Protecting Bree (SEAL of Protection: Alliance #7)

Chapter 1

CHAPTER ONE

Jude “Smiley” Stark stared at the woman sleeping on his couch. He couldn’t believe he’d found her…or rather, she’d found him. And for the second time, she’d played a huge part in saving the lives of his teammates’ loved ones.

Without Bree Haynes, Ellory and Yana might have ended up in a shipping container, sold for their organs.

The two kids owed their lives to Bree for leading the bad guy away when they were hiding from him.

Smiley hated that she’d taken a beating for her heroic actions.

He could still see the almost-healed bruises on her face…

and he was sure she had more all over her body, as well.

Then there was yesterday, when she’d snuck into the backseat of the car owned by the man who’d kidnapped Kelli, texting Smiley directions as to their location, thus allowing him and Flash to arrive in the nick of time to prevent the asshole from killing his teammate’s woman.

Bree was reckless. Impulsive. Didn’t think before she acted.

And he’d never been more in awe of anyone in his entire life.

Ever since he’d met her in Las Vegas—after Josie’s dead ex-boyfriend’s psycho mother sold her to a man who had connections in the sex slavery industry—he’d been hooked.

There was just something about Bree that had captured him and wouldn’t let go.

And now she was here.

In his living room.

Sleeping on his couch.

He’d actually demanded she take his bed, but in the end she’d proven more stubborn than he was.

Smiley had been looking for her ever since that fateful night in Vegas, when she’d been tied up in the back of a car, scared out of her mind.

He freed her—and then she’d disappeared into the chaos of that night.

And even though Smiley had been irritated and frustrated that he wasn’t able to find her after months of searching, he was also impressed.

She’d done a very good job of staying under the radar.

In fact, he’d venture to say that if she hadn’t come to Riverton, hadn’t gotten involved in the lives of his friends, he might never had found her at all.

Which led to the question…why had she done it?

Why come to Riverton? Why track him down? Why help his friends?

Why not run to the opposite side of the country?

And why was the man who’d “bought” her—Smiley hated that in today’s day and age, humans were still buying and selling other humans—so bound and determined to get his hands on her?

Smiley had so many questions, and the only person who might be able to answer them was Bree.

A part of him wanted to shake her. Make her sit up and talk to him again. But now wasn’t the time. She was exhausted. He’d seen it in her face and body language while questioning her earlier, even though she’d tried to hide it.

Smiley was tired too, but he was afraid that if he went to bed, he’d wake up in the morning and Bree would be gone. He’d lose his mind if that happened. So he was going to keep his ass right here in the living room and watch her sleep.

“Why are you called Smiley?”

He jerked in surprise, caught off guard. Bree was awake. And he’d had no clue. Her breathing hadn’t changed. She hadn’t shifted.

Making a mental note that this woman was more observant than he’d given her credit for—which was stupid, considering all the things she’d done recently—Smiley leaned back in the easy chair and shrugged. “Because of my outgoing personality?”

Bree’s eyes opened and even in the dim light of his apartment, Smiley saw her hazel gaze zero in on him with an accuracy that made him realize she’d probably been awake for much longer than he’d thought. “No offense…but no,” she said with a small smile.

Smiley blinked. Had he ever seen this woman smile before? Nope. She’d never had any reason to smile the few times they’d interacted.

And very suddenly, he wanted to see her happy, smiling, more than he wanted anything. More than he wanted information. More than he wanted to catch bad guys.

More than he wanted to be a Navy SEAL.

That was…disconcerting.

“It’s sarcasm,” he blurted, sounding more curt than he’d intended. “One of my drill sergeants commented on how I wasn’t exactly Mr. Smiley, and it stuck. How long?”

She frowned, and went to sit up on the couch.

“No, stay. Don’t get up,” Smiley ordered. He couldn’t stand seeing the small wince she made when she’d tried to move. To his relief, she settled back on the cushions and snuggled into the blanket he’d given her earlier.

“How long, what?” she asked.

“How long had you been visiting Kelli? Here at my place?”

Bree shrugged. “About a week. Not long.”

“Why now?”

“You know, you’re a big boy, you could use your words. More of them, I mean. It would prevent me from having to ask for clarification every time you ask me something,” Bree said with another small grin.

Even that little twitching of her lips made satisfaction swim through Smiley’s veins.

