Fatal Vision: SEALs of Shadow Force, Book 5 Read online

  “Yeah,” she said, her face going pensive. She took the paper from his hand and stacked it with the rest, bumping a rebel corner into line. “I believe there was.”

  Colton had the feeling he didn’t really want to know the answer, but he asked anyway. “What?”

  She flipped through several pages as if looking for the answer. It was a bluff. Colton could see by her face and the way she wouldn’t meet his eyes that she didn’t need her notes to remind her of the connection.

  One Colton could say out loud.

  Reaching for her hand, he stopped her nervous fingers from shuffling through the pages. “It’s okay, Shelby. Tell me what you found.”

  “You’re not going to like it.”

  Had she actually figured out the Evers’ connection? “Already guessed that, sweetheart.”

  She blew out a sigh that lifted her bangs. Her fingers tangled with his, threaded in between them. “Did you know Wyatt Evers?”

  Colton steeled his face. “We might have crossed paths, why?”

  “Think about it, Colton.” She lifted her eyes to his. “What’s the one thing they all have in common besides their deaths?”

  Was that why she’d texted him that fateful day? Why he was in her folder as a person of interest?

  “They were all good ol’ Okie boys?” he joked. “Makes for assholes, everyone knows that, but they hardly deserved to be shot over it.”

  She didn’t take the bait. “They were all good ol’ Okie boys, all right. Ones who all knew you, right? That’s the link. Not only did all three of them know you, they worked with you while you were a SEAL.”

  For a moment, he ignored her words and focused solely on the feel of her fingers entwined with his. That feeling, that connection…he’d never had it with anyone else.

  Boy, had he missed it.

  Salisbury snored softly, bringing him back to the present and Shelby’s worried face.

  Colton released her hand, sat back. “That’s why your boss thinks I was involved? Because I had a passing acquaintance with these guys? Hell, there are hundreds, if not thousands, of personnel these guys might have come into contact with during their service years. Maybe the three of them had some sort of relationship, in or out of the military, and got themselves into trouble. There are dozens of explanations.”

  “Yeah.” For a moment, doubt clouded her face. She tapped her head with a fist. “You’re probably right. I’m just missing something.”

  What she was missing was more than her memories of the investigation.

  She was right…he was the link between all three men.

  Chapter Seven

  _____________________

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  “WHAT IS THIS?” Shelby accepted the tennis ball Colton handed her.

  They’d cleaned up the kitchen and put her notes away for now. Colton was quiet—too quiet. There was definitely something he was chewing on from the information she’d given him, but he’d insisted they work on her physical therapy while he waited for the security system from his boss to arrive.

  He knelt down beside her where she sat in the kitchen chair, picking up her leg. “Put it under your foot and roll it back and forth.” He set her socked foot on the ball.

  She’d rather kick a skunk, but this was what she needed if she was going to get her strength and mobility back.

  The one thing that did make therapy more fun was the fact Colton was now her torturer. “That’s the best you got, Bells? Roll a tennis ball under my foot?”

  He shot her an impatient glare. “We’re starting easy. I wouldn’t want to overtax you, beauty queen.”

  Smartass. He’d been as proud of her when she’d won Miss Oklahoma as her parents had been, but he liked to jab her about it anyway.

  Oh, yes, this was going to be fun. “This beauty queen is going to kick your butt for that comment.”

  He grinned. “You have to catch me first.”

  Bastard.

  “I know a thing or two about recovering from an injury,” he said, taking her foot and massaging it through the sock. He kneaded each toe, then rubbed her arch. Shelby’s eyes nearly rolled up in her head. “Trust me on this.”

  The foot massage ended all too soon and he guided her foot to the tennis ball once more and showed her how to roll it back and forth, side to side. After a minute, she was rolling it in circles and feeling pretty proud of herself for her control. “I want to go see Lori Evers. Meanwhile, do you have any contacts at Coronado who could get me access to the autopsy reports?”

