Natalie?
“Wait…are you talking about the NatalieIknow? The one from your security firm that helped out with the benefit?”
“The very same.”
“And you and your teammates…you’re all okay with that?”
Chase laughed. “Seems kinda weird, right? But really, it’s not. Probably because, before Hunt was killed, he and Logan were best friends. When he was alive, the guy loved Natalie more than life itself. But if there’s anyone else out there Hunter would’ve wanted to see her settle down with, it’s Logan. Especially after the way Logan helped save Natalie’s life a while back.”
Scottie frowned. “What do you mean he saved her life?”
“That’s another long story. But the short of it is, Nat’s boss was a crooked bastard who was in bed with two bigger, richer, and more powerful crooked bastards. Nat figured out what they were up to, and they tried to kill her for it.”
“Oh my god!” Scottie felt her eyes grow wide from the man’s unexpected revelation. “That poor woman.”
She couldn’t imagine someone wanting to harm the sweet mother-to-be, let alonekillher. And after losing her husband in battle, no less.
“It was definitely a scary time, that’s for sure. Natalie’s like the team’s honorary little sister and one of the sweetest women I’ve ever known. She definitely didn’t deserve all the shit life rained down on her.”
No, Scottie couldn’t imagine she did.
“She seems to be in a good place now, though,” Scottie commented softly.
“Oh yeah. She and Logan are deliriously happy, especially since they found out Nat’s pregnant. And I don’t know if you know this, but Logan and Natalie are the ones who originally came up with the idea to start up Eagle’s Nest Securities.”
“Really?”
“Yep. The whole thing came about when the team reunited to help protect Natalie from those scumbags. Once that was cleared up, they recruited Lucky and me, as well as Archer and Van—our other two teammates.” His brown brows dipped inward. “I don’t think you’ve met them yet, have you?”
“No. Not yet.”
“You will.”
The grin Chase flashed her was filled with the same cocky confidence she remembered. But his words brought with them a promise that she’d be spending more time with him and his team.
Scottie’s pulse raced at the thought of seeing Chase again after tonight. She both loved and hated the idea.
Mostly, she loved it.
“It’s incredible, what you do,” she stated as matter of fact. “I mean…” She gave her lips a quick swipe of her tongue. “You may not be taking orders from Uncle Sam anymore, but it seems to me, you’re honoring Hunter’s memory by using the training and skills you learned in the Navy to continue protecting the innocent. Like the women at the shelter,” she mused. “Some of them have shared the horrific stories of how they came to be there, and I…” Her shoulders fell with a sigh. “Trust me. Having someone like you in your corner when it seems like there’s no way out…that means everything.”
An odd expression etched a few lines in Chase’s furrowed brow, but if he picked up on the personal sentiment behind her statement, he never let on.
“That’s why we do it.” Chase took a sip of his water and swallowed. “Oh, and I’m sure you’d eventually hear their stories at some point, too, so I’ll go ahead and tell you now that we also saved Archer’s and Lucky’s wives from a couple of maniacs a while back.”
Surprise rippled through her. “Seriously?”
“Separate incidents and two completely different assholes, but yeah. I think it’s safe to say me and the guys have kept ourselves busy since relocating to Seattle.”
That’s one way to put it.
A natural pause in conversation ensued, and Scottie used the moment to process all she’d learned. Over the course of the past several years, Chase had reached his life’s goal of becoming a Navy SEAL, only to tragically—and unfairly—be forced out of the military.
After, the surviving members of their team got back together and formed what was now a highly successful private security firm.
Don’t forget the part where three of his teammates married the women who’d previously been under their protection.
For real, though. If Scottie didn’t know better, she’d think being in imminent peril was a pre-requisite for dating an Eagle’s Nest operative. Not that she was in the market for one of those.