“Why reach out to me now? After all this time. And why didn’t you come directly to me when you found out I wasn’t staying here, that Kelli and Flash had moved into my place because of their situation? What changed?”

“Right, so…that was maybe too many words,” she joked.

But Smiley wasn’t amused. He felt itchy and unsettled. He needed to understand this woman, and right now he was so far from understanding it wasn’t even funny. “Bree,” he said, his tone communicating that he wanted answers.

She sighed. “I don’t know.”

Smiley scoffed.

“I’m being honest. I admit that I came to Riverton because you were here.

That awful night in Vegas, I remember you telling me your name, Jude Stark, and that you were a Navy SEAL stationed in Riverton.

When things got…intense back home, the first place I thought to go was here.

Where you were. Except once I got here, I had no plan, and no idea how to find you.

And I realized how ridiculous it was to come.

You didn’t know me, and I didn’t know you.

We’d met once for like five seconds. So I felt stupid.

But that didn’t stop me from hanging out around the gates of the naval base in the hopes I’d get a glimpse of you… and I did.”

“So you followed me.”

Bree shrugged. “Yeah.”

Smiley was glad she wasn’t prevaricating. Wasn’t trying to lie about what she’d done.

“Honestly, it kept me sane. Living out of my car was boring. I didn’t have much money, so it wasn’t as if I could go out to eat or stay in hotels.

I have money, I’m just afraid to use it because I have a pretty good idea that the guy who thinks he owns me can track me that way.

So I watched you. Figured out who your friends were.

Followed them as well. You can learn a lot about a person by watching them without their knowledge. ”

Smiley should be upset. Pissed that she’d spied on him. But for some reason, he wasn’t. “What did you learn about me and my friends?”

“That you’re loyal. And kind. And that you work hard and play harder.”

She wasn’t wrong.

“So why’d you come to my place? Kelli said you came right up to the door and knocked.”

Bree snorted. “Not my finest moment. For all the watching I’d done, I hadn’t even realized you weren’t here anymore. Stupid. And I thought she was your girlfriend at first, so I was mortified.”

“Why?”

Bree stared at him with tired eyes. Then she took a deep breath and blurted, “Because in all the time I’d watched you, I hadn’t seen you with a woman.

I had this little fantasy in my head that I’d knock on your door, you’d be thrilled to see me, would solve all my problems and find out you like me in the process and we’d live happily ever after. ” She finished by rolling her eyes.

Her words were a little defensive and a lot sarcastic. But they still sent an electric buzz shooting through Smiley.

He leaned forward, resting his forearms on his knees, holding eye contact with Bree as he spoke. “There is something between us,” he said simply. “I wouldn’t have spent the last several months of my life doing everything in my power to find you if there wasn’t.”

She stared at him for a long moment, the air between them charged.

Smiley had never felt anything like it before.

The hair on his arms and legs felt as if every strand was standing straight up.

Something was happening here. Something he didn’t understand.

But he’d learned through his time as a SEAL that sometimes you just had to go with the flow.

Even if what you were doing made no sense whatsoever…

if it went against everything you’d been taught.

“I was going to leave, but Kelli was…persuasive. And she lured me inside with the promise of a shower and a meal,” Bree said a little quieter.

“I used to take showers for granted. And when I was hungry, I ate. They weren’t even questions in my head.

Just things I did. But when you get to a point where you can’t just go to a bathroom and turn on a shower, or go to the pantry and grab a snack, you realize how important those things really are. ”

“Yeah. It’s not the same, not at all, but after a two-week mission, where we’ve been crawling through a jungle or walking through miles of sand, or even swimming hours in the ocean…there’s nothing better than that first shower or meal.”

Bree nodded. “Right. So, I came inside when Kelli invited me. Then I found myself coming back. I knew I shouldn’t. That I should just leave. Go east. Somewhere. Anywhere. But Kelli was so nice. And being in here, surrounded by your stuff…it made me feel normal again.”

“I’m going to figure this out,” Smiley told her.

Bree snorted.

“I am,” he insisted.

“I’ve been racking my brain trying to decide what to do. Figure out how my life came to this point. With no luck. I don’t know how you can possibly find the guy who’s looking for me.”

“I have connections,” he said simply, his mind spinning with the things he needed to do. The people he needed to contact. “You have family?”