Hunter broke into her stormy thoughts, saying, “Finn believes you could be a target to get to me. I have to agree with him. So listen to Finn. He knows what he’s doing. If that’s not acceptable, you can join Tessa and me in Hawaii.”
“On your honeymoon? No way.” Meara sighed heavily, still thinking she could stay at the cabins and take care of the guests. Finn could check them out and make sure none of them were the bad guys. Even so, Finn seemed more likely to be a target than her, and he would therefore be bringing the bad guys to her place. On the other hand, if Finn was right and she could be a target, she wanted him to stay with her.
“Tell Finn I want to stay at the cabin. He can protect me there. We have paying guests scheduled to arrive soon.” And prospective mates to check over at her leisure.
“Let me talk to Finn.”
She frowned, not liking the way Hunter sounded—like he and Finn would decide this for her and she had no say whatsoever because she was just a civilian and they were hotshot SEALs. “He’s driving,” she said tersely.
“Meara.” The way he said her name meant she needed to hand over the phone or else. She could just envision Hunter giving the word, and Finn turning the car around, then driving straight for the airport where he’d deposit her on a plane bound for Hawaii, if he could find one that wasn’t already booked.
She shoved the phone at Finn. “My brother wants a word with you. If you wreck the car, it’s not my fault. And the cost of repairs will come out of his wallet.” Although the pack shared expenses and income, so it wasn’t like everyone worked for himself or herself in a pack. That wasn’t what really concerned her, though. She assumed Hunter would give Finn instructions concerning her, and that’s what she didn’t like.
Finn took the phone, a smug smile tilting his lips upward a bit. “Yeah, Hunter?” He glanced at Meara and then back at the road. “A tight leash. Got it.”
If he wasn’t so damned far away, she’d sock Hunter. She had half a mind to slug Finn in Hunter’s place because of the fun he was having at her expense. Although doing so while he was driving wasn’t a smart move.
Her brother wondered why he annoyed her sometimes. She folded her arms and scowled at Finn, not about to be put on any “tight leash.” Then she thought of what putting him on a tight leash would be like. That definitely appealed to her.
Finn gave her a brief smile, knowing she would be testy with both him and Hunter after he ended the call. But he grew serious as he watched the road and concentrated on his talk with Hunter, having to clarify a couple of questions. “Did you know a guy named Joe Matheson?”
“Not that I can recall. Should I?” Hunter asked.
Hell. Finn was usually the best on the team at making character assessments. He hadn’t believed the man who had spoken with Meara at her cabin, pretending to be a renter, was one of the bad guys. Or the man would have made his move already.
But now Finn wasn’t so certain. “I overheard him tell Meara that you had gone to Mexico together and were friends.”
Hunter didn’t say anything for a moment. Then he asked, “When?”
“When you were a wild teen, I imagine.”
“No. I don’t know anyone by that name, and when I was a wild teen, I was a loner, not hooking up with any male.”
Females would have been another story, Finn thought.
“Okay, well, we have one dead man who had paperwork saying he was Joe Matheson—no picture ID. And we have the man we met at Meara’s cabin who stated that he was your friend and called himself by the same name. But they’re two entirely different people. Both men wore military haircuts. Both were in great physical shape and looked like special ops types.”
Finn knew Hunter’s silence meant he was damned worried about his sister. So was Finn. He also knew Hunter was probably reevaluating whether she should join him in Hawaii so he could watch over her. But then he’d have both his mate and Meara to safeguard. And she’d have to travel all the way to Hawaii, although Finn would go with her if that was the case. Any choice they made could be a dangerous proposition. Better to leave Meara in Finn’s care here, and he’d get her to the safe house as soon as he could.
Finn could protect Meara. He would protect her. Without waiting for Hunter’s okay, Finn said, “We won’t be in touch once we leave. Watch your back.”
“Take care of her, Finn.”
Finn glanced at her and knew she was trying to hear their whole conversation. “Yeah, like she was my own sister.” He winked at her, and she rolled her eyes. He loved it.“Be safe,” Hunter said gruffly.
“Thanks. We will. I’ll let you talk to her.” Finn could just imagine her response to Hunter. She’d let him have it, just like she’d done in the past with Finn when she didn’t like some mission he and Hunter had taken on.
In any other woman, her spunkiness might have been downright annoying. He admired Meara’s lively determination and her courageousness without boundaries, but her penchant for getting into troublesome situations on her own, from what Hunter had told him, meant Finn would have to be doubly vigilant to keep her safe.
