Savage Peril: Military Romantic Suspense (Stealth Security Book 6) Read online

  SAVAGE PERIL

  Stealth Security: Book 6

  By

  Emily Jane Trent

  Table of Contents

  SAVAGE PERIL

  Foreword

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  HAWKE PREVIEW

  Chapter 1

  Copyright

  Foreword

  If you like Savage Peril, you won’t want to miss Mortal Peril, the FREE Prequel to Stealth Security. Exclusive content as free gift for new subscribers!

  Ex-Navy SEAL Travis faces mortal peril to protect his pregnant wife Melanie.

  CLICK THE LINK AND CLAIM YOUR FREE BOOK:

  MORTAL PERIL

  I hope you enjoy the suspenseful romance!

  Emily

  Chapter 1

  Only three weeks ago, Lori Waters had lost her father. His death had been unexpected, and she hadn’t recovered from the shock. On the flight home from Houston, she fought to process recent events. It was difficult to believe that her father wouldn’t be at the clinic, that she would have to manage alone.

  Lori stared at the untouched apple juice and bag of peanuts on her tray table. Her loss of appetite was to be expected during the grieving period. Yet she wondered if food would look good anytime soon. The joy seemed to have drained from her existence, along with her father’s life.

  The flight attendant leaned in, offering a pillow to a fellow passenger. A man across the aisle stretched out his leg. A woman made her way to the lavatory. To Lori, it all seemed a bit unreal, as though events transpired without meaning.

  Robert Waters had died at the age of fifty-seven, and that was so unfair. He had been a remarkable physician and dedicated to his career. He had been a vibrant man, a loving father, and would be sorely missed. He had established the pain clinic where Lori had joined him after she graduated medical school.

  Over the years, Waters Pain Clinic had flourished in Santa Monica. Lori’s father had aided a multitude of patients to deal with pain. Providing relief to those who suffered from that affliction had become her passion as well.

  The medical conference in Houston had gone by in a blur. Robert Waters had been scheduled to speak about experimental pain relief methods that showed promise. Lori had attended in his place and managed to give the talk. She must have done okay, as the audience applauded. But she didn’t remember exactly what she’d said.

  Feeling numb, Lori looked out the window. The flight from Houston to Los Angeles was three hours, so she had plenty of time to think. Her father’s death nagged at her, as though something was amiss—other than the inconceivable loss.

  Lori should have prevented her father’s untimely demise. Although that was purely wishful thinking. He had died suddenly, and Lori wasn’t sure if that could have been avoided. Her conscience wouldn’t let her put the guilt aside, even though she had been assured there had been no failure on her part.

  Many strong emotions refused to subside. Lori’s anger was paramount, often more potent than her grief. It shouldn’t have happened. Her father should have lived many more years, yet he was ripped away without warning.

  Those who were close to Lori had tried to reassure her that there was nothing she could have done. Yet the distress over the loss remained, every bit as upsetting as the day she had been told of the tragedy. Her father was gone, so Lori had to face that.

  For some reason, it wasn’t that simple. There was something about it that Lori couldn’t resolve in her mind or her heart. Maybe it would take more time, that was all. Yet she doubted the grief would fade in the foreseeable future.

  Lori felt so alone. Only five years before, she’d lost her mother to multiple sclerosis, after living with pain for far too long. Her mother, Anna, had been the reason for the pain clinic. In his desperation to provide relief to his beloved wife, Robert Waters had established the clinic and made the latest techniques available.

  At one point, it had all seemed so hopeful. Her mother’s pain was under control and her life expectancy was good. Yet she had died, long before Lori was prepared to lose her. And now, her father was gone too. Her younger brother was the only immediate family she had left, and he was irresponsible and immature, so of little comfort.

  The flight attendant walked down the aisle collecting trash in a bag. Lori handed over her unopened items and put the tray table up. She had barely noticed the couple sitting next to her, or other passengers, for that matter. Immersed in grief, little else drew her attention.

  Lori closed her eyes then leaned her head against the seatback. She tried to focus on the future, on the increased responsibility that had fallen on her shoulders. Yet it all seemed overwhelming, since she would face running the clinic alone. She had been very close to her father and had relied on him in her career.

  The flight attendant said over the loudspeaker, “If there is a doctor on board, please come to the galley immediately.”

  Instantly alert, Lori got out of her seat and made her way by the two passengers seated next to her. Once in the aisle, she responded to the call. There would be only one reason for such an announcement. The crew needed assistance with an inflight emergency.

  Crews were onboard to see to the passengers’ comfort and safety, but they were not medically trained. It didn’t happen often, but Lori or her father had assisted before when a crisis occurred. So far, the incidents had been controllable, and no one had died.

  The pilot might choose to land the plane if a passenger was in a life-threatening condition. That could prove impossible on international flights, and Lori had once stabilized a woman with severe diabetic symptoms until the plane could land.

