Page 24 of Gold Mine (The Diamond Trilogy 2)
“Apparently he’s in the country.”
Elijah sighs and grabs a towel. “Apparently there’s a bounty on Holly’s head.”
“Fuck.”
“I know.”
“There’s only so far we can go to protect her if he tries to use his position.”
Elijah narrows his eyes. “I’m not letting him take her.”
“I’m not suggesting we let him take her, either. I’m suggesting we tread carefully here. The last thing we need is an international incident.” The fact is fighting the lieutenant colonel is extremely uncertain territory. The wrong move could be an act of war. I’ve seen too much bad shit working in the shadow ops to have much country loyalty left, but that’s going far, even for me. My business is back in the States. The love of my life is back in the States.
“Tread carefully,” Elijah says, his voice flat.
I love my brother. I would sacrifice anything for him, including my own life.
But I won’t sacrifice Samantha Brooks—not her safety or financial security or even her ability to travel internationally to perform the violin.
I glance at Josh because I need his help with this. He’s a little bit closer to Elijah as the middle brother. And he’s a natural peacemaker, whereas I’m a controlling bastard.
“Tread carefully,” Josh says, his tone easy. “As in we cover our tracks.”
Elijah gives a curt nod. “I’ll confront him. And there won’t be any link back to you.”
I shake my head. “That’s not the point. You confront him, and you come back alive. Otherwise I’ll have to explain to Holly that you got beat by a middle-aged man with a fake tan.”
That makes him snort, which is a good thing. We’re back on neutral territory. “Got it.”
“And take Josh with you.”
Elijah raises an eyebrow. “You really think he’s going to best me?”
“I think the man is wily and untrustworthy and corrupt in the extreme. There’s no telling what lengths he’ll go to in order to get what he wants.”
“Have we actually discussed why he wants Holly?” Josh asks.
“Because she’s the key to controlling Elijah.”
“I don’t know why he thinks that,” Elijah mutters. “Or why he wants me so badly. I’m just a soldier. He has plenty of those.”
“You’re one of the best,” I admit. “In-fucking-valuable.”
Josh nods. “And anyone with eyes can see that you’re head over heels for Ms. Holland Frank. That makes her a target, while you’re busy getting kinky.”
“All right,” Elijah says, gesturing toward the clearing where we sparred. “Your turn.”
The thing about Josh is that he’s a trash talker. “Liam may be too pussy to beat your ass, but I’m not. Step up, little brother. Let’s get this party started.”
I settle back on the bench to watch the match.
Josh has a deceptively languid fighting style. It looks as if he’s only half paying attention, as if he’s barely even trying, but he can drop someone twice his weight that way.
Elijah has a more direct fighting style, but damn if it isn’t effective. The ache in my shoulder can attest to that. Not many men can get a direct hit in with me.
This lieutenant colonel is going to be a problem.
Elijah may not understand it, but I do. There are plenty of soldiers out there. It’s harder to find someone smart who can think on his feet. Someone strategic. Someone with the brains to back up the brawn. He had the best soldier in his arsenal, and he wants him back.
The question is how far he’ll go to get him.
Using Holly as a pawn is a risk.
That implies a certain level of desperation. And desperation is danger in a man like that. Elijah will confront the lieutenant colonel, but I doubt that will be the end of it. Josh will provide backup and make sure Elijah doesn’t strangle the man.
The last thing we need is to be the subject of an international manhunt.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Elijah
I’m in the shower when I hear someone behind me.
Steam clouds the glass, but I recognize the figure on the other side. Short stature, a wild mane of honey-colored hair. In some ways she looks ordinary. That doesn’t explain the instant pounding in my chest. The anticipation in my hard cock.
I open the door, revealing my naked body, the water streaming down. Her brown eyes are hungry as she takes me in. And then shocked.
“You’re hurt.”
I give a short laugh. “This is nothing.”
She reaches into the spray, touching her forefinger to the corner of my mouth. “It’s not nothing. You’re bleeding. Did Liam do this to you?”
“I asked him to.”
She shakes her head, not quite understanding.
That’s fine, because I don’t understand it either. I only know that I wanted Liam to do it. I wanted him to punish me for walking too damn close to the line. What I did to Holly was wrong, depraved. He was right to stop me.
“What are we going to do about the bounty on my head?”
