Rescuing Ellena (Special Forces: Operation Alpha) (Bravo Series Book 4) Read online

  “Nope.”

  The same blasted hope returned, creating a sudden sense of anger. Damn it, she was trying to move the hell on, already. He clearly wanted nothing to do with her, so…

  “Why didn’t you bring them?” Ellena demanded to know.

  His expression intensified. “I had other things on my mind.”

  “Like what?”

  He scoffed. “Like wondering whether or not you were going to be okay.”

  It was her turn to raise a brow. “You expect me to believe you were so worried about me you didn’t think to grab them before flying all this way?”

  “Yes.” He dropped his arms to the side, moving close enough he was almost right next to the mattress. Gabe looked her square in the eye when he said, “That’s exactly what I expect you to believe.”

  Ellena took a moment to study him. He was worried about her, sure, but her gut said there was more to his being here than he was letting on.

  “Why are you really here, Gabriel?”

  His eyes darkened, just like they used to when she’d use his full name. He slid a quick glance in Jenna’s direction, but when his gaze found hers again, the cold shield that was there before had returned.

  “Tell me about the bike.”

  “How did you…” Ellena felt nauseated as the disappointing realization finally settled in.

  He may not be here to put an end to their estranged marriage, but he wasn’t here to fix it, either. In typical Gabe fashion, he thought she was in trouble and had swooped in to save the day.

  The man was nothing if not protective.

  It was like he seriously couldn’t help himself. If someone needed the kind of protection he could offer—especially a damsel he believed to be in distress—Gabriel Dawson didn’t hesitate to rush in and save them.

  His alpha heroism was as engrained in him as breathing.

  If Ellena was being perfectly honest, it was also one of the many reasons she’d loved him.

  You still love him.

  Ignoring the useless thought, she turned to her friend. “You told him, didn’t you?”

  “Gosh.” Jenna stood and smiled back at her with a little too much enthusiasm. The other woman made it a point to glance at the clock. “You know, you were right. It’s really late, and I have to work again tomorrow, so I really should be going.”

  “Jenna,” Ellena warned.

  “As you, yourself pointed out earlier, I’ve been working all day and…” Her friend feigned an exaggerated yawn. “Man, I’m beat.”

  More pieces of the crazy reality she’d woken up in began falling into place.

  Gabe being called instead of Jenna.

  His knowing about the bike.

  The guard outside her door.

  I’m going to strangle her. “Oh, no you don’t.” Elle gave her friend a stern look. “You’re not leaving here until you tell me the truth about what’s going on.”

  With an innocent tilt of her head, Jenna asked, “What do you mean, sweetie?”

  “Don’t you sweetie me. I know very good and well that you are listed as my emergency contact person because I changed that when we got our new system a couple of months back. Not to mention, the only way Gabe could know about what happened with the bike is if you told him, because you’re the only person I told.” Ellena’s gaze bounced back and forth between her soon-to-be-ex and her frustrating best friend. “Somebody had better start talking. Now.”

  Looking as if he were fighting a smile, Gabe looked across the bed at Jenna. “Go on, Jen. I’ve got this covered.”

  “I’m sorry, this?” Ellena balked at the comment.

  Gabe’s eyes found hers once more. “The situation,” he carefully clarified.

  “There is no ‘situation’. I was in a car wreck caused by a careless driver.”

  “From what I understand, you can’t remember what caused the wreck. So there’s no way you could know that.”

  It wasn’t just the wreck. She’d nearly lost an entire day. “It was an accident Gabe. End of story.”

  He shrugged. “I disagree.”

  “Well you can disagree all you like, but that doesn’t mean you’re right.”

  Jenna interrupted their bickering with a gentle side-hug. “I’m going to give you two some time to catch up.”

  Despite Ellena’s continued objections, her friend bid them both a goodnight with a promise to come by before her shift the next afternoon.

