Guarding Cora
A Delta Force Defenders Novel
By Jennifer Becker
Editing by Mad as a Hatter Editing Services. Jenny Dillion.
Table of Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Epilogue
Chapter One
Liam "Sunshine" Macintosh stood at Cora's threshold getting up the nerve to knock on her door. Four days ago, she had attacked his former Commander to save Hannah from being dragged off to who knew where. His team had rescued Hannah about a month ago. They had been sent to rescue hostages and intercept a shipment of drugs. The mission had been doomed to fail from the beginning. Their prior commander had been working with Alejandro, a known terrorist working with ISIS, and a drug, and human trafficker, and sent his team and another from Texas to Alejandro’s base in Panama. No one had been expecting the trap that awaited them or for Midas to bring the woman back to California with them. But Hannah had been a hostage for over a year, and in Alejandro’s custody for a few weeks. Once she was rescued she had told them everything she knew about him and his shipments. Their previous commander found out about Hannah and feared she could expose him so he tried to get rid of her. He and Midas saved her and Cora that day.
Liam hadn't been so sure about Hannah when he realized Midas had feelings for her. He let his experience with Cora cloud his judgment. Not everyone was in a fucked-up situation like he was guarding so many secrets. It wasn't that he hadn't trusted Cora with them. They were just his burden to bear. It tore him up when Cora broke up with him though he couldn't blame her. Secrets didn't belong in a relationship. When he saw Cora bleeding after Commander Brady attacked her, was the first time he had seen her since they broke up five months ago. His protective instincts kicked in and he ran to her without thinking. Midas was pounding on their commander and didn't need him. Cora pushed him away and rejected his fussing over her and retreated to her house. Hence why he stood in front of her door to see if she was healing alright. More than that he just wanted to see her period. Cora was the closest woman he had ever said I love you to. She understood his military drive and need for military secrets. It was his personal secrets she couldn't deal with. Not that he blamed her.
Before he could talk himself out of it, he knocked on her door and waited with baited breath. He knew it was late in the evening, but he knew Cora would still be awake. Her lights were on for one thing, and the woman never knew when to put her work down. There were nights he had to drag her to bed she was so wrapped up in her work. It was one of the many reasons why he liked her. Her dedication to her work.
He only had to wait a few moments then the front door opened, and Cora peeked out from behind her half-opened door. Her pixie cut brown hair was in disarray, and it looked like she was still in her bathrobe. Liam knew from experience Cora worked from home and sometimes didn't bother to get dressed. ‘I don’t have anyone to impress,' she had told him.
He couldn't see all her face, but what he saw looked pale and drawn. When she saw that it was him her face pulled tight and she glared at him. "What are you doing here, Liam?"
It never failed to shock Liam hearing his real name. Only his family and Cora ever used it. He winced at her hostile tone. He was to blame for that. He drove the wedge between them. She used to open her door and sigh his name. He missed that. He missed a lot of things. Things he had taken for granted until she left him.
My fault.
"I wanted to make sure you're okay after..." He let his words trail off trying to find the right words.
Cora’s eyes darted towards her office before looking back at him. "After your boss attacked me and tried kidnapping Hannah?" Leave it to Cora to say things how they were. He blamed her dad. As a former Marine, the man never beat around the bush.
"Yeah, that." Liam scratched the back of his head, a nervous tick he had as a kid.
Cora's features softened slightly, and her lip twitched in half a smile. "I'm fine, Liam. I told you that before when it happened."
"I know but there are some people who are fine at first, and it kicks in afterward."
"I know how PTSD works. I've lived through it with my family. No nightmares. No sudden need to board up the windows. I'm fine." He heard the words, but he didn't believe them for a second. Dark circles stood out under her eyes. Her nose and eyes were slightly red. She wasn't sleeping, and she had been crying recently. He wanted to comfort her but knew she would push him away. Cora didn't like to be babied. She always wanted to be strong.
"Good. Well then. Glad everything is fine with you." They stood in an awkward silence. Liam wasn't ready to leave her yet. This was the longest they had talked in five months, and he wasn't ready for it to end yet.
"Well, thanks for stopping by-" Cora started to shut the door on him.
Feeling a rising panic that he wouldn't get another opportunity Liam blurted out, "Have dinner with me."
Cora paused and looked at him like he had grown a second head. He might as well have. He just asked her out. Why? His circumstances hadn't changed.
Because he missed her.
Losing Cora had been one of the worst things to have happened to him. He would do anything to be with her again short
