Laszlo Read online

  He placed it on the counter out of everybody’s reach, then pulled her into his arms. She wrapped her arms tight around him, hugging him hard. He waited until she calmed down and just nestled in closer.

  She turned slightly, looking into the room in general. “Is it over finally?”

  “You know? I think it probably is,” Geir said. “He brought his own backup this time. We caught the handler, who somebody assassinated, and we took out of play the first two hit men. Now we got the man himself responsible for it all and his partner. So I’d say it’s pretty well a clean sweep.”

  She smiled brilliantly. “I’m so damn glad.”

  “So,” Geir said, “are you coming back with us, or is Laszlo staying with you?”

  She looked at him in confusion. But at the rumbling chuckle coming from Laszlo’s chest, her surprise turned to suspicion. “What are you talking about?”

  Geir studied her with a mocking look and said, “Well, you’re only renting this place for a month at a time. You’ve handed in your resignation. And you’re looking for a place to move. I figured, since you and Laszlo hooked up, you’d be moving into his place.”

  She flushed, shaking her head. “I’ll go visit for a few days. See how it goes,” she said cautiously. “I’m not one to jump into things.”

  Geir stared at her, but the corner of his lips twitched. “So, jumping into bed with Laszlo tonight wasn’t jumping into anything?”

  She fisted her hands on her hips and glared at him. “Are you being cheeky?”

  He raised his eyebrows, shaking his head. “No, ma’am.” He turned, walking over to the coffeepot. “Damn, I left the coffee in the truck.” He tossed Laszlo a quick glance. “I’ll be right back.”

  As the door shut behind him, she turned to Laszlo. “Does he really think I’ll move in with you? Just after that?”

  He smiled. “It’s happened to several of our friends. I think he figured I was the next one to get lucky.”

  “Lucky?” she said in an ominous tone. “What kind of lucky?”

  “The kind of lucky that I’m hoping to get over and over and over again,” he said. “But more than that, the lucky that says you care about me and I care about you, and we’re more than happy to take steps with arms around each other toward whatever the future brings.”

  She could feel tears welling in her eyes, dripping from the corners down her cheek. “Now that kind of lucky,” she whispered, “I can get behind.”

  Chapter 17

  By the time Officer Everett arrived, the coffeepot had once again been filled and emptied and was now dripping again. The man was positively dancing. Both of the intruders were now awake.

  Andrew glared at Minx and said, “You know you’re fired.”

  She laughed outright. “I already resigned.”

  He stared at her. “So why are you giving me all this trouble?”

  “Because you’re an asshole,” she snapped. “And I don’t want you doing that to any more women.”

  “They liked it,” he said. “What can I say? Women fall all over me.”

  She shook her head. “You don’t get it, do you?”

  He just glared at her and shut up.

  She looked down at his buddy. “Really? You hung your shingle up with this guy? Haven’t you figured out he’s a loser?”

  “He promised me a lot of money,” said the much younger man with long hair.

  “And what’s a lot of money to you?”

  He stared at her resentfully. “I’m supposed to get a grand if the night went off without a hitch.”

  She leaned forward and in a confidential voice said, “Next time get the cash up front.” And she backed off, watching as the two men were hauled out to the police cruiser.

  “Make sure you come in for a statement in the morning,” Carson said. “I want to get this wrapped up tight as a barrel before noon.”

  “Do you need forensic evidence?”

  “We’ll get the guys in here and run fingerprints and check the doorknobs, etc. But just to make sure we have the forensic evidence to go along with the witnesses’ statements.”

  She smiled and nodded. “No problem. I’ll come in before we leave town.”

  The officer stopped and looked at her. “You’re leaving?”

  “Laszlo and I are traveling back to New Mexico in my car.”

  Beside her, she heard Geir shout with laughter. “Geir will drive alone because he’s insufferable.” She beamed. “However, if you need me to come back for the trial, that is absolutely no problem. I’m sure these two will be happy to return with me and to make sure this asshole goes away for a long time.”

  Carson nodded. “We might need you too. It’s hard to say at this point as Angela Davis and Melinda Barry have both stepped forward now. We’ll get the details from you in the morning then. Make sure you don’t leave town without coming by and seeing me.”

  “Not a problem,” she swore.

  As soon as they were gone, she turned, looked at the two men, spun around and danced into the kitchen. “It’s over. Over.” She raced to Geir, threw her arms around him and gave him a great big hug.

  He hugged her back. “Welcome to the family.”

  She stepped back with misty eyes. “Thank you. That’s the nicest thing anybody has said to me in my life.” She walked over to find Laszlo, his arms already open and waiting for her. She snuggled in tight. “Now can we get some sleep finally? I’m really tired.”

  He squeezed her and then slung one arm around her shoulders. “Come on, sweetie. Back to bed with you.”

  “Now that’s the best suggestion I’ve heard in a long time.”

  “Me too.” And he squeezed her tight again, as if he’d never let her go.

  Thank heavens.

  Epilogue

  Geir Pavla watched the pair head back to Minx’s bedroom. He was happy for his friend. Laszlo had been through so much shit and so much hurt. Minx didn’t even know about his father in Norway, Geir was pretty sure. There hadn’t been time. But apparently that was how life was these days. He’d watched so many of his friends come together in a combustible mode, work out their differences and, all of a sudden, be a perfect fit. He didn’t expect perfection in their lives from their start. It would take time to adapt and to find a way to get along the best they could. But he knew Laszlo and Minx would make it. They were so good for each other. And Geir had no intention of interrupting their initial time together as a couple. As soon as they hit New Mexico, Geir would head to California.

