Secure Target (Elite Operators) by Rebecca Crowley Read Free Book Online Page A

switched on the morning news, but despite staring at the screen, all she could see in her mind was Bronnik.
    She figured he was in shape, but she hadn’t counted on his body being the stuff of fantasies. Trim and toned, not too bulky, with a smattering of golden hair across a firm chest, a tantalizingly low-slung tan line, because of course it would be summer in the southern hemisphere, and while the towel had concealed the most intimate part of him, she’d nonetheless caught a glimpse of a narrow hipbone and the tight curve of his rear.
    She clamped her hands over her eyes at the memory, trying to shove it out of her mind.
    The door to the bathroom opened and Bronnik stepped out, freshly shaven and barefoot, in jeans and a blue button-down shirt.
    “It’s all yours,” he said, and Lacey rushed inside, closing the door behind her as musky shaving-cream-and-shampoo-scented steam enveloped her.
     
     
    When Lacey emerged from the bathroom she found that Bronnik and Thando had been joined by Detective Harris and another man she hadn’t met, who was in his early forties, swarthy, and had a thatch of thick, dark hair. The four were gathered around the small, round table the room offered, which was laid with an array of coffee, bagels and doughnuts.
    “Have a seat.” Harris leapt up from his chair, but she waved him back down as she grabbed a bagel and coffee and flopped onto the bed.
    “Lacey, this is Agent Carver from the FBI. He’ll be assisting us today,” Thando explained, and she returned Carver’s nodded greeting.
    “The plan for today”—Bronnik began, and immediately Lacey thought of the line where his golden, tanned skin became a little lighter. She was sure her blush must be lighting up the room, but he continued, seemingly unaware—“is to be as visible as possible. Hardy’s already taken a shot at me, so we know he’s eager to get me out of the equation. Thando, Detective Harris and Agent Carver will be trailing us all day, in the hope that when he puts his head above the parapet, so to speak, they can take him down.”
    “And if he does take another shot, as you put it?” she piped up. “What then?”
    His expression was eerily calm. “We hope I’m faster.”
    “And why you? Why isn’t he equally as keen to eliminate Thando?”
    “She asks good questions,” Carver remarked, and Harris smiled.
    Bronnik looked to his partner, who said, “In our last encounter with Hardy, Bronnik shot and wounded him. We think the hit was to the thigh, but we’re not sure—we haven’t seen him to get visual confirmation of his injury.”
    Lacey thought again of the video clip she’d seen last night, of Bronnik hoisting that enormous automatic weapon. The image was so at odds with a man who spent enough time on the beach to have a tan line from his board shorts. She met his gaze for a long, steady moment, hoping in vain to reconcile the two and make sense of this dangerous man.
    “Okay,” she confirmed finally, dropping her eyes, having resolved absolutely nothing. “Where to first?”
    “The mall,” Thando supplied. “On the pretense that perhaps you need to pick up a few things for your extended period in protective custody.”
    “So, are we doing the marriage thing still? Because if we run into anyone I know, they’ll never believe it.”
    “Why not?” Bronnik asked.
    Because I’ve never had anything even resembling a relationship. Because I’m too plain and provincial to be interesting to someone from so far away. Because no one would ever believe I could catch and keep a man as good-looking as you. “This is a small town. All my friends know I’m not seeing anyone.”
    As Bronnik regarded her steadily, Thando replied, “That’s just the cover story for the hotel, in case Hardy was trying to find you from the guest records. Wear the rings out through the lobby, but don’t worry about it after that.”
    “If we do come across anyone you know, you can tell them I’m your cousin. Or