Fire Maidens Scotland (Billionaires & Bodyguards #6) - Anna Lowe Page 0,50
laughter, hope, and a can-do attitude.
He glanced at the urn between them. Trevor certainly picked the right person to carry out his last wishes.
The right one for us too, his dragon pointed out.
She was, and he was through denying it.
The previous night had been the wake-up call he’d needed. Ten years ago, he’d thought their relationship was an either-or proposition. And for years, he’d told himself destiny had made a mistake in bringing him Holly. But now, he knew better. Destiny was giving him a second chance at a life that wasn’t impossible. He could love his mate and make his family proud. He could serve his country and dedicate himself to his mate. Stopping to smell the roses from time to time wouldn’t make him any less capable a soldier. It would just keep him sane. Happy. Satisfied.
Trevor had done that. Why couldn’t he?
Show me, Holly had said.
He tightened his hands around the steering wheel. Bloody right, he would. No matter what it took.
Even winging it? his dragon asked.
He grimaced. God, he hoped not.
For a long time, he’d seen Holly as a danger — a woman who made him break his own rules. But now, he knew better. She was helping him see beyond them.
Trevor’s words echoed through his mind — the part about the foolish young buck I left behind for the man Ava helped me become.
And Lord, what a fool you’ve been, Lachlan’s dragon chided.
Not just foolish, he realized. Fearful, too. He was man enough to admit that now. Fear that he would jeopardize the carefully crafted plan he’d devoted his life to. A plan he’d had drilled into him as a child. An ironclad plan, except for one thing.
His heart. He was a man, not a machine.
So show her, his dragon demanded.
He dipped his head once. Yes, he would, dammit. Whatever it took.
Holly held up another envelope and frowned. “There’s another letter to read after we follow the instructions. There’s a whole packet that comes after it, but that’s unmarked.” She turned over the bundle a few times, then looked out to sea. “There’s one thing I don’t understand. Why is Trevor’s private property being used as a prison?”
“Trevor owns most of the island, but a small parcel belongs to another party. Years ago, it was developed into a luxury getaway, though the owner died before making much use of it. His heirs have no interest in a remote island, so it was easy to rent the property from them. There’s a main house, two guest villas, and a nine hole golf course.”
“Sounds like a country club, not a prison.”
Lachlan grimaced in agreement. “I dislike the arrangement as much as you do. But until the Guardians come up with a more permanent solution…”
Like killing the bastard, his dragon suggested.
“…the best we can do is to ensure our guest stays out of trouble.”
By then, they were pulling up to the security gate of the guard post, so he let the subject go.
“Whoa,” Holly murmured as a tall, hulking man waved them to a stop. “Is this a military base?”
“Close. The Guardians’ joint forces are based here.” He nodded to the bear shifter who leaned in to inspect the vehicle.
“Lachlan… Miss Jennings… We’ve been expecting you.” The guard nodded to them, then frowned at Mungo as if to say, Not expecting him. Still, he waved them through.
Lachlan gestured around as he drove. “We keep an active force on the island at all times, but we oversee operations from here. Those are the barracks, that’s the communications center, over there is the mess hall…”
Holly whistled. “Sure looks like a military base.”
Lachlan pointed to one of the people stepping out to greet them. “That’s Henry, the second-in-command.”
“Who’s first-in-command?”
He leveled his gaze at her. “Me.”
Holly’s lips formed a surprised Oh, and he hid a grin. It was nice being the one to surprise her for a change.
He parked beside military-grade vehicles that dwarfed the Austin, then led Holly over to meet the others.
Other than clutching Mungo’s leash, Holly didn’t let her trepidation show, but Lachlan could tell. A damn good thing there were two especially friendly faces among the more serious, battle-scarred shifters there.
“Liam! Gemma!” Lachlan smiled, introducing them to Holly.
Liam was another former comrade — a lion/dragon cross who’d surprised the hell out of everyone by settling down in London with his mate, Gemma — London’s Fire Maiden. Gemma was just as exuberant and outgoing as Holly, thank goodness — and half American, to boot.