Irritated to the extreme, Meara grabbed her cell phone and snapped at Hunter, “Tight leash? I might as well go to Hawaii and bunk with you and Tessa. Forget what I said about being concerned that I might spoil your honeymoon.”
She was about to tell him she’d sleep with Tessa and he could sleep on the sofa in the living room of their suite, since this all had to do with his having been in the SEALs, but she curbed her tongue. Knowing Hunter, he’d agree to it, and to keep from being thwarted on her honeymoon, Tessa would end up sleeping with Hunter in the living room. Then how would Meara feel? She’d be sleeping in their honeymoon suite… alone, and the honeymoon couple would be making do on a fold-down sofa.
She made a small disgruntled sound of disapproval. It wasn’t her fault an assassin, who really had nothing to do with her, was ruining her life!
“It’s up to you,” Hunter said in a congenial way. She knew he wasn’t going to make the decision for her. If he did and something bad happened to her, he’d never forgive himself. But he was also telling her that either he or Finn would ensure her safety. So make a choice.
She chewed on her bottom lip as she studied the pine trees zipping past the window. She thought of how much of an intrusion she’d be as Hunter worried about both her and Tessa’s safety. The men who were watching their backs would remain unobtrusive and behind the scenes. But she was certain Hunter would make sure she stayed with him and Tessa in their suite. And he might even be the one to make her stay with Tessa in the bedroom.
No. Meara couldn’t do it.
She let her breath out in a huff. Hell, all she wanted to do was find a mate. All her plans were falling apart just because of one visit from a SEAL. Damn their having to run around the world saving everyone and the trouble they were now in because of it.
“All right. I’ll stick it out with Finn.” She cast him the evil eye but saw his grim mouth ease up a bit. “But believe me, there’s nothing sisterly or brotherly about this arrangement, despite what Finn says.”
Finn glanced in her direction, looking a little surprised. And she thought he might even be concerned that Hunter would worry about her with his friend.
Hunter didn’t say anything for a minute, and then he began laughing. “Hell, I knew Finn would get into hot water over this.” Hunter burst into another fit of laughter.
She stared at the front windshield, startled at Hunter’s reaction. She’d expected him to be worried or upset or something. But to laugh about the situation?
Irritated at her brother for thinking the situation was hilarious, she ended the call without saying another word and glared at Finn. “Don’t you dare say a word.”
Finn had known he’d be taking on a handful of trouble when he made the decision to protect her. But what was a SEAL to do when a wolf needed protection?
***
Bjornolf Jorgensen had known Hunter’s SEAL team was in trouble the minute he’d heard via the grapevine that an attempt had been made on Allan Rappaport’s life in Pompano Beach, Florida. Bjornolf had been too late to warn the rest of the team and should have let the whole thing go as soon as he discovered Finn Emerson was protecting Hunter’s sister and the rest of the team had been alerted about Allan’s injury. But damn, one look at Meara, and Bjornolf wanted to stick around. Finn had made it clear that he didn’t want anyone else’s help, and he was already staking a claim to the she-wolf, even if he was implying that this was a pretend affair.
Bjornolf knew better. He knew by the firestorm of pheromones triggering their senses that there was more to Finn’s posturing than an obligation to protect his friend’s sister. And damn if she wasn’t responding to him in kind.
Bjornolf couldn’t give up now, though. Not when he’d already had to kill one man to protect her. He was certain Finn could have done the job, but he had preferred for Finn to stay right where he was, protecting Meara in the bedroom, while Bjornolf targeted the shooter.
Joe Matheson had no more been a news reporter or business consultant than Bjornolf was. And that hadn’t been the man’s name, either. As soon as the assassin had arrived at Meara’s place, Bjornolf had had to take him out. He sure as hell hadn’t expected to find Finn Emerson scent-marking the territory and then showering in her master bedroom suite, though.
Bjornolf had almost wanted to shoot Finn with Meara’s rifle, for God’s sake! Standing there naked, speckled with water and towel-drying his hair, Finn had been smug as sin.
Thankfully, none of the team knew Bjornolf by sight or smell (well, until now, although because of his behind-the-scenes job, they still didn’t know him), and he had finally gotten his own raging testosterone somewhat under control—enough so he could leave the place without feeling the need to protect Meara from Finn.
Even if Bjornolf couldn’t have the girl—although depending on how that went, he still might have a chance—he was watching their backs. He owed it to the SEALs after the last disaster that broke the team up. He’d pay Hunter back and then he’d disappear again, and they’d never know he existed, just like before.