Page 11 of Shadow Redemption
“Casa del Mar.”
A soft whistle. “Nice hotel. Does someone make reservations for you?”
“My agent, Rich Eisenhower.”
“I’ll arrange for us to have a suite.” Ben looked at Joe and Sam. “I’d like you to stay with us to help with guard shifts and to watch our backs.”
“Be happy to stay in a luxury suite.” Joe grinned. “Sure beats the accommodations we’ve had for the past three weeks.”
Ruth twisted to face Ben. “Where were you?”
He snorted. “The hot, stinking jungle.”
She blinked. “I’m not a fan of the jungle.”
Nico chuckled. “Believe me, we aren’t fond of it, either.” He glanced at his team. “Go home and get some rest. I’m going to re-introduce myself to my wife. We’ll meet tomorrow to analyze the security at Casa del Mar. We need to know the locations of your photoshoot, Ruth. Give Ben whatever information you have and he’ll pass it along to the rest of us. I’ll talk to Z about reserving a room for me and Trace at Casa del Mar.”
Ben grabbed the empty water bottles and tossed them in the recycling bin before assisting Ruth to her feet. For a man who swore he was bad for her, Ben Martin always behaved like a gentleman and treated her with respect. He pressed his hand to the small of her back to guide her from the room, intentionally touching her so she would grow used to the contact.
Would he ever touch her voluntarily outside of this assignment? She shoved the thought aside. What she wanted didn’t matter. What she needed was for Ben and his friends to smoke out the stalker and free her from his threats so she could get on with her life without fear.
They rode the elevator in silence. When they exited in the underground parking garage, Ben steered her toward his SUV.
“I drove myself here.”
“You’re not driving yourself anywhere else until the threat is neutralized.” He glanced at her. “Do you need anything from your vehicle?”
She shook her head.
After helping her into the passenger seat, Ben circled the hood and climbed behind the wheel. “You hungry?”
“Starving.”
“So am I. I know the perfect place to take you. It’s quiet and exclusive, so we won’t have to worry about any news media stalking you just yet.” He held up his hand before she could say anything. “Don’t worry. The restaurant has selections that will fit your dietary restrictions and mine.”
She rolled her eyes as he drove from the Fortress compound. “You don’t have dietary restrictions. I don’t know how you eat so much and yet never seem to gain an ounce of weight.”
He flicked her a glance. “I’m not worried about a few extra ounces on my frame. We train for hours a day and burn a lot of calories on missions and off. We have to be in top shape to do our jobs.”
“Must be nice.”
“You don’t have to model, Ruth. There must be something else that interests you.”
She twisted in her seat to study his profile. “Several things. What about you?”
He frowned. “What about me?”
“Are you interested in another job?”
“No. This is what I’m trained for and I’m good at it.”
She believed that after seeing what he was capable of when he and his teammates rescued her. “Have you always worked for Fortress?”
Another quick glance before he returned his attention to the road. “No. Fortress is only a few years old. Maddox started the company when he mustered out of the Navy.”
“Brent was a sailor?” He seemed more than that to her, but what did she know about black ops work?
“He was a SEAL.”