  He had a lot of contacts there he wasn’t sure the others had. They also had a meeting in the morning. Someone in the group needed to connect with Coronado. He hoped to follow that up with a personal visit to Mason and see if they could get to the bottom of what the hell had happened with Mouse. But Geir hadn’t contacted Mason to see if that could happen. At this point, Geir didn’t know that he trusted anything he’d heard. None of it made any sense. But he needed to give them all an update too.

  He sent out a message to Mason, telling him what happened. Even with another four hours until daylight here in Texas—meaning another six in California—Mason sent back a quick message. Let’s do the meeting when you return to New Mexico then.

  Geir agreed with that decision. The sooner they could get home, the better. He texted Mason again. After this I’m coming down to Coronado. We’re so damn close. And yet we’re so far away.

  No, with every clue, you’re closer, Mason texted back. Things are happening right now, so stand strong. We’ll get to the bottom of this, and it’ll happen fast.

  Sure, but I need a place to stay in Coronado. I may have to call some friends.

  I know somebody who runs a B&B. If you want, I can call her and get you a room. Nobody will know who you are, so you don’t have to feel beholden to anyone, and you don’t have to feel like you need to entertain or be entertained.

  Perfect. What’s her name?

  Her first name is Morning. Morning Blossom.

  Geir sta
red at the name and shook his head. Really?

  The text came back right away. Yeah, really. But she’s a sweetheart. You’ll love her.

  Geir wasn’t sure. But how hard could it be to love anybody named Morning Blossom? He grinned, pocketed his phone and headed for Minx’s couch. While he had the chance, he would catch a few hours of sleep because, as far as he could see, this was all coming to a head faster than ever. And he doubted he’d get Laszlo to go with him to California. But maybe. If not, well, it was time for Jager to come in out of the dark.

  As he lay in the dark, Geir thought about the man he’d called best friend for so long. But Jager had taken the incident the worst. He’d been the navigator in the truck and had blamed himself. And yet, no way in hell was he responsible.

  Geir sent Jager a quick message. I know you’re seeing these. I’m heading to Coronado in a couple days. Things have blown open. Road trip?

  He waited and waited, and, when he thought, No way in hell would Jager break his silence, Geir got a message. He read it and grinned.

  I’ll be there.

  This concludes Book 5 of SEALs of Steel: Laszlo.

  Read about Geir: SEALs of Steel, Book 6

  SEALs of Steel: Geir (Book #6)

  When an eight-man unit hit a landmine, all were injured but one died. The remaining seven aim to see Mouse’s death avenged.

  The more Geir discovers, the more he fears the newest member of his former SEALs team wasn’t who they thought.

  An artist, Morning runs a B&B. She’s avoided relationships but quickly decides she wouldn’t mind having Geir around permanently. His protectiveness becomes much more when the nastiness of his world spills into hers…

  Book 6 is available now!

  To find out more visit Dale Mayer’s website.

  Author’s Note

  Thank you for reading Laszlo: SEALs of Steel, Book 5! If you enjoyed the book, please take a moment and leave a short review here.

  Dear reader,

  I love to hear from readers, and you can contact me at my website: www.dalemayer.com or at my Facebook author page. To be informed of new releases and special offers, sign up for my newsletter or follow me on BookBub. And if you are interested in joining Dale Mayer’s Fan Club, here is the Facebook sign up page.

  Cheers,

  Dale Mayer

  Your Free Book Awaits!

  KILL OR BE KILLED

  Part of an elite SEAL team, Mason takes on the dangerous jobs no one else wants to do – or can do. When he’s on a mission, he’s focused and dedicated. When he’s not, he plays as hard as he fights.

  Until he meets a woman he can’t have but can’t forget. Software developer, Tesla lost her brother in combat and has no intention of getting close to someone else in the military. Determined to save other US soldiers from a similar fate, she’s created a program that could save lives. But other countries know about the program, and they won’t stop until they get it – and get her.

  Time is running out … For her … For him … For them …

  DOWNLOAD a complimentary copy of MASON? Just tell me where to send it!

  About the Author

  Dale Mayer is a USA Today bestselling author best known for her Psychic Visions and Family Blood Ties series. Her contemporary romances are raw and full of passion and emotion (Second Chances, SKIN), her thrillers will keep you guessing (By Death series), and her romantic comedies will keep you giggling (It’s a Dog’s Life and Charmin Marvin Romantic Comedy series).

  She honors the stories that come to her – and some of them are crazy and break all the rules and cross multiple genres!

  To go with her fiction, she also writes nonfiction in many different fields with books available on resume writing, companion gardening and the US mortgage system. She has recently published her Career Essentials Series. All her books are available in print and ebook format.

  Connect with Dale Mayer Online

  Dale’s Website – www.dalemayer.com

  Twitter – @DaleMayer

  Facebook – facebook.com/DaleMayer.author

  BookBub – bookbub.com/authors/dale-mayer

  LASZLO: SEALS OF STEEL, BOOK 5

  Dale Mayer

  Valley Publishing Ltd.

  Copyright © 2018

  All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  ISBN-13: 978-1-773360-81-2

  Google Play Edition

  License Notes

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return it and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.