  He kept his gaze glued on her foot, stood, and then went to pour a fresh cup of coffee. “You’re not back on the job. Better let pretty boy Theo handle things.”

  She pressed too hard and the ball shot out from under her foot. Salisbury leaped on it, growling and wagging his tail at the same time. “It’s my case.”

  He leaned on the counter, steam from his cup rising past his face as he studied her. “You’re out of commission for the time being, and your last attempt to solve the case ended with a bullet to the head. As long as I’m here, you’re steering clear of this. Got it? You will let your boss handle it.”

  Anger burned in her stomach. “There’s a serial killer on the loose, taking out veterans who’ve crossed your path. I’m not sitting this out, and I know damn well you aren’t either.”

  One shoulder shrugged but the tension in his body was undeniable. “Right now, you don’t have a choice.”

  Her vision blurred, letting her know her blood pressure was spiking. Gripping the table edge, she drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly like Alicia had taught her.

  Colton came to her, ran a finger down her exposed neck to her shoulder. “Shelby, I can’t risk letting you get hurt again.”

  “I won’t with you here.”

  He knelt beside her, his eyes haunted as they stared up at her. “You’re damn right you won’t.”

  There was no misreading the desire in his face. Heat spiked the air between them.

  Shelby released her grip on the table and reached out to stroke his hair. “We can work the case together. Stop whoever killed those men.”

  His gaze dropped and he backed away from her touch, standing once more and heading to the counter. “Let your boss handle it, Shel.”

  Damn it. Salisbury brought her the ball, dropped it at her feet, and sat back on his haunches. His face was easy to read too—he wanted her to throw it.

  She did, turning over different ways to make Colton see the light. “If whoever killed those men is still at large, he knows I’m out of my coma and that soon I’ll be back to work. He has to realize the FBI won’t let this go. If I’m not digging into the case, someone else will. We could work that to our advantage.”

  Skepticism crossed Colton’s features. “Oh, yeah? How’s that?”

  “If I start digging again, he’ll come after me, right? We can flush him out and arrest him.”

  Colton threw his head back and laughed. There was a snide incredulity in his tone. “You think it’s a good idea to make yourself bait in your condition?”

  Pushing herself out of the chair, she used the table for leverage. Once she felt confident she wasn’t going to land flat on her face, she pointed a finger at him. “Don’t underestimate me.”

  “I never have.”

  Feeling braver than she had in days, she took one step, then two. Without her walker. Without any help at all.

  Colton stared at her, gentle challenge in his eyes, egging her on. A familiar curve lifted the corners of his lips. She stared back, those small steps giving her a wild sense of courage.

  I can do this.

  Salisbury skipped around Colton’s legs, watching her. He let out a joyful bark.

  Another step. She was close enough she could touch the countertop. How awesome would it be to walk over and fill her own coffee cup? One more step and she’d be able to reach out and knock that nettling grin off Colton’s face.

  Pride
laced its way up her spine. All her hard work the past few weeks was paying off. With Colton here to harass her and a serial case waiting for her to solve, she had all the motivation she needed to work even harder on her balance and strength. She’d be back in shape in no time, and…

  Her ankle twisted and—whoops—balance gone, she pitched forward, knocking Colton’s cup out of his hands. Coffee splashed in her face making her gasp, and crash! The cup landed at her feet.

  Colton’s large, firm biceps were the perfect thing to grip to keep from going down. Salisbury, thinking it was a game, jumped against Colton’s legs, barking. Shelby swore softly as Colton steadied her, and then he laughed again.

  This laugh came from low in his belly and echoed off the ceiling and walls. He pulled her close and nudged Salisbury away from the broken cup. “God, that was priceless. I wish I had that on video.”

  She brought her good knee up and tried to land it in his crotch, but he was adept at dodging her, and the action only made her wince at the pain in her ankle. He half carried her back to her chair, continuing to chuckle as she fumed.

