Free Her Next Breath (Uncharted SEALs Book 2) by Delilah Devlin

matter how she pleaded. So, she remained silent, waiting until his breaths deepened, and the red hue of his cheeks receded.
    He fisted his hands on his hips and stared at the bed.
    Was he regretting being with her? That thought made her chest tighten. As mad as she was at him, she still wanted to trust him.
    “Suri, come here.”
    She dragged her feet as she slowly approached him and stood an arm’s length from his rigid body.
    Jackson shot out a hand and gripped her arm. He pulled her nearer and bent his head so that his gaze bored into hers. “I need you to stay put. In this room. You won’t close the door, because the guard will have to keep an eye on you. Do you understand?”
    All her anger drained away, and she solemnly nodded. “I’m distracting you. Making you and everyone else less safe.”
    His next breath released in a long exhale, and he tugged her closer and wrapped his arms around her.
    Suri snuggled against his chest and hugged him back. There was a special magic in a shared embrace. As bad as things could get, just breathing in his scent and leaning against his strong body relaxed her. “All right,” she whispered. “I won’t budge. Promise.”
    He tugged her hair to tilt her head and kissed her. “When this is over, we’re going to talk.”
    From the sound of his deep, graveled tone, she couldn’t wait.
    The rain began to fall, when Jackson returned to ops. He entered the interrogation room and leaned against a wall as Teague grilled Alejandro.
    Jackson raked the younger man. He was slender, but wiry, not particularly tall. His dark hair was nearly shoulder length and shiny, like he’d combed oil through it. His features were even, maybe some would think he was handsome, but Jackson didn’t like his mouth. Even still, it formed a natural smirk, like he thought he was smarter than everyone else, or he was the only one who understood the joke. Jackson knew with certainty that Alejandro was no innocent. That he’d played Suri.
    How could Suri have trusted a sleaze like this? But thinking back over the things she’d told him, he realized that given her background, she’d never had a lot of friends, and probably found it hard to feel comfortable around “normal” people. Alejandro was a pro at manipulation, likely knew just what to say or when to give her space. For someone who hadn’t known friendship, real friendship, she’d been an easy mark.
    Teague’s irritation was evident in the tightness of his mouth. Suri’s friend wasn’t giving up much. When he was asked about his relationship to his father, he diverted, talking instead about his time at UT and his relationship with Suri. When he was asked about how the drugs were brought into the U.S., he talked about vacations spent on his father’s yacht.
    His hands had been freed, and he lifted them every now and then to gaze at his fingernails, like he had all the time in the world to lead them down the rabbit hole. Something about his wide gaze didn’t feel real. His skin was pale and his hands shook just a little, but there was an energy, a nervous excitement that he exuded.
    Something wasn’t right.
    Teague aimed a tense glance his way, and Jackson nodded. He let himself out of the room and put on a headset. “Need a headcount on the perimeter.”
    Team members stationed around the outside of the fence began to sound off in order of their assigned spots. At post five, there was a long silence. Then, “Post nine, here.”
    Jackson grabbed a weapon and stuck his head into the interrogation room. “We have company.”
    Alejandro’s mouth curved into a slight smile.
    If he’d had the time, Jackson would have lifted him from his chair and slammed him into the wall, but he didn’t.
    “I’ll take care of him,” Teague said, “Then I’ll radio for reinforcements.”
    Jackson slammed out of the building at a run, keeping his voice calm as he gave orders to the men scrambling around the camp. Everyone had their pre-assigned places in