  Seconds later, Jenna was gone and Ellena was alone in a room with her husband for the first time in what felt like forever.

  For several, long seconds neither said a word, the awkward silence in the room deafening.

  Part of her knew she shouldn’t be so angry with him. After all, he had clearly dropped everything to come here because he thought she was in danger.

  On the other hand, that was one of the biggest reasons why she was so upset.

  While it was true Gabe didn’t come to California to end their marriage, he sure as heck hadn’t come here because the accident had made him realize he still loved her…as she’d first hoped.

  No, the only reason he’d stormed back into her life was because he thought she needed his protection.

  Didn’t he get it? She didn’t need nor did she want his protection. She only wanted him. Or at least she used to.

  God, she hated feeling like this. Truth be told, Ellena didn’t have a clue what she wanted, other than to not hurt anymore.

  Unfortunately, there wasn’t a medication on the market that could ease the chronic pain in her heart.

  The sound of a chair scraping across the tile floor drew her attention back to the object of her frustration. Sitting next to the bed, now, Gabe leaned his elbows on his thick thighs and let his loosely connected hands hang between them.

  “Look, Elle.” He spoke more softly than before. “I know my being here isn’t easy for you.”

  Um…understatement, much?

  At least he didn’t go on about how hard it was for him, too. He made his bed, then he left her alone in it.

  “Then I’ll ask you again.” Ellena stared back at him. “Why are you here? And why did you arrange for a guard? I mean, I know Jenna means well, but I promise you, she’s blowing my almost-bike-wreck way out of proportion. You know how she is with all her conspiracy theories.”

  “I’m not here because of the bike,” he interrupted. “Although I do want to take a look at it later.”

  Gabe hesitated, then. Something the man only did when he was either nervous or about to deliver some bad news.

  Great. “I know that look, Gabriel. Just say whatever it is you came here to say.”

  Drawing in a long, deep breath, he slowly released the air from his lungs before locking his gorgeous, tormented eyes with hers. “I have reason to believe someone is trying to kill you.”

  Ellena laughed, but then winced when her reaction caused the throbbing in her head to return. “Come on, Gabe. Just because I had a couple of accidents, that doesn’t mean someone’s intentionally trying to hurt me.”

  “It’s not just that.” He shut down her attempt to rationalize the situation. There was another slight hesitation and then, “I had a visitor earlier tonight, Elle. Just before the hospital called. This person who came to see me is…well connected.”

  She started to furrow her brow, but a quick, sharp pain reminded her of the cut on her forehead. “Connected how?”

  Gabe shook his head, his tone serious when he told her, “You don’t want to know.”

  Something about the way he said it made her believe him. “Okay, so can you at least tell me what this visitor said?”

  He started to reach out, almost as if he were going to rest his hand on her leg but stopped himself. “He told me someone very dangerous is after you.”

  The discontentment she felt from his not touching her was more than a little disturbing.

  Refusing to let it show, she gave him an incredulous look. “And you believed him?”

  His
single nod and somber expression were enough to make her stomach turn. “I believe him.”

  A few seconds passed before Ellena responded with a head shake that reminded her she needed to stop moving her head altogether. “You realize how crazy that sounds, right?” She stared back at him. “I’m a psychologist, Gabe. I talk to them and then I go home. I sometimes stop at the grocery store on the way, and every great once in a while, when I get a wild hair or two, I meet Jenna for dinner or drinks. But for the most part, I lead a very normal life.”

  Some would call it a normal life. Jenna calls it sad and boring.

  And she’d just admitted as much to Gabe.

  Head throbbing again, Ellena didn’t bother to hide her agitation when she asked the obvious question. “Who in their right mind would want me dead?”

  Gabe’s eyes turned cold. “I don’t know yet, but I promise you I will find out.” He did reach out then, his large hand resting gently on her blanket-covered thigh. “No one’s going to hurt you again, Elle. You have my word.”

