Navy SEAL Surrender by Angi Morgan Read Free Book Online Page B

checked on me after Dwayne’s dad died and I was alone with Lauren.”
    “I didn’t know.”
    “There are a lot of things you don’t know.”
    “I get the picture. I missed quite a bit around here. Hey, we should get some shut-eye. It might be the last sound sleep we get for a while.”
    “I don’t think I can sleep. There’s just too much going on in here.” She pointed a finger to her head. “The thoughts are so random. Mixed with a desire to be held. When we hugged out on the drive, I realized just how long it had been since I’ve been in a man’s arms.”
    “Alicia.”
    “But the guilt mixed throughout all those thoughts makes me want to cry. Lauren’s gone and...and...there’s nobody. I can’t do this alone.” She covered her face with her hands, drawing her knees to her body, suddenly chilled at the prospect of never seeing her daughter again.
    “Alicia. Come here.”
    John gently tugged her hands into his. He’d moved next to her and wrapped her in his arms, kissing the top of her head as it dropped to his chest. His gentleness warmed her heart. He smoothed her hair and she felt his breath close to her ear.
    “Go ahead and cry, just let it go. I’ve got your six.”
    * * *
    T HE WOMAN IN his arms had cr ied herself to sleep. She’d forgotten about snakes, only to replace one worry with several more—fright, attraction, the unknown. Fatigue had finally claimed her around two in the morning. Earlier, he could have been out like a flipped switch. His life in the navy had taught him the importance of sleeping upon command.
    So why couldn’t he sleep?
    He was wound tighter than a coil of wire, that’s why. Alicia was more than just a beautiful girl who needed help changing a tire. He was her only chance at finding her daughter. Not to mention freeing his brother.
    If his guess was correct, he was the only chance she had at staying alive. It was logical that her enemies wouldn’t want her around to continue fighting them. If caught, she’d conveniently meet with a fatal accident or suicide, leaving behind a note clearing the Webers. Telling her about the danger wasn’t a current option, but he’d need to sooner or later.
    A plan of action was what they needed. Maybe that was what his brain had been searching for before it could rest. What did he have to work with?
    Weapons. Just the revolver his dad owned.
    Stealth. One thing on their side was that no one knew he was in town. He hadn’t shared with the police department he’d been headed home. Alicia had commented that her friends thought they’d seen Brian drive through town. They could assume Alicia had an accomplice, but they wouldn’t know who. And Mabel had sworn herself to secrecy without being asked.
    Communication. He could call his team for information. No one would be monitoring his cell. No. He couldn’t involve the team. He was the lieutenant who’d come up through the ranks. Not only an officer, but a friend. They’d feel obligated to help. This op had to stay off book and had dire consequences if he was caught. It was the end of his career.
    Alicia shifted and he let her slide down his ribs, cradling her head in the crook of his arm until she rested on his lap. It was still warm in the barn, but he draped his sleeping bag over her legs anyway. She turned her head and shifted to her side, drawing her hands under her chin.
    He could remember another night they’d spent under the stars. Having fallen asleep at the lake, they woke up with the sun and tried to sneak back to their respective homes. Man, oh, man. They’d received a tongue-lashing up one side and down the other from his mom. It was all about how they needed to be responsible. And what if anyone else had seen them?
    His mother’s voice was in his head as clear as if she were standing in front of him. You’ve got to take care of the ones you love, Joy-o. How many times had she said that? Boy-o and Joy-o, her nicknames for them. B fo r Brian and J fo r John.
    How