  Her butt hit the wood and he grinned down at her. “You keep falling into my arms like this and I’m going to think you’re flirting with me. Seriously, if you want to rub naughty parts, all you have to do is say so. Don’t ruin a perfectly good cup of coffee.”

  He danced out of the way of her hand. “Not funny…”—the word was right there—“donuts!”

  Donuts?!!? “I mean… Dog breath!”

  Both words started with d, but neither were the one she’d intended.

  Colton’s laughing continued, hearty bellows that rankled her ears.

  Thank goodness the coffee had cooled a little. She used her sleeve to wipe her wet chin and sighed heavily at the mess she was now in.

  Still chuckling, Colton cleaned up the cup and spilled coffee, his own shirt damp as well.

  “How’s the ankle?” he asked, bending down to check it.

  “It’s weak like the rest of me,” she groused. “I am so sick of this!”

  “Stay put. I’ll grab you a clean shirt.”

  He disappeared, Salisbury on his heels.

  Shelby made a fist and punched the top of the table. Pride goeth before a fall, she heard her father admonish.

  Boy, was he right. For each small achievement, every two steps forward, she took one back. A giant one, in fact.

  Not for long. One way or another she was going to get back on her feet—literally—and bring a killer to justice.

  Colton swung back into the kitchen, two shirts in hand. He eyed the buttons on her blouse. “You need a hand getting that off?”

  For a second, Shelby wasn’t sure if he was serious or just teasing. The look in his eyes—the same heat from before—told her he was serious all right.

  Dead serious.

  He wanted to unbutton her blouse and help her out of it.

  Not because he was being nice or thought she couldn’t work the buttons on her shirt.

  Evil man. “Just because my leg is screwed up doesn’t mean I can’t dress myself.”

  He tossed the fresh shirt on the table, then reached out to finger the collar of her blouse. “Was thinking more about the undressing part. Can you do it on your own?”

  Her nipples hardened and she licked her lips. “Is that part of my therapy? Showing you I can unbutton my shirt?”

  A wicked grin lit his face. “I need to do a full evaluation of what you can and can’t handle.”

  The desire pulsing at the base of her spine moved lower. At the same time, she undid the top button.

  This was such a bad idea, but this is what they did—teased, played, and had fun. Until the fun was over and reality came calling.

  When it was just the two of them, they were perfect together. As soon as her family, friends, or job entered the picture, there was nothing but anger, hurt, and arguing.

  As if he could see the mental war going on in her head, he upped the ante—he shucked off his own shirt.

  And oh, my. What a beautiful man he was, even with the scars crisscrossing his chest and belly. His broad shoulders bunched as he wadded up the coffee-stained shirt and tossed it on the table, his steely gaze once again challenging her in a totally different way.

  Her hand went to the second button on her blouse, toying with it, watching the effect the promise of something more had on him. He knew as well as she did that nothing good could come from them lowering their defenses and seeking comfort in each other’s arms, but hell if that had ever stopped either of them from giving in to their passion.

  Sex with Colton had always been good—not just good, great. Eighteen months was a long time to go without that kind of pleasure, without him, yet she hadn’t even considered hooking up with anyone else. Couldn’t consider starting over with someone new.

  Jaya had tried setting her up more than once. Shelby appreciated her friend’s compassion and determination, but most times, she never even made it to the first date. Same with her mom, pushing her toward Daniel. A good man, but no one else was Colton.

  Even now, he knew she needed to control the flow and pace of this dance with the devil. She was no amateur—she knew the price of crossing the point of no return with him. He wasn’t about to push her into anything. This was her choice. All he was doing was putting it out there. Offering to make her a very happy woman for a few hours.

  Was she willing to let him?

  Her body screamed yes, yes, yes. Goading, demanding. It remembered all too well how amazing he could make her feel.

  Her heart, though…that was an altogether different thing. Wait, wait, wait, it cried. It didn’t want to be hurt again.