  “Gabe…”

  “I wouldn’t have come here if I didn’t take what this man said very seriously.”

  The comment was a crushing reminder of the reason for his impromptu return.

  “I know you wouldn’t have.” She forced herself to keep eye contact. “Your noticeable absence the last three years has proven that.”

  The flash of guilt on his face should’ve made her feel better. Instead, Ellena felt worse.

  She really needed to get control of her emotions. Better yet, maybe she needed to make an emergency, in-hospital appointment with her own shrink.

  “Sorry.” Using her good hand, Ellena rubbed her fingertips along her right temple. “This is just a lot to take in. Plus my head hurts, and my arm’s starting to ache again, which is making me cranky, and I…”

  She stopped talking when Gabe leaned over the bed’s railing and pressed the button to contact the nurse. She also stopped breathing, refusing to let his mesmerizing scent influence her in any way.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Getting you some more pain meds.”

  “I don’t need more medicine. It makes me loopy.”

  “It will also help you rest, which is the best way for your body to heal.”

  Ellena barely held back the low growl building inside her chest. A lot of things may have changed between them, but Gabe’s innate need to take care of her clearly hadn’t.

  Too bad that’s no longer his job.

  “Listen, Gabe. I appreciate your concern, but I don’t need you coming in here and taking over everything. I’ve gotten along just fine on my own since you left.”

  “I know you have.” A flash of pain filled his eyes, but it was gone as quickly as it appeared.

  “And exactly how would you know that?”

  He opened his mouth to respond at the same time the nurse walked in. Despite what Ellena had said to him, she found herself more than ready for those drugs to be administered into her IV.

  For what seemed like forever, she’d wanted nothing more than to see him again. Now all she wanted was to get away from the frustratingly confusing man.

  If a medically induced nap was going to be the only way to accomplish that, so be it.

  As the cool liquid hit her veins, she nearly laughed at how unfair life could sometimes be.

  After years of wishing the love of her life would come back to her, he was finally here. Still close enough to reach out and touch, even.

  God, she’d wanted to. Every night since he walked out on her, Ellena had wanted nothing more than to feel his warm body next to hers.

  To hold and comfort him, and to let him know he wasn’t alone in his grief.

  More importantly, she’d prayed for the day he’d finally accept the fact that what had happened back then wasn’t his fault.

  That day never came.

  When the nurse left and they were alone once more, Ellena looked over to find Gabe staring back at her. Try as she might, she still couldn’t read his expression.

  “So what’s the plan, sailor?” The naval-inspired endearment she always used to use slipped out before she’d even realized it.

  Damn, those drugs work fast.

  Gabe leaned a little closer. “The plan is, I stick around until I can figure out who has you in their sights and stop them before they can hurt you anymore than they already have.”

  Ellena gave up trying to convince him the wreck was a simple accident…for now. Instead, she asked, “What’re you gonna do…be my personal…bodyguard?” Her lids were getting heavy, and her words were starting to slur.

  “Pretty much.”

  She closed her eyes then blinked them open again. “I’m too tired…to argue about this…now.” Another long blink. “Call you…tomorrow. We can…argue…then. What hotel…are you…at?”

  She could’ve sworn he was fighting a grin. “I’m not staying at a hotel.”

  “Where…you…staying?”

  “With you.”

  Whatever was in her IV must be stronger than she thought, because it sounded like Gabe said he was staying with her.

  Frowning, Ellena forced her eyes open again. With the most serious glare she could muster, she said, “Did the nurse…give you…drugs…too?” No way was he serious.

  It was hard enough being in the same room with him. Ellena considered herself to be a pretty strong woman in most rights, but sleeping under the same roof with Gabriel Dawson again?

  That was one challenge she’d lose, hands down.

  Hands down…pants down…

  Gabe chuckled, the sound both sweet and painful to hear. “Close your eyes, Elle,” he ordered softly. “We can discuss it later.”

