Page 51 of Lion’s Den

“What do you say, Cam?” Spencer asked. “Think you can work with that?”

“Oh, yeah. I can handle it.”

“What about you?” Dario asked. “Don’t you have something to say to the lady?”

“What I want to say doesn’t need an audience.”

“Oh, no.” The EOD man shook his head. “That won’t do. We’ve had to put up with you mooning about her for weeks during our weekly meetings. We deserve to see the payoff.”

Cam scowled at his grinning teammates. He pointed at them. “I’m making a note of this. Every one of you, remember that your time is coming. I will gladly make you pay up.”

He turned his back on his teammates. Focusing solely on Sedona, he held out his hand to her, thrilled when she placed her hand in his without hesitation. “We call you our principal because we’re tasked with protecting you from the men who want to harm you, including The Collector.” Cam drew Sedona close to him. “About the other. Tiger, you have been mine since the day I met you. I just didn’t have the courage to pursue a relationship with you.”

“And now?”

“Now, you’re everything. You are mine, and I’m yours. I don’t know how to put what I feel deep inside any plainer than that.”

“Sedona?” Spencer winked at her. “Put him out of his misery, please. He’s pitiful right now.”

Pitiful? The medic was blind as a bat. Cam Sims was magnificent. “If I’m yours, then you are mine. All the way mine. No give backs. No takeaways. Mine. Female encroachers will be dealt with swiftly.”

Cam laughed and hugged her tightly. “Same. No encroachers allowed near you, either.”

“Deal.”

He dropped a light kiss on her mouth and led her to a cushioned loveseat. Once she was settled, he turned to his teammates. “So, here’s what we know. Three men waited for Sedona near the faculty parking lot behind her elementary school. She stayed late that night to put together her lesson plans and catch up on grading homework.”

“I had my lesson-planning notebook in my bag.” She scowled. “I wonder what happened to that bag? My computer was in it, too.”

“I’ll check on that,” Rhys said. “Shouldn’t take me long to do some exploring.”

Cam flinched. “Dude, you have to quit telling me things like that. I keep reminding you I’m a cop. I don’t want to arrest one of my teammates.”

“You need proof, Sims, and you won’t find any.” His friend grinned.

“In this case, you don’t have to break the law. Sedona’s book bag, purse, and computer are at the sheriff’s department. They’re evidence in an ongoing investigation.”

Isaac held up his hand. “Let’s rein it in, boys. Cam, might be best to let us ask Sedona questions. If we push too hard, you can tell us to back off.”

Cam turned his head. “What about it, Sedona? Are you okay with that plan?”

“Let’s do it. We have to figure out why they want me so much that they willingly put one of my students in danger just to get to me. I don’t want that to ever happen again.”

He gave a curt nod. “All right. Go easy on her. She’s been through the wringer in the past two days.”

“We’ll remember,” Spencer said. “We just want answers to our questions, and maybe us asking them instead of you will spark a memory for her.” He pointed at Isaac. “You’re up, my man. You heard the boss. Don’t push too hard.”

“Copy that.” The sniper sat on the floor in front of the couch and leaned back against it, his posture relaxed. “Cam, Sedona doesn’t trust us yet. Sit beside her and put your arms around her. Help her feel safe.”

When Cam did as he suggested, Isaac said, “Close your eyes, Sedona. Feel Cam holding you. Take a deep breath. Take another. And another. Good. I want you to start at the bottom of your feet and consciously relax every muscle and tendon in your feet. Now your ankles. Your calves are next. Relax every muscle.”

On and on Isaac went, his low, soothing voice lulling Sedona into a state of utter relaxation. A little more time, and she would fall asleep against Cam. Although he wouldn’t mind, the point of the exercise was to tease more information from her.

“Go back to the day you were taken from the school. Recount your day from the time you woke until Cam found you.”

“Really?”

“Yes. You’d be surprised what we might discover. So, your alarm went off at what time?”