

  “The number of young boys who are taken and sold gets higher and higher every day.” He shook his head, a muscle in his jaw bulging. “Sick bastards.”

  “Sick is right,” Matt chimed in. “The things these monsters do…seeing shit like that almost makes you lose your faith in humanity.

  “Ain’t that the fucking truth,” Zade agreed.

  “That’s why the world needs people like you,” Gracie said sincerely. She looked around at each of the men. “What you do is amazing, and I’m thrilled to know I’ll be playing a small part in it all.” She laughed at herself, then, added, “Even if it is mostly just setting up meetings with clients or answering the phone. The NSA literally has tens of thousands of employees. To them, I was just a number with hundreds of applicants waiting in line to take my place. I doubt anyone even noticed when I left.”

  I’d notice.

  Clearing both his throat and his thoughts, Nate offered her a warm smile. “Well, from what Kole has said, we’re lucky to have you.”

  Gracie gave him a bubbly, “Thanks, Nate.” Her words were immediately followed by a large yawn. “And on that note, I think I’m going to call it a night.” She stood and began to fold h
er chair.

  She’s leaving?

  Nate’s heart pounded in his chest. He didn’t want her to leave. Not yet. Keeping his voice as casual as possible, he asked, “Already? It’s still early.”

  “Yeah, I know.” She sounded regretful. “But I still have a few things to finish up around the apartment tomorrow, and I need to go grocery shopping. I know it’s only Saturday, but Monday always comes before we know it.” Looking around at the group once more, she said, “It was really nice to meet you all. I look forward to working with you.”

  Goodbyes were said, and Sarah walked Gracie inside. Nate didn’t understand it, but he felt as though he were going to crawl out of his skin with the need to talk to her one more time before she left.

  Standing swiftly, he announced to the guys, “I need to use the head.” He walked inside just as Sarah was stepping back out.

  “Are you leaving, too?” she asked, sounding disappointed.

  “Nah, not yet. Just need to use the bathroom.”

  “Good.” Patting his arm, she squeezed by him and walked over to the group.

  Nate practically ran through the kitchen and living room to the front door, relieved when he caught a glimpse of Gracie just starting to close it.

  “Hey, Gracie! Wait up.” He reached for the door to keep it from shutting all the way.

  She swung her head around. “Yeah?”

  “Sorry. I know you want to go home, but I wanted to talk to you about something real quick before you leave.”

  “Okay.”

  “Kole told me the other day he and Sarah wanted to do their bachelor and bachelorette parties together.”

  “Sarah told me the same thing. Between you and me, I don’t get it, but whatever.” She shrugged and rolled her eyes at the pair. “I mean, those two are practically joined at the hip anyway, so I guess it shouldn’t come as a big surprise.”

  Nate laughed. “Right? So, listen. I was thinking, since you are the maid of honor and I’m the best man, the duty to plan said evening falls on us.” He wanted to give himself a high-five for coming up with such a great excuse to talk to her on the fly like that.

  “Okay…” Gracie let the word drag out, clearly wondering where Nate was going with this whole thing.