“I…I’d like that,” she said softly. “But you should know, I don’t always sell insurance. Every night it’s something different.”
“Then I’ll look forward to seeing what you’re selling next time. It’ll be a surprise.”
She giggled again, and Blade closed his eyes, taking it in.
“I’m not sure it’ll be anything you need.”
“I need a lot of things,” Blade said cryptically. “You have my number?”
He heard papers shuffling, and then she said, “Yeah.”
“I’ll look forward to hearing from you soon then.”
“Okay. Aspen?”
“Yeah?”
“You said you’re in the Army. Thank you for your service. I don’t know what you do, but whatever it is, I’m sure it’s important. You’ll be safe…right?”
And just like that, Blade was gone. It had been a long time since anyone, other than his sister, had worried about him. “Thanks, sweetheart. Yeah, I’ll be safe.”
“Good. Okay, I gotta go. My boss is giving me the side eye. I think he knows that I’m just shooting the shit and wasting time. Thanks again for not being a dick.”
“You’re welcome. Later.”
“Bye.”
Blade clicked off the phone and sat on the couch for several minutes, deep in thought, trying to decide if he was pathetic, crazy, or simply a sucker. Finally, he got up and dropped his half-eaten dinner in the garbage. He went down the hall to his room and got ready for bed.
As he laid there and tried to shut down his mind long enough to fall asleep, he couldn’t help but wonder if Wendy would call again. He hoped so…he really did.
* * *
“How’s Sadie?”
Chase kept his voice down, as he knew the woman Sean Taggart was asking about was asleep in the other room.
“She’s good.”
“Any sight of that prick, Jonathan Jones?”
“No.”
“I’m going to come down again this weekend.”
Chase silently sighed. Sean had been coming down to the Fort Hood area—with his blessing—to check on his niece every Saturday since Chase had brought her to his apartment to keep an eye on her. Jonathan Jones was a pedophile who had somehow become obsessed with Sadie, and was still on the loose. Chase had volunteered to keep watch over Sadie until the asshole had been found.
“Sounds good. I have another meeting with the detective who’s been in contact with the FBI down in San Antonio on Saturday. You want to meet us at the station?”
“That’ll work. Grace packed another huge bag of her stuff that I’ll bring with me too. You really okay with all this?” Sean asked. “It’s been a month, and Sadie can be a handful at the best of times. I still think she’s safer there with you because Jonathan could easily find out her connection to us and come up here looking for her, but if she’s cramping your style, I’ll make it work.”
“No,” Chase said quickly. “It’s not a hardship having her here.”
Sean must’ve heard something in Chase’s tone, because his voice lowered and he said threateningly, “Don’t mess with my niece, Jackson.”
“I’m not. She’s safe with me. In every sense.”
There was silence on the phone for a moment before Sean said, “She’d better be. I’ll see you Saturday.” Then he hung up.
Chase clicked off the phone and listened for a second to see if his conversation had woken Sadie. When he didn’t hear anything from the guest bedroom, he sighed in relief.
He’d been drawn to Sadie from the moment he’d seen her picture, but having her living with him, sharing his space, had only solidified his attraction. She was tough, didn’t take shit from anyone, and was quick with a smartass comeback. But more than that, she was compassionate, generous, and had a beautiful soul.
Sadie’s uncles were more than qualified to keep her safe, but the caveman inside of Chase wanted her with him. He wanted to protect her. He’d do whatever it took to not only ensure she could live her life how she wanted, but to earn her love as well.
* * *
I’ve teased a few books here at the end of this one…you can preorder Rescuing Sadie, which comes out in April.
You can also preorder Rescuing Wendy and Rescuing Mary, which will also both be out this year too!
* * *
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Also by Susan Stoker
* * *
Delta Force Heroes Series
Rescuing Rayne
Assisting Aimee - Loosely related to DF
Rescuing Emily
Rescuing Harley
Marrying Emily
Rescuing Kassie
Rescuing Bryn
Rescuing Casey
Rescuing Sadie (April 2018)
Rescuing Wendy (May 2018)
Rescuing Mary (Oct 2018)
* * *
Badge of Honor: Texas Heroes Series
Justice for Mackenzie
Justice for Mickie
Justice for Corrie
Justice for Laine (novella)
Justice for Boone
Shelter for Adeline
Shelter for Sophie
Justice for Erin
Justice for Milena (Mar 2018)
Shelter for Blythe (July 2018)
Justice for Hope (Sept 2018)
Shelter for Quinn (TBA)
Shelter for Koren (TBA)
Shelter for Penelope (TBA)
* * *
Ace Security Series
Claiming Grace
Claiming Alexis
Claiming Bailey
Claiming Felicity (Feb 2018)
* * *
Mountain Mercenaries Series
Defending Allye (Aug 2018)
Defending Chloe (Dec 2018)
And more to come!
* * *
SEAL of Protection Series
Protecting Caroline
Protecting Alabama
Protecting Fiona
Marrying Caroline (novella)
Protecting Summer
Protecting Cheyenne
Protecting Jessyka
Protecting Julie (novella)
Protecting the Future
Protecting Alabama’s Kids (novella)
Protecting Kiera (novella)
Protecting Dakota
* * *
Stand Alone
The Guardian Mist
Nature’s Rift
A Princess for Cale
* * *
Special Operations Fan Fiction
http://www.stokeraces.com/kindle-worlds.html
Beyond Reality Series
Outback Hearts
Flaming Hearts
Frozen Hearts
Writing as Annie George:
Stepbrother Virgin (erotic novella)
About the Author
New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal Bestselling Author Susan Stoker has a heart as big as the state of Texas where she lives, but this all American girl has also spent the last fourteen years living in Missouri, California, Colorado, and Indiana. She’s married to a retired Army man who now gets to follow her around the country.
She debuted her first series in 2014 and quickly followed that up with the SEAL of Protection Series, which solidified her love of writing and creating stories readers can get lost in.
If you enjoyed this book, or any book, please consider leaving a review. It’
s appreciated by authors more than you’ll know.
For more information:
www.StokerAces.com
susan@stokeraces.com