  Lori was a professional, so her focus was on the patient, her own issues irrelevant now. She hoped it wasn’t anything too serious. After sweeping back the curtain, she stepped inside to take in the scene. There was a man in his forties lying on a pad on the floor with his shoes off.

  “Are you a doctor?” the flight attendant said.

  “Yes, I run the Waters Pain Clinic.” Lori didn’t have time to talk. It was clear the man was in anaphylactic shock. His skin was pale; his lips and eyelids were swollen. He appeared to have trouble breathing.

  “This is Marco Bacci,” the flight attendant said.

  Lori was already on the floor beside him. “Marco, I’m going to help you,” Lori said. The man nodded but seemed unable to speak. Most likely, his throat was swollen.

  “Bring me the EpiPen,” Lori said, since she could use it to quickly treat the severe allergic reaction.

  “We don’t have one,” the flight attendant said. “I’ll get the advanced life-support kit.” She reached in a cupboard and pulled out the kit.

  There wasn’t much time. Such a reaction could be due to food, drugs, bee sting, or other allergens. It didn’t matter. The anaphylaxis was severe and potentially life-threating. She guessed the cause had been the ingestion of food, since that would result in a slower progression of the allergic reaction.

  Lori couldn’t say how long she had. Once the anaphylaxis peaked, it could
turn deadly in less than fifteen minutes. She rummaged through the kit. Thankfully, she found epinephrine and a syringe. “You’ll have to help me,” she said to the flight attendant.

  The flight attendant knelt beside her.

  “Remove his slacks. I’ll have to inject into his thigh muscle.” Lori started preparing the injection, adjusting the dose to one appropriate for a man of his size.

  Then Lori looked at Marco. His eyelids were swollen but not completely closed. “You’re having a severe allergic reaction. I’m going to give you an injection. This is adrenaline, and it will bring you out of shock. Your symptoms should abate.”

  Marco looked at her, clearly suffering.

  “I won’t kid you; this is going to hurt. In a hospital, there are alternatives. But injecting into your leg muscle is the best option we have here.” Lori didn’t see the need to mention that if the situation deteriorated, there was a risk that she’d have to open his airways with an incision.

  The flight attendant held Marco’s leg stable while Lori administered the injection. Then she gave Marco a look of encouragement. As the epinephrine began to work, Marco began to breathe easier. After a few deep breaths, he said through swollen lips, “Shit…I thought I was going to die.”

  Lori took his hand. “Fortunately, the emergency kit had what we needed. Sorry, it was a bit rough, but it worked.”

  “I owe you my life,” Marco said between deep breaths.

  “That’s what doctors do,” Lori said. “When you get to the hospital, you’ll be given more epinephrine intravenously. What I’ve given you will last until you get there, so don’t worry.”

  “We’re only thirty minutes from the airport,” the flight attendant said. “An ambulance is waiting and ready.” Then she spoke on the intercom to let the pilot know that the situation was under control.

  “I’ll stay with you until you deplane,” Lori said. “I’ll monitor your heart and breathing.”

  “My throat is better,” Marco said. “It was so swollen it felt like there was a tight band around my neck.”

  “Yes, I can imagine so,” Lori said. “Do you have any idea what the allergen was?”

  “I can’t say for sure.” Marco was talking, if in a labored fashion. “I wasn’t aware of anything that I’d react to. I did have food at the snack bar before the flight. I’m allergic to peanuts, but I’m always careful about that.”

  “That could have been it,” Lori said. “There might have been undetected peanuts. Or food that was made on equipment that also processes peanuts.”

  “I started to feel ill while boarding,” Marco said. “Then it got worse and worse. I realized it was serious and managed to buzz for the flight attendant.”

  “It’s good she called for a doctor right away.”

  “That really gave me a scare,” Marco said. “Yesterday, I was well when I flew to the Houston Pain Clinic for a meeting.”

  “I was there, too,” Lori said. “But I was at the conference giving a speech.”

  For the remainder of the flight, Lori talked with her patient. Now that he was out of immediate danger, she distracted him with conversation. His appearance was professional. The polo shirt and nice slacks, plus the good haircut, spoke of respectability.

  “I’m an attorney,” Marco said, then he pulled a card from his pocket.

  “Always prepared, huh?” Lori said, examining the card. Embossed in gold was Bacci & Associates. The office was in Santa Monica.

  “That’s my firm,” Marco said. “If you need legal counsel, give me a call.”

  “I don’t plan to,” Lori said. “But thanks. How are you feeling?”

  “Like a million bucks.”

  “I like a man with a sense of humor,” Lori said. She wrapped a cuff around his bicep and inflated it, then read the gauge. “Your blood pressure has improved. Earlier, it was extremely low, which happens with this type of incident.”

  “I heard you say that you run the Waters clinic?”

  “My father used to…” Lori’s personal life came crashing back. “He…passed away. So, now I’m in charge.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that,” Marco said. “About your father, I mean.”

  “We’re going to land in a few minutes,” the flight attendant said to Lori. “You should sit in the seat next to me and buckle in.”

