Chapter Sixty-Three

Ghost

I 'd already made the decision.

That horse was going with her.

If I had to eliminate a Marine to make it happen, so be it.

But before I had a chance to reassure her, Christensen's project manager stepped forward and lit into her. "That's enough. Get off now . You're not getting hurt on my watch."

The beast roared.

My young blonde gripped the horse's neck tighter. Then she did the last thing she should have. Inexperienced, she dug her heels in.

Shadow took off.

Stepping back as the horse thundered past, watching his mane and her hair fly, I changed my mind. My baby girl knew exactly what she was doing.

Glaring at me, the Marine grabbed a saddle and went for the nearest horse. "This is on you."

"Where the fuck do you think you're going?"

"After her before she really gets hurt."

"We both saw the same thing." That horse wasn't going to do a damn thing except run free with her. The beast had bonded with her. "The only thing that's going to happen if you go after them is that they'll run further."

The Marine dumped the saddle on a brown mare, then spun on me. "Unlike you, I'm not going to leave her to fend for herself."

I did the one thing I swore I'd never do. I disclosed intel on one of my women. "She's been on her own for years."

"I don't give a shit if she was raised by wolves. Leaving her alone out there at night is fucking wrong."

I got it. He liked her. She liked the beast. Unrequited lust was a bitch, but I was never going to let this asshole touch her. "How much for your horse?"

"He's not for sale."

"Everything has a price." I should fucking know.

Sealing his own fate, the prick got in my face. "Fuck. You ."

I didn't hesitate. A single throat strike followed by an elbow to his face, and I was already pivoting as he folded with a broken nose and compromised trachea. Kicking out the back of his legs, I had his arm wrenched behind him and his bloody face in the dirt before my knee hit his back. "You want to know your tactical error or what you're going to do next?" One twist and not only would his shoulder dislocate, his arm would snap in two places.

Breathing hard, the prick didn't reply.

"Would you prefer a broken arm?" It'd be a mercy break considering what I really wanted to do to him.

"Go ahead. I can ride one-handed. Besides, isn't this what you always do?"

Getting off on the taste of violence that was fueled by a hell of a lot more than a blonde riding a fucking horse, I applied more pressure. "Meaning?"

He grunted. " Meaning you do whatever the fuck you want."

"If that were true, you would've been dead the second I exfilled the helo. You're only talking right now because any minute my blonde's going to come back, and she's had enough trauma. She doesn't need to see me end your life despite how much it would solve several of my problems." Including feeding my fucking rage and self-loathing over a woman who carried my name but not my darkness. "So, let's try this again. How much for the horse?"

"I'm not selling him to you."

"I'm not buying him for me." I yanked his arm another inch. "Before your wrist, then ulna breaks, I suggest you tell me how much."

The Marine let out another grunt, but to his credit, he hadn't cried out once with the pain I knew I was inflicting. "Not taking your money."

"You couldn't buy her a pair of fucking boots that fit, but you don't want my money?"

"I offered. She didn't want new boots."

Like hell she didn't. She was just terrified of being indebted to a man. "You should've bought them for her anyway."

"If you care so fucking much, then why'd you leave her?"

Galloping sounded from outside the stable.

"Timing." It wasn't an answer to his question. It was a statement of fact—more precisely, his luck that a blonde had returned when she did. Releasing the asshole, I stepped back as my blonde rode her beast into the stable and guided him toward his stall.

Glancing between us, her eyes widened when she saw the Marine tipping his head back and pinching his broken nose. Wisely not commenting, she gripped the horse's neck, swung her leg over, and slid down to her feet. "Come on, Shadow." She stroked his mane. "It's night-night time." She held his stall door open. "Go on, good boy. It's okay."

Ignoring me and his owner, the horse nuzzled her, then walked in.

I spared the asshole a glance. "I'll wire the money to your account."

He jerked his chin in grudging agreement.

My focus cut back to the blonde. "Horse is yours, baby girl."

This time, I was the recipient of a petite blonde's arms locked around my neck as she launched herself at me. "Thank you, thank you, thank you ," she whispered fiercely.

Hugging her back before setting her down, I cut to business. "Where's your paperwork, baby girl?" Sunny wasn't the name I'd left her with or the name on the new ID I'd had delivered, and she knew it.

Her cheeks flushed before she dipped her head and toed the dirt with her oversized mucking boots. "I, um…." Inhaling, she glanced up at me apologetically. "I don't have it." Her gaze drifted, but she avoided looking at the Marine. "I might've thrown it away."

I glanced at the Marine.

Using one hand and the hem of his shirt to wipe the blood from his face, he reached inside his jacket with the other and pulled out a crumpled envelope that was folded in half. Giving me a death glare, he tossed the paperwork at me.

I caught it and quickly glanced at the contents to make sure it was all there. Then I grabbed my burner and dialed.

The hacker answered on the first ring. "Ghost."

"I need to scrap an ID kit, get a replacement, and get a new relocation package."

"Problem?"

