Her Bodyguard: A BBW Billionairess Romance by Milly Taiden, Mina Carter

there was no sight of her. He flicked a glance at the time. Odd.
    “So, if I was considering getting out of the game… Settling down, perhaps with a curvy CEO... Would you still break my legs?”
    A smile broke over Tom’s face. “Never thought I’d see the day. I don’t think Amy would let me live it down if you stayed here with broken legs. Maybe bust up that ugly mug of yours some more.”
    Drew slid him a sideways smile. “You and whose army, mate?”
    Tom opened his mouth to retort, but Drew held up his hand as the bud in his ear exploded with sound. Men shouting. What sounded like gunshots.
    “Shit,” he exclaimed, out of his seat and heading for the door in a heartbeat. “Saddle up, someone just hit the Carillon building.”
    ***
    “You bugged Amanda?” Tom blinked in surprise, sliding Drew a sideways glance as he gunned the car through the busy city streets.
    “Yeah, several times.” Drew frowned as he checked his phone; the GPS was active, and the blip onscreen should be where they were holding Amy. Panic rolled in the back of his mind, but he kept it locked down, nice and tight. Mission first, emotions later. “Looks like they got most of the bugs. There’s only one still active. Pull up here. We need to approach on foot.”
    Tom slowed down, pulling the vehicle to a stop behind what looked like an abandoned warehouse. “Just one. Where the hell did you put that?”
    “You really want to know?” Drew slid him a sideways look before shoving the door open and climbing out. “I bugged everything. Figured if they took her they’d ditch most of her belongings.”
    “Yeah, the police picked up her briefcase and purse a couple of streets away from the Carillon building.” Tom paused, looking at him directly over the roof of the car as Drew hauled the back door open to grab his kitbag. “Please tell me you didn’t bug her underwear?”
    “That’s for me to know and you to never find out.” Drew concentrated on the bag, ripping it open to access the contents. He pulled free a tactical vest and slid it on. Lightweight but hardy, it wouldn’t hamper his movements but would give him the extra storage he needed.
    He reached for an assault rifle and slung it across his body before adding a pistol in a holster and another one in the back of his waistband. Not the safest, but he didn’t intend to slow down to reload. He was going in balls out, death-or-glory style. Taking no prisoners.
    “Tom. Load up,” he ordered. “I’m gonna need some cover, but make sure you stay out of the line of fire. Got it?”
    Tom looked pale but nodded, his lips compressed into a thin line as he selected weaponry from the back of the car. Drew had loaded everything he had, just in case, so there was more than enough to choose from. Drew glanced up from checking his primary weapon and assessed the guy’s condition as Tom joined him at the front of the car. Tom had obviously kept himself in shape since they’d served together, but it wasn’t the hardened muscle of a professional soldier anymore. He’d have to go light on the guy.
    “Let’s go. First right, it’s the building at the end of the row. We’ll duck around the back, case the place out. Then we hit it before they can move her. As soon as I’m in, guide the rest of the team in, then hit the front of the building. Okay?”
    He set off at a quick jog, trusting Tom to keep up. For a moment he was back in action, the dust of the desert beneath his feet and the familiar feeling of adrenaline flooding his veins. But this wasn’t just any mission; this was the mission. Suddenly his throat threatened to close over, his heart lurching painfully in his chest. This was Amy they’d taken, the short, curvy, sassy, pain-in-the-ass woman he hadn’t wanted to help but who had somehow wormed her way under his skin anyway.
    The woman he was in love with…
    Shit. He almost paused at the realization but then kept running. Achieve the objective, worry about the other shit