“Look again. Wyatt’s death and the target on Gracie’s back have to be related somehow. We figure out that connection, we find the person behind it.”
“Roger that. I’m on it.”
They continued to discuss the situation involving Gracie before Jake shifted the conversation to an update on Alpha Team’s latest op. Jake stopped talking a few minutes later when the conference door opened.
Zade came in with a piece of paper in his hand and a worried expression on his face. Shutting the door behind him, he looked to Jake and said, “We have a problem.”
“Talk to me.”
“I got finished with the sketch of the man Gracie saw in her apartment. I gotta say, I’m impressed. Most people don’t remember that many details about someone they just caught a glimpse of. Especially in a situation like the one she—”
“Zade.” Jake said the other man’s name sternly to stop his rambling. “What did you find out?”
“I—” He glanced nervously to Kole before locking his eyes with Nate’s. “It’s not good.”
Zade handed the drawing to Jake, who immediately let out with a low curse.
“What?” Nate asked, tired of waiting for the bomb to drop. Zade looked back in his direction, but still didn’t answer. “Who was in her fucking apartment, King?”
Jake turned the sketch around for them all to see.
“Ah, hell.” Kole sat back in his chair and ran a hand down his face.
“Correct me if I’m wrong”—Matt looked at the picture more closely—“but that sure looks a lot like—”
“Achim Akmar,” Nate finished the thought, his gut churning.Sonofabitch.
“Think we should tell her?” Matt looked to Kole, but it was Gabe who answered.
“Don’t think we have a choice.”
“I agree,” Jake nodded. “Gracie’s already proven herself to be tough and resourceful. She can handle it, and frankly, she needs to know what she’s up against.
“Fuck me,” Kole bit the words out.
“Just so we’re all on the same page here,” Zade began to reiterate their theory. “The man who went after Gracie is the same guy who managed to capture and brutally murder a former Navy SEAL. Is that really what we’re saying?”
“Yeah, King,” Nate shot back. “That’s what we’re fucking saying.”
Unable to hold back the sudden need to see her again, Nate got up and headed for the conference room door.
“Where are you going?” Kole asked as Nate passed by him.
“To get the girls. The sooner Gracie knows what’s going on, the sooner we can put together a fucking game plan to keep her safe.”
Knowing he needed to calm his ass down before Gracie saw him, Nate stepped inside the restroom located across the hall. He splashed some cool water on his face and then used a paper towel to wipe away the evidence.
With his hands clenching the sides of the sink, Nate stared at his reflection and wondered when this woman had become so important to him. They weren’t dating. Hell, they’d barely even kissed.
So, why did the thought of an evil bastard like Achim Fuckstick Akmar coming anywhere near Gracie fill him with such terror?
He couldn’t explain it, but the second he saw that picture in Jake’s hand, all Nate wanted to do was drag Gracie away to someplace safe. Somewhere he could make sure nothing bad ever happened to her again.
You’re scared because you care about her.
“No shit, asshole.”
Great. Now he was talking to himself. What the fuck was happening to him?
