Page 22 of Lion’s Den

“I’m fine, you know,” Cam muttered. “It’s just a scratch.”

Two hours later, Sedona scrambled into clothes that Brynn Montgomery, Caleb’s wife, had brought her. “It’s just a scratch,” she mimicked Cam’s deep voice. “Right. That scratch took forty stitches to close, Brynn.”

Her friend laughed. “Welcome to the world of cops and black ops.”

She froze. Black ops? “Cam isn’t black ops.”

“Don’t kid yourself. He was Delta Force in the Army. Do you know what that means?”

“Not really.” Did she want to know?

“Well, I do. Caleb was Delta Force as well. It means these men will do whatever it takes to get the job done. The Army calls them Cowboys because they work outside the lines and find creative solutions to problems.”

That sounded like Caleb and Cam. “Cam isn’t currently in black ops, is he?”

“Not yet.”

She stilled. “There’s a possibility that he will join Fortress Security, too?” Would he be like the Montgomery brothers, on rotation every other month?

“Let’s just say Brent Maddox is after Cam and his Delta unit to join Fortress as a Search and Rescue team.”

That didn’t sound so bad. “No kidding.”

Brynn shrugged. “That’s what I overheard when Caleb and his brothers were discussing Cam’s unit. David wants to hire the rest of Cam’s unit as deputies. That would mean Maple Valley and Morgan County would complete their roster.”

More men like Cam? “Wow.”

Brynn handed Sedona her shoes. “Can you imagine four more men like the Montgomery brothers and Cam?”

“To be honest, no. These men are overwhelming.”

“Truth. I also heard that Lucas Cruz, a detective in Archer, wants to do SAR training with them.” Brynn stood. “Anyway, I have to go. We have a new shipment of plants coming into the nursery this morning, so I can’t be late.”

“I understand.” Sedona hugged her friend. “Thank you for bringing me a change of clothes. I owe you big for this.”

“This is nothing. We’ll talk later after I get home tonight.” She wiggled her eyebrows. “I saw how Cam was looking at you. I want all the details when we talk.”

“We’ll talk. Now, go. Have a good day.”

“Same to you.” Brynn dashed for the door. “Enjoy the zoo.” And she was gone.

Sedona took one last look in the mirror, then hurried toward the door herself. Cam was waiting in the hall for her so he could drive her to school in a black SUV. Maybe it was her imagination, but this area was filled to the brim with black SUVs, just like the ones the Montgomery brothers drove.

She bent to scoop her bag from the floor and gasped.

Cam was beside her seconds later. “Sedona, what’s wrong?”

“My back hurts, but I don’t know why.”

“Did you tell Dr. Cunningham about it?”

She shook her head. “I didn’t realize it hurt.” Would he accuse her of lying to the doctor? She hadn’t. Would Cam believe her?

He frowned, his hand coasting up and down her back in a soothing motion. “Adrenaline can mask many symptoms that show up when the adrenaline is out of your system. It’s not unheard of for soldiers to keep functioning in the heat of battle only to realize when the crisis is over that they need medical attention. We should have Cunningham check your back.”

“Cam, we need to go. I have to be on campus in a few minutes. Perhaps you wouldn’t mind checking it later.”

His hand stopped coasting up and down her back. “I don’t know if that’s a good idea since you might have to take off your shirt.”