He didn’t just want a serious, monogamous relationship with a woman. He craved it. But only with Ellie.
Always with her.
It was crazy, right? He had to be certifiable to think a guy like him could make a woman like Eloise Fisher happy.
Oh, I dunno. You seemed to make her laugh quite a bit yesterday.
The memory of her standing statue still while he’d practically vomited his feelings about wanting to date her was so fresh in his mind. But it was her reaction to his rambled spiel that left his mouth curving into a low, one-sided grin.
Mach Jesus? Really?
Lucky cleared his throat to conceal the bubble of laughter threatening to work its way out. Ellie had made her feelings damn clear when it came to revealing their brand new romance to the others. Not yet, she’d said. Just in case things don’t work out.
He hadn’t argued, but only because he, too, wasn’t quite ready to face Archer’s big-brothereseque wrath. Not that Lucky was afraid of his teammate. He just wasn’t in the mood for confrontation.
Not today. Not when he knew Ellie would be waiting for him when he got home.
“What about you, Luck?” Logan’s deep voice reached through his ill-timed thoughts, promptly bringing him back to the present. “You have any questions for Secretary Webb before he signs off?”
“Me?” Lucky looked at the others sitting around the table before landing his gaze on the screen behind Logan. “Nope.” He shook his head. “I’m good.”
He had no idea what they’d talked about for oh, say, the last several minutes. But other than that…
“I’ll be in contact as soon as I know more.” SECNAV gave them a parting dip of his chin. “Gentlemen.”
The screen went black, and the meeting was officially over.
“Such bullshit,” Van grumbled as he pushed his muscular form into a standing position.
“It is what it is, brother.” Chase stood. “Not like this is the first time we’ve hit a dud where that mission is concerned.”
“I’m willing to bet it won’t be our last.” Archer started for the door. “But we can only do what we can do, you know?” He slapped a supportive hand on the back of Van’s broad shoulder as the two men approached the secured door.
Turning the knob, Logan nodded in agreement. “Nash is right.” He pulled the door open and stepped into the hall. “Just because Akimi’s MIA doesn’t mean we give up.”
“No easy day, eh, Van?” Boyer sent their stoic teammate a grin.
Van’s only response was his signature grunt.
“So what now?” Lucky asked the others as they made their way into the firm’s reception area.
A still locked, still empty reception area.
What the…
“Hey, wasn’t Natalie supposed to fill in for Hannah after the girls got done at the dress shop?” Chase’s question was meant for Logan.
“She was,” their team leader confirmed his wife’s offer to help out while their young office manager was away at a friend’s funeral. Looking down at his watch, Logan added, “I figured she’d be here by n—”
The peeling of a phone ringing cut off the rest of what Logan was going to say.
“Here’s Cass, now.” Archer had already pulled his phone free from his back pocket and was swiping finger across the screen. “Hey, baby. The guys and I were just—” The man stopped talking, his expression morphing from happy to shocked to worry, and then… “What?Jesus, are you okay?”
The man sprinted for the door, and Lucky’s stomach dropped like a lead ballon. “What is it?” He and the others blindly began to follow. “What’s wrong?”
A level of rage he’d only seen in Archer’s dark eyes a handful of times met his as his friend yanked the office door open. “Someone opened fire on the girls when they were walking to their cars.”
Oh, God.