Besides the fact that a blonde fell in love with a damn horse and she'd given herself a name I didn't have it in me to force her to change? No. "New parameters. New ID. First name, Sunny. Last name TBD. Relocation needs to be a temperate climate with equine accommodations."

My blonde grasped my wrist and whispered, "Shadow wants to stay in Florida."

I raised an eyebrow at her. She blushed, and I amended the parameters for the hacker. "South Florida."

"Looking now." November's typing came through the line. "I can grab a property in northwest Homestead. Five acres, all fenced, outfitted stable and small house, currently unoccupied. Looks like it's prewired for security."

"Make it happen."

"Copy. ID surname?"

"Hold." I glanced down at my blonde. "Pick a last name, baby girl."

She bit her lip, then looked at the Marine. "What kind of breed is Shadow?"

The asshole's jaw worked overtime. "Appendix."

My blonde's eyes widened in alarm. "Something's wrong with Shadow's appendix?"

"No. His sire was a Thoroughbred."

"Sire?" she asked.

"Father," I explained, throwing the Marine a warning glance. If he made her feel less than, I was going to end him. "The horse is fine. He had two different parents. Pick a name, baby girl. We're short on time."

"Oh, okay. I'm sorry. I'm just—I just need a second." Frowning, she looked back at the Marine. "Wait, so Shadow's a half-breed?"

The asshole's nostrils flared. "It's called an Appendix Quarter Horse. It's a purposeful breed."

" Oh ." My blonde nodded. "Okay, now I get it. Where is he from?"

"Kentucky."

Her frown grew. "You stole a horse from his home in Kentucky and brought him here?"

The prick's irritation grew. "I don't steal. He was purchased from a horse farm, and yes, I brought him here."

"Why did you do that when you don't even like him?"

"Baby girl." Given her background, I got where she was coming from, and I didn't give a fuck about her drilling the asshole. It was a valid question, but I was done. "Pick a name or you'll be given one."

Glancing from me to the Marine, she asked him one more question. "What was Shadow's daddy's name."

"Sire," the asshole corrected. "And his name was Steele."

Looking back at me, my petite blonde blinked. Then she smiled wide. "Sterling. Like the shiny jewelry. Sunny Sterling."

Christ. "November, you copy?"

"I heard. On it. Give me twelve hours. Where do you want the new ID package delivered to?"

"Current location." I lowered my voice. "Hand delivered, intended recipient only."

"Understood. Bypass Emerson, deliver to the female. Anything else?"

"She'll need her own transportation, something equipped with a single-horse trailer." If she could handle that beast without a saddle, she could manage an SUV with a trailer. "Can you facilitate that by tomorrow?"

"Yes. Delivery will happen with the new relocation package."

"By who?" I didn't need another incident or asshole upsetting the blonde or delaying my timeline to get back to Miami.

"One of André Luna's men."

I glanced at Christensen's PM. Fucker was staring at the blonde. "Anyone I need to worry about?"

"No."

Force Recon Marines had the same rep as SEALs when it came to women, but I took the hacker at his word. Almost. Lowering my voice, I issued final instructions. "Two more action items. First is no direct-contact escort on the relocation." I wasn't taking any more chances. "Tailed six, clear the new location, then tell Luna's man to peel off."

"Good copy. The second?"

"I'm wiring you funds. Transfer them to the PM."

"Consider it handled." The hacker hung up.

I made a quick online transaction, then pocketed my burner and glanced at the Marine. "The woman and the horse move out in twelve hours. Hundred grand is in your account."

"Where's she going?" the asshole demanded.

Nowhere he'd find her. Cupping my petite blonde's face, ignoring the prick, I made sure only she could hear me. "Your paperwork and new transportation outfitted with a trailer are arriving tomorrow. You're driving yourself and the horse. From here on out, all protocols are in strict effect. Remember what I taught you. Follow every safety measure. No one, and I do mean no one, gets read in on your new location except the Luna and Associates security detail who's bringing up your ID kit and transportation. Understood?"

She nodded, but she bit her lip and stroked her fingers absently along my arm.

I read her fears. "You handled that horse like a pro. You can drive an SUV with a single-stall trailer. New location has everything you need to house the animal. You're going to be fine, baby girl, but once you're settled, use the money in your account to properly outfit that horse with a saddle and use it. Take lessons if you want, but vet everyone you interact with." I reiterated my warning. "Follow the protocols."

"Okay." Her eyes welled. "So this is the real, real goodbye?"

"Yes."

"I'm not saying it." A tear slid down her cheek, and she reached for me. "I know you don't love with words or even love me at all because your heart belongs to the pretty lady. And I know you hate thank-yous, but I'm thanking you anyway. Thank you for saving me, and thank you for giving me and Shadow a new home together."

Not addressing her first statement, I confirmed her second. "You don't have to ever thank me." Drawing her into my arms, I hugged her for the last time, then released her. "Take care of Shadow and be safe, baby girl."

She smiled through tears. "He's going to take care of me."

Not doubting that, I winked.

Then I strode toward the Marine and closed the loop. "If you ever go near her or attempt to find her, I'll kill you."

Not waiting for a response, I headed for the helo.