  *****

  Paramedics rolled Marco off the plane on a gurney, but not before he thanked Lori again. Then she was permitted to deplane before the other passengers. The pilot expressed his gratitude for her care of the passenger, and Lori shook his hand. She was relieved that she had saved a life.

  Lori had used her skill to yank Marco from the brink of death. If only she could have done the same for her father. But his situation had been different. She wished that she’d had a chance to avert disaster, like she had just moments ago, but reality was harsh. A life saved, a life lost—yet it was difficult to accept.

  As Lori rolled her suitcase down the jetway, she thought of her fiancé—actually, former fiancé. It would be nice if that had worked out, but it had been doomed from the start. Matthew Carter’s role at the clinic as practice manager involved him in key administrative functions.

  Lori’s father had hired him based on his impressive resumé and experience. After Matt had been on duty for barely a month, he had begun flirting. At first, it had been fun and flattering. But the relationship developed quickly. Matt endeared himself to Lori’s father, who began to trust and count on him.

  That would have been fine, as Lori was pleased that her father had an employee he could rely on. It took a lot to run a major pain clinic, and she hadn’t wanted to see her father overworked. Matt’s role allowed Lori and her father to focus on the medical side of the business.

  Matt was handsome, so it had been easy to fall for him. He was five eleven, fit and toned. His lean body and sexy blue eyes had captivated Lori. He had poured on the charm and courted her. It had been very romantic. Images of nights at his downtown condo reminded her of emotions that she’d rather forget.

  The penthouse had an extra-large, city-facing balcony with floor-to-ceiling windows. The gorgeous night views had been the ideal setting for seducing her. Good wine and soft music completed the trap. Lori didn’t know why she thought of it that way.

  It really wasn’t fair of her. Lori had agreed to marry Matt then hadn’t known why she wasn’t happy. She was thirty-six years old and hadn’t been married before. She attributed that to dedicating her life to a career. Sometimes it seemed as though she couldn’t have both.

  It had seemed possible with Matt, because he had been immersed in the clinic like she was. They had that in common. But Lori’s attraction faded. The longer she was engaged, the more she wished for her freedom. But she tried to convince herself that it was her issue, that the relationship was basically sound.

  Yet Lori hadn’t felt love like she should have. But what did she know? She hadn’t been in love, not truly. There had been some infatuations, a few relationships with possibilities. But not one of those had worked out.

  It was her fault. She was too career-oriented, and any man she dated wanted more of her time—more of her, period. That hadn’t worked for her. The clinic came first, and her passion for medicine equaled her father’s. Dating was a distraction, and a serious relationship was out of the question.

  That was the way Lori had thought until Matt became a part of her life. It had been time to face reality. If she wanted to marry, then she would have to compromise. There had to be a way to balance her life, and find happiness in the give and take with an intimate partner.

  Guilt had riddled Lori. She had wanted to tell Matt it wasn’t going to work. Yet every time she had tried, he cut her off. He had talked her out of it, convinced her that they were meant for each other. But her heart told her otherwise.

  When Lori’s father died, it had all been too much. After the funeral, she’d told Matt it was over. She couldn’t explain what was wrong, or why he wasn’t the one for h
er. He wouldn’t understand, anyway. So, she had shared her feelings, whether that made sense to him or not.

  With the loss of her father, Lori hadn’t been able to deal with the failing relationship. She hadn’t had motivation to try and make it work. And hadn’t seen the point. She had told Matt that it was all too much. She had been devastated by her father’s death, and going on without him would be tough.

  Taking over the clinic and surviving the grief was all she could deal with. Matt had been hurt and tried to argue Lori out of it. But that time she hadn’t budged. It was over, and they both had to face that. She didn’t have her father to lean on anymore. And she didn’t have a fiancé to give her emotional support.

  Lori was alone, and that sucked. But she didn’t have a choice in the matter. There was one thing she knew for sure: she would keep her father’s dream alive. It had become her dream as well. She would get it together and make sure the clinic survived.

  When Lori emerged into the waiting area, it was packed with people. In recent years, Matt had picked her up at the airport, but that was no longer the case. She wove through the crowd looking for a familiar face, then she saw him and waved.

  It was of some comfort to see her uncle’s smiling face. Lori appreciated his support, especially during this period of grief. He had been gentle and caring, which was all she could ask for. When she got free of the tangle of passengers, she gave her uncle a hug.

  Sheldon Marino was tall and strong, so much different than her father. He had dark hair and eyes and resembled his Italian father. Lori’s father had been blond with blue eyes, just like she was. The two had been half-brothers, and the difference in looks came from their heritage.

  But Sheldon had been a part of Lori’s life throughout her upbringing. He was someone she could trust, and that meant a lot.

  “Uncle Sheldon.” She kissed his cheek. “I appreciate you picking me up. It’s a madhouse here. I don’t have any other luggage, so lead me out. I need some air.”

  “How was Houston?” Sheldon took the handle of her case to roll it out for her.