  Because surrendering her body to Colton was one thing, but she couldn’t separate her heart from it. If she plunged into heedless abandon with him, her heart would pay the price.

  Logic attempted to marry the two, reminding her that a drop-dead gorgeous man, one who wanted to protect her and maybe still loved her, was standing there in front of her, half-naked and willing to do anything she wanted.

  Shelby was no fool. She reached for him.

  He caught her hand, intertwining his fingers with hers, and once again went to his knees in front of her.

  A rush of pure, unadulterated power ran through her veins. Having this man—a former SEAL and the most incredible lover a gal could ask for—kneel in front of her was as thrilling as any moment she’d ever had on the beauty pageant circuit, as intoxicating as any case she’d ever worked for the FBI. He was hers. All hers. He might have teased her relentlessly about being a beauty queen, but he loved giving her anything she wanted.

  Right now, she wanted him.

  And he knew it.

  Slowly, she drew him toward her, leaning down to offer a kiss to seal her pact with the devil.

  Their lips touched, Colton letting her set the pace.

  She brushed her lips against his again, lingering for a moment longer this time. Waiting.

  As her eyes met his and held, she traced the outline of his shoulder with her free hand, let it skim his chest and drop lower.

  All systems go.

  He got the message, bringing a hand behind her head and catching her lower lip between his teeth. A moan escaped her, her knees spreading to allow him to move closer. He did, bringing her flush against his chest and parting her lips with his tongue.

  A soft sob racked her chest as she pressed into him, feeling his strength and solidity.

  Home. Being in his arms was home.

  Pulse pounding, she wrapped her hands around his neck, breasts pressing into his chest. In the background, she heard Salisbury bark, then growl low.

  She’d just reached for Colton’s belt and started to undo the buckle when ding-dong, the doorbell went off and Salisbury went crazy.

  OF ALL THE luck.

  Colton broke off the kiss, fool that he was, and saw Shelby’s half-lidded eyes blink once, twice, three times as she realized they had company.

 
“Don’t answer it,” she whispered.

  “Have to.” He rubbed a hand over his face. “It’s probably the delivery guy with the security system.”

  Even if it wasn’t, it was someone like Jack or Shelby’s boss, stopping by to make sure she was okay, because just like always, Colton was the big, bad wolf and they felt compelled to save her. They wouldn’t go away until someone answered the door.

  Knowing Jack, he’d bust in and catch Colton and Shelby going at it on the kitchen floor.

  Not that that had never happened before.

  Colton snickered to himself as he grabbed his clean T-shirt off the table and pulled it on.

  A truck sat in the drive behind his. Not a delivery truck, though. A dark blue pickup that looked like a rental.

  Every nerve in Colton’s body went on high alert. Salisbury was going crazy at the front door, scratching and barking.

  The doorbell rang again and Colton pulled his gun from the holster that he’d hung on a coat hook next to the door. He flipped off the safety and checked that a bullet was in the chamber.

  The hair on the back of Salisbury’s scruff stood straight up as he planted his paws, his lip curled in a snarl.

  There was no peephole in the door. Colton sidled over to the nearby window that looked out onto the front porch.

  He used his gun to slide the lace curtain aside half an inch and angled his body to peer at the visitor.

  A tall man with the build of a soldier stood on the other side of the door, looking off toward the abandon skeleton of the house across the street. In one hand was a black duffel.

  He raised a fist and knocked on the door. “Bells, you in there? Come on, man. I’m six hours short on sleep and Beatrice is hot on my ass to make sure you’re okay. Open the damn door.”

  Connor?

  Colton grabbed hold of Salisbury to keep him from going attack dog when he opened the door. “What the fuck are you doing here?”

  Connor flipped him the bird and yawned as he eyed Salisbury. “Good to see you too.” He brushed by Colton. “Where’s the coffee and that pretty wife of yours?”