  Ellena wanted to discuss it now but talking was pretty much impossible at this point. Unable to fight it any longer, she did as he said and closed her eyes.

  A second later, something warm and a little wet pressed gently against her forehead. It lingered there for a moment, and somewhere in the back of her clouded mind, she recognized the sensation as a soft, sweet kiss.

  The last thing Ellena heard before she relinquished herself into the narcotic bliss was Gabe’s whispered voice.

  “Sleep tight, sweetheart. I’ll be here when you wake up.”

  Chapter 4

  “Absolutely not.”

  Standing in Ellena’s small entryway, Gabe stared back at his beautiful, determined wife. He wasn’t at all surprised by her refusal to accept his idea.

  Especially since they’d been having this same argument for the past several hours.

  It had been two days since the accident, and this morning, after another thorough examination, her doctor had assured him she well enough to be discharged.

  Gabe’s focus slid up to the area near her left temple. The skin there was bruised, but the thick bandage had been replaced with a two small butterfly strips covering the cut there.

  Could’ve been so much worse.

  “Stop.”

  He met her gaze once more. “Stop what?”

  “You heard what the doctor said, Gabe. I’m good to go, so…thanks for the ride.” Offering up a forced smile, Elle looked over his shoulder at the door behind him. “Have a safe trip home.”

  Refusing to take the not-so-subtle hint, Gabe sat his duffle bag down onto the small section of tiled flooring next to his feet. “Like I said, I’m staying here.”

  “And like I just said…” Using her good arm, Ellena reached down, picked the bag back up, and held it out for him. “Absolutely not.”

  It was good to see the fire come back into her eyes. When he’d gotten the call about the accident, Gabe was terrified he’d never get the chance to see it again.

  When he took the bag from her hand, his fingertips brushing against hers. Though brief, the contact sent a shockwave of electricity up his left arm and straight to his heart.

  He somehow managed to keep himself in check, but the tiny hitch in Ellena’s breathing was a dead giveaway
. That and the way the blues surrounding her pupils had darkened.

  It had always been that way with them. They touched; they ignited.

  She let go of the strap as if it had burned her, and Gabe knew…

  She still feels it, too.

  Though it didn’t change anything, the knowledge that she still reacted to him so strongly made his dick stand up and take notice.

  Clearing his throat, he held the bag at his side. “You should go lie down. I can make us something to eat.”

  “I’ve been lying down for three days, and I can make myself something to eat. After you leave.”

  Her tenacity damn near had him smiling, but Gabe held back knowing it would just piss her off even more.

  “I’m not leaving you alone, Elle.” He set the bag down again.

  With a low growl, Ellena turned and headed for the split staircase behind her. She talked as she continued walking away.

  “You know, just because you’re the one saying the words doesn’t mean it’s the end-all-be-all of the conversation. I mean, I get that you’re the Gabriel Dawson, Decorated Navy SEAL and all-around badass, but—”

  “Former SEAL.” Gabe couldn’t resist goading her.

  She looked back at him as though she were ready to spit nails. “You seem to forget we’re not together anymore. A choice you made, remember?”

  She put the hand not held in the sling on one hip, making it even harder for Gabe not to smile because, damn. She was still cute as hell when she was angry.

  “I remember.”

  “Good.” Ellena tilted her pretty little head and smirked, her twin dimples deepening. “Then it should be easy for you to accept the fact that you have absolutely no say in what I do, nor do you have the right to just barge in here and try to take charge of my life.”

  “I’m not trying to take charge, Elle.” He took a step forward. “I’m trying to keep you safe.”

  “It was an accident!” She winced, and it was clear her raised voice had caused her pain.

  It took every ounce of strength Gabe had not to go to her. “You know, you really shouldn’t yell like that. It’s not good for your head.”

  Ellena laughed humorously. “You just can’t help yourself, can you?”

  Not when it comes to you, sweetheart.